Looking for more information on Master of Orion straight from folks who are developing the game? You’re in luck!

In our first Developer Diary video, members of the development team -- several of whom also worked on the original Master of Orion -- discuss the series’ rich history as well as the new game’s lore, artwork and soundtrack. The reimagined Alkari and Mrrshan races make appearances as well!

This Developer Diary is the first in a series; check back soon for the next installment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-FzmFH1QV8

Looking for more information on Master of Orion straight from folks who are developing the game? You’re in luck!

In our first Developer Diary video, members of the development team -- several of whom also worked on the original Master of Orion -- discuss the series’ rich history as well as the new game’s lore, artwork and soundtrack. The reimagined Alkari and Mrrshan races make appearances as well!

This Developer Diary is the first in a series; check back soon for the next installment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-FzmFH1QV8

Devouring Stars reaches 1.1, with a couple of corrections. The main one is about the difficulty curve.

The game was a bit unfair for many people out there : you build your small armada and find yourself in a tough run that just destroy your tribe (every tribe has a different set of behaviors and some are especially difficult - like fighting Dardanians at the end of a run or Molossians in middle game).

That mechanic was intended, because it's a good way to try to build a new set of entities and explore possibilities.

But starting fresh every time can leave you dangerously out of options, especially towards the endgame.

There were three outcome to a run : you win and go forward, you lose and lose all entities, you try another destiny and lose all entities. I didn't touch the first two (so it will still be a challenge to finish a run), but if you draw another destiny, you will be able to keep the engaged entities, as well as the one you build during the canceled run !

This way, people facing especially difficult runs will be able to build up their armada again by winning a couple of levels in a run (always possible even with basic entities) then canceling for another destiny WITH the entities engaged and build previously. This way you won't face an endless cycle of defeat with only access to basics entities and memory bonus.

This should make the experience better without compromising the main aim of the game (build sustainable combinations and strategies).

Note that there's still can be only one Chaos (even if you build multiple Chaos, only one will be available in your inventory).


This updates features other small corrections, notably a better recognition of dance patterns™ in the Curbas level :-).

UPDATE : I also corrected a small broken feature in the game. You were able to exit a level just before a defeat, and eternally retry it with the same crew. It's not possible anymore : when you lose an entity, you won't have access to it anymore. Similarly, the entities you build or gain during a level will stay around if you exit and load the level again. This makes the choice of canceling a run to save your entities more meaningful.


Enjoy !

François

Devouring Stars reaches 1.1, with a couple of corrections. The main one is about the difficulty curve.

The game was a bit unfair for many people out there : you build your small armada and find yourself in a tough run that just destroy your tribe (every tribe has a different set of behaviors and some are especially difficult - like fighting Dardanians at the end of a run or Molossians in middle game).

That mechanic was intended, because it's a good way to try to build a new set of entities and explore possibilities.

But starting fresh every time can leave you dangerously out of options, especially towards the endgame.

There were three outcome to a run : you win and go forward, you lose and lose all entities, you try another destiny and lose all entities. I didn't touch the first two (so it will still be a challenge to finish a run), but if you draw another destiny, you will be able to keep the engaged entities, as well as the one you build during the canceled run !

This way, people facing especially difficult runs will be able to build up their armada again by winning a couple of levels in a run (always possible even with basic entities) then canceling for another destiny WITH the entities engaged and build previously. This way you won't face an endless cycle of defeat with only access to basics entities and memory bonus.

This should make the experience better without compromising the main aim of the game (build sustainable combinations and strategies).

Note that there's still can be only one Chaos (even if you build multiple Chaos, only one will be available in your inventory).


This updates features other small corrections, notably a better recognition of dance patterns™ in the Curbas level :-).

UPDATE : I also corrected a small broken feature in the game. You were able to exit a level just before a defeat, and eternally retry it with the same crew. It's not possible anymore : when you lose an entity, you won't have access to it anymore. Similarly, the entities you build or gain during a level will stay around if you exit and load the level again. This makes the choice of canceling a run to save your entities more meaningful.


Enjoy !

François

The Steam trailer has been updated to reflect some new content, including a glimpse of the new AI system.

It's also a higher bitrate, and shorter & sweeter. We hope you like it.


In other news, we unfortunately are going to have to postpone multiplayer functionality until 3 weeks after release. We are on a very small budget, and are an even smaller team of people. We believe it is in everyone's best interest to wait until shortly after release for MP, working with the resources we have available to us, so we can bring everyone a better experince at that date.

For the single player fans, it will be working well at release date, and there will be an early press-release coming this friday.

The Steam trailer has been updated to reflect some new content, including a glimpse of the new AI system.

It's also a higher bitrate, and shorter & sweeter. We hope you like it.


In other news, we unfortunately are going to have to postpone multiplayer functionality until 3 weeks after release. We are on a very small budget, and are an even smaller team of people. We believe it is in everyone's best interest to wait until shortly after release for MP, working with the resources we have available to us, so we can bring everyone a better experince at that date.

For the single player fans, it will be working well at release date, and there will be an early press-release coming this friday.

Looking for more information on Master of Orion straight from folks who are developing the game? You’re in luck!

In our first Developer Diary video, members of the development team -- several of whom also worked on the original Master of Orion -- discuss the series’ rich history as well as the new game’s lore, artwork and soundtrack. The reimagined Alkari and Mrrshan races make appearances as well!

This Developer Diary is the first in a series; check back soon for the next installment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-FzmFH1QV8

All servers are now up and have the 15.7.2 patch applied.

It was a quick two weeks between 15.7.1 and 15.7.2, and that schedule will continue with the upcoming 15.8.1 build with us making our preparations for PAX Prime. 15.7.2 will be going live at 10AM EST on Tuesday, August 11th.

The Entertainer system has received a complete overhaul this month. Gone are the dozens of dances and tale snippets cluttering up ability bars; in its place is a fluid system of minigames that chain together to increase buffs available across Tales, Dance, and Music. Building on the changes to Music in Patch 15.7.1, 15.7.2 presents entirely reworked versions of Tales and Dance.

Tale now opens the initial storytelling minigame, which begins with thematic Expositions, and provides players with the ability to tell short, lore-based stories complete with Twists and Interjections. Dance Step initiates the dancing minigame, allowing players to choose 1 of 3 styles of dance: Silly, Expressive, or Seductive. Dancing now supports more dances than before, including The Terra Throwback and Rhyldan Jig.The minigame bars will change based on player's choice and failure is possible as each ability rolls against your skill in Entertaining. Failure will often lead players on a different path than success, and with nearly every bar supporting multiple ability choices - the Entertaining minigame offers a unique, active buffing experience every time.

The buffs associated with Entertaining have evolved alongside the skill. Entertainer buffs now stack to 10 and last up to a full hour. Several buffs contain a special twist - once they reach 10 stacks, using a finisher,such as the final piece of a Tale or a Dance Finisher will remove the stacked buff and apply a stronger, longer buff of the same stat. Each finisher move can only do this to 1 buff, so for maximum effect, Entertainers will want to group up and play together.

The upcoming 15.8.1 build focuses heavily on combat, but we also feature a number of combat related improvements in this build. At Action Mode's auto-correction system is now more lenient if you miss a target, and features more intelligent range detection. Threat/aggro management also received a pass, to make it easier for tanks to hold aggro, and less likely that healers will draw it. There were some important fixes including changes to the face and stick features. Medics received the largest number of updates though, with improvements to both their offensive and healing capabilities. We also adjusted the amount of fitting points required to improve the market of different fitting types and overall combat progression. Another major change is that action bar pages are now stored on a per weapon basis. This should make it much easier for users who swap to different weapons as it will automatically swap your bars to the last saved pages for those weapons.

We also introduced a new Contested Cluster system. These new harvestable clusters are intended to encourage nation vs. nation conflict in contested territory. When players are near the clusters their nation will receive points, and the nation with the most points at the end will win the cluster. This is an experimental feature in this patch with 2 clusters setup to run every evening at 7 and 8 PM local server time, so please provide as much feedback as possible. In the future these will be spread throughout contested territory and have different spawning times and resource types. Player to player damage in PvP has also been reduced by 22% to increase the length of PvP encounters.

Those seeking specific NPCs will be happy to improvements to both inquiry and tracking systems to make it easier to locate those NPCs. The Pricing system has received a good number of improvements. Unharvested corpses can now eventually be harvested by any player. This build features also features 113 different bug fixes.

15.7.2 Patch Notes

All servers are now up and have the 15.7.2 patch applied.

It was a quick two weeks between 15.7.1 and 15.7.2, and that schedule will continue with the upcoming 15.8.1 build with us making our preparations for PAX Prime. 15.7.2 will be going live at 10AM EST on Tuesday, August 11th.

The Entertainer system has received a complete overhaul this month. Gone are the dozens of dances and tale snippets cluttering up ability bars; in its place is a fluid system of minigames that chain together to increase buffs available across Tales, Dance, and Music. Building on the changes to Music in Patch 15.7.1, 15.7.2 presents entirely reworked versions of Tales and Dance.

Tale now opens the initial storytelling minigame, which begins with thematic Expositions, and provides players with the ability to tell short, lore-based stories complete with Twists and Interjections. Dance Step initiates the dancing minigame, allowing players to choose 1 of 3 styles of dance: Silly, Expressive, or Seductive. Dancing now supports more dances than before, including The Terra Throwback and Rhyldan Jig.The minigame bars will change based on player's choice and failure is possible as each ability rolls against your skill in Entertaining. Failure will often lead players on a different path than success, and with nearly every bar supporting multiple ability choices - the Entertaining minigame offers a unique, active buffing experience every time.

The buffs associated with Entertaining have evolved alongside the skill. Entertainer buffs now stack to 10 and last up to a full hour. Several buffs contain a special twist - once they reach 10 stacks, using a finisher,such as the final piece of a Tale or a Dance Finisher will remove the stacked buff and apply a stronger, longer buff of the same stat. Each finisher move can only do this to 1 buff, so for maximum effect, Entertainers will want to group up and play together.

The upcoming 15.8.1 build focuses heavily on combat, but we also feature a number of combat related improvements in this build. At Action Mode's auto-correction system is now more lenient if you miss a target, and features more intelligent range detection. Threat/aggro management also received a pass, to make it easier for tanks to hold aggro, and less likely that healers will draw it. There were some important fixes including changes to the face and stick features. Medics received the largest number of updates though, with improvements to both their offensive and healing capabilities. We also adjusted the amount of fitting points required to improve the market of different fitting types and overall combat progression. Another major change is that action bar pages are now stored on a per weapon basis. This should make it much easier for users who swap to different weapons as it will automatically swap your bars to the last saved pages for those weapons.

We also introduced a new Contested Cluster system. These new harvestable clusters are intended to encourage nation vs. nation conflict in contested territory. When players are near the clusters their nation will receive points, and the nation with the most points at the end will win the cluster. This is an experimental feature in this patch with 2 clusters setup to run every evening at 7 and 8 PM local server time, so please provide as much feedback as possible. In the future these will be spread throughout contested territory and have different spawning times and resource types. Player to player damage in PvP has also been reduced by 22% to increase the length of PvP encounters.

Those seeking specific NPCs will be happy to improvements to both inquiry and tracking systems to make it easier to locate those NPCs. The Pricing system has received a good number of improvements. Unharvested corpses can now eventually be harvested by any player. This build features also features 113 different bug fixes.

15.7.2 Patch Notes

Hi guys and gals!

We would like to share with you our post-release plans for Victor Vran. We will continue to update, polish and add features to the game and we will list upcoming changes in the corresponding thread. Also keep in mind that the list is not final and we will add more stuff based on your responses and feedback.

Post-Release Roadmap

Have a good hunting!