Patch 2/2/2025
-Added hotkeys to speed up / slow down game speed (by default these are + and - and can be changed to other keys in the options menu) -added new animated "build" cursor which appears when placing weapon modules on ships in-game -reduced default music volume multiplier
-Added hotkeys to speed up / slow down game speed (by default these are + and - and can be changed to other keys in the options menu)
-added new animated "build" cursor which appears when placing weapon modules on ships in-game
-reduced default music volume multiplier
Original post 
Additional changes:
-default campaign difficulty is now set to normal
-default game speed is now set to 1.5x
-the game speed slider in the options menu no longer displays incorrectly rounded values
-added final boss encounter
-updated remaining corporate faction portraits
-modified difficulty settings for better playability and fleet scaling on all difficulty levels
-added campaign completion achievements
I've gotten feedback that the player's relationships with the other factions is one of the more interesting parts of the game so I've been trying to focus on making that an even bigger part of the campaign. Among the new missions, I've added 3 where the player chooses between 2 enemy fleets that can have any combination of factions. Each faction will have a fleet makeup and reward that is customized to fit with that faction's strengths. I've also edited some of the old missions to have better rewards and add in additional possible factions.
Additional Notes:
My next step is to complete the last additional corporate faction/boss and then the final Imperial boss fight. I'm close enough to the end that I can say that the final release date should be within a few weeks of the end of the summer sale (I'll also be putting the game on sale to try and get some players before it comes out.) That will give me time to finish the rest of the campaign, make a new trailer, and try to do some marketing.
In keeping with the convention of faction differences, the Imperial and Union factions also have different types of basic upgrades. The Union's basic damage upgrades are differentiated by unit class (fighter, frigate, cruiser) while the Empire's basic damage upgrades are separated into 3 main weapon types. In addition to providing a different kind of strategic decision for each faction, this allows us to simply double up damage upgrades in the campaign. (Normally, a Union player cannot research Imperial tech and vice versa, but in the rogue fleet campaign, the player can be granted Imperial techs as a possible reward for defeating bosses.)
There is also now a form of meta-progression to the campaign. Each time the player starts a new campaign, they will have additional bonus starting techs based on the number of zones cleared in the previous campaign. I am wary of adding too much meta-progression, but the extra bonus techs are meant to be a nice consolation prize for an unsuccessful play through. The campaign is still designed to be something that can be completed on the first run with good play.
Ability Upgrades are another related feature that I added in this update. So far, there are 7 already implemented abilities (not counting those granted by flagship abilities.) Part of the work behind the scenes for this update involved re organizing the ability related code to make it easier to add new abilities in the next patches. In addition to adding new abilities to the Imperial units and some more of the higher tech Union units, I'll be bringing in some campaign specific abilities that are much more powerful (and probably more fun) than those available in standard skirmish mode. These techs will be unlocked by completing special missions and will generally be limited to a single unit in the player's fleet, making it very much overpowered compared to regular units.
Lastly, I'd like to note the new interface (the new button next to the health bars on the bottom bar switches between "unit info view" and "upgrades/buffs view") that allows the player to see the currently equipped tech upgrades and buffs or debuffs for all selected units. The current list of buffs/debuffs hasn't changed much in this patch, but the player can now see whether their units (or enemy units) have a speed buff or debuff or an armor buff or whether they have been weakened by tractor beams.
This is the last of the big new feature additions, for real this time. The remaining work is mostly adding content (more campaign missions, boss fights, and new techs/abilities) and polishing what's already there. I'm getting close to setting a final release date - it hasn't been decided yet, (it's hard to estimate these things, and the timing of the summer sale will probably have an effect on it) but for now the next few patches should start to come out with greater frequency.