Time flies like a starship, Captains. This month we're celebrating 5 years of Star Traders: Frontiers!

Mark your calendars for August 10th, 9pm EDT. We'll be live on Twitch with the Trese Brothers (including a special appearance from youngest brother Martin!) for a community hang-out and celebration stream on Twitch: https://twitch.tv/TreseBrothers

Last year, we asked you to share a favorite moment or memory, and used them as part of our commemorative 4-year anniversary image.

This year, we want to hear about (and see screenshots of!) your favorite captain and your greatest achievement in game with them! A legendary set of salvage gear? A stash of horded Vudka the size of a small moon? A black market trade route that puts the Kessel Run to shame?

Whatever your best achievement may be, share your captain screenshots and stories in the Trese Brothers Discord #stf_5_year_celebration channel by August 8th for a chance to be featured in a special way in the 5-year anniversary celebrations.

Thank you all for the fun, the support, the reviews, the memes and the memories. I know we're talking a lot about our next game these days, but we're looking forward to the new possibilities it will bring for Star Traders as well. And with all the new players that keep coming to Star Traders: Frontiers, it's still got more life (and updates!) ahead.

Join us on the 10th for a fun celebration!

Welcome all new captains to the latest Star Traders: Frontiers update. With some fixes to the newly added Talents, new sources of Era-driven Rumors, a rebalance for early game Explorers and a platform-specific fix that brings music and SFX back to mac OS, it's big #323.

A huge thanks goes out to everyone leaving a review, posting feedback and sharing the game with friends!

We always love seeing how many of you have pieced together the lore of Star Traders from the stories within, and enjoy the flavor of this universe your Captain is a part of. In our next game, we’re telling a very different sci-fi story but with the same depth we bring to all our worlds. Check out the dark-future feel of our upcoming cyberpunk heist RPG, and wishlist it today!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/


Rumors filter into the simulation by the actions of Contacts, thrown off from Conflicts and Eras, and even caused by the ripple of other Rumors ending. With Update #323, we've adjusted these Rumors flows during 3 Eras of the game to further push certain types of Rumors that fit the Era's storyline and feeling. For early traders and merchants, in the moment of prosperity that is the start of 212 AE, new Surplus Rumors have been seeded into the game. During the founding of the UCF, intergalactic instability and worry causes a flush of new Shortage Rumors to appear and finally, during the 3rd Century as military power continues to build up without an outlet, more and more Mercenary Rumors are occurring.


Reports trickle back slow to the spice hall, stories of warning, danger and death. New Explorers who have sometimes never set foot on a wilderness touch down and take their away team out, searching for riches and ancient sites. Some never return, ripped apart by Terrox or Shalun help them, Jyeeta.

We've made some adjustments to help balance the life of new game Explorers a bit. There are no xeno lurking in the Exchange or the shipping lanes in the first few years of the game, so Explorers -- who could draw multiple xeno cards in a single hand !! -- we're facing an unfair uphill battle at the start of their career. We've now limited Xeno cards from appearing in early game Exploration to avoid this unfair disadvantage to their career.


Both of the Swordsman Talents released in last week's update regrettably had issues and could cause crashes when used in crew combat. With this update, we've redone their testing and fixed the Talents to work as well in production as they did during development! En garde, let's fight!

- Balance Change: Xeno Cards No Longer Appear in early Turn Explorer Hands
- Early game now contains more Surplus Rumors
- UCF Founding now triggers widespread shortages during trade disruptions
- Increased the number of Mercenary rumors that are created for 3rd Century
- Fixed issues with Secrets of Steel
- Fixed issues with Nine Bladed Cut
- Fixed crashes and freezes in Crew Combat
- Card title formatting adjustments in Salvage
- Fixed missing music and SFX for Mac OS

Update #322 continues the push to fill out the high level Talents for crew combatants, bringing 2 new Talents to Swordsman and adjusting the AI talent selections based on all the new adds, fixing Bodyguard selections and making xeno even more dangerous in their Talent picks. We've also added a bit more balance to the latest Soldier Talent additional, Still Standing, and fixed issues with the AI ship builder that could result in enemy ships have the wrong Hyperwarp Drive occasionally.

A huge thanks to everyone posting feedback, sharing the game and leaving a review!

Calling all ninjas, shadows, and ghosts in the machine -- Cyber Knights: Flashpoint is waiting to see just how stealthy you can be in our freshly-updated free demo for Steam Stealth Fest this week.
The first rule should probably be, "Don't talk about Stealth Fest", so just roll up your Vanguard, lock-and-load your shock mines and power up your Chameleon suit - it's time to kill quietly, move as a shadow, become one with the patrol routes. Blades and silent pistols are your weapons, speed and silence your friends.

We're excited to share this demo that takes you to the very start of your Cyber Knight's career: the night of your cyber surgery. In the underworld of New Boston, nothing goes down easy and everyone has an agenda. Can you keep your head up in these dangerous waters?
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/


Each major crew combat class with missing rank 15 Talents is getting its day - and now it's time for Swordsman to get the treatment. With Update #322, the Swordsman has gained a new rank 11 and new rank 15 Talent to complement their already powerful set.

The new rank 11 Talent, Secrets of Steel is a companion to the venerable Strength of Steel and not related to our other games at all. Secrets of Steel can help a Swordsman who has been knocked back - or retreated of their own will - rapidly recover and get back into the fight and offers some powerful synergy for blade wielders who are willing to exercise additional mobility or fight with an offhand pistol.

Nine Blade Cut is a powerful stunning attack targeted at the front row which can be especially useful if any ranged weapon fighters are brought into the front, as it will further dent their accuracy. Combining Stun with an immediate Initiative penalty, Nine Blade Cut is a great way to slow down and trip enemy combatants and may be - for some strategies - especially useful against xeno.


As we add a number of new high level crew combat Talents to the game, rebalances are sure to be required. With this update, we've reduced the duration of the Soldier's Still Standing Talent by 1 Turn.

With this update, we've completed another review of the AI Talent selection logic across different enemy types and jobs. We found some issues where enemy Bodyguards would incorrectly purchase Talents from any other job, often beyond the rules of multi-jobbing.

Second, we've updated the logic for how enemy xeno pick their Talents to make them more synergistic as a group. We're sorry in advance. Be sure to buff your armor, sharpen your blades and prepare for the worst if you're high level and tangling with Terrox or Jyeeta.


We fixed an issue for some AI ships which were built with incorrectly sized Hyperwarp drives. Unable to actually send the mass of the ship through a Hyperwarp gate, these could become quite the burden to a captain who captured them with Prize Ship and require a significant retrofit before they could really become useful.

- New Rank 11 Swordsman Talent: Secrets of Steel
- New Rank 15 Swordsman Talent: Nine Bladed Cut
- Reduced 'Still Standing' Duration by 1 turn
- Fixed issue with AI Bodyguards buying Talents from all Jobs
- Improved Xeno Talent selection logic (sorry!)
- Fixed issue that could cause seized AI ships to have undersized HW drives

Update #321 continues the Summer Sale 50% savings and brings two new powerful rank 15 Talents to core jobs on your ship. Along with the recent Talent upgrades, we've upgraded the AI's weighting and decision tables when planning its own Talent strategy for ship captain and officers. We've also highlighted a few awesome mods from the workshop with Update #321 and fixed all reported typos and crashes.

A big thanks goes out to the community who helps us keep improving Star Traders: Frontiers. If you like the pace of free updates, be sure to drop a review!

We always love seeing how many of you have pieced together the lore of Star Traders from the stories within, and enjoy the flavor of this universe your Captain is a part of. In our next game, we’re telling a very different sci-fi story but with the same depth we bring to all our worlds. Check out the dark-future feel of our upcoming cyberpunk heist RPG, and wishlist it today!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/


With Update #321, we've added to new rank 15 Talents to round out the Pilot and Soldier Jobs. The new Soldier rank 15 Talent "Still Standing" is a powerful turtle buff, capable of giving a Soldier a last-stand chance against deadly enemies. Granting massive defensive bonuses in trade for the majority of their Turn's Initiative, Last Standing can be used to make Soldier a defensive bulwark or to desperately try to hold until a Combat Medic can apply healing.

Pilot's rank 15 Talent "Engage Fighters" trades accuracy and Damage against capital ship in order to significantly buff both offensive and defensive capabilities against fighters. If you're facing an overwhelming Jyeeta swarm or just pesky boarding shuttles you can't allow to close, Engage Fighters may be able to give you a quick turn-around to gun down the incoming. Engage Fighters obviously works best when paired with weapons ready for the job, like Autocannons.


As more and more Talents and strategies are added to the game the enemy ship and crew builder has a evolving task of trying to pick the best Talent set for its captain and officers. We've updated the rules and weights to pick Talents in order to take into account some of the new Talents as well as adjusting meta conditions. In addition to being more interested in picking up recently added Talents, the AI has 3 new options to try to for different Talent strategies which we believe can lead to more dynamic ship enemies - both in ship combat and if you attempt to board.


We're always very pleased to see how the Steam Workshop -- which was a very late addition!! -- for Star Traders: Frontiers has continued to grow and how many players are using and trying out the variety of mods available. We wanted to take a minute in this Steam Summer Sale update to highlight a few!

The Spy Pack 1 features a bevy of new spy features -- a new spy focus ship, new faster engines, buffed Diplomats and Spies and most notably an all new Spy-focused storyline.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2578776840&searchtext=

If you're looking for more face variety, the Playable Contacts Head Pack brings 24 of the Contact heads into the game as playable heads, letting you pick from some of the coolest and favorite Contact heads for your captain, crew and officers.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2936075922&searchtext=

The most popular mod, @davea's No More Mass Reducers component adjusts how Mass is calculated in the game to remove it as a consideration when designing ships, as well as all titular Mass Reducer components from the starports.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2492139496

If you haven't checked out these or other cool workshop items, take a look!

- New Rank 15 Pilot Talent: Engage Fighters
- New Rank 15 Soldier Talent: Still Standing
- Improve Enemy Officer & Captain Talent Selection Logic
- Fixed reports typos and crashes

Update #320 comes along with the Steam Summer Sale and the best discount of the year. Save 50% to step onto the bridge of your own Star Trader's vessel and ply the void, to serve the factions, seek your fortune or plot your own course. With this latest update, we've added 2 new rank 15 Talents for the esteemed medical jobs - Combat Medic and Doctor. We've also tuned up the rule set around anti-weapon ship boarding Talents, fixed some bugs with character cosmetics and some issues that could occur in 2 of the 5 branches of the Pit Fighter V storyline.

If you're enjoying the updates, be sure to tell a friend and leave a review!

Throughout the last year, we’ve been running Cyber Knights: Flashpoint’s private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same tried-and-true process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. With a demo posted up for Steam Next Fest still freely available to play, development is continuing at a high pace and we are layering on polish as we marching to the launch pad to release to Steam Early Access, so make sure you’ve wishlisted (and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/





We've improved the rules for boarding victory Talents that specifically target and disable enemy ship weapons. If these Talents are unable to target at least one weapon to destroy -- usually because the ship's weapons are already offline -- then they will refuse to active, won't go on cooldown and will not consume one of your 2 boarding talent slots.


Thanks to everyone reporting errant issues within the game's many storylines. With this Update, we've fixed a bug in one of the five possible branches you can hit in the Pit Fighter V storyline -- all depending on who hates you the most -- which could lead to early expiration of the rest of the missions. If it was Char's agents, then you might end up in a horrible unfair rush to reach the fourth and final round.

In a follow-up to last update's new character outfits, we've fixed some issues with hats and helmets not interacting with other choices correctly.

- New Rank 15 Doctor Talent: Medical Reset
- New Rank 15 Combat Medic Talent: Flechette Rounds
- Fixed issue with "Disarming Sabotage" and "Behind Enemy Lines" firing without functioning enemy weapons to target
- Fixed issues with most recently added flight helmet and full helmet
- Fixed bug in Pit Fighter V storyline if attacked by Char's agents, could expire too early

It is Update #319! We've got 2 new character outfits and have completed some important work to make it easy to access the 15th small ship component on your Acheron Battlecarrier (or any ship that a modder adds who has 14+ small ship components!). As always -- huge thanks goes out to everyone playing, posting feedback and especially leaving a review!

Our next title will be out later this year and we're excited to share a demo in Steam Next Fest this year - we hope you'll check it out, wishlist and follow. All the same deep systems, extreme replay and maniac update styles you've come to expect and love!

Explore the dark future of 2231 as you run your crew of underworld mercenaries, pulling off high-stakes heists you choose from faction power players to survive. Cyber Knights wraps a world full of consequential story choices and character development around an extensive core of classic and new tactical RPG mechanics.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/


It's always a joy to find some art time to sit down and work on new outfits for Star Traders: Frontiers. I'm very excited to have finished this pairing - both dapper, cool and stylish looks. Is this a space diplomat or a soldier who just knows how to dress?

And of course, you can mix and match these outfits to great effect with all of the other outfits in the game.


With the release of the 9000 Mass Acheron Battlecarrier, we introduced the first ship into the game that had 15 small ship components. While this worked nicely in ship upgrading and if you use the tabular style of viewing components in ship status, it was not visible in the grid mode. We've now ensured that component is visible, just scroll down!

The ability to now scroll the main ship status also helps with a few other overflow issues that have cropped up throughout the game. Those ships with lots of special effects from their ship components could possibly have that content run off the bottom of the screen and that is now resolved.

This also means that modders now have the ability to add beyond 14 small components (up to 28 should work ːsteamhappyː) to the game now.

As ship component prices shift through rebalances, we're always keeping an eye on ship prices and working to keep the buy and sell economy working nicely, even including all the discounts you can earn from contacts and talents. We've adjusted and raised a few ship prices to help keep these prices in line with the rules.

- Added 2 new outfits
- Allow scrolling of main ship status screen to view any overflow of ship effects, components
- Fixed small component display for Acheron Battlecarrier to show 15th small component correctly
- Adjusted/raised some ship prices to avoid resell possible loops
- Fixed reports typos and crashes

Welcome to Update #318! News from the starports is that the Acheron Battlecarrier was over Mass 9000 and needed its design tweaked a bit to fit the proper Hyperwarp drive. We've also redesigned the Wolf Vector, the sleek and deadly 3400 Mass ship and raised its officer cap to an amazing 6. Spy Wars have more impact on Contact services, the Zendu Deathward is even harder to find, and we fixed the Mac OS fullscreen / resize window issues

Captains, we are thrilled to announce that our next sci-fi game, Cyber Knights: Flashpoint, will be including the upcoming Steam Next Fest, the free online demo festival running from June 19th - 26th. We hope you'll take a break from your ship's bridge to plug in and join us in New Boston, 2231 for an RPG experience offering a mix of stealth, combat and hacking.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/

We've been battling the latest mac OS update Ventura which caused some havoc to our aging game engine (sometimes hard to believe, 318 updates = game published in 2017!) and its ability to fully support mac OS. With Update #318, we're aiminng to put those issues behind us. Internally on our test sets of hardware, this patch fixes all of the reported issues. :fingerscrossed: we'll be waiting to hear from you!

The Acheron Battlecarrier had a issue with the wrong hyperwarp drive plus being over Mass if it had the right one. We have now reconfigured any new Acheron you purchase at the starport to be all setup correctly.

We are still pending the fix to allow you to view and modify the 15th component without switching to the list view. If you want to upgrade the 15th small component for now, you just need to swap over to list view.


With a new redesign, the Wolf Vector has joined the S-tier of ships as the sole Mass 3400 ship to offer a full set of 6 officers. Any new purchase of a Wolf Vector will offer this sleek new configuration, boasting a new engine, major upgrade to its components and a price tag boost to almost $2,000,000. If you've bought a Wolf Vector before it is unaffected by the changes.

We wary if you bump into an enemy captain flying a Wolf Vector, they also get these changes! You might be surprised by just what type of punch the 3400 class ship can throw!


We're always looking for new ways to interconnect systems. The more recently added Contact service to sell Rumors is a powerful angle for certain types of captains. Now, if the contact's faction are involved in a Spy War, there is a discount on all sales of rumors.

- Redesigned "Wolf Vector" 3400 Mass (now S-tier, 6 officer)
- Contacts receive discounts on Rumor purchases during Spy Wars
- Fixes Hyperwarp Drive on "Acheron Battlecarrier"
- Rare Relic, Zendu Deathward (Level 10) is even more rare
- Performance improvements and rendering fixes
- Fixes a data synchronization bug when hyperwarp gates were very close to planets
- Fixes fullscreen and resize window bugs in Mac OS X builds

Captains, we're excited to announce Cyber Knights: Flashpoint will be included in the upcoming Steam Next Fest, an online demo festival running June 19th - 26th.

This will be the first new demo we've offered for the game in over a year, and it's the first big milestone on our road to release later in 2023. 🎉 All of the game-shaping feedback our alpha players have given us, all of the new design & UX work to make this our best-looking game yet, and several features even our alpha players haven't seen yet are all waiting for you to try.

• Your first big heist to pull off! Find out how our turn-based squad tactics plays. See if you have the skills to use creative stealth, a variety of weapons, and the turn order itself to accomplish objectives in each map and get your crew out alive.
  
• Six squad members in your roster; each brings a unique set of talents to your crew. In the full game you'll have opportunities to recruit new members, as well as access to multi-classing, extensive skill trees, weapon modding, cybernetics -- everything you need to build out the perfect squads for your playstyle and the needs of the jobs you're taking on.
  
• A glimpse of your main character's origins as a Cyber Knight. These elites of our dark future's underworld are rare and highly sought after. Knights have capabilities no one else in this world does -- but it comes at a cost.
  
• A first look at your safehouse; in the full game you'll have access to base-building features to expand this underground hideout, providing more opportunities to upgrade your team and expand your capabilities to take on bigger jobs as you make a name for yourself.
  
• A preview of the choices you'll need to make in this shadowy world of mercenaries, secrets, and cyberpunks. How far will you go for a chance at a better life? What are you willing to risk for the extra credits or knowledge that could make a big difference for your crew? Who will you stay loyal to? Who can you trust?

We'll be sharing some lore, extras, and maybe even some dev streams over the next couple of weeks. Join our Discord or follow @CyberKnightsRPG on twitter to stay in the loop.

We can't wait to show how far the game has come. While we're still hard at work fine-tuning and polishing the full game ahead of our Early Access release, it's already a thrill to offer the best-looking and most advanced set of tactical combat capabilities we've ever featured in a Trese Brothers game.

Especially if you're new to our games, as you try the demo we want you to know we are listening to feedback! We're active every day in the Steam forums and in our Discord, and we love making improvements and additions based on player feedback. This demo isn't just an opportunity for us to show the game off; it's your opportunity to make a mark on it.

We'll see you on June 19th! If you haven't already, wishlist & follow Cyber Knights of course! <3
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/

It's Update #317 with a new Mass 9000 ship, autocannon rebalances, new Oribtal Salvage card (watch out!) and more. Starports all across the galaxy have started on hulls for the new Acheron Battlecarrier, so start saving, captains.

A huge thanks goes out to all of the community members posting on the forum, helping new players, and sharing their thoughts in reviews. We're excited to keep Star Traders: Frontiers growing with new content and additions, so you're loving the 300+ free updates be sure to drop a review and tell a friend.

Throughout the last year, we’ve been running Cyber Knights: Flashpoint’s private alpha test for Kickstarter backers, following the same tried-and-true process we used for Star Traders: Frontiers. With 1,000 in the game now, development pace has picked up and we’re marching to the launch pad to release to Steam Early Access, so make sure you’ve wishlisted (and followed!), or join us for behind-the-scenes discussion and development snapshots in our Discord.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1021210/Cyber_Knights_Flashpoint/


The Acheron Battlecarrier is a sprawling ship weighing in at 9000 Mass and kitted out as a battle-hardened carrier perfect for taking on Jyeeta xeno carriers head-to-head. It boasts best-in-class maximum craft defense at 78% and a unusual slot configuration that preferences Small (15) and Large (8) sized slots over medium (8). With 7 officers and 42 crew, it can sustain 5 craft and is a new contender in the most expensive and largest weight class for ships.

We'll keep the Acheron in player's only hands for a bit and shake out any balance issues before considering letting high level captains on high difficulty take this thing for a spin!


We've applied a fix to bring the venerable M101 Tracker Cannon up to the level it needs to be to stay competitive with other autocannons, granting it a +3% Craft Defense.

On the enemy's side, the L2 Terrox Xeno Autocannon has also gained a +3% Craft Defense, making their close-in short range ships more challenging to fight with carriers. The miasmatic death haze that floats close to the hull of the Terrox Spines makes it hellish for any wing pilot to come that close to the hull!


A new "Reactor Accident" card has been added to Orbital Salvage with a nasty -5 weighting. Take your time considering if you want to prioritize knocking this card out of the hand because it can leave your engine in a bad way, which can both cause heightened combat risk as you limp back for repairs and a hefty repair bill to boot.

We've increased the weight of the "Web of Conspiracy" card, fully doubling it, as the card has so many cool permutations and after-effects that are great in the galactic simulation.

With Update #317, we've tweaked the appearance rates for the Caliga Vindex and Shizari Huntress to make them less common opponents. We've also fixed a longstanding bug that was allowing the AI to promote too many officers on the Caliga Vindex for an unfair advantage.

- New 9000 Mass Battlecarrier, the Acheron
- Balanced "M101 Tracker Cannon" adding +7% Craft Defense
- L2 Xeno Autocannon adds "Miasmatic Death Haze" granting +3% Craft Defense
- Added a new "Reactor Accident" Salvage Result Card (-5)
- The "Web of Conspiracy" Card is now twice as common (because it is fun)
- Reduced chance of Caliga Vindex and Shizari Huntress enemies spawning
- Fixed too many enemy officers spawning on Caliga Vindex
- Fixed performance issues on huge maps with large numbers of living Contacts

Hello, Captains. It’s time for another STF challenge. Loyalty is important and in this challenge you will be fiercely loyal to two contacts of your choice. How will you help them meet their goals? How will you crush their enemies and those who work against them?



As always there are a few requirements for this challenge, including for the first time in a Community Challenge a specific map seed to use for your playthrough. The requirements for this challenge are:

• When you pick your two contacts to champion, Faen cannot be one of them.
  
• Drive your reputation to -100 of lower with all other contacts. It may not be possible to fully meet this requirement due to faction politics, but the goal is to get all other contact reps as low as possible.
  
• This specific map seed must be used: st-v02-28-12-95189000

Some ideas for what we’d love to see:

• Screenshots of your chosen contacts, your reputation screens
  
• Stories of how you built up your chosen contacts and the challenges of having (and making) so many people very angry at you
  
• Your strategies for hitting the reputation requirements, choosing your particular contacts
  
• Any other creative ways you want to share to tell us about the risks and rewards of being fiercely loyal: memes, interpretive dance, gifs, etc

No matter what you choose to share, please include one screenshot of your reputation screen showingn your chosen contacts and all of the people you've made very, very unhappy.



We’ve opened up a discussion here on Steam in the General Discussion forum for aIl of your posts. If you post on the discord, post in the #faction_champion_challenge channel found in the STF category.

Good luck, Captains! Choose your friends wisely!