Version 0.3.0 of the Alternate Balance Expansion Mod. Compatible with Star Ruler version 1.0.3.
To install, extract the .zip into Star Ruler 2/mods.
Detailed patch notes for versions 0.040 through 0.3.0 can be found here.
Contents:
- Three new lifestyles (plus a fourth lifestyle half-integrated into the mod from Darloth's Reclusive Ringworlders mod) with various pros and cons
- Berserkers, exemplified by the warlike Rahta race
- Pacifists, such as the telepathic Fasshi
- Progenitors, represented by the ancient, recently reawakened Ulthaar
- A revamped tech grid with over a dozen new techs, such as infinite progression upgrades for Factory/Mothership Labor production and level 2+ planet population capacity, unlocks for most of the other new stuff, and a specialization system allowing you to choose between improving your flagships, your support ships, or maintaining a balance between the two
- More than two dozen new subsystems, including Nanite Armor, Superlasers, Recall Devices, Engineering Bays, Miner Hulls and Orbital Thrusters
- Several new orbitals - Stellar Shield Generators, Advanced Solar Engines, and Nylli variants of various ABEM and vanilla SR2 structures
- Nearly a dozen new buildings, including Power Plants, Command Centers, Intelligence Facilities, Slave Barracks and a revamped version of the Ancient Planetary Defense known as the Ancient Gravitational Collapser
- New gameplay mechanics:
- Derelicts - flagships not using Sinew now have a chance of being disabled rather than destroyed when they lose all their Control, depending on how badly damaged they are
- Boarding - flagships with the right subsystem can send a boarding party against non-Verdant asteroids, orbitals or flagships, possibly taking control of vital assets instead of destroying them
- Stellar phenomena - the unique 'Nebula' system of the base game is now a variety of non-unique nebulae with all sorts of different effects and valuable resources, while black holes hold valuable 'Ancient Hubworlds' that are guarded by powerful Remnant fleets, and are no longer limited to galactic cores
- Several other things
Credits:
- Alarcarr - Original author; content developer
- Dalo Lorn - Lead programmer and story writer; content developer
- Exa - Author of the 'Remnant Warlord' shipset, renamed to 'Progenitor' for use in the mod
- Darloth - Author of the Reclusive Ringworlders and Subsystem Assortment mods, both of which have been integrated into ABEM to some degree; also responsible for the discussion leading to the development of the Ancient Gravitational Collapser
- Dreadxx - The concept which would become the Stellar Shield Generator
- Blind Mind Studios - Making SR2 so incredibly moddable; significant assistance with various issues throughout the mod's lifetime
- Firgof Umbra - Providing us with a logo (which Alar hasn't updated since... 0.120?)
- The Galactic Armory team - Various graphics from Galactic Armory
- Whoever made the race portraits for SR1 (possibly the GA team?)
