Monarch: Empyrean Update - Unfading Firefly mod for Sunless Skies

Abstract
A second incarnation of the first fan-made content mod for Sunless Skies. The mod was developed for Steam version of the game and works with GoG version. It is possible to launch the mod on Steam Deck, given your OS on it supports Net Framework 4.62+ and SSkies version is identical to one for Windows. To install the mod on Mac you will need to figure out how to install Mac version of BepInEx, which is a complicated process and I can't give any directions here.

On nexus mods: Nexusmods.com

Brief Summary
1) Brand new locomotive modules - 80 items;
2) Obtainable lodgings at large cities - 3 houses;
3) Parties for factions which may be hosted at lodgings;
4) Faction shops - 7 new shops;
5) New trade goods - 5 new trading goods;
6) Barrels of Hours and Crates of Munitions are now consumable items which boost speed and armament damage, respectively.
NEW IN THE UNFADING FIREFLY:
7) New weapon class - Ram;
8) Unclear Device - a new consumable that can conceal you from enemies;
9) New port to investigate - ruins of the Chagatai Expansion;
10) Empyrean and Winter's Reside have spywork institutions there you can turn in port reports to gain favours;
11) You can exchange favours of Empyrean and Winter's Reside for various items.
12) All new control buttons and consumable items are shown in the left lower corner of the screen;
13) Wounds. If you ever have 3 Wounds you are dead;
14) New Nightmare encounter which I won't disclose any details about;
15) Mining and Butchery modules now have levelling;
16) Now most places have custom images!

New control keys:
‘K’ - open bridge storylet, a menu which allows to equip/unequip new modules and use certain active modules and items;
‘T’ - consume Barrel of Hours to temporarily boost your locomotive speed with Hour Loom;
‘Y’ - toggle the Hour Loom off;
‘G’ - consume Crates of Munitions to boost your armaments damage for fixed amount of firings.
‘Z’ - activate Unclear Device;
‘V’ - activate Ram.

Detailed Explanation

Detailed explanation

New modules:
Each locomotive now has 4 more slots for new equipment. New modules don't take up regular slots. Equipment menu is accessed from “Your Locomotive” storylet which can be opened by pressing ‘K'. Active modules functions are accessed from bridge in the same manner. New module types:
Weaponry Enhancements:
Multi-shot - causes your armaments to shoot additional shells and produce more heat;
Armament Damage - presents percentile increase of all damage your weapons do, stacks additively with bonus damage from using Crates of
Munitions;
Cooling Array - increases speed at which your locomotive cools down after shooting or dodging, 10 points of Cooling Rate quality
improves heat dissipation by 1 per second.
Locomotion:
Thruster Booster - increases your speed, stacks additively with other speed boosters, e.g. engine Hour Loom or Full Steam mode;
Maneuvering - improves lateral and side-thrusters making your locomotive easier to steer and better for dodging;
Fuel efficiency - travelling will consume less fuel.
Active:
Repairs Station - active module, can be used to issue repairs on the fly, given you have materials;
Garden - active module, can be used to grow seeds for supplies;
Soul Oven - active module, can be used to convert souls into fuel.
Misc:
Lamps - increase your Mirrors at the expense of Veils;
Assaying, Canning, Mining modules - self explanatory;
Quarters, Hold, Hull modules - self explanatory.
Decoration - stat increasing modules that can not bebought, but can be crafted at your lodgings.

Mining and Butchery Modules levelling
For each surplus level of Mining/Butchery you gain chance to earn additional unit of a resource. At the cost of Heat and increased chance to encounter a foe, or multiple foes. Each additional module is applied separately. Therefore, more levels of Mining/Butchery increase possible yield, but never guarantee it.

• Mining - 40% chance per additional module;
• Butchery - 50% chance per additional module;

Ramming Weapon
New weapon class obtained at new shops. Rams are equipped from Your Bridge. Hitting 'V' will launch your locomotive onwards and heavily damage first enemy it hits. Apart from increasing heat Ram has a cooldown. Missing a ram attack will cause the cooldown to increase more than normal cooldown. Missing an attack again will cumulatively increase the cooldown further. A successful Ramming attack will reset the cumulative CD increase. Cumulative CD increase decays over time.
There are 12 different rams with different characteristics:

• Damage;
• Heat - Rams can not be used while overheated;
• Cooldown - base cooldown;
• Cumulative Cooldown Increase - how badly the cooldown increases if you miss.
• Special - some Rams have special bonuses.

New trade goods
Three new highly valuable goods, each one can be bought at its-own region and sold at a
different one. Note: they can be sold at Hub ports, but this will earn slim profits.

Faction shops
All new modules can be obtained from faction shops.

• Seven faction shops which you will find at faction-related cities, and certain other places: Lustrum, Port Prosper, London, Pan, Eagle's Empyrean, Caduceus and the Floating Parliament;
• The assortment of shops at London, Lustrum and Port Prosper depends on your reputation with the owning faction;
• Some factions are not interested in your sovereigns.

New trade goods
Three new highly valuable goods, each one can be bought at its-own region and sold at a
different one. Note: they can be sold at Hub ports, but this will earn slim profits.

• Steam Core - obtained at Royal Society,this bleeding edge contraption is mostly valued by the military. Alternatively at “Your Locomotive” (button ‘K') a Steam Core can be used for emergency repairs on the fly.
• Ostentatious Jewelry - obtained at Caduceus, this rather expensive decoration is mostly valued by bohemians and high-society members.
• Compressed Decade - obtained at the Circus, this high-end product of Hour-processing is praised by the engineers. Alternatively at “Your Locomotive” menu (button ‘K') a Compressed Decade can be decompressed into Barrels of Hours.
• Electrical Trinkets - commonplace electrical doodads which can be sold at Hub ports or unconverted to something more valuable at certain places.
• Empyreal Technology - created with electrical trinkets, this high-end electrical good may earn you fortune.

Lodgings & Parties
Tired of sleeping on a floaty bed? You can obtain lodgings in large cities: London, New Winchester and Eagle's Empyrean.

• Lodgings provide access to the Study, there you can craft Decoration modules.
• Lodgings are possessed across the lineage.
• Lodgings at London and New Winchester can be used to host a party for different factions.
• Each faction has unique set of events and different rewards.

• Lodgings provide access to the Study, there you can craft Decoration modules.
• Lodgings are possessed across the lineage.
• Lodgings at London and New Winchester can be used to host a party for different factions.
• Each faction has unique set of events and different rewards.

Barrels of Hours
Your locomotive is now equipped with an Hour Loom which can be fed with Hours to boost your speed for some time. Once you turn the Hour Loom on it will automatically prolong the duration as long as you have Barrels of Hours to fed it with. Stacks additively with other speed boosters, e.g. engine Thruster Booster modules or Full Steam mode;

• +25% Speed;
• ‘T’ - toggles the Loom on;
• ‘Y’ - toggles the Loon off.

Crates of Munitions
Munitionscan now be loaded into your armaments to increase damage they deal. Amount of
firings with increased damage depends on the weapon you loaded heavy shells
into. Stacks additively with bonus damage from using Armament Damage modules.

• +25% Damage;
• ‘G’ - load Munitions.

Unclear Device
An Unclear Device is a consumable available exclusively at Winter's Reside. It can be used to hide from enemies for 15 seconds, activation increases Terror by 5. Note: turning the Floodlight on or attacking will immediately remove the shroud!

• 15 seconds of invisibility;
• +5 Terror;
• ‘Z' - Activate an Unclear Device.

Authors & Contributors
People whose stories or images are included in the mod:

The Nameless Poet - a vast variety of stories across the mod;
The Zodiac36Gold - many small stories and ideas across the mod;
Gay Coffee - the Moonlit Bar and a little more;
Feivelyn- an artist, who created images for the new trading goods, check out her Devian art: Deviantart.com
Nanako - AI artist, who created great many images for the mod, check out her Devian art: Deviantart.com
Sephira Jo||Santa Muerte - Scorn Fluke looting and a little more;
Hespiderean Cheesemonger - Seven texts on the Liberation of the Night at the Winter's Reside and various images inspired by his works;



Honorable mentions
Many thanks and my best regards go to:
May - taught me how to work with code injection, which is crucial to the most functions of the mod;
Saltlord - offered a writing advice and gave moral support when things were grim;
Exotico - explained some deep and obscure code-related things;
Mein - helped with proofreading most of the things the mod offers;
Res - helped with proofreading new modules the mod offers;
Deepdark- helped with proofreading of the new locations at the Winter's Reside;
MagicJinn- helped to create some cool images with Stable Diffusion.
Nodus Cursorius - gave important intel on how locomotive physics works;
Silverias- playtesting of the Ramming Weapon.
CometDeer - interactions with other vessels in the skies, which are not in the mod, yet.
fishingbrick - proofreading of several vast stories for the mod.
Failbetter Games Community - chilliest community out there, you folk are fantastic.[/size]

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Brought to you by Desblat aka the Overzelous Modmaker
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Afterthoughts on future updates:

I cut more content than added with the mod due to the fact that I don't have to time to flesh out everything with the writing. So I will leave a list of possible future updates here to sparkle your imagination, there is a chance I will add some of those in the future.
Upcoming things(Clear concept, requires doable amount of writing and coding):
1) Honk to interact with friendly Locomotives in the sky (25% already written, but not implemented);
2) Board enemy locomotives and fend off boarding parties (90% already written, but not implemented));
3) Bosses: the Timeless Dreadnought, the King Cantankery, the Dawn Fluke (still not sure how to make them);
4) Pan Lodgings (50% already written).
5) Massive locomotive battles (I made a code-mechanical foundation, but nothing beyond that).

Shelved ideas (Obscure concept, requires much writing):
1) Quick travel item;
2) More parties;
3) Treasure maps;
4) Devils' favors;
5) Tattoo Parlor at London - very much to write;


You may find me on Failbetter Games Discord or by this name Desblat_17#2099