Among the new features coming with Sin and Sacrifice, the new expansion for Battlestar Galactica Deadlock, there is one which we are very excited about: the new Colonial Fleet Chatter.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMtitkGit8g


This new feature has been added as part of the development team's effort to keep increasing the immersion value of the game. The goal is to make you feel inside the Battlestar Galactica universe, as if you were inside an episode of the show. Now your pilots and fleet officers will react and speak, chat among themselves, comment on what will be happening during a battle.

With over 1100 unique recordings there is a lot of variety, which truly brings the world of Battlestar Galactica Deadlock to a level of immersion never seen before.

We are really glad with how it works out in game, as all the barks are very characterful and flavourful and are exactly what a Colonial fleet officer might say in a particular situation.

Sin and Sacrifice is releasing on Tuesday on March 19! We are looking forward to hearing what you think. Let us know in our forum!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1001150/Battlestar_Galactica_Deadlock_Sin_and_Sacrifice/

“Ayeh, I know who this guy is!”The old man dragged the vowels out, his Virgon drawl slurring his speech. He spat at Sinon’s feet. “Big time traitor. Sold us out to the chrome domes. Imagine you’ll be rotting in here for a while longer.”

Sinon refused to look up, and instead stared at his hands, dirty, bruised. He didn’t ask for the yard time out amongst general population. But here he was, as always, making friends.

“How much money did you make off’a them robots, eh? A million cubits? Two?”

The slap stung his cheek.

“Was it worth it, fella?”

Sinon kept his head down. None of this was worth it.

“I hear they still kill traitors on Caprica. Reckon you’ll get bundled up and taken away for the firing squad soon enough. Couple of shots right in that pudgy mass ought to do it.”

The insolence was grating. “They use injections.”

“Oh ho! Is that a fact! Maybe they’ll make a special case for you.”

The kick to the stomach made Sinon double over. Each kick after just dulled into background pain. It wasn’t until the guards came and picked him up that he really felt the damage to his ribs, his shoulder, his knee. Each step of the way back to solitary was a reminder of his sins.

The guards laughed, one of them counting the cubits he’d made from the bet. This pain was a penance he had to pay, one of many. He hoped, and he calculated, but he could never know if it would be enough.


By now, you’ve probably seen the announcement for the next Battlestar Galactica Deadlock expansion, Sin & Sacrifice. In this developer diary, we wanted to talk about some of the new goodies in this new expansion.


Fleet Chatter

A common request we’ve seen on the forums is to have Colonial crew members across the fleet talking (and shouting!) to each other more in the heat of battle. A combat ship during a pitched battle with the Cylons is a pretty intense place to be, and the aim of this system is to bring some of that into gameplay.

We’ve recorded over 1100 separate samples from a number of voice actors. Dozens of events in the battle trigger the system to play the new chatter lines. Battlestar Galactica has a very distinct radio effect sound that we’ve emulated for this system, so it really enhances the atmosphere of the game.

The system is used in campaigns (including the base game campaign, if you were in the mood to replay it) and any skirmish that includes Colonial fleets. Fleet chatter is also played back during post-battle replays!


A New Campaign

The main feature of the expansion is the Sin & Sacrifice campaign. It’s comprised of 11 new story missions and is set a few months after the Anabasis expedition.

Whereas The Broken Alliance was integrated into the base campaign, Sin & Sacrifice is a separate, standalone story, and a new slice of the Cylon War. It features a number of newmission objectives and a new audio log system that enhances the storytelling between missions. The new campaign also features new soundtracks by composer Ash Gibson Greig.

We’ve run the largest beta test for this campaign since the base game was first released, and the feedback from the testers has been incredibly positive. The stakes for Colonial Fleet have never been higher, and we can’t wait for you all to experience the latest chapter in the First Cylon War.

The Sin & Sacrifice campaign brings Season One of Battlestar Galactica Deadlock to a close. We’ll talk more about Season Two in future Dev Diaries.


More Ships!

The Sin & Sacrifice campaign comes with two new ships.

Colonial Fleet will receive access to the Heracles -class heavy gunship, an Imperial War-era vessel, armed to the teeth and heavily armoured. We wanted to add a ship that sits somewhere between a Battlestar, such as the Jupiter, and gunships like the Minotaur . The Heracles features flak projecting PDCs, so it can also be used as a screen against missile barrages. When you need a sledgehammer to subdue the Cylons, this ship is the tool to use.

Cylon Command has access to the Gorgon -class squadron support ship. The Gorgon is designed to boost Cylon fighters, with a number of innovations. It can quickly repair fighters from any ship in the fleet with its turnaround repair bay, but potentially even more potent is the Machine Learning Matrix. This system uses data gathered during combat to enhance the defensive evasion of a single Cylon squadron. The longer the fighters can stay in the fight, the “smarter” they get, increasing their ability to evade hostile weapons fire.


That’s a look at the new features in the Sin & Sacrifice expansion. It will be launched alongside the free Veterency Update, which includes a number of additions we’ve mentioned in previous diaries, including the new Crew Veterancy system, the music player, updated blueprint screen with model viewer, and other quality of life improvements.

Sin & Sacrifice and the Veterancy Update will be available on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on March 19.

Battlestar Galactica Deadlock fans were surprised by our announcement, last week, of the new DLC, Sin and Sacrifice.

The new expansion will continue the story of Deadlock, bringing a conclusion to Season One, as well as adding new ships and a brand new fleet chatter system!

For all those eager to see the new expansion, look no further. A real veteran of sci-fi and Battlestar Galactica Deadlock expert, Spacedock, will be streaming Sin and Sacrifice live on Twitch for an exclusive first look.

Tune in on our Twitch channel on Wednesday March 13th 8pm GMT! It will be a great occasion to look at the new features and scenarios.

See you there! So say we all!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1001150/Battlestar_Galactica_Deadlock_Sin_and_Sacrifice/

In Battlestar Galactica Deadlock: Sin and Sacrifice, the epic story of Battlestar Galactica Deadlock continues, and brings with it an exciting new chapter of the First Cylon War.

Lucinda Cain, the Agathon sisters and all the other protagonists of Battlestar Galactica Deadlock will need to face their greatest threat yet: Lachesis has awakened, and nothing will be the same.

Battlestar Galactica Deadlock: Sin and Sacrifice comes with a brand-new story campaign with 11 story missions set after the original Battlestar Galactica Deadlock campaign and Battlestar Galactica Deadlock: Anabasis. They are new pages in the lore of theBattlestar Galactica universe and tell the story of one of the most critical junctures of the First Cylon war.



The expansion also comes with new features and content, including:

Colonial Fleet radio chatter voice pack

A new radio chatter system featuring over 1,100 unique recordings injects more drama and tension into the combats of Battlestar Galactica Deadlock, bringing knife-edge encounters to life. Radio chatter is present both in combat, and during cinematic replays, making the Battlestar Galactica fleet experience even more immersive.

New ships

The Colonial Heracles - It is a heavy warship that emphasizes power over finesse. Where it isn’t covered in layers of armor plating, it’s lined with point defense turrets capable of sustaining high volume flak fields.

The Cylon Gorgon– This mobile support carrier features advanced squadron repair and support functions. It is a sophisticated ship perfect for Cylon squadron tactics.



Battlestar Galactica Deadlock: Sin and Sacrifice will be released alongside the free Veterancy Update. this update includes free content for anyone who owns the base game Battlestar Galactica Deadlock, which includes the new crew Veterancy system, the new Ships Inspector tool, the new Jukebox mode, and more. Internet connection is required for download.

Battlestar Galactica Deadlock: Sin and Sacrifice will be released on PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 on March 19.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1001150/Battlestar_Galactica_Deadlock_Sin_and_Sacrifice/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHc5zNM-pSE

Her medals sat on the coffee table between them; dull, dusty.
“Do you miss it?”
Eleanor held her coffee close. The warmth was comforting, unlike this turn in the conversation. “Do I miss it? Do I miss watching my wingmen get shot out from my peripheral? Is that what you’re asking?”
“That’s not what I meant—”
“Do I miss the feeling of my blood draining down to my legs, so I’m borderlining blackout and near helpless while hundreds of bullets zip by?”
“I was hoping you’d talk about the thrill of a career as a—”
“The thrill of discovering a new hemorrhoid every other day because Fleet wouldn’t buy us proper g-suits? That’s the scoop you’re after.”
The journalist pushed a button on his notepad, and the screen dimmed. “Look, if this is a bad time, I can come back another day. Maybe next week.”
Eleanor snorted, and put her coffee down on the table. She knew exactly what he wanted; a romantic look back on the very worst parts of her life. He wasn’t interested in a real profile of a soldier. He wanted the propaganda of a war hero. She was reminded of something her old Leonid CAG used to say to her; you can’t recruit the targets until you convince them all they’re the gun.
She sighed, and wiped a drop of coffee from her Medal of Distinction. “Sure. Come back next week. Maybe the Cylons won’t have killed us all by then.”


The next Battlestar Galactica Deadlock update is currently in beta, and it has a name – The Veterancy Update!

Today we want to introduce one of the great new headline features that will be part of the update - the crew veterancy system.

In real life, as a team of people work together, they (generally) get better at what they do. It’s natural that practice and experience lead to improvements in the ability of a crew and the results they get.





In the Veterancy Update, a new campaign option will enable this effect to be modelled in the campaign. When active, crews will gain XP for a number events, such as surviving a battle or taking out an enemy ship. As the XP increases, the crew will gain levels that will give passive bonuses to some stats on the ship. Each class of ship will have a different set of boosted stats. For example, the Manticore gets bonuses to Max Speed and Turret Accuracy, whilst the Atlas receives improvements to Squadron Repairs and Damage Reduction.

Of course, it wouldn’t be fair if the Colonials were the only ones that had this particular upgrade. Any Cylon fleet that lasts long enough will also gain XP and get additional bonuses as well.

That’s an quick introduction to the new Crew Veterancy system, part of the Veterancy Update that is currently in beta and will be released shortly. We’ll give you an exact release date as soon as we can. Until next time, good hunting!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/544610/Battlestar_Galactica_Deadlock/

Lately we've been noticing some amazing artists emerging in the Battlestar Galactica Deadlock community. In particular, we were granted permission by ghostinthecamera to share his awesome work!

















You can admire more of ghostinthecamera's work on his social media profiles:


Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ghostinthecamera/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ghostinthecam

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ghostinthecamera/


If you have amazing artwork you made yourself that you would like to share, let us know on the forum or on Battlestar Galactica Deadlock's facebook page!

The gym was often empty during this particular shift. Lucinda’s presence in the room was enough to keep the rest of the battered equipment vacant. She played old Tauron music whenever she was here alone; raunchy lyrics from teenage mops of hair and guitars, borne of a time when she was young enough to care about such things. She adjusted her footing, squared up the bag once more, and released one one two, her left foot tapping the floor on both jabs before the cross. The bag wavered dutifully.
Footwork had always been her strong point. No point throwing your hands up if you didn’t have the balance and stamina to match. She’d made some quick cubits back in the academy flooring some of the flyboys. Most of them were dead now.
A junior lieutenant awkwardly sidled in to the entrance. Lucinda made sure to unleash on the bag once more - tap tap cross - before turning to him.
“Sir. We’ve just received a Virgon scout in bay four. They want to report directly to Actual.”
“OBC?” she asked. Tap tap cross.
“Yes sir.”
Stefan’s couriers never wasted time with chain of command. “Tell them I’ll be up in an hour.”
“Sir.”
The colonies weren’t on fire yet. Stefan’s scout could wait. She turned back to the bag, shifted her feet, and prepared for another round. Tap, tap, cross, repeat.


One of the (many) things that made the reimagined series of Battlestar Galactica great was the soundtrack. We’d seen this mentioned a lot during the course of Battlestar Galactica Deadlock’s development. When we started development of the game (almost 3 years ago now!) we knew we wanted the music of the game to be fitting of the style of the TV show, whilst catering to the different needs of a dynamic game soundtrack.

We hired the very talented award-winning composer, Ash Gibson Greig , to compose the game’s score. Ash has a lot of experience composing scores for film and TV, and was looking to do some work in games. Working with Ash has been a great decision – we frequently see the game’s soundtrack praised in both critic and user reviews.

In the next free feature update, we’ll be giving more access to the soundtrack as a means to further customise and enhance your battles.

As you progress through a campaign, tracks from the game’s soundtrack will unlock. Then, when starting a skirmish, campaign resource mission, campaign roaming encounter or multiplayer match, you’ll be able to select any music track that has been unlocked. There will also be an option to randomly select a track each battle. The only time you won’t be able to change the music will be during story missions, as the score is designed to suit the mission.





And don’t worry if you’ve already started a campaign when the update hits - loading a saved game will cause all tracks from previous campaign battles to be unlocked and usable.

There is also a handy media player-like interface on the main menu, so you can listen to any unlocked track at any time.





So, that’s a look at the new music features that will be arriving soon with the next free feature update. As we get closer to release of the update, we’ve got some great, often-requested features to talk about… but we’ll leave that until next time.

Good hunting!

The oracles say it is impossible for a machine to live.
“DRADIS contact, unidentified marks. They’re giving off some weird readings.”
But what is the machine actually missing? Breath? Knowledge? Experience is just a glorified probability matrix; this path was safe yesterday, and nothing appears to have changed, so it should be safe today. Complex, but not unsolvable. Just maths and learning.
“Revenant bearing to port, carom one two four. Approach is faster than expected.”
Consciousness, then? An informed sense of self, asking that one big question over and over.
“Plating’s taking a beating, sir! They’re giving us a hell of a storm.”
Except we know what the machine fundamentally is. Why assume it can’t know itself? The questioning of one’s self is an idle luxury at best. A slug can survive a long and prosperous life without once asking the stars and sky what its grand purpose is. It is not a necessary burden for living.
“Frak, these raiders are slippery! Switching gunnery to manual, the system can’t keep up with these ones.”
So if they are missing nothing, why must we declare the Cylons as unliving? And if one machine can be said to have lived, why not other machines, smaller, larger?
“Green leader, you see this? They’re back! The whole frakking squadron is back!”
At what point do we stop arguing the existence, and instead question the weight of the machine’s soul?

Attention on deck! It’s time for another dev diary, to let you all know about some of things we’ve been working on as we prepare for another big Battlestar Galactica Deadlock update next year.

One of the upgrades we’ve been working on is an improvement to the Blueprints screen.

Presently, you can only see information about ships that have been unlocked. That means you’ll don’t get stats on ships that are automatically unlocked, such as the Manticore or Viper MKI.

Soon, you will be able to view stats and information about Cylon ships you have encountered in the campaign, as well as Colonial ships already unlocked when the campaign starts, via a new Codex. With respect to Cylons, the more you’ve encountered a particular class of ship, the more information will be displayed.

There is also a handy ship viewer!





We’ve also got a number quality of life improvements in the works. Some players have asked for the ability to delete save files, so we’ve added that. To make targeting easier and faster, we’ve made the focus fire command on capital ships pick other capitals instead of fighter squadrons that are closer. We’ve updated the video recorder feature to make it a bit more reliable and performant. We are also looking into improvements to squadron AI to prevent them venturing into friendly flak fields.

We’ve got a lot more features and improvements to talk about, but we’ll save them for another diary.

Finally, we are putting out a call for beta testers. We’ll be starting a beta test of these and some other great features early in the new year. If you’d like to participate, just visit the signup form right here: click me!

Until next time, good hunting!