Lord of Rigel News

Greetings Lords of Rigel!

This patch includes a major update that many have been waiting for: Custom Species!

While originally this was going to be phased with EA3 as we wanted to get balance on the default species to help with the AI, the feedback we’ve received on Lithovore and Mechanoid species has let us hammer out and refine the AI further on its basic economy use. Now, we’re shifting our focus over towards the military part of the AI.

As always your feedback has been crucial for improving the game and saves from the mid to late game have helped us with tuning the AI and adjustments beyond issues you might be reporting in them.
Specific UI feedback and improvements helps us improve the game. As can be seen from previous patches we’ve worked hard to implement quality of life improvements and UI adjustments, and we wouldn't be able to implement these changes or make these bug fixes without your feedback.

This patch:
Major Updates:
• Custom Species

Q.O.L./Balance:
• Recommended techs different for Mechanoid and Lithovore species
• Stargate icons in galaxy map
• Different indicators for home worlds and outposts in galaxy map
• Scrap and buy prompts show total treasury
• Animations for entering and exiting system view
• Auto-select all units on tactical start

Bugfixes:
• Scrapping support ship fix
• Scrapping colony buildings fix
• Subterranean and Tolerant evolutionary mutation max population count fix
• Critical- GNN soft-lock fixes
• AI out of range fix
• Colony focus UI refresh fix

Upcoming fixes and Q.O.L. adjustments:
• Further refinements to auto construction
• Scuttling enabled for ships not at a colony (but no refund)
• AI improvements on building combat fleets
• Adjustments to random monster attacks
• Event ticker filters

EA2 coming features:
• Elder Races
• Doomsday Clock

EA3 features will include:
• Research Victory
• Grand Menaces
• Legendary Galaxies (1024 stars)

For this week’s deep dive we’re going to look into the Custom Species!
A much requested feature, you can adjust all of the species traits for a selected species in a new game by selecting the custom button. You’ll cosmetically have the ships, home-world, and appearance of the species selected but you can change their name and all traits. You have a total of 10 traits you can select overall and “picks” are the overall points which can be from 10 to -10. This will increase or decrease your end game score. So you can create a powerful Creative, Democracy, Lithovore species but it’ll have a massive impact on your final score. This provides a lot of flexibility!

Image 1. Custom Species Menu

Let us know what further changes you would like to see or if you have encountered any technical issues. Please post on the forums, reach out to us via Discord or send an email: [email protected] Saved games and clear steps to reproduce the bug are critical. It helps us to quickly track down the bug and get it fixed. Additional information on bug reporting tips can be found here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/437440/discussions/.


As always, we appreciate the feedback, conversations, and support from all of you!

Ticket #1656 QOL – Total treasury amount shown in purchase prompt
Ticket #1648 QOL – Stargate icon for stars added on galaxy map
Ticket #1645 QOL – Customize “Recommended” research based on species
Ticket #1628 Farming tech filters for Mechanoid and Lithovores
Ticket #1653 QOL – System and colony sidebar show temporal anomaly and blockade data
Ticket #1647 – Skip GNN event brief black screen fix
Ticket #1650 Combat ship drive and computers not upgrading on completed research fix
Ticket #1649 Microbiotics multiplier fix
Ticket #1660 Research complete – not spawning event fix
Ticket #1654 QOL – Galaxy Star indicator for outposts
Ticket #1655 Retreat not working if enemy fleet is an incoming monster
Ticket #1661 Post combat screen instantly cleared fix
Ticket #1659 Colony focus change fixes
Ticket #1664 QOL – Enter system and exit system view zoom
Ticket #1648 AI Diplomacy fixes
Ticket #1665 Ambient music track sorting fix
Ticket #1662 Colony ships not establishing colonies on next turn fix
Ticket #1668 Pan to homeworld for Synth fix
Ticket #1658 Synth planets menu range based on capital fix
Ticket #1672 Evolutionary mutation subterranean bonus fix
Ticket #1671 Auto explore fleets going out of fuel range
Ticket #1669 Scrap menu multiple scrap fix
Ticket #1666 AI demand loop softlock fix
Ticket #1667 Mechanoid – AI demands tech that player doesn’t possess or can’t research fix
Ticket #1670 Support ships scrapping fix
Ticket #1652 QOL – Add colony base building for lost colony

Additional Features:
Custom Species Enabled

Greetings Lords of Rigel!

This patch adds more AI improvements and a few quality of life adjustments requested, such as sorting by maximum population in planets menu, and filters in the Info Screen and Fleets menus. General Bug fixes for end game technologies have been implemented as well.

Again, over September our focus will be shifting over to opening up the Elder Species and tuning Doomsday Clock mechanics, in addition to implementing some of the space terrain features from community feedback in tactical.

As always your feedback has been crucial for improving the game and saves from the mid to late game have helped us with tuning the AI and adjustments beyond issues you might be reporting in them.

Q.O.L./Balance:
• Planet maximum population added to planets list
• Monster indicator in plants list
• Info Screen History filters
• Fleets menu filters
• Player galactic council vote after AI votes
• AI gift/demand ask adjustments
• Skip GNN option in settings
• System and tactical skybox improvements

Bug fixes:
• Dyson sphere and ring world construction fixes
• Hyper advanced technology fixes for Creative species
• Tax slider updates include trade depot calculations

EA2 coming features:
• Elder Races
• Doomsday Clock

EA3 features will include:
• Custom Species
• Research Victory
• Grand Menaces
• Legendary Galaxies (1024 stars)

For this week’s deep drive we’re going to look into the Doomsday Clock and Final War.
These are end game mechanics which go hand in hand with the Galactic Council and with the Elder Species when introduced.

The Doomsday Clock is a measure of galactic tension. Certain acts (treaties, defeating certain types of space monsters) reduces galactic tension. Other actions such as exterminating planet populations, use of weapons of mass destruction, and outright genocide raise galactic tension. Using bombs to depopulate a planet and replace it with your own colonies, often a 4x staple has consequences. This option isn’t going to be present when it’s a galaxy too small for a galactic council.

Final War occurs when the Doomsday Clock has reached 100 or a player rejects a vote from the Galactic Council (including rejecting your own election as leader!). All diplomacy stops, and all factions are at a state of eternal war. When the Rigelans and Arcturans are introduced this is when the “kid gloves” come off as well.

While these are mechanics that are core parts of LoR’s solution to the end game from the beginning we do want to hear on balance, particularly with larger galaxies. Are AIs ramping up the clock too quickly? Is scaling for larger galaxy sizes on penalties needed?

Image 1. Planets menu with maximum population and monster filter added.

Image 2. New info screen filters.

Image 3. More of your games!

Image 4. Rigelans preparing for an actual war to end all wars.

Let us know what further changes you would like to see or if you have encountered any technical issues. Please post on the forums, reach out to us via Discord or send an email: [email protected] Saved games and clear steps to reproduce the bug are critical. It helps us to quickly track down the bug and get it fixed. Additional information on bug reporting tips can be found here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/437440/discussions/.


As always, we appreciate the feedback, conversations, and support from all of you!