Gameplay & balance updates, improved fog of war, better AI & performance

[h2]Gameplay & Balance Updates[/h2][p]Several changes add new strategic and tactical layers:[/p]

[p]Ships starting their turn on gas giants gain +1 action point[/p]
[p]Ships ending their turn on friendly planets no longer require upkeep[/p]
[p]Allied minor factions now behave more aggressively[/p]
[p]Armor can no longer negate all incoming damage, ensuring every attack matters[/p]
[p]Processor stations are now much cheaper making prediction cycle victory condition easier to reach[/p]
[p]Rebalanced many victory condition requirements[/p]
[p]Game no longer ends if two players are tied victory points[/p]

[h2]Improved Fog of War[/h2][p]Unexplored areas of the map are now fully hidden by the fog of war. This makes navigation more uncertain, increases tension during exploration, and makes early scouting decisions far more meaningful. We have also added new graphics for the edges of the map.[/p][p][/p][h2]Smarter AI & Performance Improvements[/h2][p]AI has been improved across the board:[/p]

[p]Better threat evaluation and decision-making[/p]
[p]Improved use of processor stations and techs[/p]
[p]More consistent health and damage prediction[/p]
[p]Faster turn resolution and improved large-map performance[/p]

[h2]New Tutorial[/h2][p]We’ve completely reworked the tutorial to make learning Astro Protocol smoother and more engaging:[/p]

[p]Smaller, more focused which expands slowly as you go[/p]
[p]Clearer step-by-step guidance[/p]
[p]Improved explanations of technology, terraforming, and combat[/p]
[p]Better use of input icons and tooltips[/p]

[h2]More Hotkeys[/h2]

[p]Added hotkeys for unit actions[/p]
[p]Added hotkeys for build and buy menus[/p]
[p]Hotkey icons added to the tooltips[/p]
[p]Added option to clear key bindings in the options[/p]

[h2]Upcoming Playtest[/h2][p]Over the past months, our focus has been on building out the full scope of Astro Protocol adding factions, ships, techs, and other content that won’t be available in the demo. With this build, we’re now very close to the complete game experience, and we’ll be kicking off playtests in just a few days.[/p][p]If you’d like to experience full-version content ahead of release and help shape the final stages of development, you can sign up for the upcoming playtests: https://nullvectorstudios.com/playtest
[/p][p]See you among the stars![/p]