Greetings, Spacefarer!
It's time to let you know what we've been working on here at Bugbyte. Alpha 16 is shaping up to be a mixed bag of goodies, with new features extending on content, building, crew management and deepening some of the existing systems in the game. Let's have a look!
Missions System
A mock-up of a possible missions screen. Work-in-progress. (Subject to Change)
We've started developing a missions system, which would support both smaller missions within a sector and missions which require traversing to a specific location.
With the missions system we want to bring more life to the galaxy, by creating more events and giving more life to the factions with them asking for help regarding various things when meeting them. Our first iteration is to create the start for a missions system, not yet focusing on any type of big quests or lore-tied missions which require a lot of development time to create.
We also believe missions would be a good way to add more methods to acquire resources, to be able to specialize in certain ways, and then compensate for your weaknesses by carrying out missions for factions. Our first implementation will focus on smaller easy to implement missions, and we will look to build from there with time.
Feel free to suggest in the comments the type of missions you would like to have in the game! We can see if some of them are possible to implement.
Space Stations and Asteroid Bases
An asteroid base! With the possibility to build different hull sections.
So far you've only been able to build spaceships, but this is about to change! We've been working on making it possible to build space stations and bases on asteroids.
As of the moment, it is still open as to how this will integrate with the rest of the game. However, we have some ideas we want to iterate on. Furthermore, the systems required to make space stations and asteroid bases possible will also make it possible to create a separate station mode some time in the future. (Separate Station Mode coming in a later update most likely)
New Builder Pod
Bob the Builder ready to embark on building missions, to build stuff! Bob likes building.
We are creating a new pod, the Builder pod. The Builder pod will be the pod used for all hull building and scrapping tasks. The mining pod will focus on mining duties.
The new Mining Pod and Builder Pod side by side.
The Mining Pod and the Builder Pod both use the same hangar, and you will be able to choose which pod you want to have at a specific hangar. You will also be able to abandon and build another pod instead of the current one if you want to change it later on.
Building From the Top
Pods will be able to fly above ships and stations.
We need to make it possible for small space vessels to be able to move on top of spaceships and stations, since it would look too strange if pods are building the asteroid base hull sections from underneath the asteroid. Going forward, some small space crafts will move on top while others still move underneath.
One of the problems with having small space vessels move on top of spaceships and stations is that it starts to look like they are floating "inside" the ships and stations, when the roof view mode is not toggled on.
We need to expand on our Kitchen to accomodate all these new crew members!
We came up with a simple but solution to this, making the vessels grayed out a bit to make it easier for the player to distinguish which assets are on top of the ships/stations, and which are inside. When the roof view mode is on the small space vessels will have their full color.
Walking on the Moon. Uh, Base!
"Hey Karl, the view sure is nice over here."
Asteroid bases are special in that they allow crew members to use the asteroid surface to traverse between sections of the base. An asteroid base does not have to be one intact hull structure, and can instead be many different hull sections, with crew members traversing between the base sections in spacesuits.
Modified Power System
The Power System gets more depth and the view mode will list the consumption for all subsystems on a ship or station.
The current power system has gathered a lot of mixed views and so we're looking to change the power system once again. Our aim is to unify the power system, and remove "Advanced Power" as a concept in the game.
There will now be only one type of power, but we will keep separate power grids for facilities with low power needs and facilities with high power needs, which is supplied using power nodes. However, the change will make the Solar Panel capable of supporting the ships/stations all power needs. Since the Solar Panel is completely free power, only taking space, it needs to be balanced to not make the Power Generators completely useless.
Furthermore, we are aiming to add more depth to the power system. Power nodes will add to the power capacity values in the areas they cover, making their placement more important. Multiple power nodes can bolster each other and add to the power capacity in the area.
Overall, while links will not be re-introduced (At least not at present time), these changes will bring back some of the features that some players were missing from the older power system version.
New Backup Power System & Backup Power Node
The Backup Power Node makes it possible to store more power as backup power for rainy days.
We are adding a Backup power node to the game, which can be built to increase the amount of available backup power. These Backup Power nodes can also be used together with solar panels to store power as backup power. (Will be added to the research tree in the same module as the Solar Panel)
Additionally, we are also creating a new type of behavior for the backup power system, whereby different categories of facilities will turn themselves off at certain thresholds when the ship/station falls into backup power. This system will help keep the ship/station alive longer while keeping critical systems running allowing for searching for more resources. The most critical facilities for survival will be the last to run out of power.
Modified Hull Stabilizers and System Points
Ship/Station Core facility. Work-in-Progress. (Subject to Change)
We are looking to modify Hull Stabilizers by removing their capability to give System Points. Instead, we plan to introduce Ship/Station core facilities. These core facilities now give a set amount of system points, and the amount of cores is directly linked to the canvas size of the ship or station.
The Hull Stabilizer will still be the facility to give more hull stability to ships and stations, and it will cost system points to build.
The Ship/Station core will be the facility to make system points available, and we are looking to make it more abstract by having the maximum amount of system points be directly linked to the ship/station canvas size. This change will make it possible to use the full set of System Points specified for a Ship/Station canvas size, without having to spread out Hull Stabilizers to make them available.
Hull Stability and Power Networks
Create separate hull stability and power networks. Work-in-progress. (Subject to Change)
We are adding the possibility to have many power networks as well as hull stability networks. This is especially useful on asteroid bases, as it enables bases to have separately built hull sections, each working as their own units. This feature is needed to make it possible to have a specific asteroid base hull section have its own power resource for example.
When hull sections are separated (No hull link), hull stability is given to the hull section according to the amount of Hull Stabilizers in that specific section. When hull sections are unified by building hull paths between them the hull stability points of the different sections are added together. Essentially, each built hull section is treated as a ship/station of its own.
Power networks will be separated in the same way, and unified by building hull paths between hull sections. Power networks can also be unified with another mechanism on asteroid bases, using conduits that transfer power from one built hull section to another. (Currently only on asteroid bases)
We are implementing some new view modes to allow viewing how hull stability networks and power networks are set up.
Facility Degradation and Impact from the Environment
Facilities will get more life to them, by reacting more to their environment and having some wear and tear from usage.
We are implementing a system where facilities can now degrade over time and be impacted from bad environment factors, like high temperature, pressure changes from hull breaches and hazardous gases. Function may be slowed, or the facility stops working altogether until the environment issue is fixed. Facilities will also require some repairs periodically due to wear and tear.
Crew Management UI Improvements
You will be able to create global schedules and assign crew members to them. Each global schedule will also list the crew members available in each skill group.
We are adding a way to sort crew members according to their skill level in the crew management menu (Priorities). We are also adding a way to create global schedules in the crew management menu (Schedules). Crew members can be assigned to these global schedules, and the schedules show
how many crew members and how many various skills categories are covered in a specific global schedule.
These changes will make it easier to manage large crews and for you to know that each schedule has the necessary skills covered for everything to function well.
When Will the Alpha 16 Update be Released?
Unfortunately we cannot give a specific date yet. Though, October or November would be something we can aim for. The features and improvements we are working on require a lot of time and we need to tie it all together to make a solid package for your to play.
We ask for your patience as we aim to do just that. =)
Join Space Haven Discord: http://discord.gg/spacehaven
Space Haven subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/SpaceHaven/
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/
If there is something you are wondering about feel free to shoot us a message in the comments. We will let you know when we are closer to be able to release this update. Stay tuned, Spacefarer!