So this is my official announcement that Star Explorers is getting a new major update. Version 6.0 is just getting started, and will be relegated to the testing branch until it is all ready and shiny.
So far there are a few major changes. Most of them involve the way the code works, rather than things that directly effect the gameplay. For instance, the entire galaxy and star chart system has been rewritten from scratch. It is *supposed* to be more stable and less prone to developing database errors which have plagued the the game since it's inception.
[h3]Star Chart[/h3]
There are some major, obvious changes to the star chart that players can see for themselves. The biggest difference is the at the old "Target Sector" system has been dropped in favor of a star chart that shows all the sectors right away.
Now, when you open the star chart for the first time you will see something like this:
It won't have any of the little green dots, which are stars (you still have to scan those yourself before they will appear in the chart) but all the sectors will be visible and clickable.
Now you can locate and warp to stars, and the mothership, directly from the star chart.
[h3]Gameplay Guide[/h3]
I have removed the interactive guide from the game. It was causing several bugs and it was not compatible with the new galaxy and star chart, so for now it is no longer in the game.
[h3]What is Planned?[/h3]
I don't plan to write a complete list of planned features, because I cannot make any promises just yet. I do have a lot of incomplete and unfinished things in the game that I want to polish up. So most of this will be about fine tuning what is already there.
I also have a number of "new" ideas, that are actually things I always wanted to include in the game, but had to cut in order to allow me to finish it. I want to make some new planet types like ocean planets (completely covered in liquid) and perhaps have a way for players to explore the upper atmospheres of gas giants.
I also have an idea about being able to take samples and conduct scientific research on planets. I haven't quite formulated how this will work, or exactly what it will do in terms of gameplay. But I want the game to provide more activities that will take place on the surface of planets, and this is the angle I want to take in order to achieve that.
Finally, I have plans to make another kind of life-form. This one will be more procedural and have a wider variety of forms and interactions than any of the others. I am calling these new aliens "fruits" for now, because the idea came out of making actual fruits that would grow on the alien plants and trees. From there I wondered what would happen if the fruits were self aware ... and the rest is history.
But these are all just ideas, no promises yet.
[h3]Installation[/h3]
If you want to try out the current update, go to "Star Explorers > Properties > Betas" enter the code "rocketship1234" and then choose "testing" from the drop down menu. You will need to start a new game, as the new version will not be compatible with the current default version.
