Hey Zenithians! The wait is finally over (and yeah, my stress levels are back to normal). Zenith Expanse is out! You can jump into Early Access now and jump into the biggest project I've ever tackled. I started designing this almost three years ago and have been working on it for over two years. It's been a wild ride! This isn't the final version, though. It's early access, so you'll probably run into some bugs, missing features, and a few rough edges (the game is massive!). But with your help, I want to turn it into the space colony sim I've always wanted to make. :D
A bunch of you have said the game has potential, but the learning curve is a bit much. That's my top priority now, so expect changes soon to help with that. And of course, I'll be fixing any bugs you find (and report :D).
I've also got a nearly finished feature that adds more action on the ground: wandering pirates, traders you can attack or trade with, and random wildlife attacks. Should be ready in the next few days!
I'm planning to support this game for years. My first project, Wonderlife.gg, just turned 18 (yes, years, not months, launched in 2008) and it's still kicking! So if you're not sure about Zenith Expanse yet, just toss it on your wishlist for now.
The release-date chaos did have one silver lining: I was able to fix some problems you reported over the last few days. Here’s the list of changes (also available in the demo).
World and stories
Planet surfaces got a makeover! Clouds and atmosphere look way better now, and the lighting actually makes sense. No more weird terrain shadows.
Settlements look a lot nicer now. Buildings have more detail, paths actually touch the ground, and night lighting won’t leave you squinting. The surface grid is also way easier to see.
I added art to 67 story events (yes, I counted), and made the event windows less of a text mess. Choices should be much easier to read now.
There are 40 new crew stories that are a bit more chill, and your crew should have fewer disaster days. Accidents are less common now.
Getting started and making progress
Starter planets are less mean now. You’ll actually have land you can use, plus water and food you can reach right away.
You can set up your first settlement for free now. No Influence required! You can also earn Influence in other ways, like system surveys, getting a shelter, or finishing settlement contracts.
Walkthroughs got a big upgrade. There’s more help for exploring, running ships, managing your crew, trading, and building settlements. You can now get guidance in four different languages.
Starting loadout now has 5 pieces of silicon, so you can build a water pump at your settlement right from the start. This might change later for harder difficulty levels.
Colonists don't need a bottle of water for expeditions anymore. They now have a personal water container and can take water from the ship's supply. Bottles of water are still in the game for crafting, but future versions will swap them out for direct water container use.
Fixes and usability
Fixed the bug where plant and animal loot would go missing or get overwritten. Harvesting food species should actually work now, and old saves that got messed up should be fixed too.
Ships won’t try to fly off without a living pilot anymore. If your pilot’s in cryo, the ship waits. Orders and schedules will resume once someone’s at the controls.
Fixed the bug where ship schedules and positions got weird after loading a save. Your ships should remember where they’re supposed to be now.
Inventory browsing is way clearer now, whether you’re looking at ships, settlements, or crew. Remote views are marked so you know what you’re looking at.
Mission guidance, map panning, and the interface are all smoother now. You’ll see fewer hiccups from AI ship orders, even when you crank up the simulation speed.
Fixed a bunch of panel and localisation bugs, like decimal input not working and some labels being just plain confusing.
Thanks to everyone who took the time to share feedback about the game. That helped a lot!
For the first week, Zenith Expanse is available for $15.99 instead of the regular $19.99.
Have fun! :D