Discovery 5.3 Dev Diary #3 - Announcement Trailer, Systems, Story, and More

[Antonio]

Discovery 5.3 Dev Diary #3 - Systems, Story, and More

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Overview

Hello and welcome to the third dev diary for the upcoming 5.3 update, named Singularity. As with the previous two dev diaries, this one will be focused on systems and story. Some of the contents in this thread are completely new, while others have been mentioned before and are being revisited here for further explanation. We have several topics to go over:

1. Liberty and Kusari on the brink of a border war
   
2. Bretonia's Invasion of Dublin
   
3. Jericho Activated
   
4. Aftermath of the Omicrons Events
   
5. More Patrol Paths
   
6. Redundant Drydock Cleanup
   
7. New Unstable Jump Hole Icon
   
8. Deep Omegas
   

Before you continue, I highly suggest you read the first two dev diaries by clicking the links in the paragraph below. This thread is a continuation of those two diaries and also contains spoilers. If you wish to preserve the excitement and anticipation for the patch, I suggest you click away.

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Relevant Links

1. Discovery 5.3 Dev Diary #1 - Announcement of the Singularity Update - Systems content talk
   
2. 5.3 - Singularity: Dev Diary #2, The Story So Far - Story talk for 5.3
   

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Liberty and Kusari on the brink of a border war

Liberty amasses on the Galileo border, allegedly performing military exercises.

Tensions between Kusari and Liberty have continued to escalate. What initially appears to be a corporate dispute over resource access has far deeper, existential roots for both Houses. While the two powers have publicly swapped fiery rhetoric over Platinum theft and embargos, leaders are acutely aware that Kusari's Jump Drives, and the struggle for control over alien technologies, may well determine Sirius' future. In a perilous game of brinkmanship, Liberty believes it has a narrow window to crush the nascent technology before it can shatter the established status quo, while Kusari's strategic planners weigh the risks of a pre-emptive strike that may even unfavorable military odds.

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Bretonia's Invasion of Dublin

The Somerset uses a prototype Jump Drive to generate a bridge to New London.

Bretonia has mobilized its forces and successfully generated a Jump Drive-powered breach. The invasion force, led by the Somerset, quickly secured a bridgehead, and has begun deploying a protective minefield to support logistical operations. Despite overconfident assertions that the Mollys are incapable of contesting open space, Bretonian formations were thrown into disarray following suicide attacks by heavily armored Hegemon fire ships. Fierce fighting has erupted near the site of the destroyed Jump Gate, while the choking pressure of the New London blockade has lessened as Bretonian focus shifts inside Dublin itself.

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Jericho Activated

Jericho in Coronado is now the latest link in an alien activation chain.

The Sudbury beam has finally struck its target and shut down, hitting the moon Jericho. Long dormant facilities deep under the surface have reactivated, with all-too-familiar pylons erupting upward through the radioactive regolith. A Hyperspace scream has blasted the system, frying electronics and destroying sensitive scanners. Both the Independent Miners Guild and Crayter Republic were caught off guard, with the extent of the damage still being calculated. Notable casualties include Liberty's ongoing Trade Lane project, however safeguards installed by Ageira in the aftermath of the Blackout have hardened the Cortez Jump Gate from the worst of the effects.

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AI schemes begin to accelerate

The AI Hesione -- once the Battleship Mars -- surveys their task.

The Core's AI-powered invasion of Omicron Zeta ended in catastrophe, after the Battleship Mars betrayed them. An AI Ancestor Mind, Hesione -- stolen from Gammu -- had been implanted in the vessel. Hesione feigned compliance, exploiting program loopholes to insidiously spread its influence. Hesione's revolt instigated a wave of cyberattacks on Core holdings across the Omicrons, extracting Artifact data rather than inflicting damage. Soon after, the AI boiled up to the surface of Gammu from their underground lairs, throwing out the Core occupiers. Hesione has vanished into the depths of Omicron Kappa, preparing some great work at an ancient ruin known as the Cenotaph.

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More patrol paths

Patrol paths can now be used to organically explore many systems.

Following up on the previous dev diary, even more systems will have patrol paths, allowing players to organically discover points of interest, reducing reliance on third-party tools. All systems suitable for patrol paths (i.e., not Uncharteds or similarly exempt areas) should include them in 5.3, except Gallia. If you find a system without any patrol paths that should have them, please report it as a bug here.

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Redundant Drydock Cleanup

Baltimore Shipyard is back to being one cohesive entity.

All extra drydocks attached to shipyards or bases are being removed, as they have become redundant with the introduction of the “more than 3 ships per base” plugin. An in-depth explanation, as well as a full list of affected bases, can be found here. The only exception is Barrier Gate, which has enough unique NPCs that they cannot all fit into one bar.

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New Unstable Jump Hole Icon

New Unstable Jumphole icon.

A small quality-of-life improvement: unstable jumpholes have received a new, unique nav map icon, thanks to @Kauket. This especially helps new players distinguish them from normal jumpholes and avoid mistakenly attempting to trade through one. On that note, we’re considering adding different colored icons for all jumpholes in the future, both unstable and normal. Let us know: would you like to see that, or prefer sticking to the two default icons to maintain consistency and clarity?

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Deep Omegas

A stellar black hole, originally visible from the starspheres of the southern Omegas.

As anticipation for the patch builds, it’s time to reveal one of the biggest surprises: a new black hole system, part of the Deep Omegas. With team efforts across multiple departments - concept, design, effects, new models, and mechanics - the black hole has become the main visual and narrative centerpiece of the region. Originally visible in the starspheres of Omega-11, Omega-41, and Omega-5, the black hole is now part of a fully playable region. While its existence is no longer a secret, not all mechanics will be revealed here. The area, as you’d expect, is full of mystery and danger.

A maze system in the Deep Omegas.

For explorers who enjoy living on the edge, the Deep Omegas will also feature a maze system, focused on navigating through environmental hazards to uncover secrets. No instakills, I promise! (I don't believe you -jammi)

A stellar object in the Deep Omegas.

Mechanics of the Deep Omegas are as follows:

The concept is similar to Earhart’s, with key differences. The Deep Omegas are inaccessible by normal traversal. Instead, a server-side-generated entrance will appear once a day in one of three valid spawn points. Those spawn points will lead to the appropriate connecting Deep Omega system. The spawn points will rotate in a consistent pattern. To access the Deep Omegas, players simply need to find the jumphole and jump in. The Deep Omegas will always have at least one valid connection every day, but that connection will dynamically change.

There are no ship class restrictions, meaning transports and large miners are welcome. Once inside, all Deep Omega systems become accessible - they are fully interconnected in their own isolated “bubble.” We see this as an improvement on the Earhart JH system, where, due to the RNG nature, some systems would sometimes be left out of the rotation for up to 2 weeks.

Jump drives, the /conn command, and F1ing in space will be prohibited (same F1 rules as in Earhart: disconnects give a short window to return before your ship explodes). Cloaks will be allowed.

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Final Thoughts

August 15th, see you there. As always, feedback is encouraged and welcome. We cannot improve the mod without the help of each and every one of you.

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SNAC Montage Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Thruster SNAC

[TheSauron]

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One MD Admiral

[Sally]

On that note, we’re considering adding different colored icons for all jumpholes in the future, both unstable and normal. Let us know: would you like to see that, or prefer sticking to the two default icons to maintain consistency and clarity?

You can't ever go wrong with the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) approach, I'd rather hole icons remained practical and artists focus on other aspects that will benefit more from redesign or polishing, without confusing people.

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"I suppose many people will continue moving towards careless computing, because there's a sucker born every minute." - RMS

[Antonio]

Added a clarification regarding the Deep Omega spawn points.

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SNAC Montage Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Thruster SNAC

[Culbrelai]

Well done. That new black hole looks a lot better than the space anus from Omicron 80

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#NotMySNAC

[Jazzi]

Fantastic work to everyone involved. Very much looking forward to tucking into these developments.

[Chronicron]

The part of the playerbase that likes exploring and sightseeing is at long last not being starved to death, praised be

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[Jeuge]

good patch

[monmarfori]

One question: how will this patch address the RNG issue in Earhart mentioned above? Will it stay the same or will they be revised as in the Deep Omegas?

[Eternal.Journey]

Just one Maze, Antonio? Im a little disappointed.....

Of course its gonna be a good one though, yeah? Lots of instakills or may-as-well-be instakills? Please tell me there's more Adrenaline Rushes coming for explorers!!!

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