Update 0.4.78 brings new features, visual upgrades, balance work, and AI improvements across Earth and space. From Exofighters to expanded councilor options, this update builds on the work done across our beta branches over the past several months.
Many of the changes in this update were developed and tested on our Beta branches, with community feedback playing a central role in their evolution. We are aiming for a 1.0 launch later this year, though the timing may shift as development continues.
If you'd like to follow development more closely, we encourage you to join our Discord — it’s the best way for players and devs to interact. We also post detailed patch notes there, as well as on our website, for those who want to track every update.
In the meantime, we’d love to hear your thoughts — whether on Discord, the Pavonis Interactive forums, Reddit, or the Steam forums.
Your existing campaigns from earlier 0.4 builds should load correctly and otherwise be technically compatible with this update. Your nations' priorities may be reset and require updating. The balance and AI changes may change the direction of your campaigns.
Update 0.4.78 Changelog
Gameplay Additions & Changes
- Exofighters Added: New small-craft ships that launch from planetary bases into low Earth orbit.
- Titan and Lancer Alien Hulls: Two new alien ship classes have been introduced for late-game combat. The Aliens can also deploy a new tier of advanced weapons during the endgame.
- Combat Formation Reordering: You may now select which ships are in your selected formation at the start of combat, and you may now select which ships arrive next when reinforcements are summoned.
- 35 New Traits & 2 Councilor Classes: Includes the Attorney, focused on influence and control, and the Engineer, who expands technical and construction options.
- New National Priorities: Nations can now invest in Government, Environment, and Oppression development paths.
- Regional Development Expanded: Nations can now grow core economic, oil, and mining regions for long-term infrastructure strategy.
- Diplomacy: Factions may now reach intel-sharing agreements with each other.
- Officer Transfers: Officers can now be moved between ships, albeit with a loss in capability.
Balance Changes
- Victory Conditions:Adjusted victory conditions for most factions to key on control of major planetary systems rather than outbuilding and/or hunting down every enemy fleet.
- Habs, Modules, and Economy: Broad balance changes applied across key systems to support pacing and strategic depth.
- Hostile Takeover: This mission now targets specific orgs, rather than councilors. The difficulty of the mission now scales with the size of the org.
UI & Visual Improvements
- Visual Overhaul: Most system interfaces have received updated visuals for improved clarity.
- Ship Designer Overhauled: Interface redesigned to support clearer shipbuilding workflows.
- Tech Tree Updated: Research paths reorganized for improved navigation and readability.
- Detail UIs: You have a full ledger of your incomes and costs available to help you manage your faction. Tooltips for nation stats now track causes of changes to those stats.
- Auto-Hunt Xenofauna: Armies can now be set to automatically seek and eliminate Xenofauna threats.
AI Behavior Updates
- Alien AI Targeting Improvements: Alien factions now choose space targets more effectively.
- Human AI Fleet Construction: Human-controlled factions build fleets more aggressively.
- Economic Stability: AI factions are less likely to go bankrupt during standard gameplay.
Bug Fixes & Stability
- General Bug Fixes: A large number of bugs resolved across systems and UI.