Developer posts and news about this game.
The new Magpie was always going to take multiple tries to get right, so here is our first foray out into the rest of the design space. These changes aim to focus on the importance of choosing where and when to use Magpie by reducing its speed and staying power, and they are fairl
After a week of observation it is time to juice up some of the explosion distortions. Other distortions have been slightly rebalanced and the update also includes fixes that did not make it in last week. Added ground shockwaves and stronger distortions for particularly large deat
Разработчики из Zero-K Team выпустили для бесплатной научно-фантастической стратегии в реальном времени Zero-K крупный патч версии 1.14.9.0. Запланированные изначально точечные правки баланса переросли в масштабную переработку ключевых графических элементов, полную замену одного
This update started as a set of small Shieldbot buff but spiralled out of control when I decided to both overhaul a major graphics system and add an almost entirely new unit. The new Magpie replaces the old one and works quite differently, while the recently, and less drastically
Strategy games are seemingly synonymous with scale. The focus on scale is a bit less for real-time strategy, at least if the fact that my RTS games are not marketed as "epic" is any guide. But even "small" RTS games scale up, or escalate, as the game goes on, and doing so is a po
A lot of the polish in Zero-K is driven by player feedback. A single complaint can be enough to spark a re-investigation of some part of the game to check for improvements. Case in point, the recently upgraded build icons are a result of someone complaining that the icons were to
Simulated projectile physics is a core part of Zero-K, both for the aesthetics and as a balance tool. Rather than using armour classes, light units are nimble enough to dodge most of the projectiles meant for heavier targets. We also want to create powerful controls, so players c
This update improves the command menu by adding larger build icons with a higher resolution. The bottom of the UI also has a scale setting as we move towards better support for increasingly large screens. There are also a few fixes and a setting that automatically disables cables
Automation means making tasks complete themselves without player intervention. The concept has a bit of baggage, at least in RTS, as people worry it means that a game will play itself. Some spin-off genres have found success in automating away large parts of RTS, such as DotA and
This update polishes a few mechanics and includes quite a few fixes. Singularity Reactors get their wobbly balls back and the guard command should be much more useful. Disarm no longer hard-disables jumpers while winding up and some pathfinding problems with cheap nanoframe spam
Zero-K is extremely customisable, which is great but risks making the game unapproachable. The problem with customisation is that it asks players to optimise their own experience without necessarily giving them the background required to make an informed choice. In general, an op
Space clicking wrecks and build options is back by popular demand ( and ). Thanks to everyone who opened tickets to remind us that this probably should have been a hotfix earlier. Fixes Fixed space+click context menu crash when activated on a non-unit. Fixed map download for Plan
The basic reclaim mechanic is as follows: units leave wrecks when they die, and these wrecks can be harvested by constructors for extra metal . This sounds like a simple enough mechanic, but the more I think about it, the more I feel like Zero-K would not work without it. Reclaim
This is a small fix update which also has some commander tweaks. The big wire change is that the settings are now local, which means people with the graphics bugs on Linux can disable them until we figure out the problem. Fixed cable settings being global, i.e., the last player w
This update adds wires between structures to visually connect energy grids. This makes grids easier to use and more satisfying to build. We have also added commander eggs, which let players rebuild lost commanders. The egg can also be transported and thrown, to take advantage of
The term "deathball" comes up whenever players complain that roaming around the map with a single army is too powerful. The complaint conflates whether deathballs are unfun to use, or just unfun to fight, but it is worth keeping both possibilities in mind. Most RTS designs addres
Planetwars is live right now. The second open playtest is in full swing, with 240 invasions launched in the past 26 hours. We designed the round to last the weekend, although it is hard to dial in, although we are considering pausing it during the week. This forum post summarises
This is a small lobby update to prepare for the next Planetwars test round. The round is starting in a little over 45 hours from this post (2026/05/01 at 12:00 PM UTC). More information on the changes is to come shortly. Factions can now be joined via the in-lobby faction selecti
Cold Takes usually cover a concept used in the design of Zero-K, but this one is about a term invented by players to describe an issue with the game. This issue involved the "retreat range bonus", but the term was initially perplexing because it describes something that is both e
This release includes an amazing new soundtrack by Vladislav Lapochkin (D.700). It is the new default, and all previous soundtracks can still be selected ingame under Settings/Audio. Big thanks to everyone who contributes music, eventually we will have enough to give each factory