This patch brings cleaner menus, more descript battles, and lots of UI/UX polish to set the foundation for a great launch runway.
BATTLE FEEDBACK OVERHAUL
Combat is now easier to read at a glance.
Solid red lines show valid attack targets
Dotted red lines show out-of-range targets
White lines show movement
Sniper and Spectre ranges are now visible
Healing, splash damage, and hazards have clearer highlights
Battle Focus better frames attacks, builds, healing, and area effects
ADVANTAGE SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS
Advantage is now shown more clearly throughout combat.
Attack values update before advantaged attacks
Green arrows show advantage
Red arrows show disadvantage
Bonus damage receives stronger hit feedback
Counterattack advantage is now displayed
Splash damage checks advantage per target
Counterattacks now deal 50% damage, rounded up.
MORE IMPACTFUL COMBAT
Ships now react physically when hit, with stronger attacks creating stronger movement.
Additional improvements include:
Animated hit markers
Improved explosions and debris
Better Bruiser attack timing
Improved Spectre attack audio
Refined thruster launches
Weapon previews now fire during testing
Clearer damage details in action previews
PROFICIENCY AND REWARDS
Faction Proficiency is now easier to track.
Match rewards are shown after battle
New rewards scroll into view
Locked rewards show their requirements
Previewed factions show correct progress
Sign-in prompts are clearer when rewards are unavailable
ACTION CARD IMPROVEMENTS
Action Cards now communicate their effects more clearly and behave more reliably.
Played cards now show whether they were used as an Ally or Enemy effect through fleet-colored outlines.
Additional fixes include:
Cards freezing during build animations
Incorrect card positioning
Damage errors on newly spawned ships
Hijacked ships keeping wrong stats
Multiple Drones choosing the same target
Hijacks interrupting queued attacks
Effects resolving after cancelled animations
ACCOUNT AND SIGN-IN UPDATES
Email-based access has been replaced with platform sign-in options:
Sign in with Apple
Sign in with Google
Sign in with Steam
Platform logos have been added, account messages have been rewritten, and sign-in flows now return players to the correct screen.
Reach out to us directly on Discord or our support email:
if you need help transferring an old account to the new login system.
INTERFACE UPGRADE
The interface has received a broad visual and usability pass.
Buttons and panels now scale cleanly
Scroll bars use a custom Factions design
Main-menu screens are cleaner
Settings screens scroll correctly
Mobile layouts have been adjusted
Store and ship previews no longer conflict
Preview rotation works better with mouse and touch
Selected ships use improved lighting
HAPTICS
Mobile vibration feedback has been added.
Haptics have been added or refined for:
Menu tabs
Buttons
Ship movement
Building
Attacks
Action Cards
Valid and invalid placement
Enemy construction
FIXES
This release includes 40 tracked bug fixes, including:
Fixed Steam launches doing nothing on new devices
Fixed pausing during map loads causing freezes
Fixed ship dragging after turn timers expired
Fixed cancelled actions leaving highlights onscreen
Fixed hover effects remaining after cancellation
Fixed wrong ships appearing in the Store
Fixed Snowflake thruster visuals
Fixed Flagship beams disappearing
Fixed Spectres attacking at the wrong time
Fixed Seeker disruption after Drone hijacks
Fixed misplaced Action Cards
Fixed incorrect proficiency badges
Fixed thrusters disabling in customization
Fixed missing paths between Flagships
Fixed splash-damage highlighting
Fixed Battle Focus staying on wrong ships
Fixed misplaced advantage indicators
Fixed loading spinners
Fixed untranslated Credits text
Fixed a texture memory leak
There are plenty of smaller corrections throughout the game as well.
WHAT’S NEXT
This update also builds the technical foundation for several larger improvements now in progress.
Controller Support and Steam Deck
The game has been moved onto a stronger input foundation, with early work completed for controller navigation, scrolling, cursor movement, and menu selection.
This lays the groundwork for:
Full controller support
Better Steam Deck compatibility
Smoother menu navigation
More reliable battlefield controls
These systems are not finished yet. They will continue to improve across future updates.
Better Bots
A new decision-making foundation has also been built for computer-controlled captains.
Bots can now begin evaluating movement, attacks, building, Action Cards, and special actions more intelligently.
This is the first step toward:
Smarter tactical decisions
Better use of faction abilities
Stronger Action Card play
More challenging solo matches
Bot behavior will continue to be improved and expanded in future releases.
Version 0.9.00 is focused on making every command clearer, every impact stronger, and every screen easier to use.
Take to the stars, space commander!
— 💖 Starry Aerie & 🚀 the Starcade Arcade Dev Team