Update 0.11: Minor Factions and Alliance System

Astro Protocol 0.11 brings the arrival of three new minor factions, reshaping how you explore the galaxy and compete for victory. Alongside improved map generation, new victory conditions, and visual upgrades, this update deepens the strategic and narrative potential of every match.

Meet the Minor Factions

The galaxy is no longer home to only the warring major factions. Surveyors, Cultivators, and Raiders now operate independently within the Astro Protocol system. Each minor faction has its own behavior, backstory, and role:

Surveyors

Volunteers and explorers dedicated to cosmic mapping. Alliance with the Surveyors will grant all their knowledge about the map of Astro Protocol to you. They will also periodically send scout ships to explore and share their observations with you.

Cultivators

Resource focused groups producing large scale gas reserves and protecting them. Alliance with the Cultivators will make your hydroponic farms no longer require upkeep.

Raiders

Aggressive opportunists targeting the weak. Their support might be volatile, but their fleets make them dangerous, both as enemies and as allies. Alliance with the Raiders will prevent them from raiding you. Your ships will also take part of the looting and produce 1 random resource when killing an enemy ship.

New Alliance System

You can now form alliances with minor factions by excelling in the specific area they value most. For example, Cultivators will ally with the major faction that generates the highest net gas income. Each minor faction has its own priority, and they will always side with the major faction that leads in that domain.

Alliances grant powerful strategic benefits, but they are not permanent. If another major faction surpasses you in the relevant area, the minor faction may switch allegiance. You can also break an alliance manually at any time if your plans change.

If a minor faction is defeated, the major faction that controls its home planet has the option to liberate it and restore its presence in the system.

Minor factions bring both opportunity and risk, whether as allies or adversaries. Choose your relationships wisely.

Map Generation Improvements

• The map shape has been changed to accommodate minor factions.
• Added map seed which guarantees the same map over multiple games
• Improved placement of the planets, terrain and anomalies
• Added new map generation settings such as planet, anomaly and terrain density
• Removed planetary defences

Other Highlights

• Added two new victory conditions and rebalanced some of the already existing ones
• Improved the players colors on the map.
• Improved tooltips.
• Improved performance.
• Menu buttons now darken when there are no options available in the menu
• The Research Lab sprite is now larger for better visibility.

Try the Update and Shape the Future

Whether you choose to exploit, ally, or destroy the new minor factions, they’re now an integral part of your journey toward galactic dominance. Let us know how these new systems affect your matches, and which factions you find most compelling to engage with. The feedback will help developing the game further.

Thanks for playing and supporting Astro Protocol.

See you among the stars!