Today, Stardock released the v2.5 update and free Juggernaut DLC for its massive-scale RTS game, Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation. The update includes improvements to modding, sight range reworks, unit speed increases, and more, while the DLC debuts a new Juggernaut for both the PHC and the Substrate factions.
"The PHC Agamemnon and the Substrate Eye of Darkness were both uniquely designed in order to complement our existing Juggernauts," said Escalation designer Callum McCole. "Juggernauts are definitely late-game killing machines, but they all have their strengths and weaknesses. Players will have to consider how they put their armies together around these warships in order to win."
To learn more about how the new juggernauts will interface with existing units, visit this unit profiles post on the forums. The two new warships in the "Juggernaut DLC" are:
- PHC Agamemnon: Designed to annihilate swarms of enemy units and overrun defensive positions, the Agamemnon has the potential to hold territory against waves of enemies for long periods of time. It"s powerful, but take care when you deploy this ship - it lacks the armor piercing capabilities to be effective against other juggernauts or dreadnought destroyers.
- Substrate Eye of Darkness: The ultimate manifestation of the Substrate"s technological superiority, the Eye of Darkness is capable of rupturing the fabric of space and time to destabilize targets at the molecular level. It is devastating against ground units, however, be alert: it is the only Juggernaut that lacks any anti-air weaponry.
The v2.5 update accompanies the new DLC and focuses on gameplay improvements and modding optimization. "Modders are going to really love this update," said McCole. "We adjusted outdated and obsolete reference names to reflect the unit names known to players. Because of this, it"ll be easier for modders to find what they"re looking for. We want to make modding as easy and intuitive as possible for first-timers and this step is absolutely vital to that."
Here are some details about the features that have been added in v2.5:
- Modding Improvements: Even first time modders can now find units quickly and easily. Reference names have been updated to reflect the display names known to players.
- Sight Range Rework: To create more possibilities for players for outmaneuvering and interacting with their opponents, every unit and structure in Escalation has received an increase in sight range. This adjustment also allows for more scouting opportunities and advantageous disengages from battles.
- Frigate Speed Increase: A bonus has been added to movement speed in order to allow frigates to outmaneuver tougher cruiser armies and harass weakly defended areas more efficiently.
"One of the other main goals in this update was to provide more flexibility to our players," McCole said. "We want them to be able to field different types of army compositions that will encourage lots of different strategies and play styles."
v2.5 is now available for download. The Juggernaut DLC is completely free and is available on Steam or through Stardock. To read the full changelog and see some more details, visit the forums.
Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation is available on Steam or through Stardock for $39.99. For more information on the game, please visit www.ashesgame.com.
Disclaimer: Neowin"s relationship to Stardock.