Hello everyone! I'm thrilled to share this fantastic update! In it, I managed to finalize most of the planned mechanics, and their implementation is as close to ideal as possible!
For example, I prototyped the trade mechanic about eight times over two years, but now it's finally perfect! Interestingly, your feedback in discussions about routes played a huge role. Essentially, I just created routes with other factions! It's simple yet brilliant, and, most importantly, easy for players to understand, as visually, these are almost two identical mechanics.
Foreword and Gratitude
Right now, the game looks better than ever! I can hardly believe I developed it alone, inspired by your feedback! Without your input, the game would have turned out very differently, so I want you to appreciate the value of your contributions!
I see that some things still need polishing—new maps, ships, and modules need to be added—but the main pool and core mechanics are ready. Perhaps I could also add area-based active abilities.
Strategic Pacts
These are essentially powerful laws and decrees that affect the entire colony. Some pacts provide temporary improvements, while others offer permanent benefits. Certain pacts have negative effects to balance them out.
Their key strength lies in how they subtly allow you to control the pace and gameplay, crafting your own story and game modes. At the same time, they add a role-playing element to managing your colony!
Strategic Objectives
These are goals presented to you at random for you to choose from. They allow you to take on situational tasks that bring additional rewards, enhancing variety and immersion.
Routes
A much-requested feature by many players! You can now configure routes between storage facilities and set conditions for resource transportation. Amusingly, I implemented it almost exactly as you described in the discussions!
Ships make transport decisions based on the settings you provide!
Trade
I used the route pattern to create a trade system with other colonies. Essentially, it’s a similar system to routes, but it involves ships from the outside world, with your trade partner located off-map.
You can purchase trade routes and configure them to maximize profits—or even become a trade company yourself, earning by reselling resources!
Events
I replaced pop-up notifications with Events. Initially, it’s still a pop-up, but now it requires opening, and sometimes you can make situational decisions based on your economy.
Events will occur in a different order in every playthrough, ensuring unique challenges and opportunities for adaptation each time.
Engineer Departures
Engineers now leave the colony in a controlled manner, and you can even bribe them to stay! Every 15 minutes (approximately two in-game months), they decide whether to leave or remain. The lower the morale level (starting from 30), the higher the chance they'll leave.
When they decide to go, you’ll encounter an Event that gives you one last chance to convince them to stay.
New Wave and Hacking System
These systems have been improved to make them more predictable and to allow interaction with other systems, like pacts or events.
The core mechanics remain the same, but the design and technical implementation have been enhanced, making them suitable for longer gameplay sessions.
Ship Memory
Ships now remember where they’ve been sent before and can recall objects. For instance, they’ll associate themselves with a specific storage for loading items or a specific mining site for ore. Target icons have also been added to action buttons, making it clearer what and where a ship will perform its task.
Other Improvements
- Save system enhancements
- Interface optimizations
- Improved sound design
- Fixed interface bugs
- Fixed a rare issue where models would flicker
I hope you encounter as few bugs as possible, but if you do come across anything, please report it in the discussions!