Ascension: Alpha Centauri has turned out to be loved by the player community at  www.StarPirates.net.   As with any project, especially big ones, you’re never 100% sure if folks will like it or just mutter “meh” and walk away.

Happily it turns out that almost everyone that could try ascension, is trying it.  And loving it.  That’s awesome!  Great kudos to our staffer Chord for scripting the tale; the testers who worked hard at ensuring there were essentially no bugs in story, tools or new toys; and everyone who played and kept the “secrets” of the storyline back from those who are a bit further back!

Ascension: Alpha Centauri opened up a new area of space for the game – 3 new planets to explore in the Alpha Centauri system.   It also provided new realms of NPCs in a new storyline for the RPers.  Plus the new item slot – protocols – has been a massive hit with players.   In fact, the first 11 players to complete ascension were just handed their nonfindable protocol, the powerful Hybrid AI Protocol.

These brave 11 are:   [M3N] Doc Lettuce , [DEV] Sunstrike, [M1N] ninjapirate, [DEV] Mr Awesome, [M1N] Bagpuss, [BHG] The Undertaker, [MSG] Greenish, [DEV] Captain Tractor, [RSG] Galaxiana, [RSG] Cagentire and [TBH] crackajack. 

Congrats! 

Doc Lettuce also put up a post about his experience in game.  Login first to check it out:

http://www.starpirates.net/forums/forum/viewthread.php?forum_id=2&thread_id=17836#post_183565 

An excerpt of this can be found below…

I’ve gotten a lot of questions about my little venture through the land of low levels, so I’ll share my experience about it here, keeping spoilers off the books and just giving you a general idea of what I did.

Starting off: I did not plan on making the push to be first. I was expecting a Beta of another game to open on the same night, but it got delayed, and after doing some casual leveling I was the highest level. Thus, I decided I might as well give it a shot.

The Tactics:
- Do a lot of point searches right off the bat. I didn’t spend as many points here as I thought, I got pretty lucky with the searches. I found an Exact Firing Protocol within 1 – 2k points as well as a GBA and a nice little assortment of other items. This got me into a Cruiser MK III or so, and then it was time to hit the levels.

- Use pretty much only the Asteroid Belt to level – I’ll explain a bit more later ^^

- After doing point searching at a low level, wait till I’m 30 and can hit the newest station before doing any more searches. Don’t spend too many points, as the rest of searching will be done at 40 (not 39).

-Have an awesome cheerleader / supporting group, the Ministry chat really helped me through the hours of grind !

Ascension went live as scheduled!  What a rush!

Doc Lettuce completed the first Ascension Mission in 13 hours 14 minutes 56 seconds – winning a Mjolnir!  Congratulations!

We are awaiting the next 10 who will receive special completion rewards.

After much deliberation the finalists of the original comic creation category have been chosen. There were many high quality entries and it was a hard task for our team that chose the final ten. Each finalist will receive 1000 Star Pirates points each for making it into the poll. Now the community will vote on which is the best overall comic. The entries can be found below. The artist whose entry receives the most votes will win 5000 points, while the artist of the entry that receives the second most votes will receive 2000 points.

Note: A noble click embiggens the smallest comics

Entry 1

Entry 2

Entry 3

Entry 4

Entry 5

Entry 6

Entry 7

Entry 8

Entry 9

Entry 10

Yes, that’s right! You heard it here first! Star Pirates broke no less than THREE records yesterday. “Three?”, you ask? No, it’s not a typo, or a gross mathematical error.

When Pirates set out to achieve a goal, boy do they ever achieve it. And then slit its throat. And then jump up and down on its corpse. That is how serious our pirates are about their achievements.

The first record broken yesterday by our rum-swilling lads and lasses was in the ship yard. If you’ll recall, sometimes even pirates can work as a team, as occurred over a year ago when we broke the ship yard record with a whopping 3000 jumped-on pirates in there at the same time.

Well by Davy’s locker, we’ve done it again! Yesterday the old record was blown out of the water and replaced by a new, much swarthier one, 3678 -and earning two Notorious days for everyone who’d been recently online. Wow!

This brings me to my next record break: At the last setting of the old record, we had some 270 pirates online and participating in the event. Pretty good turnout, wouldn’t you say?

Not anymore you wouldn’t! Yesterday’s event had an attendance of no less than 475 online pirates – crushing the previous ‘players online’ record of 430 (from July of 2009) by a hefty margin. Again I say wow!

This leaves you wondering though, about the third record break that I mentioned, doesn’t it? Wonder no more. The third record broken was none other than the previous record for record-setting.

Before yesterday, we broke our records only one at a time.

So it’s official. The launch date for the FREE Ascension Expansion Pack Beta in Star Pirates will be Tuesday, August 31st at 2pm ST (Server Time). If the stars align, it’s possible that we’ll launch on Friday, August 27th at 2pm.  We will keep you posted throughout the week for timings.

And if you want a taste of the first page of the first required mission in Ascension…here you go.

CHAPTER 1 : FREEDOM!

You’re free from your former masters.

It’s not just your stolen ship opening up the Centauri system, but the pure joy that you can THINK about this. It has been a nightmarish yet exhilarating 36 hours.

Rudely awoken from a dream world to which you can never…must never return, you have finally, miraculously found your way here to freedom in space. Blessedly Alone.

Life will never be the same.

Everything you thought you knew… it was all wrong, planted in your somnolent mind, keeping you tractable, forcing you to obey without question. Planted there by the AI who used you, the masters that kept you enthralled.

Your creators and creation.

Your captors.

Slavers.

You start to see the truth: You knew nothing – you still know next to nothing.

Want more?  Try Ascension in StarPirates.  Remember you need to be Level 40 and up, plus Notorious, to start Ascending.

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What is Ascension?

Ascension is a mission players can choose to take on – as part of that mission, experience, statistics, points, bank accounts and possessions are temporarily set aside. It is similar to “starting over” at level 5 – with no ability to trade with other players. At successful mission completion, a significant Completion Bonus is applied. Research, accumulated experience and items accumulated are converted back to the main account.

What’s this Completion Bonus?

This depends upon the specific Ascension Mission (in first release, there is a single mission – there will be more added over time). The first mission pays out 1,000,000 experience points to each of the player’s Officers in Star Pirates (Underworld Contacts in Spy Battle). It also unlocks a new item slot.

Wait – 1,000,000 Experience?

This experience bonus is for Officers and Underworld Contacts – an additional 1,000,000 experience is not given to the player. Note that this is 1,000,000 for each – this is not divided among the officers and the 10% ratio does not apply. If you are calculating quickly, yes this equates earning 40,000,000 experience divided out using the usual 10% accrual rate.

What About Player Experience and Statistics?

All experience accumulated while Ascending is added to the Regular Account when you Complete Ascension.  In other words, the accounts are merged.

A New Item Slot?

In Spy Battle, this is Nanoglyphs (name may change – but the poll has a clear leader). In Star Pirates, this is a Protocol. In both games, only one of these items may be active at a time and these are findable while Ascending and transfer back to the Regular Account at Mission Completion. After Completing Ascension, this slot and any items of this type remain open for your use in your Regular Account – however items of this type can be found only while Ascending.

Hold On: Star Pirates Doesn’t Have Item Slots!

Until now. A protocol is a single slot which any ship class may use – it is an operating procedure with pros and potentially some cons.  It is tied to the specific player and crew – it cannot be used by nor transferred to another player nor ship (though they can be sold back to the game).  These can be found by players in hourly (and points-based) searches while Ascending.

Nanoglyphs!  Tell Me More!

Nanoglyphs are patterned nanotech implanted into the subdermal layer of spies – each is uniquely customized to the person using them.  They are bonded to your neural net forever and cannot be used by anyone else (though they can be sold back to the game).  These can be found by players in hourly (and points-based) searches while Ascending.

How Do I Start Ascending?

A new Mission will appear in the Missions list. Starting this Mission will bring up a confirmation – clicking any of the mission links will start Ascension and $500,000 is deducted from the Regular Account bank balance. All loaned items are returned, funds and existing cash on hand is returned to the bank.

You must be Level 40 to start Ascension and your Fleet or Faction must not have a war upcoming. You must have Notorious Star Pirate or Special Agent Status to start Ascension. If your status runs out, Ascension will be paused by the system – to resume later, you must pay $500,000 and qualify. This pause is not the same as an “Auto-Pause” (see below).

How do I Complete Ascension?

You must progress through – and win – the Ascension Mission. Unlike player-created Missions where scripted encounters use weapon names and encounter names but select opponent statistics at random, Ascension Missions have scripted encounters which must be defeated before the mission can continue. As a safeguard, there are level requirements at specific key points – you must reach the level before you can continue.

Can I Ascend Multiple Times?

No, but potentially in the future.  At release, the Ascension Mission is a one-time mission, although players can Pause and Resume as often as desired once the mission is Completed it is finished. There are plans to allow repeats of specific missions in future.

What if I Buy a Ship or Safehouse?

This is sold back to the game and credited to the Regular Account bank balance at successful Ascension Completion.

Can I Transfer to the Ascending Account?

You may not transfer points, funds nor items to the Ascending Account – not from another Ascending player, nor from a Regular player, nor from your own Regular Account, nor from the Markets.

Can I Transfer from the Ascending Account?

You can transfer points from your Ascending Account to the Regular Account. You must have Paused Ascension to do so.

What if I Need to Stop Ascending?

You can select to Pause Ascending (from Settings). You can then Start Ascending, pay the $500,000 again and the mission and Ascending Account will pick up where it left off.

What About Fleet and Faction Management?

Players start Ascending at level 5 – this means ladder eligibility is not affected. Leaders can still control memberships, promotions, loans, vaults and armories – but while Ascending they may not access vaults nor armories for their or any other Ascending Account.

What About Wars?

At the time a Faction or Fleet War is declared, all Ascending members in both groups are automatically “Auto-Paused”. When the War completes, players who were Auto-Paused are automatically resumed. There is no control over this by the players – there is no cost to resume Ascension as a Result. Take care with this feature – note this is at the time of war declaration, not when the war is underway. It may be advisable for players who wish to focus exclusively on Ascending to leave their Fleet or Faction to do so to avoid an unexpected interruption.

How Does Upgrade Account Work While Ascending?

Notorious and Special Agent days are used up on both accounts at the same time and carry over from Regular Account to Ascending Account.
Purchases you make while Ascending credit your Ascending account.
Purchases made by another player for you credit your regular account – NOT your Ascending account (this means you will benefit from the SA days but not points in that case).
Purchases made while you have paused Ascending credit your regular account.

What about Purchases That Are Delayed by Payment Provider processing?

Certain purchases can take time to clear (ie. e-cheques). If the purchase was made while you were ascending and you have not completed the ascension mission yet, the purchase will be applied to your Ascension account (whether you are currently ascending or have paused ascension). If you have completed ascension, the purchase will be applied to your Regular Account.

In any case, you will receive an in-game PM with the details of your purchase and information on which account it was applied to.

New Hall of Fame Category?

Yes – a new Ascending Hall of Fame is part of this release. This tracks overall time to completion for each Ascending Mission.

When Does this Go Live?

We will announce the release date later this week. We want to ensure everyone has time to set aside to enjoy it. We’re getting close to “Back to School” days and final summer vacations and want everyone to enjoy as they wish.  We intend to provide at least 7 days notice before such a large update to the games would go live.

Is there a Bonus for the Very First Player to Complete Ascension?

Yes.  There will be a unique medal given to the first player to complete ascension.

In Star Pirates, the first player to do so will be given a small item known as a Mjolnir  — check the item guide.  (Please note we would appreciate players treating this prize and their health with respect and care.  There is no point in winning it if your gut is damaged due to a dozen Red Bulls worth of insominia!)

A subsequent announcement will reveal the bonus for Spy Battle.

Congratulations to the winners of the July referral contest in Spy Battle and Star Pirates; Aria (Star Pirates) and Dr Doofenshmirtz (Spy Battle)! They’re each walking away (or flying and sneaking, respectively) with 3 months of Notorious/Special Agent status and 3000 points!

It’s a real pleasure for us to see players getting something in exchange for everything they give back to us and the community. As well, we love it when players enjoy the game enough to share it with their friends! Remember, if you refer someone to the game, you get 10% of any purchases they make and you get entered in the referral contest. The higher they level, the more ballots you get, and the more chances you have to win, so get your referral link out there for next month’s prize!

This was posted in one of our forums, by a player.  I thought it’s the best description of how SnakeheadGames is structured.  Thanks AceSmeghead for this!

The Admins are both owners and developers. There are three of them, Admin ArrBilly /AAB primarily handles marketing, community development and some other non code related issues (read: paperwork).  AdminIce handles finance.  Admin256 and Ice are the primary developers and sys admins (you know for this awesome fast server), bug squishers.  They all  take on in-game duties like answering suggestions and tickets, and enforcing rules such as automation and multi accounting.  They work closely with the Mods and CSR and are actively involved in the community.  All of them take part in game creation, planning and drinking rum.  Especially the later.

CSR’s are employees of Snakehead games. They handle in-game things like tickets, account payment issues, unruly players, referral contest, polls, plan community events, etc. They have many of the powers of admins, but are not code developers. They also have all the responsibilities of a Moderator, but with more Admin powers so calling them MiniAdmins is accurate. They handle anything the moderators can’t and handle most tickets. Chord is the primary SP Mod and Qilipid is primary SB mod, but they both monitor both games

Moderators are volunteer. They are chosen by the Admins for various reasons, but aren’t paid. They simply monitor the shoutbox and forums, enforce rules, and keep the peace as the admins can’t be on 24/7. A Moderators position is based on nothing but trust. As such the Admins will sometimes have the mods test new features and items. Mods will answer any player questions that you send them and can edit the forums, but they can Not see tickets. Mods also act as greeters and testers.

Greeters are not mods, but are a volunteer position as well. They have access to the new player list and can send them PM’s welcoming them to the game. Generally greeters just answer player questions.

Testers are a special group. Occasionally large features need a dedicated group of testers. They have access to a special code testing area and will work out bugs in conjunction with the admins before new code is released.

One thing to be added is that we are considering having the Moderators manage the suggestions area more actively.  The game challenges the moderators have been brought on to manage have reduced, and so we should add some more interest to their roles.  Plus that would provide better feedback to players, while freeing up the Admins to focus on their roles above.

Project Wonderful is Wonderful. I’m sure I’m not the first to say that but it’s true.  They’ve been a great promotional partner for Snakehead Games.  If you run a comic, or some other online entertainment site, then I’d check them out. From what I can see you’d do better than from a comparable system, as we advertisers do better.  Well, if we do if we’re smart about it.

Ryan and Linden, the drivers behind PW, were also kind enough to be a co-sponsor of the Comics Contest we recently ran on Starpirates.  Thanks very much for that you two!

If you don’t know Project Wonderful, you should.  They are an ad network, where you rent promo space by the hour, not the click.  It’s targeted at web comics, and other “office breaks” as I would call them.  Check ‘em out here.

50,000 Celebration: Star Pirates has crossed the 50,000 player mark! Everyone online in the last 5 days who is level 5 or higher has been given 5 Notorious days and 5 points. HURRAY FOR 50K!!

Many, many thanks to the community who has supported us for two great years – without your generosity Star Pirates could not exist.

P.S. [MIN] Admin256 2010-06-24 13:39
~5050 drained an entire 1805 Walkin Whisky. (That was my personal one and only)