Hi folks,

I've updated the game with a small patch today. First, I tracked down a bug that could still cause escort ships to drift away after losing their capital ship.

Second, I balanced out Corvettes and Frigates to have a minimum possible turning speed - Corvettes a bit faster than Frigates. This is a bonus to help them play the roles that I envisioned for them to be screening ships. I noticed that a lot of times these escort vessels could have a really hard time making the turns they needed to make to keep in escort range. So the end result is that you'll see the ships moving at the same speed they normally would, but regardless of how slow or fast they are, they'll have a minimum turning speed to keep them behaving properly.

This will patch into 1.2 on your end. I don't update the version number for small fixes like this anymore because updating the version number causes your AppData folder to be rebuilt, and that can cause headaches for some users who have restricted permissions on their systems. I'll only be updating the version number on your end when I need to add new content.

Hi folks,

I've updated the game with a small patch today. First, I tracked down a bug that could still cause escort ships to drift away after losing their capital ship.

Second, I balanced out Corvettes and Frigates to have a minimum possible turning speed - Corvettes a bit faster than Frigates. This is a bonus to help them play the roles that I envisioned for them to be screening ships. I noticed that a lot of times these escort vessels could have a really hard time making the turns they needed to make to keep in escort range. So the end result is that you'll see the ships moving at the same speed they normally would, but regardless of how slow or fast they are, they'll have a minimum turning speed to keep them behaving properly.

This will patch into 1.2 on your end. I don't update the version number for small fixes like this anymore because updating the version number causes your AppData folder to be rebuilt, and that can cause headaches for some users who have restricted permissions on their systems. I'll only be updating the version number on your end when I need to add new content.

Hi Folks,

I wanted to thank you for bearing with me as I track down lingering issues in the 1.2 Patch. It's been a big process upgrading to Unity 5 because not everything works the same in Unity 5 as it does in Unity 4, and StarDrive 2 is a huge game with a lot of places for things to go off the rails. So I am sincerely grateful for your patience and your feedback, and I'm working hard to knock out any issues as you report them.

I'm patching these fixes right into 1.2 today - the version number won't update on your end, but when you see SD2 download a little something something today, it's just patching these fixes in:

• Fixed an issue where beam weapon sounds weren't being mixed properly in 3d (so they were always a flat volume regardless of distance to the camera)
  
• Fixed an issue where the Draylok Battleship could be invincible
  
• Found some excellent performance enhancements for the combat map
  
• Fixed an issue where fighters that lost their mothership were not properly being removed from play after a while; this should fix any issue where you had a tough time mopping up after a battle
  
• Fixed an issue where combat in orbit of Toxic planets would not have the proper planet appearing in the background
  
• Pre 1.2 saved games should work now
  
• Swapped out the materials on a number of planets that would appear in the battle map. We'll have a number of prettier planets now.
  
• Fixed an issue where a fleet could engage a fleet that was far away from it if it was close to it relatively recently; the fleet was not updating its list of known nearby contacts.
  
• Fixed a rarer bug that could cause the game to become unresponsive - like you couldn't close a quest window or progress the turn
  
• Fixed an issue where subspace projectors were not properly applying speed bonuses

Hi Folks,

I wanted to thank you for bearing with me as I track down lingering issues in the 1.2 Patch. It's been a big process upgrading to Unity 5 because not everything works the same in Unity 5 as it does in Unity 4, and StarDrive 2 is a huge game with a lot of places for things to go off the rails. So I am sincerely grateful for your patience and your feedback, and I'm working hard to knock out any issues as you report them.

I'm patching these fixes right into 1.2 today - the version number won't update on your end, but when you see SD2 download a little something something today, it's just patching these fixes in:

• Fixed an issue where beam weapon sounds weren't being mixed properly in 3d (so they were always a flat volume regardless of distance to the camera)
  
• Fixed an issue where the Draylok Battleship could be invincible
  
• Found some excellent performance enhancements for the combat map
  
• Fixed an issue where fighters that lost their mothership were not properly being removed from play after a while; this should fix any issue where you had a tough time mopping up after a battle
  
• Fixed an issue where combat in orbit of Toxic planets would not have the proper planet appearing in the background
  
• Pre 1.2 saved games should work now
  
• Swapped out the materials on a number of planets that would appear in the battle map. We'll have a number of prettier planets now.
  
• Fixed an issue where a fleet could engage a fleet that was far away from it if it was close to it relatively recently; the fleet was not updating its list of known nearby contacts.
  
• Fixed a rarer bug that could cause the game to become unresponsive - like you couldn't close a quest window or progress the turn
  
• Fixed an issue where subspace projectors were not properly applying speed bonuses

Hello Commanders.

I am releasing a hotfix to address a couple of critical issues that popped up in version 1.2. Specifically, there were situations where you could encounter a blank invasion screen when trying to invade an enemy planet. Also there were still some lingering issues where AI escort vessels could become confused about their purpose in life after the capital ship they were guarding blew up.

These issues are now resolved and a hotfix is up. If you are experiencing these issues then just verify your steam files or restart steam to grab the patch.

I have also fixed an issue where the game could hang after defeating the final planet of an enemy. If you have a hang then this will fix that.

Hello Commanders.

I am releasing a hotfix to address a couple of critical issues that popped up in version 1.2. Specifically, there were situations where you could encounter a blank invasion screen when trying to invade an enemy planet. Also there were still some lingering issues where AI escort vessels could become confused about their purpose in life after the capital ship they were guarding blew up.

These issues are now resolved and a hotfix is up. If you are experiencing these issues then just verify your steam files or restart steam to grab the patch.

I have also fixed an issue where the game could hang after defeating the final planet of an enemy. If you have a hang then this will fix that.

Hi folks. We're getting ready to launch our DLC out here soon, so in anticipation of that I've got a big patch here to bring things into line. Hopefully the upgrade from Unity 4 to Unity 5 won't cause any headaches - I've tested the hell out of it and things look solid, but there could be some unknown thing lurking out there. Please report in if you have any problems with this new build. Have fun!

a. Changes

• Upgraded the game engine to Unity 5 from Unity 4. This provides overall increased performance during combat and other sections of the game that are more demanding on your system.
  
• Refactored a lot of code to improve performance on the strategy map, allowing for a smoother experience when there’s a lot of stuff going on in a large galaxy and in the late game
  
• Added Planetary Governors to control your build queue and to manage your citizen labor allocations
  
• Tech Costs have been scaled up to slow down the pace of discovery in the mid-game
  
• Colonies with empty build queues will now automatically build trade goods when they have empty queues
  
• When you add something to a planetary build queue while you’re already building trade goods, the trade goods will now automatically be removed from the build queue.
  
• Changed the formula for calculating a ship’s accuracy to have a smoother curve as the ship levels up. Previously the early level-ups provided larger bonuses than later level-ups.
  
• Ships gain accuracy bonuses at very close ranges now.
  
• Fleet ETA and fuel UI indicators now appear next to the fleet icon rather than next to the destination point to keep things less cluttered
  
• Added UI indicators for situations when you have enough food to feed your empire but not enough freighters to transport it all where you need it
  
• Construction ships will no longer merge into orbiting fleets upon construction at a colony; likewise they can no longer be merged into combat fleets.
  
• Traveling through wormholes is now instantaneous; previously ships would be shown to quickly move across the galaxy, but this could cause some problems if a manual combat occurred elsewhere while a ship was in transit; this change eliminates any bugs associated with this scenario
  
• Ship performance bonuses for Noxium and Helium 3 are now properly reflected in the shipyard
  
• Changed several user interface Sound FX that were jarring when wearing headphones
  
• Changed the stellar backdrop on the strategy map to be more vivid, and to have some variations possible between games; i.e. you might get a red galaxy or a blue-ish or green-ish one. Purely visual.
  
• If an AI fleet is equipped with bombs, then it will now use all of its bombs to soften up ground defenses before landing its troops
  
• . The AI won’t be so quick to pull forces back from a freshly captured colony to prepare a new invasion force. They’ll hang out for a while now to re-arm and repair while guarding against a counter-attack
  
• . The AI won’t strictly insist upon forming an invasion force in a guaranteed safe spot; they’ll now be willing to form up in enemy territory as long as it thinks it is safe enough
  
• The AI will now reconsider its final attack plan before committing to a planetary assault; if it can see a better target then it will potentially alter its plan to take advantage of the weakness

b. Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that could cause some AI ships that ran out of ammo to drift off of the screen in manual combat, preventing the player from being able to finish the combat. Ships that are truly out of ammo will now retreat.
  
• Fixed a bug that could cause a long hang at the end of a planetary combat session
  
• Fixed a bug that would cause incorrect auto-calculation results to occur in every auto combat subsequent to the the first auto combat performed in a session
  
• Fixed a bug in the auto-combat algorithm that would sometimes cause ordnance-based weaponry to not contribute its DPS to the simulation
  
• Fixed a bug where a Creative race that completed a technology by sacrificing a citizen would not gain every tech at the tech level
  
• Fixed a bug where the Pollop hero’s unique ship was not properly spawning to the strategy map
  
• Fixed a bug where leaders that cannot participate in ground combat could trigger a quest event that should require ground troops to be present
  
• Fixed a bug where Helium-3 was not providing its exploitation bonus to beam weapon damage
  
• Fixed an issue where the clickable area of a planet’s name on the strategy map could exceed the size of the actual name, leading to unintentionally accessing the planet interface
  
• . Fixed a similar issue where the clickable area for the item you are currently researching could exceed the size of the text

c. Misc:

• The Upgrade to Unity 5 may mess with some mods in unforeseen ways. In the coming weeks I will re-release the mod tools with Unity 5 support

Hi folks. We're getting ready to launch our DLC out here soon, so in anticipation of that I've got a big patch here to bring things into line. Hopefully the upgrade from Unity 4 to Unity 5 won't cause any headaches - I've tested the hell out of it and things look solid, but there could be some unknown thing lurking out there. Please report in if you have any problems with this new build. Have fun!

a. Changes

• Upgraded the game engine to Unity 5 from Unity 4. This provides overall increased performance during combat and other sections of the game that are more demanding on your system.
  
• Refactored a lot of code to improve performance on the strategy map, allowing for a smoother experience when there’s a lot of stuff going on in a large galaxy and in the late game
  
• Added Planetary Governors to control your build queue and to manage your citizen labor allocations
  
• Tech Costs have been scaled up to slow down the pace of discovery in the mid-game
  
• Colonies with empty build queues will now automatically build trade goods when they have empty queues
  
• When you add something to a planetary build queue while you’re already building trade goods, the trade goods will now automatically be removed from the build queue.
  
• Changed the formula for calculating a ship’s accuracy to have a smoother curve as the ship levels up. Previously the early level-ups provided larger bonuses than later level-ups.
  
• Ships gain accuracy bonuses at very close ranges now.
  
• Fleet ETA and fuel UI indicators now appear next to the fleet icon rather than next to the destination point to keep things less cluttered
  
• Added UI indicators for situations when you have enough food to feed your empire but not enough freighters to transport it all where you need it
  
• Construction ships will no longer merge into orbiting fleets upon construction at a colony; likewise they can no longer be merged into combat fleets.
  
• Traveling through wormholes is now instantaneous; previously ships would be shown to quickly move across the galaxy, but this could cause some problems if a manual combat occurred elsewhere while a ship was in transit; this change eliminates any bugs associated with this scenario
  
• Ship performance bonuses for Noxium and Helium 3 are now properly reflected in the shipyard
  
• Changed several user interface Sound FX that were jarring when wearing headphones
  
• Changed the stellar backdrop on the strategy map to be more vivid, and to have some variations possible between games; i.e. you might get a red galaxy or a blue-ish or green-ish one. Purely visual.
  
• If an AI fleet is equipped with bombs, then it will now use all of its bombs to soften up ground defenses before landing its troops
  
• . The AI won’t be so quick to pull forces back from a freshly captured colony to prepare a new invasion force. They’ll hang out for a while now to re-arm and repair while guarding against a counter-attack
  
• . The AI won’t strictly insist upon forming an invasion force in a guaranteed safe spot; they’ll now be willing to form up in enemy territory as long as it thinks it is safe enough
  
• The AI will now reconsider its final attack plan before committing to a planetary assault; if it can see a better target then it will potentially alter its plan to take advantage of the weakness

b. Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that could cause some AI ships that ran out of ammo to drift off of the screen in manual combat, preventing the player from being able to finish the combat. Ships that are truly out of ammo will now retreat.
  
• Fixed a bug that could cause a long hang at the end of a planetary combat session
  
• Fixed a bug that would cause incorrect auto-calculation results to occur in every auto combat subsequent to the the first auto combat performed in a session
  
• Fixed a bug in the auto-combat algorithm that would sometimes cause ordnance-based weaponry to not contribute its DPS to the simulation
  
• Fixed a bug where a Creative race that completed a technology by sacrificing a citizen would not gain every tech at the tech level
  
• Fixed a bug where the Pollop hero’s unique ship was not properly spawning to the strategy map
  
• Fixed a bug where leaders that cannot participate in ground combat could trigger a quest event that should require ground troops to be present
  
• Fixed a bug where Helium-3 was not providing its exploitation bonus to beam weapon damage
  
• Fixed an issue where the clickable area of a planet’s name on the strategy map could exceed the size of the actual name, leading to unintentionally accessing the planet interface
  
• . Fixed a similar issue where the clickable area for the item you are currently researching could exceed the size of the text

c. Misc:

• The Upgrade to Unity 5 may mess with some mods in unforeseen ways. In the coming weeks I will re-release the mod tools with Unity 5 support

Hi everyone, today we’re announcing StarDrive 2’s first DLC, named “Sector Zero”, which will be launching later this year.

The DLC will bolster the epic turn-based 4x space strategy title with the following additional content and features:

· Sectors mechanic. An entirely new way to visualize and conquer the galaxy. The concept of sectors reinvigorates the 4x’s of StarDrive 2. In the early-game exploration phase, Sectors provide short-term goals as the targets of your exploration. As you enter a sector for the first time, its secrets are revealed. You might find one of Sector Zero's new quest lines or events. You may find subspace anomalies, the wreckage from ancient battles, and many more new and exciting terrain features.

· Deep Space Construction mechanics. These allow you to claim sectors for your empire and to exploit the resources found there. Build a Star Fortress at the edge of a wormhole to control the passage, or a mining base in a deep space field of precious metals. Every space station can be upgraded with multiple improvements to secure your territory.

· Expanded Galaxy size, allowing galaxies up to 4 times larger than those available in the base StarDrive 2 game.

· Dozens of new quests and events to continue to bring the lore of the StarDrive universe to life.

· New technologies to research.

· New Racial traits to further customize your experience.

· Two new Victory Conditions: the scientific victory, and a story-based victory.


Also to coincide with the half year anniversary of the launch of StarDrive 2 (which was on April 9th 2015), publisher Iceberg Interactive will be offering a 50% discount on the title for 7 days from today October 9th, with the original StarDrive game also discounted to 75% off.

Zero is travelling at the mo, but we will be supplying some more graphic info on the upcoming DLC next week.

Hi everyone, today we’re announcing StarDrive 2’s first DLC, named “Sector Zero”, which will be launching later this year.

The DLC will bolster the epic turn-based 4x space strategy title with the following additional content and features:

· Sectors mechanic. An entirely new way to visualize and conquer the galaxy. The concept of sectors reinvigorates the 4x’s of StarDrive 2. In the early-game exploration phase, Sectors provide short-term goals as the targets of your exploration. As you enter a sector for the first time, its secrets are revealed. You might find one of Sector Zero's new quest lines or events. You may find subspace anomalies, the wreckage from ancient battles, and many more new and exciting terrain features.

· Deep Space Construction mechanics. These allow you to claim sectors for your empire and to exploit the resources found there. Build a Star Fortress at the edge of a wormhole to control the passage, or a mining base in a deep space field of precious metals. Every space station can be upgraded with multiple improvements to secure your territory.

· Expanded Galaxy size, allowing galaxies up to 4 times larger than those available in the base StarDrive 2 game.

· Dozens of new quests and events to continue to bring the lore of the StarDrive universe to life.

· New technologies to research.

· New Racial traits to further customize your experience.

· Two new Victory Conditions: the scientific victory, and a story-based victory.


Also to coincide with the half year anniversary of the launch of StarDrive 2 (which was on April 9th 2015), publisher Iceberg Interactive will be offering a 50% discount on the title for 7 days from today October 9th, with the original StarDrive game also discounted to 75% off.

Zero is travelling at the mo, but we will be supplying some more graphic info on the upcoming DLC next week.