Just wanted to give a quick update on progress.
The next major update is the Close Combat Update, introducing an entirely new playstyle built around getting up close and personal with enemies. The update adds a variety of new close-range weapon types, including massive space swords, short-range Torch weapons, and Halo weapons that continuously damage nearby enemies.
M-炮艇 by cccsennn (https://star-vortex.com/ships.php?view=229)
Most of the content is already finished. Some of it accidentally made its way into the previous hotfix. So, if you happened to find a Halo weapon in the Black Market or at a Trader.. that wasn't supposed be there.
The update also introduces a new Secondary Class, Gladiator, focused entirely on close combat. It includes a variety of upgrades designed to make fighting at close range viable, with bonuses such as increased armor, hull leech and a localized gravity field.
At this point, the remaining work is mostly balancing. The content itself is done, but close combat is hard to get right. Weapons need to work against large groups of enemies but also be able to handle the various boss mechanics without forcing players to switch builds.
The update will be heading to the test branch shortly before its full release in a couple of weeks. If you'd like to take a look early feel free to join our Discord for information becoming a game tester.