Star Vortex News

[p]Not the most game-changing update this time, just a quick one in response to recent feedback. Every change here is from the community. I've listed the biggest ones below.[/p][p][/p][h2]Community Highlights[/h2][p]Here I'll highlight any changes that come directly from posts in the Steam Community or on Discord.[/p][p][/p][h3](Steam Community) Four global modifiers on thrusters/shields[/h3][p]This was actually done in v0.6.04, legendary thrusters and shields can now have 4 x global modifiers, as they both have limited useful regular modifiers to choose from. This mirrors the behaviour of passive items when legendary.[/p][p]https://steamcommunity.com/app/2098160/eventcomments/688616426657928956[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3](Steam Community) Max all levels button[/h3][p]I was on the fence about this as I quite like clicking through my weapons and increasing their levels, but this does get quite a chore when you have a lot of slots later on. As such, there is now a button to just max out everything in the Assembler if you wish to use it.[/p][p]https://steamcommunity.com/app/2098160/discussions/0/598534283538474673/[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3](Steam Community) Sector 3 Fix[/h3][p]I've fixed the rate at which the Forgotten race spawns in Sector 3, so you should normally have a few more of them to fight.[/p][p]https://steamcommunity.com/app/2098160/discussions/0/688616674580120668/[/p][p][/p][h3](Discord) Species-XI Fixes[/h3][p]I've taken away the Short Range PDLs from the Species-XI Infected Locusts. In large numbers, they were pretty much making missile builds unplayable. I've also nerfed the hull regeneration of all Species-XI internal shields as it was making some of the elites a bit invulnerable.[/p][p][/p][h3](Discord) Aim Improvements[/h3][p]All automatic aiming across the game has been improved (for the player). This means homing missiles should not get stuck circling enemies and constantly missing them, drones should miss less, etc. Enemies will still miss just as much as that was always by design.[/p][p][/p][p]Hope you are having fun! That checks off most of my major feedback. My next news post should be an update on Sector 4 design progress.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]New Features / Content[/h3][p]• Added an Max All Levels to the Assembler panel to max out your item levels.[/p][p][/p][h3]Balance Changes[/h3][p]• Species-XI are now capped at 1% hull regen from their Internal Shields.[/p][p]• Increased number of Forgotten encounters that spawn in Sector 3.[/p][p]• Reduced cooldown when drones are destroyed from 6s to 4s.[/p][p]• Reduced cooldown when turrets are destroyed from 5s to 4s.[/p][p]• Increased range of Scatter Gun from 150m to 170m.[/p][p]• Increased range of Plasma Blaster from 150m to 170m.[/p][p]• Removed Short Range PDLs from Infected Locusts.[/p][p]• Added Short Range PDLs from Infected Vanguards.[/p][p]• Added Short Range PDLs from Infected Thistles.[/p][p][/p][h3]Quality of Life / Accessibility[/h3][p]• Increased default background darkness in accessibility settings to 20%.[/p][p]• Improved Auto Special aim using quadratic intercept calculations (player only).[/p][p][/p][h3]Bug Fixes[/h3][p]• Player drones now happily shoot through the player and other ships they cannot damage.[/p][p]• Tweaked the homing missile target leading hopefully making them more accurate.[/p][p]• Special enemy that spawns in Sector 3 can now spawn in Species-XI encounters.[/p][p]• Special enemy that spawns in Sector 3 can now spawn before all enemies are destroyed.[/p][p]• Fixed multi-layered ships from becoming slightly detached at high speed.[/p][p]• Fixed sound effect on the Assembler increase level button.[/p][p]• Fixed the tooltip not clearing on the Assembler increase level button when enabled.[/p][p]• Assembler costs are now calculated on an item's required level, not its actual level.[/p]

[p]Time for the game's first Major Update! This update is the culmination of all the feedback I received when I released into Early Access on July 28th.[/p][p]Weapon unlocks are gone, the upgrade system has been overhauled, and you now get far more freedom and build variety with fewer restrictions. A while back, I asked the Discord which update they wanted first: this rework or Sector 4. The vote was overwhelmingly this.[/p][p]There has never been a better time to start a fresh run. And if you’re waiting for the final sector and the conclusion of the story, you can comfortably play through to the end of Sector 3 and hold your save there.[/p][p][/p][h2]Classes / Upgrades[/h2][p]The upgrade system is now split into primary and secondary classes. Each class has a final unlockable upgrade that is free once you’ve invested enough points in that class (20 for primary, 10 for secondary). You can pick any upgrades you like in any order. The only limits are player level requirements, and those exist purely to avoid overwhelming new players. Once you meet the level requirement, you’re free to move your points around however you wish.[/p][p]The final upgrade for each class gives you a new slot if it’s a primary class, or a game-changing effect if it’s a secondary.[/p][p]In total, there are 21 new upgrades and 17 old ones have been removed. Many upgrades have been improved to hit harder and feel more meaningful. All existing saves will have their upgrades reset, and the respec cost has been drastically reduced so you can experiment freely.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Dreadnought - Warden Class[/h2][p]The new Warden class focuses on boosting your hull points and making your ship much tougher. Its final upgrade lets you fly one ship class above your normal level limit. So if you’re high enough level to use a Battleship, you’ll now unlock the Dreadnought.[/p][p]The Dreadnought comes with a larger shield, far more hull, and a fifth passive slot, but you lose the ability to dodge. To support builds for these larger ships, I’ve added four new larger Conclave parts that any class can use in their designs.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Second Utility Slot - Guardian Class[/h2][p]The Guardian class brings major improvements to Point Defense Lasers. Its final upgrade gives you a second utility slot, letting you run two PDLs at once… or mix a PDL with a grapple gun if you prefer.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]New Starting Ships[/h2][p]With weapon unlocks removed from the upgrade system, I can now offer a much wider range of starting equipment. Because of that, all four starting ships have been redesigned to feel more distinct and interesting. I've also bulked up the ship designs a little so you begin with a bit more survivability.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Community Highlights[/h2][p]A new section for the news posts. Here I'll highlight any changes that come directly from posts in the Steam Community or on Discord.[/p][p][/p][h3](Steam Community) Item Sorting in Assembler[/h3][p]When I was cramming everything into the 140% UI scale on Steam Decks, I omitted the sorting drop-down from the Assembler panel. This has now been slotted in below the equipment on the right.[/p][p]https://steamcommunity.com/app/2098160/discussions/0/679608596889076945/[/p][p][/p][h3](Steam Community) New Binding Options[/h3][p]A while ago, I added the ability to click items while holding SHIFT to move them to storage in the Assembler. This modifier key can now be remapped in the settings. In addition to this, a new key binding (right stick button) has been added to do this with controllers. Oh yeah, right-click also does this now in case that's your preference.[/p][p]https://steamcommunity.com/app/2098160/discussions/0/679608596889076945/[/p][p][/p][h3](Steam Community) Rebound / Weapon Linking Fixes[/h3][p]Rebound weapons work again. Last update, I broke them so they'd only activate once and then get stuck. Also, weapon linking now works how it should; there were some significant issues with the old logic.[/p][p]https://steamcommunity.com/app/2098160/discussions/0/661593286391230729/[/p][p][/p][h3](Discord) Missile Improvements[/h3][p]Explosive missiles now explode when they're within about 50% of their explosive radius of an enemy target. This makes the Inferno Cannon and Proton Torpedoes much easier to hit with. Homing missiles now also aim to intercept targets rather than chase them. These benefits are for the player only; enemy weapons will behave the same as they always have.[/p][p][/p][h3](Discord) Drone / Turret Toughness[/h3][p]As the invulnerable upgrade was removed as part of the changes, drones and turrets have been made tougher by inheriting stats from their parent ships. This was suggested a long time ago and is finally in.[/p][p][/p][h2]15% Discount[/h2][p]Star Vortex's biggest ever discount of 15% off is now live and will be available for the next two weeks over Black Friday / Cyber Monday. As this will be the final early-game change, now is an excellent time to pick it up and make your way to the end of Sector 3, ready for the next major update![/p][p][/p][h2]Next Update[/h2][p]Work is now going to begin on Sector 4 and the conclusion of the storyline. This will obviously take a while. The test branch will be getting partial access early, so if you're interested in becoming a tester, join our Discord and send me a DM.[/p][p]Smaller updates will also be added along the way. I'd really like to get a few extra classes, like Rocketeer, added if I get time. There are also some improvements to the asteroids that people have requested to make them less of an annoyance.[/p][p]Thanks for taking the time to read all that. I hope you enjoy the update![/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]New Features / Content[/h3][p]• New upgrade system implemented with the removal of three trees and weapon unlocks.[/p][p]• Choose from 4 new starting ships with more diverse weapons for each primary class.[/p][p]• Added 21 new upgrades and removed 17 old upgrades.[/p][p]• Added a new, larger Dreadnought ship class for the Warden class.[/p][p]• Added support for a 5th passive slot for the Warden class.[/p][p]• Added support for a second Utility slot for the Guardian class.[/p][p]• Added 4 new, larger parts for Conclave ships to help when designing Dreadnoughts.[/p][p]• Debuff Chance upgrades improved from +2% per point to +5%.[/p][p]• Crit Chance upgrades improved from +3% per point to +5%.[/p][p]• Armor upgrade improved from +4% per point to +5%.[/p][p]• Shield Points upgrade has been improved from +10% per point to +20%.[/p][p]• Turn Speed upgrade has been improved from +2% per point to +10%.[/p][p]• Dodge Factor upgrade has been improved from 2% to 5%.[/p][p]• Dodge Factor upgrade renamed Thruster Power and also applies to acceleration and boost.[/p][p]• Shield Resistance upgrade now called Resistance and increases ALL resistance types.[/p][p][/p][h3]Balance Changes[/h3][p]• Player explosive projectiles now explode at 50% their blast radius from an enemy.[/p][p]• Player homing projectiles now aim to intercept enemies rather than chase them.[/p][p]• Drones and turrets now inherit armor and resistances from their parent ship.[/p][p]• Vastly reduced cost of removing upgrade points.[/p][p]• Max speed of ship classes now tapers more gradually from 240ms down to 160ms.[/p][p]• Reduced chain count of Tesla Coil primary weapon to +1 every 25 levels.[/p][p]• Starting shields for new players are now always Radioactive resistance.[/p][p]• Fixed asteroid health going from super low to super high with incorrect scaling.[/p][p]• Increased damage of Auto Tesla Coils by +50% to bring them in line with other weapons.[/p][p]• Increased damage of Auto Heat Rays by +5% to bring them in line with other weapons.[/p][p][/p][h3]Quality of Life / Accessibility[/h3][p]• Items can now be sent to/from storage by clicking the right stick on a controller.[/p][p]• Items can now be sent to/from storage using right-click on the mouse.[/p][p]• Storage bindings can now be customized in the bindings panel.[/p][p]• Added cargo sorting drop-down to the bottom right of the Assembler panel.[/p][p]• Ship selection at player creation now shows shields and thrusters alongside weapons.[/p][p]• Removed loading screen tips as the game generally loads too quickly to read them.[/p][p][/p][h3]Bug Fixes[/h3][p]• Fixed bug where linked weapons would sometimes not activate correctly.[/p][p]• Fixed bug where rebound weapons couldn't be fired more than once.[/p][p]• Fixed bug where exiting dialog with a controller could cause the ship to boost.[/p][p]• Fixed bug where Sector Gateway could not be hit by grapple guns.[/p][p]• Grapples can no longer attach to other grapples.[/p][p]• Fixed ArgumentOutOfRangeException in Launcher.StatsChanged() when changing equipment.[/p][p]• Fixed index error in translation when selling items in Russian.[/p][p]• Fixed NullReference in ShipBody.BreakAwayPart() when some enemy ships are damaged.[/p][p]• Fixed bug where laser/bolt orbs were doing more damage than intended.[/p][p]• Fixed bug where all slots of the same type would animate when equipping an item.[/p][p]• Ship images during new player ship selection no longer render empty slots under weapons.[/p][p]• Steps on early tutorial missions no longer overflow the mission panel.[/p][p]• Fixed bugs where checks if an item could be unequipped were bypassed.[/p][p]• Fixed bug where Auto Tesla Coils were less likely to increase debuffs that stated.[/p][p]• Fixed bug where chained bolts from Auto Tesla Coils would not do damage.[/p]

[p]The next update will be on November 27th and will completely replace the current upgrade system in-game. Full details of these changes are actively being discussed in Discord. If you wish to get earlier access to this in the test branch, you'll need to drop me a DM.[/p][p]The aim of this rework is primarily to remove the requirement that players have to unlock weapons to use them. In addition to this, it should vastly reduce the restrictions on specific playstyles and make tanking builds far more viable.[/p][p][/p][p]Although there are level restrictions on these upgrades (from left to right), this is simply to stop new players from being overwhelmed by the amount of upgrades. Once level requirements are met, you can move points about freely and spend points in any of the first 6 upgrades in each class.[/p][p]Once you have put 20 points into a primary class or 10 points into a secondary class, you unlock the final class ability (on the right) for free. These class abilities include additional slots, a second Utility Slot, a new (bigger) Dreadnought ship class and much more.[/p][p]Some of the upgrades that have been moved have been increased in power to make them more meaningful, and although I'm still balancing these changes, it's already feeling like an improvement.[/p][p][/p][h3]Sector 4[/h3][p]This next update will be the final rework before more content, so after that (and likely all through Christmas). I'll be building the content for the final sector. This is obviously a huge job, and as it will conclude the story element of the game, I want to make sure I get it right. Once that is all in place, I'll be working on my endgame systems for infinite farming and progression.[/p][p][/p][h3]Echoes of the Void Bundle[/h3][p]Sometimes I just run into a game I really like during Next Fest. Void Miner is one of those. I've completed the demo twice, and I'm still enjoying the full game, so I've thrown up a bundle with them. It's very fun and I would highly recommend checking it out.[/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[p]This update brings together months of system changes that have been building toward this moment. Previously, the ship designer capped you at four weapons of the same type. That restriction is now completely gone.[/p][p][/p][p]As you level up, you can now equip as many of any slot type as you want. Go wild with 15 drone bays, 15 lasers, or even 15 vortex arrays if you feel like testing the limits.[/p][p]This update is definitely going to cause some performance issues. I’ve already started optimizing the biggest offenders, but more work will be needed. If you notice heavy framerate drops when stacking weapons, please report it on the Steam Community or Discord.[/p][p]Full patch notes are below. Enjoy and good luck![/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]New Features / Content[/h3][p]• Removed the limit that restricted ships to a maximum of 4 slots of the same type.[/p][p]• The HUD ship bar now expands with additional slots and has been shrunk down slightly.[/p][p]• Equipment panel slot layout now adjusts dynamically depending on slot counts.[/p][p]• Pulled orbiting drones into a much tighter range to accommodate many more drones.[/p][p][/p][h3]Quality of Life / Accessibility[/h3][p]• Leech seeds now follow the Particle Quality setting with their spawn amounts.[/p][p]• Equipment slots now animate slightly when you select an item of the same type.[/p][p]• Players can no longer skip the tutorial on their first player.[/p][p][/p][h3]Performance[/h3][p]• Removed hit effect from flamethrower-style weapons to reduce latency.[/p][p]• Improved lookup time when pulling objects from the object pool.[/p][p]• Fixed multiple memory leaks when firing projectile weapons.[/p][p]• Fixed memory leak from sensor arrow string conversions.[/p][p]• Fixed memory leak from settings retrieval.[/p][p]• Leech seeds now have limits on how many can spawn per enemy.[/p][p]• Reduced needless instantiation of objects by HUD ship bar.[/p][p][/p][h3]Bug Fixes[/h3][p]• Fixed bug where player drones would still take damage from non-PDL weapons.[/p][p]• Fixed enemy drones sharing parent immunity when hit by projectiles.[/p][p]• Fixed bug where Hull Leech buff would repair twice as much as intended.[/p][p]• Early access pop-up no longer shows in demo.[/p][p]• Fixed binding display on pause menu for lower resolutions.[/p][p]• Fixed bug where dragged equipment would sometimes snap to a further away slot.[/p][p]• Fixed bug activatable selection could be deselected entirely.[/p]

[p]Apparently, I'm meant to post news when Star Vortex goes on sale. So here's your official notice: the game is now 10% off for the weekend.[/p][p]The demo is fully up to date. If you're still on the fence, check it out. Your saves will transfer to the full game without any issues.[/p][p][/p][h3]Next Update (v0.5.90)[/h3][p]I've decided that the next update probably doesn't count as a major update. It is however, quite game changing, especially at higher levels.[/p][p]After this update, ships will no longer be limited to four slots of the same type. I'm finishing up the last UI fixes and performance tweaks now. Some of the chaos this update is already causing in testing can be seen below.[/p][p][/p][p]Hopefully it should be finished in the next week then I'll be on to the new upgrade tree, which is starting to take shape, and will remove the need to unlock weapon types.[/p]