Daniel took the time to consolidate the policies of this period and rolled out a new Optimization Notice. This time, instead of sending it directly to the players' data boards, he posted it right to the official website.
Optimization Notice: Major Update
1. Campaign System Overhaul:
War scores will now be used to accurately calculate the contribution of a war group or individual in every campaign.
2. Scientific Research System Optimization:
Players can now spend Contribution Points to pick the brain of the Machine Spirit, Arale, to solve tricky scientific research problems and boost their research coefficient. Players who invent new products or technologies will be rewarded handsomely with both loot and Contribution Points.
3. Business Gameplay Expansion:
Players are now able to hire workers to mine space resources and build orbital structures. This will increase the supply of wetware and significantly improve the efficiency of automation projects.
4. Financial System Launch:
A new financial system, tightly linked to the credit system, is now active. Players who are short on cash can borrow money through this system.
5. Expansion Pack: "Knights Go to Die" is Live!
The Astral Knights, forced to take shelter at the Lycard Space Station due to a Warp storm, will now provide combat training for players.
Daily Thought: If loyalty isn't absolute, it's absolutely disloyal.
Background of the "Knights Go to Die" Expansion Pack
A Battle Barge named Knight's Sword was forced to limp its way to Atomal for help after being savaged by a Warp storm. The Astartes aboard belong to the Astral Knights Chapter, a brotherhood with a history brimming with glory and countless honors.
This fiercely loyal Chapter met its tragic fate at the Battle of Valf. To save the tens of billions of Imperial citizens in the Valf System, Chapter Master Amurad adopted a crazy-as-a-fox plan: he used the Tempest to ram the World Engine, a Necron terror the Imperial Fleet couldn't touch.
This incredible feat successfully stopped the Necrons' evil plot in its tracks, but the resulting catastrophic losses led to the entire Chapter being forced into exile.
The only survivors were Captain Thade, who was buried alive in a Dreadnought chassis, and thirty new recruits. When the Sable Swords Chapter offered to inherit the legacy and the home planet, the Astral Knights turned up their noses, choosing instead to embark on a suicide mission just to defend the honor of the knights.
To make the announcement and the expansion pack pop, Daniel also asked Arale to include some slick graphics and recorded video clips.
As soon as the update went live, the chat group blew up with discussions.
GuillimanRules: "I'm tired, destroy it.jpg."
Daigo: "Old Thirteen, why aren't you losing your mind this time?"
GuillimanRules: "Forget it. The Emperor has given me the cold shoulder six times. I'm worn out. I don't want to be loyal anymore."
I don't want to be a space marine: "Wow, Old Thirteen looks genuinely sad."
The Slaanesh God Chosen: "Don't be sad, Old Thirteen. I'll send you a set of bondage humiliation art. Go get your head straight, then come back and continue your loyalty."
Bluejay: "..."
SpaceKing: "..."
LobsterSauce: "@Slaanesh's Saint who sells porn, where are the morals? Where's the integrity? More importantly, where's the sauce?"
Sammy: "I sent it to your email privately. Hook me up with a copy."
"Email +1."
"Email +1."
Garry: "That type of porn is old news. You should check out Cthulhu."
"..."
The chat group was as reliable as ever. It took less than ten minutes of game talk for the topic to go completely off the rails and into NSFW territory.
On the official forum, the player "Destroy Slaanesh" posted a massive thread.
My Personal Take on the New Announcement and Expansion Pack (No Haters, Please)
The speed at which the planet Atomal was recovered and the Nurgle cultists were defeated was a bit of a surprise.
This suggests the game map won't be limited to just one galaxy; we're looking at at least a star region, or maybe even a star field.
The new expansion pack, "Knights Go to Die," is a teaser, designed to whet our appetite and let us know there's a wider universe ripe for exploration.
The updated scientific research system is a dream come true for farming-focused players. Previously, we could only convert XP into tech from the Emperor. Now we can spend Contribution Points to get new tech from Arale, the little angel.
The focus on increasing space mining, hiring workers, and boosting the wetware supply is clearly meant to encourage farming players to scale up their operations.
Soon after the post went up, the comment section exploded, quickly racking up hundreds of replies.
"Big Boss You're God."
"As expected of a master player, his insights into the game are deep and spot-on."
"I hereby name him the King of Strategy Guides."
"Follow the leader so you don't get lost!"
"..."
Daniel took a peek at the forum and the chat group, and when he saw the post, he couldn't help but feel a little awkward.
Seriously, who would've thought? The truth was, none of those notices had any profound, grand strategy behind them.
Daniel wasn't planning that far ahead. He was simply putting out fires—seeing a problem and applying a quick patch. He was just winging it and hoping for the best.
It really underscored the idea that the world is just a giant, makeshift operation. Any perceived power and mystery are usually just created by everyone else's imagination. The person actually in charge is usually just staring wide-eyed and thinking, well, I dodged that bullet.
Not long after the announcement dropped, players who were chomping at the bit for action flocked to the Astral Knights for training.
In the training ground, Warmaster, the first challenger, stepped into the dueling arena, holding a practice sword with its power field deactivated.
"Bring the noise!"
"Don't let us down!"
"First blood!"
The players cheered enthusiastically from the sidelines. Duels were a daily fixture for Astartes Chapters, a way to earn your stripes and honor. PvP had always been a huge selling point of the game.
Before, the players were just a bunch of scrubs fighting each other. Now that a real Astartes had arrived, they were naturally stoked to see the lay of the land and the gap between them and the real deal.
"You're not vigilant enough," Lothar commented as Warmaster entered the arena. "A true warrior should always be on his toes."
Warmaster said nothing, focusing intently on his opponent. He gripped his sword with both hands and slashed at Lothar.
Lothar simply slipped sideways to dodge the incoming blade. He closed the distance in a flash, pressing a dagger against Warmaster's throat.
"You're dead."
A collective sigh of disappointment went up from the players.
Warmaster himself was stunned. Moments ago, he was cutting through enemies like butter on the battlefield. How was he killed in one move the first time he went up against a real Astartes?!
"You have the strength, but you lack the skill and the situational awareness—that's your Achilles' heel," Lothar shook his head. "I finally get why the Guide wanted me to train you."
"There are tricks to the trade with a two-handed sword. At close range, you should use a sweeping motion. That gives you a wide range of attack and forces the enemy to back off.
Keep your distance. More importantly, don't put all your eggs in one basket with a full-force attack; you need to conserve energy to deal with the unexpected."
Warmaster was feeling down in the dumps. Being instantly one-shotted by an NPC was a serious blow to his player ego.
But in the very next second...
[You have received guidance, and Melee Combat (Proficiency) has been upgraded to Melee Combat (Mastery)]
[You have received guidance, and the Two-Handed Sword (Beginner) has been upgraded to Two-Handed Sword (Proficient)]
The cascade of notifications snapped Warmaster out of his funk and filled him with excitement. He never expected the training to have such a powerful effect—it could rapidly boost combat skill levels!
The news that training with the Astral Knights could quickly raise combat skill levels spread like wildfire. All of a sudden, players were pouring into the game.
It was only then that Lothar understood why the Guide had told him to collect Contribution Points. These Saints were so enthusiastic and driven; the only thing that would get these guys to leave the training ground was running on fumes after spending every last Contribution Point.
As players trained hard and went the extra mile to develop the planet Atomal, an army was assembling in orbit around Sintila, the capital of the Calixis Sector.
At the insistent demand of the Ministry of Taxation, the Navy had put together a fleet, preparing to bring the hammer down on the planet Atomal. This was meant to be a warning to all those who tried to shirk their tax burden, letting them know the consequences of not paying your dues.
Standing on the balcony at the top of the Hive, Sonas looked up at the fleet setting sail, a slight smile playing on his lips. His family had managed to pull a lot of strings and place their own people within the punitive fleet. They would make sure the Punishment Fleet completely wiped out the Valancius family.
The certificate bearing the Emperor's blood would then become the property of the Colin family. Once that happened, the entire Cassilis star region would fall under the control of the Colin family. And once the situation settled down, the Colin family would have a seat at the table on Terra itself.
Praise the wise Lord who controls destiny and change. It is His blessing that has allowed the Colin family to make it to the big leagues today.