Space Haven News

Space Haven Alpha 10 - Now in the Experimental Branch!

[h3]Greetings, Spacefarer![/h3]

Space Haven Alpha 10 is now available to play in the experimental branch. As a reminder, the update process is as follows:

A new Update is first available in the Experimental Branch.
Players, who do not mind playing a more unstable version, will first want to test the new update.
Once the experimental game build looks solid and stable enough we will push it out officially to all players!

NOTE! Joining experimental is completely optional, and you should only do it if you are willing to risk that some new bugs are introduced, which could affect your game play and potentially break your save.

Please do not join the experimental branch if you don't want to risk breaking your save or have the game break on you in midst of play! If you want to play a more stable version please wait for the official release of the update.

Warning! Old saves from Alpha 9 are not supported. A lot of new things have been added to the game and unfortunately we cannot support older saves. Please keep this in mind and prepare for the official update accordingly =)

Here is how you join The Experimental Starfarer crew:

Open Steam Library
Right click Space Haven
Select Properties
Go to tab 'Betas' at the top.
Select 'Experimental' in the drop-down.

To see what has been added, check the in-game patch notes.

[h3]Giving Feedback[/h3]

Please give your feedback in the experimental branch forum. Link below:

https://steamcommunity.com/app/979110/discussions/5/

Let us know what you think of the new features and if something should be altered or tweaked in your mind. Perhaps something makes the game too hard or something is too annoying, let us know so we can get a feel for how the new features feel! =)

[h3]Space Haven Alpha 10 Experimental Branch Patch Notes[/h3]

You can read up on many of the new features in more detail in the previous post:
https://steamcommunity.com/games/979110/announcements/detail/2892956582946329364

Saved games are not supported from previous Alpha versions.
A new modified starmap, with a new layer showing star system clusters as jump destinations.
Space Stations added to the game - You can now visit various farming stations, repair stations, faction bases and more.
Derelict stations have been added to the game - Enter the darkness with your crew and explore old abandoned derelict stations.
A service tab has been added, which is now available at the repair station. The service tab can be used to purchase services (Like hull construction) with credits.
You can recruit new crew members by visiting a leisure station and seeing if someone would be willing to join your crew, for a fee of course.
Crew combat can now take place on asteroids - Seek out the pirate hideout base and engage in fierce crew combat, remember to bring your spacesuits.
IRS Mary Shelley (The alien base) has been added to the game. This independent research ship ventured out into the galaxy to find alien life forms, but something bad happened and the ship was never heard from again...
A Research Tree has been implemented along with a research lab facility - Build a Research Lab and start researching new technology.
A New character skill has been added: Research.
A New turret added to the research tree: Missile turret. The missile turret is capable of creating new holes for crew members to enter in derelict ships.
Many of the facilities in the game have been moved to the research tree, while basic and critical facilities remain open from the beginning.
Added research start technology settings to game customization - You can modify research modules to be open from the start if you want.
New special technology: The Targeting Jammer - An electronic countermeasure that confuses all turret targeting systems within its range of effect. So long as the jammer is online, the ship can neither be targeted by hostiles, nor target them in turn.
The Food System got an overhaul, crew members are now affected by what they eat and require a balanced diet for optimal performance in the long run.
Added a new system for the Kitchen to allow players to create their own meal compositions of various raw ingredients.
Modified the plant growth rates and outputs to balance the change with the Kitchen requiring less overall resources to create meals.
Created an Algae farm facility for producing basic nutrient.
Added a nausious condition, which can be caused by toxins accumulating in the body from foods. Concussions and other conditions might also cause nausea.
New basic facilities: Hyperium Hyperdrive and Energium Power Generator - This basic hyperdrive and power generator can use raw resources mined from asteroids, but are less effective than their more advanced versions.
New AI behavior: Another friendly faction can now help and rescue your cocooned crew members if their ship is in the same sector.
Improved UI: Added a mechanism to see which sectors have been visited by the player in the starmap.
Electronic fabricator and cell fuser facilities have been removed from the game. Electronic components can now be created with the metal refinery and energy cells with optronics fabricator.
Rebalanced start scenarios.
Modified scenario hints to support the new changes.
Rebalanced resource trading values.
Shotgun and SMG have been nerfed slightly.
Hauler alien has received a slight buff to damage.
Created new NPC ships for many of the factions you meet on your adventures.
Modified also many of the old NPC ship designs.
Created new resource crate graphics for a set of resources.
Improved various graphics assets.
Improved graphics indicators on some facilities.
Fixed problem with some uppercase letters missing in some locales.
Fixed bugs.

Please give your feedback in the experimental branch forum. Link below:

https://steamcommunity.com/app/979110/discussions/5/

Join Space Haven Discord: http://discord.gg/spacehaven
Space Haven subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/SpaceHaven/

We will gather feedback for Alpha 10 in the experimental branch and tweak as needed. Once everything is looking solid enough we will publish the update to the main branch.

Thanks for reading and see you again in the next update!

Space Haven Alpha 10 - Progress Report #02.

[h2]A New Starmap, Space Stations, Research and More![/h2]

We've got some very exciting news to share! To celebrate the 10th big Alpha iteration for Space Haven we have decided to expand our plans with Alpha 10 and implement some modifications to the starmap, along with some new elements added to the mix, like space stations!

[h2]A New Modified Starmap[/h2]

We wanted to venture out and try something new with the starmap, something that would give you more meaningful choices when planning your route.

The new starmap combines a set of star systems into clusters, and gives you some information of what type of cluster it is. This will give you an idea of what type of faction presence you will encounter in a specific cluster.

Our current idea is to present a choice between paths that are riskier but which could result in more bountiful treasures and paths that are safer but already scavenged by other factions to some degree. The starmap still keeps evolving as we keep implementing more. We're eager to have you try it out once we get to the experimental stage!

[h2]Space Stations[/h2]

No longer will you only encounter space ships on your space voyage in search of Eden, various specialized space stations will be scattered throughout the galaxy awaiting you.

The stations can be general outposts or specialized in some way. Some examples:

Farming stations - Stations specialized in farming and guaranteed to have a good amount of various foods for trade.
Repair stations - Stations specialized in repairs, giving you the opportunity to purchase a hull expansion service (Expanding the hull with drones) with credits.
Faction bases - Fight your way through the pirates and destroy their hideout base to deal a killing blow to the pirate presence in a part of the galaxy.
Mining stations - Stations specialized in mining and offering a good variety of various ore for trade.
Trading outposts - Stations specialized in general trade, offering a wide variety of resources for trade.
And more!

A pirate hideout base buried deep within the cluster of pirate systems.

A station specialized in farming built on top of an asteroid somewhere in the galaxy.

A station specialized in repairs, capable of helping you on your travels!

[h2]Research[/h2]

We have worked on research and the research tree and implemented the needed tech for it to allow us to create new in-game tech items in the future. A Research skill as well as a research lab facility has been added to the mix and crew members can research new tech by spending some time sitting at the research lab.

We decided to go with a visual presentation seen in the screenshot, a research tree from left to right with various branches taking their own paths in the tree. The modules currently require certain amounts of research points, classed into three different tiers. These research point tiers represent how hard it is to unlock a research item, and these will be tied to a character research skill.

[h2]Improved and deeper food system[/h2]

While working on the research tree and thinking about modules related to botany we found a good opportunity to dive deeper into the food system and make some further implementations to take nutrients into account and have consequences related to them.

[h3]The Kitchen[/h3]

The Kitchen has received an overhaul to enable more freedom for you to create your own specialized meals for your crew members. The kitchen now allows you to mix various boxes of food together, and even specifying the amount of some ingredient box to use.

Now you can spice up your fruit and root vegetable mix with some monster meat, just enough so that your crew members won't notice any really bad side effects. How about some monster meat and human meat with peanuts on the side? No problem! Coming right up. Put all of that food into good use.

[h3]You are what you eat[/h3]

Up until now your crew members have not cared much about what they eat, or more specifically what kind of nutrients they are actually putting in their system.

The crew members are now affected by what kind of nutrients they consume on a long-term basis. Proteins, Carbs, Fat and vitamins are all important. A fifth are toxins, which have a negative effect if consumed too much too fast.

A balanced diet with enough proteins, carbs, fat and vitamins keep your crew members working at an optimal level. Deficiencies can result in a lower recovery rate, learning rate, health, mood and so on.

[h3]Throwing up[/h3]

Your crew members can now get nausea from consuming too many toxins, this in turn will lead to them throwing up and losing their stomach contents on the spaceship floor. There goes my lunch, what a bummer!

Throwing up essentially means the nutrients from the stomach are lost, so be careful with giving too much monster meat to crew members all at once.

[h3]The Algae Farm[/h3]

Nobody likes eating algae, but it's marginally better than starving to death. It keeps the crew alive but can affect their health and mood due to an unpleasant texture and sub-optimal nutrient levels.

We are introducing a new facility called the algae farm. This facility is intended to be a basic food source, using bio matter and water to grow algae, which are then scooped for some delicious (Or not) green porridge type of food. It will keep your crew alive but if this is the only food eaten it will cause nutrient deficiencies and even nausea.

[h2]Hyperium Hyperdrive and Energium Power Generator[/h2]

The hyperium hyperdrive is less efficient than more advanced hyperdrives but can use hyperium as fuel directly without having to refine it.

The energium power generator is less efficient than more advanced power generators but can use energium as an energy source directly without having to refine it.

We have added these two new facilities to help power up your ship and jump to hyperspace. These facilities will be basic technology facilities, with the ability to use raw resources directly as an energy resource and fuel.

As these facilities use raw resources instead of refined resources they are not quite as efficient, but on the other hand it is a bit easier to supply them as they can use raw resources mined directly from asteroids.

[h2]Introducing new NPC ships[/h2]

This new civilian ship will join the civilian fleet and meet you on your adventures!

Military Alliance receives a new addition to their fleet, you'll meet this ship in your future adventures in space.

Cult of New Haven gets a new ship added to their fleet, you'll meet this ship on your future adventures.

Androids also receive a new ship to their fleet. You will meet this ship on your space adventures.

If you want a chance to get your own ship in the updates post them in our Discord server #screenshots-and-videos channel, or here on Steam! =)

Join Space Haven Discord: http://discord.gg/spacehaven
You can also post them here on Steam: https://steamcommunity.com/app/979110/screenshots/

Report bugs here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/979110/discussions/4/
Discuss Space Haven here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/979110/discussions/0/
Technical Support: https://steamcommunity.com/app/979110/discussions/1/
Space Haven subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/SpaceHaven/

Big update in the works, Spacefarers! Do join some of our channels above and come chat with us. Thanks for reading and see you in the next update! =)

Space Haven Alpha 10 - Progress Report.

Greetings, Spacefarers!

How are you all doing? Darkness falls upon Finland, it's raining every other day and it's getting colder and colder. It's starting to resemble space over here. This means it's great to sit inside and develop Space Haven further and implement new features! August was our month off, and we spent it recharging our batteries. It was much needed after a very hectic time.

You are all probably very eager to hear what we've decided to implement for Alpha 10. We have started planning and implementing a research tree, something we want to expand on with time. Last week was spent planning the research tree, it's structure and visual presentation. We also started implementing the first version of the research tree.

We have created a research facility, which you can build to start unlocking that sweet new technology. You can see a couple of research facilities in the gif above. Put your best researchers on the job and see technology get unlocked faster.

Above is a work-in-progress small part of the research tree. We decided to go with a visual presentation seen in the screenshot, a research tree from left to right with various branches taking their own paths in the tree. The modules currently require certain amounts of research points, classed into three different tiers. These research point tiers represent how hard it is to unlock a research item, and these will be tied to a character research skill.

Above is a work-in-progress research item information window, which will show you information when you select a specific research item. The research modules have been implemented in a way where it is possible to insert more than one facility, item or other improvement in the same research package. This will allow for creating research modules with many items in them, unlocking all at the same time once research has been completed.

The research tree will be the main new feature in Alpha 10, it will require quite a bit of time and resources to implement but we hope to be able to add some additional things into Alpha 10 as well. We will report more on the research tree and other possible new stuff in the coming weeks! Stay tuned =)

[h3]Community Highlights[/h3]

Small and dangerous by OT4E.

Ship by Skharr

HSS Atlas by KittenTech

A huge shout out also to PsioniCM, who created a Captain's log 95 pages long with screenshots and log text of his adventures in Space Haven. Give it a read below!

"And, there it is, a blue planet, hidden from the sensors by meteors and asteroids, with green forests, and white clouds. A place we can call home, if we want to land there"

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GmAzAWHOZBVjGFcLkaTtHS1hsfONbAlk/view?usp=sharing

If you want a chance to get your own ship in the updates post them in our Discord server #screenshots-and-videos channel, or here on Steam! =)

Join Space Haven Discord: http://discord.gg/spacehaven
You can also post them here on Steam: https://steamcommunity.com/app/979110/screenshots/

Report bugs here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/979110/discussions/4/
Discuss Space Haven here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/979110/discussions/0/
Technical Support: https://steamcommunity.com/app/979110/discussions/1/
Space Haven subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/SpaceHaven/

It is good to be back, spacefarers! Do join some of our channels above and come chat with us. Thanks for reading and see you in the next update! =)

Space Haven takes part in the first ever Tiny Teams Indie Festival!

Bugbyte and Space Haven are taking part in the first ever Tiny Teams Indie Festival, shining a spotlight on games from indie micro-studios, one to three-person indie development teams. The Yogscast Tiny Teams Festival runs from August 9th to August 15th and will be broadcast live here on Steam and twitch.tv/yogscast.

As you may or may not know we here at Bugbyte are three developers strong, making us a micro-studio of indie devs! We've taken upon us a great challenge with a game like Space Haven, but we've come very far and we're determined to go all the way and keep building upon what we have currently. There's much more to come =)

We're excited to take part in this Tiny Teams Indie Festival and help shine a light on other indie games from other micro-studios. To celebrate this occasion we've decided to discount Space Haven at 10% off, along with higher discounts for our previously released games.

Check out the Tiny Teams Festival here on Steam through the link below:

https://bit.ly/TinyTeams20

We hope you are having a great summer and find some time to play games from micro-studios. Enjoy the show! =)

Aliens and enemy ships weren't enough for Space Haven so now there's space hazards too

Space Haven is an Early Access game that blends together elements of FTL, RimWorld and other such building and survival sims to create a promising mix of space exploration and people management.