Hey everyone!

We've got another whopper of an update coming at you today, so fasten your space-seatbelts and dig in!

As per usual, we'll start with the most requested features:

You asked about better controls and using the mouse to aim when exploring derelicts.. Sooo we've added not only that, but also a whole new turning animation to go with it! You can now aim the mouse anywhere on screen and Falcon will use his suit thrusters to turn himself into firing position. While on the subject of derelicts, we've also improved the scanning drone, giving it new effects and making it only show objects you really want to check out. We've also brightened derelict interiors up a bit, but not too much, to make them better playable but keep them a bit spooky! Only fitting that we also added a new enemy that you might encounter when searching the darker ship corners for salvage..

There were a couple requests for adding mouse aiming of your ship's turret. We've now added that, but as we aren't sure everyone will want it instead of the computer assisted aim, we've made it an option you can toggle in the gameplay options menu.

For usability, we've noticed that it isn't always clear where a mission is taking you. To improve this we've made each mission on the job screen give you an option to "show on map", which will open your map screen and show you a pointer to that system. The map will now also show you markers (in light blue) on every system with a current mission in it. This will make it much easier to figure out where to go next and also to select the jobs that fit your current plans.

For travelling, we've slightly increased the speed while flying with split inside of systems. It isn't a massive change, but it should make getting from station to station, especially in the starting systems, a bit quicker.

On stations, we've added a couple smaller things, like a new corridor and a fancy Nanobot scanner in Andinti. There's also now an intro and outro sequence for when you first enter a station, although you'll have to restart the game to see those. On top of the larger changes, there's a whole slew of additional fixes, improvements and corrections that you can check out in the full list below:

Features / Gameplay

• Added mouse aiming on derelict - With full turning animation
  
• Made turret fire at mouse position by default
  
• Made turret targeting setting a separate option
  
• Added marker on map for systems with active missions in them
  
• Added "show on map" when browsing missions on job screen
  
• Made both "show on map" buttons show clear pointer to system on overview map
  
• Brightened up derelict interiors - walls & backgrounds
  
• Lots of derelict lighting adjustments for more variety
  
• Added right-mouse button to scan on derelicts
  
• Made scanner more helpful by pointing only at potentially useful objects
  
• Added lighting effect around drone, and on walls, when active
  
• Added new enemy type on derelicts
  
• Increased inside-system player warp speed
  
• Added custom corridor for Elesw
  
• Added Nanoscanner to some stations
  
• Added audio feedback when mouse-overing menu buttons
  
• Added audio feedback when logging out of station consoles
  
• Added lift ding when entering or leaving station
  
• Added and clarified Kent dialogue
  
• Added special intro cutscene when entering station for the first time
  
• Added special cutscene with Kent when exiting station for the first time
  
• Added reminder to use in-system overlay map
  
• Added zoom out effect when undocking

Fixes / Improvements

• Adjusted maximum virtual resolution for better readability and feel
  
• Made Game automatically switch to Gamepad mode if launched with Gamepad active
  
• Added menu information on detected resolution
  
• Added Borderless Window mode - Can be started with shortcut in game directory
  
• Spelling fix in ship description
  
• Made Steam Information only show on mouse-over
  
• Added WASD to control trade screen
  
• Made mission button only turn red with active missions
  
• Repositioned items on missions screen
  
• Fixed autopilot splitting not working without fuel
  
• Added gamepad support for autopilot
  
• Added gamepad text for refuelling
  
• Raised time limits for timed courier and passenger missions
  
• Fixed typo in chat with station operator
  
• Fixed typo in Gruff and Kta dialogue
  
• Added safety catches for running game without Steam
  
• Added text to make boosted missions clearer
  
• Added fixed timestep to Cutscenes, so they run fixed speed on all systems
  
• Added information on map when no history or no missions active
  
• Spelling fix for timed junk missions
  
• Fixed typo for ship submenu shortcut
  
• Fixed sound occasionally playing when sound was muted
  
• Fixes to Jimmy's second dialogue
  
• Fixed crash from opening some cargo crates twice
  
• Fixed rare crash from opening holocube crate
  
• Made left mouse button only fire if all menus are closed
  
• Fixed potential overflow bug for systems that haven't restarted in a long time
  
• Made gathering holocube on derelict reset the map, so instruction work correctly
  
• Fixed derelict help text when gamepad active
  
• Made derelict good crates have subtle glow when unopened
  
• On derelict, made Esc first close any open submenu, then go to options
  
• Re-centered derelict crate images
  
• Made friendly derelict jellies recharge at greater distance

Thanks to baker, sovn, vitowns, Ceranoe, Infirito, Kaox, Sam Look, Dog and PalicoPadge for your feedback and support!

An important note in closing: As we announced in the last update, we're now finally raising the price to it's release level. The game is now almost ready for full release, as we've honed in on any bug and issue that has come up, and we can now focus on adding that final chunk of story and content. Of course we've been adding stuff all along Early Access, but this last update will be the one to round off the game and make it the complete experience we want it to be. If you're planning a new playthrough, we'd suggest you wait until that final update and the full release, which will be coming early next year.

In the meantime, please don't hesitate to spread the word about the game and get people interested! You can follow us on Twitter or Facebook, and we greatly appreciate any like, share or retweet!
https://twitter.com/CrunchyLeafGame
https://www.facebook.com/CrunchyLeafGames

Also thanks for helping us get some more traction on our Greenlight of STARS OF ICARUS! We're still not all the way there yet, although we've already broken into the Top 50, so please keep voting and spread the word!
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=793293733
See you for the final release! Safe flying!

Hey everyone!

We've got another whopper of an update coming at you today, so fasten your space-seatbelts and dig in!

As per usual, we'll start with the most requested features:

You asked about better controls and using the mouse to aim when exploring derelicts.. Sooo we've added not only that, but also a whole new turning animation to go with it! You can now aim the mouse anywhere on screen and Falcon will use his suit thrusters to turn himself into firing position. While on the subject of derelicts, we've also improved the scanning drone, giving it new effects and making it only show objects you really want to check out. We've also brightened derelict interiors up a bit, but not too much, to make them better playable but keep them a bit spooky! Only fitting that we also added a new enemy that you might encounter when searching the darker ship corners for salvage..

There were a couple requests for adding mouse aiming of your ship's turret. We've now added that, but as we aren't sure everyone will want it instead of the computer assisted aim, we've made it an option you can toggle in the gameplay options menu.

For usability, we've noticed that it isn't always clear where a mission is taking you. To improve this we've made each mission on the job screen give you an option to "show on map", which will open your map screen and show you a pointer to that system. The map will now also show you markers (in light blue) on every system with a current mission in it. This will make it much easier to figure out where to go next and also to select the jobs that fit your current plans.

For travelling, we've slightly increased the speed while flying with split inside of systems. It isn't a massive change, but it should make getting from station to station, especially in the starting systems, a bit quicker.

On stations, we've added a couple smaller things, like a new corridor and a fancy Nanobot scanner in Andinti. There's also now an intro and outro sequence for when you first enter a station, although you'll have to restart the game to see those. On top of the larger changes, there's a whole slew of additional fixes, improvements and corrections that you can check out in the full list below:

Features / Gameplay

• Added mouse aiming on derelict - With full turning animation
  
• Made turret fire at mouse position by default
  
• Made turret targeting setting a separate option
  
• Added marker on map for systems with active missions in them
  
• Added "show on map" when browsing missions on job screen
  
• Made both "show on map" buttons show clear pointer to system on overview map
  
• Brightened up derelict interiors - walls & backgrounds
  
• Lots of derelict lighting adjustments for more variety
  
• Added right-mouse button to scan on derelicts
  
• Made scanner more helpful by pointing only at potentially useful objects
  
• Added lighting effect around drone, and on walls, when active
  
• Added new enemy type on derelicts
  
• Increased inside-system player warp speed
  
• Added custom corridor for Elesw
  
• Added Nanoscanner to some stations
  
• Added audio feedback when mouse-overing menu buttons
  
• Added audio feedback when logging out of station consoles
  
• Added lift ding when entering or leaving station
  
• Added and clarified Kent dialogue
  
• Added special intro cutscene when entering station for the first time
  
• Added special cutscene with Kent when exiting station for the first time
  
• Added reminder to use in-system overlay map
  
• Added zoom out effect when undocking

Fixes / Improvements

• Adjusted maximum virtual resolution for better readability and feel
  
• Made Game automatically switch to Gamepad mode if launched with Gamepad active
  
• Added menu information on detected resolution
  
• Added Borderless Window mode - Can be started with shortcut in game directory
  
• Spelling fix in ship description
  
• Made Steam Information only show on mouse-over
  
• Added WASD to control trade screen
  
• Made mission button only turn red with active missions
  
• Repositioned items on missions screen
  
• Fixed autopilot splitting not working without fuel
  
• Added gamepad support for autopilot
  
• Added gamepad text for refuelling
  
• Raised time limits for timed courier and passenger missions
  
• Fixed typo in chat with station operator
  
• Fixed typo in Gruff and Kta dialogue
  
• Added safety catches for running game without Steam
  
• Added text to make boosted missions clearer
  
• Added fixed timestep to Cutscenes, so they run fixed speed on all systems
  
• Added information on map when no history or no missions active
  
• Spelling fix for timed junk missions
  
• Fixed typo for ship submenu shortcut
  
• Fixed sound occasionally playing when sound was muted
  
• Fixes to Jimmy's second dialogue
  
• Fixed crash from opening some cargo crates twice
  
• Fixed rare crash from opening holocube crate
  
• Made left mouse button only fire if all menus are closed
  
• Fixed potential overflow bug for systems that haven't restarted in a long time
  
• Made gathering holocube on derelict reset the map, so instruction work correctly
  
• Fixed derelict help text when gamepad active
  
• Made derelict good crates have subtle glow when unopened
  
• On derelict, made Esc first close any open submenu, then go to options
  
• Re-centered derelict crate images
  
• Made friendly derelict jellies recharge at greater distance

Thanks to baker, sovn, vitowns, Ceranoe, Infirito, Kaox, Sam Look, Dog and PalicoPadge for your feedback and support!

An important note in closing: As we announced in the last update, we're now finally raising the price to it's release level. The game is now almost ready for full release, as we've honed in on any bug and issue that has come up, and we can now focus on adding that final chunk of story and content. Of course we've been adding stuff all along Early Access, but this last update will be the one to round off the game and make it the complete experience we want it to be. If you're planning a new playthrough, we'd suggest you wait until that final update and the full release, which will be coming early next year.

In the meantime, please don't hesitate to spread the word about the game and get people interested! You can follow us on Twitter or Facebook, and we greatly appreciate any like, share or retweet!
https://twitter.com/CrunchyLeafGame
https://www.facebook.com/CrunchyLeafGames

Also thanks for helping us get some more traction on our Greenlight of STARS OF ICARUS! We're still not all the way there yet, although we've already broken into the Top 50, so please keep voting and spread the word!
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=793293733
See you for the final release! Safe flying!

Hey everyone,

first of all, a quick update on where we're at. The next update is coming soon, and will probably be out next week. It will mainly be focused on further improving the UI and minor fixes. It will also be adding some features that you guys requested, like being able to see missions more clearly on the map screen.

After this update, there will only be the big 1.0 update left, which will see the game leave Early Access. Although we won't stop working on 3030 after Full Release, we will have added most of the features and content we envisioned the game having. As this time is approaching, we are slowly building up momentum on our next project, which we would like to present to you now.

The game is called STARS OF ICARUS, and it's a Roguelike Space Shooter focused on skill based combat. It will be a lot more action packed than 3030, concentrating less on the story and more on making things around you explode spectacularly! You will travel and explore new sectors of space, gather resources, craft items and fight lots of baddies, all the while upgrading your ship and learning to outsmart your enemies.

You can watch the trailer and learn more about the game here:
STARS OF ICARUS on Steam Greenlight

Some of you have already voted or commented on Icarus, thank you so much for that! You are a great community and we really appreciate your support, be it in the forums, reviews, comments, or simply by buying our game. It's been a lot of fun for us, having the community involved in the development of 3030, with lots of discussions and feedback along the way. We would be very happy to gain your support on Icarus as well, and promise to keep the same open and transparent development style that we've practiced with this game.

Thanks guys! See you for the next update!

Hey everyone,

first of all, a quick update on where we're at. The next update is coming soon, and will probably be out next week. It will mainly be focused on further improving the UI and minor fixes. It will also be adding some features that you guys requested, like being able to see missions more clearly on the map screen.

After this update, there will only be the big 1.0 update left, which will see the game leave Early Access. Although we won't stop working on 3030 after Full Release, we will have added most of the features and content we envisioned the game having. As this time is approaching, we are slowly building up momentum on our next project, which we would like to present to you now.

The game is called STARS OF ICARUS, and it's a Roguelike Space Shooter focused on skill based combat. It will be a lot more action packed than 3030, concentrating less on the story and more on making things around you explode spectacularly! You will travel and explore new sectors of space, gather resources, craft items and fight lots of baddies, all the while upgrading your ship and learning to outsmart your enemies.

You can watch the trailer and learn more about the game here:
STARS OF ICARUS on Steam Greenlight

Some of you have already voted or commented on Icarus, thank you so much for that! You are a great community and we really appreciate your support, be it in the forums, reviews, comments, or simply by buying our game. It's been a lot of fun for us, having the community involved in the development of 3030, with lots of discussions and feedback along the way. We would be very happy to gain your support on Icarus as well, and promise to keep the same open and transparent development style that we've practiced with this game.

Thanks guys! See you for the next update!

Hey Space Cowboys!

After listening to lots of your feedback and toiling away for a month, we're ready to present to you the next update!

This one has been a long time coming, and we're very happy to finally bring it, as it's adding lots of oft-requested features. To start with, lots of you have requested we move on from our old-school heritage of mainly using the arrow keys and instead "get with the times" and add WASD controls. Alrighty then, your calls have been heard, and you can now play 3030 on the same keys you play Counterstrike Go, Overwatch, or whatever it is you kids play these days.

While we were at it, we've gone ahead and added three distinct modes of control to the game. You can now play either with "Keyboard only", that's as it was before, with "Keys & Mouse", that's using the mouse to aim and keys to move, or with "Mouse only", which uses toggle buttons to turn on and off thrust, split and turning. It's actually super handy, as you can use your other hand to eat a Hot Dog, drink a beer, or finish that auto-biography you've been working on!

As a logical continuation of the added new control styles, we've also added some super-silky-smooth Gamepad Controller support. It actually plays a lot better than we at first expected, with most of the controls coming very naturally. It was also actually a lot harder to implement than we at first expected, with each and every button prompt having to be rewritten to dynamically check your current control style, each input having to dynamically change depending on where you currently are and which screen is open and who you're talking to an..GLRAAAARBAAARWWR... Phew! Thank gosh that's now over with! In the end it was all worth it, of course, and the game plays really well with a controller. Wherever we couldn't make all the buttons work, we've made it as easy as possible to use the Right Stick as a virtual Mouse, with the RB button making the cursor move more quickly across the screen.

Besides all these new fangled controls, we've added and fixed a long list of other things. Starting with added support for 4k resolution. We went ahead and added 8k too because why not. Lots of stations have been improved, by adding expanded Foreground areas with special animations. The tutorial was tweaked a bit more and some menu functions were moved around to be easier to use. Some crashes and bugs were fixed as well, as always you can check out the full list below:

Features / Gameplay

• Added WASD Controls
  
• Added Mouse & Keys Controls (Aim with the Mouse)
  
• Added "Mouse Only" Controls with Toggle Buttons
  
• Added Controller Support (XBox Controller strongly recommended)
  
• Added 4k and 8k resolution support
  
• Added new Visuals on Derelicts
  
• Made onscreen Controls switch dynamically depending on control type

Fixes / Improvements

• Added Clicking an object near Falcon on Station to activate
  
• Added Right Click to close terminals
  
• Rebound menu and other keys for easier WASD controls
  
• Made Help Screen information depend on player location
  
• Expanded Station Foreground on Ysa Station
  
• Added Birds inside station on Ysa and some others
  
• Added Animated Algea Tanks on Ysa
  
• Expanded Station Foreground on Rub Ba 3
  
• Added Watering Drones on Rub Ba 3
  
• Expanded Station Foreground on Jelnu Station
  
• Improved Jelnu Station Exterior
  
• Fixed Crash from missing Character on Stations
  
• Fixed Mouse Position in some spots not using Virtual Resolution
  
• Fixed HUD marker jitter bug
  
• Fixed Bug with Visual Assist Font in Fullscreen
  
• Fixed Bug where you accidentally cancel missions
  
• Added Flash Effect for information popups
  
• Improved Derelict Tutorial
  
• Made Elesw 4th station instead of 1st in Andinti
  
• Reorganized and resized buttons on map screen. Removed "Show Stations"
  
• Made Mission Screen always available. Added "Back to ship" button
  
• Made Button hints permanent on New Game, until a couple docks
  
• Fixed Tractor Beam activation on keyboard
  
• Added message if tractor target out of range

Thanks to ksyh05, vitowns, Omicron Lyare, SuperSchokoKeks, Infirito, IanMcMill, agentmith, Sundalo261, kukumisu, GA01, jonhuggs, lucascoppio, hondsgemein and Kaox for your and feedback and support!

To keep in our tradition about being transparent about pricing and future plans, we also want to announce that the final price raise will be coming in the next couple weeks. We don't plan on running a promotion before then, so if you've been holding out for a good deal, this will be the cheapest you can get the game until full release, which is planned for early next year. Even with the launch discount, the game will be about the same price it is right now, so you better grab it while it's hot! :)

Enjoy the new update, and please let us know which of the new controls you prefer! Safe flying!

Hey Space Cowboys!

After listening to lots of your feedback and toiling away for a month, we're ready to present to you the next update!

This one has been a long time coming, and we're very happy to finally bring it, as it's adding lots of oft-requested features. To start with, lots of you have requested we move on from our old-school heritage of mainly using the arrow keys and instead "get with the times" and add WASD controls. Alrighty then, your calls have been heard, and you can now play 3030 on the same keys you play Counterstrike Go, Overwatch, or whatever it is you kids play these days.

While we were at it, we've gone ahead and added three distinct modes of control to the game. You can now play either with "Keyboard only", that's as it was before, with "Keys & Mouse", that's using the mouse to aim and keys to move, or with "Mouse only", which uses toggle buttons to turn on and off thrust, split and turning. It's actually super handy, as you can use your other hand to eat a Hot Dog, drink a beer, or finish that auto-biography you've been working on!

As a logical continuation of the added new control styles, we've also added some super-silky-smooth Gamepad Controller support. It actually plays a lot better than we at first expected, with most of the controls coming very naturally. It was also actually a lot harder to implement than we at first expected, with each and every button prompt having to be rewritten to dynamically check your current control style, each input having to dynamically change depending on where you currently are and which screen is open and who you're talking to an..GLRAAAARBAAARWWR... Phew! Thank gosh that's now over with! In the end it was all worth it, of course, and the game plays really well with a controller. Wherever we couldn't make all the buttons work, we've made it as easy as possible to use the Right Stick as a virtual Mouse, with the RB button making the cursor move more quickly across the screen.

Besides all these new fangled controls, we've added and fixed a long list of other things. Starting with added support for 4k resolution. We went ahead and added 8k too because why not. Lots of stations have been improved, by adding expanded Foreground areas with special animations. The tutorial was tweaked a bit more and some menu functions were moved around to be easier to use. Some crashes and bugs were fixed as well, as always you can check out the full list below:

Features / Gameplay

• Added WASD Controls
  
• Added Mouse & Keys Controls (Aim with the Mouse)
  
• Added "Mouse Only" Controls with Toggle Buttons
  
• Added Controller Support (XBox Controller strongly recommended)
  
• Added 4k and 8k resolution support
  
• Added new Visuals on Derelicts
  
• Made onscreen Controls switch dynamically depending on control type

Fixes / Improvements

• Added Clicking an object near Falcon on Station to activate
  
• Added Right Click to close terminals
  
• Rebound menu and other keys for easier WASD controls
  
• Made Help Screen information depend on player location
  
• Expanded Station Foreground on Ysa Station
  
• Added Birds inside station on Ysa and some others
  
• Added Animated Algea Tanks on Ysa
  
• Expanded Station Foreground on Rub Ba 3
  
• Added Watering Drones on Rub Ba 3
  
• Expanded Station Foreground on Jelnu Station
  
• Improved Jelnu Station Exterior
  
• Fixed Crash from missing Character on Stations
  
• Fixed Mouse Position in some spots not using Virtual Resolution
  
• Fixed HUD marker jitter bug
  
• Fixed Bug with Visual Assist Font in Fullscreen
  
• Fixed Bug where you accidentally cancel missions
  
• Added Flash Effect for information popups
  
• Improved Derelict Tutorial
  
• Made Elesw 4th station instead of 1st in Andinti
  
• Reorganized and resized buttons on map screen. Removed "Show Stations"
  
• Made Mission Screen always available. Added "Back to ship" button
  
• Made Button hints permanent on New Game, until a couple docks
  
• Fixed Tractor Beam activation on keyboard
  
• Added message if tractor target out of range

Thanks to ksyh05, vitowns, Omicron Lyare, SuperSchokoKeks, Infirito, IanMcMill, agentmith, Sundalo261, kukumisu, GA01, jonhuggs, lucascoppio, hondsgemein and Kaox for your and feedback and support!

To keep in our tradition about being transparent about pricing and future plans, we also want to announce that the final price raise will be coming in the next couple weeks. We don't plan on running a promotion before then, so if you've been holding out for a good deal, this will be the cheapest you can get the game until full release, which is planned for early next year. Even with the launch discount, the game will be about the same price it is right now, so you better grab it while it's hot! :)

Enjoy the new update, and please let us know which of the new controls you prefer! Safe flying!

Heeeelloo everyone!

How are all you space cowboys doing? It's been a while since our last update, with parts of the team on vacation and/or travelling, but now we're back and swinging - So let's get to it!

This update focuses on the Space portion of the game in general, and ship-to-ship interaction more specifically. After lots of work on the Derelicts section in the last couple updates, we are trying to give this area of the game some love, as it is something lots of players have asked for and also something we've been wanting to do for a while now.

One main thing a lot of people have asked for is to be able to hire wingmen, who will stick around and fight by your side. So guess what- we've added that! Now, ships might approach you and ask if you're interested in hiring them as your winger. Usually they'll find you around asteroid fields. They don't require any direct pay, all they want is the bounty if they happen to kill a pirate for you. Just a word of caution: They're not always the quickest to join the fight if they're not sure they're getting paid, so it might be a good idea to let them take a couple hits by a pirate to get them "motivated".

The next addition are Corporate Mining Ships. These are huge lumbering Mining Barges, that stick around Ore Belts and are waiting to buy freshly gathered Ore off of any Miner willing to trade with them. They'll usually pay a fair price, as they generate profit off the humongous trade deals they can eventually make with Refining companies. They'll also save you a trip back and forth to the station each time your cargo hold is full - a huge time saver for dedicated miners! So if you're into mining, these guys are going to be your best friends!

The last addition in and around Asteroid Fields is the Smuggler. These guys will keep a lookout for any miners or travelers nearby and offer all sorts of shady deals. If you have a trader's knack for good prices and on-the-spot decisions, you can generate a tidy profit. Don't always take their first offer either, if it doesn't look worth it. They'll come back with a counter-offer often enough!

Next to all these dodgy characters that you'll meet near the Asteroid Fields, there are a bunch of additions around stations, the ports of civilization - Because what would civilization be without some good and honest advertising? We've added billboard ships that circle stations and try to interest anyone they can in various products and "necessities". These guys are usually plentiful around most stations now.

But wait, there's more! Advertisement Blimps, that spray everyone nearby with constant video ads and an excessive light show are also to be found, albeit less common. If you find one, you're welcome to guess where the inspiration for these came from.. :)

For ships that use it, ship-to-ship comms right now work by flying close enough to that ship. You'll get a message from the ship, that you can usually answer yes or no (or press Enter/Escape). We'll probably eventually replace this with an actual comms system, like the one being used when hailing a station.

You can also set formations for your wingmen, once you've gathered two or more. Press -K- to cycle formation types, which are displayed at the bottom of the screen. Changes in formation are most obvious when travelling in split together.

Although the full change list is shorter this time around, it's really quite sweet:

Features / Gameplay

• Added Winger/Freelancers that you can take on as your wingmen
  
• Added Billboard Ships that advertise near stations
  
• Added larger AdvertShip with video advertisements
  
• Added huge Corporate Mining Ships that buy Ore from Miners
  
• Added seedy Smugglers that approach you with offers
  
• Added Research ship that take readings around stations
  
• Added multiple formations for Wingmen (Switch by pressing K)

Fixes / Improvements

• Fixed backgrounds for some question screens
  
• Fixed occasional Asteroid edge error
  
• Fix for background of Early Access Splash screen

Thanks to Dr. Arbitrary, sovn, VisibleInMotion, agentsmith and vitowns for your feedback and bug reports!

On a side-note, we've hit 50+ reviews with a rating of 96%. That means we are now officially rated "Very Positive" - the best rating possible! Thank You very much to each and every reviewer, it means a lot to us! <3

We hope you enjoy this update. Have fun!

Heeeelloo everyone!

How are all you space cowboys doing? It's been a while since our last update, with parts of the team on vacation and/or travelling, but now we're back and swinging - So let's get to it!

This update focuses on the Space portion of the game in general, and ship-to-ship interaction more specifically. After lots of work on the Derelicts section in the last couple updates, we are trying to give this area of the game some love, as it is something lots of players have asked for and also something we've been wanting to do for a while now.

One main thing a lot of people have asked for is to be able to hire wingmen, who will stick around and fight by your side. So guess what- we've added that! Now, ships might approach you and ask if you're interested in hiring them as your winger. Usually they'll find you around asteroid fields. They don't require any direct pay, all they want is the bounty if they happen to kill a pirate for you. Just a word of caution: They're not always the quickest to join the fight if they're not sure they're getting paid, so it might be a good idea to let them take a couple hits by a pirate to get them "motivated".

The next addition are Corporate Mining Ships. These are huge lumbering Mining Barges, that stick around Ore Belts and are waiting to buy freshly gathered Ore off of any Miner willing to trade with them. They'll usually pay a fair price, as they generate profit off the humongous trade deals they can eventually make with Refining companies. They'll also save you a trip back and forth to the station each time your cargo hold is full - a huge time saver for dedicated miners! So if you're into mining, these guys are going to be your best friends!

The last addition in and around Asteroid Fields is the Smuggler. These guys will keep a lookout for any miners or travelers nearby and offer all sorts of shady deals. If you have a trader's knack for good prices and on-the-spot decisions, you can generate a tidy profit. Don't always take their first offer either, if it doesn't look worth it. They'll come back with a counter-offer often enough!

Next to all these dodgy characters that you'll meet near the Asteroid Fields, there are a bunch of additions around stations, the ports of civilization - Because what would civilization be without some good and honest advertising? We've added billboard ships that circle stations and try to interest anyone they can in various products and "necessities". These guys are usually plentiful around most stations now.

But wait, there's more! Advertisement Blimps, that spray everyone nearby with constant video ads and an excessive light show are also to be found, albeit less common. If you find one, you're welcome to guess where the inspiration for these came from.. :)

For ships that use it, ship-to-ship comms right now work by flying close enough to that ship. You'll get a message from the ship, that you can usually answer yes or no (or press Enter/Escape). We'll probably eventually replace this with an actual comms system, like the one being used when hailing a station.

You can also set formations for your wingmen, once you've gathered two or more. Press -K- to cycle formation types, which are displayed at the bottom of the screen. Changes in formation are most obvious when travelling in split together.

Although the full change list is shorter this time around, it's really quite sweet:

Features / Gameplay

• Added Winger/Freelancers that you can take on as your wingmen
  
• Added Billboard Ships that advertise near stations
  
• Added larger AdvertShip with video advertisements
  
• Added huge Corporate Mining Ships that buy Ore from Miners
  
• Added seedy Smugglers that approach you with offers
  
• Added Research ship that take readings around stations
  
• Added multiple formations for Wingmen (Switch by pressing K)

Fixes / Improvements

• Fixed backgrounds for some question screens
  
• Fixed occasional Asteroid edge error
  
• Fix for background of Early Access Splash screen

Thanks to Dr. Arbitrary, sovn, VisibleInMotion, agentsmith and vitowns for your feedback and bug reports!

On a side-note, we've hit 50+ reviews with a rating of 96%. That means we are now officially rated "Very Positive" - the best rating possible! Thank You very much to each and every reviewer, it means a lot to us! <3

We hope you enjoy this update. Have fun!

Hi guys,

This week's update is a real allrounder, improving various areas of the game and fixing issues here and there.

We've added new images for the Derelicts floating in space. They look more visually interesting and varied now. Also, Asteroids got a touch up, although this is just a interim step, as we're planning on redoing them completely once we have the time.

Derelict salvaging got a touch up, with more Magazines you can find, some improved images, and changes to some of the loot. We've also made the in-world magazine image match the close-up shown on the top right more closely.

There are various smaller fixes, some requested, some by our own volition. Buoys are now visible on the map, and their HUD icons have been replaced for clarity. As we were at it, we fixed police map markers as well, so they're more easily visible now. Other smaller issues, like the white edges that might occur on upscaled resolutions, have also been fixed. It's possible you might notice some changes in the intro, but one you'll definitely notice are some added visuals to the opening Splash Screen.

As always, here's a full list of changes:

Features / Gameplay

• Added new derelicts for more variety in Space
  
• Modified Look for Asteroids
  
• Added more variation and new derelict magazines
  
• Made magazine in-world and close-up images match better
  
• Added hydrogen fuel cannisters to find on Derelicts
  
• Adjusted space backgrounds, for more depth effect
  
• Added buoys showing on map (yellow marker)
  
• Added extra effects to intro cutscenes
  
• Made only non-Ore Asteroids color marked
  
• Added descriptive images to Splash Screen

Fixes / Improvements

• Fixed duplicate ships appearing occasionally
  
• Improved blending for Daphice station
  
• Replaced HUD images for buoys for clarity
  
• Some tutorial timing tweaks
  
• Added more information to F1 help screen
  
• Fixed invisible (un)docking ships being targeted
  
• Fixed some image edges for upscaled resolutions
  
• Made police ships' marker more noticeable on map
  
• Fixed HUD faction colors, and added Pirate info

This week we had one especially frequent contributor on the forums, so a big Thanks to jpdoulos for some great feedback and suggestions for improvements!

Enjoy the update everyone!

Hi guys,

This week's update is a real allrounder, improving various areas of the game and fixing issues here and there.

We've added new images for the Derelicts floating in space. They look more visually interesting and varied now. Also, Asteroids got a touch up, although this is just a interim step, as we're planning on redoing them completely once we have the time.

Derelict salvaging got a touch up, with more Magazines you can find, some improved images, and changes to some of the loot. We've also made the in-world magazine image match the close-up shown on the top right more closely.

There are various smaller fixes, some requested, some by our own volition. Buoys are now visible on the map, and their HUD icons have been replaced for clarity. As we were at it, we fixed police map markers as well, so they're more easily visible now. Other smaller issues, like the white edges that might occur on upscaled resolutions, have also been fixed. It's possible you might notice some changes in the intro, but one you'll definitely notice are some added visuals to the opening Splash Screen.

As always, here's a full list of changes:

Features / Gameplay

• Added new derelicts for more variety in Space
  
• Modified Look for Asteroids
  
• Added more variation and new derelict magazines
  
• Made magazine in-world and close-up images match better
  
• Added hydrogen fuel cannisters to find on Derelicts
  
• Adjusted space backgrounds, for more depth effect
  
• Added buoys showing on map (yellow marker)
  
• Added extra effects to intro cutscenes
  
• Made only non-Ore Asteroids color marked
  
• Added descriptive images to Splash Screen

Fixes / Improvements

• Fixed duplicate ships appearing occasionally
  
• Improved blending for Daphice station
  
• Replaced HUD images for buoys for clarity
  
• Some tutorial timing tweaks
  
• Added more information to F1 help screen
  
• Fixed invisible (un)docking ships being targeted
  
• Fixed some image edges for upscaled resolutions
  
• Made police ships' marker more noticeable on map
  
• Fixed HUD faction colors, and added Pirate info

This week we had one especially frequent contributor on the forums, so a big Thanks to jpdoulos for some great feedback and suggestions for improvements!

Enjoy the update everyone!