Signing in with Steam now takes you into the game, and the alpha has moved to a brand-new galaxy. Your account and pilot name are kept, every pilot starts fresh, and the space around each faction's home station is charted from the first minute.
New
- A fresh galaxy. The alpha has been reset to a new galaxy. Your account and pilot name carry over; your ship, cargo and worlds start fresh.
- Charted home space. The space around each of the four home stations is fully mapped from the start: worlds, suns, moons, trading posts and forges out to 60,000 in every direction, so every faction has room to grow on day one.
- Engine sound. Your ship's engine hums while it moves.
- Seized flagships. Take a world with an enemy flagship over it and the flagship becomes yours, as a wreck. Repair it from its station screen with credits, ore and time to put it back in service.
Changes
- AI factions choose between war and expansion. When an AI faction picks its next target, it is now an even chance between attacking a rival and settling an unclaimed world.
- AI fleets reach distant targets. Fleets sent against a faraway world no longer turn back halfway there.
- Warships settle empty worlds. AI warships parked over an unclaimed world now claim it for their faction, within each faction's limit on worlds.
- Every world has its own name. New worlds never reuse a name, and worlds that shared one are now numbered sisters, such as Ocos and Ocos II.
- Suns keep their distance. Suns no longer crowd together.
- The Battle Barge's guns reach what she aims at.
- Smoother play. Fewer momentary hitches in the game world.
Fixes
- Signing in with Steam. Pressing PLAY now takes you into the game. Before, a Steam sign-in could leave the login screen covering everything, even after you were in.
- Quests from the right world. Job boards only offer work from the world you are docked at, and a faction no longer posts work on worlds it has lost.
- Crew tab. The Crew tab no longer goes missing.
- Stranded defences. Stations left around worlds their owner lost are cleared away, including players' own.
Questions, bugs or ideas? Post in the Steam discussions or write to [email protected]. Fly safe, pilots.