Stardeus

Kodo Linija · Paradox Arc

Released: Oct 12, 2022
Platforms
Last updated: 16 Sep 2026, 23:16 GMT

Updates & announcements

20 posts

29 Jul 2026Developer post
Web Codex & New Translations Workflow
What’s crackalackin’, folks! I can think of something that’s crackalackin’: The codex. We’ve all been there. You’re at work (boring). You can’t stop thinking about your Stardeus save. You think to yourself, "Awh man, I wish I could do some planning. I can’t wait to get back home
18 Jun 2026Developer post
New Stardeus UI: Behind the Scenes
Hey everyone! I wanted to reveal a bit of history and reasoning behind the new UI update. This was the 7th iteration of the UI. The first 6 are briefly documented in the art book ( The Journey DLC ), which will eventually be appended with the 7th iteration too. Let’s shine a ligh
Hey everyone!
I wanted to reveal a bit of history and reasoning behind the new UI update. This was the 7th iteration of the UI. The first 6 are briefly documented in the art book (The Journey DLC), which will eventually be appended with the 7th iteration too.
Let’s shine a light on some of the details for you, which should hopefully address some of the criticism the new UI has received.
Collaboration
The UI rework was my collaboration with Mikhail Gofman aka Ingevar. He had an absurdly difficult task of reorganizing the chaotic, organically grown legacy UI into something coherent and easy to use. If we had more time and a bigger budget, the UI could have looked fancier, have animations, etc, but this isn’t a AAA game, and I have set up a long list of constraints and requirements to work with. Mikhail definitely nailed this job, I am very happy with the result!
Hard Constraints
At the beginning of the collaboration with Mikhail, I set several constraints:
Icons couldn’t change. Stardeus UI uses ~500 icons, all of them made by yours truly with questionable art skill. The time and budget wouldn’t allow us to redo any icons, so we had to keep the original ones.
Programmatic layout. This means the UI has to be panels and lists, vertical or horizontal, no fancy custom curved elements or whatever that makes it impossible to inject new bits of UI via code. This is for the sake of modability. As an anti-example of what I didn’t want to get, I included this picture:
I have nothing Against the Game it was taken from, I just wouldn’t want Stardeus to have such a UI. It’s also way too “artsy” and distracting for my taste.
Steam Deck compatibility. The UI has to work with 1280x800 screen size, and have high readability. Maintaining perfect Steam Deck support is my personal crusade. I also play Stardeus mainly on Steam Deck myself.
Responsive design. The UI has to work with any screen aspect ratio and resolution. Widescreens, ultrawides, 1280x800, 4K - anything a PC can have, Stardeus UI must stretch into it.
Font. I wanted to keep using the font I was already using for the old UI. Eventually I selected a new (very similar) one for better CJK (Chinese / Japanese / Korean) support, but it was and still is a highly readable font, which some gamers shun because it’s something you see all over the web. But at least you don’t have to squint or decipher some cryptic pixel art stylized nonsense. (The only game that got pixel art fonts rights is Stardew Valley. Change my mind.)
Time. This was the biggest constraint. Mikhail was on the project for only 2 full months. There was no way he would have enough time to redesign all 250 screens and panels (yes, there are that many), so he had to redesign the important bits only, and I had to use the foundation, patterns and guidelines he established to finish the less important parts. If you encounter something weird, it’s very likely my blunder. But I will be revisiting and repolishing everything for years to come.
Soft Constraints
Here’s an excerpt from the collaboration doc about my expectations for the new UI. These weren’t hard constraints, but rather my “wishlist”, which Mikhail definitely delivered:
Functional Minimalism: hide all unnecessary information of minor importance, especially in the main view, when nothing is selected. It would be best to have a few corners of the screen completely empty. If possible, the bottom right corner could be left empty for streamers to put themselves in, and people read that corner last.
Visual clarity: easy to tell what’s clickable and what’s not, what’s a button, what’s a slider, etc. Some of this can be achieved by changing the colors and images used in current UI widgets.
As little on screen as possible in the standard mode.
Most critical information available at a glance at all times.
Least amount of clicks possible to reach even the deepest UI panels.
Stylistic minimalism: prefer information readability and clarity of what UI element does over visual appeal. Think RimWorld - the UI is arguably ugly and spartan, but highly functional.
Dynamic and modular: Adding a new button in the main screen should not require redesigning the UI. Buttons can be added through mods, and may be added or removed during development when mechanics change. This restricts the UI from being custom tailored / styled where elements are laid out in some fancy shapes with artsy backgrounds.
Consistency: when an object gets selected, it’s information and related actions should appear in the same place, regardless of the object type (colonist, device)
Contextual modality: when an object gets selected, the most important actions should be listed out in the same place as clear, large buttons.
At-a-glance information: when an object gets selected, the main info panel should show the most important “at a glance” view, so the player should rarely have to open up additional dialogs.
Low friction: actions that are normally done frequently should be as frictionless as possible. Like building a copy of something should be no more than 2 clicks and very obvious - first click to select the object, second click on a clearly visible action button on screen to begin the relocation process.
Reduction of UI element type and panel type variety.
Main controls and action buttons in one corner (bottom left?).
Rethinking what types of UI panels are actually necessary to play the game. The current approach is very programmer-oriented and systems based. If I have an in-game system, it will likely have a UI panel for itself. If some entity component can be configured, it will add a button that brings up the configuration subpanel for that component. This works very well for me as a programmer, but this approach also leads to the current UI overload. Some things have to get cut out, grouped together by logic, or split apart.
No tiny fonts. Many of Stardeus players aren’t youngsters, and tiny fonts make it difficult to play many management games. Stardeus has UI scaling and separate font scaling to combat this, but it would be nice to have default UI looks that aren’t using tiny fonts anywhere.
Biggest Problems with the Old UI
Before kicking off the redesign collaboration, I’ve crunched all Stardeus Steam reviews and got a long list of things that bugged the majority of players when it came to UI. Here’s a very condensed summary:
Players find the UI overwhelmingly cluttered, confusing, and visually unappealing. They report excessive menus, poor categorization, unintuitive controls, inconsistent layouts, tiny icons, unreadable overlays, and too many steps to perform simple actions. The interface feels like “spreadsheets in space,” not a game. Many say it ruins an otherwise promising concept.
Overall Impression:
“Messy,” “chaotic,” “spreadsheet-like,” and “painful to look at.”
UI actively prevents enjoyment and learning.
Feels untested and not designed with user experience in mind.
Repeated calls for a complete UI redesign by a professional designer.
So there you have it. For every veteran player who suffered through learning the old UI, there were likely dozens of new players who couldn’t get over it and abandoned the game. It’s time to get those players back on board!
Change Is Difficult
Yes, I’ve read your feedback, some of you don’t see the new UI as an improvement. I knew this would be the case, it always is when something big changes. People dislike change in general, but sometimes you just have to break some crooked bones to regrow them straight. The old UI was a crooked bone.
Here’s what I wrote in the original UI redesign collaboration document back in 2025:
Risk of backlash
Every time something big changes in the game, there is often a backlash from some veteran players who were used to and liked the old way. I’m absolutely certain that full rework of the UI will cause a backlash and a bunch of negative reviews. I don’t know how to avoid it, except for making the new UI very easy to understand and learn.
As I always say in situations like this - I can’t please everyone. However, I hope you will grow to at least tolerate the new UI eventually. It is really, REALLY objectively better than the old one.
—
That’s the end of my part, now let’s give the mic to Mikhail - let’s hear what he had to suffer through working with my picky constraints. I’m sorry for what you had to go through, and thank you for your hard work, it was a pleasure working with you!
- spajus
Mikhail’s Word
Hello, I’m Ingevar.
Last year spajus asked me to help with the UI rework. My background is 16 years working as a game and UX designer on many different games, but the most relevant experience for a game like Stardeus comes from my days at Paradox, working on games like Stellaris, Hearts of Iron 4, Crusader Kings 3, and Europa Universalis 4.
Reworking UI for a complex game with tons of interconnected mechanics is a very big challenge. Of course I had to start by playing the game a ton -- no good design can come from someone who doesn’t understand the game well. But even now, after 100+ hours, I still do not consider myself a “pro” in Stardeus -- the game keeps surprising me in every playthrough.
After initial impressions settled down, we started with the main screen. One of the obvious problems was that it was overloaded with information, and for new players that meant that important things were hidden among less important things or even things you can’t use in the beginning, like expeditions or terraforming.

My approach to tasks like this is to remove everything and see what is absolutely needed. The needs change as the game goes on, but there are obviously things that you need from the start, like tools to build and connect things, an overview of your beings, basic resources, etc.
After a few iterations, we landed at the current screen, which has it all:
It clearly tells new players that important things you will manage throughout the game are your beings, things you build, energy, food, and water. It also highlights quests as the main way of learning how to play the game.
Some information is important, but it doesn’t have to be on the screen all the time. This is how the Hyperjump widget was born. It appears only when you start a jump and lets you change the direction, abort the jump, or simply view the progress.
Another major pain point was the device window. A new player looking at this would wonder: what is this about, what is important, and what is secondary here.
One helpful thing when designing a window like this is to treat it as a conversation. As if this window, when it appears on the screen, says:
-- Hello, I’m a Device; my name is Crafting station.
So far so good.
-- I am located at 153:174, I have full stats, I’m fully constructed and undamaged, my energy node…
At this point, one might wonder: do I need to know all this? What are you? What can you do?
The new design rearranged the information so that the most important thing is in your face. This is a Crafting Table, and its purpose is to produce. Hence, the default tab has nothing but production.
Now the conversation looks much more sane:
-- Hello, I’m a Crafting Table, I can produce things, like Batteries, Copper Wires, etc.
Other information is still there, just in other tabs. It lets players digest information in portions, which is good for your mental health!
Making the new UI was a constant back and forth between spajus and me regarding new mechanics, importance of information, and priority for every aspect of the game. Spajus has a very strong and clear vision for the game, so it was easy to update things while keeping the core feeling and pace of the game the same.
As a designer, I’m of course interested in making things pretty, sometimes at a price of functionality. But spajus has managed to keep me at bay and directed the game into the best shape possible. Some of the iterations were either too much visually; just look at these titles xD
(NOT IN THE GAME, EARLY MOCKUP)
Yeah, good thing we discarded it…
We also experimented a lot with ship combat, with me trying to add waaaay too many minigames to the battle.
(NOT IN THE GAME, EARLY MOCKUP)
After all, we settled on a much more sane screen:
Of course, none of this rework would be possible without the help of our enthusiastic testers. Huge thanks to everyone who posted their feedback in the #ui-rework channel on Discord; without your help, we would not be able to make it as good and polished as it is now.
I think the new UI is simultaneously better for newcomers and great for experienced players. My job here is done, but I will keep playing the game and hanging out in Discord. Looking forward to hearing from you; any feedback is very much welcome.
And remember, pirates are not only a good source of protein, but also a fun distraction for your depressed crew!
- Ingevar
Try the preview build
Right-click Stardeus in your Steam library.
Choose "Properties."
Select the "Game Versions & Betas" tab.
Choose the "experimental" version.
Original post
12 Jun 2026Developer post
The new UI is ready for public testing!
What's up, everyone! Work on the new major update is finally entering the final phase, and this is where we need your help! Like with all previous major updates, brave explorers are welcome to try it before everyone else and give us some feedback and bug reports. We can't disclos
What's up, everyone! Work on the new major update is finally entering the final phase, and this is where we need your help! Like with all previous major updates, brave explorers are welcome to try it before everyone else and give us some feedback and bug reports.

We can't disclose the full list of changes just yet (there are too many, and there will be a separate post about them on the day of public release), but the biggest difference will obviously be the new UI.

People who tried it have all been loving it! When asked if they'd want to switch back to the old UI they've all said no! If you feel a bit skeptic about the new UI, please do us a favor and try it for yourself before posting your feedback.

The new UI is so comfortable and easy to use that we've even removed the tutorials. Ain't nobody got time for that boring stuff anyway. Key information found in the tutorials will be moved into the Codex, and will be always easily accessible at all times.

Here's how you can try the new update:
Right-click Stardeus in your Steam library.
Choose "Properties."
Select the "Betas" tab.
Choose "experimental" from the dropdown.
Original post
22 Apr 2026Developer post
UI Rework screenshots (LEAKED)
So, we've heard a lot of feedback when it comes to the new UI! Mostly it's been about people being afraid it will be less complicated than the old UI, taking away some of Stardeus charm… We hear your words loud and clear, but rest assured we're here to showcase before and after p
So, we've heard a lot of feedback when it comes to the new UI!
Mostly it's been about people being afraid it will be less complicated than the old UI, taking away some of Stardeus charm… We hear your words loud and clear, but rest assured we're here to showcase before and after pictures so everyone can get a better idea of what is changing and how it's going to evolve.
Make sure to read also to get a better understanding of what we want to highlight in each screenshot. Also remember it’s still a work in progress, and things might subject to change.
Main Menu
Before:
After:
A major change when it comes to the main menu is that it will use your last saved game as a backdrop. And also; clicking Continue will let you play right away – seamlessly.
Settings Menu
Before:
After:
Main menu settings have been merged with the in-game settings menu, so they will have the same settings available. It has also been reorganised and had huge improvements to readability. Some settings that used to be exclusive to the main menu are now also available in-game and can be applied instantly instead of having to reload your save file.
UI Themes
The new UI allows you to change colours to your heart’s content! A highly requested feature, and you can create your own themes too.
UI Scaling
Just like the old UI it will support dynamic scaling and font sizing. Focus has also been put on lower resolutions like the Steam Deck (1280x800) & some UI elements will have different versions and arrangements depending on the screen size for easier gameplay.
Game View
Before:
After:
The old game view had nearly 50 visible buttons in the main screen at all times and could at times be very cluttered and frustrating for new players. Veterans who’s gotten used to it for years liked it for the information it granted so that is something we wanted to be careful about not changing all too much.
The new game view focuses on clarity and minimalism with high signal to noise ratio.
TLDR: Less buttons you never use and more information at a glance.
Selected Being
Before:
After:
In the old UI when you selected a being it was condensed into a single panel. Although this was information dense, it could also be very hard to understand what was clickable and not. In the new UI all types of information has been reorganised into tabs & all actions you can perform has been moved into the bottom of the screen.
Notification Hub
Before:
After:
We noticed how the notification hub became something players usually just ignored after a while of playing, adding to the UI fatigue. We’ve addressed this in the new notification hub with the number of notifications and an icon of the most important notification showing at a glance. Expanding hub gives you a list sorted by importance. The expandable list makes it easier to drill into the details of each notification. For instance, previously we needed a separate UI for listing devices that lacked materials, but now it’s built straight into the notification hub.
Inventory
Before:
After:
The new inventory is a lot easier to navigate! The categories are easier to read & configuring the favourites list (renamed to ”Quick Drawer”) is much more intuitive than before. Just tick whatever you want to add to it. Another improvement the drawer has is the ability to configure to not let materials show up in the drawer unless you own X amount. Anyone who’s concerned about functionality fear not- hovering over any items’ numbers will display the chart. Clicking the item name will also show a quick choice menu with more options.
Device Configuration
Before:
After:
We’ve reduced the amount of windows to configure crafting devices from three to two. It’s also much easier to read as well as we’ve moved the upgrades and stats to their own tabs.
Trading
Before:
After:
The new trading UI solves a lot of issues the old one had. There’s a simple drop down list if you click the amount, and it will also prioritise the lowest quality items when selling, and highest quality items when buying in bulk.
Part/Organ Storages
Before:
After:
Part and organ storages have been reorganised to be expanded by body part and new settings for qualities have been implemented. You can set a quality range to only accept a certain parts/organs of a certain range and even eject and tell your colonists to dispose of parts/organs of a certain range with just two clicks.
Quests
Before:
After:
Previously tracked quests were together in the notifications, but since the notifications have been reworked to the notification hub, quests will have it’s own dedicated widgets.
Quick Search
Before:
After:
Quick search has become even more powerful. It used to only show the top result and having players to scroll through options until you found what you were looking for. It’s also been sorted into tabs & the old hotbar pinning feature has been moved here as well. Not only that, but it’s also been given a technical overhaul, making it being able to be extended modularly & easier to mod.
Starmap
Before:
After:
While the Starmap itself hasn’t changed much, the side menu got the full treatment. Tabs & a embedded list of resources known to exist to the player.
Research Tree
Before:
After:
The cards for each research tree have gotten a cleaner and easier to understand look. Codex tooltips have been moved to the side so the card itself isn’t covered.
Build Menu
Before:
After:
The build menu is no longer a “do it all” menu, and its’ focus has once again returned to building. Sleeker tabs and moved out of the way so you can see where you want to build. It’s also been given a modular design so you can resize and move it (like most in the new UI) into the middle of the screen again, if you so choose.
Planning mode
Before:
After:
The planning mode now has its own dedicated menu & is much easier to understand.
Multi-selected Objects
Before:
After:
Just like when you select a single object, multiple objects will show the shared actions you can perform in the bottom row.
Expeditions
Before:
After:
The Expeditions UI is more intuitive and doesn’t require as many clicks as before to send a crew off. Because of how the old UI was designed, players used to miss the extra controls which were hidden behind the “orders” button. Now they’re always visible in the footer of the expedition setup window.
New Game: Crew Configuration
Before:
After:
No more wasted space (pun not intended) in the config screen.
New Game: Universe Setup
Before:
After:
The old universe selection was confusing. The resources at the top showed resources for the entire universe, while some people thought it was the selected region. Deep scanning later in the playthrough would also reveal tons of additional resources which were not listed there, so it’s been removed. Additionally, you can now customise your run even further by tweaking the overall difficulty and size of the universe here.
Post-photos-thoughts
There’s a lot more UI that still need to be reworked, but hopefully this will calm your nerves about the direction we’ve taken. We’re hoping to start public playtesting of the new UI sometime in the near future, probably around 1-2 months but it all depends on the progress.
Thanks for the patience you’ve during this time, we think it will be worth the wait.
// Spajus & Lizz the community manager
Follow the Development
Official Website: https://stardeusgame.com
Join Stardeus Discord
/r/stardeus on Reddit
@StardeusGame on Twitter
@dev_spajus on Twitter
@KodoLinija on YouTube (devlogs)
dev_spajus on Twitch (live development streams)
Get Stardeus
View game page
Original post
15 Jan 2026Developer post
Yes, we're reworking the UI
As you might or might not know - we're reworking the UI. You probably have a lot of questions... So did I... however, I got the chance to sit down with spajus and ask him some questions about this so called "UI overhaul". Here are the most pressing questions & answers. UI REW
As you might or might not know - we're reworking the UI.
You probably have a lot of questions... So did I... however, I got the chance to sit down with spajus and ask him some questions about this so called "UI overhaul".
Here are the most pressing questions & answers.
UI REWORK WORK IN PROGRESS MAY SUBJECT TO CHANGE
How long it will take to rework the UI? (I heard half a year, maybe more?)
It's difficult to estimate, but I hope to be finished before GTA6 comes out. The new UI is bundled along with another major feature - random quests that NPCs will give you. That feature is also not fully finished yet, which will prolong the time till next update. But don't worry, I will surely be done before 2047.
How big is this rework?
"I'm throwing away everything that was the old UI and replacing it with a brand new one. It's a complete overhaul from scratch. So, in other words: as big as it can be."
What you want from the community?
"At the current state, I only want patience. It will be a long quiet period without major updates, I hope people won't think the game is dead or forget about it."
Are you really just one man?
"The UI rework is a team effort, an industry professional designed the UI. I'm just a code monkey who executes the ideas. But I'm also the bottleneck, that why updates take so long. Perhaps if we sold more copies, I could get more people to work on the game? ;^)"
Can I test the new UI?
"At this stage it's a bit too early to give everyone access to the build to try it out, so feedback on a broken and very unfinished thing won't be useful. People will just point out that it's broken, which isn't really helpful. We will be getting into a feedback phase a bit later, when the game is playable with the new UI again."
UI REWORK WORK IN PROGRESS MAY SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Why rework the UI?
"UI is the most common complaint in Steam reviews. Poor UI also drives away many new players, who try the game, feel intimidated by “spreadsheets in space,” and then never return. The old UI was designed for my convenience as a developer: it let me iterate quickly and add new panels easily. The new UI was designed by a professional UI/UX designer, and it is built for the player, not for my own convenience."
Will there be any other updates in the meanwhile?
"It's extremely difficult to maintain two increasingly diverging codebases, so only occasional bugfixes and balance adjustments are going to be done until the new UI is ready."
What are you most excited about reworking in the UI?
"Is a great opportunity to rewrite some of the older parts of the game code that I didn't get to touch for years. I'll be able to undo all the wrong decisions I made when making the original UI."
How does it feel to see the UI you worked on for so long get reworked?
"The new UI feels so much better, that I have zero regrets about ripping the old one out without a trace. The time it will take to complete the rewrite, however, makes me feel a bit anxious."
UI REWORK WORK IN PROGRESS MAY SUBJECT TO CHANGE
When are hats coming to pets?
"This should be a mod. Any takers?"
Have you been playing any good games lately?
"It's a shame to admit it, but I haven't been playing anything at all lately. I'm fully consumed with development of Stardeus, and after a long day of work I usually don't feel like gaming. Although I did try the new Songs of Syx update, it was fun, but I only had enough time to scratch the surface."
What's a good movie to watch while I wait?
"They don't make movies like they used to... Last one that comes to mind was Interstellar, which came out 11 years ago."
Editors note: I watched district9 the other day and it was great, highly recommended.
Do we need to be scared?
"No, everything is going to be all right."
That should cover about everything... Stay tuned and have patience while we wait for spajus to create magic.
//Lizz the Community Manager
Follow the Development

Official Website: https://stardeusgame.com
Join Stardeus Discord
/r/stardeus on Reddit
@StardeusGame on Twitter
@dev_spajus on Twitter
@KodoLinija on YouTube (devlogs)
dev_spajus on Twitch (live development streams)
Get Stardeus
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1380910/Stardeus/
Original post
17 Oct 2025GamingOnLinux
Deep colony sim Stardeus adds a huge new narrative-focused update
Because there was always going to be some drama in deep space right? Stardeus is a spaceship colony sim that just expanded in a huge way. Read the full article here:
16 Oct 2025Developer post
Stardeus "Story & Drama" Major Update Is Now LIVE
Greetings, Space Travelers! Get ready for the next level of immersion: the new Story and Drama (v0.14) major update has just dropped, and it will have as much if not more impact on gameplay as the massive Bioverse update did about a year ago! We also have a couple of videos ready
Greetings, Space Travelers!
Get ready for the next level of immersion: the new Story and Drama (v0.14) major update has just dropped, and it will have as much if not more impact on gameplay as the massive Bioverse update did about a year ago!
We also have a couple of videos ready for this update. Here's one by RonEmpire, aimed more at new players:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvIZlYo7opg
And a longer, more detailed one by Spajus:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQpx-vaFHps
Let’s take a look at the most noteworthy changes.
New Story Generation System
The original story generation system had remained mostly unchanged since it was first designed back in 2020. It had plenty of flaws and wasn’t flexible enough to deliver the level of quality expected from Stardeus today. Because of this, it was redesigned and rebuilt from the ground up.
The new system is modular, highly flexible, and easy to tweak. It allows for the implementation of story events of any variety, and much of the new content in this update wouldn’t have been possible without it.
The new story generator may still have some imbalances and flaws, but we will continue to improve and refine it to meet your expectations - we’re waiting for your feedback!
New Raid System and Raid Types
A new raid management system was built on top of the new story generator. Raids now have their own schedule, influenced by factors such as your colony’s strength and recent deaths. Several new raid types have also been introduced.
New Colony Drama System and Social Relationships
While closely tied to the new story generator, the drama system handles social interactions between your colonists - anything from casual chats when two colonists pass by, to weddings between lovers who are head over heels for each other.
These social interactions drive interpersonal relationships. Colonists and pets will form friendships, fall in love, grow to hate each other, and all the drama that comes with it will follow.
New Hyperjump Mechanics
Hyperspace travel has always been one of the most debated mechanics, so it received another major overhaul focused on making it feel smoother and more immersive.
Here's what changed:
1. You can now queue multiple jumps in advance.
2. You can choose to either skip over waypoints or stop at each one.
3. If the engines run out of charge mid-jump, the ship automatically exits hyperspace, recharges, and resumes jumping (you can also pause hyperjumping to stay in a sector longer).
4. Hyperspace travel now takes real time - it's no longer instant.
5. Entering and exiting hyperspace is now automatic.
6. You can no longer linger in hyperspace indefinitely - if you’re there, you're moving.
Together, these changes make hyperspace travel more seamless, believable, and alive.
Visible Eyes and Unique Faces
To make colonists feel more individual, all humans now have unique faces shown in fairly high detail. Eyes received special treatment - they have colors and reflect the installed organ or lack thereof. Someone with Mini Optics and a Cat Eye will look the part.
Most hairstyles were also redone to better fit the new faces.
Device Animations
Many devices now have proper animations, making your ship look and feel more alive than ever.
New Story Events
The new systems wouldn’t be worthwhile if we hadn’t pushed them to their limits by adding a bunch of new events! Here are just a few:
Comet Shower
A mesmerizing comet shower unfolds in the distance. Colonists gain a positive sanity boost from witnessing it.
Stabbing
A colonist who really hates someone can snap and stab their nemesis with something sharp - hopefully avoiding major arteries and critical organs. That’s one way to ramp up the drama on otherwise idle days!
Mining Expedition Events
Sending humans on a mining expedition can lead to various side activities and surprises, such as finding something valuable. As a bonus, these expeditions also help colonists build stronger interpersonal bonds.
Hullpiercer Raid
A vicious new type of breach capsule punches through your ship’s walls and ejects a couple of uninvited guests. This is just one of several new ways to get raided.
Ashes, Urns, and Mourning
Putting a dead body into a Nutrient Extractor won’t just produce perfectly good protein, but also a pile of named ashes. You can either place the ashes into memorial urns or dishonor them by treating the ashes as a common resource.
Colonists and pets will mourn their lost loved ones. They’ll be sad if there’s nothing to mourn, so stock up on those new urns!
Scars and Cause of Death
Healed wounds now leave scars with details about who inflicted them, what type of damage it was, and when it happened.
Lethal conditions and fatal wounds create “cause of death” records. Nothing will be forgotten!
Surgical Queue
You can now queue multiple surgeries and manage all pending operations from the Health overlay.
Fire and Explosions
Ongoing controversy around fire and explosions justified another major iteration of related mechanics and story events.
Fire spread is now controlled by surface type - it won’t spread as much on steel floors.
Explosions have been fine-tuned to reflect the device type and contents. A loaded Nuclear Reactor and a Cooking Station produce completely different levels of explosion.
The number of story-driven explosions has been significantly reduced. However, this doesn’t apply to chain reactions or explosions caused by systematic mechanics, such as fire.
Don’t build volatile devices like reactors and engines too close together. Alternatively, compartmentalize them with walls, and fire and explosions won’t cause you problems.
UI Improvements
Another round of UI improvements has been made. It’s wider where appropriate, includes more tooltips, and displays more information at a glance rather than hiding it in submenus. Some unnecessary items were removed, and others were merged.
UI improvements will continue and are likely to be more significant in a future major update.
More Content
There are numerous other smaller additions, adjustments, and improvements. Check the changelog below for more details.
Stardeus is moving closer to the v1.0 release, which could happen sometime next year. Stay tuned for updates!
The Changelog
v0.14.0 (2025.10.16)
- [Major] Rewrite the Story Generation system
- [Major] Add Colony Drama System
- [Major] Human colonists will have unique visible faces
- [Major] Colonists will form bonds and interpersonal relationships
- [Major] Reimplement Hyperjump mechanics
- [Feature] Add Hyperjump Queue
- [Feature] Add support for queueing multiple surgical operations on the same being
- [Feature] Remove several annoying story events
- [Feature] Add Mindjar bot species (nonviolent brain in a jar)
- [Feature] Add story event: Breach Capsule Stealth Raid
- [Feature] Add story event and space effect: Comet Shower
- [Feature] Add story event and space effect: Photon Storm
- [Feature] Add story event and space effect: Magnetic Storm
- [Feature] Add story event and space effect: Soft Surge Storm
- [Feature] Add story event and space effect: Psychic Storm
- [Feature] Add story event: Inspired colonist
- [Feature] Add story event: Organ failure
- [Feature] Add story event: Robot component failure
- [Feature] Add story event: Wedding
- [Feature] Add story event: Party
- [Feature] Add story event: Date
- [Feature] Add story event: Love Confession
- [Feature] Add story event: Making Love
- [Feature] Add story event: Mourn a dead loved one
- [Feature] Add story event: Prank
- [Feature] Add story event: Stabbing
- [Feature] Add story event: Stalking
- [Feature] Add story event: Save from falling
- [Feature] Add story event: Mining bond
- [Feature] Add story event: Mining loot
- [Feature] Add story event: Expedition fight
- [Feature] Add story event: Capsule shuttle ingredients
- [Feature] Add story event: Capsule Crawler
- [Feature] Add story event: Chase
- [Feature] Add raid event: Map edge raid
- [Feature] Add raid event: Hullpiercer raid (3 versions)
- [Feature] Add raid event: Stealth Breach Capsule raid
- [Feature] Add raid event: Storage Capsule raid (2 versions)
- [Feature] Add body part: Lite Core
- [Feature] Add body part: Dumb Core
- [Feature] Add being ability: Hear
- [Feature] Add being ability: Vocalize
- [Feature] Add implant: Conversation module
- [Feature] Implement casual chats between nearby colonists
- [Feature] Implement social opportunity system for bringing colonists together for shared activities
- [Feature] Track time colonists spent in proximity with others
- [Feature] Add medical task: Feeding incapacitated / injured colonists in bed
- [Feature] Generate some beings with modded bodies
- [Feature] Generate some beings with wounds and scars
- [Feature] Generate initial relationships between existing colonists on scenario start
- [Feature] Add many new being backstories and traits
- [Feature] Add collectible chess pieces that can be found on derelict ships
- [Feature] Add black and white marble interior floors for chess board
- [Feature] Add game setting: Skip Colonist Choice
- [Feature] Add Ashes and Urns for immortalizing dead biological beings
- [Feature] Ashes and Urns will show an obituary tooltip with more details about the dead being
- [Feature] Wounds will display what caused the wound
- [Feature] Remember and show cause of death
- [Feature] Convert some wounds to scars after they heal
- [Feature] Add more ways to utilize Stem Cells
- [Feature] Enable relocation of all wall tiles, including Doors and Airlocks
- [Feature] Make it possible to process being ashes into other materials
- [Feature] Add game modifier: Disable Quest Rewards
- [Feature] NPC ships in combat will send Hullpiercers in addition to Breach Capsules
- [Feature] Tractor Beams will automatically reconfigure themselves when destroyed Tractor Beam Targets will be rebuilt
- [Feature] When disposing of beings, Disassembler and Nutrient Extractor will preserve body parts with quality above configured threshold (default 50%)
- [Feature] Fog of War is now a game modifier that can be turned on when starting a new game
- [Feature] Xenodetectors will detect Artillery Fungus
- [Feature] Add hat: Jester's Hat
- [Feature] Humans will get sanity debuffs for sleeping in rooms with industrial devices
- [Feature] Humans will get sanity debuffs for sleeping in shared dormatories
- [Feature] Humans will get sanity debuffs for sleeping in cramped rooms (size < 6)
- [Feature] Humans will get sanity debuffs for sleeping in overly large rooms (size > 100)
- [Feature] Humans will get sanity buffs for sleeping in personal quarters
- [Feature] Humans will get sanity buffs for sleeping in cozy rooms (size: 6-30 + at least 1 admirable object)
- [Feature] Hyperjump Relays will have tolls you'll pay to the owning faction
- [Feature] Display relocation ghosts for non-tile objects and beings
- [Feature] Quick Search will have a built-in calculator
- [Misc] Remove feature: CPU limits the number of max connected devices
- [Misc] Put Epic Race 2025 Leaderboard into Credits
- [Balance] Body part quality will affect the stats that the body part provides
- [Balance] Reorganize and compact some of the research tree nodes
- [Balance] Raids in high difficulty regions will be more difficult (deadly in early game)
- [Balance] Many undocumented small tweaks and changes according to player feedback
- [Balance] Increase Organ Storage and Part Storage capacity from 100 to 500
- [Balance] Incoming space object velocity will be scaled together with game map size
- [Balance] Delay upcoming raids when friendly beings die
- [Balance] Make Heavy Laser more powerful (much more damage and flux per shield hit)
- [Balance] Reduce ship size requirements for most ships
- [Balance] Point Defense turrets will be much more accurate against incoming space threats
- [Balance] Adjust most being role skill rewards / penalties
- [Balance] Reduce research disk cost for all items by ~1
- [Balance] Adjust some sanity buffs / debuffs
- [Balance] Friendly biological minds in robotic bodies will not guarantee 100% AI Alignment
- [Balance] Beings will ignore dead bodies after doing certain kinds of work (e.g. surgery, euthanizing, combat)
- [Balance] Colonists will wait much longer before trying to risk getting food in unsafe environment when hungry
- [Balance] Adjust pacing and event difficulty in the new story generator based on selected game difficulty
- [Balance] Most melee attacks will not be able to kill or damage internal organs
- [Balance] Eliminate chance of getting attacked or extorted by pirates in easy sectors
- [Balance] Particle Collector is now a rare device that you can't build, only find on derelict ships
- [Balance] Friendly fights will be broken up if the fighters lose line of sight and get too far away from each other
- [Balance] Make Pig Brain and Cat Brain able of dumb labor
- [Balance] Restrict pets from getting certain traits and job types
- [Balance] Reduce electricity consumption of Refrigerator and Freezer
- [Balance] Do not deactivate Tractor Beam Targets that have objects such as Stasis Pod above them
- [Balance] Allow having Tractor Beam Targets indoors (not recommended)
- [Balance] Generate more powerful Law Enforcement Officer ships
- [Balance] Delay first micrometeoroid strike a bit longer and increase delay between strikes
- [Balance] Total CPU in your electricity grid will affect ML Booth learn speed
- [Balance] Total CPU in your electricity grid will increase Beam Drill max depth
- [Balance] Adjust natural (non MB Booth) skill level up rates
- [Balance] Reduce Beam Drill initial max depth (2km -> 0.5km)
- [Balance] Significantly increase trader stock for some traders / items
- [Balance] Reduce trader price markups
- [Balance] Reduce Online Shop price markup (500% -> 300%)
- [Balance] Reduce price of Missiles and Interceptor Darts
- [Balance] Reduce Interceptor Turret windup and charge times (25 -> 15 minutes)
- [Balance] Building an AutoDoc will require regular Microchip instead of Improved one
- [Balance] Increase prices of Leather, Wood, Log, Space Suits and Helmets
- [Balance] Some traders will have better offerings in lower difficulty sectors
- [Balance] Increase Online Shop stock
- [Balance] MiniCores will not be craftable
- [Balance] Beings with mental health and an Obey Chip will suffer a permanent sanity debuff
- [Balance] Add more items to the Online Shop
- [Balance] Reduce shuttle speed by 5x
- [Balance] Block all NPC ship hail interactions that require a Trade Portal if one isn't available
- [Balance] Make food cheaper
- [Balance] Make Phasium and Fusion Cells cheaper
- [Balance] Increase Rock price by 10x
- [Balance] Allow ordering body part removal for body parts that have other parts attached
- [Balance] Starcreds Mining Upgrade will no longer be craftable (could be bought / found in anomalies)
- [Balance] Make Mini Turret a bit more expensive to build
- [Balance] Adjust skill level up rate so that low level skills will level up much faster
- [Balance] Interior doors will have even less insulation and airtightness when closed
- [Balance] Each plant will have a different harvest work amount
- [Balance] Non-outlaw ships will not retaliate for attacking an outlaw ship of the same faction
- [UI/UX] Maneuvering controllers will now use visual ship positioning to move in local space
- [UI/UX] Improve the Trade UI
- [UI/UX] When possible, show operational errors in the middle of the screen
- [UI/UX] Add mass action to forget selected being ashes with one click
- [UI/UX] Merge Storage Settings and Storage UI elements into one block
- [UI/UX] Auto resize UI left/right text to prevent overlaps
- [UI/UX] Improve crafting order choice UI
- [UI/UX] Redo being info panel top block to show large avatar and personal biography
- [UI/UX] Add low memory warning when running out of RAM
- [UI/UX] Polish selected beings info panel UI (more tooltips, etc)
- [UI/UX] Ending drag operation above UI will no longer cancel it
- [UI/UX] Improve scenario setup being choice UI
- [UI/UX] Improve stasis wake-up choice UI
- [UI/UX] Eliminate need for scrolling in several UI widgets on Steam Deck
- [UI/UX] Improve main menu: auto select first item in the list of submenus
- [UI/UX] Suggestion popups will not show up any UI is open
- [UI/UX] Hide option to store beings who are loaded into assembly hubs / surgery hubs
- [UI/UX] Auto size tool menu button text if it doesn't fit
- [UI/UX] Improve Flammable block in Full Stats view of devices and objects
- [UI/UX] Improve story event log UI
- [UI/UX] Add hint about camera memory when relocating objects from a derelict ship
- [UI/UX] Add visual notification about saving camera position to memory
- [UI/UX] Don't show scanning UI until a radar becomes available
- [UI/UX] Improve body part slot UI
- [UI/UX] Improve tooltips and codex entries of weapons and equipment to clarify the quality level at which stats are displayed
- [UI/UX] Remove "Force operator" toggle from all devices except Bridge Controls, Communicator and Terraform Controls
- [UI/UX] Order space object labels in the starmap so that more important labels are displayed above less important ones
- [UI/UX] Show a warning notification when a storage unit is unreachable
- [UI/UX] List all radars and their strength in radar strength warning popup
- [UI/UX] Improve being body tooltip
- [UI/UX] Group Left/Right body parts in Body UI
- [UI/UX] Don't show popups about beings failing to mourn the dead
- [UI/UX] Set minimum allowed UI font scale to 80% (was 100%)
- [UI/UX] Don't show "disables achievements" warnings in sandbox game settings
- [UI/UX] Show notification popups something important is found in a Storage Capsule
- [UI/UX] Add Codex entry: Electricity > Computer Resources Bonus
- [UI/UX] Add "Industrial Equipment" and "Industrial Equipment (Noisy)" labels to industrial device codex entries
- [UI/UX] Improve room and section overlay (tooltips with links, section size)
- [UI/UX] Show a hint about exiting hyperspace if the player remains in hyperspace for over 8 in-game hours
- [UI/UX] Don't show "Accept Chance %" in Space Station "Trade" hail action (Space Stations always trade)
- [UI/UX] Show a tooltip with player's cash when hovering ship class license buy button
- [UI/UX] Show a tooltip with disposable output when hovering a Dispose button
- [UI/UX] "Carry to disposer" task fail reasons will contain more details
- [UI/UX] "Haul to storage" task fail reason will contain more details
- [UI/UX] Show "Storage is full" red warning label in full storage tooltips
- [UI/UX] Display a fanfare message and log when a starving colonist attempts to grab food from unsafe area
- [UI/UX] Don't show wide screen padding settings for non-wide screens
- [UI/UX] Wide screen padding slider will stop at 16:9 aspect ratio
- [UI/UX] Add "In Queue" option to the Twitch UI viewer filter
- [UI/UX] Highlight the most important UI element of the selected entity in the Info Panel
- [UI/UX] Limit how far the mouse drag-release can flick the game map / starmap / research tree
- [UI/UX] Make it possible to order installing an upgrade directly from the upgrade object UI
- [UI/UX] Display a dialog when Asimov Override Upgrade gets installed
- [UI/UX] Show event notification and add log line when someone levels up
- [UI/UX] Improve rename being dialog
- [UI/UX] Improve Particle Collector choice UI
- [UI/UX] Don't show some hail actions when interacting with space stations at a distance
- [UI/UX] Include contained raw materials into unbuild tile hover tooltip
- [UI/UX] Update Demolition icon to look more intuitive
- [UI/UX] Expose Lock/Unlock buttons on Doors directly in the Info Panel
- [UI/UX] Hide Stasis Array stability warning after the array gets connected
- [UI/UX] Add list of devices that contribute to ship's class points in Ship Combat Class Points tooltip
- [UI/UX] Reorder Tutorials according to importance
- [UI/UX] Improve Research and Space Travel tutorials to handle going off-script better
- [UI/UX] Display both X and crutch icon in lists if a being is incapacitated with irreparable damage to its body parts
- [UI/UX] Group game modifiers and organize the Current Game Settings panel
- [UI/UX] Disallow launching mining expeditions if estimated mining rate is lower than minimum mining rate in mining orders
- [UI/UX] Limit mass construct / relocate to 250 tiles per batch (tunable via JSON)
- [UI/UX] Display map margins when mass relocating / building a copy
- [UI/UX] Show more information about stat modifiers in stat tooltips
- [UI/UX] Show warnings when mass selected tiles cannot have their copies built
- [UI/UX] Show warning messages when trying to build or relocate devices at invalid locations
- [AI] Improve combat AI behavior
- [AI] Improve raider break-in mechanic to not target walls when it doesn't make sense
- [AI] Improve "Admire object" behavior to choose closer objects and fail less often
- [AI] Workers will not extinguish fires that are not worth extinguishing (fires in space, burning living enemies, etc)
- [AI] When Nutrient Extractor / Disassembler queue is full, workers will try next available device instead of dropping the item on the floor
- [AI] Improve self-unstucking logic for grounded beings
- [Tech] Upgrade Unity to 6.2
- [Tech] Improve texture atlas packing algorithm to produce more tightly packed graphics cache
- [Tech] Add crash recovery dialog with suggestion to lower graphics quality if game crashed while building graphics cache
- [Tech] Prompt sharing a crash report after loading a game post crash
- [Tech] Automatically upload latest unshared crash report when submitting the feedback form
- [Misc] Remove "Pause on camera motion" video setting
- [Misc] Remove "Experimental Features" setting
- [Misc] Add /space telescope_find console command to set telescope progress to 99.999%
- [Misc] Change some English phrasing to sound more natural
- [Performance] Improve performance when hauling thousands of steel plates from deconstructed derelict
- [Performance] Significantly improve cached graphics load time on higher end GPUs
- [Performance] Optimize performance in several hot code paths (should reduce mass-desconstruction stutter)
- [Graphics] Rewrite the rendering system for icons and moving objects
- [Graphics] Compress all textures in GPU memory
- [Graphics] Optimize all sprites to take less space on disk
- [Graphics] Ensure all dynamically created textures are destroyed to reduce GPU memory pressure
- [Graphics] Add "Settings > Video > Disable Device Animations" setting
- [Graphics] Change bot visuals and hover behaviors when different mobilizer body parts are installed
- [Graphics] Make human heads face the camera in certain positions to make face more visible
- [Graphics] Make interior walls thick to visually connect them with other wall types
- [Graphics] Reduce dirt and dust storm texture sizes to improve performance
- [Graphics] Reenable starfield nebula visual effect on Mac OSX
- [Graphics] Reenable Terrain Generator visual effect on Mac OSX
- [Graphics] Make Coffee and Water containers visually smaller
- [Graphics] Add "Settings > Video > Immersive Icons" setting to make status icons react to environmental lighting
- [Graphics] Make plant seeds and sprouts appear below beings
- [Graphics] Beings lying on the floor will no longer be rendered below raw materials
- [Graphics] Auto-disable cursor light when the ambient light setting is "Fog of War"
- [Graphics] Auto-hide status icons that aren't supposed to be visible when "Fog of War" is enabled
- [Graphics] Pitch Black ambient light setting will actually be pitch black
- [Graphics] Make ambient light settings moddable via JSON files
- [Graphics] Animate Beam Drill
- [Graphics] Animate Oxygen Pumps
- [Graphics] Animate Ship Computer
- [Graphics] Animate Flux Capacitor
- [Graphics] Animate Grinder and make it 2x2 instead of 3x3
- [Graphics] Animate Breach Capsule drill bit
- [Graphics] Animate Centrifuge and make it smaller (2x2 instead of 3x3)
- [Graphics] Animate Radar and System Scanner
- [Graphics] Animate Void Ripper
- [Graphics] Animate Telescope
- [Graphics] Animate Shield Emitter
- [Graphics] Animate Crafting Station
- [Graphics] Animate Cloning Pod
- [Graphics] Animate Repair Station
- [Graphics] Animate Quantum Data Harvester
- [Graphics] Animate Assembler
- [Graphics] Animate Particle Collector
- [Graphics] Animate AutoDoc
- [Graphics] Animate Treadmill
- [Graphics] Animate OxyMatic Floor
- [Graphics] Animate Loom and make it 1x1 instead of 2x2
- [Graphics] Animate Nutrient Extractor and make it smaller (2x2 instead of 3x3)
- [Graphics] Make System Scanner smaller (2x2 instead of 3x3)
- [Graphics] Make Research Station Smaller (2x1 instead of 3x2)
- [Graphics] Make pumpkins visually smaller
- [Graphics] Add more frames to turret animations to make them smooth
- [Graphics] Add "Settings > Video > Disable All Visual Effects"
- [Graphics] Add --uncompressed-textures parameter to Stardeus executable to skip texture compression
- [Graphics] Fix GPU memory leak in electricity grid visual effect upon returning back to Main Menu from the game session
- [Graphics] Fix some particle systems (fire, smoke, etc) could become invisible due to unwanted culling
- [Graphics] Interceptor Turret will appear below beings
- [Audio] Make Mini Turrets more quiet when they're shooting
- [Mods] Major updates will maintain separate mod lists
- [Mods] Show a warning popup when a modded game system fails to initialized
- [Mods] Appending _DISABLED to a mod folder name will skip loading it
- [Mods] Have a separate field for mod description in game and on steam in ModInfo
- [Mods] Don't log every mod class type that gets loaded
- [Mods] Disallow registering console commands with space in the command name
- [Mods] Show a warning popup when a mod fails to restore its part of the save data
- [Mods] Add game version tag to all mods and ships uploaded to Steam Workshop
- [Mods] Add DescriptionSteam string field in ModInfo to allow maintaining separate mod description for in game and on the Steam Workshop
- [Mods] Add DoNotUpdateSteamDescription bool field in ModInfo
- [Mods] Do not update Steam Workshop description for updated shared ships
- [Mods] Show "Update on Steam Workshop" button for mods / ships that already exist on Steam
- [Mods] Throw an exception when registering a console command with a duplicate name
- [Mods] Add --force-png-atlas command line argument for visually debugging texture atlases
- [Mods] Load the mod DLL files before loading everything else
- [Mods] Replacing core mod textures no longer requires defining the Atlas in the overriding mod
- [Mods] Overriding core mod atlases is no longer allowed (can add new atlases for new texture folders only)
- [Bug] Fix faction attitude towards self wouldn't be 100%
- [Bug] Fix stripping equipment off a sleeping being would change it's visual offset
- [Bug] Fix Communicator operator would keep dropping the task if "Operator Required" was on
- [Bug] Fix colonizing a planet would spawn a space port in empty space
- [Bug] Fix changing game modifiers after selecting game difficulty / commitment would reset them to defaults
- [Bug] Fix beings wouldn't try temporary sleeping spots if they can't reach their assigned beds
- [Bug] Fix language button could get hidden behind news panel on Steam Deck
- [Bug] Fix some tutorial tooltips could get broken due to non-english keyboard localization
- [Bug] Fix some materials that were meant to be explosive wouldn't be
- [Bug] Fix loading a material into storage would fail if the material was adjacent to the storage input port
- [Bug] Fix crafting devices could show wrong "lacking material" type
- [Bug] Fix ordering body part operations for beings who are already loaded into assembly hubs / surgery hubs would be allowed
- [Bug] Fix deep scan would never be available in starting sector
- [Bug] Fix impossible to answer a ship hail if the communicator was turned off or not built before hail started
- [Bug] Fix selecting an object or opening object's details panel could show the newly opened panel below other panels
- [Bug] Fix rescue goals would get created for hostile beings if they got stuck on a 1x1 tile in space
- [Bug] Fix reenabling disabled melee / shooting jobs would not restore being's ability to fight until save / load
- [Bug] Fix clicking around Codex UI would reset the scroll position of the left list
- [Bug] Fix disabling Smooth Drag in input settings would also disable Starmap and Research Tree panning with WASD and gamepad stick
- [Bug] Fix attempting to use maneuvering controllers on the edge of the map would keep opening Ship Controls overlay and zooming the camera out
- [Bug] Fix click-dragging wouldn't be allowed if the click started above a background space object
- [Bug] Fix loading a save file would not put sleeping beings into their beds until clock was resumed
- [Bug] Fix Stasis Array particles would not update their position after local maneuvering / winching
- [Bug] Fix changing trade panel search input wouldn't reset the scroll position
- [Bug] Fix workers would go to the input/output port of an operatable device instead of going to the work spot
- [Bug] Fix colonists with Obey Chip were able to join a Mutiny
- [Bug] Fix resizing the game window could result in some UI elements looking broken
- [Bug] Fix broken Main Menu > Mods pagination
- [Bug] Fix UI wide screen padding would affect main menu backdrop and panel modal overlay
- [Bug] Fix not discovered research nodes would show tooltips with their names when minified
- [Bug] Fix moving a storage while workers were hauling materials to that storage would make hauled materials disappear
- [Bug] Fix crawler facehugging a human without mental health would cause an internal error
- [Bug] Automatically recover from inconsistency created by internal errors which prevents a being from relocation / disposal
- [Bug] Fix material deficits wouldn't get cleared for "completed" crafting orders
- [Bug] Fix some showers could get clogged but cleaning task would not get created
- [Bug] Fix beings could get stuck in Surgery / Assembly Hubs if part designated for swap was destroyed
- [Bug] Fix beings with Obey Chip would become hostile during mental breakdowns
- [Bug] Fix choosing to "Produce One" on a crafting device would show the batch size from the last setting in the tooltip
- [Bug] Fix an edge case where a ship combat device could get registered twice
- [Bug] Fix beings getting stuck in a teleporter if the teleporter lost power
- [Bug] Fix relocating a bed would unset the assignments
- [Bug] Fix feedback form could be submitted before the feedback save file was fully created
- [Bug] Fix feedback form would silently fail to create a feedback save file if autosave was running at the time
- [Bug] Fix search input field wouldn't work in Codex Blueprints / Materials UI
- [Bug] Fix electric grid producers tab would show devices from all grids
- [Bug] Fix meteoroids could sometimes phase through a wall
- [Bug] Fix renaming a being with former non-player faction could be disallowed until save / load
- [Bug] Fix cancelling a refill task on a refillable device would never recreate it unless the device configuration was opened
- [Bug] Fix refillable device configuration tooltip could get too big
- [Bug] Fix having too many unhealthy beings would produce a group tooltip that is too big
- [Bug] Fix removing helmets / space suits in hazardous environment would not trigger Asimov's Law violations
- [Bug] Fix grounded beings would not build some larger devices attached to the ship
- [Bug] Fix some objects could be visible through walls in unlit rooms when Fog of War was enabled
- [Bug] Fix workers would often try to construct a wall while the floor wasn't yet built while performing bulk construction
- [Bug] Fix research root card texts would be blurry if research tree was opened while zoomed out and then zoomed in
- [Bug] Fix relocating a Tractor Beam would not transfer its configuration
- [Bug] Fix Bot Docks would sometimes not stop charging / consuming electricity even if there was no bot docked
- [Bug] Fix "Attack Turret" AI combat action could repeat without a cooldown if no turret was reachable
- [Bug] Fix friendly robot mind in biological body would not force the AI Alignment to be 100%
- [Bug] Fix rotating a section that had a hole in the center wouldn't do the rotation
- [Bug] Fix swapping a beings brain would prevent sanity UI from updating correctly until save / load
Follow the Development

Official Website: https://stardeusgame.com
Join Stardeus Discord
/r/stardeus on Reddit
@StardeusGame on Twitter
@dev_spajus on Twitter
@KodoLinija on YouTube (devlogs)
dev_spajus on Twitch (live development streams)
Get Stardeus
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1380910/Stardeus/
Original post
06 Oct 2025Developer post
The Epic Race WINNERS!!!
Hello fellow travelers Today is a monumental day. Today is the day we announce the winners of The Epic Race. If you're not up to speed: The Epic Race was an event we held until last Friday, where the goal was to get to OlausMagnus sector in the Redqueen region the fastest in the
16 Sep 2025Developer post
The Epic Race Challenge
Introducing: The Epic Race! Whoever can get to OlausMagnus sector in the Redqueen region the fastest in the provided save will be given the opportunity to name a robot , pet or planet (that will stay in the game forever)! Second and third place prizes will be announced at the end
Introducing: The Epic Race!
Whoever can get to OlausMagnus sector in the Redqueen region the fastest in the provided save will be given the opportunity to name a robot, pet or planet (that will stay in the game forever)!
Second and third place prizes will be announced at the end of the challenge.
Rules for the challenge are:
Get to the sector as fast as possible. (in-game days+clock)
To avoid any issues, play on v0.13.
No cheating.
No mods.
The challenge runs from right NOW until 3rd of October 4 pm CEST (2025).
You can download the save here.
Submit your results with an in-game bug report in the "Other" category with the Short Title "Epic Race Submission" and make sure to add a way to contact you. (Discord username, e-mail, etc)
To install the save, start the game & select any save-game. Press the "More Actions" button and click the "Open directory" button. Then once the directory has opened, go up one folder & drop "The Epic Race" folder inside the zip into the "Saves" directory.
Follow the Development
Official Website: https://stardeusgame.com
Join Stardeus Discord
/r/stardeus on Reddit
@StardeusGame on Twitter
@dev_spajus on Twitter
@KodoLinija on YouTube (devlogs)
dev_spajus on Twitch (live development streams)
Get Stardeus:
View game page
Original post
18 Aug 2025Developer post
Story & Drama Open For Testing
Hey everyone! I've been working hard on the Stardeus v0.14 "Story & Drama" major update over the summer and it's almost ready! It's now open for public testing. If you'd like to try it and provide feedback, follow these steps to activate it: Right-click Stardeus in your Steam
Hey everyone!
I've been working hard on the Stardeus v0.14 "Story & Drama" major update over the summer and it's almost ready!
It's now open for public testing. If you'd like to try it and provide feedback, follow these steps to activate it:

Right-click Stardeus in your Steam library.
Choose "Properties."
Select the "Betas" tab.
Choose "v0_14_pre" from the dropdown.
There are many significant changes to the gameplay, there will be a separate post about it.
Discuss the update on Discord in the #v014-playtest channel or here on Steam. Bug reports and feedback are greatly appreciated!
The v0.14 update will launch for everyone after several weeks. See you then!
- spajus
Original post
13 Jun 2025GamingOnLinux
Starship colony building sim Stardeus gets a free weekend and big sale
Stardeus is a colony building sim set in space, where you build up your own spaceship to go off exploring and survive. Read the full article here:
12 Jun 2025PCGamesN
FTL and Factorio style colony sim from Paradox is totally free to play right now
Crusader Kings 3, Stellaris, and Europa Universalis 4 creator and publisher Paradox has maintained a solid track record with its indie-focused Paradox Arc label. Since the company debuted Arc in 2022, its put out everything from Surviving the Abyss and Escape the Mad Empire to St
12 Jun 2025Developer post
FREE WEEKEND AND 50% OFF!
Hello travelers, Ever since the ship combat update, we've pushed over 20 + updates with fixes and balancing. To celebrate this, we've now have a 50% discount AND free to play until the week ends! Tell your friends! Tell your grandma who's really into rpgs! And tell that annoying
Hello travelers,
Ever since the ship combat update, we've pushed over 20+ updates with fixes and balancing.
To celebrate this, we've now have a 50% discount AND free to play until the week ends! Tell your friends! Tell your grandma who's really into rpgs! And tell that annoying co-worker who's always talking about their cat (we see you, greg).
We also heard that some other kind of "edge-world" game has some space DLC coming up? This will SURELY prove we have the SUPERIOR SPACE SHIP COLONY SIMULATOR... yess... that'll show em....
Follow the Development
Official Website:
https://stardeusgame.com
Join Stardeus Discord
/r/stardeus on Reddit
@StardeusGame on Twitter
@dev_spajus on Twitter
@KodoLinija on YouTube (devlogs)
dev_spajus on Twitch (live development streams)
Get Stardeus
View game page
Original post
13 May 2025GamingOnLinux
RimWorld in space, colony sim Stardeus gets a major upgrade with ship combat
Kodo Linija and publisher Paradox Arc have released a massive update to Stardeus, that's a bit like a RimWorld in space with ship-building. Now, it has ship to ship combat too. Read the full article here:
08 May 2025PCGamesN
Inspired by Rimworld and FTL, hidden gem space game Stardeus just got way better
Stardeus is an ambitious space game that came out back in 2022, combining the management design and strategy focus of projects like Rimworld, FTL, Factorio, and Stellaris into something new. It's garnered a 'Very Positive' user rating on Steam in the time since, but, as an Early
07 May 2025Developer post
Stardeus "Ship Combat" Major Update
Greetings, Space Travelers! We are excited to announce the release of the Ship Combat major update! Let's take a look at the noteworthy changes it brings. A day in the life At last, the Stardeus Universe won't feel as lonely anymore. You will encounter NPC spaceships that are bus
Greetings, Space Travelers!
We are excited to announce the release of the Ship Combat major update! Let's take a look at the noteworthy changes it brings.
A day in the life
At last, the Stardeus Universe won't feel as lonely anymore. You will encounter NPC spaceships that are busy going about their own adventure. You will be able to interact the same way they interact with each other. As a player, you won't get any special treatment. While there will be some scripted story events involving NPC ships, most interactions will happen organically.
Live and Let die
Ship to ship combat was the most requested feature of all time, and it's finally here! All ships (including space stations) can be attacked. Ships will also be able to attack each other and YOU! It's even possible to fight more than one opponent at once!
Ship combat is inspired by two legendary games - Starsector and FTL. If you've played those, the combat will feel familiar.
Several new ship devices were added to make combat possible:

5 types of weapons (Ballistic, Laser, Missile, Plasma, and Point Defense)
Shield Emitters replace Quantum Barriers and protect the entire ship regardless of placement
Flux Capacitors will ~~charge your DeLorean~~ increase the amount of damage your shields can absorb before overloading
Please, take the Ship Combat tutorial to learn all the new mechanics and complete the new "Make Ship Combat Ready" quest to arm yourself acordingly.
Defeating a ship turns it into a Derelict that you can approach and salvage. The destroyed ship’s surviving loadout may appear as loot.
Ship Interactions
Several types of interactions can happen between ships - either between you and NPCs, or between NPCs themselves:

Hail: Any ship can hail another to initiate a chat and trigger interactions
Attack: A ship can attack another or join an ongoing battle
Give Gift: A ship may offer gifts to improve faction relations
Ask Fuel: A low-fuel ship can request fuel, affecting relationships
Trade: Some ships are open to exchanging goods
Extortion: Pirates may demand ransom under threat of combat
Follow: A ship may tail another out of curiosity or with later intent
Avoid: Threatened ships try to escape and hyperjump away
Ignore: Ships may ignore you, which can be a relief when it’s pirates
Surrender: Only in combat, and not guaranteed to work
Insult: Throw insults and see what happens
Return Beacons
Found a resource rich sector you'd love to revisit? Drop a Return Beacon and make it one hyperjump away! This fast travel system is so good it should probably be illegal.
Warp Drives
Two new engine types make exploration easier. The Warp Drive lets you jump anywhere in your current region. The late-game Alien Warp Drive lets you warp to any region, regardless of distance. Forget hyperlane restrictions.
UI Enhancements
The UI continues to improve. v0.13 introduces locking tooltips and clickable text links to codex entries or object locations. If it's underlined, you can click it.
As always, there's soo much more.
You can read the full changelog below.
And, until next time; be safe out there, space cowboy.
The Changelog
v0.13.0 (2025.05.07)
- [Major] Populate the universe with NPC ships of other factions
- [Major] Add Ship to Ship Combat
- [Major] Add various interactions between ships (NPC <-> Player and NPC <-> NPC)
- [Feature] Add tutorial: Ship Combat
- [Feature] Add Quest: Make Ship Combat Ready
- [Feature] Add Ship Weapon: Shredder Cannon (Ballistic type)
- [Feature] Add Ship Weapon: Heavy Laser (Laser type)
- [Feature] Add Ship Weapon: Rocket Pod (Missile type)
- [Feature] Add Ship Weapon: Gauss Striker (Plasma type)
- [Feature] Add Ship Weapon: Interceptor Turret (Point Defense type)
- [Feature] Add Shield Emitter device for ship shields
- [Feature] Add Flux Capacitor device that increases ship flux capacity
- [Feature] Make ship weapons attack meteoroids, asteroids and breach capsule
- [Feature] Make ship shields defend from micro meteoroids
- [Feature] Turn Space Stations into Ship type for them to have ship to ship interactions
- [Feature] Add Space Story Event: Pirate Ship Attack
- [Feature] Add space story event: Pirate Ship Extortion
- [Feature] Add Space Story Event: Law Enforcement Raid
- [Feature] Add Space Story Event: Ship Duel
- [Feature] Add Space Story Event: Ship asking for fuel
- [Feature] Deep Scan will run passively and automatically all the time when available
- [Feature] Communicator will require an operator for communicating with other ships
- [Feature] Add Winch Range Upgrade that allows reeling in derelicts from any distance
- [Feature] Add "Find Resource" suggestion that point out scanning research and functionality
- [Feature] Add Return Beacon device, research and Starmap UI for fast-travel to visited locations
- [Feature] Destroying a Void Ripper will warp the ship to a random location in the universe
- [Feature] Destroying a Void Ripper will spawn 3 Dark Matter
- [Feature] Change faction attitude for the victim against the attacker after victim is defeated
- [Feature] Change faction attitude for observer NPC ships when a ship is defeated
- [Feature] Add Warp Drive research (Tier 4)
- [Feature] Add Local Warp Drive that can jump to any sector within the region
- [Feature] Add Alien Warp Drive research (Tier 6)
- [Feature] Add Horizon Warp Drive that can jump to any distant region
- [Feature] Add Notes overlay with a scratchpad for taking in-game notes
- [Feature] Add two types of wooden floor tiles
- [Feature] Mining an owned resource deposit will make owner's ships in the sector attack the player
- [Feature] Space Port will spawn ships to attack the player if there is a need and no ships are around
- [Feature] Add Storage Capsule loot types: Mini Core, Obey Chip
- [Feature] Allow toggling Nanobots compatible job types in Job Matrix UI
- [Feature] Add Firewall Chip implant that prevents Hacking and adds Energy Resistance
- [Feature] Make Crawler Goo craftable
- [Feature] Trap Floors will automatically destroy Eggs when they are placed above them
- [Feature] Add "Crawler Combat Alert" toggle in Current Game Settings to ignore crawler combat when farming them
- [Balance] Going through a Black Hole will discharge only one Void Ripper
- [Balance] Going through a Black Hole will deal some structural damage to the Void Ripper
- [Balance] Limit max deep scans per location to 3
- [Balance] Move Extended Scanning to Tier 4 before Telescope
- [Balance] Make scanning strength increase linearly (used to be square root)
- [Balance] Limit maximum scanning strength to 10
- [Balance] Hyperjump drives will have to charge up before use when in ship to ship combat
- [Balance] Radar will not be required to reveal resource deposits when entering a sector
- [Balance] Gold and Platinum will be easier to find
- [Balance] Deep Scan will allow finding more rare materials in easier difficulty sectors
- [Balance] Deep Scan speed will depend on sector difficulty
- [Balance] Deep Scan will run much faster for subsequent scans (still limited to max 3)
- [Balance] Magnetic storm will increase dust accumulation and particle collector output by 2x
- [Balance] Connector Malfunction story event will only happen on Impossible difficulty
- [Balance] Increase electric devices per 1Thz CPU from 20 to 25 and make the value tunable
- [Balance] Most electronic components will be destroyed if a device containing them gets destroyed
- [Balance] Part Storage will be unlocked with Assembly Hub, not Disassembler
- [Balance] Reduce frequency of Cooking Incident and Cleaning Incident story events
- [Balance] Repairing a damaged device will never take less than 15 minutes of game time
- [Balance] Slow down meteoroids by 25-50% when they are part of a larger shower
- [Balance] Make meteoroids move 5x faster
- [Balance] Reduce Coffee Tree water consumption by 2x
- [Balance] Unlock Radar as part of basic tech
- [Balance] Refinery, Fabricator, Grinder, Flux Capacitor and Warp Drives will generate heat while operating
- [Balance] Destroying a Breach Capsule with ship weapons will spawn the wounded raiders
- [Balance] Allow deploying AutoDrill Rigs to deposits without depth
- [Balance] Reduce amount of Glass provided at the beginning of Wrecked and Leaving Earth scenarios
- [Balance] Resources found via Deep Scan in an owned sector will have 50% chance of being owned
- [Balance] Mining a deposit belonging to another faction will have more diverse consequences (breach capsules + ship attacks)
- [Balance] Adjust incoming breach capsule speeds
- [Balance] Reorganize Space Travel research tree
- [Balance] Selling ship sections will be more profitable
- [Balance] Biological beings with Obey Chip will be prone to Hacking
- [Balance] Don't spawn living grounded raiders when breach capsule is destroyed in space
- [Balance] Adjust outcomes of Hacked event
- [Balance] Battery Overload event won't happen for bots that are docked, charging or undergoing repairs
- [UI/UX] Suggest disabling crawler combat alerts when choosing to clone crawler or egg once per session
- [UI/UX] Add "Load Game" menu item to Pause Panel
- [UI/UX] Display a warning if no worker is capable of certain task type
- [UI/UX] Make research tree paths clickable in tooltips and UI
- [UI/UX] Warn if Trade Portal is not available when trying to trade with a hailed ship
- [UI/UX] Add link to Trade Portal codex entry in "Trade portal not available" messages
- [UI/UX] Add clickable links to space objects when tooltips or popup mention them
- [UI/UX] Display class points cost in codex entries of all ship devices
- [UI/UX] Shift-clicking devices while a connector is selected will ignore click-drags
- [UI/UX] Improve crafting device context menu popup behavior
- [UI/UX] Warn about building too many scanners
- [UI/UX] Show Scan Strength in Radar / System Scanner codex entries
- [UI/UX] Change order of scenario configuration screens to allow modifiers to get configured before space map
- [UI/UX] Show Black Hole information when hovering Regions and Sectors in the Starmap
- [UI/UX] Make some space object names in tooltips clickable (will focus on the object in the starmap)
- [UI/UX] Improve UI panel focus on click behavior
- [UI/UX] List incompatible Brains / Cores in Replicator / ML Booth
- [UI/UX] Show warning tooltip when trying to load incompatible item into Replicator / ML Booth
- [UI/UX] Add more details to Needs stat tooltips
- [UI/UX] Add links to entities in entity / being task tooltips
- [UI/UX] Mental health effects will track the location of the event
- [UI/UX] Show hand cursor when hovering clickable items
- [UI/UX] Remove text highlights when hovering clickable text links in favor of hand cursor
- [UI/UX] Improve storable being component UI
- [UI/UX] Improve disposable component UI
- [UI/UX] List sections that will be abandoned when doing a hyperjump
- [UI/UX] Display links to objects when hovering clickable texts anywhere in the UI
- [UI/UX] Improve camera auto move speed / smoothness when focusing on distant objects
- [UI/UX] Enhance Available Tasks UI with better tooltips
- [UI/UX] Split Structure category into Floors, Walls and Doors in Build Menu
- [UI/UX] Don't show more than 3 tasks in the tooltip when hovering a location with multiple tasks
- [UI/UX] Don't show more than 10 items in the tooltip when hovering a location with multiple objects
- [UI/UX] Improve Codex > Factions UI to show relationships between NPC factions
- [UI/UX] Add "Eject All" button to all storages
- [Tech] Upgrade Unity to 6000.0.48f1
- [Tech] Loud sounds (explosions, ship weapons) will affect music volume
- [Mods] Add more checks and diagnostics for validating mod upload issues
- [Mods] Add mod_debug prepare and mod_debug upload_prepared console commands
- [Mods] Fix race condition that would prevent mods from uploading on lower latency network connections
- [Misc] Remove Quantum Barrier device and related research
- [Misc] Remove Directional Turret device and related research
- [Misc] Remove Security Controls device and related research
- [Misc] Remove Security overlay
- [Bug] Fix workers would try hauling objects to storage when storage was full
- [Bug] Fix workers would try hauling dead bodies to surgery / assembly hub while hub was occupied
- [Bug] Fix beings would take deadly unsafe paths if the destination was safer (usually warmer) than the start
- [Bug] Fix unlocking last research item would not hide the "Research available" notification
- [Bug] Fix unloading research would visually corrupt the unloaded research UI element
- [Bug] Fix Mining Orders popup could change the orders of the wrong expedition when multiple expeditions were configured
- [Bug] Fix space effects would not reset state between different game sessions, causing bugs on save / load
- [Bug] Fix changing equipment would not immediately update DPS values in Combat Controls UI
- [Bug] Fix enemy combat units could get stuck in outer areas without entrance to the rest of the ship
- [Bug] Fix enemies would try to break in through doors that lead to nowhere interesting
- [Bug] Fix workers could get stuck for 2 in-game hours waiting for path evaluation when there was no path
- [Bug] Fix pressing R would not rotate a tile blueprint if the mouse was moving
- [Bug] Fix mass-ordering installing upgrades would not create an upgrade task for devices that had another task pending (e.g. reactor refill)
- [Bug] Fix Xenodetectors would be scanning even when switched off
- [Bug] Fix grounded beings with "Fight" combat reaction would keep dropping their work if there were unreachable enemy units
Follow the Development

Official Website: https://stardeusgame.com
Join Stardeus Discord
/r/stardeus on Reddit
@StardeusGame on Twitter
@dev_spajus on Twitter
@KodoLinija on YouTube (devlogs)
dev_spajus on Twitch (live development streams)
Get Stardeus
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1380910/Stardeus/
Original post
28 Apr 2025Developer post
v0.13 is releasing Soon!
Hey Space Travelers! The Ship Combat (v0.13) major update is almost ready for public release! We are grateful to everyone who playtested it in the alpha branch. Your feedback and bug reports helped polish all the rough edges, as usual. We’re always listening and taking your feedb
Hey Space Travelers!
The Ship Combat (v0.13) major update is almost ready for public release! We are grateful to everyone who playtested it in the alpha branch. Your feedback and bug reports helped polish all the rough edges, as usual. We’re always listening and taking your feedback into account, even if it might not seem so.
We know some of you didn’t enjoy the Hyperspace update, as it introduced new restrictions to space travel and made survival more difficult. We’ve listened to your feedback. The Ship Combat update will address many of these inconveniences:

Return Beacons will allow you to fast travel to previously visited locations.
Automated deep scanning will “find” (spawn) several new resource deposits in almost every location, making it easier to acquire resources.
Two new types of Warp Drives will let you jump to sectors and regions without using hyperlanes.
NPC ships traveling the universe will make it almost impossible to get stranded, as you can trade with them or even ask for fuel when you’re in trouble.
Other than these inconvenience-fixes we’ve also stacked the update full of balancing changes, various UI fixes and of course, the whole Ship Combat thingy.
We’re now going back to radio silence. (Unless you’re in the discord, of course. We’re active there as usual.)
Early next month everyone will be able to enjoy a new Stardeus universe full of life and adventure, with hundreds of NPC ships traveling about.
See you soon!
// Spajus & Lizz The Community Manager
Original post
16 Apr 2025Developer post
Ship Combat Open For Testing
Hey everyone! The Stardeus v0.13 "Ship Combat" major update is almost ready and is now open for public testing. If you'd like to try it and provide feedback, follow these steps to activate it: Right-click Stardeus in your Steam library. Choose "Properties." Select the "Betas" tab
Hey everyone!
The Stardeus v0.13 "Ship Combat" major update is almost ready and is now open for public testing. If you'd like to try it and provide feedback, follow these steps to activate it:

Right-click Stardeus in your Steam library.
Choose "Properties."
Select the "Betas" tab.
Choose "v0_13_pre" from the dropdown.
Take the "Ship Combat" tutorial and explore the new Codex entries to learn the ropes.
Discuss the update on Discord in the #v013-ship-combat channel or here on Steam. Bug reports and feedback are greatly appreciated!
The v0.13 update will launch for everyone in a couple of weeks. See you then!
- spajus
Original post
18 Feb 2025Developer post
Stardeus Modding Enhancements and Guide
Hey, Space Travelers! Stardeus has received a major modding upgrade—JSON patching. This method allows modifications to core JSON files without overwriting them. Mods using this approach will be more reliable and compatible with future updates. Even better, multiple mods can patch
Watch on YouTube
Hey, Space Travelers!
Stardeus has received a major modding upgrade—JSON patching.
This method allows modifications to core JSON files without overwriting them. Mods using this approach will be more reliable and compatible with future updates. Even better, multiple mods can patch the same core file, eliminating override issues.
The rest of this update post is a tutorial on how to create your own mods. If you're interested, keep reading! If not, just know that mods support will be even better going forward!
Stardeus Modding Guide
What is JSON
JSON stands for “JavaScript Object Notation”, a human-readable plain text format. If you want to learn more about JSON, here’s a good resource: https://www.w3schools.com/js/js_json_intro.asp
However, JSON is so simple that you can easily understand it just by looking at a few examples.
How Stardeus uses JSON files
In Stardeus, behaviors are defined in C# code, which you can also mod but it requires programming knowledge and significantly more effort.
Content and various parameters are defined in JSON files that the game loads at runtime. To illustrate this, let’s examine a device.
This is a Charge Station. It has various properties and behaviors. The game recognizes the Charge Station because it loads a JSON file that defines it:
You can find this definition in the Core mod*:
Definitions/Objects/Devices/ChargeStation.json
* To open the contents of the Core mod, run Stardeus, then Main Menu > Mods > Core Game > Open Directory
This file specifies various properties of the Charge Station, such as the research required to unlock it and, most importantly, a list of Components.
Each Component block provides a specific function. Many of these components appear in other device definitions, but the ChargeStation component is what makes this device unique. Removing this component block would strip the Charge Station of its ability to recharge robots.
If you wanted the Charge Station to work twice as fast, you could change the ChargePerHour property from 25.0 to 50.0. However, modifying the Core mod directly means your changes would be overwritten when the game updates. In this guide, we’ll learn how to create mods that edit JSON files without altering the Core mod itself.
Beyond object definitions, Stardeus includes many other JSON files for configuring different aspects of the game. Tunable parameters, story events, species configurations, body parts, inventory items, character traits—even UI colors—are all defined in JSON and fully moddable.
Creating a Mod
The easiest way to create a new mod is to grab a copy of the empty mod here:
https://github.com/kodolinija/stardeus-mod-empty
Download the project as a zip file, extract it in the user mods folder*, rename the extracted folder to match your mod name (I like using the kebab-case when naming folders).
* User mods folder is located next to the Saves folder. You can open it from Stardeus:
Main Menu > Mods > About Mods > Open User Mods Directory
Then open the TODO.md file and go through the checklist:
- [ ] Update ModInfo.json - [ ] Create your own ModCover.jpg - [ ] Delete unnecessary directories
Run Stardeus and check if your empty mod appears in the Main Menu > Mods list. If it does, you're ready to start modding!
Changing Existing Behaviors and Parameters
Previously, modifying a JSON file required copying the entire file into your mod just to change a few lines. The game would then load the modded version instead of the original. The main problem with this method was that when the Core mod updated, the copied JSON file could become outdated or broken. This often caused older mods to stop working or, worse, silently break parts of the game.
The new approach—JSON patching—solves this issue. Here’s how it works:

Mods define patches.
Patches target specific core JSON files.
A patch contains a list of operations to modify the targeted JSON.
Operations can add, remove, or replace parts of the original JSON.
This method is based on the RFC 6902 standard, with custom extensions for advanced querying. It’s simpler than it sounds—you’ll see examples soon.
JSON patching support was added in v0.12.17 and I believe this will be a game-changer for modding.
Let’s say we want to mod the Charge Station to double its charging speed. We need to create a patch file inside the Patches directory of the mod. We’ll name it ChargeStation_2xSpeed.json to reflect its purpose.
The patch file looks like this:
{ "target" : "Definitions/Objects/Devices/ChargeStation.json", "operations" : [ { "op" : "replace", "path" : "/Components[Component=ChargeStation]/Properties[Key=ChargePerHour]/Float", "value" : 50.0 } ] }
Let’s break it down:
- target: The path to the JSON file inside the Core mod directory that we want to patch.
- operations: An array containing one or more operation blocks.
- op: The type of operation. In this case, replace. Valid types are add, replace, and remove.
- path: A query specifying which element of the original JSON file to modify. It may look complex, but it’s straightforward once broken down.
- value: The new value replacing the existing one. Here, we’re changing ChargePerHour from 25.0 to 50.0 to double the charging speed.
Now, let’s analyze the path step by step:
- /Components → Refers to the "Components" key in the original JSON, which contains a list of component blocks.
- /Components[Component=ChargeStation] → Filters this list to find the block where "Component" is set to "ChargeStation".
- /Properties → Refers to the "Properties" key within that block, which contains a list of component properties.
- /Properties[Key=ChargePerHour] → Filters the "Properties" list to find the block where "Key" is "ChargePerHour".
- /Float → Refers to the "Float" key inside that block, which holds the value we want to change.
Since Float is the key that contains the charging speed, this is the final part of the path.
OK, I admit it still looks a bit scary here. But the good news is that it’s the most complex path example I could come up with. If you understand this one, you’re going to be unstoppable!
Now, what happens when the game loads your mod with this patch? Next to the user Mods directory, a Patched directory will be created. If you look inside, you should find the patched ChargeStation.json file that looks something like this:
More examples of how to write various JSON patches can be found here:
https://github.com/kodolinija/stardeus-mod-template/tree/master/Patches
Adding New Content via JSON Files
To add new content, you’ll need to create new JSON files rather than patches. Place these files in the corresponding directories of your mod inside Definitions or Config. Check the Core mod for examples.
When creating new definitions, you can mix and match existing components and add new graphics for your devices. Explore the mod template project and check out these YouTube video tutorials for examples:
https://github.com/kodolinija/stardeus-mod-template
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvm1mLYInibc8n0Q5_caRql5nEUiBwvTC
Reference Source Code
If you want to write your own C# mods or understand how certain components work, you can explore the Reference Source Code that comes with the Core mod.
It’s not the complete source code, but it contains about 80% of the game’s codebase. Everything relevant to modding should be there. Unlike decompiled code, it includes comments, and constants are not replaced with literal values, making it much easier to read.
For the remaining 20%, you can decompile and explore the game DLL files using dnSpy or similar tools.
Join the Modding Community
Join the Stardeus Discord Server and visit #stardeus-modding channel to discuss with other modders and get help.
And I will be happy to personally answer any modding related questions there, or here on Steam Forums.
Happy modding!
- spajus
Original post
23 Jan 2025Developer post
Stardeus "Hyperspace" Major Update
Greetings, Space Travelers! Welcome to the Stardeus "Hyperspace" (v0.12) update! This update brings a massive package of new mechanics, content, and balance improvements. It's the perfect time to start a new run! This update has been available as a public beta since early Decembe
Greetings, Space Travelers!
Welcome to the Stardeus "Hyperspace" (v0.12) update! This update brings a massive package of new mechanics, content, and balance improvements. It's the perfect time to start a new run!
This update has been available as a public beta since early December and has been thoroughly tested and polished. Many suggestions and changes from early adopters have been implemented - thank you to everyone who participated in the beta test! If you would like to join in on giving feedback on future updates make sure to join the discord in the links below!
Now, let's take a look at some of the most noteworthy parts of this major update.
New Space Travel Mechanics
The biggest change is how the Stardeus universe is structured. It now has three layers:

Universe layer: Contains a cluster of regions.
Region layer: Contains a cluster of sectors. Each sector has something worth exploring.
Sector layer: Contains the objects within the sector (planets, asteroids, etc.).
Regions and sectors have difficulty levels. You'll want to start your run in an easy region and work your way up to explore the more challenging ones as you progress.
The difficulty level of your current location affects a variety of factors, including the resources you can find and the random events that may occur.
Most regions are interconnected with Hyperjump Relays. However, some of the more difficult regions lack these relays and will only be accessible once you obtain FTL drives.
Space Events overhaul
A major change in the new space system addresses a key point of player feedback: nobody liked being hit by asteroids or meteoroids out of nowhere. From now on these events only occur during travel.
However, there will still be dangerous sectors where threats like meteoroids are persistent but in most parts of space you can rest easy. Once you get your force fields up and running, you can start explore the dangerous areas on your own terms with minimal risk.
Smaller Ships
Starting scenarios will now produce smaller ships. The game has been reengineered and rebalanced to encourage keeping your ship compact and sleek. You can still go big by setting ship size up to 3x in the new game modifiers, but I wouldn't recommend doing so on your first run of v0.12.
Order Queue Support for All Crafting Devices
This has been one of the most requested features since day one, and now it's finally here - and it’s fantastic! If you're unsure what this means - you can now queue crafting orders on devices, so you don't have to go back and forth and change what's needed from a single device! Although we both can agree it should have been implemented sooner... better late than never! This feature pairs perfectly with smaller ships and should also be a great quality of life for bigger ships too!
Nanobots and Auto-Repair
Build Nanobot hives and the swarm will perform simple tasks, such as repairs, construction or device clearing anywhere within their reach. Your robots can finally chill out like they deserve. Except for the cleaning Bot, even Nanobots won't touch those disgusting grimy floors. Sorry.
That also comes with a new Auto-Repair feature. Unlock a tech and anything that gets damaged will automatically create a Repair task for the nanobots.
Start a New Game with an Existing Ship
You can now start a new game using any existing ship! This means you can design an amazing ship in Sandbox Mode or download one created by someone else and start a new game with it.
There are plenty of options for managing existing resources, crew, money, the universe, and more. You can choose to keep, remove, or regenerate each individual aspect. You can even break your ship into pieces to recreate the classic "Wrecked" scenario.
Share and Download Ships in Steam Workshop
Since you can start a new game with any ship, why not share your creations with the community? In v0.12, you can! A few ships uploaded by our playtesters are already available. Just subscribe to them in the Steam Workshop, and you'll find them in the Ships section of the Main Menu the next time you start the game.
Here's a video explaining how to share ships and start a new game with an existing ship:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sByIJkEj9Mk
Diseases and Immunity
In other words, Space Diarrhea is back, baby!—and now it's properly transferable. But don’t worry, your colonists can gain immunity and recover with some bed rest... unless they get food poisoning.
On a more serious note, the diseases and immunity system is a great addition for more variety in gameplay. Younger beings gain immunity faster than older ones, so relying on a 99-year-old guru with brand-new body parts from a raider donor might not be the flawless strategy you hoped for.
10 New Quests
These new quests will assist you on your journey to colonize the planet. There’s even a post-endgame quest for those who want to keep exploring!
Basic Technology Pre-unlocked
You will no longer need to unlock basic survival tech through research in the early game—unless you choose to. A new "Basic Tech" game modifier has been added, which defaults to "Unlocked" but can be changed to "Locked" or "Randomized."
New Scenario: No Robots
This scenario isn’t for the faint of heart. Manage a fully functional small spaceship operated by only a handful of fragile humans. With no relentless robotic workers to carry out your orders, how long can you survive the chaos?
New Tutorials
Stardeus now features nearly a dozen tutorials. We highly recommend going through them, even if you're a veteran player. For example, did you know you can connect devices without dragging the mouse by using Shift + click? Or that you can select any floor tile with Ctrl + click? You would if you completed the Advanced Controls tutorial!
Enhancements to Combat AI
The Combat AI has been fine-tuned, resulting in noticeably improved fighting behavior in this update. Don’t forget to check out the new Combat tutorial as well!
Mini Turrets
Perfect for when you want a simple but effective way to deal with a swarm of raiders without getting overly creative.
Prevent Fire and Explosions with Fuse Upgrades
Devices equipped with Fuse upgrades will blow the fuse instead of catching fire or exploding if they malfunction. Take that, RNGesus!
Codex Overhaul
The Codex has been refreshed, along with many in-game descriptions that were outdated due to changes in mechanics over the past couple of years of Early Access.
Tons of New Content and Balance Changes
There’s so much more! Check out the full changelog below for an extensive list. However, with so many small changes and enhancements, not everything made it into the changelog. You’ll have to play the game to discover them all!
The Changelog
v0.12.0 (2025.01.23)
- [Major] Add support for Diseases and Immunity
- [Major] Change the structure of the Universe to use a graph of Space Regions and Sectors
- [Major] Change the space flight mechanics to use fuel and hyperjumps to travel between locations
- [Major] Some space Sectors will have permanent Space Effects (Dust Storm, Asteroids, etc)
- [Major] Add nanobots that can perform simple tasks like construction, demolition, repairs
- [Major] Allow creating multiple orders for most production devices
- [Major] Add Steam Workshop integration for sharing space ships
- [Major] Allow starting a new game with a ship from any save file
- [Feature] Add consumable Fuse upgrade to prevent device malfunction side effects like fire or explosions
- [Feature] Add support for separate Work Spot, Input Port and Output Port for all devices
- [Feature] Allow rotating ship sections an derelicts clockwise / counterclockwise with help of Maneuvering Controllers
- [Feature] Add Mini Turret device
- [Feature] Add Auto Repair research node
- [Feature] Replace large Stasis Arrays with several smaller ones
- [Feature] Add Online Shop to allow ordering delivery of basic materials in any location
- [Feature] Allow building / relocating objects above debris and dead bodies (auto-move them away)
- [Feature] Add 10 new quests
- [Feature] Add new scan target: Space Station
- [Feature] Add "Deep Scan" that can detect new resources in sectors with planets and asteroid fields
- [Feature] Add story event: Cooking Accident
- [Feature] Add story event: Fight
- [Feature] Add story event: Hacked
- [Feature] Add story event: Hyperdrive Failure
- [Feature] Add space event: Artillery Fungus
- [Feature] Add disease: Space Diarrhea
- [Feature] Add food poisoning mechanics
- [Feature] Add new scenario: No Robots (difficult!)
- [Feature] Add Tutorial: Space Travel
- [Feature] Add Tutorial: Body Parts
- [Feature] Add Tutorial: Combat Tactics
- [Feature] Add ability to install Speed Upgrade into Repair Station
- [Feature] Add smaller storage unit (2x2)
- [Feature] Add new materials: Phasium, Edenium, Aerolith, Hydronium, Terranite
- [Feature] Add new craftables: Fusion Cell, Heavy Fusion Cell
- [Feature] Add a mysterious Dark Portal
- [Feature] Colonists will be able to enjoy the view through glass floors
- [Feature] Attempt to restore device connections after repairing / rebuilding a connector or a device
- [Feature] Add dedicated Trade Portal
- [Feature] Add "Mining Output" modifier (new game + in-game)
- [Feature] Add Extended Scanning research (Tier 5)
- [Feature] Obey Chip can now be found in Anomaly locations (after day 120)
- [Feature] Add "Recenter Ship" button to Ship Controls
- [Feature] Automatically recenter the ship when attempting to do a hyperjump or fly when ship is in no-fly zone
- [Feature] Add Remote Mining research node (Tier 3)
- [Feature] Add Beam Drill device that can mine resource deposits from your ship
- [Feature] Add Chaos story generator
- [Feature] Add "Basic Tech" new game modifier that allows locking / randomizing basic tech
- [Balance] Space events (Asteroids, Raids, Capsules etc) will only happen when entering specific sectors
- [Balance] Add multiple big enhancements to Combat AI
- [Balance] Adjust severity and frequency of many story events
- [Balance] Remove ship computer neural network fragmentation / defragmentation mechanic
- [Balance] Start with less colonists in Stasis Arrays
- [Balance] Accessing the Starmap will not require functional Bridge Controls
- [Balance] Reduce storage capacity for many storages (materials will not be as abundant)
- [Balance] Adjust starting resource amounts
- [Balance] Starting ships will not generate with high tier reinforced floors / walls
- [Balance] Generate smaller starting ships
- [Balance] Ship engines will not heat up empty vacuum
- [Balance] Move Teleporter to higher tier
- [Balance] Crafting a Handgun will no longer require Platinum Ingot
- [Balance] Fire will self-extinguish 3x faster without oxygen
- [Balance] Explosions will have less chemical fuel to feed the fire
- [Balance] Construction failure in unoxygenated environment will not cause fire (except through explosion)
- [Balance] Reduce trader stock amounts to encourage mining and production on ship
- [Balance] Move Memory Modules into higher research tiers
- [Balance] Change trading supply / demand impact on player's trades to prevent money exploits
- [Balance] Damaged floor collapse will only affect current area (unless the floor supports a wall)
- [Balance] Increase Elysium electricity production from 5kW to 25kW per colonist
- [Balance] Dark Matter will now be a rare mineable resource
- [Balance] Ice deposits will no longer have depth and won't get exhausted
- [Balance] Remove Probes
- [Balance] Pre-unlock most of Tier 1 tech in all scenarios, including Wrecked
- [Balance] Increase Ship Computer built-in disk storage from 32 to 64 Exabytes
- [Balance] Increase Quantum Ship Computer built-in disk storage from 64 to 96 Exabytes
- [Balance] Add new game modifier: "Research Cost"
- [Balance] Losing one essential organ / body part when there is a backup will not incapacitate the being
- [Balance] Increase output of plates when smelting most raw ores
- [Balance] Make ambush / extortion signals and expedition events less frequent
- [Balance] Make extortion ransom less expensive
- [Balance] Make Random story generator less random / brutal
- [Balance] Increase combat stats for Orbotron
- [Balance] Crawlers won't burst from infected colonists upon their death in Peaceful difficulty level
- [Balance] Inflicting moderate or greater wounds on body parts will reduce their quality
- [Balance] Inner doors will have low oxygen / heat exchange resistance even when closed
- [Balance] Inner walls will have low heat exchange resistance
- [Balance] Large planter will have 4 makeshift toilet slots instead of 1
- [Balance] When Wrecked scenario is started without robots, ensure one full space suit spawns near humans
- [Balance] Colonists without a space suit will not attempt to equip a space helmet unless ordered
- [Balance] Adjust starting resources in all scenarios
- [Balance] Reduce electricity cost for enabling Advanced Life Support in Stasis Arrays
- [Balance] Increase delay between possibility of repeating "Construction Disaster" event by 2x
- [Balance] Increase Biowaste to Water output from 1:1 to 1:2
- [Balance] Small Solar Panel and many other lower tier devices will not require Plastic
- [Balance] Increase Petroleum output from Crude Oil from 1 to 2
- [Balance] Removing infected organs from biological beings will drop their quality 0%
- [Balance] Allow increasing Heater output up to 70 degrees Celsius, 200 degrees with Asimov's Override
- [UI/UX] Add information about landing zone size expectations
- [UI/UX] Overhaul Codex UI and contents
- [UI/UX] Add images to some Codex > Operations Manual entries
- [UI/UX] Warn about micro meteoroids before the first strike hits
- [UI/UX] Warn about unstable stasis arrays
- [UI/UX] Make device, being, object names clickable in Log and Fanfare messages
- [UI/UX] Make [123:234] coordinates clickable in Log and in Fanfare messages
- [UI/UX] Flash new event notifications
- [UI/UX] Don't show new quest dialog popups until quest is accepted through notification or quests UI
- [UI/UX] Show more data about a fire when hovering a burning object
- [UI/UX] Update multiple outdated descriptions and codex entries
- [UI/UX] Show external link icon next to all buttons that open a browser page when clicked
- [UI/UX] Organize load game panel to reduce clutter
- [UI/UX] Add shortcut to toggle Direct Control for selected beings (G)
- [UI/UX] Make space object icons behind the ship in game view interactive
- [UI/UX] ESC will close dialogs without choice
- [UI/UX] Add compatibility information to body part tooltips
- [UI/UX] Clicking a Datoid in Research node cost will focus on the node that unlocks that Datoid
- [UI/UX] Make Fanfare messages easier to read
- [UI/UX] Improve tutorial guidelines readability by showing non-actionable guidelines as grey
- [UI/UX] Split Basic Controls tutorial into 3 smaller ones
- [UI/UX] Improve scrollable UI behavior
- [UI/UX] Improve expedition crew choice view
- [UI/UX] Copy configuration will now work with heaters / coolers
- [UI/UX] Add list of all research items to the Research Tree
- [UI/UX] When a device explodes after taking damage, log the device name and location
- [UI/UX] Display object cover values in codex entries
- [UI/UX] Always show Cover values in the Environment (Alt) tooltip
- [UI/UX] Sort body parts by Quality instead of Condition * Quality
- [UI/UX] Warn about abandoning derelict ship upon flight
- [UI/UX] Improve scroll speed in dropdown menus
- [UI/UX] Automatically resize dropdown menus to utilize available space
- [UI/UX] Mark infected organs with green skull
- [UI/UX] Add infected label to tooltips of infected organs
- [Tech] Improve auto save logic
- [Tech] Make being animations smoother at displays with > 100FPS (with option)
- [Tech] Improve small ship (especially derelict) generation algorithm
- [Tech] Add way to change in-game and global settings via "settings" console command
- [Tech] Add hidden global setting to allow loading incompatible saves: "settings set_global allow.old.saves true"
- [Performance] Reduce max allowed map size for new games from 640x640 to 448x448
- [Performance] Eliminate stutter caused by tasks in unreachable areas
- [Performance] Optimize AI performance
- [Graphics] Make planets look more detailed
- [Graphics] Add gentle vignette effect
- [Bug] Fix multiple AI (both regular and combat) behavior bugs
- [Bug] Fix relocating a storage on top of itself or in sandbox mode would eject all contents
- [Bug] Fix destroying a locked door or a door with custom permissions would apply door effects for an auto-rebuild ghost
- [Bug] Fix cloned body parts would show incorrect quality until stored or used
- [Bug] Fix electricity deficit would be applied to all devices instead of only ones that failed to draw power
- [Bug] Fix Stasis Pod landing could result in graphics glitches
- [Bug] Fix active teleporter could teleport into a switched off teleporter
- [Bug] Fix ship generation could end up failing to ensure presence of important objects (Shuttle, Particle Collector, etc.)
Follow the Development

Official Website: https://stardeusgame.com
Join Stardeus Discord
/r/stardeus on Reddit
@StardeusGame on Twitter
@dev_spajus on Twitter
@KodoLinija on YouTube (devlogs)
dev_spajus on Twitch (live development streams)
Get Stardeus
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1380910/Stardeus/
Original post

Updates & announcements

Translation Workflow Changes

New UI

Collaboration

Hard Constraints

Soft Constraints

Biggest Problems with the Old UI

Change Is Difficult

Mikhail’s Word

Try the preview build

Main Menu

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Settings Menu

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UI Themes

UI Scaling

Game View

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Selected Being

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Notification Hub

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Inventory

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Device Configuration

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Trading

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Quests

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Quick Search

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Starmap

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Research Tree

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Build Menu

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Planning mode

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Multi-selected Objects

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Expeditions

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New Game: Crew Configuration

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New Game: Universe Setup

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Post-photos-thoughts

Follow the Development

Get Stardeus

How long it will take to rework the UI? (I heard half a year, maybe more?)

How big is this rework?

What you want from the community?

Are you really just one man?

Can I test the new UI?

Why rework the UI?

Will there be any other updates in the meanwhile?

What are you most excited about reworking in the UI?