New shard
The world just got bigger! We're excited to announce the launch of a brand new shard called shardX. It is connected to all other shards via portals and becomes an integral part of the larger interconnected multishard world. What makes it special is that ticks run 2x faster. All standard shards are now set to 1000 ticks per hour, and shardX will have 2000 ticks per hour. It means more action, faster-paced events, quicker resource gathering, and control points earned at a higher rate.
To gain access to this shard, you'll need to spend 1 Access Key per 30 days. Without active access, your creeps won't be able to perform the claimController, upgradeController, and reserveController actions (everything else works just like on standard shards).
As a reminder, Access Keys can be obtained both from the Item Shop and on the in-game market for credits — sold not only by other players, but also via NPC orders. In other words, it's a regular in-game resource, just a highly valuable one.
With this in mind, we're also announcing another related addition — the new Unlimited Access Keys pack.
Unlimited Access Keys
This is a Steam DLC (or an item in the external Item Shop) that, upon a one-time purchase, grants you permanent access to any features and events that would normally require Access Keys. Currently, this includes unlimited access to shardX, free entry to all future Seasonal Worlds, and access to any future features that require Access Keys.
To celebrate the launch, enjoy a 15% discount on Unlimited Access Keys — available until May 2nd!
API changes
Added new property: Game.shard.access.
Added new property: Game.shard.accessTime
Added new method: Game.shard.activateAccess.
Creep methods claimController, reserveController, upgradeController now can return a new error ERR_ACCESS_DENIED.
