MicroProse is now publishing Drone Sector and providing support that goes far beyond marketing. They are contributing art assets, voice acting and other production work, which allows me to focus on gameplay, features and polish.
I remain the sole developer, but with this extra help I can spend more time creating missions, refining systems and improving the overall experience.
Recent Progress
A lot has changed since the last public news update in May. Here’s a rundown of what’s new and improved:
Enemy Anti-Air Units
• Introduced the first anti-air unit type: surface-to-air missile truck.
• Missiles are fast and highly accurate. Your gunship can survive a few hits, but they can knock out camera feeds or disable weapons.
• Best defense for now: spot and destroy AA before they fire. Proper countermeasures are planned.
AI & Squad Improvements
• Improved squad movement with less clumping and better urban pathing.
• Laid the groundwork for more complex squad commands and improved enemy behaviors.
• Enemies can now find better flanking routes.
• Anti-tank units now fire their rockets.
New Vehicles
• With MicroProse’s help, several new optimized vehicle models have been added, each with modular weapon options.
• Possible loadouts include machine guns, grenade launchers, anti-air guns, autocannons, anti-tank and anti-air rockets, and large-caliber cannons.
• Wheeled vehicle physics are now supported. Previously, only tracked vehicles worked.
Improved Radio Chatter
• MicroProse is also assisting with voiceovers, adding far more voice lines than before.
• Radio messages now use a priority system: critical messages play during tense moments, while calmer moments include more ambient chatter.
• Messages are more context-aware.
Visual & Performance Updates
• Improved overall performance on large maps.
• New smoke shell effects block vision for both player and AI, creating new tactical options.
• Upgraded explosion visuals and scorch marks.
• Many buildings can now be destroyed. They burn and prevent enemies from spawning.
Code & System Overhaul
• Rebuilt core gameplay systems including gunship movement, weapon firing, projectile flight, damage handling and more. Primarily for improved performance and faster development.
• Removed several third-party plugins that caused issues or slowed progress.
• UI is currently being reworked to improve flexibility and performance.
The Work Continues
With the new support in place, I’m able to tackle larger parts of the project and work through them at a steady pace. There’s still a lot to build and refine, and I’ll keep sharing progress as it happens.
Follow me on X for smaller day-to-day updates.