Our first expansion, Star Ruler 2: Wake of the Heralds, is now officially out on steam! Purchase it for $9,99 from the steam store page.



Along with the release of the expansion, the base game has received an update to version 2.0.0 containing a number of fixes and improvements. You can read about some of the main changes to the game below:

Graphics

• Added a number of new post processing graphics options, including Bloom, Godrays and Chromatic Aberration.
  
• Many many more improvements to shaders and and lighting to improve graphics quality
  
• The visual surface of planets is now actually rendered to match the biome tile grid from the planet overlay. City lights will automatically appear where buildings are!

AI

• The AI has received numerous improvements to how it plays the game. Please report any bugs you find in its new behavior!
  
• You can now determine whether an AI is aggressive, passive and biased against humans separately from difficulty.
  
• You can now set the particular ways an AI cheats and how much it cheats at them.

UI

• The open tabs, quickbars, and camera location are now saved and restored when you load a game.
  
• Improved the planet requirement UI on the bottom left of the planet overlay.
  
• Added a Replace tool to the ship designer that replaces the subsystem you click on the design with the type of subsystem you have selected while keeping the same size.

Races & FTLs

• Mechanoid population above 1 now provides 2 labor, but population above the maximum no longer provides any.
  
• Tweaked the income values of mechanoid planets over population so they don't jump up and down as much.
  
• Fling Beacons now cost FTL energy to construct and have a small FTL upkeep.
  
• Tweaked the cost and duration of opening slipstreams based on the size of the generator.

Notable Fixes

• Fixed exploit for exporting labor more than once.
  
• Fixed exploit with Frugal trait where planets could be Level 2 without any tier 1 resources.

Note to Modders
You will need to mark your mod as compatible with this version after you have update it to be so. To do this, either use the ingame Mod Editor to select a Compatibility value of 200, or add the following line to your modinfo.txt:
Any mods that haven't added this line will be automatically disabled on game start. Users can forcibly re-enable these mods if they want to, but are warned that the mods are incompatible and may break their game.

Our first expansion, Star Ruler 2: Wake of the Heralds, is now officially out on steam! Purchase it for $9,99 from the steam store page.



Along with the release of the expansion, the base game has received an update to version 2.0.0 containing a number of fixes and improvements. You can read about some of the main changes to the game below:

Graphics

• Added a number of new post processing graphics options, including Bloom, Godrays and Chromatic Aberration.
  
• Many many more improvements to shaders and and lighting to improve graphics quality
  
• The visual surface of planets is now actually rendered to match the biome tile grid from the planet overlay. City lights will automatically appear where buildings are!

AI

• The AI has received numerous improvements to how it plays the game. Please report any bugs you find in its new behavior!
  
• You can now determine whether an AI is aggressive, passive and biased against humans separately from difficulty.
  
• You can now set the particular ways an AI cheats and how much it cheats at them.

UI

• The open tabs, quickbars, and camera location are now saved and restored when you load a game.
  
• Improved the planet requirement UI on the bottom left of the planet overlay.
  
• Added a Replace tool to the ship designer that replaces the subsystem you click on the design with the type of subsystem you have selected while keeping the same size.

Races & FTLs

• Mechanoid population above 1 now provides 2 labor, but population above the maximum no longer provides any.
  
• Tweaked the income values of mechanoid planets over population so they don't jump up and down as much.
  
• Fling Beacons now cost FTL energy to construct and have a small FTL upkeep.
  
• Tweaked the cost and duration of opening slipstreams based on the size of the generator.

Notable Fixes

• Fixed exploit for exporting labor more than once.
  
• Fixed exploit with Frugal trait where planets could be Level 2 without any tier 1 resources.

Note to Modders
You will need to mark your mod as compatible with this version after you have update it to be so. To do this, either use the ingame Mod Editor to select a Compatibility value of 200, or add the following line to your modinfo.txt:
Any mods that haven't added this line will be automatically disabled on game start. Users can forcibly re-enable these mods if they want to, but are warned that the mods are incompatible and may break their game.

Star Ruler 2: Wake of the Heralds releases tomorrow, Friday April 22nd! You can read our final feature higlight about the second new race, "The First", below.



Although their once great empire is gone, reduced to nothing but remnants by the ravages of time, the minds of those who chose to live forever still carry on.
The planet Atrozal, hollowed out and brimming in circuitry; where a trillion souls discarded their bodies to be part of the final dream of the ancients.

The First care little for the physical world, yet the arrival of the Heralds spells a threat even their paradise does not escape. Send out massive orbital replicators to find raw materials and convert entire planets into automated refinery worlds and computation hubs. The entire weight of this galaxy must be unified if we hope to stand a chance of surviving.


Because the First are a fully virtual race, they do not have any population or civilian infrastructure or any of that messy stuff. Instead, their planets are covered from top to bottom in industry and circuitry, each part performing the valuable task it was programmed to do.



The First have an entirely different set of buildings to place, and placing buildings is the only way they can make use of resource pressures.

Having little use for food, luxuries or infrastructure, all planets are immediately at the level their resource requires, no lower and no higher.


Rather than colony ships, the First take control of planets by using their Orbital Replicators. These giant orbitals filled with specialized manufacturing hardware and fitted with specialized thrusters can rapidly replicate and assemble entire factories for placement on the planet they are orbiting.



In order to control a planet, an Orbital Replicator must be moved to it. Only planets that have a replicator orbiting it can build any buildings.


One of the functions of the Orbital Replicator is placing enormous Transmuters on various planets. When the First deem a resource useless, such as food, they instead decide to convert the resource and the matter on the planet itself into Base Materials for further use in replication.



When a resource has been converted to base materials it can then be exported to a different planet. Various buildings require the continuous consumption of imported base materials to operate, so you will need to convert many different planets to fuel your industry.




The AI has received a number of improvements to how it plays the game, and you can now control parts of its behavior during game setup. You can also determine exactly in what way and how much an AI cheats, if you feel like teaming up for a comp stomp or just want a bigger challenge.

Note that the AI improvements and settings will be available to all players through an update to the base game, and will not require the expansion to be purchased.


In order to allow people to play multiplayer with as many others as possible, the expansion content automatically gets unlocked in multiplayer depending only on if the host player has the expansion installed.

So even if you don't own the expansion, hop into a multiplayer game hosted by someone who does and you will be free to try out any of the new stuff!

Star Ruler 2: Wake of the Heralds releases tomorrow, Friday April 22nd! You can read our final feature higlight about the second new race, "The First", below.



Although their once great empire is gone, reduced to nothing but remnants by the ravages of time, the minds of those who chose to live forever still carry on.
The planet Atrozal, hollowed out and brimming in circuitry; where a trillion souls discarded their bodies to be part of the final dream of the ancients.

The First care little for the physical world, yet the arrival of the Heralds spells a threat even their paradise does not escape. Send out massive orbital replicators to find raw materials and convert entire planets into automated refinery worlds and computation hubs. The entire weight of this galaxy must be unified if we hope to stand a chance of surviving.


Because the First are a fully virtual race, they do not have any population or civilian infrastructure or any of that messy stuff. Instead, their planets are covered from top to bottom in industry and circuitry, each part performing the valuable task it was programmed to do.



The First have an entirely different set of buildings to place, and placing buildings is the only way they can make use of resource pressures.

Having little use for food, luxuries or infrastructure, all planets are immediately at the level their resource requires, no lower and no higher.


Rather than colony ships, the First take control of planets by using their Orbital Replicators. These giant orbitals filled with specialized manufacturing hardware and fitted with specialized thrusters can rapidly replicate and assemble entire factories for placement on the planet they are orbiting.



In order to control a planet, an Orbital Replicator must be moved to it. Only planets that have a replicator orbiting it can build any buildings.


One of the functions of the Orbital Replicator is placing enormous Transmuters on various planets. When the First deem a resource useless, such as food, they instead decide to convert the resource and the matter on the planet itself into Base Materials for further use in replication.



When a resource has been converted to base materials it can then be exported to a different planet. Various buildings require the continuous consumption of imported base materials to operate, so you will need to convert many different planets to fuel your industry.




The AI has received a number of improvements to how it plays the game, and you can now control parts of its behavior during game setup. You can also determine exactly in what way and how much an AI cheats, if you feel like teaming up for a comp stomp or just want a bigger challenge.

Note that the AI improvements and settings will be available to all players through an update to the base game, and will not require the expansion to be purchased.


In order to allow people to play multiplayer with as many others as possible, the expansion content automatically gets unlocked in multiplayer depending only on if the host player has the expansion installed.

So even if you don't own the expansion, hop into a multiplayer game hosted by someone who does and you will be free to try out any of the new stuff!

Star Ruler 2: Wake of the Heralds releases this April 22nd! We will be posting feature highlight posts every few days until the release.


In the new Invasion map, you are tasked with defending your isolated part of the galaxy from waves of ruthless invaders. Empires cannot declare war on each other in this co-operative map, but diplomatic trickery is of course still advised!



You start the game with your home system surrounded by 3 systems containing allied remnant defense stations. These stations were set up a long time ago to protect the galaxy from outside threats, and are vital in preventing the invaders from gaining access to the galaxy.

Each system has 3 defense stations. If all of them are destroyed, the sytem will explode. If all three of the systems you are tasked with defending are gone, your empire will explode! No pressure.



When playing invasion, your flagships will not have any maintenance costs, so you can be free to build up your force to meet the waves of invaders.


Whenever you succesfully defeat a wave of invaders, they will drop an Artifact Shard. Unlike normal artifacts, these do not cost any energy to activate.



In addition to their normal use, each artifact shard also has a secondary, more powerful, way to use it. Choosing this is option is risky, however, as it increases the strength of the invaders for everyone in the game.




Through the Election influence card, or the Open Election diplomacy event, you can win a diplomatic vote in order to be named the new Galactic Senate Leader. Being the senate leader allows you play several new restricted cards with powerful effects, as well as opening the path to obtaining an influence victory!

Star Ruler 2: Wake of the Heralds releases this April 22nd! We will be posting feature highlight posts every few days until the release.


In the new Invasion map, you are tasked with defending your isolated part of the galaxy from waves of ruthless invaders. Empires cannot declare war on each other in this co-operative map, but diplomatic trickery is of course still advised!



You start the game with your home system surrounded by 3 systems containing allied remnant defense stations. These stations were set up a long time ago to protect the galaxy from outside threats, and are vital in preventing the invaders from gaining access to the galaxy.

Each system has 3 defense stations. If all of them are destroyed, the sytem will explode. If all three of the systems you are tasked with defending are gone, your empire will explode! No pressure.



When playing invasion, your flagships will not have any maintenance costs, so you can be free to build up your force to meet the waves of invaders.


Whenever you succesfully defeat a wave of invaders, they will drop an Artifact Shard. Unlike normal artifacts, these do not cost any energy to activate.



In addition to their normal use, each artifact shard also has a secondary, more powerful, way to use it. Choosing this is option is risky, however, as it increases the strength of the invaders for everyone in the game.




Through the Election influence card, or the Open Election diplomacy event, you can win a diplomatic vote in order to be named the new Galactic Senate Leader. Being the senate leader allows you play several new restricted cards with powerful effects, as well as opening the path to obtaining an influence victory!

Star Ruler 2: Wake of the Heralds releases this April 22nd! We will be posting feature highlight posts every few days until the release.

In vanilla Star Ruler 2, all of the properties of your race are decided by the traits you choose before the game starts. In Wake of the Heralds, you can further customize what you think your empire should be like using the new Attitudes mechanic.



Attitudes level up as you perform specific tasks over the course of the game, each level giving you new benefits for your empire to use. Attitudes have very powerful effects when fully leveled, so be sure to take note of what each new attitude you take requires you to do!

You can take additional attitudes on top of your starting one at any time. Each subsequest attitude will cost more influence points to take, however.



As you can see, the possible attitudes are arranged in pairs of opposites. Taking an attitude prevents you from taking its opposite unless you discard it first!

Taking Stable, pictured above, will require you to develop a multitude of planets to a high level at once, and prevents you from taking its opposite, Progressive.

As you meet your chosen Attitude's level up requirements, you will start to unlock its boosts and effects for your empire.






Also new this expansion: Ship Veterancy! Whenever one of your fleets destroys an enemy flagship, it gains experience, eventually leveling up to a higher Veterancy status.

Ships with Veterancy have more health and perform better in combat, so be sure to train your fleets well.

Star Ruler 2: Wake of the Heralds releases this April 22nd! We will be posting feature highlight posts every few days until the release.

In vanilla Star Ruler 2, all of the properties of your race are decided by the traits you choose before the game starts. In Wake of the Heralds, you can further customize what you think your empire should be like using the new Attitudes mechanic.



Attitudes level up as you perform specific tasks over the course of the game, each level giving you new benefits for your empire to use. Attitudes have very powerful effects when fully leveled, so be sure to take note of what each new attitude you take requires you to do!

You can take additional attitudes on top of your starting one at any time. Each subsequest attitude will cost more influence points to take, however.



As you can see, the possible attitudes are arranged in pairs of opposites. Taking an attitude prevents you from taking its opposite unless you discard it first!

Taking Stable, pictured above, will require you to develop a multitude of planets to a high level at once, and prevents you from taking its opposite, Progressive.

As you meet your chosen Attitude's level up requirements, you will start to unlock its boosts and effects for your empire.






Also new this expansion: Ship Veterancy! Whenever one of your fleets destroys an enemy flagship, it gains experience, eventually leveling up to a higher Veterancy status.

Ships with Veterancy have more health and perform better in combat, so be sure to train your fleets well.

We're happy to announce that the expansion, Star Ruler 2: Wake of the Heralds will be releasing this April 22nd! We'll be posting feature highlights posts every few days until the release, starting with this very one!


For as long as the records recount, the Heralds have been on the run. Chased by an unknown entity, the Heralds jump from galaxy to galaxy as entire star systems vanish in their wake, as if consumed by the blackness of space itself.

Each new galaxy saves their species from extinction for a short time more. While impermanent, the people of the heralds learn to appreciate each new planet they settle, and live in hope of one day finding a place where they can end their journey.

Guide the evacuation from the previous galaxy as rickety refugee ships dare the perilous intergalactic jumps to one of your jump stabilization beacons. Send resources back home to gain benefits from the last vestiges of your crumbling civilization as you prepare to deal with your new neighbours.

Unlike all the other races, the Heralds don't have a designated home system. Instead, your three starting Beacons are scattered across three different systems in the galaxy, each marking the start of a Heralds beachhead.

Although the Beacons themselves connect your separate territories for resource trade, being spread out across the galaxy means you'll have to be mindful of your many neighbours!



Playing the Heralds, you do not grow population or colonize planets yourself. Instead, Refugee Ships will automatically jump into the galaxy and land on nearby planets, bringing them under your control.

You will still need to make use of and distribute the resources that your refugees land on, so be sure to be on the lookout when a ship jumps in.



Certain types of resources can be sent back to your home galaxy by exporting them to one of your Beacons. The pressures from those resources will then slowly build up Support points on your beacon, and you can spend this Support on a number of useful benefits for your beacons and empire.



The Heralds make use of a new type of FTL called Jumpdrives. Like Hyperdrives, they require a subsystem on a ship to be used.

Jumpdrives have a short charge time, after which the jump to their destination is instantaneous. There is, however, a maximum safe distance a ship can jump, determined by the size of the jumpdrive subsystem on its design.



Jumping beyond the red line pictured here is quite possible, but risks doing catastrophic damage to the ships in the process. Jump too far past it and your ship will make it to the destination only to explode in a giant ball of plasma.

Since the Heralds' Beacons are jump stabilizers, jumping to a system where you have a Beacon is always completely safe, regardless of the distance of the jump.

We're happy to announce that the expansion, Star Ruler 2: Wake of the Heralds will be releasing this April 22nd! We'll be posting feature highlights posts every few days until the release, starting with this very one!


For as long as the records recount, the Heralds have been on the run. Chased by an unknown entity, the Heralds jump from galaxy to galaxy as entire star systems vanish in their wake, as if consumed by the blackness of space itself.

Each new galaxy saves their species from extinction for a short time more. While impermanent, the people of the heralds learn to appreciate each new planet they settle, and live in hope of one day finding a place where they can end their journey.

Guide the evacuation from the previous galaxy as rickety refugee ships dare the perilous intergalactic jumps to one of your jump stabilization beacons. Send resources back home to gain benefits from the last vestiges of your crumbling civilization as you prepare to deal with your new neighbours.

Unlike all the other races, the Heralds don't have a designated home system. Instead, your three starting Beacons are scattered across three different systems in the galaxy, each marking the start of a Heralds beachhead.

Although the Beacons themselves connect your separate territories for resource trade, being spread out across the galaxy means you'll have to be mindful of your many neighbours!



Playing the Heralds, you do not grow population or colonize planets yourself. Instead, Refugee Ships will automatically jump into the galaxy and land on nearby planets, bringing them under your control.

You will still need to make use of and distribute the resources that your refugees land on, so be sure to be on the lookout when a ship jumps in.



Certain types of resources can be sent back to your home galaxy by exporting them to one of your Beacons. The pressures from those resources will then slowly build up Support points on your beacon, and you can spend this Support on a number of useful benefits for your beacons and empire.



The Heralds make use of a new type of FTL called Jumpdrives. Like Hyperdrives, they require a subsystem on a ship to be used.

Jumpdrives have a short charge time, after which the jump to their destination is instantaneous. There is, however, a maximum safe distance a ship can jump, determined by the size of the jumpdrive subsystem on its design.



Jumping beyond the red line pictured here is quite possible, but risks doing catastrophic damage to the ships in the process. Jump too far past it and your ship will make it to the destination only to explode in a giant ball of plasma.

Since the Heralds' Beacons are jump stabilizers, jumping to a system where you have a Beacon is always completely safe, regardless of the distance of the jump.