Lord of Rigel News

It's been a very busy year for Lord of Rigel development as we've worked in numerous quality of life requests along with implementing more core features in the Early Access roadmap.

Over 2023 we've implemented the following key features:

• Lithovore and Mechanoid species- The Tulocks and Synth
  
• Custom species
  
• Gigantic and Legendary Galaxies
  
• Elder Species- The Rigelans and Arcturans
  
• Diplomacy Victories
  
• Final War
  
• Galactic Tension and the Doomsday Clock
  
• Megastructures- Dyson Spheres and Ringworlds
  
• Additional ground combat units (LSAVs for planetary militia)
  

In addition to these we've added numerous quality of life features based on your feedback (not an exhaustive list, but the major ones):

• Strategic AI overhaul
  
• User Interface reskin and color selection
  
• Event ticker filter
  
• System sidebar in colony view
  
• Cycling between systems and colonies in system and colony view
  
• Player engagement options (chase, evade, circle) in tactical
  
• Auto ship design generation in ship designer
  
• Post combat report
  
• Ship info tooltips
  
• Loading and saving build queue presets
  
• Sharpness graphics setting
  
• AI personality type indicators in diplomacy and info screens
  

Our next update will focus on community reported bug fixes but will also include two long awaited features: Research Victories and Grand Menaces.

Research victories involve unlocking all of the path to ascension technologies and constructing a super project for ascension on your homeworld.

Image 1. Ascension technologies.


Image 2. Ascension end game scene preview.

Grand menaces are galaxy-level end game threats that can also reduce galactic tension.


Image 3. The "System Killer" an extra-galactic grand menace.


Our next main requested feature is a ship refitting system which will come in a 2024 update. We're a tiny team and we've prioritized reported bugs and issues from the community, including balance issues. We plan to continue to do that through 2024, and with reaching the end of our EA roadmap release 1.0.

With the 1.0 release we'll also have the Lord of Rigel Artbook which includes concept art and universe backstory.

Post-release we want to focus on community suggested quality of life improvements and features.


Images 4, 5. Preview of the LoR Artbook

Ticket #1711 QOL – New Exile AI setting new colony
Ticket #1739 Outpost scrapping empire list view blank fix
Ticket #1738 ECM mismatch between ship tooltip and ship designer fix
Ticket #1732 Lithovore-Mechanoid displaying food consumption when non lithovore-mechanoid species on planet fix
Ticket #1734 Removed cancel button for stationary fleets
Ticket #1742 Fleet ETA calculation fix
Ticket #1736 Gaia planet layering for ship designer fix
Ticket #1733 Tech tree scroll to new researched item fix
Ticket #1740 Double purchase fix
Ticket #1741 Protomatter message appearing before research complete fix
Ticket #1717 QOL – AI expansion tweaks
Ticket #1737 Messages from dead factions fix
Ticket #1731 Auto resolve adjustments for moving monsters fix
Ticket #1744 Space Amoeba loop fix
Ticket #1743 New game starvation calculation fix
Ticket #1745 Defeated faction Galactic Council candidate
Ticket #1710 QOL – Improved planet image angles in Engage Menu
Ticket #1746 End turn soft lock fix
Ticket #1747 Transit time calculation fixes
Ticket #1748 AI building outpost on player occupied Dyson Sphere fix

Greetings Lords of Rigel! We've just passed a year in Early Access with that we've entered EA 3. With the past two updates we've put in some major updates such as the Elder Races, Doomsday Clock, AI aggression, and an update to the user interface. Legendary galaxies (1024 stars) are also available.
Based on your comments we did a reskin of the interface along with some adjustments on where UI button elements are. Switching out buttons to be brighter is intended to make it easier to identify intractable parts of the UI. AI aggression is the next major area we're working on, making sure that military force use is tied to the AI personalities. As players have noted some AIs aim to “build tall” instead of expand and others spread outwards, so we've wanted to make sure AI aggression is also showing the same variety.

With EA3 we're working towards a 1.0 release aimed in 2024, but we're wanting to continue to incorporate balance and UI quality of life improvements from your feedback.

EA3 features will include:

• Research Victory
  
• Grand Menaces
  
• Ship refitting
  

Figure 1. Updated, reskinnable user interface.


Figure 2. UI prompt with new color scheme.

For our latest deep dive, Space Pirates!

In the LoR galaxy space pirates are some of the forces that reached the galaxy from the Synth's creators on their hunt throughout the universe to destroy all machine-life. Turning to raiding and piracy, these groups patrol some systems, and there are also occasional raiding fleets.
Style wise we wanted more rugged less technologically advanced ships with a mix of Babylon 5 and Battlestar Galactica design sensibilities. Pirate ships are also loaded out more with kinetic weapons and heavy armor. Pirate ships include corvettes, frigates, and large capital ships with centrifuges to generate gravity. Generally good early to mid game player ship design should counter pirate forces easily.


Figure 3. Space pirates!


Figure 4. A pirate mothership in editor- a preview of an EA3 Grand Menace.

Also moving forward we'll be calling these Community Updates as opposed to "roundups."