This week we're taking a look at some of the updates that have rolled out as part of structstestnet-101, the latest testing environment for the Structs community. Today, we're going to dig into the gameplay side of the equation and what these changes mean for base management and battles.
One of the most important choices players can make in Structs is whether to keep their forces on their home planet (their Alpha Base, where they can mine and refine Alpha) or conduct raids on enemy worlds to steal their resources. This update includes some changes to base and fleet management that are going to impact how players make this calculation, and bring the mechanic more in line with our vision for gameplay.
Protect Your Command Ship
To begin, we've made some changes to the Command Ship that reinforce its role as the effective mothership of player forces.
First, as the factory that manufactures and deploys new Structs, the Command Ship must now be on-station at the player's Alpha Base in order to start the build process for new Structs. This means that sending your forces on a raid will leave your Alpha Base unable to replenish any Planetary Structs that might be destroyed until the Command Ship returns.
Next, owing to its role as the mobile command post that relays orders to player forces, Structs will be unable to use their active abilities (such as attacks or certain defensive powers, like Stealth) if the Command Ship is destroyed. Passive abilities, however—Counter-Attacks or defensive passives like Signal Jamming—will continue to function, as will the passives of Planetary Structs.
The Command Ship is your tip-of-the-spear, key to establishing your foothold in the uncharted regions of the galaxy. Protect it! When the Command Ship is destroyed, a new Command Ship must be deployed from the Structs Conglomerate and travel to your Alpha Base in order for operations to resume—a time-consuming process that will leave you incredibly vulnerable to raids. Furthermore, losing the Command Ship while invading an enemy world will cost you the battle automatically.
Base & Fleet Management
We're also making some adjustments clarifying the role of Structs and their placement on the battlefield.
The action in Structs always takes place on a planet, where players can deploy two types of Structs: Fleet Structs and Planetary Structs. Planetary Structs are permanent installations that perform dedicated functions, like mining or refining Alpha Matter. Conversely, Fleet Structs are the combat machines that make up your army, which can defend your planet or be deployed to an enemy planet to conduct a raid.
Similarly, planets are made up of two types of spaces: Planetary spaces, where players can construct Planetary Structs, and Fleet spaces, where players can construct Fleet Structs. In the previous testnet, players were able to place Fleet Structs on Planetary Spaces, and any such units would remain on the player's home planet in the event that units occupying the Fleet spaces were sent on a raid. This effectively allowed players to strategically split their combat forces: some could be left at home for defense, while others could be deployed on raids.
As a part of the new update, this relationship has been simplified: Fleet units can only be placed on Fleet spaces, while Planetary Structs can only be placed on Planetary Spaces. When the Command Ship travels to an enemy world to conduct a raid, the Fleet—made up of all Fleet Structs—goes with it. This leaves only Planetary Structs on the home planet.
This cements raids as a risky proposition. While some Planetary Structs have defensive capabilities—such as blocking enemy attacks or even counter-attacking enemy invaders—a player who sends their fleet on a raid will leave their home planet completely without combat units to defend it. A well-prepared invader arriving on a world with an absent fleet will inevitably overwhelm the local Planetary Structs if the defending player's fleet does not return home in time.
Defenders will have some advantages, though. Enemy Command Ships cannot build new Structs on occupied worlds, limiting their forces to what they brought with them. Meanwhile, if the defending player's Command Ship is on-station, it can build new or replacement Structs to potentially turn the tide of the battle.
Ultimately, we see each raid as a potentially hazardous venture. You may be able to secure more Alpha Ore by stealing it from your enemies, but your planetary infrastructure and own Ore will be left at significant risk.
Bits & Pieces
Lastly, we have a couple of quality-of-life changes that will make managing your forces a little simpler.
- Simplified Energy Costs
Previously, a Struct under construction had a different energy draw than the same Struct fully operational. This seemed unnecessarily complex and presented one more thing for players to keep track of, so we've made a Struct's energy requirements the same in both the construction and operational states.
- Cancel Construction
We've implemented the ability to cancel a Struct that is mid-construction. This will allow players the flexibility to adjust their plans as circumstances change.
Stay tuned, as later this week we'll be looking at the updates to the economic layer of Structs with the latest testnet.
