The Atlas Tugged Update (0.7.0) comes on Dec 20!
While the star of the show is certainly the new Atlas-class of starship to salvage, there are a huge variety of other improvements and changes to get excited about, such as an overhaul of the Ship Catalog screen, and improvements to the elemental systems found in ships.
Atlas-Class
A true workhorse line of ships, the Atlas-Class is purpose-built for a variety of industrial roles, and has been in service across the colonies for decades. We’ve designed this class to bridge the difficulty and complexity gap between Mackerels and Javelins. The Atlas greatly improves the variety of ships early in the game, bringing a few new challenges of its own to Players, such as a two-floor layout, which challenges Shipbreakers to think as much vertically as horizontally. As well, their manufacturer Starleap Heavy Industries outfits them with its proprietary Quasar Thrusters, which are so massive that Shipbreakers have to crawl inside them to access the fuel system and to separate the thruster shell. Take note that accessing the interior via the thruster nozzle will cause the fuel lines to become unstable, so act quickly to reach the fuel flush switch at the back!
- Shipbreakers will unlock the first model of Atlas, the Scout, at Rank 4.With an incredible top-speed, high maneuverability, and enough interior space for living quarters or small cargo, the Scout is popular with government patrols, search and rescue, private security, asteroid prospecting or small-scale research. Shipbreakers should be aware of high amounts of electrical hazards, in addition to the two Quasar Thrusters that give this ship it’s oomph.
- At Rank 6, Shipbreakers gain access to the Nomad, a long-haul cargo ship. With ample interior cargo space, and a modular exterior cargo rack, the Nomad and it’s three Quasar Thrusters move cargo quickly! In interplanetary terms, that can still be a heck of a long time, and so the Nomad is also outfitted with a fully-equipped sleeper cabin; a hauler’s home-away-from-home.
- Rank 8 brings the final Atlas ship model: the Roustabout tug. Quad Quasar Thrusters make this the most powerful model in the Atlas line, and an essential vehicle for everything from asteroid felling and station construction, to demolition and towing salvage. This many thrusters requires a lot of power and fuel, so beware of the Roustabout’s large amount of fuel and electrical hazards.
Each Atlas model also has a variety of new Data Drives that Shipbreakers can collect and decrypt to further expand on the world outside Morrigan Station.
Ship Catalog Revamp
Every Shipbreakers knows that one of the first things you do each day is visit the Ship Catalog to see what salvage is on offer. In 0.7.0, this interface has been revamped, with a focus on simplicity and clarity, as well as to improve the variety of ships available. The most important information related to claiming a ship has been brought front-and-center, and extraneous information has been minimized or removed. In addition, all ship classes are always represented, guaranteeing that you’ll have access to the newest ships as they become available. Lastly, the LYNX Marketing Department has seen fit to rebrand this interface as the Job Board.
Elemental System Improvements
As we continue to try and create interesting and dynamic challenges in ships, and mitigate run-away catastrophic meltdowns that wipe a ship’s value thanks to a tiny accident, we’ve made some changes to the behaviour of elemental objects.
Here are the major changes:
- Fuel Pipes no longer explode when damaged or cut. Instead, when hit by the cutter beam, touched by fire or zapped with electricity, the fuel inside the pipe ignites, which then begins to spread down the pipe network. This gives Players time to find a way to neutralize the fire or flush the fuel entirely, before the flames reach the Fuel Tank (which will explode!).
- A fix to how impacts are calculated means that objects like Fuel Tanks and Terminals no longer die immediately when taking impact damage. You will now be far more likely to see leaking Fuel or Coolant tanks, or sparking Terminals.
- Coolant no longer affects the exterior Nanocarbon Hull or Structural Beams of a ship. Many ships still have exterior Aluminum panels that can be frozen and shattered, but the threat of coolant is now much more focused on the valuable interior components of a ship.
We’ll be monitoring these changes to see how they affect the gameplay for everyone, and will continue to tweak elemental behaviors to try and create the most interesting and dynamic experience possible.
Alongside the exciting features of this update, we’ve also continued the usual bug fixing and stabilizing of the game, crushing 120+ issues.
We’re looking forward to seeing everyone’s reaction to the new ships, and to see the kinds of strategies you all develop to salvage them! We’re positive that some innovative Shipbreakers are going to find a variety of creative ways to salvage the Quasar Thrusters.
As usual, let us know what you think! Join us in our Discord to share your thoughts and feedback.
Cheers,
The Shipbreaker Dev Team
