Hello!
In this first devlog-style post I want to lay out the structure of the release version in more detail, going over how warping, objectives and unlocks will work as well as expanding on the "sectors" concept I mentioned in the demo announcement.
The Starmap
I'm currently working on the starmap, a central part of the release content system. This interface will appear when the "Warp" button is pressed, replacing the fully random warp with a player selection. On the map, a persistent, infinite grid of cells represents space, with colors denoting the dominant faction in the area. The central cell is the player's current location. Several cells will be highlighted (as shown above) - these are potential warp candidates. Players can hover over them to see the dominant faction in that area as well as a listing of neighboring faction influence. Clicking will initiate a warp to this new location. A cell's dominant faction as well as surrounding influence determine what types of POIs and enemies can spawn there. For example, an area with Sentinel control and Catharingian influence may spawn a Sentinel Fortress as its main POI, with a Catharingian Outpost as a minor location. Since faction POIs also hold the required objects, ships and mechanics for faction objectives, targeting specific regions of space enables players to control their game's pace and difficulty.
Concerning difficulty, the starmap will also incorporate an existing feature: Warping while on cooldown. In the demo, Warping incurs a cooldown displayed in red on the Warp button. It is still possible to Warp while this cooldown is active, but doing so will increase the difficulty of the next encounter by double the normal amount. So far, this was conceptualized both as a "skip" for strong players to reach hard content sooner as well as a punishment for using Warp as a way out of hard situations. In the new System, these functions will remain, but warping while on cooldown will enable players to jump longer distances on the starmap, making it possible to use this feature as a movement tool.
Faction Objectives and Unlocks
Different factions and free movement would be meaningless without a reason to go places, and this is where the new faction objectives will come in. In the demo, there is one set of objectives, that being the hunt for Keystones and the confrontation with the Scipio. These will become the Sentinel (blue faction) objectives on release, and new objectives in the same style will be added for all of the other four factions. On the new Objectives Screen the status of these tasks can be viewed. Like in the demo, completing individual tasks that are part of faction objectives will enable new POIs and enemies to spawn in the corresponding areas. Unlocks are similarly gated, such that progressing through each faction's objectives will enable the purchase of new ships and new permanent meta upgrades. Factions are somewhat themed, so players can focus on one to strengthen a specific playstyle. For example, finishing the Verdant Swarm objective chain unlocks the ability to permanently upgrade the starting armor of all drones - a very powerful tool for aspiring carrier pilots.
My aim is that this structure provides an understandable, approachable set of goals that players can attain on their own terms. Like many aspects of Catharage, the "extraction" spirit of player-driven agency and risk management plays a big role in the Starmap and Faction Objectives. While this is work-in-progress and subject to change, I hope I've given you an idea of what the final game will be like. As always, please leave feedback on the discussion forums or the discord!