Update v0.7 is now live!
Commanders - presenting Habitat v0.7! We’re continuing to add features and expand gameplay; in this version you’ll find the start of our Factions system, enemy Engineers and engineer combat, new physics hazards, the return of omni-thrusters, control improvements, new space junk and more!
NOTE: Many aspects of the game have changed. Not all of the new systems are present in the Tutorials. Read about the details below to familiarize yourself with the changes.
NOTE: Saved game data file formats have changed from v0.6. Your previous save games are not guaranteed to work with v0.6. If you wish to remove or edit them, they are plaintext JSON files here:
PC: Users\\AppData\LocalLow\4gency\Habitat_EarlyAccess_\HabitatSaves
MAC: /Library/Caches/unity.4gency.Habitat (Early Access)/HabitatSaves
LINUX: Home/.config/unity3d/4gency/Habitat_EarlyAccess_/HabitatSaves
Introducing Factions
Space is dark and mostly empty - but not the world of Habitat! This update you’ll get introduced to a few factions - the first of several that’ll live in the Habitat world.
Factions have their own agendas - they’re not always out to get you! Each faction has its own allies, neutrals, and enemies, and as we build out Habitat you’ll be tasked with missions that involve them all.
Look for the flags on habitat ships and space stations to identify who’s who:
• Pirate Flag - Space pirates. Their engineers will attempt to sabotage pieces of enemy ships. They are antagonistic to you, to civilians, and to nano machines.
• Yellow Flag - Nanomachines. Their engineers will turn floating space junk into nano-machine hunters to track you down. They are antagonistic to you, to civilians, and to pirates.
• White Flag - Civilians. These poor souls are right in the middle of combat and just want to be left alone. They will leave you alone but will defend against pirates and nano machines.
There are a few more factions we’ll reveal as we go along, space is a big place and there’s room for everyone - until the resources run out!
Engineer to Engineer Combat
With factions, you’ll also notice that each ship and station has its own engineers. Every faction fields their own engineer army, and some of them are out to cause trouble for you and your allies.
Orienting a whole ship just to take out a few menacing space pirate astronauts is a pain; that’s why engineers are packing their own firepower now! Engineers on all sides field the preferred weapon of the space duelist, the Inertia Pistol. These hand-held momentum cannons do physical damage, but also stun and fling the struck engineer backward - which can end in some nasty consequences, especially if they hit a nebula, an explosion, a black hole or even just a really big rock.
Click on enemy engineers to send your nearest available engineer to attack - note that you’ll have better chances if you send multiple engineers! Attacking an engineer is considered an act of war, and other engineers may join in the fight to defend their attacked comrade.
Watch out for anti-personnel turrets on some habitat nodes. They’ll make short work of any engineer that trips its friend-or-foe identification system. For your protection your habitat will be provided with one, and in the next update you’ll be able to buy and upgrade them at towns.
New Physics Hazards - and Danger, Engineers!
We’re continuing to make the world of Habitat a more dynamic place. Three new physics-based hazards join the nebulas to make travel and combat even more interesting:
• The gravity well sucks in objects and deals crushing damage at its core. Once a certain amount has been swallowed, the well will emit a strong pushing force to clear itself before inverting back to a pulling force.
• The tachyon ramp pushes any objects in its field in the direction of the field particles. Send your habitats - or your projectiles - for a ride.
• The force anomaly is a mysterious blue sphere that emits a force wave at irregular intervals. Thoroughly destructive results may result when steering too close.
You may also notice - the hard way - that nebulas can now deal damage to engineers. The results can be lethal! Be especially careful if engaging in combat near nebulas, gravity wells, or other hazards; a stunned engineer that goes into a freezing nebula may come out a popsicle. Hypothetically, of course.
Improved Controls: Omni-Thrusters
What are those items on your HQ when you begin the game? They are two omni-thruster producers, and we’re glad to have them back! Omni-thrusters make it possible to maneuver more precisely, and without needing to find and attach rockets.
Controlling them is easy: Just hover over the HQ, and then hold the arrow keys in the direction you want to go.
Some tips:
• It’s easiest if you hit TAB to focus on your habitat, then the mouse cursor stays right where it needs to be.
• You can combine omni-thrust with rocket boosting for precise and powerful control.
• New command bridges you create come with a thruster on them for easy movement.
• In the next update, you’ll be able to buy and upgrade thrusters for your individual habitat nodes, to increase mobility as you need it.
For a future update we’re also considering an “autopilot” where clicking on a destination auto-fires the omni-thrusters as needed to reach the goal. Would it be useful? Let us know on the forums!
New Junk Types
There’s always more out there. We’ve recently come across a set of utility pieces from a large set of mining and refinery ships that used to work the asteroid belts. The pieces we have for analysis here bear a few smudged letters: N_S_R_MO. Our researchers are baffled; no idea what it means! Here’s what we’ve found:
• Colony Waste Tank - A waste reclamation unit from a JPC ReadyMade! brand habitat. Still appears to be processing Omni.
• Colony Hybrid Generator - A solar-powered generator combined with a habitable space; a standard colony unit in the JPC ReadyMade! line.
• Colony Structural Pylon - This reinforced structural pylon comes pre-slung with electrical and life support cabling, and plenty of connections.
• Colony Large Nacelle - A large colony structural nacelle, able to support multiple production units with a variety of cabling and connectors.
• Colony Medium Nacelle - A smaller-size colony structural unit, with room for two production units and good universal connectors.
• Colony Storage Tanks - A JPC All-In-One brand fuel refining and storage facility; the fire shielding is a little out of code but otherwise OK.
NOTE: Many aspects of the game have changed. Not all of the new systems are present in the Tutorials. Read about the details below to familiarize yourself with the changes.
NOTE: Saved game data file formats have changed from v0.6. Your previous save games are not guaranteed to work with v0.6. If you wish to remove or edit them, they are plaintext JSON files here:
PC: Users\\AppData\LocalLow\4gency\Habitat_EarlyAccess_\HabitatSaves
MAC: /Library/Caches/unity.4gency.Habitat (Early Access)/HabitatSaves
LINUX: Home/.config/unity3d/4gency/Habitat_EarlyAccess_/HabitatSaves
Introducing Factions
Space is dark and mostly empty - but not the world of Habitat! This update you’ll get introduced to a few factions - the first of several that’ll live in the Habitat world.
Factions have their own agendas - they’re not always out to get you! Each faction has its own allies, neutrals, and enemies, and as we build out Habitat you’ll be tasked with missions that involve them all.
Look for the flags on habitat ships and space stations to identify who’s who:
• Pirate Flag - Space pirates. Their engineers will attempt to sabotage pieces of enemy ships. They are antagonistic to you, to civilians, and to nano machines.
• Yellow Flag - Nanomachines. Their engineers will turn floating space junk into nano-machine hunters to track you down. They are antagonistic to you, to civilians, and to pirates.
• White Flag - Civilians. These poor souls are right in the middle of combat and just want to be left alone. They will leave you alone but will defend against pirates and nano machines.
There are a few more factions we’ll reveal as we go along, space is a big place and there’s room for everyone - until the resources run out!
Engineer to Engineer Combat
With factions, you’ll also notice that each ship and station has its own engineers. Every faction fields their own engineer army, and some of them are out to cause trouble for you and your allies.
Orienting a whole ship just to take out a few menacing space pirate astronauts is a pain; that’s why engineers are packing their own firepower now! Engineers on all sides field the preferred weapon of the space duelist, the Inertia Pistol. These hand-held momentum cannons do physical damage, but also stun and fling the struck engineer backward - which can end in some nasty consequences, especially if they hit a nebula, an explosion, a black hole or even just a really big rock.
Click on enemy engineers to send your nearest available engineer to attack - note that you’ll have better chances if you send multiple engineers! Attacking an engineer is considered an act of war, and other engineers may join in the fight to defend their attacked comrade.
Watch out for anti-personnel turrets on some habitat nodes. They’ll make short work of any engineer that trips its friend-or-foe identification system. For your protection your habitat will be provided with one, and in the next update you’ll be able to buy and upgrade them at towns.
New Physics Hazards - and Danger, Engineers!
We’re continuing to make the world of Habitat a more dynamic place. Three new physics-based hazards join the nebulas to make travel and combat even more interesting:
• The gravity well sucks in objects and deals crushing damage at its core. Once a certain amount has been swallowed, the well will emit a strong pushing force to clear itself before inverting back to a pulling force.
• The tachyon ramp pushes any objects in its field in the direction of the field particles. Send your habitats - or your projectiles - for a ride.
• The force anomaly is a mysterious blue sphere that emits a force wave at irregular intervals. Thoroughly destructive results may result when steering too close.
You may also notice - the hard way - that nebulas can now deal damage to engineers. The results can be lethal! Be especially careful if engaging in combat near nebulas, gravity wells, or other hazards; a stunned engineer that goes into a freezing nebula may come out a popsicle. Hypothetically, of course.
Improved Controls: Omni-Thrusters
What are those items on your HQ when you begin the game? They are two omni-thruster producers, and we’re glad to have them back! Omni-thrusters make it possible to maneuver more precisely, and without needing to find and attach rockets.
Controlling them is easy: Just hover over the HQ, and then hold the arrow keys in the direction you want to go.
Some tips:
• It’s easiest if you hit TAB to focus on your habitat, then the mouse cursor stays right where it needs to be.
• You can combine omni-thrust with rocket boosting for precise and powerful control.
• New command bridges you create come with a thruster on them for easy movement.
• In the next update, you’ll be able to buy and upgrade thrusters for your individual habitat nodes, to increase mobility as you need it.
For a future update we’re also considering an “autopilot” where clicking on a destination auto-fires the omni-thrusters as needed to reach the goal. Would it be useful? Let us know on the forums!
New Junk Types
There’s always more out there. We’ve recently come across a set of utility pieces from a large set of mining and refinery ships that used to work the asteroid belts. The pieces we have for analysis here bear a few smudged letters: N_S_R_MO. Our researchers are baffled; no idea what it means! Here’s what we’ve found:
• Colony Waste Tank - A waste reclamation unit from a JPC ReadyMade! brand habitat. Still appears to be processing Omni.
• Colony Hybrid Generator - A solar-powered generator combined with a habitable space; a standard colony unit in the JPC ReadyMade! line.
• Colony Structural Pylon - This reinforced structural pylon comes pre-slung with electrical and life support cabling, and plenty of connections.
• Colony Large Nacelle - A large colony structural nacelle, able to support multiple production units with a variety of cabling and connectors.
• Colony Medium Nacelle - A smaller-size colony structural unit, with room for two production units and good universal connectors.
• Colony Storage Tanks - A JPC All-In-One brand fuel refining and storage facility; the fire shielding is a little out of code but otherwise OK.