News and the next part of the Background Story
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04JAN09
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Happy new year from all of us here at Ironwill Studios - I hope you've had an excellent holiday period... there are lots of new things
coming to Outer Empires this year - amongst them bug fixes, new game play additions and the much hinted at "Government Troubles" will
be coming to a head in the next little while...
... Leading up to that is the next part of the background story, part Six "Sympathy's Hope" which has been added to the website.
"I don't care how long it takes you, Jo’neil but I want that engine coupling cleaned and I want it done yesterday."
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Jo'neil Tirris glared at the chief engineer of the Sympathy's Hope and swore under his breath. The chief was only six months older
than he was. Who was he to be giving orders like that? He scrambled up the access ladder that led to the coupling Chief Harris had
indicated. It would be clean enough, Jo’neil was sure. The chief just liked to keep him busy whether there was work to do or not. He
smacked the back of his hand on a ladder rung as he scrambled carelessly upward. Jo’neil swore again, this time loudly hoping the chief
would hear.
Read all of the "Sympathy's Hope" story...
There will be several more in game news items over the next few weeks bridging the gap between this story and the next.
Paul Hutson
Lead Developer
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Background Story - The Beginning of the End
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04DEC09
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The next part of the background story, part five "The Beginning of the End" has been added to the website.
"Not until I get what I came for, Jym."
Jeenee's voice was set in hard determination, a tone of voice her producer, Jym Fields, knew very well. There was little
to do except placate her at times like these and the worst of it was, she was usually right.
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Jym looked around the civic square at the heart of Capitol City and idly played with his shoulder length queue of thick
black hair tied back in a short tail. The protesters were out in force. Some were milling about sharing horror stories with
the others, more onlookers than participants while the close group at the center, the agitators chanted and pulled their sheep
along with them. The group of ten or so men and women at the heart of the crowd carried signs a each wore a heavy flack
jacket and helmet with a thick darkened visor locked in the up position so their faces could be seen.
Great, Jym thought, now the rioters had riot gear.
Read all of the "The Beginning of the End" story...
Leave any comments about this news post here.
Paul Hutson
Lead Developer
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Galactic Economy Continues to Flourish
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23NOV09
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Since the game released pilots have been doing transport, exploration and combat jobs to earn credits for colonisation, ship building, manufacturing
amongst a number of other things.
In fact, in total, 271 Million credits have been earnt over the last thirteen weeks. With a current in game circulation of just over
60 million, the rest - of course, spent on taxes, paying the gvmt for ships/goods and also a large amount of credits earned so far
have been paid to the workers of the galaxy (the most paid by any empire leader is 70000 credits a day (for 14000 workers)).
Of course, with the small 5 credit/day pay it take a worker a long time to match the personal fortune of Sammy del Fierro, the richest
person in the Nyridion Galaxy* with a whopping personal fortune of ~4.4 million credits... a member of the Iron Union faction,
who are currently the richest faction*.
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Over the thirteen weeks a large amount of credits have been traded back and forth on the galactic market, as you can see in the graph to the right -
the economy has been continuing to grow, more so over the last few weeks... the graph shows the growth over time by week (with twenty
million credits traded over the last week) - the larger recent growth can be attributed to the new pilots in the galaxy... post App release.
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Market Expenditure By Week
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You will notice a new area on the website menu entitled "Economy" which has a number of different statistics for the sales of different product groups
(resources, flatpacks, blueprints and ship hulls/modifications) and also a list of the top sales in each group (and also a weekly sales list
too).
Visit the new economy area and please do leave comments in the
official forums about this news item. You will notice, of course, that there are only three days worth of detailed
information about market transactions - as we only started recording the data three days ago - it will continue to automatically update over time,
if anyone is interested in accessing the news feed for the market data click here to view
the webservice access (additionally, if you want a different type of statistic on there, please let me know!)
Paul Hutson
Lead Developer
* at the time of writing this article.
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Territory Expansion Part 11 (Week 13)
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18NOV09
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The past few weeks have seen a lot of change with faction territory control - a lot of new factions have been established and have started colonising systems (be that near existing factions or in
open areas) reaching the required level (control of 20 system) to be shown on the faction territory map. In addition to that the Iron Union and Dark Matter appear to have swapped control
of a few systems between themselves, whether that shows some inter faction turmoil or not, time will tell.
With more and more factions becoming active we can only anticipate the map changing ever more quickly in the future.
To see this weeks map click on the image below (or click here to open the map in another window)
Click Image To View
To see the territory maps over time click here (also available by clicking the "Territory Maps" link in the menu).
Paul Hutson
Lead Developer
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Outer Empires App Hits the App Store!
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10NOV09
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At last, the App has been approved and released on to the App store, we've already submitted the first update.. so a load of fixes and new enhancements are already on the way!
NOTE: The App store description is not showing properly on all stores (we've contacted Apple to get them to update it) however, you can see the full description below.
Description
Outer Empires is a space based massively multi-player online game created for both the iPhone/iPod Touch and desktop browsers.
Every player can create an online persona in a persistent galaxy; from that point on they can choose from a number of different careers to progress through the game.
The game is set up in a sandbox style, to allow players to choose how their character develops.
Players will have a variety of options, including:
- Fly missions (transport, freight, exploration, bounty)
- Set up colonies (Mining, Food Production, Manufacture, Refining and much much more)
- Run/join factions (guilds/clans) within the game.
- Take control of and fight for systems (either themselves or as part of a faction).
- Research new ship items from existing blueprints in the world to create your own product line.
- Buy/Mod/Build/Sell ships using a number of variable items that can be created from the manufacture plants players set up.
- Trade with other players and the system.
NOTE :
This game is an entirely online game and will require an internet connection (Wifi, 3G and EDGE recommended).
TouchArcade.com (Preview Quote)
"The cool part about Outer Empires is that the game runs both in a browser on your computer, as well as in the app on your iPhone. Accounts are shared between both versions of the game,
and you can literally log out in your browser, log in with your iPhone, and be exactly where you left off with all the same functionality of the desktop client on the go."
PocketGamer.co.uk (Preview Quote)
"It all begins quite innocently. You're given a small shuttle to flit between star systems allowing you to run odd jobs. Scanning systems and delivering the results to a space station, transporting goods, buying and selling ore as you travel - there are lots of ways to find your space legs and bring in enough credits to buy fuel and supplies." ... "The sheer scale is at once mesmerising and intimidating."
Some things our beta players have said :
"The first real MMORPG for the iPhone and iPod Touch."
- Soul
"A multi-faceted, in-depth game that continues to expand and it will hold your interest for many days, not hours due to its enormous size.
Complemented by a very attentive Developer team that never sleeps."
- Gaius Codex
"There really is no way to describe this game. It is huge. There is no set plan that you have to follow, You can follow your own path in this game. To under stand how big this game is you would have to actually enter it to see just how vast this universe is and how many different avenues there are to pursue."
- Blue
MEDIA :
Screenshots :
An in game shot showing a number of ships having a battle around a planet
the tactical computer screen, showing different people within a system and their locations, it's useful when planning attacks.
Showing the Nyridion Galaxy and the current GVMT space
Showing the Space Station home screen, from here you can add new parts to your ship, get new jobs/missions, clone, sell and buy things, amongst other things.
Showing one of the buildings at a colony, this is a mining facility mining Zinc Ore (ready for processing, selling, etc) - there are a LOT of different resources in the
game, each has a use!
Comment on this news post in the Official Outer Empires Forums - we'd be interested in your thoughts/comments!
See you in game soon!
Paul Hutson
Lead Developer
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Territory Expansion Part 10
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28OCT09
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This week shows the degredation of a number of of factions territory as uninhabited or undeveloped colony sites have been removed (if they're greater than six days old). This has shown
most notably in the FLEET areas - although both the Iron Union and Dark Matter have also reduce the size of their colonisable area. Overall, there are is a lot of new territory available
to newer pilots to claim.
To see this weeks map click on the image below (or click here to open the map in another window)
Click Image To View
To see the territory maps over time click here (also available by clicking the "Territory Maps" link in the menu).
Paul Hutson
Lead Developer
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Territory Expansion Part 9
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21OCT09
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And so, another week has past which ofcourse means further exploration and expansion into the galaxy. This week sees the normal small changes take place
but it also shows a huge expansion effort from DARK.
If you havent checked out the new area on the website yet showing territory maps over time then you should.
view the territory maps (also available by clicking the "Territory Maps" link in the menu).
To see this weeks map click on the image below (or click here to open the map in another window)
Click Image To View
Jason Turner
Lead Artist
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Background Story - Angel One
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15OCT09
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As part of the ongoing background story, part four "Angel One" has been added to the website.
With little searching he found what he was looking for quickly. Today was indeed the day. Merlinius Enterprises was launching their colony ship, after all. There had been setbacks, projects canceled, redesigns, and protests but the mega corporation run by Angus Merlinius had done it and were finally going to launch their ship. At the great expense, and some said hardship, of the tax payers of Leofmael, Angus Merlinius had pushed an entire system of people toward a future for Leofmael that lay outside government space. There, he had told them, they would find autonomy and freedom from the monetary burden of living within the bounds of Cinnhilif governmental control.
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Territory Expansion Part 8
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14OCT09
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There is now a new area on the website showing territory maps over time (so you can see the progression of the territory updates from start to finish)...
view the territory maps (also available by clicking the "Territory Maps" link in the menu).
To see this weeks map click on the image below (or click here to open the map in another window)
Click Image To View
The patch yesterday saw a hike in the cost of Space Station flat packs due to terrorist actions in game, more price increases are expected as the attacks continue...
Paul Hutson
Lead Developer
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Territory Expansion Part 7
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07OCT09
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As you can see from the below map FLEET have expanded their influence, not only around their main factional grounds (the Linavine sector) but also expanded into other regions as well - at
the same time Event Horizon has been expanding their area of control as well. More DARK colonies have been registered near the center of the Galaxy joining the IRON outpost in the same
region.
See this weeks map below by clicking on the image (or click here to open the map in another window)
Click Image To View
In other news, the Facebook version of Outer Empires has received a number of fixes for display problems
and should now work normally.
Paul Hutson
Lead Developer
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Patch V1.0.10 and Freeplay!
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06OCT09
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As of today a new patch has been released, finalising all of the combat changes to the system - you're able to fight with rebels, bandits, pirates and marauders throughout the galaxy.
Every job terminal in a station will over you combat related jobs once you get to rank Light Class A4 (we didn't think people would be ready, ship wise, until then). As with all the other jobs
in game, combat jobs are generated for people based on their level - so someone who's a Light Class A4 rank will likely be pitted against a shuttle in combat, while a High Class B6 will probably
be facing several Dreadnoughts... bringing some faction members along for a fight has been found to be a good idea!
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You can read the full patch note for V1.0.10 in this thread in the official Outer Empires forums
Outer Empires is now Free to play!
In addition to the combat jobs being added, there are lots of other enhancements and changes. One of those being that the subscription method has changed - you can continue playing to any level
in the game without having to subscribe. However, by subscribing you get twice as much XP and Credits for the jobs you do, you have access to the full range of ships and you can have as many
colonies in game as you can manage...
If you'd like to comment on this news item, please do so here.
Paul Hutson
Lead Developer
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Territory Expansion Part 6
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30SEP09
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This weeks territory map shows that Iron have expanded and consolidated their hold on the central galaxy. At the same time, other factions have been pushing towards the edges in a slow manner. While the map hasn't changed a huge amount we are noticing a lot more of the planets within systems are being fully colonised now.
See this weeks map below by clicking on the image (or click here to open the map in another window)
Click Image To View
The combat patch has been released, combat jobs can be picked up from job terminals in stations as per normal.
Paul Hutson
Lead Developer
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Lifetime Subscribers Get App Preview Copies!
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23SEP09
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Lifetime Subscribers now have the opportunity to get a preview version of the App for their iPhones and iPod Touch devices. Details can be found in the lifetime subscribers forum.
If you are already a lifetime subscriber but don't have access to the forum please PM "Paul Hutson" on the forums and I will organise you access (include your in game characters name
in the PM please).
Today saw Apple reject the App from their approval process - not to worry though, we've resolved the issue and resubmitted the App in quick order. The problem revolved around the
communication between the App and iTunes.
More details to follow, but for now rest assured we're on top of the process !
To comment on this story, please do so here in the outer empires forums.
Paul Hutson
Lead Developer
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Territory Expansion Part 5
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23SEP09
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This weeks territory map shows that some of the larger factions have slowed down their expansion and have concentraded on consolidating their held territory - although both IRON
and DARK have established colonies in the central area of the galaxy.
In addition to that, a new faction has reached the required sized to be shown on the map, "The Firm" is shown to the top right of the government systems.
See this weeks map below by clicking on the image (or click here to open the map in another window)
Click Image To View
Additionally, Patch V1.09 is scheduled for deployment on Tuesday next week - this will include the new "combat" type jobs for ranks of Light Class B 1 and higher..
Paul Hutson
Lead Developer
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Background Fiction - "Cracks in the Universe"
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22SEP09
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This week sees our second chapter to the background story unfolding in the Outer Empires Galaxy:
The glass ceiling above
the spacious, opulent meeting chamber was years in design and years
again in construction. It held at bay fifty meters of clear
blue water which refracted the the glowing outer lights creating an
otherworldly feel in what would have otherwise been simply another
monument to government vanity.
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iGameRadio Interview with Paul Hutson
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18SEP09
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Omaha Sternberg interviews Paul Hutson for iGame Radio
for their weekly Podcast.
Listen to the Interview Here - the
interview starts at about 20:01 in to the podcast.
Note : The piece was recorded before Outer Empires worked on Internet Explorer - it can now be played with any browser type.
As always, please let us know what you think on the Outer Empires forums.
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