The Hegemon
The Hegemon are the new faction you can fight against in the Infinite War mode. Their ships are loaded to the brim with the best technology available in the galaxy, making a fight even a single Hegemon ship a difficult battle to win.
And of course, you'll rarely find them alone.
Capital heavy, sporting particle accelerators and antiproton cannons, you'll need a balance of maneuverability and firepower to challenge the Hegemon... as well as a ship with equally advanced modules.
The galaxy in Infinite War
The galaxy is somewhat different in Infinite War than in the normal campaign mode, with new options and challenges for the player. The objective is still to conquer the galaxy (of course!) and this can achieved by conquering the homeworlds of each faction. Expect a more challenging battle than normal in these homeworlds.
One of the things which has been changed is that in this game mode, the Empire is no longer omniscient. The vast majority of the galaxy is covered in fog of war, and it is only through exploration and conquering additional sectors that more sectors are revealed.
To assist you with this, you can now choose to deploy hyperspace probes. These provide permanent surveillance of surrounding sectors, giving you an early warning about forces encroaching on Imperial space.
Additionally, you can also deploy starforts. Starforts are massive, static structures equipped with high-end modules, providing the Empire with a defensive anchor which is extremely difficult to dislodge. Well-placed starforts on contested borders can change the tide, keeping Imperial space reasonably safe and freeing you to tackle other fronts.
Ramming speed!
One of the issues HEXTERMINATE had in the past was how powerful the ramming ability was. The Marauders in particular are keen to ram your ships and it was not uncommon to see capital ships get skewered by small marauder ships. This was changed in order to make the early/mid-game more welcoming, but with the desire to bring the ability back to its original level in certain cases.
To achieve this, a new module has been added: a ramming prow. Ramming prows are armour modules with a somewhat reduced armour rating but which deal substantially more damage during a ramming manoeuvre, while suffering very little damage themselves.
These modules are currently only installed in Hegemon ships (although of course you can install some in your own ship), which should make it far less of an issue for newcomers while increasing the challenge for more experienced players.
The next steps
With the galaxy generation now working and the Hegemon faction coded in, the work that remains involves finishing the user interface and testing. The latter in particular will require some time to ensure that the players have a good, fun experience in Infinite War.
I am currently looking into releasing the update on the 26th of June (next Sunday).
Thank you for reading!