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Dev Update 2022-09-14: Tractor Beams, Teleporters and more

Hey Space Travelers!

This time I had a productive stretch of development with 100+ bug fixes, 20 new features, 50+ balance changes, 40+ UI and usability improvements, a dozen of performance enhancements and 2 new soundtrack pieces added since the last update about 6 weeks ago. You can find the full list of changes here: stardeusgame.com/changelog.

Let’s take a closer look at the most prominent new features.

[h2]Tractor Beam[/h2]


The Tractor Beam was a highly requested feature for quite a while. It is a mid-late game device that will guide incoming projectiles towards a selected target. You can build multiple Tractor Beams for combining their influence on the trajectories of larger objects, like Asteroids.

[h2]Multi Faction Raids[/h2]

Raids can now get more hectic, since there is a chance to get raided by more than one faction at the same time. Different factions will fight each other, so you can wait for them to take each other out and grab the loot. Prepare those Nutrient Extractors, no more soy burgers for a while!

[h2]Functional Teleporters[/h2]

Teleporters were in the game for a long time, but they were only useful for teleporting goods from other ships. Not anymore! Teleporters can now be linked to each other, enabling you to design and build teleporter networks to optimize worker paths. There are also some new story events related to teleporters, but we don’t want to spoil it for you.

[h2]Projectile Trajectories[/h2]

When you have a working Radar, selecting any flying object will display its trajectory. You are a Ship Computer after all, you should be good at such calculations. Oh, and that enormous dark rock in the screenshot above is a Mega Asteroid. You won’t see them often, but if you do, keep calm and hold on to your motherboard.

[h2]Massive Performance Improvements[/h2]

Performance is a feature in Stardeus. While it is a never ending fight against the ever growing amount of new behaviors, systems and mechanics, performance improvements will never be left behind! Within recent weeks there have been a few critically important performance improvements that involved rewriting a bunch of internal plumbing to make even a late game run smoothly at stable frame rates, with much less occasional lag spikes and frame drops.

[h2]Verified on Steam Deck[/h2]

I am very excited about this one! Stardeus went through the rigorous verification process and got an official “Verified” green badge! There are two officially supported control schemes that you can choose from - the default one (my personal favorite) is the classic gamepad style, where you are driving the virtual cursor with the left stick, and the alternative one uses the right trackpad + triggers for mouse clicks, which is usually employed by games without gamepad support. And of course, you can enjoy Stardeus on a big screen TV with just about any type of gamepad.

[h2]Truckloads of Polish[/h2]
With the Early Access release date getting close, I am polishing the rough edges as much as I can. There are tons of tiny UI changes, QOL improvements, visual and sound effect updates, text clarifications, etc. I will do whatever it takes to make Stardeus an exemplary Early Access title. There should be no major bugs, performance issues or other unpleasant surprises when the game becomes available.

[h2]Stardeus Demo[/h2]
We made a choice to keep Stardeus Demo available indefinitely. It is kept up to date and contains all the latest features and improvements right from the oven. If you haven’t tried it yet, go play it!

That’s it for now, see you in the next update!


[h2]Follow the Development[/h2]


[h2]Add Stardeus to Wishlist[/h2]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1380910/Stardeus/

Dev Update 2022-08-03: The Slow Summer

Hey Space Travelers!

I have exciting news. Stardeus will be released by a well respected publisher! I cannot disclose any details at this point, but even though the development is secure and on track, the release will have to be slightly delayed, as more time is needed to prepare for it properly.

As of the development progress, it has stalled due to me getting covid and then a long overdue vacation. I had to defragment my brain before the upcoming release, and now I feel fully refreshed with my battery back to 100%!

With the release getting close, I am going to keep the focus on stability, balance and bug fixes. Stardeus is in great shape, and the vast majority of fixed bugs are minor or triggered in rare situations.

Even though this July was the slowest month ever, there are still 60+ bug fixes, 25+ UI improvements, 30+ balance changes and 7 new features added since the last update. Check the Stardeus changelog for a full list. Let’s take a quick look at some of the new changes that I have for you.

[h2]Smooth camera motion[/h2]



After looking at many Stardeus gameplay videos, I noticed that the camera motion was feeling quite rough and unpleasant. It gets even worse when players like to do many small camera adjustments. Now camera motion will be smoothed out when panning, zooming and dragging the map. After multiple iterations of the smoothing behavior, it feels natural to both the player and the viewer.

[h2]Double click to select similar[/h2]



This nice QOL change lets you quickly select all objects of the same type that are visible on-screen. Most devices expose multi-select controls, allowing you to perform mass changes with one click. Running low on fuel? Focus the camera above your Matter Reactors, double-click one, then “Eject Fuel” and select the new fuel type. Another alternative is to reconfigure one Matter Reactor and use the Copy Configuration tool to reconfigure the rest, but the double click method is faster.

[h2]Floor vents[/h2]



This new floor vent lets you expose any room to open space without making structural changes to the ship. Wall vents do that as well, but only if the wall is adjacent to open space. Floor vents are great for firefighting and reducing the temperature in overheated areas while giving you the freedom to design your ship in interesting ways.

[h2]Soundtrack controls and music mood[/h2]



Stardeus OST currently contains 27 tracks, and more will be added! There is now a menu section dedicated to the soundtrack, where you can listen to each track, and select the ones you’d like to hear. The UI for it isn’t necessarily final, so it may see updates in the future!

Each track has a mood associated with it, and the game music will change depending on the intensity of ongoing events.

That’s it for this update, see you in the next one! I’m also back to more or less regular development streams, so catch me live on Twitch if you want to see how Stardeus is made.


[h2]Follow the Development[/h2]


[h2]Add Stardeus to Wishlist[/h2]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1380910/Stardeus/

Dev Update 2022-07-02: Focus on balance and stability

Hey Space Travelers!

It’s a really hot summer over here, so the pace of development is a little slower than usual, but non the less, there are 120+ bug fixes, 70+ UI improvements, 50+ balance changes, 20+ new features, 5 new OST tracks and a ton of overhauled sound effects since the last update ~6 weeks ago.

To get ready for a smooth and solid launch, I have temporarily shifted focus to stability, player experience, polish, quality of life and game balance.

Let’s take a look at some noteworthy changes.

[h2]Research Overhaul[/h2]



One of the biggest set of changes was related to Research. The automatic research tree layout algorithm wasn’t doing a great job, so it was completely replaced by something much more solid. The research tree now looks better. But it’s not just about the looks. The contents of the tree were overhauled with more balanced requirements. We now also have multiple dependencies and a research queue where we can put as many items as we want - you no longer need to start a new research every time something gets unlocked.



Humans will also be able to contribute to the research - you can build Research Stations for that. This also enables running more than one research at the same time.



[h2]Hailing Merchants[/h2]



It’s easy to get short on certain materials in space, and finding them on planets may not be a quick and easy task. There is a new option of dealing with resource shortages. You can use a Communicator to hail a specific type of Merchant. Once contacted, the Merchant will arrive at your location with a set of goods that may help you solve your urgent need for specific items or materials.

[h2]More / Better Charts[/h2]



Charts have been overhauled as well. They are now easier to read, with better tooltips. Electricity grid charts have the most notable improvements. They pack a lot of important information that is easy to understand. You can see energy production capacity, consumption, deficit, battery reserve and battery charge level.



Inventory will also display resource charts, so you can predict how fast you will run out of fuel, or see if the soy burger production can keep up with demand.

[h2]Device Wear[/h2]



This is a new mechanic that may seem dull at first, but hear me out! The device wear accumulates according to use and other factors (like taking damage), and once the wear reaches 100%, the device can no longer be repaired. At that point you can only replace the device. I made sure this mechanic would not become grindy, and you wouldn’t have to keep replacing everything over and over. Devices wear very slowly on their own. But if there is a fire, or a meteor strike damages your solar panels, you can’t expect them to work as “brand new” once they get patched up, and after one more strike they won’t be repairable at all. This mechanic adds some realism to the simulation. But should you find it annoying, it can be turned off completely in game settings.

[h2]Hazard Warnings[/h2]



Sometimes it was not obvious why certain items were never used by human colonists. 99% of the time the reason was that the item was in a spot where there was not enough oxygen, or it was too cold. A new system will show warning notifications for objects and devices in hazardous environments, but only if those things are meant to be used by humans. You can turn off these warnings either per each object individually, or globally in game settings.

[h2]Ordering Petting[/h2]



I kept the most important feature for last! You can now order petting a pet, and see when was the last time any pet was petted, and by whom.

That’s it for now! See you in the next update, and have a great summer!

[h2]Follow the Development[/h2]


[h2]Add Stardeus to Wishlist[/h2]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1380910/Stardeus/

Dev Update 2022-05-17

Hey, Space Travelers!

In just 4 months Stardeus will be released to Early Access! The development pace has reached terminal velocity, and this update is going to be big.

Many of those with closed alpha access have racked up dozens, or even hundreds of hours of playtime. Their feedback has led to a significant number of balance changes, QOL improvements, and new late game oriented content and features. I want to thank all of you who pushed Stardeus alpha to its limits and submitted feedback via the in-game form, or on Discord. I couldn’t ask for a better community!

Let’s take a look at what happened since the last development update ~6 weeks ago.

[h2]Human operated devices[/h2]



Humans will no longer be a liability. A set of new devices along with a couple of old ones will require a human operator to be present for the device to work. This will be especially important in early game, when you will have to rely on human labor to operate the crafting stations to produce critical components required for your ship.

[h2]Improved AI and more complex human behavior[/h2]



While still far from perfect, the AI is getting increasingly more refined. There are significant improvements in how your workers handle and prioritize their needs, and with a larger variety of various activities available for them, new possibilities open up more complex behaviors. For example, someone who hasn’t taken a shower for quite a while will not be able to socialize with others. Operating devices will make humans tired, so they will shift between work and rest / recreational activities.

[h2]Visual and audio polish[/h2]



Gameplay will always come first, but I managed to pick a few more low hanging fruits that made Stardeus look and feel better and more immersive. It’s the little things - smoke trails on meteors, darkness in enclosed rooms if they don’t have lights installed, nanobot swarm effects for construction, deconstruction and repairs and little positional animations of beings moving when they are performing a task. Audio wasn’t left behind either. Many ambiences and in-game sounds are replaced with improved, less annoying and more interesting versions. A few new OST tracks were composed to increase the variety of background music. UI also got a subtle yet important improvement - a more readable, crispier font. All these little improvements add up to create a richer, more vivid environment.

[h2]Starmap changes and planets in the background[/h2]



Starmap used to be the worst looking part of the game, sporting ugly placeholder art I made in 30 minutes two years ago. I threw the whole thing away and redid it from scratch. The objects in starmap are generated in a way that they can be put in the actual starfield behind the ship, so you will see the planet come into view when you fly close to it. The planet is rotating around its axis, and clouds are morphing in the atmosphere. This really adds to the immersion.



[h2]More interesting shipwreck generation[/h2]



The ship generation algorithm was overhauled to produce better looking ships. Several sets of new floor tiles were added to achieve a bigger variety of distinct areas. Glass floors will also be placed in more aesthetically pleasing ways to form rows of windows.

[h2]Polished Steam Deck support and refined controller input[/h2]



I have finally received the Steam Deck, and now I’m spending every night playing Stardeus on it! This led to a ton of improvements and polish related to Steam Deck and controller input. It touched a plethora of aspects - UI scaling, fonts, controller detection and glyphs, default input bindings, virtual keyboard input and more. I am certain that Stardeus will pass the “great on deck” verification with flying colors!

[h2]Improved Oxygen / Heat overlays[/h2]



The atmosphere simulation overlays were improved to a point where it will be easier than ever to detect oxygen or heat leaks.

[h2]Codex Overlay and Operations Manual[/h2]



To help new players and organize all the information about the game to be at the tips of your fingers, a Codex overlay was added. It includes a detailed Operations Manual that you can explore and learn over time to master the intricacies of running a spaceship.

[h2]Steam Achievements[/h2]



Stardeus is going to have Steam Achievements. I have already added 30 of them, but more are coming. If you don’t like achievements, there is a setting to disable them.

[h2]Winching sections[/h2]





One of the most annoying things was that you had little choice on how to rebuild the ship. You could either make bridges between broken sections, but that would make the ship unnecessarily huge. Another option was to deconstruct as much as you could. Now there is a third option - building a Winch Hook and Winch Anchor, and using them to reel in two sections together. You can also use this technique to shift things around later.

[h2]Security Controls and Quantum Barrier[/h2]



There are finally some serious defenses against asteroids and meteor showers. You can build Quantum Barriers that will charge up and produce force fields. Security Controls will let you control them all in bulk.

[h2]Sentry Drone[/h2]



There is a new sheriff in town. Sentry Drone will not perform any work, but it excels in combat situations.

[h2]Planet terraforming and colonization[/h2]



The main objective of the Ship Computer is to find a habitable planet and settle a permanent colony for your human survivors. This objective can now be achieved by finding a terraformable planet and terraforming it using four different devices - Atmosphere, Biosphere, Oceans and Terrain Generators. Once the planet is fully terraformed, you can settle your colonists and see the end game credit screen. You can continue playing afterwards.

[h2]Mind Control[/h2]



There is finally a way to change job priorities and give direct orders to your human colonists. You will have to research and build the Beta Wave Transceiver that will allow influencing the minds of friendly biological beings. It has to charge up to reach 100% synchronization level and is energy intensive, so there will be more efficient options for colonist mind control in future (i.e. brain implants).

[h2]Scanning planets with Probes[/h2]



You can now build and launch single-use Probes to scan remote planets, so you will know where to go to find that precious Uranium.

[h2]Tons of other changes[/h2]

In addition to the big things mentioned above, there are hundreds of smaller improvements, balance adjustments, bug fixes, polish, and new content additions. You can find the full list in the public changelog on the website or in #stardeus-updates channel on Stardeus Discord.

See you in the next update!

[h2]Follow the Development[/h2]


[h2]Add Stardeus to Wishlist[/h2]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1380910/Stardeus/















Dev Update 2022-03-27

Hey, Space Travelers!

It’s been longer than usual since the last development update, but the lab was as busy as always. Let’s take a quick look at the biggest additions.

[h2]Release Date and a new Trailer[/h2]

Stardeus now has an official Early Access release date (September 15th, 2022), and a new cinematic trailer with a voiceover. If you haven’t seen it yet, here it is:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h2]Weapons and Combat[/h2]

This was something many of you have been asking for, and finally, the first iterations of the tactical combat system are in place. It’s a bit rough around the edges at this point, but there is a fairly solid foundation for creating more in-depth combat simulations. Your enemies won’t just try to kill everyone. They will also steal your valuables, sabotage your infrastructure, and even steal your shuttles when they have to.

[h2]Breach Capsule Raids[/h2]



One of the ways to get into combat is to get boarded by raiders in a Breach Capsule. It will fly towards your ship from below, and attach itself to your hull with the help of a sharp spike.



Raiders will take some time (depending on the type of your floors) to drill through, and then all hell will break loose.



After the raid is over, the capsule will detach itself and float away, either carrying the raiders and their loot, or empty.

[h2]Carrier Drones[/h2]



To unburden your construction bots from doing menial hauling tasks, a new type of worker was introduced. Carrier Drones are blazing fast, but they are limited to hauling materials only.

[h2]Attachments[/h2]



Your colonists are going to form attachments to other beings and things. Someone sleeping in a bed will claim the bed as their own. People will create friendships, pets will bond with those who cuddle them. Someone who drinks a lot of coffee will become addicted. All this is driven by the new attachment system.

[h2]Aesthetics[/h2]



New Aesthetics overlay will show how pretty or ugly things are. Colonists will react to their environment, they will be unhappy if all they see is dirt, dead bodies and industrial machinery.

Every single object contributes to overall aesthetics of the area, including colonists themselves and each piece of clothing they’re wearing.

[h2]New types of materials[/h2]



There are a bunch of new resources that you will have to produce in your space factory. Harvest Crude Oil from planets, use the Refinery to turn it into Petroleum, produce Rubber and Plastic, craft Transistors, Copper Wire, Optical Fiber and Gears. Everything will have its use.

[h2]Emblems and custom floor tiles[/h2]



Want to put a custom logo or a picture of your cat in the middle of your ship? We got you covered. Place some images in a custom folder, build an Emblem, and configure it to use one of your custom images.

There is also a special type of floor tile, where you can load your own textures in the same way.



[h2]More vibrant HDR colors[/h2]



All in-game light sources are now HDR enabled, and will look more rich and lively.

[h2]Name in the game templates[/h2]

Some Kickstarter backer rewards included naming your Colonist, Robot, Planet and Galaxy. The custom name templates are now implemented. If you backed the project at an eligible reward tier, you can fill out a google form to provide your custom names (form is linked in Kickstarter email update).

In addition to this, there were countless bug fixes, balance changes, QOL and UI improvements, and various minor additions. Full list of changes can be found on the website: https://stardeusgame.com/changelog/

See you in the next update!

[h2]Follow the Development[/h2]


[h2]Add Stardeus to Wishlist[/h2]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1380910/Stardeus/