v0.2.1 - HUD & Vehicle Improvements Improved unit tracking and HUD readability, alongside better vehicle driving and collision avoidance. Added · Unit type icons now appear when zooming far out, making it easier to see what enemy types are where. · Icons of the same unit type merge into larger grouped icons when close together. · Replaced the old unit icons with a new, simpler set designed spec…
v0.1.6 - Anti-Air & Weapon Balance Hotfix I originally planned to move straight from v0.1.5 into the larger v0.2.0 update, which is mainly focused on vehicle mounting and dismounting. However, after quite a few reports about anti-air balance over the past week, I decided to pause that work briefly and push out one more smaller update first. v0.1.6 focuses mainly on making flak and missiles fair…
v0.1.5 - Combat Systems Update This update reworks several of Drone Sector's underlying combat systems, including projectile damage, explosions, and weapon configuration. Explosions can now use separate near and far damage areas instead of relying on a single explosion radius, providing more control over how different weapons deal damage. Weapon and ammo selection UI has also been expanded to e…
v0.1.4 - Pathfinding Update This update reworks the tactical pathfinding and vehicle movement systems, alongside several map, balance, and UI changes. A new previous-version branch is also available on Steam. This allows you to return to v0.1.3 if the latest update causes problems. It can be selected from: Steam - Drone Sector - Properties - Game Versions & Betas - previous-version Added · Adde…
v0.1.3 - Minor Update This update improves text readability for Simplified Chinese, Japanese, and Korean players, adds Steam Cloud support, and includes several smaller content and balance changes. Added · Added Steam Cloud support for save files. · Added a fourth music track. Changed · The game now remembers the selected language between sessions. · Added scattered rocks around the spawn areas…
In the previous post, I covered what Drone Sector includes at its Early Access launch. This time, I want to look further ahead and share my current plans for the game. This roadmap is not a fixed production schedule. Priorities may change based on player feedback, technical challenges and what the game needs most. Some of the longer-term features are still early ideas, and their exact design ma…
v0.1.2 - Hotfix This hotfix addresses several objective detection issues and makes additional early-game balance adjustments. Fixed · Improved unit detection within capture and extraction zones. · Improved collision around river bridges to reduce units falling through or off them. Balance · All difficulty levels now begin with the APC .50 cal weapon unlocked and equipped. · APCs armed with 40 m…
v0.1.1 - Launch Hotfix This is a small launch-day hotfix addressing early balance and localization issues. Balance · Increased Warhead Materials rewards from several objectives. · Increased infantry movement speeds. Fixed · Fixed an issue with resource reward calculations that caused some objectives to give lower rewards than intended. UI / Localization · Fixed map and mission option text not a…
Drone Sector launches into Early Access on July 21. I wanted to make this post mostly as a practical overview of what will be included in the Early Access version at launch. The demo showed the core shooting and battlefield support gameplay, but it hasn’t showcased the larger structure around it. The game's price will be $16.99 with a 10% discount on launch. Keep in mind that this price might v…
Demo Mission The new demo has a more focused mission structure, built around the new player experience. Instead of opening with the full weapon and ammo selection systems, the demo gives a pre-defined loadout and puts the focus on the in-mission gameplay. Scout the area, blow up enemy armor, destroy objectives, counter the anti-air, guide your ground squads, capture the objectives and extract t…
Vehicle Avoidance System For a while, one major issue with vehicles was that they could drive full speed into each other and get stuck. The problem was fairly simple: vehicles were not really aware of each other. Static map geometry is easier to deal with. Roads, buildings, slopes, forests, and blocked areas can be baked into the navigation data or handled through pathfinding. Other vehicles ar…
Tracked Vehicles When I started building vehicles for Drone Sector, I assumed tanks would be easier to implement compared to wheeled vehicles. Mainly because their AI doesn’t need to worry about turning radius. Tanks can rotate in place. In practice, both approaches have their own tradeoffs. Wheeled vehicles are easier to reason about. Their physics is more straightforward and largely handled b…
Overview This is the first demo update since late October. The most noticeable changes are with thermal vision contrast, HUD readability and the new map. Beyond that the game might look similar, but it should play a lot better. Clearer objectives, more reliable AI, better controls, and a deeper air-defense loop. Play the demo! Patch notes Missions · Mission start point selection. · Sandbox mode…
New gunship design (XAQ-1B “Blackout”) Work on the new gunship design started in late November 2025. MicroProse is helping with art, but the broad direction and constraints were on me. I wanted it to feel futuristic, but still semi-feasible. Old school AC-130 style is not viable in a future where anti-air is widespread. The new design needed stealth. I spent time reading about stealth aircraft…
Anti-Air I got another iteration of the enemy AA gameplay loop done. Instead of only mobile SAMs, there are now also flak guns. They’re less precise, but apply more consistent pressure. AA without countermeasures would be boring, so I added two additional layers. Both currently apply to SAMs. The first layer is passive stealth. When the gunship is flying at higher altitudes and in command mode,…
Mission Pre-planning I worked on the mission loading systems to give more control over how missions are generated. The most visible part is the ability to pick a spawn point for ground troops. Later this system should also provide hints about objectives and enemy locations before entering the mission. It also establishes the foundation for setting custom mission parameters, like preferred objec…
Weapon Ammo Split For a while now I have been wanting to add finer control over the weapons. I didn’t go full sandbox, but the new setup adds plenty of flexibility. Previously, each weapon had multiple versions based on what ammo it used. Now every weapon can load from a list of compatible ammo types. Some ammo can even be shared between weapons, like several 120mm cannons using the same shells…
Enemies in Squads Until now, enemies acted alone, based only on what they themselves knew. Player spotting messages were the only exception. This often led to enemies walking toward player positions with little concern for survival. I always wanted the AI to behave more tactically, and I finally had a chance to work on that. To make it both easier for myself and more logical for the game, I gro…
MicroProse is now publishing Drone Sector and providing support that goes far beyond marketing. They are contributing art assets, voice acting and other production work, which allows me to focus on gameplay, features and polish. I remain the sole developer, but with this extra help I can spend more time creating missions, refining systems and improving the overall experience. Recent Progress A…
Drone Sector Demo is Here! The demo includes two missions and several key systems from the main game. Below is a detailed overview of what’s available, along with notes that might help you get the most out of your first run. Missions There are two playable missions in the demo. Both of them have some randomization when it comes to enemy positions and objective locations. Desert Base Map Smaller…
Physics-Based Vehicles In the last playtest, vehicles behaved strangely. They could climb over walls or sink into the ground, all because they weren’t using proper physics. That was partly intentional for performance reasons. Now I’ve found a simple but convincing way to give vehicles physics without hurting performance. Wheels have suspension, explosions can push vehicles around, and they can…
Mode System Drone Sector has two core gameplay systems: · Gunship Combat – This has been the main development focus so far. Based on player feedback, it’s already fun and well-developed. · Ground Troop Command – Still in early stages. Improving it will be a priority soon. Combining both systems into a single interface would make controls and UI cluttered. There would be too many overlapping ele…
Successful Playtest Last week I ran a private playtest with my mailing list followers. Everything went really smoothly, so I'm happy. · Over 100 players tried out the game · Players got to try 2 different maps and 13 different weapons · More than 80 total hours of play time · 100+ successful missions · 300+ failed missions Most Common Requests · Soldier Radio Chatter : Many players want more im…
Expanding the Arsenal · Minigun : A rapid-fire weapon perfect for shredding through infantry with devastating efficiency. · Autocannons : A versatile weapon system with multiple ammo types: · Airburst Rounds : Explodes above ground, scattering fragments in a concentrated cone—ideal for densely packed infantry. · Fragmentation Rounds : Creates a spherical explosion on impact, covering a wider ar…
Two Weeks Since the Announcement The announcement week was a rush, but it went better than I expected! A lot of you seem excited about Drone Sector - we’ve already surpassed 400+ wishlists . Thanks for following along! Looking Ahead: The Next Milestone As part of the development roadmap, I’m planning to kick off private playtesting early next year , potentially as soon as January. The focus for…
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Announcements are the developer’s own posts to the game’s Steam news feed: updates and their patch notes, in-game events, releases and sales. The important ones are marked on the players chart.