We've been working on the first new features for the upcoming Alpha 9 update, and it is time to show what we've been able to produce so far! We're introducing Space Hazards and since one of the hazards affect crew members directly we found a good opportunity to add some new implementations towards adding a bit more depth to characters as well.
Space Hazards we're currently working on:
- Solar Flares
- Micrometeoroids
- Siren Worlds
Space Hazards are represented with icons on top of sectors in the starmap. This will allow you to see what you are getting yourself in to =)
Solar Flares
Holy crap! What's going on here.
Solar flares overload your power nodes, possibly damaging them and cutting your power transfer short to a part of your ship. Fires can also break out, which means it is important to have some crew members on board the ship at all times.
Micrometeoroids
Watch your head, Charley!
Micrometeoroids rain down on your ship constantly while you're in a sector where they are present. Shields will mitigate their negative effects to a degree as long as they stay up. Mining pods can be struck by the meteoroids, causing a concussion condition for the crew member inside and possibly damaging the mining pod.
Micro breaches
We have also implemented so called micro breaches. Micro breaches are smaller hull breaches, not fully tearing the hull open but causing small cracks which cause depressurization. Micrometeoroids and certain turrets may cause these as they hit the ship hull. These micro hull breaches can be repaired by your crew members with their construction guns.
Siren Worlds
Jet has lost his mind, or really hates his bed.
Siren Worlds are peculiar planets whose strange signals mess with the mind. These signals will periodically cause your crew members to act in a strange manner, ranging from aggressive behavior to staring at walls. Be alert when staying in these sectors, as your crew members might do something you don't want them to do.
The signals from the Siren World may result in crew members getting conditions like the urge for destruction, effectively making them a saboteur starting fires on board your ship. Other examples are insomnia and loss of appetite, causing tiredness and hunger among your crew members. Aggressive behavior might also occur and your crew members might start fighting each other.
Crew fights
Crew members can now start fights among each other if they get irritated enough. The chance for a fight to occur is based on various factors, such as overall mood and food status. If the crew member has a low overall mood and is also hungry on top of that they are more prone to become really irritated at someone.
Fighting causes some health damage, but crew members do not aim to kill each other. However, this could happen in some very rare instances where one of the crew members just happens to have very low health to begin with when the fight starts. Once they've let out enough steam they stop and go about their business.
As you can see not only does the implementations for the Siren World effects result in some cool new events, they also enable us to add a bit more depth to the crew members.
A note on possible player irritation
We're aware that when crew members start doing bad stuff on their own there is always a balance between interesting events and possible player irritation. Some things can get really annoying when they happen, depending on the event itself.
Right now these conditions appear mostly only in special sectors, the Siren Worlds sectors. We'll also listen to feedback to know if there's something that really causes more irritation than necessary, and will tweak as needed =)
However, these are really fun things to experiment with and will help a lot with adding more depth to characters and their behavior.
Final notes
This is the stuff we've been working on for Alpha 9 so far. However, even if there's graphical representation of new features it doesn't always mean they are completely implemented and ready to go. Additionally, we still have some more features we want to include in Alpha 9 and will update you on the progress in a few weeks again!
Stay tuned for the next update and check out the community highlights below!
Community Highlights
Mean looking ship by cameronsabin82
New Hope MK II by Dae
SSV Normandy SR-1 by LocoOne85
Fleet by Kreistor
Fan art by Becca. Neat looking mining pod!
You entered the wrong ship, Pirates! Fan art by Lulu Skorobogatov
If you want a chance to get your own ship in the updates post them in our Discord server #screenshots-and-videos channel, or here on Steam! =)
Join Space Haven Discord: http://discord.gg/spacehaven
You can also post them here on Steam: https://steamcommunity.com/app/979110/screenshots/
Report bugs here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/979110/discussions/4/
Discuss Space Haven here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/979110/discussions/0/
Technical Support: https://steamcommunity.com/app/979110/discussions/1/
Join Discord and chat with others playing Space Haven: http://discord.gg/spacehaven
Space Haven subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/SpaceHaven/
Thanks for reading and see you again in the next update!