v0.6.20 — Single-player and stability hotfix

I mistakenly put the Council-only build on Steam's default branch. It blocked normal solo play and opened the separate Council profile, where existing solo saves and voyage archives did not appear. I'm sorry.

This hotfix restores the normal solo launch and its original save location. It also reduces pauses in long Chronicles, loads camera rooms when first viewed and clarifies routine death records.

Bug fixes

• Restored Play Dead Reckoning as the normal solo launch. It uses the original solo save location and displays existing solo saves and voyage archives. Solo play needs no other players or readiness checks. Council and chat open only through Play Command Council (Beta).
• Reduced pauses when Colony Status refreshes and when advancing time in Chronicles with many colonies.
• Camera rooms load on first use, reducing memory use when a voyage starts.
• Commitment actions refresh when you return after changing crew assignments.
• Routine voyage deaths now record cryogenic complications for colonists in cryosleep and medical complications for those awake. Death rates and existing records are unchanged.
• Prevented gameplay shortcuts from firing while typing.

New features

Saved loadouts are available during outfitting. Council and its text chat remain optional and use a separate multiplayer launch.

Saved loadouts

• During outfitting, choose SAVED LOADOUTS, enter a name and select SAVE NEW. The preset keeps your charter, ship, research, crew and burden choices, plus any additional commitment.
• On a later voyage, open SAVED LOADOUTS, select the preset and choose LOAD. Review the choices before confirming. The current points budget and commitment requirements still apply; unavailable choices are refused with a reason.
• Select DELETE and confirm to remove a saved loadout. Presets stay in the local profile; solo and Council keep separate lists.

The same ship, together

• Everyone has the normal ship and report interface, including crew, loadout, systems, course, cameras and records. The captain operates the ship; officers inspect the same state and vote on directives. The Council panel sits below Events & Directives.
• Each player chooses their own interface and voyage language: English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Russian or Chinese. Everyone still shares the same ship and decisions.

How to start a Council

• Gather two to four players with separate Steam accounts and access to the game. Everyone needs the same game version, an online Steam client and the Steam Overlay enabled.
• In Steam, choose Properties > Betas > None. Press Play and select Play Command Council (Beta). Play Dead Reckoning remains the solo choice.
• The captain selects HOST A NEW VOYAGE, completes normal ship setup, then presses Invite officer in the Council panel to open Steam invitations.
• Officers open Council before accepting the invitation. Wait for the ship and its reports to finish loading before voting.

Making decisions

• In the Council panel, choose an option under CAST YOUR VOTE, then select I'm ready. Once everyone is ready, only the captain can use the numbered Commit choice button. A unanimous vote stands; the captain resolves a split.
• Everyone also marks ready before the captain advances the month or year. Changing your vote clears your readiness.

Council chat

• Open Chat in the Council panel, type a message, then press Send or Enter. Everyone aboard can read and reply. Select Council to return to voting; the Chat button counts unread messages while closed.
• Messages keep the language they were written in. Each can contain up to 500 characters, and the current Council keeps its latest 100 messages. Changing your interface language preserves your draft and received messages.
• Recent messages return when an officer reconnects to the same running Council. A new Council or a resumed checkpoint starts a fresh conversation: chat is not stored in voyage checkpoints.

Still in flight

• Council remains a two-to-four-player beta. Host migration, public matchmaking and mods are not included.
• Council checkpoints require a matching Council version. If a checkpoint is incompatible after an update, start a new Council voyage.
• Some older records retain their original wording, and some Russian text still uses English fallback.
• Live Steam sessions across separate accounts and native Windows testing remain incomplete.
• Mac packages are being prepared. macOS is not yet a supported release.