EDIT
I have updated the game again to version 5.2.5a. The last build allowed for planets with Acknexium crystals to have no caves. This would make it difficult or perhaps even impossible to complete the game. Note: I do not believe this will solve the bug where Acknexium is sometimes not recognized. I am still working on that, but generally a visit to another planet in the same sector, or perhaps a repeat visit to the same planet, will make the game recognize the quest as complete.
If anyone is able to reproduce that bug, please let me know. It may be related to using the interactive guide, which is still in beta testing...
Alien Interactions
Aliens will now interact with each other. They might fight each other, they might run away from each other ... they might do stuff that makes little sense, but that's the point!
I was still getting a rare, occasional bug, but nothing game breaking. Also, it hasn't happened in a while and I suspect it might have been resolved. At worst, what might happen (with this bug in particular) is that one of the bipedal aliens might freeze and stop interacting.
I plan to release it to the main branch by the weekend but I figure this is something I should continue testing a bit longer. These are pretty significant changes, so who knows what else might go wrong...
Here is a strange animal confronted by a star shaped floater
Weapon Tiers
I have updated the whole weapons system, now weapons have three tiers. Yellow weapons represent the lowest quality weapons. Blue are the middle quality, and red are rare, and highly powerful weapons. From a gameplay standpoint, these kinds of weapons, in terms of the increase in firepower, already existed in the game, but they were not color coded and all looked the same.
I think it adds a certain level of comprehension, so you can tell at a glance which weapons will be more useful. I also might actually update the models, so each tier has more interesting looking weapons, but for now color coding was a fast and easy way to get this system started.
Here, you can see two different color laser pistols (yellow and blue) among other things
Alien Weapons
Bipedal aliens have been given an upgrade. Instead of just standard laser pistols, they can now have assault rifles and even rocket launchers! I have abstained from giving them access to sonic cannons because they would be likely to kill off their friends.
Weapon Costs
Weapons now have a working system of differentiating the cost of the weapon from the cost of any ammo that has been loaded into the weapon. You can still buy and sell loaded weapons. But if you unload them, the price drops accordingly. Rocket launchers and sonic cannons are considerably more valuable when loaded.
Testing Branch
If you want to try out the latest version, navigate in Steam to "Star Explorers > Properties > Betas" and enter the code "rocketship1234" to unlock the testing branch. Please report any bugs or issues to me, or better, record your play session so I can see exactly what went wrong. I hope nothing goes wrong, but I'm trying to anticipate these issues before they happen.