Into the Stars is a space exploration game in which players captain a starship that’s on the run from hostile forces, and must scavenge resources and personnel along the way; basically FTL with better graphics. The game is currently on Steam Early Access and a new patch, 0.2, is now live.
According to developer Fugitive Games, the biggest gamer request was the addition of difficulty levels. ”One of the strongest points of feedback during our time in Early Access has been the desire to travel through the universe free from the torment of the Skorn, stated the studio.
So, the new difficulty levels are as following:
- Explorer: No Threat Levels – Reduced Skorn Patrols – Increased Resources
- Normal: Balanced Threat Levels – Increased Skorn Patrols
- Pursuit: Challenging Threat Levels – Heavy Skorn Patrols – Reduced Resources
A side effect of the new difficulty levels are an overhaul of the Skorn Patrols, as there are now different types of patrols. ”Now, when you come within their range, Patrol ships will signal the Skorn fleet to alert them of your presence. If you fail to destroy them in time, the Threat Level will increase and the likelihood of an ambush will jump,” explained Fugitive.
There are now two types of patrols. Light patrols will flee after contacting the fleet, only increasing the threat level a little, while heavy patrols will stay and fight, while continuing to contact the fleet, causing the threat level to keep rising til it reaches a Red Alert level.
The other major change is to the trading model. No longer a binary mechanic, players can trade for any of the 5 game resources, and each Trader has unique wants and will pay more for them.
The full change log can be found here.
