v1.9.0 — NPC Engagement & Faction Bounty System
v1.9.0 is a major NPC interaction and bounty system update.
This release changes NPC encounters from simple combat triggers into a more dynamic system with clearer player choice, faction consequences, bounty hunting, wanted status, and smarter interaction flows.
NPC Engage Modal Rework
NPC encounters now use a cleaner engagement model with a single Engage button and type-specific options.
This makes encounters easier to understand and puts the costs and consequences up front instead of hiding them behind inconsistent flows.
Faction Bounty System
Attacking faction-aligned NPCs now has real consequences.
New behavior includes:
- automatic bounty generation when attacking federation or pirate-aligned NPCs
- bounty values that scale with kills and NPC tier
- faction-specific bounty systems instead of a generic punishment layer
Contract Offices
Faction starports now include contract offices:
- Federation Bounty Registry
- Pirate Bay Contract Office
These give bounty gameplay a real location and turn bounty resolution into part of world navigation instead of an invisible mechanic.
Player Bounty Collection
Bounty hunting is now a two-step process:
- defeat the target in PvP
- travel to the correct contract office to collect the claim
That makes bounty play feel like an actual loop instead of an instant payout.
Smarter NPC Interaction Rules
Different NPC types now behave differently:
Federation patrols
- Scan / Bribe / Jettison / Attack
- patrols are only aggressive when you actually have a bounty
Pirates
- Surrender / Bribe / Jettison / Attack
- bounty hunters get a more hostile interaction path
Traders
- Trade / Rob / Attack
- traders never auto-popup and remain player-initiated interactions
Wanted Status HUD
The Ship Stats tab now shows a visible WANTED HUD state when active bounties exist.
This makes risk and faction heat visible instead of hidden in backend state.
Port Restrictions and Payoff Flow
Faction consequences now affect travel and access.
This includes:
- arrest behavior at opposing faction starports
- alignment-based access denial
- bounty payoff at the correct contract office
- travel pressure when trying to clear wanted status
Bounty Feed Notifications
Bounty events now appear in the feed with useful context, including “last seen” style intel.
That makes the system feel alive and gives players better situational awareness.
Overall, v1.9.0 makes the galaxy feel far more reactive. NPCs now behave more distinctly, factions remember what you do, and criminal behavior has meaningful consequences and rewards.