Hot on the heels of yesterday’s announcement, ICARUS developer RocketWerkz has released more info on what players can expect coming into Friday’s release. The latest announcement gives additional details on new content, and also included mention of a 10% discount for pre-orders and purchases made during the first week of launch.
There’s quite a bit of info in the official announcement, so we’ve pulled what we thought was most notable and organized it below!
Outposts
We finally received confirmation on how Outposts will work: they are permanent 1km x 1km maps with no time limits and “limited” dangers. There are apparently no storms and essentially no danger from predators. You can invite friends to your Outpost, but only while you’re currently hosting a session there.
The base game includes only a single Forest-biome outpost, while the Supporters Edition nets you both an additional Forest Outpost and an Arctic Outpost. However, it’s worth noting that some missions last for weeks, so you’ll still be able to create a cool Desert base even without an Outpost there (though RocktWerkz Marketing Manager Shammgod has hinted in the official Discord that a Desert Outpost may be in the works).
Prospects and Missions
ICARUS will launch with over 35 different missions, though it’s likely that these will fall into one of the handful of categories that we saw during the Beta. Some missions will last only hours, while others might be weeks long, and they’ll also serve to reveal more about the various factions squabbling over Icarus and its resources.
It seems that we’ve seen most of the mission types during the Beta: deploying/defending equipment, gathering samples, and recovering valuable technology. The only new missions mentioned in today’s announcement were Exotic gathering prospects and setting up specific types of bases.
Tier 4 Planetary Tech
The Tier 4 Planetary Tech tree will finally be unlocked come launch, and we now know that many higher-tier deployables will require electricity. This will come from a Generator; you’ll need to run cables to any devices that require it (like the Refrigerator). This electrical system will also be used for automation and other mechanical systems that we can expect to see in future updates.
Hydroponics is another system coming with Patch 1.0, and will make it possible to grow Reed flowers (that currently only grow by rivers) and other rare plants closer to your base.
Exotics
As part of Tier 4 tech, you’ll finally get access to the Extractor, which is used to mine Exotic matter. This exotic matter is apparently is what caused the terraforming to fail — stuff so strange it should only be able to exist within collapsing stars.
This matter has wide and vast scientific potential, which is why all the various factions are so intent on getting their hands on it — and why they’ll reward Prospectors so handsomely for acquiring it. Collecting Exotics seems to be the primary way players will be able to get Orbital Workshop currency.
Orbital Workshop
Perhaps the most significant system to be added with version 1.0, the Orbital Workshop will allow Prospectors to research and purchase advanced technology. These items can be brought down to the surface of Icarus, and are permanent (assuming you don’t lose them while you’re down there). You’ll be able to bring tools, food, armor and weapons with you; what you choose to bring with you will dramatically change your strategy while on-planet.
Some of the Orbital Tech will offer new functionality to your UI or passive bonuses: The Player Tracker lets you see your teammates on the map, while the Mass Dampener grants a significant speed increase. You’ll have to pick and choose what to bring down with you, as there’s only a limited amount of gear you can drop with — strategizing based on your mission parameters will be an important aspect of Prospect planning.
Misc
There are a few other bits and pieces worth noting:
There will be an offline mode that allows you to store Outposts and Prospects locally so you can play even without an internet connection.
Beta progress will be wiped, but anyone who pre-ordered will get a 10% XP bonus for the first three days.
As you can see, there’s a lot of new stuff to look forward to whenICARUS releases this Friday, 2PM PST on December 3rd. We’ll see you on the planet, Prospector!
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DanielD
Unabashed FromSoftware fanboy still learning to take his time with games (and everything else, really). The time he doesn't spend on games is spent on music, books, or occasionally going outside.
