Old Friends Have Returned: Update v0.8.6

🏴‍☠️ Pirate Patrol – Update v0.8.6

Old Friends Have Returned

Hello Captains,

Pirate Patrol v0.8.6 is now live! This update delivers an important feature from our development roadmap alongside several fixes based directly on community bug reports. As always, thank you for helping us shape Pirate Patrol during Early Access. 💙

So, what’s new?

🛡️ New Skill: Old Friends

A brand-new skill that can significantly impact gameplay balance and expand the game’s lore.

After liberating the Epsilon Cloud sector, former pirate factions operating in the region decide to stand with Captain Lionheart in the fight against the corporatocracy. These old allies now return to the battlefield.

Once unlocked, you can activate Old Friends from the Fighter tab on the tactical map.

What does Old Friends do?

• Once per mission, you can call in friendly fighter escorts to support The Father’s defenses.

• These escorts are elite and battle-hardened pilots, formerly part of notorious pirate captains’ personal protection fleets.

• You will receive at least 2 fighters, but depending on Captain Lionheart’s Reputation, this number can increase up to 4.

Escort behavior:

• They do not take direct orders.

• Their sole priority is protecting The Father.

• They do not dock with the main ship.

• When the mission ends, they return to their home bases.

• If they run out of fuel or ammunition, they will resupply directly from The Father’s stockpiles and rejoin the fight.

💰 Mercenary Fighter Escorts (Deployables)

Unlocking Old Friends also opens a new option in the Deployables menu: Hire mercenary fighter escorts.

• Each mercenary requires both Reputation and Credits — and they’re not cheap.

• Just like tower guns or mines, you can purchase mercenaries from the tactical map as long as your resources allow.

• Mercenaries:

  • Leave after the mission ends

  • Cannot dock with the main ship

  • Cannot be equipped with custom weapons or missiles

• Important: If a mercenary fighter is destroyed during combat, you will lose Reputation.

🚀 Ejected Pilots & Rescue Mechanics

Protecting your pilots is now more important than ever.

Previously, pilots automatically returned to The Father when their fighters were destroyed. That is no longer the case.

When a fighter explodes, one of two things can happen:

1. The pilot may be killed in the explosion.

2. Experienced and skilled pilots may eject and survive.

   Steam post image Do not abandon your valuable pilots to the cold, endless darkness of space. Their oxygen is running out.

Surviving pilots can now be seen drifting in space, and you’ll face a critical decision:

Rescue Options:

1. Tractor / Tow Beam If the pilot is close enough to The Father, you can pull them in safely.

2. Send a Fighter If the pilot is too far away, you’ll need to dispatch a fighter to rescue them.

3. Oxygen Depletion Pilots left drifting too long will run out of oxygen and die. Their remaining oxygen level is displayed next to them in space.

Here is a clear sample for the ejected pilot situation:

https://x.com/Indielligent/status/2011150941266018572

⛽ Fighters Now Consume Fuel & Ammunition

Fighter management has been deepened:

• Fighters must now resupply fuel and ammunition.

• If a fighter runs out of fuel, it will drift uncontrollably in space — becoming an easy target.

• If it runs out of ammunition, you must recall it to The Father for resupply.

You can monitor these systems via:

• The Fighters panel on the left side of the screen

• Warning messages sent directly by pilots when supplies are depleted

• Detailed fuel and ammo status shown on the command buttons at the bottom of the screen when a ship is selected

🔫 Fighter Barrel Counts

Fighters sent into combat now have a new tactical variable: barrel count. This value determines how many barrels a fighter can fire simultaneously.

⚙️ As you know, Autonex ships can fire with 1, 2, 3, or 4 barrels at once, allowing them to deal heavy damage depending on their configuration.

🚀 Player-controlled NPC fighters now also come with 2, 3, or 4 barrel options. When purchasing a new fighter or selecting which fighters to send against the enemy, this is another key factor you’ll need to consider.

More barrels, more speed or more armor?

🧠 Of course, more barrels don’t automatically mean more damage. The weapon’s power and range, the ship’s speed and maneuverability, and even the skills of the pilot flying the fighter all play a role. To be effective, you’ll need to evaluate all of these variables when choosing your fighters for battle.

📈 Level Progression & Extreme DPS Values

During Early Access, we accelerated level progression so community members who wanted to provide feedback could quickly reach late-game content. As we move closer to the final release, level progression has now been returned to normal values.

⏳ The system where players could reach Level 200 within 1–2 hours is no longer in place. 💰 XP and credit gains have been adjusted to their final game values.

⚔️ This means astronomical DPS numbers and a “ God Mode after 1–2 missions ” experience are no longer possible.

🔧 Of course, if issues arise, we’re always open to revisiting and fine-tuning this system.

💎 Rare & Epic Item Drop Rates

📉 Rare and Epic items are now truly rare. They will no longer drop as frequently as before.

🧠 When they do drop, they are meant to provide meaningful tactical advantages, rather than being just another stat boost.

🖥️ UI Improvements

Based on feedback from our community, we’ve made several improvements to the game’s UI.

🟡 When you hover your mouse over The Father, the ship will now be highlighted with a yellow outline, making it easier to identify and interact with.

🎯 However, when selecting turrets mounted on a fighter, only the selected turret or the fighter ships currently flying around The Father will be highlighted. This prevents unnecessary visual clutter.

🧠 As a result, mouse-to-eye coordination is clearer and more intuitive, allowing for more precise and comfortable control during combat.

❤️ Thank You, Captains

This update includes improvements and fixes inspired directly by your feedback and bug reports. Pirate Patrol is being built together with its community, and your support during Early Access means everything to us.

See you in space, Captain.