Dev Log - Stardate 23820.6
The past two weeks have been a whirlwind of activity. From rolling out multiple hotfixes to releasing our patch this Tuesday, our commitment to enhancing the game remains unwavering.
While we continue our pursuit of resolving issues, it's important to us that you, our players, remain informed about the direction we're headed. This Dev Log aims to shed light on our broader objectives and vision for the game.
Let's dive right in!
Patch Cadence
With the commitment to enhancing your Star Trek: Infinite experience in mind, we swiftly put together the 1.0.1 Patch in just four days—from the 17th to the 20th of October. We then entrusted our QA team to test and verify the changes, culminating in the fix we released on the Tuesday.
Our journey doesn't end here, though. We are ramping up our efforts to address bugs and implement quality of life upgrades. You can expect a steady roll-out of patches—at an estimated pace of one per week—for at least the upcoming month.
So expect the next patch early next week.
Hull Management
A resounding request from our player community has been for an even broader array of ships. At launch, we were proud to introduce nearly 100 meticulously crafted 3D models for ships and space stations. We poured our energy into ensuring each faction had its crucial slots filled, leaving no faction without a suitable ship or station.
However, in our drive to achieve this, certain iconic models were inevitably sidelined—like the Ambassador, Nebula-class, and the notable absence of the B'rel-class. These decisions stemmed from scope considerations, resource limitations, and the need for a system that would aptly accommodate them.
Our current endeavor focuses on developing a mechanism to interchange hull designs within each ship's size category. This aims to offer modders the flexibility to introduce additional ship hulls without displacing existing ones. Plus, it's a step forward in our commitment to continually bring fresh ship designs to our player base. While this feature remains in its infancy, I promise to be back with more detailed insights as it progresses.
UI Scaling
Addressing this challenge is intricately tied to the very engine on which we built Star Trek: Infinite. While it might seem like a straightforward tweak, it's not as simple as checking a box. Fortunately, our foresight ensured that our art assets were designed with scalability in mind. However, as with any complex system, increasing scale sometimes introduces unexpected quirks.
Rest assured, we're committed to enhancing this feature. While a comprehensive solution might evolve through gradual improvements, our team is already hard at work, exploring and testing fixes for specific elements of this challenge.
Playable Minor Nations
The idea of Playable Minor Nations has always resonated with us, lingering in our developmental thought process. Introducing it, however, is akin to adding an entirely new faction—a task of considerable magnitude.
Currently, we're diving deep into the feasibility of bringing this feature to life. Yet, it's crucial to understand that it's still in the exploratory phase. Much like introducing an entirely new faction, there's a myriad of intricacies and potential challenges we might encounter. For now, consider it “to be determined”-feature. We're excited about the possibility but are still navigating its complexities.
Stay tuned, and I'll return with more updates as and when they unfold.
PDX_Ruk