Crossfire - Blackstar update

Blackstar is going to be the next Crossfire update linked to the Sol Sector.

It wont be as big as the Lost Fleet but will contain new story content, a new alien faction and if I manage to figure it out an event based reward system.

Eventually the goal needs to be to offer server specific rewards and giving players a reason to go hunt.

Here is a bit stuff I am working on.

I probably will make this fighter a bit less bulky in the end. Texturing will be pretty dark with glowing elements.

This one is a new dreadnaught of the new faction

The rear section is not finished yet.

No... it does not have a broken nose.

Ive double checked... its because the camera wasnt aligned in the middle and the ships nose has an upward curve. Generally it is designed like a blade

Quote from Vorguz

The new dreadnaught looks really nice.
Any chances we'll be able to fly them?

No, not in this update.

Based on the intended storyline it does not make sense to give it to the players at this point.

The update coming AFTER Blackstar is intended to give you access to the french ships (all of them). The Blackstar ships might be available at a later point... when it fits the story.

Step by step.

I have meanwhile finished the final shape of the new dreadnaught.

Somehow it looks pretty mean.

SP story and MP feature update

only good boys get christmas presents

Ok, most of the assets for the upcoming update are done.

I still need to create 2 cockpits and do a bit texturing work but I mostly have the stuff that I need.

I will see if I can get that stuff done next week somehow and then take a break till January.

The workload in the past weeks was a bit too much. Both, job and all the stuff I did afterwards (modding, RL stuff, the mod awards where I did send +25.000 emails, the TLR upgrade, etc.) were a bit exhausting and the X-mas preparations wont make it any better.

At this point it is better to find 1-2 weeks to rest a bit and give it a fresh start in January 2020. I think that is more productive than to burn out.

Ive been thinking a bit about how to use the Blackstar update in order to promote CF and especially the MP of it a bit.

I mention that I want players to be able to earn access to ships in an event type environment.

We have a server function called CES (content exchange system) which we use to distribute certain items (e.g. Cloaking devices). I am not 100% sure if the same would work for ships but I think that the chances that it works are pretty good.

So the idea is to have a MP exclusive Station where players can purchase time gated ship blueprints. Every new update will introduce new blueprints for event ships. All blueprints on that station will either be fighters or freighters.

The blueprints alone won't do much but they will tell you what items you need in order to "craft" the new ships. Some of these items will be spread all over already existing CF content. One item will be a specific number of "tokens" you need to earn by fighting the newly introduced faction.

That faction will at the beginning only be spawning in one new system... but later (I will include this a few weeks after the Blackstar release) will start invading other systems. The drop rate at the new system will be constant but the drop rate in a system that is being invaded will be a bit higher.

Once you have the blueprint, all crafting materials, enough tokens and you dock the "event station" your current ship (no matter if a expensive battleship or a starflyer) will be replaced by an event ship. With other words... you have to be active on the server in order to earn these ships.

This is how I currently imagine the way how this new "feature" might work. There certainly are technical difficulties that I need to fix before that works but yeah... nothing new.

You will be able to trade tokens with other players... so you can help them to get their hands on the new ships and make some profit this way.

Once a new update and a new set of ships is available you wont be able to use the old tokens anymore. Every set of ships will require you to start over the grind.

And yes... it is intended to be a grind feature. Stuff you can earn by playing the game. We certainly will have to see how to balance it in order to prevent that it is either too easy or way too much grind. I guess that is something we will have to find out during the Blackstar update.

I have mentioned that only fighters and freighters will be offered at the event station in MP.

That has a simple reason. I want to help our Event Managers and give them access to capital ship blueprints they can use as rewards for their events. Rewarding money during such events is nice but rewarding something that players can not get by any other means is much better.

This way we have the newly introduce long-term event in which players can earn special frighters/fighters and we have something to promote our already existing server events hosted by the EMs.

The very first selection of event ships will be focused all around the Renaissance.

Later introduced event ships might be for Coalition, the new Blackstar faction, DK hybrid ships or whatever comes next.

I still have to figure out many many details and find solutions to a good bunch of problems before everything will work the way I did describe it above. But that is a task for January. I just thought I want to share my somewhat more fleshed out plans for the upcoming content with you.

omg shopping

i have nightmares about that

you have to star somewhere