ΔV: Rings of Saturn News

[h3]A preface from the developer[/h3]
This is a very special update, so this time, I felt it’s a good idea to start with a short foreword from the developer. I started making this game back in 2018, and after five years of development, it is finally ready for a full 1.0 release.

We have planned our official 1.0 release for 2023/07/21.



However, the 1.0 build we will be shipping is ready now. Much work still needs to be done outside the development itself - we have agreements to sign, press releases to write, parties to schedule and marketing decisions to make, and much more.

I am releasing this version to you early as a thank you to all of you. You have been with me for the whole development journey, through times good and bad, through despair and laughter. Without all of you, ΔV would not become financially self-sustaining and would most likely not arrive in its current state.

Thank you, and enjoy your special peek into 1.0!


[h3]What comes next?[/h3]
The game will stay this way for a few weeks, during which we’ll prepare everything required for a launch. You might see bugfixes published, should any bugs be discovered, but no new features come in until the big party and official release.

After the release, I’ll resume the normal development process, with new features and fixes coming up at the rate you were accustomed to. While 1.0 marks the point where I felt the game is complete, I still have ideas for new stories to tell, upgrades to make, and ships to pilot. ΔV was designed to be extendable, and as new content releases, it will integrate seamlessly into your existing game.



[h3]Maintenance Logs[/h3]

• Departing from one moonlet to another through astrogation could cause twin moonlets to appear at your destinations.
  
• Added new encounters and dialogues as a consequence of destroying some ships and stations. This includes dialogues for the relevant crew.
  
• Some enemies will now want to take revenge upon you instead of extorting money from you. Encounters with opponents that want you dead and try to use everything at their disposal to do so are more challenging.
  
• Services provided by factions that you destroy or severely damage by your actions will no longer be available.
  
• Fixed the "Inside Job" achievement, which was not awarded. It will be awarded retroactively when you load an eligible save.
  
• Fixed lighting on the Enceladus Dive Summary screen, which could have some of the ore unshaded if you brought back a large output.
  
• Updated translations.
  

[h3]Elon Interstellar sues Ganymedean Anarchy[/h3]
Earlier today, Elon Interstellar filed a lawsuit against a non-recognized group known as Ganymedean Anarchy over copyright infringement. The Martian company claims that the Anarchy allegedly illegally copied the source code of the “Bitter” social media platform to provide their own open-source alternative known as “Twatter”. Enceladian court denied the case as frivolous due to lack of jurisdiction. In an unrelated event, an unknown party delivered containers containing organically processed biomatter to Elon Interstellar CEO.



[h3]The Miners’ Guild lobbying for new regulations[/h3]
The Miners’ Guild initiated a fundraiser to lobby for new regulations over crew replacement during paid sick leave, requiring that captains hiring replacement crew for employees that were injured at work will be required to keep both crews employed for a period of at least 6 months following a complete recovery. The Miners Guild hopes that such regulation will drastically improve the industry's working conditions.



[h3]Allegations of Espionage in the Industrial Ring[/h3]
Tensions are running high in the industrial ring of the Enceladus Prime space station as suspicions of industrial espionage rock the sector. Various companies operating within the industrial ring have raised concerns over potential information leaks and illicit activities that could compromise the stability and competitiveness of the station's businesses. Despite the mounting suspicions and high tensions, no legal actions have been taken at this time. However, station authorities have launched an investigation into the allegations of industrial espionage. Law enforcement agencies are working diligently to identify the culprits and bring them to justice.



[h3]Maintenance Logs[/h3]

• You can now finish the Ganymedean infiltration quest.
  
• Additional paths to complete the Ganymedean Infiltration quest, depending on what kind of crew you have on board your ship.
  
• You can now find messages on GAnet's Twatter based on your faction standing.
  
• Increased the frequency of quest-related lifepod interactions.
  
• You can now access the GAnet even if you did not agree to perform the infiltration job.
  
• When returning to the station with complex objects in your cargo bay, such as rogue mining companions, they will be placed above other output you bring on the dive summary screen. This prevents them from intersecting with themselves or other objects and breaking physics on that screen.
  
• Improved sick leave resolution. If a crew member is on sick leave and you don't hire a replacement, they will automatically return to their duty when their sick leave ends. If you hire and assign a replacement, they will stay inactive unless a free seat is available on your ship.
  
• Big Bad Wolf will now acknowledge the completion of some tasks they give you.
  
• Using data obtained through espionage will now hurt your reputation with the party you obtained it from, should they discover it.
  
• Polished up the Ganymedean Anarchy dialogue tree to follow some uncommon conditions and decisions you could make in the past.
  
• Following two pirate ships that flee from you and losing none of them will no longer lead you to twin pirate stations.
  
• Lifepods will not call you if an NPC picks them up.
  
• Fixed the native executable icon on Windows.
  
• Fixed some typos.
  
• Added additional achievement.
  
• Updated translations.
  

• Changed the astrogation drift and spawning parameters. You will now come out of the astrogation sequence much closer to your destination. This can both make the game much easier, removing the need to search the destination area for what you were looking for, but also substantially increasing the risks of astrogation accidents.
  
• Adjusted the spot where your ship comes out of the astrogation sequence during astrogation with a minimal speed. You should now end up at a similar distance to your target as if you were astrogating with your default velocity.
  
• You can now scroll your pre-flight inspection screen with a gamepad.
  
• When you hire a new crewmember, they will be automatically assigned as the preferred crew for the ship you had active when hiring. This prevents them from automatically leaving the crew if a day passes.
  
• You can't pause and save after the launch sequence starts anymore. This prevents saving the game in a state where you paid launch fees but did not actually launch.
  
• Fixed a bug that could cause complex objects to spawn on top of other entities.
  
• Added extra logging to pinpoint any potential astrogation problems.
  
• Changed the way the "rest at a capsule hotel until the end of maintenance" option is presented on failed pre-flight inspection.
  
• Fixed a race condition that could cause focus to not change to the hotel option on some systems, requiring mouse use to launch.
  
• Fixed the background viewport scaling at the Enceladus station. When changing resolution, HUD size or window size, the station in the background could get distorted.
  
• Updated translations.