Devlog #3 - Exploration, artifacts and characters [7/13/16]

Two weeks ago we talked about Eras, Asymmetric gameplay and victory conditions, this time we are going to speak about exploration, artifacts and briefly go through some of the characters you can find in the game.



Andromeda is filled with interesting things to explore and new characters to meet. Players can send their scout ships to discover new systems and new races, but when it comes to unveiling what secrets lie in some ruins in a planet, in a wrecked ship or an anomaly, that's when survey ships are called into action.



Artifacts can be found and further researched and among other things can yield new technologies, new ship parts to your ships or simply be worth reselling for money.



Merchants scattered around the galaxy can sell you some artifacts for a sizable amount, however they are not only individual characters roaming Andromeda.



Mercenaries have very powerful ships and will join whoever pays best and outlaws are criminals who managed flee their original empire. Approval takes a penalty during the time an outlaw is out there so it is in their best interest to destroy them or have someone else destroy them so they usually put a bounty on their heads.



Lastly there are also travelers who have leadership qualities, and can be hired to join your empire and potentially join your council or act as colony governor.



While not individual characters, the player can also come across pirate clans, whose objective is to profit as much as possible by trying to extort money from weaker empires by promising them protection. They can also be interacted just like any other empire in the game, and can be used for your advantage in your quest to conquer the galaxy.



Additionally there are also minor races, smaller civilizations scattered around Andromeda that do not have space travel technology yet. These usually live in colonies with very good living conditions, which can make them a target from empires looking for new homes for their citizens. However invading them carries a cost to their reputation, so alternatively players can interact with them, offer gifts, pay for more technology and even use their influence to convince them to join their empire willingly. Minor races still evolve over time and can eventually discover space travel and become a full fledged empire. Previous relationship with other players is retained so investing in technology for them can also be a viable option if the player is looking for a close ally.



And that's it for today. In two weeks we'll be going over ship design and combat.



Stay tuned !