Just launched is the Hunter / Prey expansion alongside the massive 2.9 update. Hunter/Prey adds in lots of new units and buildings and I'll explain in detail their roles and some tips and tricks to using them. Overall, most of the new content is niche and situational compared to the existing content. This was to deliberate to ensure the new content opened up new and widened strategic options instead of overlapping with old stuff.

Add to Steam wishlist

 

New Substrate Structures

Auxiliary Assembly

This new building produces all of the new units, except for the Heart of the Phoenix, which can be built in the Advanced Assembly. Aside from the Scarabs, each new cruiser requires a tech building to unlock.

New Substrate Units

Scarab

Video showcase:
Overview: A heavy frigate squadron that is slow but tough and with heavy firepower. 
Role: Heavy Frigate

Tips for Scarabs:

• While very cost-effective, Scarabs can be easily outmaneuvered so attack your opponent's resources where the fight can't be avoided.
• Scarabs move at almost half the speed of other frigates and cruisers. Don't mix Scarabs in as armies to existing units, else you'll bog the whole army. Scarabs work best on their own with some anti-air support.

Tips against Scarabs:

• Scarabs get devastated by area of effect attacks such as the Hades Bombers.
• Use scout planes and radar to see incoming attacks. Scarabs are so slow that you can prepare static defenses by the time they arrive.

 

Skirmisher 

Overview: A fast-moving raider with weak durability for its cost but packs good damage.  
Role: Harassment Cruiser

Tips for Skirmisher:

• Use to avoid enemy forces and rush past defenses to harass enemy economy and infrastructure.
• Skirmishers are fast enough and with decent shield regeneration that they can simply disengage from a fight and move elsewhere
• Skirmishers can easily dodge incoming artillery projectiles if they change course, use them to punish Artillery.

Tips against Skirmisher::

• Rather than defending specific resource points, place static defenses in the choke points that Skirmishers would try to sneak past
• Skirmishers are weak in a direct fight for their cost, go on the offensive to deny your opponent fighting on their terms.
• Use gunships to quickly kill Skirmishers from the sky, Skirmishers are too fast for anti-air support.
• Avoid trying to use bombers like the Hades that are likely to miss the fast-moving Skirmishers.

 

Falling Star

Video showcase: 

Overview: A portable EMP bomb; when destroyed the Falling Star disables all nearby defenses for a short duration.

Role: Disruption Cruiser

Tips for Falling Star:

• Base defenses target units based on proximity (after initial unit type priorities), ensure a Falling Star is in the front of an assault.
• Falling Stars have high shield regeneration, don't be afraid to wait for it to regenerate before commencing an assault.
• The Destroy unit command can be used to manually detonate the Falling Star, this can be invaluable when the Falling Star is not being targeted and its disabling effect is needed.
• The Nano-Mesh barrier orbital can be used to give +2000 HP to the Falling Star, giving it more time to get into the perfect position to detonate.

Tips against Falling Star:

• Don't over-invest in base defenses, Falling Stars are practically worthless against units.
• Spread out your defenses so they're not all caught in the blast radius.
• Try to use longer range defenses with high burst (like the Oblivion) instead of shorter range, gradual damage towers like the Barrager.
• Stasis Hammers can prevent the Falling Star from getting within range.

 

Clutch of Eggs 

Video showcase:

Overview: A heavy walking spiderbot, when destroyed releases 16 powerful hatchlings (Frigates).

Role: Swarm cruiser

Tips for Clutch Of Eggs:

• The Clutch is weak for its heavy cost, but its real power comes in the hatchlings. Use them to overwhelm units and defenses with long reloads that lack AOE, such as the Minos Cannons, Eradicators and Athenas/Maulers.

Tips against Clutch Of Eggs:

• Make sure to mix in anti-frigate firepower such as Zeus, Masochists, Drone Bays and Disruptor Towers. 
• If completely caught off guard, the Plasma Storm and Drone Swarm orbitals are deadly against the Hatchlings.

 

Heart of the Phoenix

Video showcase: 
Overview: Versatile juggernaut that when destroyed it forms a Chrysalis that given enough time will regenerate and rebirth a new Phoenix.

Role: Endurance and disruption Juggernaut

Weaponry: Several missile swarms capable of engaging all targets, Static Charge which disables nearby units. Respawns at ~30% total health/shields if the Chrysalis survives for 30 seconds. (game time.)

Tips for Heart of the Phoenix::

• The Phoenix is versatile against all unit types but doesn't excel against any. It's a good investment if you don't know your opponent's strategy.
• Multiple Static Charges can stack and disable units for a long time, consider investing in multiple Phoenix's rather than mixing different Juggernauts together.
• Multiple Static Charges (Including from the Overmind) will especially synergize with keeping the Phoenix Chrysalis long enough to respawn.
• The Phoenix can be manually killed with the destroy unit command to turn into a Chrysalis. Though this will unlikely be useful as it loses combat levels and only respawns at ~30% total health.

Tips against Heart of the Phoenix:

• The Phoenix does not have the same firepower as other Juggernauts, duel it with a Leonidas or Eye of Darkness.
• While the Phoenix can devastate air units, it is with the same weapons as its ground attacks. Don't be afraid to combine an air and ground assault, but don't send the air in too early.
• The Phoenix lacks any splash damage, send in light units.
• Make sure to focus the Phoenix's chrysalis down before it can respawn.

New PHC Defenses

All new defenses (except for Minos Cannon) are tier 2 or tier 3 that upgrade from existing towers. Alternatively, they can be built directly on the map from the Sapper orbital abilities which summons an advanced engineer.

Shotgun Turret 

Overview: Very short-range turret but delivers massive damage.

Upgrades from: Emergency Turret (Orbital Ability)

Tips for Shotgun Turret:

• Invest in the Shotgun Turret over the MachineGun when you know the enemy has a large amount of short-range units such as the Athena and Mauler.
• The Shotgun excels in overlooking a high ground position where enemies will not be able to shoot up without vision.
• The cost of spawning Emergency Turrets will increase throughout the game. Use the Sapper to build more Shotgun and Machine Gun Turrets with a fixed Quanta cost.

Tips against Shotgun Turret:

• The shotgun can simply be outranged by a medium-range enemy like the Nemesis. Utilizing the Hold Ground unit command may charge your units from charging within range of the Shotgun Turret.
• The shotgun excels against cruisers, with its 1 second reload it can struggle against swarms of frigates.

 

Machine Gun Turret

Overview: Versatile damage and medium-range. Can target both ground and air targets.

Upgrades from: Emergency Turret (Orbital Ability)

Tips for Machine Gun Turret:

• Use when the short-range of the Shotgun tower will be limiting or when additional anti-air firepower is needed.

Tips Against Machine Gun Turret:

• The Machine Gun Turret has no particular weaknesses, sieging it with an Artillery cruiser may be necessary unless you have an overwhelming force.

 

Kinetic Accelerator

Overview: Provides a 20% damage boost to all nearby weapons. 

Upgrades from: Sensor Post

Tips for Kinetic Accelerator:

• Don't invest in one too early. 20% bonus is not significant for only a handful of Smarties.
• Selecting the Kinetic Accelerator tower shows you its buff range (1000). Use this as a reference.
• The Kinetic Accelerator is extremely fragile, place it behind other defenses so it is protected.
• If you can, leapfrog Battery towers forwards and try to fight near them. You may have to lure enemies into engage you in the buff range.
• Its selection range of 1000 indicates its buff range, but the Kinetic Accelerator still provides 3000 radar range. You don't need to rebuild a Sensor Array.

Tips against Kinetic Accelerator:

• The Kinetic Accelerator is extremely fragile at 300 health. Take it out with a Sentries, Saboteur, Incursion Drone Swarm, Plasma Storm before an engagement.
• If Orbital jamming is present, suicide a bomber or two to destroy it before an engagement.

 

Nova Tower 

Video Showcase: 
Overview: Indirect bombardment weapon that delivers heavy shield damage in a wide area-of-effect at.

Upgrades from: Artillery Post

Tips for Nova Tower:

• Deals no physical damage so it is useless against PHC. Though, it will only ever fire at shielded enemies
• Best used to support Artillery Posts or prior to assaulting an enemy position. 
• Use Sensor Posts (Or Kinetic Accelerator) to reveal targets.

Tips against Nova Tower:

• The shield damage can be counteracted by mixing in Caregivers and Regenerators.
• The Nova Tower, like the Artillery Post, is extremely weak. They can be quickly destroyed by bombers.

 

Stasis Hammer

Video showcase:
Overview: Deals no damage but stuns an enemy in place for a few seconds.

Upgrades from: Sentinel Cannon

Tips for Stasis Hammer:

• The Stasis Hammer can stun cruisers but it's likely only a worthwhile investment against Dreadnoughts and Juggernauts.
• Multiple Stasis Hammer stuns stack, don't be afraid to invest in a few.

Tips against Stasis Hammer:

• The Stasis Hammer is moderately fragile at only 2000 health. Consider focusing it down first, bombers or otherwise.
• Artillery units will be able to siege the Stasis hammer with no risk, unless there are nearby Artillery Posts.
• Unless it is well-supported, Stasis hammers can be overwhelmed with light units.

 

Minos Cannon

Video showcase:
Overview: Tier 3 anti-dreadnought and anti-juggernaut defense. Fires 6 devastating armor-piercing shots in a rapid burst over long-range.

Tips for Minos Cannon:

• The Minos Cannon's long reload and slow turret rotation leave the Minos Cannon vulnerable to swarms of light units. Make sure to other types of base defenses to complement that weakness. In particular, Drone Bays devastate frigates and the Hatchlings from the Clutch Of Eggs.
• Mix with a Battery Tower and Stasis Hammer for additional effect
• The Minos Cannon has more attack range than sight range, mix in a Sensor Array (Or Kinetic Accelerator) to ensure it's firing at max range.

Tips against Minos Cannon:

• A dreadnought charge against a Minos Cannon is suicidal, don't attempt this. Even a Juggernaut charge may fail if well fortified or multiple Minos Cannons are present.
• If your opponent is heavily entrenched, it's possible you can flank their defensive position and attack elsewhere such as their economy or Nexus. Supported Minos Cannons are a massive investment.
• For PHC - Use the Cronus artillery dreadnought to outrange the Minos Cannon from a distance safely.
• For Substrate - Mass Clutch Of Eggs or other frigates can easily overwhelm a Minos Cannon, even mass cruisers can do the job. 
• Substrate - Use Mix in Falling Stars to disable the Minos and other supporting defenses.
• Substrate - Tormentor artillery frigates have more range than Destructors and will be able to safely outrange the Minos Cannon, though they will take some time to chip away at it.

v3.96 Improves Planet Visuals, Gameplay, and Several Bug Fixes

• The planetary map generation system now prefers placing tiles near the equator.  The result is fewer, isolated tiles near the poles. Change does not affect the total number of tiles placed.  
• Improvements to the planetary material system that allows for greater detail and color. 
• Continent shorelines blend better with the water.
• City lights on the dark side of some planets (e.g. earth) get will get to max bright brightness when the population is 15 (was 30).
• Jupiter has been told to "stay in its lane" and use its own gradient colors instead of Mars'

Gameplay

• Players start with a shipyard. This has been added back because there is now sufficiently tight starting choices that we feel that holding back the shipyard simply creates an unnecessary repetitive starting condition
• Retribution: New starting improvement: Industrial Center (one per player). Good way to boost initial manufacturing
• Intrigue: Increased the number of colonies the higher level govs support. The highest level govs now support infinite colonies.
• Fixed a bug where the AI would sometimes delete a rally point if it found an object in it (as in, its own fleet!).
• AI combat ships are more willing to travel through dangerous territory to defend threatened planets.
• AI will ignore reinforcing planets that are already defended and not under threat.
• AI will focus on its primary enemy more so when targeting ships to attack.

Bugs

• Fixed a trade exploit with Hypergates.  
• Fixed a problem with colonization events that aren't imagined yet.
• Updated the Planet window so the Build Queue buttons don't break out of their frame in Normal UI scale

Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation New Hunter / Prey Expansion
and v2.9 Update Announced
Enjoy new strategic depth with new units, base defenses, and a scenario

Today, Stardock announced the new Hunter / Prey Expansion for its massive-scale RTS game, Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation. New Substrate units and PHC base defenses add depth to players’ strategic options in skirmish, multiplayer, campaign, and scenarios.

“This expansion further differentiates the two factions,” said Callum McCole, lead designer for Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation. “The PHC are now much better at locking down territory, while the Substrate’s new units provide versatile tools for assaulting enemy strongholds.” 

In Hunter / Prey, Substrate players can take advantage of the devastating capabilities of the new Heart of the Phoenix juggernaut, unleash swarms of mechanical Hatchlings using the Clutch of Eggs, and disable enemy defenses with the Falling Star. PHC players can defend their territory with the powerful and heavy-hitting Minos Cannon, wipe out enemy shields using the Nova Tower, or freeze units dead in their tracks using the Stasis Hammer. There are more units and structures to try out and explore, which means greater battles and deeper strategy.

To introduce players to the new units and defenses, a brand new scenario focusing on the Substrate’s expansion onto a PHC-occupied world is included. Multiple paths lead to the main enemy base, each with different defenses, so players will have to deploy their armies carefully. Each Nexus they destroy unlocks more of the new units, further building up their reinforcements.

The v2.9 update to the base game will release concurrently with the expansion. It includes a highly requested “Hold Ground” unit command, audio and visual improvements, a significant balance overhaul, and more. 

Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation  - Hunter / Prey expansion and the v2.9 update are coming soon. Visit Steam to wishlist the expansion today. For more information, visit www.ashesgame.com.  

Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes is getting an update.

Changes include:

• Unit movement engine optimizations
• AI update to be more greedy about getting goodie huts
• Early game technology costs reduced
• Default unit movement increased from 2 to 3 tiles.
• Sovereign default combat speed increased from 22 to 32
• Sovereign default HP increased from 20 to 28.
• Several bug fixes to late game instability

Release date: Now!

Screenshots (at 5K)

Higher Stakes

 

A new expansion is announced for Offworld Trading Company, Stardock goes to a streamer meetup, and highlights from content creators are all part of this edition of the community newsletter.

 

The Horizon

 

New Expansion "The Europa Wager" Announced for Soren Johnson's Offworld Trading Company!

 

 

Travel to the smallest of Jupiter's Galilean moons and carve out a name for yourself against your competition! Head to the frozen moon of Europa, where numerous cracks on the moon's surface and multiple methane geysers will make building and sustaining structures a whole new challenge.

 

Made of silicate rock and possessing a water-ice crust, Europa's atmosphere is thin but comprised mostly of oxygen, which makes it the next natural step for space-bound entrepreneurs.

 

Read the full announcement and add to your wishlist on Steam today!

 

Continue Reading...

Offworld Trading Company Announces Brand New Expansion
"The Europa Wager"
Add it to your Steam wishlist today! 
Travel to the smallest of Jupiter's Galilean moons and carve out a name for yourself against your competition! Head to the frozen moon of Europa, where numerous cracks on the moon's surface and multiple methane geysers will make building and sustaining structures a whole new challenge. Made of silicate rock and possessing a water-ice crust, Europa's atmosphere is thin but comprised mostly of oxygen, which makes it the next natural step for space-bound entrepreneurs.

---- Features ----

New Location: Europa Explore the smallest of Jupiter's Galilean moons where numerous cracks in the surface and methane geysers make building and sustaining structures more than a little difficult. New Resources and Structures Methane geysers are abundant on Europa, and the new Methane Extractor will allow you to harness the gas' energy and transform it into power. Additionally, the new Gas and Hydrothermal Plants work hard to process resources in order to make you a profit. The Hydrothermal Plant works similarly to the Geothermal Plant, but produces more power and a small amount of water. Meanwhile, the Gas Plant converts fuel into power, which is particularly helpful when you find yourself with an abundance. New Scenarios Everyone said you're crazy and that it can't be done, yet here you are: Europa. Fight through the frozen elements and help brave colonists found their colony and establish important resource lines. Survive the exceptionally long days and the freezing cold nights, make critical decisions on what to build and where, and mind the cracked and frozen landscape - in order to make sure your structures don't come tumbling down, extra time will need to be taken to build in those areas. Overcome the challenges of Europa and prove to everyone that money talks: you made it on Mars, and you can make it here, too.

Offworld Trading Company: The Europa Wager is coming soon. 
Add it to your wishlist on Steam so you don't miss out when it releases!

www.offworldgame.com/europa

 

Stardock Releases Earth Rising - Part 3: The Syndicate 
for Star Control: Origins

Get the Earth Rising Expansion Now
Play Part 1: Aftermath, Part 2: Return of the Lexites, and Part 3: The Syndicate today!

Stardock released Part 3 of its expansion to Star Control: Origins today. Humanity’s alliance is fraying and their plans for expanding into the galaxy are waylaid when they are faced with a new threat. Earth Rising - Part 3: The Syndicate introduces players to two warring factions: the Liberators and the Syndicate, both of whom want the assistance of humanity and won’t tolerate anyone working for their rival.

Set in the late 21st century, the player is the Captain of Earth's first interstellar starship with the mission to explore the galaxy, find allies to help protect Earth from hostile aliens, and find the resources necessary to help Earth begin to expand to the stars.

The Syndicate is the third part in a four-part expansion pack called Earth Rising. The expansion adds a host of new aliens, ships, adventures and destinations to the already rich universe introduced in Star Control: Origins. Because Star Control is a non-linear action/RPG game, the new content does not require the player to have already completed the main story arc from the base game.

Highlights in The Syndicate include:

• New Characters and Factions - Interact with a new cast of characters and choose a side in the war between the Syndicate and the Liberators.
• New Missions & Quests - Between the refugees fleeing the Scryve empire and two factions warring for the player’s alliance, there is no shortage of new content to explore.
• New Ships - Both the Syndicate and the Liberators have some powerful vessels available for recruitment, depending on where the player’s loyalties lie.
• New Weapons - Take on challenges as you face enemies with a new arsenal.

Get the Earth Rising Expansion Now
Check out the features and quests in:
Part 1 | Part 2

More is on the way!
Following The Syndicate, the final part of the expansion will release. Purchasing the Earth Rising expansion will
give access to each part as they become available.

Part 1: Aftermath (Now Available)  |  Part 2: Return of the Lexites (Now Available)

Part 3: The Syndicate (Now Available)  |  Part 4: Earth Rises (Winter 2020)

 

Star Control: Origins is available for $29.99 on Steam, GOG, or www.starcontrol.com

A Time For Heroes

 

Siege of Centauri comes out of early access, the first Turinium Cup has its first champion and more Star Control is on its way!

 

The Horizon

 

Saving Centauri

 

 

After three phases of beta testing in we are proud to announce that Siege of Centauri has officially come out of early access.

 

Communications to Earth's first interstellar colony in Proxima Centauri have gone dark. In response, Earth has dispatched the Carpathia to investigate. Upon arrival, you find a colony under siege: Your mission: save the colony from these brutal alien invaders.

 

Siege of Centauri puts you in command of the defense of Earth's first interstellar colony. Set in the Ashes of the Singularity universe, thousands of alien machines are attacking and only you, with your arsenal of deployable defense structures and strategic orbital abilities, can stop them.

 

Customize the Carpathia turrets in order to best handle the challenges of each individual mission, battle across the surface of an alien world through a series of story-driven campaigns, or see how long you can survive in a doomed region where the enemy waves are truly endless.

 

The enemy comes in all shapes and sizes, challenging you to counter them with the right defense in the right place. Siege of Centauri combines the best elements of classic tower defense games with the strategic depth Stardock has delivered in past titles, including Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion and Ashes of the Singularity.

 

You can get Siege of Centauri on Steam or direct from Stardock.

Continue Reading...

Siege of Centauri is Now Available!
Play Stardock's Take on the Tower Defense Genre

 

Get Siege of Centauri Today
Also available at: Stardock

Communications to Earth's first interstellar colony in Proxima Centauri have gone dark. In response, Earth has dispatched the Carpathia to investigate. Upon arrival, you find a colony under siege. Your mission: save the colony from these brutal alien invaders.

Siege of Centauri puts you in command of the defense of Earth's first interstellar colony. Set in the Ashes of the Singularity universe, thousands of alien machines are attacking and only you, with your arsenal of deployable defense structures and strategic orbital abilities, can stop them.

Customize the Carpathia in order to best handle the challenges of each individual mission, battle across the surface of an alien world through a series of story-driven campaigns, or see how long you can survive in a doomed region where the enemy waves are truly endless.

The enemy comes in all shapes and sizes, challenging you to counter them with the right defense in the right place. Siege of Centauri combines the best elements of classic tower defense games with the strategic depth Stardock has delivered in past titles, including Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion and Ashes of the Singularity.

Features

Defend the Colony
Proxima Centauri is under attack from hordes of alien invaders! Play through a vast campaign full of challenging missions. Deploy defenses, use powerful orbital abilities, and call units at the right time and place in order to win.

 

Create your own Missions 
Use the in-game workshop, then upload and share them with other players. Download new missions created by other users, too. Get started with the Modder's Guide here.

 

Customize your Defenses
Choose from dozens of tower upgrades and determine what you need in order to survive. Upgrade your particle cannon to slow its target, your Artillery Post to leave fire in areas it has attacks, or your Corrosion Mortars so that victims infect the allies around them. 

 

Survive the Onslaught
See how long you can survive against relentless enemy waves in Endless Mode! Try to outlast other players and compare your scores on the leaderboards.

 

Fight against Dozens of Enemies
The alien invaders have many unique attacks and defenses. Beware the Falling Star that disables defenses when it explodes, or the Heart of the Phoenix that forms a chrysalis when destroyed that can be reborn as a new Heart.

 

Get Siege of Centauri Today
Also available at: Stardock

 

Siege of Centauri comes out on September 12th. It's less than a week away!

I know we have all been playing for a while, and I genuinely appreciate everyone who joined us for the beta, and especially those that provided feedback. All that goes into making sure it is the best possible game next week.

So what does the development team spend our last week doing?

You can see the full list of things we are working on for release day here: https://forums.stardock.net/496769/siege-of-centauri-beta-3-update-2

But at this very moment I'm working on making the Plains of Fire mission less confusing.

Plains of Fire was originally inspired by a plinko machine, where you drop a ball from the top and it bounces down randomly before finally coming to rest in a slot at the bottom. Except out plinko machine was upside down. Ships entered from the top, and then took random lefts and rights, but all ended up at your Colony.

That was not fun. The whole point of a strategy game was to make interesting decisions based on information. The choice should be if you are over committing on the west path compared to the east, not wondering if the units would go to the west or east. This was hard in Plains of Fire where there was a lot of directions the enemies could take, and you really had to play a few times to figure out where they would go (which wasn't fun).

So instead I added blocking terrain in two places to make four distinct paths clear. We still have one branching path (red and blue) but it break right from the beginning. Most importantly there are a lot of interesting places to put defenses depending on what path you are more concerned about. There is a good chokepoint against orange/red and another for red/blue. You can decide to stretch your defenses to make sure the Metal Refinery or Fission Reactor is defended, or pull closer to your Colony and be able to use that tower against more threats.

I also placed two outposts to make it more interesting, some players may decide to let those go, and others may want to defend them for the score bonus. It makes for a more strategic and fun map.

Which missions do you like the best? Which would you like us to update before release?