Void Crew News

Did we mention Void Crew 1.0 is finally here? Well it is! You are not dreaming! After months (years) of work, polish, optimization, designs, feedback and more we finally have 1.0 hit the shelves ... so to speak!

Though we have covered a lot of the topics of the new stuff of 1.0 in previous articles, this article covers it ALL ... I can't even tell you how long we spent writing the changelist (even if most of it is automated).

[h2]Gameplay video - Walkthrough main Void Crew features[/h2]
Let's get started with gameplay video - Narrated and Devs playing co-op:
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]



We've covered some of the cool stuff we've added in two previous articles, Part 1 and Part 2, but here's the FULL list.

[h2]New content[/h2]
[h3]TWO NEW OBJECTIVES[/h3]
This update sees TWO new objectives added to the already large pool of objectives: INFESTATION and DESECRATION. Where one tests your team's coordination and speed, the latter leaves you exposed while you decide what upgrade to grab for your ship!

[h3]ENHANCED FABRICATOR[/h3]
The Fabricator has received a major overhaul, introducing two new functionalities: Fabricator Upgrading (leading to faster operation, automation and access to more stuff!), and Blueprints created by recycling items.

[h3]NEW ENEMIES[/h3]
The fiery Vigilance system sees a new HOLLOW Firemorph, spewing homing missiles which erupt into heat fields. The electromagnetic Bravery system gets the HOLLOW Electromorph, draining ship power from Ectype ships who get too close.

[h3]NEW ITEMS[/h3]
Ship Loadouts now come with a Blessed Homunculus, which carries with it new abilities suited for each Loadout. This fortunately makes more room for Relics, some of which have been turned into Scaling Relics, boosting their effect based on some condition (F.x. weapon fire-rate boost based on amount of active defects on ship). And as icing on the cake, collectors and bosses can now drop the mysterious Nano Copy Matrix.

[h3]PERKS[/h3]
The Perk Tree has been revamped, new perks introduced, and changes made to incorporate all the great feedback ... and yes, includes the completion of the Perk Selection Loadouts. In addition, we've added the Superior version of all the class abilities, along with a perk to improve it even further!

[h3]NEW CHALLENGES[/h3]
Achievements which not only unlocks achievements on Steam, but also grants unique one-time cosmetic rewards in-game, allowing you to show off your achievements in style.
Daily and weekly challenges offer Ectypes a recurring chance at some high rarity rewards.
The galaxy map now features Loadout Challenges with promise of additional rewards.

[h3]COSMETICS[/h3]
A new Kensei samurai-inspired Cosmetic set can now be found in various cosmetic loot crates. In addition we wanted to show our deepest appreciation to our community, so BETA testers are gaining a Unique BETA-tester projection, and Early Access players getting Crashguard Visor Helmet, Color-override Pattern Crashtype and two exclusive Projections.
Edit: The article erroneously referred to a centurion set being made available to EA players. We apologize deeply - This was wrong: All players can get the "Decimation" armor pieces from the Gift of Victory for defeating bosses. Early Access players get the Crashguard Visor Helmet, Color-override Pattern Crashtype and two exclusive Projections. The above text has been adjusted.



[h3]Community Requests[/h3]

• Item swapping - picking up an item while already carrying an item will swap them
  
• B.R.A.I.N. Auto Mechanic, to help maintain a part of the ship (especially for those Solo Ectypes!)
  
• "Founder's Pack" supporter DLC now available!
  
• Lootbox Exchange added to Personal Loadout Terminal - merge Gifts of METEM for a better Gift
  
• Added "Lone Sentry" loadout to the Destroyer
  
• Rewards (XP & Lootboxes) are now given to players during the mission, so even quitting/crashing will still make you keep your rewards
  
• Added player role indicator in player hud
  
• Skip to loot box opening
  
• Turned off headbobbing now also disables camera zooming in and out when walking around
  
• Last used loadout gets saved between session
  
• Roles of players in the room are now visible in matchmaking terminal
  
• All objectives now reward a common lootbox
  
• Prism Matriarch summoned enemies scales with number of players
  

[h3]Balancing and Tweaks[/h3]

• Huge performance improvements in all aspects of the game, in particular in longer play sessions
  
• Jetpacks and Trails are now customizable cosmetics
  
• Sarcograph areas in Destroyer revamped
  
• Helm updated with more visual doodads and a new "helming" pose
  
• New voice acted dialogue by human professional voice actor, for all non-Homunculus characters (METEM Command, Ectype Pilots, Hub Newscaster).
  
• New voice for Homunculus, authentic text-to-speech, created by human professional voice actor, as base for cloning in-game AI voice (we call it ethical AI: Consent/Credit/Compensation. Voice actor paid per word generated)
  
• New in-game custom Cursor
  
• New fullscreen HUD VFX for fire and electrical damage
  
• New UI and SFX for objective completion
  
• Improved Awakening UX and flow
  
• Airlock panel reworked
  
• Multiple Relics reworked/rebalanced
  
• New Main Menu visuals
  
• Improved Void Jump flow UI
  
• New objective UI
  
• New UI in Galaxy Map
  
• Jetpack rack now only shows current player’s jetpack and only if the player does not have a jetpack equipped
  
• Private lobbies are now shown in the matchmaking terminal
  
• Improved UX for powering on space base objectives
  
• Pilot 1st and 3rd person now have the same HUD
  
• Added non-coop Download base for solo play
  
• Added condition to make coop base only appear in multiplayer sessions
  
• Objective UI is now hidden when interacting with terminals
  
• Tweaks to Astral Map UI
  
• Tweaks to context info UI
  
• Multiple tweaks to text sizes in different parts of UI
  
• Longer quick-warnings
  
• Spacecraft markers are now hidden unless you’re seated or flying with jetpack
  
• Added dynamic text sizing to subtitles and related style change
  
• Ship Power can't go below 1, and negative power debuffs are shown in the Power Bar as a red negative
  
• Major hull breach icon tweaked
  
• Context info for weapon mods will now be shown in Fabricator and in Astral map
  
• Urgency Markers for breakers tweaked
  
• Added Void Drive charge progress info in Frigate engine room
  
• When ship is unpowered, module power button interaction info says “unpowered” instead of “power on”
  
• Empowered Weapon ability VFX now appears on the weapon when ability is active
  
• Added HUB gate opening SFX
  
• Made it more obvious when wayfinder is offline in 3rd person pilot view
  
• Added Clear Target Locks keybind to helm
  
• Added objective markers to all unscanned containers in Salvage
  
• Items can now get pinged even if they are too far away to show a context info
  
• If the UI had been hidden by holding H, it is reenabled after you enter and leave the escape menu
  
• HOLLOW faction enemies should now have purple death explosion
  
• Balanced rarities of some cosmetics
  
• Enemies now have a slight emission to help visibility in darkness
  
• Emotes animations improved
  
• Tweaked projection sizes to fit better on tiny visor helmets
  
• Added emissive parts to most armour cosmetics
  
• The Raid Objective difficulty scales with number of players
  
• Added 2 and 3 Power Cell sockets to Recuser Mark II and III
  
• Weapon accuracy revamped
  
• Increased Scoop Mark III range to 300
  
• Moved Broadside loadouts to Starboard side
  
• Rebalanced Reclaimer arrival times for Normal, Hard and Insane objective difficulties
  
• HOLLOW Morph hitpoints rebalanced
  
• Salvage containers are now less rewarding
  
• Updated GDPR
  
• Updated game credits
  
• Tweaked Gravity Scoops, including pickup range
  
• Ambush patrols rebalanced
  
• Salvage starting enemies are now two summoners and a medium fighter swarm
  
• Increased aggro range of HOLLOW Summoners
  
• SETTINGS: Added Room settings to escape menu
  
• SETTINGS: Player cloud ID can now be accessed via main menu
  
• SETTINGS: "Voice" fader got renamed to "Mission Speech"
  
• SETTINGS: Added new fader to control Voice Emotes volume - "Player Emotes"
  
• SETTINGS: Turning down "Mission Speech", "Player Emotes" or "Voice Chat Volume" will now properly turn down the corresponding reverb
  
• SETTINGS: New popup when changing language in game
  
• SETTINGS: Added immersive voice chat intensity setting
  
• SETTINGS: Added tooltips to some of the settings
  
• SETTINGS: Added setting for extended UI information
  
• SETTINGS: Moved microphone muted and master volume
  
• SETTINGS: Rearranged order of graphic settings
  

• Improved enemy collision detection - enemies should fly through terrain significantly less
  
• Fixed pilot controls sometimes misbehaving
  
• Fixed asteroids and ice shards being able to spawn too close to the ship
  
• Fixed asteroids and ice shards dealing multiple instances of damage
  
• Fixed mission UI breaking for players joining late
  
• Fixed Astral Map breaking if interacting with it near the end of the void jump
  
• Fixed Astral Map getting stuck on screen
  
• Fixed jetpack malfunction label getting stuck on screen even after interference ends
  
• Fixed the ship getting stuck on asteroids colliders
  
• Fixed the microphone being muted when launching the game with push to talk on
  
• Fixed main menu background disappearing after leaving a multiplayer session
  
• Fixed getting stuck on some colliders when walking around the ship
  
• Fixes to keybind hole fill in
  
• Fixes to text and UI overlapping in multiple places
  
• Improvements to readability on Steamdeck
  
• Fixed door interaction info
  
• Respawn keybind info is now shown when dead
  
• Added interaction info fill to remaining levers and buttons
  
• Fixed the class ability showing on top of the terminal when chosen for the first time
  
• Upgrading now fails correctly when module is busy and failing does not consume the upgrader
  
• Buildbox construction can no longer be cancelled by pressing the button again
  
• Buildbox construction buttons are now animated
  
• Fixed lag in perk terminal
  
• Fixed Prism Boss SFX
  
• Fixed collider on Carronade weapon seat
  
• Fixed being able to set the player limit to 0 in a room
  
• Fixed the Thruster Booster Station buttons breaking if they are used before the module is powered on
  
• Fixed collider on Power Generator
  
• Fixed VFX on stationary gatling gun
  
• HOLLOW Shielded Bomber Elite now correctly fires 2 volleys instead of 1
  
• Fixed not being able to construct modules on the left of Recuser beamcaster Mk III if a power cell is in the left slot
  
• Fixed player projections being blurry on Low graphic settings
  
• Fixed HOLLOW Bomber projectiles missing trails
  
• Fixed Salvage offering no objective if it’s the first mission of the run
  
• Fixed some VFX being blurry when using FSR
  
• Fixed being unable to launch the game if active monitor does not get detected
  
• Fixed being unable to click things if you leave a terminal screen white holding down a mouse button
  
• Fixed settings not being applied if joining game via Steam invite while having game closed
  
• Fixed not being able to interact with chairs if standing too close to them
  
• Fixed lighting on carryables inside the ship
  
• Fixed the voice chat still being active in main menu if a player gets kicked immediately after joining
  
• Fixed 3rd person pilot camera breaking if you become a host
  
• Fixed some parts of weapons not casting shadows
  
• Fixed Proctorship Vestment textures
  
• Fixed an issue where accepting an invite during loading screen would result in a blackscreen
  
• Fixed Power Fuse sometimes spawning in terrain
  
• Corrected various codex entries
  
• Huge amount of UI tweaks and fixes
  
• Huge amount of collision fixes
  
• Huge amount of art fixes
  
• Huge amount of audio fixes
  

Now what are you waiting for!? Go play! And don't hesitate to share with us your experience on our Discord!

//Hutlihut Games Crew

Attention Ectypes!

We are soooo excited for Void Crew 1.0 just launched.
Come watch us today 09:00 PST | 17:00 UTC | 18:00 CET !

We can't show it all (...too much new stuff) but will be playing through exciting 1.0, that includes:

• New challenges: 2 new Objectives (Infestation and Desecration)
  
• Enhanced Fabricator (Fabricator upgrade and Blueprints)
  
• New carryables (Scaling relics, Blessed Homunculus and Nano Copy Matrix)
  
• New challenges: Loadout challenges
  
• Exciting Bosses
  
• ...and more...
  

Session is joined by:
- Laurids Binderup (Partner, Lead Game Designer)
- Javier Casado de Amezúa (Partner, Game Engineer)
- Kristoffer Nissen (Senior 3D Artist)


You can watch it on YouTube as well!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]



[h2]METEM Preserve You![/h2]
Hutlihut Games Crew

It is almost here! Rejoice in the name of METEM!

Yes, we are hyped for the launch on Monday 18.00 CET - after all, there's only 3 days left!

We are excited and can't wait to put Void Crew 1.0 into the hands of players!
...we want as many people to play as possible, so we thought: Let's give away some keys!

By-the-way - To celebrate the 1.0 launch, Monday 18.00 CET there will be 20% discount on Void Crew.

[h2]Win 3 VOID CREW Steam keys!?[/h2]
How? Well, you corner whatever friend or three of yours you'd want to play coop with.
Then you get them to:

1) Push that RATE UP button on this article, and
2) add a comment with the words "METEM PRESERVE YOU" in this article's comments

... and we will draw and announce the 3 winners THIS SUNDAY 21.00 CET (24th of November)!

EDIT:
[h3]WINNERS[/h3]
And the winners ARE ... (Drumrolls please!):

• Mo @rocnestgames
  
• TzviaTiger
  
• Oldar
  

Huge congrats to the winners from the Hutlihut team!

Important: For us to contact you, check friends invite so we can send you a steam code (you can remove us afterwards)!

[h2]Early Access Appreciation[/h2]

The amount of feedback and good energy coming from our Early Access players has been amazing, and we wanted to give something back in the shape of special cosmetics - so if your account was created during the Early Access period, once you log into 1.0, you'll automatically receive the following items:

• 2 unique crash test Projections
  
• A "color-override" crash test pattern to match :)
  
• And most importantly: The Crashguard Visor (a.k.a. the Eggtype helmet)
  

[h2]Founder's Pack DLC[/h2]

With this DLC you are first and foremost showing your support for the game and for the Developers. The content included is our way of showing our appreciation for your support!

The Founder's Pack includes:

• METEM Salute projection, for Ectypes to showcase the depth of their devotion.
  
• Golden Armour colour scheme, for those with inner souls of gold.
  
• METEM Star Armour Pattern, wear the stars of the Void to guide your Ectype crew.
  
• Unique B.R.A.I.N. Helmet, to show your Crew who’s really the brains of the Pilgrimage.
  
• Scarab Jetpack, for stylish exploration of wrecks and space stations.
  
• Golden Jetpack Trail, for that sparkling EVA experience.
  
• Our eternal gratitude!

Nooow get those friends onto Void Crew so you can blame 'em!
Don't hesitate to share with us your experience on our Discord!

//Hutlihut Games Crew

As we approach the 1.0 Launch of Void Crew, the anticipation in the air is palpable. The journey to this milestone has been nothing short of exhilarating, and we're beyond excited to share what's on the horizon.

This launch isn't just a version number—it's a culmination of years of designing, developing, taking on player feedback, and refining. We've been through closed beta phases, Early Access, and numerous updates, all leading to this pivotal moment. It's not just about reaching 1.0; it's about delivering an experience that resonates with both new and veteran players alike.

Void Crew 1.0 represents the foundation for what we think is a great coop game experience. We're happy about the things we cut, and even happier about the things we kept. We feel that we have something that stands out and is truly unique in what it offers players - and that it's a game we can keep playing and extend along with the community. But to begin, let me lift the veil and reveal some of what's coming with 1,0:


[h2]New Challenges Await[/h2]

The universe of Void Crew is expanding. We're introducing two new Objectives: Infestation and Desecration.

[h3]Infestation[/h3]

In Infestation, Ectypes are in a race against time to destroy a series of Void Conduits before being overwhelmed by the HOLLOW. Each destroyed Conduit will result in more HOLLOWs jumping in, making it an intense, fast-paced battle for survival. Ectypes must destroy the Conduits, grab the Supply Drop, and jump away before the Reclaimer joins the fray.

[h3]Desecration[/h3]

Desecration offers Ectypes the opportunity to loot an ancient Voidshrine. The objective is to retrieve one of three offered Relics, but doing so triggers a system-wide alarm, bringing the wrath of the HOLLOW down on the crew. To make things even more challenging, the Voidshrine requires the Homunculus to power on, meaning that even the Homunculus must join the E.V.A. - leaving the ship unpowered and vulnerable while you're outside.

[h2]Enhanced Fabricator[/h2]

The Fabricator has received a major overhaul, introducing two new functionalities: Fabricator Upgrading, and Blueprints.

[h3]Fabricator Upgrade[/h3]

Upgrading the Fabricator provides several advantages that will be invaluable to your crew. Not only does an upgraded Fabricator operate faster, but it also adds Alloy auto-recycling functionality. This means less time clicking "Recycle" in the Fabrication terminal and more time running around fixing whatever your crew-mates broke. Additionally, upgrading will progressively unlock stronger variants of existing items, automatically replacing less powerful versions at no extra cost.

[h3]Blueprints[/h3]

Blueprints are a game-changer in how you acquire loot and manage your alloys. By recycling an item in the Fabricator, you can teach it the Blueprint for that item. This allows you to fabricate more of the item as long as you have the necessary Alloys or Blank Animus Crates. For example, if you find an Epic Blank Crate, you can recycle your Mk1 B.R.A.I.N. Auto-turret and immediately inscribe an Epic Mk3 version. This also applies to Relics, allowing you to create powerful combinations—as long as you choose to recycle the Relic instead of locking it in a Shrine.

[h2]New Carryables[/h2]
[h3]Scaling Relics[/h3]

Scaling Relics are relic variants that grant scaling bonuses based on various ship conditions. For example, you can find relics that will scale their power based on how many Circuit Breakers are flipped or how many Alloys you have stored. Optimizing your ship's state to boost a scaling relic is a fun challenge, and the advantage you'll gain is often huge(!).

[h3]Blessed Homunculus[/h3]

In the previous update, our Ship Loadouts came with a specific Relic to match their theme. While this adds flavor, we've realized that it's a bit simplistic—players can simply discard the Relic, causing the loadout to lose its intended uniqueness. To address this, we're introducing the Blessed Homunculus.

Loadouts will now come with an Blessed Homunculus, which functions similar to a Relic once inserted in the Central Computer Cradle, granting a blessing that is specifically tailored to the chosen Loadout. This not only frees up a Relic Shrine socket but also allows us more control over how different loadouts retain their flavor and balance.

This change also lays the groundwork for us to introduce the "Lone Sentry" Destroyer Loadout—a new option for solo players. The Lone Sentry's Blessed Homunculus provides significant advantages for solo Ectypes, but non-solo crews won't benefit from it at all. They might find it more advantageous to add B.R.A.I.N. auto-turrets to one of the other loadouts instead - once they have the Blueprint, they can keep Inscribing them.

[h3]Nano Copy Matrix[/h3]

The Nano Copy Matrix is another exciting addition to your arsenal. This legendary one-time-use carryable allows Ectypes to create an exact duplicate of another carryable. It can even copy a Relic that has already been locked in a Shrine! You can only find these copy-cubes as rare loot from Bosses or HOLLOW Collectors, so be on the lookout, and make sure your crew's Gunner doesn't use it to copy a large bullet crate!

[h2]New Challenges[/h2]
[h3]Loadout Challenges[/h3]

Once unlocked, Loadout Challenges offer an additional reward for reaching and killing the first Biome Boss in any Pilgrimage, as long as you do it with one of the offered loadouts.

[h3]Achievements![/h3]

We've added an Achievement system that not only unlocks achievements on Steam but also grants unique one-time cosmetic rewards in-game, allowing you to show off your achievements in style.

[h3]Timed Assignments[/h3]

Daily and Weekly challenges offer Ectypes a recurring chance at some high rarity rewards. Currently, it's a way to reintroduce the option of getting a high rarity Gift of METEM without needing to spend a lot of time grinding for it. Over time, we plan to expand the Daily and Weekly challenges to include tasks that invite you to play the game in new and creative ways.

[h2]Performance[/h2]

We've dedicated a lot of effort to improving game performance, and it's paid off. Across all corners of the game, we're seeing greatly enhanced performance, especially during long sessions where players previously experienced significant slowdowns. Now, you can enjoy smooth gameplay even during extended missions.

[h2]Early Access Player Appreciation[/h2]

As a token of our appreciation for those of you who joined us during Early Access, we're adding some unique cosmetic enhancements to your Personal Loadout Terminals. Among these is the "Crashguard Visor", a tribute to all those times you braved crashes and bugs while helping us refine the game. Your feedback and support have been invaluable, and we want you to wear these items with pride.

[h2]Join the Adventure[/h2]



There's never been a better time to dive into Void Crew. Whether you're a seasoned Ectype or fresh out of the Sarcograph, the 1.0 launch offers something for everyone. Rally your crew, chart your course, and prepare for the adventure of a lifetime.

In conclusion, this launch is more than an update—it's a testament to our shared passion and the incredible community that has grown around Void Crew. We're immensely grateful for your support and can't wait to embark on this next chapter together.

Get ready—the universe is about to change!



For exclusive previews and to connect with fellow Ectypes, join us on our Discord—METEM's domain is vast, but together, we push back the HOLLOW.

Until the next transmission...

// Laurids, Lead Game Designer, Hutlihut Games

As our game inches closer to its 1.0 release candidates (our “stabilization” phase), I've had a few moments to sip some dubious green tea and reflect on the journey so far.

My first realization: it's already been 14 months since we entered Early Access. Surprisingly, this period has felt more intense and memorable than even the years spent in initial production. Why? I think the answer lies in the feedback loop we established with players. Every addition, change, and removal has led to an unfiltered stream of feedback, revealing insights we could never have gathered from pre-release play sessions with closed groups or involuntarily enlisted friends. Early Access has fundamentally reshaped us as developers and redefined our mindset.

So how exactly has Void Crew been affected by this beast we know as "Early Access"?



[h2]PAX East: Our First Player Encounters[/h2]



Our Early Access journey kicked off in spirit at PAX East in Boston. Although technically not yet in Early Access, the limited single-sector build allowed players to try out key features like space combat and EVA. The sight of players queuing for hours—some even returning multiple times—was immensely validating. I still have my scribbled notes from that event, with “usability” as a key theme, but overall, we left with renewed confidence that Void Crew had an eager audience.

[h2]The Early Access Launch[/h2]

The actual Early Access launch was nerve-wracking, to say the least. Like any game on Steam, our rating from players would be critical, and we watched each review trickle in with bated breath. Thankfully, the reception was positive! (And if you haven't given us a thumbs up yet... well, now’s a good time! 😄)

Reading through the reviews systematically was hard—especially when someone dismissed months of work with a simple “lame.” However, patterns emerged. Early Access carries an unspoken agreement between developers and players: the game is now “theirs” as much as ours. This shift meant changes would be met with friction, and we committed to listening and responding accordingly.

[h2]First Update: Collector and Heavy Autocannon[/h2]



Our first update brought the Collector “loot goblin” and the Orison Heavy Autocannon. These were in progress as we launched into Early Access, as we wanted to offer something new quickly. Most of our initial resources, however, went into bug fixes and resolving issues that surfaced post-launch. Reviewing that changelog now, it’s clear we were in full “bug-squash” mode.

[h2]Addressing Solo Play: Update 1.5[/h2]



One recurring pain point was solo play. Both data and player feedback showed a worrying number of solo players struggling with the game's difficulty. We pivoted our roadmap to introduce “The B.R.A.I.N.” module just before Halloween, making solo play much more feasible while still enhancing cooperative play with more tools. We also added the Cruise Mode toggle, primarily aimed at improving solo play but also becoming a favorite for any Pilot making a mad dash to the Astral Map while under fire. This update, paired with bug fixes and optimizations, was well-received and gave solo players a new way to enjoy Void Crew.

Balancing the game for solo players while also keeping it enjoyable for four-player crews—and balancing overall—is a complex affair. The game becomes boring when there's nothing to do, but many solo requests are about automating various aspects of gameplay. When the BRAINs were introduced, the number one request was to add them to the Fabricator for everyone. We didn't want to do that because, at the time, we didn't have the mechanical foundation to make 3-4 Auto-Turrets viable for a solo Ectype while making them less optimal for four-man crews. (We do now!)

[h2]Patches and the Holiday Update[/h2]



Behind the scenes, we began working on broader tech improvements to address the bigger review feedback. To add more variety to the runs, we introduced various new enemy types. But the BIG change in this update was the Void Tunnel sequence, which had previously been a simple timed sequence taking players to the next Objective.

Players had been requesting some breathing room between Objectives, and the Void Jump was an obvious place to add that while also making an iconic moment in the game stand out more. It also meant we could keep the high-intensity getaways intact while leaving room for gathering around the Astral Map to choose the next Objective.

"More varied runs" was a major headline on our internal list of priorities. With the introduction of the Void Tunnel, we also saw an opportunity to introduce the surprise Objective: The Void Interdiction. We had concerns about meeting the player demand for a moment of calm and then slapping a surprise fight on top of it, but felt that as long as the communication was in place and the risk was low early in the runs, it would probably be okay—even if players died, they'd have a good story to tell.

A particularly challenging technical issue was the network handling of carryables, which sometimes broke the game. After untangling this legacy system, things ran smoother, and we even managed to throw in seasonal fun with a sleigh-inspired Remnant Freighter!

Around this time, we also realized we had begun treating the game too much like a "live" title rather than an Early Access one. As a small team, allocating time for seasonal content meant delaying permanent features the game also needed. On the other hand, players enjoyed the Holiday additions, so there's something to be said for adding content that keeps the current community excited.

[h2]Extending the Game: A Complex Update[/h2]



Our least popular update, however, was the extension update. Despite new Elite enemies, Freedom Loadout, Codex Lore entries, and much-requested fixes, our rating took a hit. Some changes—like removing excess Biomass and Alloys for XP and simplifying loot mechanics—were controversial. In hindsight, we realize we breached that “unwritten contract” with players by making unexpected changes we believed to be minor. A swift patch helped us regain trust, and we learned something about listening to player sentiment in real time.

We also learned that Void Crew is not the best medium for communicating lore amidst all the chaos and player conversations. We'll leave the lore in the Codex and let players take center stage, generating their own tales of victory and defeat.

[h2]Roguelite Endless Mode: A Fork in the Road[/h2]



One of the biggest requests from players was to “keep going” in Void Crew. The finite nature of runs limited replayability, so we tackled this by developing the roguelite Endless Mode over several months, which also enabled us to introduce larger challenges like bosses. Maintaining a deployed game while overhauling core code was no small feat, but this update has been essential in enhancing replay value.

The introduction of Endless Mode caused some rumblings among our existing players—a lot of feedback focused on the strong sense of "winning" a run, with limited objective runs providing a good sense of a finished session. Some players were also disappointed that "Epic Loot Boxes" could no longer be guaranteed from doing a two-objective run on Insane difficulty. We had long discussions about reintroducing the sense of being rewarded for shorter runs, and making it feel viable to play for an hour and then sign off. Daily Missions were placed on the roadmap, and we revised the mechanics for loot boxes so they're less likely to contain duplicates.

[h2]Fruits of Our Labor: Building on a Solid Foundation[/h2]



With this new foundation in place, we finally had the platform to add long-desired features like big Bosses, Relics, Emotes, and performance tech (DLSS/FSR). We also continued to refine solo play, matchmaking, and more. Each update has brought us closer to realizing the game Void Crew was always meant to be.

[h2]Bringing It All Together for 1.0[/h2]



So, what’s left? Plenty. We’re tirelessly tying up loose ends, polishing features, and making improvements that will give the game that final "great" factor. For example, we’ve reworked the Fabricator, improved UX and UI elements, and made upgrades feel more meaningful. It’s all about going the extra mile to give Early Access the send-off it deserves.

In closing, Early Access has challenged us to improve Void Crew in ways we couldn't have anticipated. We’re beyond grateful for everyone who’s joined us on this journey, and excited to bring you a game that reflects your feedback and our growth.

We would like to thank all Early Access players for your support and feedback. All the encouragement and positive vibes, gave us extra energy in rough periods. All the input for improvements made us try even harder. Thank you!

Stay tuned—more is coming soon! In the next article, we'll cover more about what new features 1.0 will entail!



Get more news and sneak peeks on our Discord—don't hesitate, join naaauw!

Until the next rambling...

// Daniel, Creative Director, Hutlihut Games