Update #354: Exo-Scout Profession and Supporter's Badge DLC

Captains, welcome back from the void. Come sit a while in the spice hall and listen to the stories we have today - of Exo-Scouts and explorers, salvagers and supporters of the grand factions.

With Update #354, we've added the all new Exo-Scout profession to the game. And after 6 years, we're releasing our first ever DLC - a totally-optional, no-content-gated $5 Supporter's Badge.

Supporter's Badge DLC ($5)

This DLC contains no additional game content, it only supports the many years of free content and features added to the base game since release. The Supporter DLC adds a small Supporter's Badge graphic to your main menu and ship status screen; no in-game effects, locked content or features, it's purely a way to support our studio and the future of Star Traders if you desire to do so.

Since Star Traders: Frontier’s full launch in 2018, we’ve been thrilled to keep the game growing with an ongoing stream of free content updates, more than 250 of them over 6 years (not counting the 90 updates in EA). We’ve often been asked about expansions or paid DLC content, but we believed making content available for free to everyone who bought the game is the better way to do it.

Now, with the game having more than twice (in some areas three times) as much content as it did at launch, some have suggested that we raise the price, but we don’t think that makes sense for keeping the Star Traders community growing.

Instead, we’re launching this Supporters DLC to give those who want to support our studio a way to do so, if you find it worth it for all the extra content that’s been added to the game since full launch:

• RELIC Expansion - all new Orbital Salvage Op and the Scavenger Job and Profession
• TERROX Expansion - new xeno ships, components, and crew jobs
• INTERDICTION Expansion - added carrier ship types, 3 types of craft and matching Wing Jobs
• HIGHFALL Expansion - late game Era determines the direction of the coalition with Dissension or Consolidation story arcs
• BROOD Expansion - all new late game Era with new and terrifying Jyeeta alien species
• CATALYST Expansion - all new Scientific Intel system, Scientist Job and Profession
• TEMPLAR Expansion - crossover storyline with unique NPCs and weapons added
• CARTOGRAPHER Expansion - map seed v2 improving all map generation, allowing for larger and smaller maps, new default map
• MODS Expansion - added official mod support for the game, including all-unlocks mod version & Steam Workshop support
• Many more new ships, gear, crew jobs, cosmetics, professions, traits, ship components, story vignettes, planet art, modding support, and more across hundreds of other updates.

^and this was last updated in January 2023; we've just kept adding since then lol.

If you like the way we do things here at Trese Brothers, and want to support the future of the Star Traders series, this DLC offers a way to show that support.

Whether you're a new captain or you've ridden out 300+ updates since Early Access with us on this crazy journey, thank you for your support in all of its many forms - hanging out with us in Discord, posting on reddit or in the Steam forums, sending in bug reports and new suggestions or leaving a review.

We're looking forward to bringing you more Star Traders.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3198060/Star_Traders_Frontiers_Supporter_Badge/

Exo-Scout Profession

We are thrilled to roll out a new profession - the Exo-Scout who boasts an ancient Star Traders charter, hailing from the days when the quadrants were yet to be founded and the Templar were signing charters themselves to bring more Star Traders into the space-faring fold.

The Exo-Scout is a great profession for their focus and two-fold versatility: they can be kitted out to be a very adaptable crew combatant or a leader in Exploration-heavy career. Or both. Or stand toe-to-toe with xeno. Or die horribly standing on the toes of the xeno ... It all depends on how you do it, captain.

Adding new professions opens up totally new paths to play for both systems and role-playing purposes and we can't wait to see what you do with the Exo-Scout - tell us your stories!

Better Trait Generators

Traits are generated for characters based on their homeworld, faction and job. We've improved the options that can be rolled up for Exo-Scouts and Blade Masters with Update #354, giving them a few more options to pull from which can make them more exciting recruits or additions to the crew.

Conflict-Linked Mission Expirations

Missions linked to Conflicts always have the risk that the Conflict expires. In some cases, the game has not been handling the expiration of the Conflict with the best grace, and instead of printing a message about "intel from ERROR" which wasn't very helpful. We've cleaned up a number of these misprints with a more helpful message.

Double Landing UI Bug

We fixed one series of clicks or keystrokes you could make that would result in you getting hit (or maybe you think of it as a bonus?) with a double Landing on a planet. Once you've landed, you're counted as landed and do not get another landing event unless you move or play a round of an Orbital Op. This bug could cause a landing event without either of these circumstances being true.

v3.4.1 - 9/17/2024

- New Profession: Exo-Scout (Leads exploration and crew combat from the back line)
- Updated starting Trait generators to support Blade Master & Exo Scout
- Fixed several issues with Conflict-linked Missions after the Conflict expired
- Fixed a UI issue that could cause a double landing
- Fixed typos for the Blade Master profession's Traits