Made diplomacy panel easier to understand and improved research panel visuals. There are also bug fixes and other improvements. However, issues remain with loading saves.
Added
Diplomacy Panel -> Agendas UI -> Added different icon for each agenda, with info.
Diplomacy Panel -> New detailed tooltips for every diplomatic action.
Improved
Ubiquity -> Ships now slow down to rotate towards a target, resulting in much more natural movement.
Ability Icons -> Now uses new artwork icons, instead of previous flat icons.
Research Panel -> Now uses new artwork icons, instead of previous flat icons.
Diplomacy Panel -> Only counts systems with known intel.
Changed
Tech -> Repeatable Starbase Defence -> Changed from +10% to +15%.
AI Players -> AI is now much less likely to spawn in as a non-default origin.
Colony -> Intel is based on parent system, not intel of colony owner.
Fixed
Fix: Diplomacy Panel -> SFX goes crazy after a month has passed.
Fix: Playmode UI -> Does not display peacekeeping pacifist details correctly.
Fix: Trade Panel -> Does not work correctly (caused by issues with internal serializer).
Fix: Battle -> Starts battle when not inside combat radius.
Fix: Ubiquity -> Ships don't explode when destroyed.
Fix: Combat -> Engagement Range -> Does not work.
Fix: AI -> Does not designate bases.
Note: Issues with loading saves may persist, and build version shows incorrect date.
It was a feature many people requested, something I had to do at some point anyway (even tho I didn't think I'd do it for the demo), with the added bonus that it also makes debugging easier, so here we are!
New Addition: Save System and Title Menu
Added "New Game" - "Load Game" - "Quit Game" to the title menu. The game is now automatically saved every time you enter a non fight room, and after winning a fight. You can now access the title menu from the in game menu.
Even tho it took me almost 2 weeks, with a lot of tweaks and bug fixes, this is still a WOP. Please let me know if you notice issues!
A side addition that came necessary is that now the game works with seeds. You can't manually input a seed -yet- (unless you manually modify the save file), but to make sure the game behaves the same after loading, I had to make it this way. As it is set right now, everything in the game should behave according to a seed except for the flow of fights (cards you draw and random enemies attacks).
For now I'm not going to encrypt the save file, which you can find at this path: C:\Users\%userprofile%\AppData\LocalLow\Seizo Games\Novus Orbis\Savefile\data.json
Speaking of which, since the save file path was going to include the "company" making the game, and since I knew I didn't want to publish under my actual name anyway, I finally decided a (temporary or not) company name: Seizo Games. I'm going to make a logo soon :)
As for more additions/changes:
Cards:
Increased Radiant Shield cost in and out of combo.
Cards with variable stats will now show "x" instead of "0" when seen outside of your hand in combat.
Misc:
Blessing are now removed from their pool when seen (you won't see the same blessing twice in the same run).
Added an indicator when you have no cards in hand on "end turn" button.
- The phantom tax man has been reprimanded. The Cash persistance bug has been fixed, and you will KEEP what you EARN properly. - Items you don't REALLY care about won't trigger the 'lost item' map marker, like the broken lamps (Sorry BillyKirby, C27Penn, and Lynn) - Brokenbat stun time has been buffed 2->3 seconds
In this patch, I fixed the achievement system so they should be updating as usual. I also fixed another rare crashing event that happened consistently after one minute of the game being open following partial save file corruption.
Dear Espire Agents! We are excited to announce that we are FINALLY updating Espire 1: VR Operative. This is our first update in 3 years, our biggest Espire update ever and it will include everything* we’ve shipped on the Quest platform in our 1.7, 1.8 and 1.9 updates, alongside some new extras for PC. *Note that we are unable to support the Quest-exclusive “Oculus Challenges” feature on PC as that feature only works on the Quest platform.
This major “1.10” update is officially launching soon but you’re able to play it right now. We have set up a public beta channel here on Steam where you can opt-in to the update. We’d love your impressions and feedback. The release notes for this update are extensive. You can see a current draft of the full release notes here.
The highlights are:
The PC version of Espire 1 includes all content from the Quest 1.7, 1.8 and 1.9 updates
Due to popular demand, we’ve Removed the two 'flashback sequences' from the campaign
Added Support for newer VR Headsets and addressed various user reported Headset/controller issues
Fix for the game not launching on some newer PCs
Major Unreal Engine Upgrade - 4 engine versions back to back
5 new challenge levels
1 new environment
2 new weapons unlockable in the campaign (Spectre SMG, Sawn Off Shotgun)
Major UI improvements
Many user-reported bug fixes for A.I, achievements, UI, gameplay and more.
How to access the Beta
We are still a few weeks from our full launch, but a release candidate build is available to play right now.
Right-click on Espire 1 in your steam Library and select properties
Navigate to the “Betas” tab
For the “Beta Participation” drop-down menu, select X.
The game will now download the 1.10 update.
If you wish to play the currently live 1.6 update, use the above process and set “Beta Participation” to “None.”
Sorry for this delay
We sincerely apologise for the very long time it’s taken to get this update to you. When we did our 1.7 update in late 2020, it included a major Unreal Engine upgrade that broke many things in Espire. We struggled to allocate the time + resources required to address the issues on the PC version of the game. A small team @ Lode have been working on this update in short bursts to bring it to players. The team has been unable to address this sooner as we have been stretched thin on other projects. This is not the fault of the talented team at LODE (developers of Espire) but at the top leadership level. We thank those who have supported us and given us the opportunity to make these games for our dreams. We hope the update addresses the feedback raised and improves the first time experience playing Espire 1.