After working day and night on Astro Protocol for over a year before the release and then the 1.1 update, I hit a wall. Classic post-release burnout. Rather than grind through it and ship something half-hearted, I stepped away and spent two months doing subcontracting work. This change of pace was exactly what I needed. Now I'm back, and 1.2 is the result.
Custom Factions
This is the feature I most wanted to build, and the one I think adds the most to the game.
Until now you played the factions we designed. From 1.2 onward, you can design your own. Choose a portrait, logo, colors, ship graphics, home planet, and traits. There are tens of traits to choose from including already existing faction traits and research upgrades as well as completely new ones that change the game. You can also allow AI opponents to create and use custom factions against you for extra challenge and replayability.
Next Steps
There'll be a beta on the Steam beta branch a few days before launch. The easiest way to know the moment it's live is to join the Discord, I will announce the start of the beta there.
1.2 update launches July 2, right in the middle of the Steam Summer Sale (June 25 – July 9), where Astro Protocol will be 30% off.
If you have some faction traits in mind that you would like to see in the game feel free to suggest them as comments here or in Discord. I will try to add in as many suggestions as I can. Here are some examples:
Zeikko
Null Vector Studios