New Update - Space Station Designer v. 0.5.60

[p]A few months ago we published 'Space Station Designer' version 0.5.47, which included the first implementation of the 'Lunar Space Elevator' megaproject, along with a series of Quality of Life (QoL) improvements, bug fixes, and new content.
[/p][p]We've been very hard at work since then, and today we're proud to unveil 'Space Station Designer' version 0.5.60, which is our largest update to date in terms of changes and additions. This post will cover the main highlights. If you're interested in the full overview, you can find our detailed release notes here.
[/p][h3]Engine Upgrade & Improved Graphics[/h3][p][/p][p]As part of this update, we upgraded 'Space Station Designer' from Unity 2022.3 to Unity 6, and we spent a lot of time improving the overall quality of our graphics, including new high-resolution models of the Earth and the Moon and a Sun illuminating the scene.
[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Moreover, we have redone the 'Global Screen' so that it also includes high-resolution models of the Earth and the Moon, a day/night cycle, and a more accurate representation of the relationship between the various stations and the celestial bodies they are orbiting around.
[/p][p]The screenshots above are work in progress, as we're still exploring new ideas and approaches to make the graphics even better. Expect more changes in future updates![/p][p][/p][h3]First step towards the migration of systems from turn-based to real-time[/h3][p][/p][p]As part of 0.5.60, we revised the space station modules acquisition system and converted it from turn-based to real-time. In practice, this means that the delivery of a module can happen at any point throughout the month, which results in a much more engaging experience.[/p][p][/p][p]We've already started converting other existing turn-based systems to real-time, such as maintenance, research/industrial R&D points generation, and supplies consumption/waste generation. These changes didn't make it to the cut-off for this update, and will be included in a future release.[/p][p][/p][h3]Research Technologies: No more 'instant' acquisitions[/h3][p][/p][p]Following the feedback we got from the community, we made substantial changes to our research system: now research technologies are no longer 'instantly' acquired after paying their cost in research points. Instead, paying these costs only marks the start of the acquisition process, which can last several months depending on the complexity of the technology.
[/p][p]Note that only one research technology can be acquired at the time. But, fear not! We can always 'pause' an ongoing acquisition if our priorities change and we find ourselves in a situation where we urgently need to acquire a different technology.
[/p][p]Lastly, research modules now require an astronaut assigned to them in order to produce research points, which is more in-line with the way research in microgravity works in real life.
[/p][h3]Redesign of the Public Reputation points currency[/h3][p][/p][p]We spent a significant amount of time on the drawing board rethinking how the Public Reputation points currency meshes with all the various game subsystems. As a result of this, we have completely redesigned the purpose behind this currency from the ground up.[/p][p][/p][p]More specifically, now Public Reputation points are a currency that ranges from -100 to +200, with 0 being the 'neutral' point. The value can go up or down depending on our actions and various events that happen throughout the game, and it has an impact on other aspects of the game. This includes, for example, the quality of astronaut candidates, a multiplier effect in the rewards provided by Commercial Services/Space Tourism tours, chances that astronauts with low morale end up leaving our company, etc.[/p][p][/p][p]A poor Public Reputation will not completely tank our company overnight, but it will certainly have a negative impact across multiple areas of operation. Moreover, it's now possible to get financial aid in exchange of Public Reputation points if our numbers ever get into the red, which is yet another incentive to keep our numbers healthy.[/p][p][/p][h3]Astronaut recruitment process[/h3][p][/p][p]Starting with this update, astronaut recruitment seasons will open up on a yearly basis every January, and remain open for 3 months. Up until now, the seasons only lasted for a month, which proved quite limiting, and sometimes even a tad frustrating.[/p][p][/p][p]In addition to this, we have added a series of small QoL improvements, such as a system that clearly communicates the hiring windows in the astronaut hiring screen, and a monthly reminder when the player hasn't recruited any astronauts during the current window.
[/p][h3]QoL improvements in the astronaut management screen[/h3][p][/p][p]As part of our ongoing playtesting, we keep finding new ways to make the astronaut management process more effective, especially in the late stages of the game when there are tens of active astronauts distributed across all four stations and our multiple Earth facilities. Some of the improvements included in this update include a panel to the left-hand side of the astronaut management screen that displays the number of astronauts on Earth/every station, along with their cumulative salaries, a new 'sort by morale' button, and a new button to 'filter' all astronauts assigned to our Earth facilities.
[/p][p]We're very happy with all these new additions, and we can confirm that they definitely make a large volume of astronauts easier to manage![/p][p][/p][h3]Preventing the 'death spiral' when the station is in deficit[/h3][p][/p][p]Stations that cannot either provide enough electricity or cooling, or have used up all their available storage space, are known to be in 'deficit'. Up until the current version, entering into the 'deficit' state was very dangerous, because the game puts very strong restrictions on the station' operations, including removing all astronauts from their assignments, disabling thrusters, and forbidding resupply spacecraft from docking. These restrictions caused a 'death spiral' that could be very challenging, and sometimes impossible, to escape from.[/p][p][/p][p]To make the game less punishing, we have introduced a series of changes as part of version 0.5.60. More specifically, when a station is in 'deficit', we will still be able to bring resupply spacecraft with astronauts and supplies, and assign astronauts to maintenance duties. Moreover, attitude control thrusters will still be functional, which help minimize any potential damage caused when executing a Debris Avoidance Maneuver (DAM). These two changes bring our game model closer to real-life scenarios. If you want to learn more about this, you can find an informational recap on how the Soyuz T-13 mission salvaged the Salyut 7 station here.[/p][p][/p][h3]Improvements to the Contracts system[/h3][p][/p][p]Active contracts now include a 'progress tracker' when appropriate. This makes it easier to understand how far we are into the completion of the various objectives and, equally important, find out in advance whether there's a risk of failing a contract because we're falling behind.
[/p][p]In addition to this, the contracts rewards (i.e., funds, research points, etc) are now affected by an 'inflation index' instead of using fixed values. This is specially important because certain contracts can be available for many years, and the rewards should be in line with the completion date: the costs of running our network of stations in 2020 are smaller than in 2030, and the contracts' rewards should reflect that.[/p][p][/p][h3]Other notable QoL improvements[/h3][p][/p][p]As part of our ongoing QoL improvements, we have completely revised the layout of the 'stats' panel located in the left-hand side of the screen. This includes new icons, consistent numeric format across all fields, and better ways to display the summarized values.
[/p][p]We have also revised the imagery we use for identifying 'locked' modules (i.e., modules that cannot be acquired yet since we're missing their associated research technology) and made the whole system more intuitive.
[/p][p]Lastly, we have revised the logic behind the screens used for sending astronauts back to Earth or transferring them to another station so that they issue a warning if we're attempting to send astronauts in a "removable" assignment (e.g., being assigned to maintenance, a production line, a research module, etc), and prevent them from sending an astronaut in a "non-removable" assignment (e.g., a space tourism group, or a commercial services engagement). This will help us prevent very costly mistakes, especially in the late stages of the game when it's very easy to lose track of all our astronauts and their assignments.

[/p][p]Note that the points above are just some notable examples. For the full list of QoL improvements, please check out our live public release notes document.[/p][p][/p][h3]Bug-fixes[/h3][p][/p][p]Before every large release, we always conduct a full Campaign playthrough and validate that the game can be played from start to finish. These playthroughs take around 40 hours, and always end up surfacing unexpected side-effects of introducing new gameplay mechanics, and small things that we missed before.[/p][p][/p][p]In this particular release, we came across an interesting one that it's too good not to share: it turns that when an astronaut is scheduled to visit a space station on the same month that they reach retirement age (i.e., 70 years), they get into an invalid state that causes a lot of other problems further down the line. In the end, we ended up resolving it by adding a mechanism to prevent us from assigning astronauts to a mission unless they are at least two years away from retirement.[/p][p][/p][h3]Closing thoughts[/h3][p][/p][p]As we mentioned in the introduction, this update is the largest one we've released so far. We're currently running a closed beta, so if you want to try out all these changes, please consider applying by using the following link.[/p][p][/p][p]As always, we'll be monitoring our Discord server and the forums, so don't hesitate to let us know if you have any feedback or comments.[/p][p][/p][p]--Ignacio, Mauricio, and Nicolas (Polar Motion)[/p][p]
Wishlist Space Station Designer
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