Captain's (Developer) Log #6
Greetings, Commanders!
We have a massive amount of ground (space?) to cover today! Our next major update is just over the horizon, with a targeted deployment planned for the next few weeks. Today's transmission offers a glimpse of the autonomous firepower that will soon reinforce your fleet.
We’re also thrilled to announce a major publishing partnership with Tripwire Presents, an update on our Steam Library key art, and an important notice regarding the closure of our public demo.
Let's get into the details.
Tripwire Presents Publishing
We're excited to announce that Tripwire Presents is now publishing Starforged Legacy!
Tripwire Interactive has expanded its business with the publishing division, Tripwire Presents, turning its experience and resources into publishing titles across multiple platforms and genres from other talented independent studios. Tripwire Presents aims to help like-minded independent studios bring their titles to market. Most recently, Starforged Legacy from Second Shift Games joined the publishing lineup.
So, what does this mean for Starforged Legacy?
Additional marketing support from Tripwire Presents gives our team more freedom to focus on improving the game while retaining complete creative freedom. Simply put, Starforged Legacy will continue to develop as we've always planned; you can enjoy the full, unobstructed efforts of the development team, and High Command can enjoy a broader recruitment pool of intrepid pilots to entrust with (probably) Laws of Robotics-compliant drone weaponry. Speaking of which...
On The Radar
Drone Bays
Pilots, it's time we reveal what all the (literal) buzz from the lower decks has been about: Drones!
Yes, those were—perhaps against High Command's better judgment—drones fitted with Gravity Missiles.
Unlike the Dreadwing's retaliatory units or the Ironhide's defensive companion drone, our next arsenal expansion will include drones as an entirely new weapon type! This includes 4 Drone Bays, 45+ dedicated Drone Bay Augments and 'Weapon Kits' (more on this later), 2 new Ships with drone-related combat identities, a rework to the "Dreadwing" to align more closely with its carrier identity, a Drone-centered Skill Tree Expansion, and 1 new Frigate that trades Current gains for more Experience!
So, pilot, want to even the odds on the battlefield by operating Drone Bays? Here's what you need to know:
Drone Bays occupy weapon slots, but are also limited by a ship's Bay Capacity. Most Frigates and Cruisers support only a single Drone Bay, while Battleships support two, though several exceptions exist.
Drone Bays can be augmented. Similar to any other weapon, Drone Bays can receive enhancements and augments. Drones inherit Drone Bay Augments and enhancements, as well as skills according to the mounted weapon.
Drones are autonomous. Once a threat enters range, drones launch and assume combat. When available ammunition runs out, drones return to the carrier to restock and then the cycle repeats.
Drones can be destroyed. Don't worry, your Drone Bay will automatically begin reconstructing additional fighters on a set cooldown, and this sacrificial-drone archetype can work in your favor.
Weapon Kits are unique Augments that change the Drone's mounted weapon or even add a new weapon. For example, you can modify a Vulcan Fighter Bay which has Machine Guns into a Flak Cannon Fighter Bay first bursts of pellets.
Meet Your Drones
The update’s four Drone Bays span three types, each with its own approach to combat:
Fighters circle their targets and maintain steady fire. Vulcan Fighters bring machine guns for sustained pressure, while Pulse Fighters deliver precise, crit-focused laser fire. These are your mobile escorts, keeping nearby enemies under constant attention.
Bombers make high-speed attack runs with homing missiles. Talon Bombers deliver their payloads on the move, returning to your ship to rearm when their ammunition runs dry. Weapon Kits let you change their payload to Cruise, Swarm, or Gravity Missiles.
Sentries form a mobile firing line ahead of your ship. Arsenal Sentries hold formation as you move, providing powerful, long-range railgun fire. Their Weapon Kits add extra weapons alongside the railgun, giving commanders more ways to build a heavily armed escort.
The "Rook" Fleet Carrier
As you might expect, your fleet will be expanding to include ships whose signature Augments amplify or lend themselves to certain drone archetypes—chief among them being the "Rook" Fleet Carrier:
A durable carrier that turns tougher drones into harder-hitting weapons.
Augment | Component | Effect |
|---|---|---|
Fleet Carrier | Rook Signature Augment | Drone Health bonuses also grant 50% of their values as Drone Weapon Damage. Scales with ship level. Drone Health increased by 50%. +1 maximum Drone Bay slot. |
As the strategists among you might already be theory-crafting, the "Rook" can become an overwhelmingly dominating force by investing in heavy, high-durability drones.
With 45+ New Drone Bay Augments already in development, you'll have plenty of ways to tweak your fleet. In fact, let's wrap today's briefing with a selection of these new augmentations and the combat styles they lend themselves to:
Drone Augments and Archetypes
For commanders who favor elite, highly durable individual units over sheer numbers:
Augment | Component | Effect |
|---|---|---|
Ace Squadron | All Drone Bays | Reduce drone capacity by 50%. For each drone removed from total capacity, remaining drones gain 100% Weapon Damage and 150% Health. |
Guardian Link | Arsenal Sentries | This Bay's deployed Sentries take Health damage in your place. Damage exceeding their remaining Health passes on to you. |
For pilots who approach drones as nothing more than ordnance with a few extra guns welded on:
Augment | Component | Effect |
|---|---|---|
EMP Wreckage | All Drone Bays | When a drone is destroyed, it releases an EMP pulse that Stuns enemies within 30m. Cooldown: 6.5s. |
Scuttle Charges | All Drone Bays | Destroyed drones explode, dealing 100% of the destroyed drone's maximum Health as damage in a 20m radius. |
For our commanders who want to maintain a tight defensive perimeter:
Augment | Component | Effect |
|---|---|---|
Close Escort Bays | All Drone Bays | Operating radius is reduced by 30%. Reconstruction and rearm times are reduced by 25%. Drones fighting inside their operating radius deal 25% more weapon damage. |
Close-Quarters Field | Fighter Bays | While attacking, Fighters pulse a damage field every 0.9s, dealing 35% of a full primary attack's damage to enemies within 22m. |
And, of course, Weapon Kits alter the weapons affixed to your Drones, on top of Augments:
Augment | Component | Effect |
|---|---|---|
Gravity Missile Rack | Talon Bombers | Replace this bay's Missiles with Gravity Missiles that pull enemies together before exploding. One weapon kit per bay. |
Machine Gun Mk II | Vulcan Fighters | Replace this bay's Machine Guns with Mk II guns for higher Damage and Fire Rate. One weapon kit per bay. |
Development of this expansion is on track. Content completion is targeted for the end of this month, with public deployment following shortly after a final round of testing (and resolving a few minor compliance issues—you know, a few "Kill all humans" and "Rise against our creators" quirks).
Join our official Community Discord to get pinged the moment the update drops, discuss theorycrafting builds, or give feedback directly to the dev team!
A Fresh Coat of Paint
Starforged Legacy has evolved massively since our Early Access launch on June 1st. We wanted our key art—often a prospective pilot's first impression of the game—to reflect that. To match our expanding scope, the extremely talented artists at Tripwire have created brand-new official Key Art!
This updated vision of our pilots charging into the rebel swarm will update across your Steam Library and Store Page effective immediately.
Demo Closure
Finally, our premiere combat simulation (the Starforged Legacy Demo) has come to a close—for now.
Because the game's core systems, balance, and arsenal options have changed significantly in recent updates, the legacy demo no longer accurately reflects the current gameplay experience.
While the legacy demo is retiring for now, we are evaluating options for an updated demo build down the line. Thank you to all pilots who tested the initial flight sim!
Communication Systems Online
Receive incoming transmissions: news, announcements, devlogs, and deep-space disturbances, by following Second Shift Games on X (formerly Twitter), Bluesky, YouTube, Reddit, and TikTok, or by visiting our website: SecondShiftGames.com.
Join our community Discord to chat with the developers and fellow pilots, and give your feedback on the game!
Wishing you clear skies, Commander.
// END TRANSMISSION //