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Teerin · 10-10-2016, 06:21 AM,

4.88.6 - Fall Update

Release Overview

This is the fourth and final of several in a series of modular updates, which are aimed at fixing storyline stagnation and system bloat. As with the others, many (see below) regional leaders and lore nuts were consulted. Several excess systems have been removed, with others altered, relinked, and/or repurposed.

The focus was primarily on the final two yet-untouched regions, Bretonia and Liberty. Unlike the previous three updates, however, this one focused mainly on the removal or de-guarding of systems, with only a few story advances made.

We apologize for the (relative to the last few) unexpected slowness of this release. There have been a number of setbacks (illness, forum drama, vacations, technical issues, server migrations) that kept putting it back, but we aren't here to play the blame game - we're here with this release.

A number of community members have asked for a brief description of the storyline progression for each faction, from across all of 4.88. I have been working on this, and I may have this out by next weekend if I'm expeditious enough. One of the goals of 4.88 was to get the story off the ground for as many factions as possible, and there are a total of seventy. There is also a reference guide I plan on posting for the lore consistency of system name changes.

Nota Bene: Technical difficulties with FLCompanion persist, but are being looked into. I am also aware that this changelog may be missing an item or three (primarily effects related) which I will be tending to as I can, plus @Error's NavMap is not yet updated, so until then you may Discover™ what's new.

Looking Ahead

Future plans for 4.89 are well underway. Instead of a .1 through .6, for Story/Systems/Economy there will just be an Initial and Final release, because 4.89 isn't hampered with so many fixes, anti-stagnation storyline jumpstarts, and system removal. PvP Balance/Models/Effects will possibly begin to release separately (utilizing multiple GitHub branches), depending on their workload.

On that note, please expect a decently sized models update within the next month or month and a half. Also, the 4.89 Initial package will probably be released by the winter solstice, but you know, unexpected delays are unexpected.

Bretonia & Taus Update

Chester is merged into Inverness, which remains a borderworld beyond the fringes of direct House involvement. While the system is officially named Inverness, Chester is a viable alternative name for Bretonia. Similarly, Londonderry is merged into Poole, sort of a diagonal split to make the most use of this pair of systems. The de-guarding process for Londonderry modifies the "guard lore" in a way that makes the background of this system plausible, which you may read and discover in-game. Poole is the official name, used by lawfuls, but the Mollys and their friends know it first as Londonderry or simply Derry. Dundee has been removed entirely, not merged into any system, as discussed and voted upon a while ago.

Appended in edit: The "Baffin Highway" route which bypassed both Kusari and Bretonia House space by letting ships go directly from the Taus to Liberty (& associated borderworlds) was deemed harmful a long time ago by the development team, but a direct fix proved difficult. It is "bad" especially for KSP and BPA (but also House pirates) because the shortcut offers a way to navigate around/between those two Houses, allowing smugglers and even regular traders to avoid a lot of interaction. As a result, our solution moved the Cortez JH to Planet Baja to make that route potentially less desirable than the new route to Manchester (the JH of which is roughly where the Cortez point used to be) for a somewhat brief jaunt through Bretonia territory. This increases the chance for interaction with Bretonian factions if you choose that route, Crayter if you fly through Coronado, or Kusari factions if you go around the other way.

Recently, the Gaians have continued expanding their movement towards Liberty. Times for them have been tough, but their movement has grown somewhat and seeks to persevere. They have also initiated hostile actions against Gallia, whose Royal Navy finally captured Planet Harris, and the Hellfire Legion, who in their eyes are perverting Planet Guadulajara. Administration of Harris was transferred shortly thereafter to EFL, who are working steadfastly to finish the terraforming process. Nearby, Yuma colonization has been completed by Crayter, with the help of Cryer and Synth, among others. The minor nation, following five years of rebuilding in Coronado, is gearing itself towards fighting back in the Taus with full force. Also, after a long search, they sought out the Alien Jump Gate within the Barrier Rim and destroyed it with the Order's help.

Meanwhile, the Bretonia Armed Forces seek to maintain the territorial integrity of Manchester as GRN raids increase. In Newcastle and New London, defenses are being bolstered as much as possible while Gallia's primary focus remains on securing Magellan.

Liberty & Borderworlds Update

And it is Magellan, where Freeport Four has sustained more damage. The invaders have stalled some, after feigning an attack into California, but tactical experts believe their next move will be elsewhere. In bracing for future raids, however, the Liberty Navy has repositioned the Ottawa battlegroup closer to the California jump gate in Ontario, to perhaps assist in emergency response. Tensions with Rheinland continue, but are gradually winding down. To match the unlawful activity rise - perhaps due to the cessation of hostilities and subsequent demilitarized zone - the BHG have established an outpost near Atka to aid in restoring order.

The Liberty Rogues have been active in their own way lately, sending a destroyer into Coronado to test the (frozen) waters there for piracy. The Junkers of Puerto Rico also sold them Carolina Outpost as a "favor" of sorts. Other unlawful elements have been mustering lately as well, with the Lane Hackers closely eyeing the underway supergate project, the Hellfire Legion attempting to legitimize their opposition government, and the Xenos growing evermore irate at the influx of refugees from war torn Bretonia.

Alabama's remaining assets were split between Kansas and Cassini, the latter of which lost many of its own assets which made it a guard system. Kansas further receives the one base from Humboldt, which is being removed. That system had two fields, one going to Kansas and the other to Vespucci, which has been deguarded like Cassini. Much of Illinois' bases were placed in the empty lower right area of Colorado. Minnesota's contents went largely to Virginia, another case of two-half-systems-make-a-whole. The combined, deguarded Virginia connects to Texas, New Hampshire, and Alaska. Puerto Rico remains, but lives on as another border system which connects New Hampshire to Bering, while Kansas also receives new connections to place it in the central south.

Balance Changes

- Arbeiter rebalance
- Core/BHG ships/weapon split
- Nomad Elder Primary balance fix
- Corsair Primary balance fix
- Bison, Shire, Uruz, Akegata, Shishapangma balance fix
- Pytho balance fix
- Annapurna balance fix
- Falchion balance fix

Model Changes

- New Bulldog model
- New Orbital Spa & Cruise shipline

Equipment Changes

- Crayter Republic engines added
- Crayter Republic SNAC added
- Core equipment added
- Heavy Transport Turret added
- Gaian engines added
- Gaian GB Basic Turret added
- Xeno GB Basic Turret added
- UAU7 and UAU8 now sold on all GRN stationary battleships

Thanks, members and assistants of the Development Team

@Xalrok -- system modifications for Bretonia and Liberty
@Tachyon -- system modifications for Bretonia and Liberty
@Arioch -- system modifications for Bretonia
@LordVipex -- system modifications for Bretonia
@Omicron -- system modifications for Liberty

@Teerin -- development oversight, development planning for Liberty and Bretonia, infocard editing & revision, wrote 2 infocards
@Echo 7-7 -- development planning for Liberty and Bretonia
@Durandal -- assistant development planning for Liberty and Bretonia, wrote 9 infocards
@LunaticOnTheGrass -- infocard editing & revision, wrote 4 infocards
@jammi -- assistant development planning for Bretonia, wrote 1 infocard
@Croft -- wrote 13 infocards
@Petitioner -- wrote 7 infocards
@Tabris -- wrote 6 infocards
@"John Wildkins" -- wrote 6 infocards
@Arioch -- wrote 3 infocards
@Ramke -- wrote 3 infocards
@TheSauron -- wrote 2 infocards
@Mephistoles -- wrote 1 infocard

@Haste -- balance solutions
@Tachyon -- balance solutions, technical infocard editing (approx. 90 infocards edited/added)
@Durandal -- balance solutions, visual effects
@ChillerMiller -- visual effects
@Oldum -- New OS&C Shipline models
@Iris -- New Bulldog model
@Swallow -- Hitbox for the new Bulldog
@Auzari -- visual effects contributions
@Xoria -- economy adjustments
@"John Wildkins" -- economy investigation
@Alley -- server migration, server maintenance
@"King Boo" -- server maintenance

Thanks, members and players of the Discovery Gaming Community

@TheSauron -- key input regarding changes for Bretonia
@Blodwyn O'Driscoll -- additional input regarding changes for Bretonia
@Treewyrm -- additional input regarding changes for Bretonia (borderworlds portion)
@Johnathan Nox Carter -- minor input regarding changes for Bretonia (Taus portion)
@Thyrzul -- minor input regarding changes for Bretonia (Taus portion)
@sindroms -- key input regarding changes for Liberty
@QuinnZai -- additional input regarding changes for Liberty
@Infrared -- additional input regarding changes for Liberty
@Kiwi -- minor input regarding changes for Liberty
@The Lane Hackers -- minor input regarding changes for Liberty
@Dimon -- minor input regarding changes for Liberty
@"John Wildkins" -- minor input regarding changes for Liberty

"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)