Spaceship Idle - Playtest 3: Boosters, Offline Time Warp and Quantum Progress
I continue to work on Spaceship Idle based on feedback from the previous playtest. My goal is to release a demo in June and participate in the upcoming Steam Next Fest. Most of the game mechanics are in place, and I’ve now added two missing features: Boosters and Offline Time Warp
[h3]Boosters[/h3]
Boosters are the "wonder" equivalent in CivIdle:
[h3]Offline Time Warp[/h3]
It wouldn’t be an idle game without offline earnings. However, implementing offline progress can be tricky. In CivIdle, I initially planned to simulate production while offline, but for large bases this can take hours. Instead, I’ve introduced “Time Warp”—you accumulate time warp while offline, which can be used to accelerate production.
This concept works well, and I’m bringing it to Spaceship Idle. I’ve also used this opportunity to fix a long-standing issue with time warp consumption. In CivIdle, one game cycle cost one warp, meaning higher-speed production had a slight advantage. In Spaceship Idle, this has been adjusted so that warp cost remains constant regardless of production speed.
[h3]Quantum Progress[/h3]
Progress in Spaceship Idle can be complex — there’s quantum, which is based on total XP, and it limits the max spaceship value. Qualifier and second chance battles restrict usable quantum. These mechanics ensure that battles are “fair” between ships of the same quantum, but they can feel overwhelming. To help, I’ve added a new “Quantum Progress” view that clearly shows your progress. Even if players don’t fully understand the relationships between these systems, this view should serve as a useful guide.
[h3]Boosters[/h3]
Boosters are the "wonder" equivalent in CivIdle:
- Boosters can only be built once,
- Once built, boosters cannot be recycled,
- Boosters can be moved,
- Boosters cost resources (not XP) to build and do not add to ship value,
- Boosters do not consume quantum
[h3]Offline Time Warp[/h3]
It wouldn’t be an idle game without offline earnings. However, implementing offline progress can be tricky. In CivIdle, I initially planned to simulate production while offline, but for large bases this can take hours. Instead, I’ve introduced “Time Warp”—you accumulate time warp while offline, which can be used to accelerate production.
This concept works well, and I’m bringing it to Spaceship Idle. I’ve also used this opportunity to fix a long-standing issue with time warp consumption. In CivIdle, one game cycle cost one warp, meaning higher-speed production had a slight advantage. In Spaceship Idle, this has been adjusted so that warp cost remains constant regardless of production speed.
[h3]Quantum Progress[/h3]
Progress in Spaceship Idle can be complex — there’s quantum, which is based on total XP, and it limits the max spaceship value. Qualifier and second chance battles restrict usable quantum. These mechanics ensure that battles are “fair” between ships of the same quantum, but they can feel overwhelming. To help, I’ve added a new “Quantum Progress” view that clearly shows your progress. Even if players don’t fully understand the relationships between these systems, this view should serve as a useful guide.