Hello executives
I’ve decided to get everyone onto the same page as the version on the main branch is about 7 months out of date from what everyone in Discord has been testing.
This version is loaded with new features/tech and ways of playing and is much closer to what the final version will be like in terms of game play, if you are a little overwhelmed with the new features I am sure someone will be happy to help in the forums or on Discord.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE TUTORIAL HAS BEEN TEMPORARILY REMOVED AND THE GAME STILL HAS BUGS, IT IS STILL IN EARLY ACCESS AND BEING CONTINUALLY DEVELOPED.
The in-game manual and help tips have been updated to reflect the latest gameplay.
If you are finding the game has loading issues please make sure to check the integrity of the game first, if you are on any special branches of the game, please switch back to the main one.
[h2]What's changed.[/h2]
Energen is now the main currency of the game, you use it to build buildings, construct ships, make robots and buy things from traders. It is mined directly out of small or large asteroids with no need to process it massively speeding up the economy.
Asteroids will no longer run out of resources but will have trace amounts so they can still be mined but at a reduced rate.
Some high level ships and technology require special resources to construct which you need to mine and process or buy from a trader.
Energen and research data are considered global resources which you have access to anywhere. Other physical resources like Tritanium and Xeo gas are station specific which will need ferrying to outposts which require them.
You can now expand your company into different star systems using an outpost core and deploying it allowing you to build structures on them, you can’t however now build on derelicts you find.
Building limits have been removed for most structures and now only cost Energen and power.
Power management on stations have been expanded with structures generating and demanding electricity, with some power stations requiring fuel.
Cargo ships and trade routes have been added to help ferry your goods around allowing you to create a complex economy shifting resources to refineries or selling to the new trading outpost.
A lot of limits have been lifted with tech on ships with a new power requirement system added to prevent you from adding for example Matter beams onto small ships, however ship upgrades can be bought or found to help add more complex tech to smaller ships.
Execudisplays have been replaced with a pure FPS experience so you can do everything you did before but without going into an RTS camera which seemed to be confusing people.
I won't give away too much but each faction now has its own unique way of mining resources which should be used as an alternative to having hundreds of mining ships.
Because games are longer the save feature has been stabilised and multiplayer saving has been added including auto saves.
[h2]Currently known issues[/h2]
Single player is pretty stable these days, multiplayer can be a little buggy and Executron gameplay is very buggy and expect a lot of issues from that.
The AI seems to be either extremely aggressive and attack in huge numbers or very slow and pointless, I hope to address this balance.
Tech, power, costs and damage are fairly balanced but some work is still needed.
Frame rates are good but could always be better.
When joining a multiplayer game loading from a save file and there are more than 2 CEO’s they currently need to join in the same order they first started.
A bug I am trying to address at the moment (not an easy one to fix) is one where in certain areas the shadows flicker, the gun shakes like you have had too much coffee and the text on panels is all wobbly, this is something that is going to take a while to fix but I am aware of it.
Rebinding controls is still unavailable however Unity has recently made it easier to add this as a feature so it's on my to do list.
The UI needs a bit of an overhaul.
[h2]What is being worked on and current direction[/h2]
I am going to focus on bug fixes, quality of gameplay, PvE elements and making trading/missions easier to get and complete as I am pretty happy with the core game play which thanks to all the feedback from the Discord group has made it a fantastic game which is truly realising its potential.
You might notice the super ships like the Monolith and Decimator are missing, they will certainly be making a comeback but as something you get from a mini story arc along with other exotic and interesting tech and gameplay to discover.
Infinite resources and all the tech buttons have been removed, this is because the game is getting to a point now where games are longer and there are things to discover so unlocking everything would be like reading the end of a book and ruin the fun.
Executron gameplay is a little dull at the moment and I am aware of their current issues with getting around and need to have greater control over robots and ships, so I will be addressing this with things to explore, unlock, research, missions, trade, defend, help out around the base etc, going to be good fun! They are a pure FPS experience just like the first game and I want to keep it that way so will be designing their gameplay around that idea.
[h2]Final thoughts[/h2]
If you want to chat or to me or suggest ideas then you can find me in official Discord group, submit ideas through the games feedback/bug system or post things to the Steam forums with anything of interest being forwarded to me by the mods, I rarely touch the Steam forums these days for my own mental wellbeing, this is something many developers do these days due to the toxicity and attitudes on there which I am sure most of you are aware of.
I want to again say a big thank you to everyone who has contributed feedback to the game and I really look forward to hearing more of your ideas and suggestions as the game is continually developed.
Cheers,
Rob
CEO
Hesketh Studios Ltd