(LIVE) v1.31 Unity Ascendent Update Changelog

[RammaStardock]

A key part of this update is to emphasize the different themes and approaches to warfare preferred by the two factions. For now, these differences manifest most strongly in their use of Unity abilities, but these themes are at the core of the factions as a whole and may appear again in other ways in future updates. So, what are they?

The Advent Wrath faction is the more archetypal of the two factions. They are focused on Control, Culture Spread and Vengeance. They express the Control theme with mechanics like Mind Control and a greater focus on debuffing the enemy. Culture is important for both Advent factions, but the Wrath have an easier time spreading it and gain more strategic potency from doing so. Vengeance is expressed with the faction’s greater focus on aggressive mechanics like damage and offensive self-buffs, as they seek to destroy their enemy without heed of the cost.

Meanwhile, the Reborn Advent faction is a bit more extreme in some of its themes. They are focused on purifying the Unity, leading to the themes of Restoration and Sacrifice. They draw power from the deaths of their own units and even have cause to intentionally destroy their own ships. Yet at the same time they seek to prevent outside interference, and with their restorative powers they can prevent enemy aggression quite effectively.

VERSION REVERSION STEPS FOR OLD SAVES:
This update won't work with old save games and replays but you can still play them by using the previous version

If you wish to finish up your game on the previous version, do the following:

1. Select ‘Sins of a Solar Empire II’ in your Steam Library.
   
2. Click the gear icon in the upper right.
   
3. Select Properties → Betas
   
4. Select 'previous_edition' from the Beta Participation dropdown.
   
5. Steam will update you to the latest files.
   
6. To switch to latest repeat step 4 and select ‘None’

Unity Ability Changes

This update brings five new Unity abilities between the two Advent sub-factions. Reborn gain two new abilities, while the Wrath gain three. The existing abilities have been split between the two factions.

• Wrath gains:
  
  • Avatar: A potent buff for your fleet that can greatly improve damage output.
    
  • Chastise: Punishing movement control to prevent enemy aggression – or escape.
    
  • Fury: To deal raw damage directly to the enemy.
• Wrath keeps:
  
  • Clairvoyance: For unparalleled map awareness.
    
  • Proselytize: Once again unshackled from restrictions, it regains its map-wide culture projection power.

With these five powers, the Wrath faction has a lot of power and aggression available – but also a lot of synergy. Will you Chastise the enemy to prevent them escaping from the area effect of Fury? Will you combine Fury with the Rapture Battlecruiser’s level 6 ability Malice? Which capital ships will you empower with Avatar – or will the Coronata Titan be the sole recipient of this significant power boost?

• Reborn gains:
  
  • Cleanse: To sacrifice a ship of their own to heal those nearby.
    
  • Resurrection: To restore entire fleets remotely – even mid battle.
• Reborn keeps:
  
  • Clairvoyance: For unparalleled map awareness – the one shared ability.
    
  • Recall: To save a fleet from certain destruction or roam far afield without consequence.
    
  • Sanctify: Which can save a planet from enemy attack… For a while.

The new Reborn powers enable their sacrificial mechanics, while further enhancing their strategic capacity. No force of frigates, cruisers, or corvettes is ever truly lost to them when they can resurrect and recall them. They can freely sacrifice their own units to keep important capital ships alive – or fuel the Eradica Titan – knowing that those units can be restored with relative ease. Even if they find themselves at a disadvantage, they can always Sanctify a planet to blunt an enemy assault and buy time.

Focus Economy Improvement

Critical to improving Unity gameplay is the accompanying overhaul of the Focus economy. Focus capacity is now front-loaded, while being harder to increase than before. Focus regen is low, however, and this stat is the main one you will be trying to improve if you wish to make heavy use of Unity in a match. Focus costs and cooldown times on abilities have been adjusted to make better use of this paradigm.

The result is a system that is more dynamic and allows different unlock orders. It also enables more use of Unity powers in short bursts, but with an appropriately significant cost in time should you manage to deplete your Focus pool. Overall, this resource is now managed on a more strategic timescale compared to before.

Research Improvements

Some new faction-unique research subjects have been added to the factions, notably:

• Rite of Reclamation: A Reborn tech allowing them to greatly increase wreck salvaging time. Just in case they want to Cleanse one of their own capital ships…
  
• Clarity of Purpose: A Wrath tech to improve Psi Power within their own culture, giving them a tangible reason to spread – and fight inside of – their culture early in the game.

Numerous research topics have been tweaked in unlock orders and layout to make the Advent Culture and Focus trees more readable and accessible, with a few extra buffs as well. Most notably, the Reborn unique techs Soul Reclamation and Protection of the Unity have both seen significant buffs – with Soul Reclamation a standout in how much it can now fuel the Reborn economy when sacrificial tactics are used.

Gameplay

• Updated Advent Unity Abilities (see above).
  
• Added achievements for Steam and Epic Games Store. We’ve added over 60 achievements to unlock as you play the game.
  
• Added wormholes to randomly generated map system for maps with 4+ players.
  
• Added uncolonizable gravity well types to all random maps.
  
• Added Ship Graveyard and Space Junk gravity wells types.
  
• Added 3 to 10 player multi-star random maps to the game (8 total).
  
• Added Global Unity research to Advent Wrath. Spreads culture from planets with research tracks.
  
• Added Clarity of Purpose research to Advent Wrath. Improves Psi Power of ships at planets with Dominant Culture.
  
• Added Rite of Reclamation research to Advent Reborn. Greatly improves Derelict collection rate.
  
• Added Allure of the Unity research to both Advent. Improves Commerce, Metal Mining and Crystal Mining income from planets with Dominant Culture.
  
• Improved layout and randomization for all random maps.
  
• Added TEC Kalev Gauss Frigate to Enclave garrison composition.
  
• Advent balance changes:
  
  • Cynosural Reservoir max Unity points increased from 75 to 200.
    
  • Temple of Resurrection resurrection chance increased from 10% to 20%.
    
  • Avatar Unity ability:
    
    • Unity points required: 2/4/6
      
    • Focus point cost: 200
      
    • Cooldown: 30 sec.
      
    • PSI Power Boost: 50/75/100
      
    • Energy Weapon Damage Boost in Area: 10%/20%/30%
  • Chastise Unity ability:
    
    • Unity points required: 2/4/6
      
    • Focus point cost: 150
      
    • Duration: 60
  • Clairvoyance Unity ability:
    
    • Unity points required decreased from 1/3/6 to 1/2/3.
      
    • Focus point cost changed from 25/75/150 to 75/75/75.
      
    • Cooldown increased from 30/20/10 to 30/30/30.
      
    • Duration decreased from 30/120/300 to 30/90/180.
  • Cleanse Unity ability:
    
    • Unity points required: 1/2/3.
      
    • Focus point cost: 100
      
    • Cooldown: 30 sec.
      
    • Radius: 5000/6500/8000
      
    • Hull restore % of current: 30/60/90
      
    • Armor restore % of current: 30/60/90
      
    • Shield restore % of current: 30/60/90
  • Fury Unity ability:
    
    • Unity points required: 3/6/9
      
    • Focus point cost: 300
      
    • Cooldown: 120 sec.
      
    • Duration: 30/45/60
      
    • Damage: 15/20/25
      
    • Pierce: 500
      
    • Radius: 4500
  • Proselytize Unity ability:
    
    • Unity points required decreased from 2/5/9 to 1/2/3.
      
    • Focus point cost changed from 50/125/250 to 75/75/75.
      
    • Cooldown decreased from 300/240/180 to 120/120/120.
      
    • Duration decreased from 90/120/180 to 30/60/90
      
    • Culture rate increased from 1.5%/3%/5% to 3%/6%/9%.
      
    • No longer constrained to being in dominant culture or detected.
  • Recall Unity ability:
    
    • Unity points required increased from 1/3/6 to 2/4/6.
      
    • Focus cost increased from 25/75/150 to 200/200/200.
      
    • Cooldown time increased from 60/40/20 to 60/60/60.
      
    • Charge time changed from 45/30/15 to 30/30/30.
  • Resurrection Unity ability:
    
    • Unity points required: 3/6/9
      
    • Focus cost increased from 25/75/150 to 1000/1000/1000.
      
    • Cooldown increased from 60/40/20 to 60/60/60.
  • Sanctify Unity ability:
    
    • Unity points required decreased from 2/5/9 to 2/4/6.
      
    • Focus points cost increased from 50/125/250 to 300/300/300.
      
    • Cooldown time decreased from 300/210/120 to 90/90/90.
      
    • Duration decreased from 30/45/60 to 30/30/30.
      
    • Planet health restore changed to % of max: 30%/60%/90%.
  • Initial maximum Focus increased from 0 to 1000.
    
  • Initial Focus restore rate increased from 0 to 0.5 per sec.
    
  • Wrath Acclimatization of Will Focus point bonus increased from 5 to 15; Focus point restore rate increased from 0.05 to 0.1.
    
  • Reborn Protection of the Unity reworked - shield, hull and armor regeneration speed increases removed, replaced with the ability to regenerate shields during combat.
    
  • Reborn Culture Center unlock now provides 5% bonus to commerce, metal mining and crystal mining income rates for planets with Dominant Culture.
    
  • Rapture Malice ability radius increased from 2500 to 3000, PSI power now increases radius; Range increased from 6500 to 8000; Damage propagation no longer tied to PSI power, damage changed from 0.2 per damage dealt to 0.03.
    
  • Revelation Battle Meditation changed to no longer increase maximum Focus or Focus regen rates.
    
  • Reborn Eradica Titan Unyielding Will ability cooldown increased from 240 to 300, invulnerability duration decreased from 180 to 90.

Bug Fixes

• AI: Fixed hard coded number for maximum fleet cap in the AI. This was preventing the AI from attacking at maximum fleet supply.
  
• AI: Fixed issue where the AI would infinitely move between capturing a derelict and bombing a planet. The AI will now prioritize bombing planets over collecting derelicts.
  
• Fixed assert related to survey track level.
  
• Fixed Advent Unity window showing up blank.
  
• Fixed Advent Unity tutorial trigger issue that prevented the player from finishing it.

VFX

• Added Advent Fury vfx.
  
• Added Advent Cleanse vfx.
  
• Added Advent Resurrection vfx.
  
• Added Advent Chastise vfx.
  
• Updated Chastic Burst vfx.
  
• Added Advent Chastise vfx.

Audio

• Added new on_selection sound effects for:
  
  • TEC Trade Ship
    
  • TEC Military Research Structure
    
  • Advent Temple of Harmony
    
  • Advent Temple of Hostility
    
  • Advent Temple of Unity
    
  • Advent Temple of Communion
    
  • Advent Temple of Renewal
    
  • Advent Beam Defense Structure
    
  • Advent Laser Defense Structure
    
  • Advent Hangar Defense Structure
    
  • Advent Construction Frigate
    
  • Advent Deliverance Engine
• Added derelict capture ambient sound effect.
  
• Added new Vertigo ability ambient sound effect for Advent Revelation.
  
• Added new Vengeance ability sound effects for Advent Revelation.
  
• Added new Malice ability sound effects for Advent Revelation.
  
• Added Advent Deliverance Engine ambient sound effect.

Misc.

• Fixed some incorrect text and added new tutorial outline for the Trade tutorial.
  
• Fixed TEC light trade escort research HUD icons.
  
• Fixed Pranast United Metal Market Monopolization HUD icons.
  
• Added starbase kills and pirate kills tracking stats for achievements.
  
• UI: Added new items category: Consumable. This will ensure that consumable items are not mistaken for permanent items.
  
• Added support to random map generation to allow for a random amount of stars to be created.
  
• Added data driven ‘chaos factor’ range and update interval to increase AI decisions to attack and engage players.
  
• Added 6 new statistics for tracking NPC kills.

[EniGmA]

Some interesting changes. Ill have to try both Advent factions and see how I feel about them now. But even before I felt like the Reborn were weaker and lacked identity and Wrath was far better. Now it looks like Reborn has some identity, but I still dont really see significant improvements to how good they are. Wrath just looks better than ever.


the AI changes are very welcome though too. Hopefully this makes the AI play a little bit better and be decent enough while we wait for the much needed AI overhaul.

[Vohvelieläin]

Originally posted by RammaStardock:

Reborn Coronata Titan Unyielding Will ability cooldown increased from 240 to 300, invulnerability duration decreased from 180 to 90.

Probably should be Eradica, or you have done a surprise titan switch.

Also, changelog does not state what is the effect of Chastise.

[Commisar Jon Fuklaw]

Wuff. Major Rapture nerf. Meanwhile, a trio of Marzas can clear entire gravity wells.

[lupegjr]

Originally posted by Commisar Jon Fuklaw:

Wuff. Major Rapture nerf. Meanwhile, a trio of Marzas can clear entire gravity wells.

shhhhhhhh TEC:P is my favorite faction mostly because of the Marza =)

[Planeswalker]

With the few AI bug fixes... has anyone seen if the AI is "better" or does it seem to need a lot more tweaks?

[RazeE]

You can earn achievements just watching replays afk. Just start a new game, go afk and let it run with Impossible AI players for a few hours, then watch the replay with AI pov.
Found this out after testing for an hour and then watching the replay. I got "expert governor" achievement while just looking at an AI play.

[Vohvelieläin]

Won a game playing Wrath, and got the achievement for winning as Reborn.

[Nongenti]

Originally posted by Vohvelieläin:

Won a game playing Wrath, and got the achievement for winning as Reborn.

Consider reporting that over on tge offocal discord for devs to look into.

[RammaStardock]

Originally posted by Vohvelieläin:

Won a game playing Wrath, and got the achievement for winning as Reborn.

Good catch, I've reported it to the team

[Nightskies]

Marza lvl 6 is not half as impressive as it used to be with PD on the field now. I had a twin-cast pair of Marza fail to kill more than a couple frigates against a mere few Advent PD cruisers and capitals in my last impossible game.
Focusing the PD and then casting in the next battle in the adjacent gravity well saw the Marza flex.

Originally posted by Commisar Jon Fuklaw:

Wuff. Major Rapture nerf. Meanwhile, a trio of Marzas can clear entire gravity wells.

[Nihlus]

Originally posted by RammaStardock:

• Revelation Malice ability radius increased from 2500 to 3000, PSI power now increases radius; Range increased from 6500 to 8000; Damage propagation no longer tied to PSI power, damage changed from 0.2 per damage dealt to 0.03.
  
• Wrath Coronata Titan Unyielding Will ability cooldown increased from 240 to 300, invulnerability duration decreased from 180 to 90.

(I'm assuming you mean the Reborn Eradica Titan (that's what it says in the post on the Sins 2 forums).

A lot of good changes here. The only gripes I have are with the 85% damage nerf to Malice and the Eradica's Unyielding Will cooldown increase and duration decrease seem like an overcorrection.

[TheMac]

Bug Report - Trying this beta as TEC Enclave, and I cannot get my influence points above 5, no matter how many Broadcast Centers + Media Conglomerate I build.

[Fendelphi]

I love the added unity powers for Advent, especially Reborn. Makes them able to lean into the "death-rebirth" cycle much earlier, rather than having to wait for Deliverance Engine.
The mechanical change of Focus(how much you have etc.) is also interesting.

I am not sure I am reading the Rapture's updated Malice ability correctly. Its damage propagation does no longer scale with PSI(good), but now it is locked at 0.03(3% rather than 20%)? That does not seem right and might be a typo. Should probably be locked to 30%(0.3).
Then again, the AoE has become bigger(and now scales with PSI) and with a longer reach, so maybe it balances out even at 3%, due to affecting more targets than before.
Either way, steps have been made to avoid instant deletion of ships, which is good.

[dwennon]

Well it's nice to see the Advent getting some help. Though looking this over while talking to a friend has got me wondering, why can't some of the ship upgrades like armor have a level set up similar to some of the planet side items. Is it a balance issue or something.

[RammaStardock]

This update is now pushed live. Note the team does have an internal fix for the advent tutorial issue concerning step 11 that will likely be part of the next update