Generationship News

[p]It’s been a while – the last three months have been quiet in terms of updates. But behind the scenes, we’ve been working on a major feature: Your ships can now move. Really move.[/p][p]In the previous version of Generation Ship, you could build your ship and configure it – but it remained locked in a static orbit. That has changed. Dramatically.[/p][hr][/hr][h3]🚀 Realistic Spaceflight – Built on Orbital Mechanics[/h3][p]There is now a complete new navigation system, using real orbital physics. Planets and moons now move along proper trajectories. Your ship isn't just a visual object in space – it's a physical entity obeying gravity, inertia, and thrust.[/p][p][/p][p]Placement of engines, mass distribution, and the center of mass (COM) all matter. Ships with unbalanced designs may spin, drift, or behave unpredictably — just like in real spaceflight.[/p][hr][/hr][h3]🔧 Engines, Gimbals & Thrust Balancing[/h3][p]Each thruster now applies real directional force, and most engines support an adjustable gimbal for steering.[/p][p][/p][p]To help stabilize things, we’ve introduced an automated thrust balancing system that adjusts outputs across all engines to maintain control, even in asymmetrical designs.[/p][p]The UI now includes a directional control overview, letting you see at a glance how maneuverable your ship is in each axis — ideal for debugging tricky ship layouts.[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][h3]🕹️ Keyboard Control & NavBall Flight Interface[/h3][p]You can now pilot your ship directly using keyboard input. To support orientation and spatial awareness, we’ve added a full NavBall UI – showing orientation relative to prograde, retrograde, normal vectors and more.[/p][p][/p][p]A simple autopilot is also included: stabilize your orientation, point toward targets, or align with maneuver vectors – all at the push of a button.[/p][hr][/hr][h3]🌌 New Star Map & Maneuver Planning[/h3][p]The new star map lets you visualize planetary orbits, moon paths, and your own trajectory in real time. [/p][p]You can set maneuver nodes directly on your orbit – tweaking speed and angle to reach your goals.[/p][p][/p][p]Need help? An early maneuver planner can automatically calculate common tasks: orbit changes, lunar transfers, and more.[/p][p]In the future, these plans will be handled by your crew, with planning time and skill factors. But for now — it’s fully interactive.[/p][hr][/hr][h3]🛰️ Multiple Ships, Autonomous Flight, and Docking[/h3][p]You can now switch between multiple ships, like your supply vessels and support craft. Each ship can be manually piloted or assigned to an autopilot – letting your crew perform planned burns, execute maneuvers, and approach rendezvous targets.[/p][p]The rendezvous system is also in development:[/p]

• [p]Ships can target other vessels[/p]
• [p]Autopilots execute approach maneuvers[/p]
• [p]The Docking Mode on the NavBall enables precision alignment[/p]
• [p]A “Hold Position” mode allows ships to stay in place near their target[/p]

[p][/p][hr][/hr][h3]🎥 Work-in-Progress Video[/h3][p]Want to see all of this in action?
We’ve put together a short work-in-progress video showing the new navigation systems, maneuver planning, and autopilot behavior in-game.[/p][p]Note that that's not the final version of the video and a lot of warnings were still shown up. But it should give you a solid impression of how things are coming together![/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]Let us know what you think — and what you’d like to see next![/p][hr][/hr][h3]🧪 What’s Next – From Systems to Simulation[/h3][p]The core navigation systems are now in place and working well.
I’m currently focused on polishing performance and stability, making sure everything feels smooth, consistent, and reliable in real gameplay.[/p][p]Once that’s done, the update will be opened up to all current playtesters.[/p][p]After that, the next step is deeper integration into the main gameplay: Autopilot tasks and maneuver planning won’t just happen instantly — instead, they’ll be handled by your crew. You’ll be able to give high-level orders like:[/p]

[p]"Send the shuttle to the outpost,"
and the crew will take care of the trajectory, planning, flight, and docking.[/p]

[p]This system will also apply to supply ships, which will initially be managed by ground control. Later, your onboard crew will handle them autonomously as well.[/p][p]We’re also exploring new gameplay layers, like sensor-based navigation, crew roles for flight control, and dedicated consoles or interior items for planning and piloting. These would take over some of the current autopilot functions — though you’ll always be able to fly manually if you prefer.[/p][p]These changes also mean that moon missions and supply transfers will become location-aware:
Your main ship’s position matters. Later in the game, you’ll be able to move into lunar orbit, reducing fuel needs and shortening travel times — making orbit management a real strategic choice.[/p][hr][/hr][p]I also post the progress and more pictures to our Discord: [/p][p] [/p][p]And don't forget to wishlist and follow us to keep up to date.[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

We reached version 0.100!
A long journey lies behind us, and the game keeps improving. In this iteration, radiation was added as a new gameplay element.



As always, I aimed to use scientifically accurate values.
Radiation in space comes mainly from solar activity and cosmic rays.
While in Earth's orbit, you're still partially protected by the planet's magnetic field—but that protection is much weaker than on the surface. Once the ship leaves orbit, radiation becomes a much greater threat.





Radiation is now measured as a dose per crew member.
Higher doses reduce walking and working speed. Very high doses damage health and can eventually lead to death.
You'll need to carefully manage exposure to keep your crew safe.





There are now different ways to improve radiation protection.
One of them is the ship's hull. A second room type is now available, using more resources but offering better passive shielding through improved construction.
To support this, the Room Editor received a major overhaul.





Rooms can now include water storage in the hull, providing additional passive shielding.
You can install a Water Pump to fill or empty the hull space with water.
Water is a highly effective material for blocking space radiation and adds another layer of defense.





As a high-tech solution, you can build a Magnetic Field Generator.
It consumes a lot of energy but provides powerful protection, especially useful during critical radiation events.





The regular radiation level in space is manageable, but there are also solar events that pose serious risks.
These include solar flares and Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs)—massive bursts of radiation released by the sun.
Minor events may only cause discomfort or minor slowdowns, but larger eruptions can be deadly without strong protection.
Planning ahead and using the right shielding methods will be crucial for survival.




I also post the progress and more pictures to our Discord:



And don't forget to wishlist and follow us to keep up to date.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638030/Generation_Ship/

After a longer break without updates, we're back! The reason: a big move back to Germany. Everything is now up and running again, and development has continued. The main focus of this update: events – dynamic situations that affect gameplay in interesting ways.



Events now occur randomly over time and can include multiple effects at once. For example, supply routes from Earth might get disrupted: storage can be reduced, production priorities may shift, or certain resources may temporarily increase in cost. Think of a steel factory back on Earth breaking down – suddenly, your ship has to adapt.





Crew skills are now more flexible and evolve with your progress. Early in the game, new crew members don’t demand much in terms of living conditions. As you achieve major objectives, better-trained crew will arrive. Some events can also lead to better—or worse—personnel joining your mission.





To improve clarity, there are now dedicated boxes for item slot resources. These can be crafted at the workbenches and help keep things organized.





Based on tester feedback, item slots for crew have received several improvements. Oxygen masks are now only used when really needed. Rescue crew can also place masks on unconscious team members, allowing for more realistic and life-saving behavior.





A major new system: sound! This update introduces new audio systems that bring the world to life, with sounds for both crew and interior items. It adds atmosphere and makes your ship feel more alive.



The lighting system has been reworked and now allows for more flexible color control. Rooms with toxic air will now pulse with an orange warning light. On top of that, an alert sound will play in each affected room, prompting the crew to equip their oxygen masks in time.





Beyond the big features, the loading system has been optimized for larger save games, and many small fixes and adjustments have been made under the hood.


I also post the progress and more pictures to our Discord:



And don't forget to wishlist and follow us to keep up to date.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638030/Generation_Ship/

This update brings added depth to crew quarters, significant performance optimizations, and substantial gameplay enhancements.



Crew members now have expectations regarding their accommodations, with room requirements based on skill levels. High-skilled workers need higher room levels, and their mood is influenced by the room's setup and the presence of liked or disliked items in their quarters.





Room levels now range from 1 to 5 stars, determined by the room’s appearance, available space, and the number of residents.





A new "Appearance" value reflects the room’s aesthetic quality. Many items can positively or negatively impact this value, with some decor items designed solely for visual appeal. A new system lets textures and models be switched, paving the way for future additions.



Sculptures and plants have also been introduced.





Room cleanliness now degrades with occupancy, impacted further by certain items or hazards like fire. This is visually represented by accumulating dirt in the room.



Everyone on board can now help clean, adding another task to the ship's duties.



Currently, cleanliness only affects visuals, but it will later impact the risk of illness, especially during eating or drinking.



Crew members can now boost item efficiency as a new task. Each workable item has an efficiency value that can be improved based on skill requirements; for example, enhancing a greenhouse’s efficiency requires biology skills.




To help players understand work delays and crew issues, thought bubbles now appear briefly above crew members. These bubbles indicate why tasks are interrupted or why a crew member may be slow due to low mood or skills.




A major change: interior item boxes are now removed. After positive playtest feedback, items are now constructed directly at their placement instead of at the workbench, reducing storage needs and simplifying gameplay.


Finally, performance received a major boost. With many new tasks added for cleaning and efficiency, task load on larger ships was high. By minimizing recalculations and introducing a more efficient pathfinding algorithm with pre-calculations, path checking is now faster and more precise. On larger ships, speed increased dramatically from around 3 minutes per second to nearly 3 hours per second.



I also post the progress and more pictures to our Discord:



And don't forget to wishlist and follow us to keep up to date.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638030/Generation_Ship/

This update adds more individuality to each crew member. They now have specific likes, dislikes, and unique traits.


Crew members now have various traits that significantly impact their behavior. These traits fall into different categories such as General, Social, Free Time, and more. They influence aspects like work speed, movement speed, sleep needs, and much more.




Crew members now have personal preferences for activities and interior items. Depending on whether they like or dislike something, their enjoyment will affect their satisfaction levels while interacting with those activities or items.




The crew generator has been improved. It can now create new crew members with a specified rating and balance their traits, skills, and fitness levels, allowing you to select members that best fit the current needs of your ship.




Crew work speed has been standardized with a unified calculation, now displayed in the UI. Various factors affect work speed, such as traits, mood, and skills. You can now easily track these factors.




To keep your crew occupied, an efficiency system has been added to many interior items. This impacts productivity and can be improved by crew members with the right skills. For example, increasing greenhouse efficiency requires botany skills, while the engine demands astronaut skills.




In addition to efficiency updates, skill requirements have been adjusted. They are now displayed alongside tasks wherever relevant. Construction and maintenance tasks now require at least level 2 in the appropriate skills, with higher levels improving task speed.



There is also a full overview of what can be achieved with each skill.




You can now schedule dedicated fitness time for crew members to prevent a drop in fitness levels, which can result in slower work performance.






I also post the progress and more pictures to our Discord:



And don't forget to wishlist and follow us to keep up to date.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638030/Generation_Ship/