[h2]EXPLORE THE GALAXY![/h2]
The galaxy is a big place – trust us, we’ve done the math!
We’ve connected the wires from Stellar Cartography (and Isaac’s bridge station) to the helm, allowing you to go beyond the initial library of space locations and explore the galaxy! Use the long range sensors to explore the neighborhood around your current position, zoom in to other stars, planets (and even moons), and then plot a course and engage Quantum Drive!
As part of this, we’ve added several new space locations, including additional nebulae designs, a new Supernova location, other star types, and a new Terrestrial planet. You’ll even find some planets located within their star’s habitable zone sporting atmospheres, allowing you to take a shuttle down for a little surface exploration!
We’ve redesigned the shuttle flight experience to give you more control, from takeoff to landing. Just watch the paint job!
If you do scrape it up, you can transfer the shuttle down to the new Shuttle Maintenance Bay and swap it for a fresh model, or better yet, fix it up in the repair station and send it back up into service!
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[h2]TAKE ON A NEW MISSION[/h2]
All play and no work makes Gordon…. well, pretty happy, I suppose. But Union Central does come a-callin’ sooner or later, and there’s work to be done! We’ve added a new Comms panel on the bridge that you can use to hail Union Central and pick up a new mission. Will you be asked to find the cure for the next big disease? Save a world from volcanic destruction? Swoop in and defend the Union from enemy interlopers? Or something else? The suspense is killing us!
To fulfill your mission, you’ll complete a series of tasks that utilize the ship’s functionality, including several new interactive elements spread throughout the ship. You may be conducting an analysis in one of the ship’s many science labs, flying to a new Quantum Drive location, or even engaging in ship-to-ship combat. If you complete all the tasks, you and your crew will be recognized for completing your mission with the official currency of the Planetary Union – REPUTATION – in the form of prestige points on our Steam leader board. There’s even new Steam Achievements to recognize your growing mission prowess.
With more than a dozen mission types to complete, and no limit to how often you can do them, you’ll soon be the most sought-after officer in the fleet. Can promotion be far behind??
Not so ambitious, or want to RP your own scenarios? Don’t worry, missions are optional, and you can still use the new interactive elements even outside of missions.
[h2]DAMAGE AND REPAIR 3.0[/h2]
“Never Give Up! Never….” Wait, that’s the other guy’s schitck. Anyway, we’ve kept evolving our damage and repair system, and are excited about the new upgrades.
In addition to improving repair mini-games, some panels now come with user serviceable parts inside! Access the panel needing repair, pull the damaged component to see what you need, then obtain a spare from a nearby storage room. Carry it back, or store it in your inventory and retrieve it when you get back and install it into the panel. Piece of cake (a corner piece, of course)!
We’ve also added some realism with a new low-power mode, for those particularly rough encounters with the Krill.
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[h2]Quality of Life Enhancements[/h2]
We’ve implemented a number of enhancements to make this version the most immersive and interactive yet! A few highlights:
- We’ve replaced our performance hog of a mini-map with new diegetic corridor maps throughout the ship. You’ll find them at most major intersections, and on every landing in the main stairwell.
- We’ve added the Krill as an option for ship-to-ship combat. Be warned, Avis is not known for mercy!
- We’ve significantly expanded the in-game help to cover a lot of the new ship’s systems. Press F1 if you’re stuck!
- We’ve added an in-game bug reporter, so you can let us know what we missed. Press F3 to file a report.
- We’ve done one final re-factor of the ship’s corridors to simplify them and improve performance. To make navigation easier, we’ve also simplified the lift network, extending the main lift all the way down to K deck, and minimizing redundant lifts.
- We’ve added more localization to the game, allowing our fan community to contribute translations for languages beyond English.
- We’ve brought back support for Mac! The only limitation in this version is that Mac and Windows users cannot join the same multiplayer game. While we have not conducted tests into this, we are confident that our next major release will bring this functionality back.
- Hundreds and hundreds of bug fixes and cosmetic improvements, including new bathrooms and casual off-duty clothes for NPCs
[h2]EVEN MORE TO EXPLORE![/h2]
Even
more Orville-y goodness in this version, including:
- The ship has never felt so full! In addition to new crew support areas, you’ll find a full complement of crew quarters spread throughout the ship. All four classes of crew quarters are represented (including the new Class D quarters referenced in The Guide to The Orville), and there are about as many unique designs as there are crew! Among the manifest you may even find homages to some prominent Orvillians from the interwebs. Consider it our love letter to the fans.
- An expanded Union Station! New offices, working lifts, and a new shuttle bay, giving you even more reason to come aboard for some R&R.
- Say hello to our little friends, in the Aquatics Bay, Deck G forward, and the popular date night destination, the Aquatics Observation room on Deck H.
- Did we mention new bathrooms? And not just bathrooms….SPACE BATHROOMS!
- The aforementioned Shuttle Maintenance Bay, with controls for repositioning shuttles for storage, repair, or readying them for transfer to the bay. Controls are also available in the shuttle bay control room on D Deck.
- New Environmental Control rooms scattered throughout the ship ensure that everyone gets a hot shower and plenty of oxygen!
[h2]NEW MUSIC![/h2]
The other-worldly Patrick Phillips has provided us with a bevy of beautiful new music for this version! New tracks include:
- A custom track for the new Aquatics Bay
- Themed cues for each of the three new planetary surface environments
- New music for Isaac’s Astrophysics lab on Deck K
- New Krill battle music guaranteed to up your heart rate
- New holiday track for the Main Menu (available each December)!
Note: v1.0.18.0 was built on Unreal Engine 5, which necessitated an increase in the minimum system specifications. Please refer to the store page for more details on this. Also please note that for v18, Combat Training mode has been temporarily disabled.
Should you have issues running this version, all previous releases are available in the “Betas” tab in the Steam library properties. We are looking to increase performance and stability in future versions as well.
For a more traditional style of patch notes, check out the patch notes from the open beta: [dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]