Hi, I'm André, solo dev behind 9.8, based in Porto, Portugal. First Steam news post for 9.8, so let me catch you up.
9.8 is a 2D space agency simulator built around real orbital mechanics. You launch rockets, land on moons, deploy satellites, and expand across a handcrafted star system where every object follows the same physics. This is the first Steam update for the game, so here’s where development stands and what’s coming next.
Where we are now
The game runs on full N-body orbital mechanics. Gravity from multiple bodies shapes every transfer, capture, and orbit. On top of that: atmospheric flight with re-entry heating, hydrodynamics, colony building, and 24 handcrafted celestial bodies out of more than 100 planned. Interstellar travel is planned so what is now one star system will eventually turn into a handful.
Every world right now is built using something I call the celestial body factory, a tool that lets me sculpt terrain, oceans, ice caps, atmospheres, and surface features in real-time. Ocean worlds with clouds and tides, volcanic moons, frozen gas giant satellites, each one has its own identity. This celestial body factory also integrates the bodies into the physics of the game seamlessly, basically out of a render alone. This is great for coherence, but also for fast implementation and for eventual modders as well.
The playtest has been live since February and has been patched several times based on community feedback. Some players have logged 10+ hour sessions. The Discord community has been shaping the game in real ways from trajectory prediction to difficulty tuning to mission design.
What's ahead
The biggest feature on the horizon is rocket construction, designing and building your own vehicles from parts, testing them under real constraints, and flying something that succeeds or fails based on your own engineering decisions. This changes the game fundamentally. More details in a future update.
Get involved
The playtest is open right now — it runs in your browser, no download needed. Join the Discord to get access and help shape the game.
→ Discord:
→ Wishlist on Steam if you haven't already
— André / Tremoço Games