Deep Space Directive News

The demo is finally here! The demo has access to the first two tiers of the tech tree and builds out the foundation of your colony’s economy and infrastructure. Power generation, basic mining, smelting and just a dash of factory production.


It’s no surprise that the goal of the demo is to give players a taste of the full game, but just as important is the goal to get feedback on the game itself. The demo has been up for a little over 24 hours and plenty of tweaks and refinements have been made - with a few slightly larger adjustments coming in the next few days. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

It’s been delayed, it’s been postponed, but it’s finally here! The Deep Space Directive demo has an official release date - August 23rd! Ready or not here it comes! The demo also has it's own Steam Page.


The DSD demo will feature the first 2, of at least 6, tiers of the tech tree and provide 1-2 hours of playtime. 10+ different and unique buildings will be available in the demo and will form the foundation of an industrial colony. The demo will feature two enemies, a short ranged ground enemy and an elite version of that same creature - more base enemy types have been prototyped and will be featured in the full game.


As a solo developer, getting feedback is challenging. While I fully believe that the demo will provide a good experience for players and give a taste of the full game, I am still hoping for significant feedback. In this sense, I see the demo as an open beta. So leave a review, leave a comment in the discussions or stop by the DSD discord. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Combat has always been Deep Space Directives’s ugly stepchild that has largely been ignored beyond the initial prototyping. So no surprise it has been in desperate need of some love and polish. The latest version (0.039) brings two major additions to the combat system.

You’ll now have access to upgradeable space lasers, and who doesn’t love space lasers? Use them to soften up the enemy swarm before it gets to your defenses or take out a swarm targeting an unprepared branch of your colony.



Frontline units such as the infantry, laser towers and collection towers now have upgradable shields to help dull that initial attack and make your colony more sustainable as swarms grow larger. Shields recharge at the start of each day.



Combat is not the main focus of Deep Space Directive, but these 2 new mechanics plus other smaller improvements aim to add some juice, polish and most importantly player control when fighting off attackers

In other news, all progress on Deep Space Directive is directed towards a Steam release of a demo! With a likely release date sometime in August. The demo will be an open beta to gather feedback and improvements before Steam Next Fest in October.

If you want to see more details as features are developed or get more involved in the development itself, then come join the all new DSD discord.

Steam Next Fest is June 10th and Deep Space Directive plans to be there with a public demo (and a live stream or two). So much has changed over the last few months and I’m beyond excited to get it into players hands and get more feedback!



The demo should provide an hour plus of gameplay! The only limitation on gameplay is the tech tree - the first few tiers of the tech tree will be unlocked while later tiers are locked and still very much under development.

All the DSD systems have been prototyped, tested and stitched together over the last several months of development. But now comes the hard part weaving them together to complete the "Game Loop" to create a fun and polished experience.

And that's what this devlog is all about!
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If you're one of those folks that prefer reading... Check out the blog post on the OWS site.