Space Haven News

[h2]Greetings, Spacefarer![/h2]

It's time to reveal what our three developer strong team here at Bugbyte has been up to for the past months. We have been working on a new Major Update and we are ready to show all the hot new stuff coming up!

Alpha 19 adds improvements and new content to a wide range of areas. A black market and a expanded contraband system, new crew combat weapons and weapon attachments such as flamethrowers and grenade launchers, stun weapons and many new items crew members can use, organ harvesting, alien parasites, learning computer, new furniture, a holy cow and more!

Space Haven Alpha 19 is now available to play in the Unstable (Work-in-Progress) branch. As a reminder, the update process is as follows:

1. A new Update is first available in the Unstable/Experimental Branches.
   
2. Players, who do not mind playing a more unstable version, will first want to test the new update.
   
3. Once the Unstable/Experimental versions of the new update build looks solid and stable enough we will push it out officially to all players!
   

NOTE! Joining Unstable/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 Unstable/Experimental branches 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.

Here is how you join the Unstable Branch:

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

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

[h3]Giving Feedback[/h3]



[h3]Please give your feedback in the experimental branch forum. Link below:[/h3]

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! =)

[h2]What's New in Alpha 19 Unstable Branch[/h2]

[h3]The Black Market[/h3]
The Black Market is available as its own tab at leisure, prison and research stations.

Up until now the game has only had a few contraband items and no way to really benefit from trying to be a black market dealer/smuggler in the game. We wanted to expand on this and make it possible to play as a smuggler, benefitting from trading in items seen illegal by the Military Alliance.

The new contraband system adds a Black Market to the game, which can be seen at leisure stations, prison stations and research stations. These stations have special individuals on them, dealing in black market items, allowing you to tap into this stream of income should you choose to do so.

Black Market dealers utilize small asteroids as a hidden way to deliver items.

Black Market dealers use stashes placed at small asteroid patches, which allows trading items out of sight from other parties. Shuttles will deliver the items to this asteroid, and the receiving party can fetch the items once they've been delivered.

[h5]Dirty Prison Station Guards[/h5]


Dirty guards at prison stations allow you to smuggle goods in and out of the station.

[h5]Rogue Xenochemists[/h5]


Research station has rogue xenochemists. They can create CSP's. Cloud substance pills. Made from alien enzymes. Cloud substance pills is a drug of the best form, when it comes to recreational use.

[h3]The Smuggler Storage[/h3]
The smuggler storage allows you to better hide contraband items from nosy parties.

A storage for all the smugglers out there! Use this storage to better hide contraband items from faction inspections. A scanner cannot detect contraband in this storage. However, there is a small chance that a crew visiting your ship performing an inspection will find it.

[h3]Stashes at Derelict Ships[/h3]
Derelict ships may now have stashes with some items hidden out of sight. Keep an eye out for these while exploring derelict ships!

Derelict ships can now have hidden stashes with items in them. Be sure to inspect what's inside them while exploring derelict ships, you may find some nice stuff in them.

[h3]Alien Parasites[/h3]
While asleep, Jorge is having a bad dream and will unfortunately wake up realizing it wasn't a dream.

Alien parasites have been added to the game. These unwanted small creatures may find their way on your ship in multiple ways and once onboard they aim to hide themselves in the hull of your ship. Crawling inside the hull space they bide their time and wait for an opportune moment to strike an unfortunate crew member.

[h3]The Advanced Medical Bed[/h3]
The Advanced Medical Bed is capable of scanning crew members and check for any non belonging micro-organisms or other illnesses.

Crew members can become infected with nasty stuff and it's about time there is some health scanner available to check what's going on inside the poor bodies of the crew members. The Advanced Medical Bed can scan crew members whenever they are having weird sensations.

[h5]Doctors and Surgeons[/h5]

In addition to the advanced medical bed we have added surgeons to the game. Crew members with a medical skill of 6 or higher are now considered surgeons while crew members with lower than 6 are considered Doctors. A surgeon is needed to operate an Advanced Medical Bed.

[h3]Alien Organs[/h3]
Organ harvesting is now possible at the Autopsy Table.

Organs can now be harvested by using the autopsy table. Organs may have some value at the Black Market in select places. Harvest your very own organs today!

[h3]New Weapons, Weapon Attachments & New Items[/h3]
Jorge's Revenge. He thinks it's a dish best served GRILLED!

Jorge takes his revenge on the aliens after being subjected to an alien parasite ruining his sleep. The Flamethrower comes in handy when needing to take care of many crawlers all at once.

Jorge's inventory showcasing the weapon attachment slot and a bunch of new items.

We've added weapon attachments, allowing for a variety of new firepower to be introduced to the game. Weapon Attachments can be attached to rifles, giving the weapon a secondary attack that you can choose to apply strategically whenever you see fit. New Weapon Attachments include:

• Flamethrower - This flamethrower projects a stream of flammable liquid, which allows some bouncing the stream off walls and causing areas hit to take fire.
  
• Explosive Grenade Launcher - This grenade launcher is designed to attach to a rifle. It gives a rifle a secondary attack in form of firing a grenade at a target.
  
• Incendiary Grenade Launcher - Launches incendiary grenades, igniting fires around their hit point.
  
• Shotgun Autoloader - Allows the user to reload the shotgun a bit faster, increasing rate of fire.
  
• Tactical Grip - This weapon attachment allows the user to get a better grip of the weapon and increases accuracy.
  
• Basic Scope - A telescopic sight, commonly called a scope. This basic rifle scope improves accuracy.
  

[h5]Stun Weapons[/h5]
Annie equipped with the new Stun Rifle. Designed to capture hostile life forces.

We've added stun weapons to the game. These weapons can be used to capture enemies as they are designed to incapacitate and be non lethal weapons.

Additionally, we've also added some new items out of which many are intended for crew combat use. These include:

• Combat stimulants - Boosts a crew member's energy level when it is most needed.
  
• Mood stimulants - Can be used to delay mental breaks. If they are used too much side effects will appear.
  
• Nano wound dressing - Injectable wound sealer with nanobots.
  
• Bandages - For covering open wounds after battles.
  
• Small Breaching Charge - Small explosive charge designed to destroy walls and doors. Allows boarding teams to create alternative paths inside enemy ships and stations.
  
• Space Suit Oxygen Extender - A type of armor that gives additional oxygen reserves for a crew member when wearing a space suit.
  

[h3]New Research Modules[/h3]
New Research Modules have been added to the Research tree.

The tech tree has been updated with new research modules, featuring some of the new items we've added to the game. These include:

• Advanced Disassembly - Adds new options for the Recycler. Disassemble resources back to the component resources they were created from.
  
• Alien Enzyme - Allows the Chemical Refinery to produce a stimulant substance created from aliens.
  
• Stimulants - A research module with combat and mood stimulants.
  
• Nano wound dressing - Injectable wound sealer with nanobots.
  
• Advanced Medical Bed - This bed is specially designed to perform body scans to identify wounds, illnesses and other health threatening conditions of your crew.
  

[h3]The Learning Computer[/h3]
Crew members can now study and learn skills at this learning computer, up to a certain level.

We've added a learning computer to the game. This training computer uses fully immersive gamified learning environment technology in a wide range of subjects and skills. Allows your crew members to study and learn new skills.

The crew management menu has a new tool for marking study hours in the schedule and also a new tab for creating so called learning rules.

The crew management menu has a new tool for marking study as a secondary task in the schedule tab and additionally a new tab dedicated to creating so called learning rules. Together these allow you to dictate when your crew members should study and which crew members are allowed to study.

[h3]The Holy Cow[/h3]
Crew who report seeing a golden cow flying in space should undergo mental health care program Mike-Zero-Zero.

In the post-Apocalypse age, the cow is still a symbol of everything that was bountiful in the Earth's past. Though some members of the Cult of New Haven decry these statues as sinful, to most crews they serve as a reminder of humankind's prosperous history, and a promise to see it restored amidst the stars.

Crew who report seeing a golden cow flying in space should undergo mental health care program Mike-Zero-Zero. However, should you see this monument be sure to investigate to see what it may hold within.

[h3]Small Hope Scenario - Select Starting Ship [/h3]
You can now select another ship as the starting ship in the Small Hope Scenario.

A small feature addition but bound to give a breath of fresh air to one of the starting scenarios. We have added a way to select a starting ship in the Small Hope Scenario, allowing you to start with another small ship instead of the default one.

[h3]New Furniture[/h3]
New tables! Note the availability of more options when hovering over a table in the build menu.

We've added a bunch of new tables to decorate your ship with! These can be found in the build menu under the furniture tab. Note that the build menu has been updated and there's now more options available when hovering over a facility/item in the build menu.

Would you look at that! The tables and the carpet match. Will be great to sit down and eat here.

[h3]New Entertainment[/h3]
River relaxing with some fun single user activities after a long day.

We've added a new personal entertainment facility to the game. The crew can sit down and entertain themselves with with various single user activities.

[h3]Giving Feedback[/h3]



[h3]Please give your feedback in the experimental branch forum. Link below:[/h3]

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]Greetings, Spacefarer![/h3]

We have fixed some bugs and put together a new patch for the Alpha 18 Update. The newest version is now 0.18.2 Build 2.

Alpha 0.18.2 Build 2

• Increased the range of the fire extinguisher to make situations were unreachable fires are less likely.
  
• Fixed some translation issues.
  
• Fixed bugs.
  

If you find any issues let us know at the forums: https://steamcommunity.com/app/979110/discussions/4/

Stay tuned and enjoy the new update!

[h3]Greetings, Spacefarer![/h3]

Space Haven receives a new Major Update, featuring a set of new implementations for you to experience. New features introduces a new more dynamic starmap, interstellar events, more missions, a comprehensive sectionalized tutorial, new trading systems and bunch of other smaller features for you to enjoy. Let's have a look!

[h2]A Note On Continuing A Saved Game From Alpha 17[/h2]
(These instructions are only for those who want to continue a saved game from Alpha 17, or stay on Alpha 17. If you are happy with updating the game and starting a new game there is nothing you have to do, except let Steam update the game.)

We recommend starting a new game to enjoy the new update, but it is possible to continue a saved game from the previous version, Alpha 17. If you want to continue playing the previous version, Alpha 17, and decide yourself when you want to update, we have made it possible through the following method:

1. Open Steam Library
   
2. Right click Space Haven
   
3. Select Properties
   
4. Go to tab 'Betas' at the top.
   
5. Select 'alpha_17' in the drop-down. (NOTE! Only do this if you want to stay on the old version)
   

When you are ready to move on to Alpha 18, follow the above steps but choose "none" in the list. This will put you in the default branch and the game will update.



[h2]A New Starmap[/h2]
A new starmap with new features such as faction intentions, interstellar events, more missions and the addition of fog of war.

We've built upon the starmap once before during early access, which in our mind was a clear step in the right direction. However, as a lot of feedback has stated the early and mid game of the Starmap has been enjoyable but once the player has reached a certain point the content has not been able to provide excitement to the same degree.

Ultimately, our goal would be to pack the content of the game in an experience that would make the experience more giving from the beginning to the end. We are working on building a new starmap, with more opportunities to present the player with events and with the content of the game packaged in way that gives more more meaning to the progression of the game.

At the same time we have to remember that the game is also very much a sandbox type of game, and we want to keep the possibility for the player to play in such a way if that is what they desire.

[h3]Faction Intentions[/h3]
The starmap becomes more alive with factions having their own intentions.

Our current idea is to try to create a little bit of life to the starmap, and not have it be entirely static. As a step towards making the starmap a little bit more alive we've thought of a concept of faction intentions.

You will be presented with so called faction intentions, where a faction has some intention to carry out an action in the starmap and you can choose to support them or ignore it.

[h3]Interstellar events[/h3]
Traveling in hyperspace may present you with new encounters, from groups having their ship broken down to enemies wanting to ambush your fleet.

Inspired by the map traveling in Fallout 2 we've implemented a new feature that makes it possible to encounter events mid hyperspace jumps.

Each interstellar hyperlane may have 1 or more events available to discover. Enemies may catch up to you if you roam the galaxy and get on their wrong side.

The purpose of this feature is that it makes it possible to generate events which the player can encounter free from having them tied to certain sectors and NPC movement in the starmap. These can be distress beacons from ships breaking down mid hyperspace jumps but also groups that are on the hunt to take the player down due to their actions.

This system should work well as a way to generate more events for the player to encounter in the future. It gives us more freedom to generate more in addition to all the events already happening within star systems and sectors.

[h3]More Missions[/h3]
We are adding some more missions, which can be accepted directly in the starmap

We are building upon the missions system and adding some more missions, which can be directly accepted from the starmap. These may work together with faction intentions, giving more variety to the types of missions that factions offer to you as the player.

[h3]Command Flags[/h3]
Some missions allow you to team up with NPC ships and give them commands in battle.

We've implemented special types of missions where the faction giving you a mission might ask to help them with securing certain areas or fight against enemies. In these instances the faction may give you aid with their own ships and allow you to give them some commands in combat situations.

[h3]Fog of War[/h3]
To add to the exploration feel the starmap will have fog of war and only reveal the next destinations.

Previously the whole starmap has been visible from the start. In the new iteration we want to try having a fog of war hiding all but the next available star systems through hyperspace jumps. With this we would like to add more of the exploration feel to the game.

[h2]A Comprehensive Sectionalized Tutorial[/h2]
Introducing Sheridan! A leader of the Haven Foundation guiding new players to become experienced Spacefarers.

Up until this point Space Haven has not had a traditional tutorial. Meaning a fail safe introduction to the game along with lots of information.

Space Haven has only had scenario hints, guiding the player to a hyperspace capable ship. While these work to some degree and we aim to keep them (As an optional help), the feedback we've received has shown that we need to create a proper tutorial for the game.

We have decided to address this issue and we've created a tutorial, which will introduce the player to the game in a comprehensive way. We've also created a character by the name of Sheridan to guide the player on becoming a true Spacefarer! (Sheridan is inspired by a tv-series. =) )

The tutorial is sectionalized allowing the player to revisit any topic that they want to learn more about.

[h3]There are a few main points we want the tutorial to fulfill:[/h3]

1. The tutorial is optional - The player will be able to skip the tutorial and jump straight in, using only the scenario objective hints as before.
   
2. The tutorial gives a sense of progression - For many the tutorial will be the first experience with the game and so we wanted the player to feel like the ship they are building is their own, and that the tutorial has some progression to it.
   
3. The player can revisit any topic as they wish - We wanted to make it possible for the player to revisit different parts of the tutorial in case they felt like they missed something.
   

Sheridan explaining what the Recycler is for.

We felt it is important to give the player the feeling they are building something of their own right away, instead of just presenting scattered scenarios where the player has to figure out what they are seeing on the screen.

This is why the basic category of the tutorial in Space Haven is for the player to build their own ship on a small ship hull, with each step having information on why certain facilities are built and how they make the ship function as a home for crew members.

In addition to teaching how to build a hyperspace capable ship the tutorial will teach the player about the essential topics for survival.

We divided the building process into different sections, allowing the player to revisit different parts of the tutorial and look into something more than one time. In addition to the basic building tutorial we made a few other categories, which give information on topics that are beyond the scope of just building a hyperspace capable ship.

This combination should make for a great tutorial. The tutorial is of the type where there is a lot of handholding. However, since we aim to keep the scenario hints we have used up until this point as an additional help tool, we feel like players who like handholding tutorials and players who want more freedom right away can both be satisfied.

[h2]A New Trading Menu and Modified Pricing[/h2]
The new trading menu allows you to see more items at once and the trading system has been modified and pricing mechanisms changed.

We've modified how the trading prices act within the game and implemented a new system to allow NPC's to value some items more than others depending on their own stock. There are three new categories introduced to the trading menu.

• Premium - The trading partner is in high need of this resource and is willing to pay a premium price.
  
• Markup - The trading partner has a need of this resource and is willing to pay at a better price.
  
• Discount - The trading partner has a surplus of this resource and is willing to part with it at a discounted price.
  

We also created a new look to the trading menu, making it more streamlined and easier to see many resources at once.

[h2]A New Interstellar Jump Menu and ISP Dispensers[/h2]
The interstellar travel window now allows you to choose whether a crew member should use a hypersleep chamber or interstellar sickness pills.

We've added a new way to combat interstellar travel sickness. In addition to hyperspace chambers there are now also medical pills that can be given to crew members to lessen the effects of traveling in hyperspace without being in a hyperspace chamber.

You can now build ISP Dispensers to help mitigate effects of interstellar travel sickness.

The ISP Dispenser, essentially a medical cabinet filled with pills, provides a way to minimize the chance of acquiring interstellar travel sickness. The pills have some side effects though, affecting the crew member for some time after taking the pill.

This gives some more options on how to deal with interstellar travel sickness. Additionally, it allowed us to implement a way to remove the forced auto drops when entering new star systems in the starmap.

[h2]New Decorations[/h2]
A new chair and some decorative lockers are now available for more variation. Screenshot by Greenbeef.

We've added a new chair and some decorative lockers to the game. The new chair looks more like a Captain's chair and can be used to spice up a room for a special crew members. The lockers were requested by players for a long time since they were seeing them sprinkled around derelict ships as decorative objects. =)

[h2]Jukebox and Arcade Machine Sound Toggles[/h2]
You can now toggle the sounds from Jukeboxes and Arcade Machines on/off if you find them irritating.

Some of you have found the constant sounds from the Jukeboxes and Arcade Machines irritating so we implemented a way to toggle the sound on/off for them. Now you can choose whether you want to hear the sounds when crew members are using these entertainment facilities!

[h3]Space Haven Alpha 18 - Now Released![/h3]
This update is available for you to play right away.

The Alpha 18 update is out now for you to enjoy. We've tried our very best to iron out all issues while the update was in the unstable/experimental branch, but if you find anything wrong please let us know and we will fix it immediately as soon as we can.

If you have any troubles, technical or game play wise, please write to us here on Steam forums or our other channels:

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

Enjoy the new Major Update and stay tuned, Spacefarer!

[h3]Greetings, Spacefarer![/h3]

We have decided to take a different approach with the upcoming Alpha 18 Update and release an early unstable version of the update for testing.

We have added a new special branch for this, which will allow you to access this new update right away if you want to see how the new update is looking. Keep in mind this branch will have an early version that still has some missing assets, incomplete translations and is more than likely to crash at times!

This version is even earlier than an experimental branch build.

Space Haven Alpha 18 is now available to play in the Unstable (Work-in-Progress) branch. As a reminder, the update process is as follows:

1. A new Update is first available in the Unstable/Experimental Branches.
   
2. Players, who do not mind playing a more unstable version, will first want to test the new update.
   
3. Once the Unstable/Experimental versions of the new update build looks solid and stable enough we will push it out officially to all players!
   

NOTE! Joining Unstable/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 Unstable/Experimental branches 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.

Here is how you join the Unstable Branch:

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

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

[h3]Giving Feedback[/h3]



[h3]Please give your feedback in the experimental branch forum. Link below:[/h3]

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! =)



[h2]A New Starmap[/h2]
A new starmap with new features such as faction intentions, interstellar events, more missions and the addition of fog of war.

We've built upon the starmap once before during early access, which in our mind was a clear step in the right direction. However, as a lot of feedback has stated the early and mid game of the Starmap has been enjoyable but once the player has reached a certain point the content has not been able to provide excitement to the same degree.

Ultimately, our goal would be to pack the content of the game in an experience that would make the experience more giving from the beginning to the end. We are working on building a new starmap, with more opportunities to present the player with events and with the content of the game packaged in way that gives more more meaning to the progression of the game.

At the same time we have to remember that the game is also very much a sandbox type of game, and we want to keep the possibility for the player to play in such a way if that is what they desire.

[h3]Faction Intentions[/h3]
The starmap becomes more alive with factions having their own intentions.

Our current idea is to try to create a little bit of life to the starmap, and not have it be entirely static. As a step towards making the starmap a little bit more alive we've thought of a concept of faction intentions.

You will be presented with so called faction intentions, where a faction has some intention to carry out an action in the starmap and you can choose to support them or ignore it.

[h3]Interstellar events[/h3]
Traveling in hyperspace may present you with new encounters, from groups having their ship broken down to enemies wanting to ambush your fleet.

Inspired by the map traveling in Fallout 2 we've implemented a new feature that makes it possible to encounter events mid hyperspace jumps.

Each interstellar hyperlane may have 1 or more events available to discover. Enemies may catch up to you if you roam the galaxy and get on their wrong side.

The purpose of this feature is that it makes it possible to generate events which the player can encounter free from having them tied to certain sectors and NPC movement in the starmap. These can be distress beacons from ships breaking down mid hyperspace jumps but also groups that are on the hunt to take the player down due to their actions.

This system should work well as a way to generate more events for the player to encounter in the future. It gives us more freedom to generate more in addition to all the events already happening within star systems and sectors.

[h3]More Missions[/h3]
We are adding some more missions, which can be accepted directly in the starmap

We are building upon the missions system and adding some more missions, which can be directly accepted from the starmap. These may work together with faction intentions, giving more variety to the types of missions that factions offer to you as the player.

[h3]Fog of War[/h3]
To add to the exploration feel the starmap will have fog of war and only reveal the next destinations.

Previously the whole starmap has been visible from the start. In the new iteration we want to try having a fog of war hiding all but the next available star systems through hyperspace jumps. With this we would like to add more of the exploration feel to the game.

[h2]A Comprehensive Sectionalized Tutorial[/h2]
Introducing Sheridan! A leader of the Haven Foundation guiding new players to become experienced Spacefarers.

Up until this point Space Haven has not had a traditional tutorial. Meaning a fail safe introduction to the game along with lots of information.

Space Haven has only had scenario hints, guiding the player to a hyperspace capable ship. While these work to some degree and we aim to keep them (As an optional help), the feedback we've received has shown that we need to create a proper tutorial for the game.

We have decided to address this issue and we've created a tutorial, which will introduce the player to the game in a comprehensive way. We've also created a character by the name of Sheridan to guide the player on becoming a true Spacefarer! (Sheridan is inspired by a tv-series. =) )

The tutorial is sectionalized allowing the player to revisit any topic that they want to learn more about.

[h3]There are a few main points we want the tutorial to fulfill:[/h3]

1. The tutorial is optional - The player will be able to skip the tutorial and jump straight in, using only the scenario objective hints as before.
   
2. The tutorial gives a sense of progression - For many the tutorial will be the first experience with the game and so we wanted the player to feel like the ship they are building is their own, and that the tutorial has some progression to it.
   
3. The player can revisit any topic as they wish - We wanted to make it possible for the player to revisit different parts of the tutorial in case they felt like they missed something.
   

Sheridan explaining what the Recycler is for.

We felt it is important to give the player the feeling they are building something of their own right away, instead of just presenting scattered scenarios where the player has to figure out what they are seeing on the screen.

This is why the basic category of the tutorial in Space Haven is for the player to build their own ship on a small ship hull, with each step having information on why certain facilities are built and how they make the ship function as a home for crew members.

In addition to teaching how to build a hyperspace capable ship the tutorial will teach the player about the essential topics for survival.

We divided the building process into different sections, allowing the player to revisit different parts of the tutorial and look into something more than one time. In addition to the basic building tutorial we made a few other categories, which give information on topics that are beyond the scope of just building a hyperspace capable ship.

This combination should make for a great tutorial. The tutorial is of the type where there is a lot of handholding. However, since we aim to keep the scenario hints we have used up until this point as an additional help tool, we feel like players who like handholding tutorials and players who want more freedom right away can both be satisfied.

[h2]A New Trading Menu and Modified Pricing[/h2]


We've modified how the trading prices act within the game and implemented a new system to allow NPC's to value some items more than others depending on their own stock. There are three new categories introduced to the trading menu.

• Premium - The trading partner is in high need of this resource and is willing to pay a premium price.
  
• Markup - The trading partner has a need of this resource and is willing to pay at a better price.
  
• Discount - The trading partner has a surplus of this resource and is willing to part with it at a discounted price.
  

We also created a new look to the trading menu, making it more streamlined and easier to see many resources at once.

[h2]A New Interstellar Jump Menu and ISP Dispensers[/h2]


We've added a new way to combat interstellar travel sickness. In addition to hyperspace chambers there are now also medical pills that can be given to crew members to lessen the effects of traveling in hyperspace without being in a hyperspace chamber.

The ISP Dispenser, essentially a medical cabinet filled with pills, provides a way to minimize the chance of acquiring interstellar travel sickness. The pills have some side effects though, affecting the crew member for some time after taking the pill.

This gives some more options on how to deal with interstellar travel sickness. Additionally, it allowed us to implement a way to remove the forced auto drops when entering new star systems in the starmap.

[h3]Alpha 18 - Now Out in The Unstable Branch[/h3]

This update is available for you to play right away in the new unstable (work-in-progress) branch.

NOTE! Joining Unstable/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 Unstable/Experimental branches 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.

You can find all the instructions on how to access the new update at the top of this post! Enjoy and stay tuned, Spacefarers!

[h2]Greetings, Spacefarer![/h2]

It has been a while, but as always we've been working in the background inching our way towards a new Major Update one step at a time. We have two new major building blocks we've been constructing for the Alpha 18 Update.

The first is a new Starmap, with new features giving more life to the starmap along with more events the player can encounter. The other is a comprehensive sectionalized tutorial, with Sheridan guiding new players to the intricacies of Space Haven.

Let's take a look!

[h2]A New Starmap[/h2]
A new starmap with new features such as faction intentions, interstellar events, more missions and the addition of fog of war.

We've built upon the starmap once before during early access, which in our mind was a clear step in the right direction. However, as a lot of feedback has stated the early and mid game of the Starmap has been enjoyable but once the player has reached a certain point the content has not been able to provide excitement to the same degree.

Ultimately, our goal would be to pack the content of the game in an experience that would make the experience more giving from the beginning to the end. We are working on building a new starmap, with more opportunities to present the player with events and with the content of the game packaged in way that gives more more meaning to the progression of the game.

At the same time we have to remember that the game is also very much a sandbox type of game, and we want to keep the possibility for the player to play in such a way if that is what they desire.

[h3]Faction Intentions[/h3]
The starmap becomes more alive with factions having their own intentions.

Our current idea is to try to create a little bit of life to the starmap, and not have it be entirely static. As a step towards making the starmap a little bit more alive we've thought of a concept of faction intentions.

You will be presented with so called faction intentions, where a faction has some intention to carry out an action in the starmap and you can choose to support them or ignore it.

[h3]Interstellar events[/h3]
Traveling in hyperspace may present you with new encounters, from groups having their ship broken down to enemies wanting to ambush your fleet.

Inspired by the map traveling in Fallout 2 we've implemented a new feature that makes it possible to encounter events mid hyperspace jumps.

Each interstellar hyperlane may have 1 or more events available to discover. Enemies may catch up to you if you roam the galaxy and get on their wrong side.

The purpose of this feature is that it makes it possible to generate events which the player can encounter free from having them tied to certain sectors and NPC movement in the starmap. These can be distress beacons from ships breaking down mid hyperspace jumps but also groups that are on the hunt to take the player down due to their actions.

This system should work well as a way to generate more events for the player to encounter in the future. It gives us more freedom to generate more in addition to all the events already happening within star systems and sectors.

[h3]More Missions[/h3]
We are adding some more missions, which can be accepted directly in the starmap

We are building upon the missions system and adding some more missions, which can be directly accepted from the starmap. These may work together with faction intentions, giving more variety to the types of missions that factions offer to you as the player.

[h3]Fog of War[/h3]
To add to the exploration feel the starmap will have fog of war and only reveal the next destinations.

Previously the whole starmap has been visible from the start. In the new iteration we want to try having a fog of war hiding all but the next available star systems through hyperspace jumps. With this we would like to add more of the exploration feel to the game.

[h2]A Comprehensive Sectionalized Tutorial[/h2]
Introducing Sheridan! A leader of the Haven Foundation guiding new players to become experienced Spacefarers.

Up until this point Space Haven has not had a traditional tutorial. Meaning a fail safe introduction to the game along with lots of information.

Space Haven has only had scenario hints, guiding the player to a hyperspace capable ship. While these work to some degree and we aim to keep them (As an optional help), the feedback we've received has shown that we need to create a proper tutorial for the game.

We have decided to address this issue and we've created a tutorial, which will introduce the player to the game in a comprehensive way. We've also created a character by the name of Sheridan to guide the player on becoming a true Spacefarer! (Sheridan is inspired by a tv-series. =) )

The tutorial is sectionalized allowing the player to revisit any topic that they want to learn more about.

[h3]There are a few main points we want the tutorial to fulfill:[/h3]

1. The tutorial is optional - The player will be able to skip the tutorial and jump straight in, using only the scenario objective hints as before.
   
2. The tutorial gives a sense of progression - For many the tutorial will be the first experience with the game and so we wanted the player to feel like the ship they are building is their own, and that the tutorial has some progression to it.
   
3. The player can revisit any topic as they wish - We wanted to make it possible for the player to revisit different parts of the tutorial in case they felt like they missed something.
   

Sheridan explaining what the Recycler is for.

We felt it is important to give the player the feeling they are building something of their own right away, instead of just presenting scattered scenarios where the player has to figure out what they are seeing on the screen.

This is why the basic category of the tutorial in Space Haven is for the player to build their own ship on a small ship hull, with each step having information on why certain facilities are built and how they make the ship function as a home for crew members.

In addition to teaching how to build a hyperspace capable ship the tutorial will teach the player about the essential topics for survival.

We divided the building process into different sections, allowing the player to revisit different parts of the tutorial and look into something more than one time. In addition to the basic building tutorial we made a few other categories, which give information on topics that are beyond the scope of just building a hyperspace capable ship.

This combination should make for a great tutorial. The tutorial is of the type where there is a lot of handholding. However, since we aim to keep the scenario hints we have used up until this point as an additional help tool, we feel like players who like handholding tutorials and players who want more freedom right away can both be satisfied.

[h2]Smaller Additions[/h2]

We always try to include smaller additions and polish with every Major Update. This update will be no different. Updates to icons, modifications to facilities and perhaps even some new decorations and more!

[h2]When Will the Alpha 18 Update be Released?[/h2]


The type of tutorial we've implemented has taken a lot of time to create, having to make user interface pointers to show every step along with information text. It is mostly done in terms of programming work, but since the game is translated to 10+ languages we still have to do all the work regarding the translations.

The new Starmap is also under construction, and with any major change like this impacting the gameplay from start to finish it will need refining until ready for play. There are always unexpected problems along the way making it hard to predict a specific timeline for when it's solid enough.

We would definitely want the new starmap to offer a solid enough experience before releasing this update. We will have to see if we can make it for Christmas time or if we need more time.

Stay tuned, Spacefarers!