4.88.4 - New Year's Update; Rheinland & West Kusari

[Teerin]

4.88.4 - Rheinland & West Kusari Update

This is the second of several in a series of modular updates, which are aimed at fixing storyline stagnation and system bloat. Following consultation and discussion with several Rheinland leaders and regional lore nuts, four excess systems have been removed. Other systems have been altered and relinked, and the conclusion of the conflict with Liberty has been implemented. In Kusari, the Imperial Exiles have advanced from Tau-29 into the Kyushu, and are in the process of securing Tottori.

System Changes

The former guard systems of Braunschweig, Duesseldorf, and Halle have been removed via retcon. Their base entries have been moved, reused, or recycled in various locations. Saar, which was de-guarded for 4.87, was deemed in excess, given the existence of both Omega-54 and Koeln. Former references to Saar are retconned as an alternative name for Omega-54, much like how Gallia has all sorts of names for Sirius systems. Omega-54 has been de-guarded and relinked to better integrate it into the mod. Koeln has received Saarbrucken, Tholey, and in the next few updates even more with the intent of making the system more viable.

Luneburg has received some assets, and is currently being phased into Sigma-15, which will be complete when the full Kusari update is released. This transition phase shouldn't be long, and players are advised to treat this like the actual discovery of Sigma-15, since very few outside of the Bundschuh knew about the system.

Rumor has it that an unstable jump hole has appeared in the far reaches of Munich, and there is much speculation as to where it might connect once it finishes forming. Ageria Technologies warns about the dangers of jump holes, strongly advising against their usage in travel.

At long last, there is peace between Liberty and Rheinland. The Munster module in New Hampshire was destroyed shortly beforehand, but speculation on that was shelved by the governments, not looking to elongate the conflict further. Rheinland Military units have since withdrawn from there into Bremen, and each remain tensely at guard. In Hudson, however, citizens of both sides have made the terraforming project on Planet Atka an object of public kinship for the Houses. Nearly forgotten in the aftermath of fighting, Bering has become a graveyard of derelict ships and opportunistic bottomfeeders.

Faction Changes

The Unioners and Red Hessians now have the default diplomatic stance of "very uneasy". While similar to "unfriendly", this is not strictly that since docking rights are still in place. Factions, groups, and players are encouraged to roleplay this, and may seek to mend the relationship, tear it apart further, or just let it stew. The cause comes from radically different stances towards the Corsairs, Bundschuh, and other factions, with little middle ground available. The factions have been close and have relied upon each other for some time now, making open hostility questionable.

In Kusari, the Kempeitai (the local secret police force) have largely defected to the side of the Exiled Imperial Kusari Navy, believing that the returning fleet will successfully restore the House from ruin into greatness. Those who did not betray the current Republican government have been transferred into special forces units of the KNF and KSP, but kept under surveillance in case they prove to be Imperial moles. The KPT will soon be configured an IFF out of the old FA Guard transponder.

Base Changes

Many bases from the removed systems were kept, spread across the region. The Dev Team is aware that base bloat might be an issue in some locations, and we plan to look into that for the next series of updates.

The progression in Kusari was geared towards the Imperial advancement, and more will be done later. Planet Kurile's infocard has also been updated.

Balance Changes

- Nerfed Light Mortar range (down to 3,000m)
- Nerfed Light Mortar turn rate (down to 30 radians per second)
- Nerfed Cruiser Cerberus range (2,000m down to 1,750m)
- Nerfed Nyx hull (11,000 down to 10,200)
- Nerfed Coalition Carrier (.1600 down to .1515 max turn rate; 1,100,000 down to 1,000,000 armor)
- Buffed Scimitar (4,300 up to 6,300 hull; 42 up to 52 shield battery regens; all light fighter shields mountable)
- Buffed Sea Serpent (4,800 up to 6,800 hull; 42 up to 62 shield battery regens; all light fighter shields mountable)
- Buffed Sabre reaction time (up to 5.67)
- Buffed Mako (695,000 up to 730,000 hull; now has 5 prims, 4 rear facing; now has light BS handling)
- Buffed Zephyr (now has 5 prims, 4 rear facing)
- Reworked Gunboat Heavy turrets: Gunboat Pulse, Razor and Solaris Gatling (Previously Zapper) turrets are now Heavy Gunboat Turrets (Class 4). All gunboats have two heavy slots.

Thanks

@Char Aznable -- system modifications in Rheinland, wrote 6 infocards
@Durandal -- system modifications in Kusari & merging, development planning, balance solutions
@Alley -- system modifications in error finding
@Haste -- balance solutions
@Hidamari -- balance solutions, .ini editing, model hardpointing
@Geoffacake -- sound effects
@Xoria -- economy adjustments
@evanz -- icons art (Exotic Entertainers, Sunbucks Coffee & Donuts)
@jammi -- infocard editing & revision
@LordVipex -- system modification fixes
@Teerin -- development oversight, development planning, infocard editing & revision, infocard insertion
@LunaticOnTheGrass -- key input regarding changes, wrote 21 infocards, infocard insertion
@ChillerMiller --key input regarding changes, wrote 9 infocards
@Laura C. -- key input regarding changes
@Blodo -- additional input regarding changes
@aerelm -- additional input regarding changes
@Sturmwind -- minor input regarding changes
@Rodent -- wrote 2 infocards
@latos -- wrote 1 infocard

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"You see what your knowledge tells you you're seeing. ... how, what you think the universe is, and how you react to that in everything you do, depends on what you know. And when that knowledge changes, for you, the universe changes. And that is as true for the whole of society as that is for the individual. We all are what we know, today. What we knew yesterday, was different; and so were we."
- James Burke, The Day the Universe Changed (1985)

[Titan*]

- Buffed Mako (695,000 up to 730,000 hull; now has 5 prims, 4 rear facing; now has light BS handling)

nope it has 6x primary turret and can fire all of them to front

also infocards still wrong

[Lythrilux]

- Buffed Mako (695,000 up to 730,000 hull; now has 5 prims, 4 rear facing; now has light BS handling)

nope it has 6x primary turret and can fire all of them to front

sssssshhh

but yeah it does. One of the 'light' hardpoints lets you mount a prim there.

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[Querious]

Update the online nav-map please, as it still has the useless guard systems in-canon.

[Wixelt]

Update the online nav-map please, as it still has the useless guard systems in-canon.

Bear in mind that the announcement only just happened, I don't think Error can work that quickly.

[Tabris]

- Nerfed Coalition Carrier (.1600 down to .1515 max turn rate; 1,100,000 down to 1,000,000 armor)

While I'm not hot on that I can understand it. Still our folks will test it to see if it's still playable. We'll let you know.

[Titan*]

- Nerfed Coalition Carrier (.1600 down to .1515 max turn rate; 1,100,000 down to 1,000,000 armor)

While I'm not hot on that I can understand it. Still our folks will test it to see if it's still playable. We'll let you know.

its not because game still freezing when something hits you

[Querious]

Update the online nav-map please, as it still has the useless guard systems in-canon.

Bear in mind that the announcement only just happened, I don't think Error can work that quickly.

Thanks for letting me know sorry for that.

[Swallow]

Congratulations with one more step forward!
Thanks to everyone participated for this update!

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FL MOD(EL)MAKING: TOOLS, RESOURCES, TUTORIALS AND MY SHIPS (OLD)

I am on discord: Roal-Yr#5994, I don't log on forum more than a few times a year.

I am not making ships for FL anymore, I am making my own space game instead:
https://github.com/roalyr/GDTLancer
https://roal-yr.itch.io/gdtlancer
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5HQB...cdH45LZgjj

[Durandal]

- Nerfed Coalition Carrier (.1600 down to .1515 max turn rate; 1,100,000 down to 1,000,000 armor)

While I'm not hot on that I can understand it. Still our folks will test it to see if it's still playable. We'll let you know.

its not because game still freezing when something hits you

I went and tested this extensively on my own server and did not encounter this issue. I need to see a video reproduction of it or something, or better yet, borrow a Coalition cap.