Incoming Transmission - Day 11 - Scouting for more AI Opponents
almost 2 years ago – Sat, Jul 09, 2022 at 02:43:37 AM

Greetings builders and pilots!

Today’s decoded message goes into some details about the new AI opponents you might face, shares the details about some surprise bonus unlocks, and a streaming announcement.

Day 11 Unlock - New Scout Ship AI Decks

“Sensors indicate a few Locusts at the edge of sensor range. Let’s get close and hunt them down. Wait, they’re charging at us? What’s going on? These aren’t like anything we’ve seen before! Can’t dodge ‘em! Too accurate! We need to get some distance…”

The Lance and Locust may not be as big as the ships available in the Starter Box (the Sabre and Scarab), but underestimating them just because of their size is a sure way to find yourself smashing that EJECT button. The way they fly and the strategy that they bring is very different because of the parts that they have. The Scout Ships Card Pack already has an AI deck for the Lance Scout and Locust Stealth Craft that demonstrates some of their strengths, but as you have learned, Snap Ships Tactics is all about modular options. Today we are adding AI decks for two alternate builds using these kits: the Lance Attack Craft and the Locust Close Support Fighter.

The standard Lance Scout is all about straight-line speed, able to duplicate some of its movement actions to quickly leap forward. This enables it to cover immense distances on the battlefield or swoop into a target’s rear arc for more efficient shots and damage. In contrast, the Lance Attack Craft is a nimble up-close dogfighter. Rather than focusing on additional movement, it has the ability to rotate after every single move it makes. If you’ve watched some of  the streaming games, or had a chance to play it yourself, you might have noticed how much of a difference a bonus rotation can make. It may not seem like much on the surface, but it allows the pilot to pull off tricky maneuvers and land a shot at a critical moment. Going up against an opponent like this means that keeping your distance might be your best bet, otherwise the AI might fly circles around you.

The two Locust variants are even more different. The standard Locust Stealth Craft has passive stealth plating, rendering it invisible to enemy sensors at range 3 and beyond. The AI takes advantage of this by keeping its distance and raining down railgun fire. You might guess this from the name, but the Locust Close Support fighter has no interest in fighting at a distance. Its chassis ability lets it reduce the number it needs to hit on every attack it makes at range 1. As a result, it wants to be up close and personal, where it has the greatest chance to do the most damage. While it’s crossing the distance to get to you, it’s no sitting duck. It will use its heat missiles to make it difficult if not impossible to keep your ship functional by adding heat cubes to different parts. This can quickly overwhelm your ability to vent the heat if you’re not careful.

These AI decks will be included in the Lance and Locusts Cards item, which means that all backers who have selected that add-on or backed at the Squadron or Fleet level will gain them.

Bonus Unlock: Reinforcements Pack AI Upgrade

This was an idea floated in the comments section by Ian P. Since we are adding the four extra AI decks to the Starter Box (see the Day 3 Unlock), and the same ships are present in the Reinforcements Pack, why not add the AI cards there too? Well, thanks for the idea Ian!  Consider it done. The Reinforcements Pack - and the corresponding card pack -  just got 16 new cards. With that pack you can now run multiple different Sabre and Scarab AIs at the same time (just remember you will need extra stands when adding more ships to the battlefield). Match up against an AI team consisting of a Scarab Light Fighter and a Scarab Attack Striker. If you want an even greater challenge, add the Scout Ships Pack, some more stands, and battle the new Locust Support Craft AI at the same time too!

Bonus Unlock: 3D-Printer Files for Missile Tokens

You asked and Forge Command has responded! We’re providing all Kickstarter backers with 3D printable files for some cool 3D missile tokens. Check them out!

This was another awesome idea that came from the comments, so Jeff started modeling, and testing, and printing… and here they are!  And we have to admit, they look really great on the table. We’re looking forward to seeing what you do with them.

Join the Discord

Did you know that we have a Discord channel set up specifically to talk about Snap Ships? If not, you do now. For those of you with Discord, come on by and check it out by clicking this link. Come see what people are chatting about with respect to the game, check out some personal builds, and contribute your own creativity to the greater Snap Ships team!

Join the Builders

Join two of the most accomplished builders of the team as they walk you through their process of creating new ships! Catch some building tips as well as some ideas on how to create your own builds. And who knows, maybe they’ll even take the time to show off one or two of their own custom builds live on stream. Join Jeff and Josh on Six Sides of Gaming at 11:30 a.m. Pacific time, if all goes well (see the next section). Hope to see you there!

And remember, the best ship is the one you create!

Important Streaming Note

As some of you may have noticed during the last stream, there are currently some connectivity issues. This is actually an issue affecting large areas of Canada that have little to no internet or cell phone service (just one of several news stories about this). Considering the base of our streaming operations is based in Guelph, ON, this may affect our ability to stream. We will make every effort to stream if we can, but we wanted to make sure you were aware it might not be possible for reasons beyond our control.

Incoming Transmission - Day 9 - The Asteroid Scramble
almost 2 years ago – Thu, Jul 07, 2022 at 01:04:21 AM

Incoming Transmission - Day 9 - The Asteroid Scramble

Greetings builders and pilots!

In today’s transmission we will have the vote results as well as talk about scenarios.

Vote Results

With over 200 votes, the builders have spoken! It was a close contest, and a clear winner didn’t emerge until right up to the very end. The two options with the most votes are Forge Wings A and Komplex Wings B for the win! These paint options will be added to the final pieces and included in every Starter Box. Thank you to all of you who voted!

Day 9 Unlock - Asteroid Scramble Scenario

Snap Ships Tactics is designed to be a very strong base that will support a lot of growth going forward. We’ve already talked about some of our plans with new kits going forward. But one of the things we haven’t spent a lot of time discussing is how the play area itself can change and be part of the modular experience. And one of the ways we are going to do that is with specific scenarios.

Scenarios have always been on our roadmap. Today, we unveil a brand new scenario that we’ll be adding to the back of the rulebook. It’s also one that you can play head-to-head, solo, or co-op against the AI. We call it Asteroid Scramble.

“Attention pilots! Command has confirmed valuable materials in the Signus sector after a… <static> ...reported contact on long range sensors. These materials are on R&D’s wishlist and could be a tremendous asset to develop some new tech. Be warned! They’re going to be a challenge to recover due to their super-heated and unstable nature. Not to mention the threat of… <static>. You’ve got mere minutes until solar flare activity in the sector makes this retrieval impossible! Scramble!”

This scenario drops you into a dangerously-close solar orbit. Your goal? Mine asteroids for valuable super-heated resources and return them to your own personal stockpile before a wave of solar flares scorches the sector. This scenario changes how some of the core mechanics work, providing a new twist on your ship builds and requiring alternate strategies.

For setup, you’ll use the standard 3x3’ play area and all 4 of the asteroid tiles included in the Starter Box. Each asteroid tile holds a number of resources based on the size and player count of the game. Players fire upon asteroids they are not currently overlapping to mine and expose these resources. Doing so reduces the asteroid’s supply and places heat cubes that represent the resources on top of the asteroid tile, ripe for collection.

Any ship can overlap an asteroid to collect the heat cube resources and transfer them to their ship’s chassis card. Each ship can carry a maximum number of heat cubes equal to its size. Hold onto these heat cube resources as best you can because the team holding the most resources at the end of the 7th round wins the scenario.

But that’s not all. Remember that close solar orbit? This hostile environment makes managing your ship’s heat more challenging than usual. Any time you vent heat from your parts, you must roll a die for each heat cube. Results of 5 or higher inflict a point of damage. Not only that, but anytime you take damage from a source other than venting heat, you must drop some of your collected resources, putting them behind your ship. Any ship can then pick them up! This creates a few possible ways to approach this scenario. Will you mine the asteroids yourself? Or will you wait to steal these precious resources from your opponent?

Live Q&A Stream with Lead Designer Josh Derksen

Join us at 2:30pm EST on  https://www.twitch.tv/sixsidesofgaming for a live Q&A with Josh, where we're talking all things game mechanics and scenario design with Snap Ships Tactics.

Question of the Day

Who is your favorite tabletop content creator? Who should we ask to take a look at Snap Ships Tactics and help us spread the word? Put your answer in the comments!

Incoming Transmission - Wing Deco VOTE!
almost 2 years ago – Mon, Jul 04, 2022 at 06:25:19 PM

Incoming Transmission - YOU Choose the Paint!

In this update: Decision Time - Wing Intel - Penny Arcade Wrap Up - A Call to Action!

Greetings builders and pilots!

The Snap Ships Tactics Starter Box includes twelve exclusive Snap Ships pieces. These are parts that have never been released before,  designed specifically with the game in mind. They provide new combos and new types of ship builds with the Starter Box, giving you extra customization options right off the jump.

Today we’re unlocking new Custom Paint Decoration for both exclusive wing sets. The base color of these wings will be molded to match the main kits precisely - in Forge Gray and Komplex Black plastic. Adding paint operations at the factory is expensive and labor intensive. But these slick new wings just demand some extra flair, so in it goes!

And here’s the best part - we’re letting YOU decide which paint pattern we go with. Backers, the visual fate of the Forge and the Komplex are now in YOUR hands!

To cast your vote, go here and select your TWO favorites: https://strawpoll.com/polls/e7ZJO5k7dy3

Voting will close at 10am PST on July 6th - the time of our next Transmission. That’s 48 Hrs from now. Lobby for your favorites in the comments. Good luck - and may the best paint job win!

 Winging It

When building a ship, wings provide maneuverability in the form of a unique combination of lateral movement, additional rotation, and increased evasion.

For the Forge, the standard Sabre XF-25 wings allow your ship to gain evasion, or to circle around your target making them a great choice for close-range combat. However, the new Forge XJ-7 Wings are able to move and evade at the same time, making them a great choice for builds that prioritize high-speed maneuvers.

For the Komplex, the Scarab Blade Wings provide somewhat expensive movement, but with the potential for a bonus “melee” attack. This is great for the standard Scarab build that wants to close quickly and fight in close. On the other hand, Komplex builds with longer range weapons and parts that generate more heat may want to equip the Vector Wings. Their array of radiator fins allow a ship to perform a sideways “barrel roll” movement and vent 1 heat while doing so.

 Penny Arcade Briefing

In case you missed it, Tycho and Gabe (Jerry and Mike) joined Josh and Tommy (Lynnvander Lead Designer and Producer) in the Penny Arcade Studios for a massive Snap Ships megastream.

Tycho has been following Snap Ships Tactics pretty closely since he talked to us at PAX Unplugged last December. The group played a 2v2 with Tommy and Jerry against Mike and his son Gabe. Jerry was down to have the stream help him select his part cards, and for Mike and Gabe to build the ship model. The end result was a pretty cool looking design-by-audience Sabre Light Bomber, armed with heavy missiles and plasma cannons!

It was a tense match back and forth with the Komplex swooping in for aggressive alpha strikes on their first turns, and a clutch turn later on involving a swarm of heavy missiles from the Light Bomber. There were some turning moments in the battle, and the Komplex made an impressive comeback from certain defeat after losing one of their ships in a pincer attack.

Overall, the crew talked all things Snap Ships Tactics, and played a very close game! (We’ll let you watch the ending).

This video will eventually be posted to YouTube, but in the meantime you can watch the Twitch recording here: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1520652953

 Sharing is Caring!

We need your help spreading the word - we want Snap Ships Tactics to be as epic as possible. The more backers, the more we can add to the game for EVERYONE. The easiest way to let your friends and family know that you’ve backed our game - and that they should do so too - is to go to our main page and click these icons:

That will queue up a post ready to go! Thanks for helping spread the word!

Take me to the Main Page so I can click that widget!

Incoming Transmission - Day 5 - Celebrity Pilots & Upgraded Dice!
almost 2 years ago – Sun, Jul 03, 2022 at 07:11:02 PM

Incoming Transmission - Upgraded Dice Unlocked!

Greetings builders and pilots!

“Forge Command! Come in Forge Command. We’re getting reports of contact with a new squadron operating in the… <static> ….Redmond sector. These guys are ace pilots - they… <static> clearly have flight experience battling against our forces… <static> Stay sharp!”

Penny Arcade Live Stream

Today, at 1400 Pacific time, we will have a pair of celebrity pilots joining the squad! We shall have none other than Tycho and Gabe of Penny Arcade fame donning their metaphorical flight suits and sitting at the table for some Snap Ships Tactics action. Not only that, you’ll be able to witness each maneuver up close as they stream the game.

Tycho sampled the game (both 1v1 and co-op!) at PAX East, saying in his own words: “I haunted their booth like a wailing spectre at PAX, and it was full almost the entire time. This is a really interesting take on building toys AND tactics, with an AI deck that can drive opponent ships.”

We can’t wait to bring the game to him once more and look forward to seeing the tricks he manages to pull off now that we’re giving him a bin of parts and cards to work with. Gabe and his son will also be along for the shenanigans. Make sure to check it out at the following link if you’re available!

https://www.twitch.tv/pennyarcade

Day 5 Unlock - Upgraded Dice (Kickstarter Exclusive)

With any game, there always needs to be some element of randomness and risk. With Snap Ships Tactics, all of that randomness is centered around the dice you roll whenever you make an attack. The rest of the game - the ships you have, the terrain you interact with, and so on - all of that is fixed.

Today we want to talk a bit about the dice because, you guessed it, our next unlock is upgraded dice. Snap Ships Tactics comes with eight custom 10-sided dice, showing numbers 1-8, a blank, and a critical hit. You’re going to be rolling them a lot, and we want to make the experience awesome. With this unlock, we’re adding two more dice (10 total!) to the starter box, but we’ll also be giving all 10 of them a visual upgrade, moving from flat orange dice to a marbled yellow-orange-red design! These upgraded dice will be Kickstarter Exclusive!

Here’s an image of what they might look like. While this is not a sample from the factory, this is the look and style we will be aiming for with these upgraded dice.

Share the campaign by showing off your favorite ship!

We’re thrilled to see so many pilots joining our ranks in the past couple days - thank you!

To help spread the word far and wide, we’ve added some social media “I’m a backer” avatars to this update (and to the bottom of the campaign page). Update your social media profile with your favorite ship design and spread the word on your channels! You never know where those sneaky Komplex pilots and future co-op squadmates may be lurking in your friend groups!

You can download them all by clicking the image below:

Incoming Transmission - Day 3 - New AI Enemies!
almost 2 years ago – Sat, Jul 02, 2022 at 10:25:36 AM

Incoming Transmission - New AI Enemies

Greetings builders and pilots!

At 16:05 the following transmission was intercepted on the wide band spectrum:

“Mayday. We are drifting near the Alathon moon. Engine bay ripped to shreds. Crew disabled…. Oxygen reserves at critical. Request immediate evac. They were… <static> …Scarab variants. Couldn’t determine exactly what hit us… <static> …never seen them before…coordinated…automated…brutal… Transmitting intel before comms go out.”

In Solo or Co-op play each enemy ship is controlled by a custom deck of four cards. Today, the battlefield gets a lot more deadly, as we add AI decks for four variant ships in the Starter Box - that comes to 16 additional large format cards!

Scarab Light Fighter and Scarab Attack Striker are two of the variants to receive a custom AI deck. You will be able to use these variants as automated enemies right out of the box. With these additions, combined with the base Scarab Interceptor (the default build), will help ensure each Solo or Co-op play provides new and exciting challenges. Custom cards give the AI the ability to take advantage of the unique loadout equipped to each of those ships; this means more variety in the weapons and equipment you face.

If you thought the standard Scarab Interceptor was maneuverable, wait until you see the Scarab Light Fighter fly circles around it. The AI takes advantage of this variant’s chassis ability, gaining a free 1-rotate every time it performs a long move. Combining this with a different thruster piece on its preset means that this light fighter makes some speedy moves that grant it bonus evasion. Ever try to catch a fly with your bare hands? That might be what it feels like to get this lined up in your crosshairs.

On the other hand, the Scarab Attack Striker is all about speed. When you fly this variant, you can choose to upgrade any short move into a long move. When the AI flies this variant, you can be certain it will be screaming across the battlefield at top speed for a series of hit and run strikes with its Gatling guns. The Attack Striker variant loses the maneuvering fins, so it doesn’t turn quite as well. But it compensates for this by equipping a bulkhead piece for an additional four hull points and limited protection against critical hits. Preventing those dangerous strafing strikes from across the map and finding a safe space to hide just became that much more challenging.

And for the defectors among us - those who prefer to build and fly for the Komplex - you’ll be going up against new AI decks for the Forge’s automated Sabre Light Bomber and Sabre Fast Recon ships.

True to its name, you’ll face a barrage of guided missiles from the Sabre Light Bomber when you face it in the arena. In the hands of a human player, the Light Bomber can add a single heat cube when it launches missiles to launch an additional one. This is useful with light missiles, but can be devastating when you utilize this with other missile types. The AI takes full advantage of this increased missile capacity as part of its individual card instructions, making sure a swarm of missiles streaks behind you at all times.

On the other hand, the Sabre Fast Recon is a new Forge attempt to rival the maneuverability of the Scarab. Similar to the Scarab Light Fighter, the Sabre Fast Recon can perform a 1-rotate after any long move. While the Komplex use their thruster designs to make tight close-quarters maneuvers, the Forge focuses more on pure speed. The Fast Recon is primed to take full advantage of bigger Forge thrusters by providing some additional maneuverability. The AI deck knows this as well, and will exploit this flexibility to outfly you and blast away at you from vulnerable angles. Added maneuverability also means the Fast Recon swaps the standard maneuvering fins for an external battery, allowing it to activate another part a second time. One autocannon volley at a time can be dangerous; two is quite often deadly.

AI Variety

Think of each AI deck as a different enemy unit with different behaviors. With these additions, you now have nine different preset matchups you can run with the parts provided in the Starter Box. Each of these will present different challenges, and while you may find your ship does well against one type of AI, another might cause you to meet your match!

And if you want even more flexibility, you can combine different AI builds and go up against multiple ships at once! Each different combination of enemies will drastically change the threats you face and need to handle. Just remember, if you want to run multiple AI opponents at once, you’ll need some extra parts, stands, and components.

Difficulty Adjustments

We’ve also been asked if you can make the game harder against the AI. Absolutely! Each ship has a number of build points for balancing it against other ships. If you want a fair fight, play against an AI of equal point value. But for an increased challenge, increase the number of points the AI has to spend. Or play 1v2 or 2v4.

Want to see an example? Tommy made the claim th his custom-built Sabre could take on both a Scarab Interceptor and a Locust Stealth Craft at the same time. If you want to see how this battle played out, check the following gameplay video. Can he still pull off a victory for the Forge?

Stay alert! These automated opponents will show no mercy. You’re going to have to use all your skills as a builder and as a pilot to win the day!

Because remember, the best ship is the one you create!

Like and Subscribe on Board Game Geek

Want to help get some more eyes on this game? We’re sure you’ve shared it with the rest of your flight group already, but here’s an easy thing you can also do: visit Board Game Geek and become a fan of the game. If you don’t already have an account, it’s free. We appreciate your support and recruiting more builders and pilots for the Forge!

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/363841/snap-ships-tactics