[h3]Attention all captains! We hope you're enjoying playing through the Steam Next Fest demo for Earthless! Travelling across the cosmos is no easy task though, and danger awaits any brave enough to try! To help you out in your search for a habitable planet, we've put together some tips and tricks.[/h3] [h2]1. Use Your Ship's Predictive AI[/h2] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44238279/cc05653b69324285832c0642529a2ded570e0911.png[/img] The most powerful tool in your arsenal isn't a Tactical Strike card. It's your ship's Predictive AI module that displays what your enemies will do on their next turn. Press TAB to engage this feature, and you'll see blue lines displaying where enemy ships will move, whether they'll attack you, and how much damage those attacks will deal. But wait! There's more! The Predictive AI can be used to see how enemies will react to your actions. For example, when moving your ship on the grid, hold TAB before selecting a square to see how enemies will respond. The same goes for playing cards! Try selecting a basic Missile Launch and hovering your mouse over an enemy within range to see if their next move will change based on if you attack them. PRO TIP: about to take some damage from a Lusk Grunt and don't have any Shields? Try attacking them instead! Many Lusk units have an ability to replenish their shields when depleted. Using the Predictive Ship AI, you can see if one is about to attack you. Try targeting it with an attack card and keep holding TAB to see if the incoming damage will force the Lusk unit to change to a defense manoeuvre instead. [h2]2. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle[/h2] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44238279/076de3198c45f03124bdf0f967cc180d01b593a7.png[/img] Every time you complete three events / nodes on the Star Map, you unlock one of Earthless' most important — but easy to underestimate — features: recycling a card. This removes a card from your deck, which effectively increases your odds of drawing more important, powerful cards. You should be recycling as often as you can. The recycle menu can be found by entering the Manufacturing Screen (the wrench and screwdriver icon on the bottom left of your Command Console). An indicator will tell you how many events / Star Map nodes you have to complete before Recycling is available. Deckbuilder veterans will know this well, but removing unwanted cards is vital to building an unstoppable deck. There's a lot of nuance on how to choose which cards to discard, but it's typically a safe choice to remove the basic Missile Launch and Shields Up cards as you earn more powerful attack and defense cards. [h2]3. Be Careful Of Your Heat[/h2] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44238279/4284f638ffbbb311fc393a44deae1b4cfa094517.png[/img] Each time you move you generate Heat, and your ship can store a maximum of 4 Heat points. Once you're maxed out, you'll either need to end your turn or use a card like Vent Heat to reduce your Heat level so you can move again. But be careful when running your engines hot. Acquiring more than 4 Heat will add Overheat cards to the top of your Draw Pile. When you have an Overheat card in your hand, you'll take damage for every action you do until you spend 1 Energy to play that card. It can seriously disrupt your strategy, so always keep an eye on your heat and manage it effectively. This is especially important for the Clarke-class ship in the Next Fest demo, which has limited options for reducing Heat early on. [h2]4. Don't Ignore your Artifacts and Upgrades[/h2] Depending on where you venture in the Star Map, you're likely to start picking up some valuable resources that can either augment your cards or let you craft entirely new ones. Do not let them sit in your inventory. Use them. Artifacts let you augment cards, like increasing the range of Gunnery cards, and while it might be tempting to sit on an Artifact in hopes that you'll get a powerful card to make it even more powerful. But, more often than not, using an Artifact on whatever you have available is the better option (especially in the demo when you're only exploring one Star Map). Likewise, don't forget to spend your resources to craft Artifacts and cards from the schematics you might collect from Salvage Sites! [h2]5. Be Wary of How Choices Will Affect Your Crew[/h2] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44238279/0dd8bf8789d78368708beac7686f23bbb357efe9.png[/img] As you venture further through the Star Map, you'll come across several difficult decisions and events that demand your attention. As the captain of your ship, it falls on you and no-one else to solve these dilemmas. Be careful to read them carefully and think about your decisions before picking. Each choice will improve relations with certain members of your crew and degrade relations with others. Every one onboard has their own opinions, after all! As you improve relations with each crew member, you'll receive certain bonuses. Be sure to manage these crew relationships properly, to maximise the benefits you receive in battle. [h3]Play the Earthless demo now:[/h3] https://store.steampowered.com/app/2058960/Earthless/