Hardcore Careers and Unreliable Instruments

This update adds a new Hardcore career for experienced full-game pilots, gives dangerous weather distinct instrument-disruption effects under Hardcore rules, and improves flight information, hazard warnings, and major-event variety for every pilot.

When playing a Hardcore career always keep some money for repairs and remember that there's an emergency chute in case you need a controlled landing.

Existing save files remain compatible with this update. Existing careers keep the Standard ruleset.

A New Hardcore Career

• Hardcore unlocks after two additional regions have been unlocked across your careers.

• Contract profit, rift-work stipends, ordinary bonus-crate rewards, and the credit value of special salvage are reduced to 50% of Standard. Rift offerings also restore half as much Stability.

• Ship upgrades cost three times their Standard price, economic upgrades cost 50% more, and each new region requires 15,000 CR in addition to the usual three Clearance Points.

• Crash recovery restores only 35% of fuel capacity. Emergency backups require four correct inputs within ten seconds and allow only two attempts, while damage can finish an already degraded system more easily.

• Hardcore financing still advances 5,000 CR, but opens with a 7,500 CR balance, withholds 50% of commercial-delivery income, and adds 500 CR after each eligible leg to a different marked pad.

Hazards Can Disrupt Hardcore Instruments

• Exposure to an active dust front now makes altitude and landing-envelope speed readings wander in Hardcore.

• An exposed EM squall temporarily blanks the flight avionics.

• Active rift-lightning zones and exposed low-altitude rift surges disturb the heading and target direction.

• Standard careers retain fully accurate instruments.

Clearer Flight Information and Hazard Warnings

• The terminal in the 2D HUD has moved out of the upper-left flight view towards the bottom right and remains visible alongside ordinary flight alerts.

• Geyser fields now raise a Caution while they rumble and a Warning when a steam vent becomes active, with direct instructions to clear the field or leave the active vent.

• Permanent system failures now add a terminal entry naming the failed systems and the cause, including hazard exposure, impacts, emergency-chute damage, and failed backup activation.

• Help now explains special-salvage rewards and expiry, geyser warnings, starting-region progression, and the Hardcore rules.

More Varied Major Events

• Major event order is now more interesting and events don't repeat so often.

• Rift cyclones produce a more readable crossing and got more dangerous.

Safe flying.