May 2025 Development Diary
Hello again, Pioneers!
Welcome to the May Development Diary for AETHUS!
This month, we recap on the May Playtest, cover the new Demo Update and check out a rework of the Power System based on feedback!
[h2]May Playtest[/h2]
The May Playtest mentioned in the last devlog has now concluded, and once again was hugely successful!
A vast amount of excellent feedback was obtained, and over the two weeks of the playtest I worked very closely with the testers to iterate on features, balancing, new content and fix lots of (small!) bugs!
I'm very proud to say that the average enjoyment score for the game was 8.8/10 after leaving feedback!
The game is better than ever thanks to the help of our excellent playtesters, so I want to thank them all again for their help making the game the best it can be!
There will be one final large-scale playtest before launch, coming in the next few months, so if you'd like the chance to take part make sure you join the Discord and become part of the community!
[h2]Demo Update[/h2]
[h3]What's Changed?[/h3]
Eagle-eyed community members spotted that the demo for the game received an update last week, so I wanted to let you know what changed!
This update brings the demo build up to quality parity with the rest of the game (as of the end of the May Playtest), including some new content with a slightly reworked early-game, new Settings and Options (and keybinds!), and brand new QOL features with keybinds + buttons such as:
Overall, this update is intended to make the demo the best possible intro to the game it can be for new players as we move forward towards release!
[h3]Demo Steam Page[/h3]
As part of this update, I also swapped the demo to a separate Steam page!
This means that you can now leave reviews directly for the demo, which helps give new potential players an idea of what people thing and make an informed choice!
It would help me out a lot if you'd take a couple of minutes to head to the Demo Page and leave a review if you enjoyed it, even if it was a while ago! The more positive reviews we can gather, the more new people we can introduce the game to!
Thanks a lot to those who've already left reviews, it really does help and means a lot to me as a solo developer! ❤
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2822250/AETHUS_Demo/
[h2]Power System Rework[/h2]
November's Playtest brought up a bunch of feedback about the Power System in the game - some testers enjoyed it, but several found it a little confusing and potentially restricting.
[h3]OLD SYSTEM:[/h3]
There were two 'Power' systems in play at once:
OUTPOST POWER
An overall power level of your base, simply the amount of power generation you have minus the amount of power consumption you have (from facilities).
If Outpost Power hit zero, facilities would stop working and you'd need to build more power generation.
POWER SLOTS
Each Habitat had a certain amount of 'Power Slots' available, and each Facility you built would take up a certain amount of them, depending on its size.
If a Habitat didn't have enough 'Power Slots' available, you couldn't build a Facility that took up more than was available.
For example, the Basic Habitat had six 'Power Slots', while the Crafting Bench took up two. If you were already using five slots in the Hab, you couldn't build a Crafting Bench in there.
The motive behind this system was to essentially force you to expand the Outpost, create new Habitats, and unlock bigger and better ones as you progress in the game which support more Power Slots.
[h3]NEW SYSTEM:[/h3]
OUTPOST POWER
Unchanged (subject to changes in the future around progression of generation types!)
POWER SLOTS Removed. You can now build as many facilities in each Habitat as you can physically fit!
The removal of Power Slots both makes Power much simpler and easier to understand (no confusion between Power and Power Slots), and allows you more freedom and creativity. If you want to try and fit every facility into one Hab, who am I to stop you!
HAB BONUSES
I do still want to encourage you to expand your Outpost, so to do this I've created a new incentive system - Hab Bonuses.
As you progress through the game, you will unlock new types of Habitats with Hab Bonuses - these are powerful benefits which the Hab provides you when used.
As an example - the Greenhouse Hab; hydroponic crops grown within it will often create produce extra resources!
You can still grow things in any other Hab, but it's a powerful bonus and worth expanding your Outpost with a Greenhouse Hab if you intend to grow crops!
If you have ideas for Hab Bonuses you'd like to see, why not drop a comment and I'll add the best ones to the game! 👇
That's it for this development diary! Remember to take just a minute to head to the demo page and leave a review and help me out! ❤
Until next time,
Alex (and Apollo)
Welcome to the May Development Diary for AETHUS!
This month, we recap on the May Playtest, cover the new Demo Update and check out a rework of the Power System based on feedback!
May Development
[h2]May Playtest[/h2]
The May Playtest mentioned in the last devlog has now concluded, and once again was hugely successful!
A vast amount of excellent feedback was obtained, and over the two weeks of the playtest I worked very closely with the testers to iterate on features, balancing, new content and fix lots of (small!) bugs!
I'm very proud to say that the average enjoyment score for the game was 8.8/10 after leaving feedback!
The game is better than ever thanks to the help of our excellent playtesters, so I want to thank them all again for their help making the game the best it can be!
There will be one final large-scale playtest before launch, coming in the next few months, so if you'd like the chance to take part make sure you join the Discord and become part of the community!
[h2]Demo Update[/h2]
[h3]What's Changed?[/h3]
Eagle-eyed community members spotted that the demo for the game received an update last week, so I wanted to let you know what changed!
This update brings the demo build up to quality parity with the rest of the game (as of the end of the May Playtest), including some new content with a slightly reworked early-game, new Settings and Options (and keybinds!), and brand new QOL features with keybinds + buttons such as:
- Inventory Auto-Stack
- Deposit Refinable Items
- Deposit All Items
- Take All Items
Overall, this update is intended to make the demo the best possible intro to the game it can be for new players as we move forward towards release!
[h3]Demo Steam Page[/h3]
As part of this update, I also swapped the demo to a separate Steam page!
This means that you can now leave reviews directly for the demo, which helps give new potential players an idea of what people thing and make an informed choice!
It would help me out a lot if you'd take a couple of minutes to head to the Demo Page and leave a review if you enjoyed it, even if it was a while ago! The more positive reviews we can gather, the more new people we can introduce the game to!
Thanks a lot to those who've already left reviews, it really does help and means a lot to me as a solo developer! ❤
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2822250/AETHUS_Demo/
[h2]Power System Rework[/h2]
November's Playtest brought up a bunch of feedback about the Power System in the game - some testers enjoyed it, but several found it a little confusing and potentially restricting.
[h3]OLD SYSTEM:[/h3]
There were two 'Power' systems in play at once:
OUTPOST POWER
An overall power level of your base, simply the amount of power generation you have minus the amount of power consumption you have (from facilities).
If Outpost Power hit zero, facilities would stop working and you'd need to build more power generation.
POWER SLOTS
Each Habitat had a certain amount of 'Power Slots' available, and each Facility you built would take up a certain amount of them, depending on its size.
If a Habitat didn't have enough 'Power Slots' available, you couldn't build a Facility that took up more than was available.
For example, the Basic Habitat had six 'Power Slots', while the Crafting Bench took up two. If you were already using five slots in the Hab, you couldn't build a Crafting Bench in there.
The motive behind this system was to essentially force you to expand the Outpost, create new Habitats, and unlock bigger and better ones as you progress in the game which support more Power Slots.
[h3]NEW SYSTEM:[/h3]
OUTPOST POWER
Unchanged (subject to changes in the future around progression of generation types!)
POWER SLOTS Removed. You can now build as many facilities in each Habitat as you can physically fit!
The removal of Power Slots both makes Power much simpler and easier to understand (no confusion between Power and Power Slots), and allows you more freedom and creativity. If you want to try and fit every facility into one Hab, who am I to stop you!
HAB BONUSESI do still want to encourage you to expand your Outpost, so to do this I've created a new incentive system - Hab Bonuses.
As you progress through the game, you will unlock new types of Habitats with Hab Bonuses - these are powerful benefits which the Hab provides you when used.
As an example - the Greenhouse Hab; hydroponic crops grown within it will often create produce extra resources!
You can still grow things in any other Hab, but it's a powerful bonus and worth expanding your Outpost with a Greenhouse Hab if you intend to grow crops!
If you have ideas for Hab Bonuses you'd like to see, why not drop a comment and I'll add the best ones to the game! 👇
That's it for this development diary! Remember to take just a minute to head to the demo page and leave a review and help me out! ❤
Until next time,
Alex (and Apollo)