Patch 1.8.1 refines a number of gameplay mechanics related to contracts, progression and the Battle Bonus system. Team Elimination also makes a big return to the battlefield now that our team has resolved the issues that many of you have been experiencing.

So, why the “rebel yell?” Because we have some mutiny-inspired items in the market, and we’re feeling a little unruly. But first: here’s what’s new!









Battle Bonus

Battle Bonus and non-Battle Bonus XP/Credit gain differences are now closer together in an effort to make non-Battle Bonus games feel more rewarding.

Battle Bonus recharge timings have been adjusted to 10 minutes for Veteran and 20 minutes for Legendary fleets.

Battle Bonus recharge Credit cost lowered.



In trying to make sure that Battle Bonus works the way we intend it to - allowing players to play any fleet, but periodically getting good bonuses - we've re-tuned the bonuses, base rewards, and cooldowns. In our first tuning, we feel that although we never locked any fleets, the base rewards made it feel almost pointless to play without Battle Bonus. We hope that this new tuning hits the mark and will make matches played without Battle Bonus feel more rewarding than they did in 1.8.0. We really want the system to hit a spot where you guys feel that it is rewarding, and will quite possibly be making further changes to the numbers in the future.



Officer Briefings

Officer Briefing “It’s A Trap” renamed to “Get On My Good Side” and reworked for Dreadnoughts and Destroyers; the OB now triggers when damage is taken from the side rather than behind.



The Officer Briefing "It's a Trap" created some inventive, unintended gameplay. However, having ships flying backwards into battle felt more than a little bit awkward and we decided to rework it. For Dreadnoughts and Destroyers it now triggers when taking damage from the side, rather than from behind. For all other ships, it has not changed.

Officer Briefing “Adrenaline Shot” has been slightly improved, increasing the amount of energy per Armor healed from 0.001 to 0.0016.

General Balance Changes

Team Elimination has returned and is now accessible to all players.

Daily Contracts have been adjusted so they’re now easier to complete in an actual day.



We've reduced the difficulty of all Daily Contracts in the game to try to make sure that these can be completed, well, daily. Before, we had Contracts of different difficulty with scaling rewards. We decided to try to make them all equally difficult and have the same rewards for them all. We've also bumped up the credit rewards a bit.



The ramp of GP gained from Career Progression has been smoothed out; less up front, more later, but same overall.





Captain vanity items can now be previewed before purchasing them.

Players now have the ability to toggle Aim Assist in the game settings menu.



The Aim Assist that is used when aiming at Corvettes can now be toggled on and off in the settings. We're currently looking at Corvettes and how to make sure that players can hit them, but we think that this addition makes sense as a first step.



MUTINY-INSPIRED MARKET ITEMS





What causes a captain to abandon their post during the most important battle in two centuries? Conviction, and plenty of courage—which is exactly what Bix had the moment he turned on the Pan-Colonial Fleet leadership and staged a mutiny on the front lines during the Battle of Atlantis.

Celebrate the spirit of defiance with items that recall the glory days of the early PCF and the many honorable captains who flew its flag!

THE EMPIRE COATING COLLECTION

Paint your ships with the colors of the past. These deep, bold hues of navy and red can be applied to one or all of your ships for 1,600 GP.





The combination of royal navy and garnet red was like war paint for PCF captains. They applied it to their ships in solidarity before the Battle of Atlantis; many even wear it today as a reminder of the PCF’s original core values.

PCF CLASSIC DECAL

Channel the earliest PCF captains’ optimism and thirst for glory. Slap this free-spirited decal on the side of your vessel for 200 GP.





This lofty, retro pilot decal was created by captains Aram Jones and Bashmu Geryon, both of whom helped Bix stage the Great Mutiny. They wore it during the Battle of Atlantis to show their alignment with the early PCF virtues of discipline and optimism.

EAGLE SHIELD DECAL

Are you a hunter—or the hunted? Try out this ferocious Eagle Shield decal for 200 GP and sink your talons into any ship that gets in your way.





This fierce decal was most notably worn by Yolanda Fudeng and Argyle Grim during the attack on Neptune. Also used by their parents early in the war, it reflects how many used to view the PCF as “king of the skies.”

ICON OPERATIONS CREW EMBLEM

Add some elite flair to your fleet with Bix’s Icon Operations emblem. Its righteous, shining steel can be bought for a standard captain’s wager of 50 GP.





Bix originally had this emblem forged when he founded Icon Operations, a specialized PCF task force dedicated to fighting the Transhumans. Years later, he wore it as a show of solidarity when he led his fleet in the Battle of Atlantis—and the subsequent Great Mutiny.







