Hello everyone!
Today, Solar Wave receives a major update — version 0.8.3 is officially live! 🥳
Let’s dive into what’s new!
Skirmish Mode
One of the most frequently requested features — a Skirmish mode separate from the campaign — is finally in the game!
At launch, Skirmish mode features 11 standard-sized map templates and 3 game modes. Let's take a closer look at them:
Conquest — A classic mode focused on the complete destruction of key enemy assets in the sector. No timers or restrictions; raw power decides the outcome of the battle.
Counter Fight — A reworked version of the mission from the campaign. Your objective is to destroy the enemy gate-stations. The key feature here is converging strikes from both the enemy and the Empire.
Sector retention — A familiar mission type from the campaign where you must defend a beacon for a certain period of time to achieve victory.
Map Balance
The introduction of Skirmish mode naturally impacted map balance. Without the progression carried over from previous campaign missions, players could often face expansion and resource availability issues.
Adjusted the resource distribution mechanics.
For Skirmish mode, the amount of Eternium on planets has been doubled to allow players to research more technologies during a single match.
Maps are now noticeably denser to ensure high connectivity. (This option will likely become customizable in the future; let me know if you think this should be a priority).
These balance tweaks affect Skirmish mode battles, as well as all skirmishes within the new campaigns.
New Space Objects and Stations
The cosmos is expanding! I've added planetoids shattered by magical annihilation to the depths of space, where you can now set up Niorium mining operations. As usual, they come in 3 sizes.
Technologies
Expanding on space exploitation, a new block of technologies has been added to increase the efficiency of utilizing these resources.
18 new technologies grouped into 6 nodes.
A vertical navigation bar has been added to the left side of the technology menu for quick scrolling to the desired tech group.
Bugfixes and Other Improvements
Minor tweaks to the tutorial text for better clarity.
Fixed an issue where tooltips blocked interaction with time-acceleration buttons.
Fixed a rare crash that occurred during technology research.
Small UI adjustments to several in-game windows.
Save Files
Saves from version 0.8.2 should successfully migrate to version 0.8.3. If you run into any issues, please email me at: [email protected]
Thank you so much!
Future Plans and Comments
I’d like to share my plans for the further development of these features and address some potential questions in advance.
Skirmish Maps
Currently, the game features standard-sized maps (5x5). To be honest, I originally wanted to include a pack of larger map templates (6x6) in this update, but during development, I realized they required extra polish and balancing.
But don't worry, larger maps are coming soon, likely in one of the upcoming minor patches. The number of maps and mission types will gradually grow with future updates.
Enemy Selection
As you might have noticed, the Skirmish window has a section for choosing factions. Right now, changing your opponent is disabled, but I plan to unlock this feature in the future as new enemy factions are introduced.
Campaign Mode
While this patch heavily focuses on Skirmish mode, the campaign remains a vital part of the game. It will continue to receive new maps and mission types, gradually expanding the number of available sectors.
Campaign Difficulty Settings
You may have noticed a new option to select match difficulty in Skirmish mode. I plan to bring difficulty selection to the campaign as well. However, in the campaign, it needs to tie into the reward system — tougher challenges will yield greater rewards.
This will affect overall balance and progression, so it requires careful design, but it will definitely be integrated into the campaign mode later on.
I hope you enjoy these new changes to the game! I'm really looking forward to your comments, suggestions, and feedback!
Best regards,
Dmitry, your Solar Wave developer.