Hello everyone, development work has been very intense over the past month and we thought it was time to make a break and create this update to let you guys know about the progress made and what is ahead of us in the short-term. Since the release of Pre-Alpha 10, we've been very busy at fleshing out the game races, namely on defining all of their traits, special abilities and unique abilities. All the game races, including a fourth unannounced one, now have their own set of abilities, and we're happy to announce that the race customization feature is now also complete! So, in Pre-Alpha 11 you'll be able to create your own race with the perks you wish. By the way, all of this should be easy to make available for modding later on, so you'll be able to play with this feature to modify your races even further if you desire. Still on the mechanics front, the race assimilation upon invasion feature has been added, as for revolts if the local population isn't pacified. Another important feature that is also now complete is hurry construction, where you can now rush the construction of ships and buildings in colonies with cash. On the art front we've been busy procuring additional music pieces, 3D models for the civilian ships and working on a new ship set for the 4th race. We also have a bunch of beautiful buildings ready which will bring life into a much improved colony view. We're also working on the promised starmap revamp, which will now include zoom and pan features, and we're preparing a new system view which will be included in the starmap's context. We hope these new features will increase immersion to help with the "just one more turn" syndrome which we want you to have We're also working on the new website, which will be mobile-friendly... sorry about that, the current website is not but that will be fixed and soon we will have a trendy new website for all the androids and iOS's of the world. In the meantime, we'll also be adding more leaders, start adding events to the game, flesh out the diplomacy and technology systems further, and evolve the AI to 2/3 of its full capability in our preparation for the smoothest build possible for Steam Early Access. As always, we would like to give a special thank you to all who have pre-ordered the game so far. Your support has been invaluable to keep this project alive and well. If you haven’t pre-ordered already, and want to play the current build and support us, please pre-order here. Thanks also to all who have provided feedback so far! Together we will create one of the best turn-based space 4X games of all time, no doubt about it. Stay tuned! Thanks a lot! Adam Solo & MalRey
Been following you a while but finally bought it today. It already has that one more turn feel, I started playing at 6 pm and before I knew it, it was past 2 am.
Awesome! We'll do our best to improve the "just one more turn" feel even more, so next time you'll be playing until you hear the birds sing outside (oh the memories). Thanks for pre-ordering, and welcome to the forums!
Wow, normally I refrain from commenting here, but this latest dev diary compelled me to write a few words about the implications of what is going to be added. Guys, there is reason to be excited here. Fleshing out the races by defining all their traits and abilities is a nice touch, and needed. However, the real prize is the race customization feature. I played MoO2 with default races, but no one can deny the fun in creating your very own race, and conquering the galaxy with them. Indeed, today, this feature is a must-have for any space based 4X that wants to be taken seriously. I expect many gamers will be pleased by this feature. Next up, let’s talk about the introduction of a fourth race. Gents, on a medium map, expect things to get very interesting. Competition for real-estate should be far more intense now and we could see an inherent rise in the value of Planetary Engineering as a result. Strategically, it will be fascinating to see how things play out when we have three other factions to consider (and keep an eye on), instead of two. I expect the game to become harder simply by the addition of this “mystery race” Race assimilation will also change things up a bit. Gone will be the days of instant assimilation. That world you just conquered will now need to be kept in line, resources will need to be diverted to that effort and a whole new array of choices and decisions should arise. “Do I conquer that Lizard colony, or do I nuke them into oblivion instead? Do I build some extra marines just in case, or do I hope for the best"? The hurry construction does have me a bit concerned. On the one hand, it will be nice to have a use for all those funds that can accumulate late in the game, on the other, is this “insta-construction”? How will that affect strategic balance? How will the AI handle it in relation to the player? lots of questions here and lots of curiosity to see how this actually plays out. The art front and the star-map upgrades are also a nice touch and will go a long way in satisfying those that value such things… I’m really not in that group to be honest, give me a great kick-ass game and I don’t care if you use Xs and Os as graphics… though I would prefer you didn’t More leaders are almost a must with the addition of another faction in play and I am very excited to hear some events will be added, this will make the ISG universe feel more “alive” and aid tremendously with the immersion factor of the game, the same can be said for fleshing out diplomacy and the tech systems. The big deal of course, (in my opinion), is the AI getting enhanced to 2/3rds… I can’t wait to see what this does to the game. In summary, I’m very excited about what you have planned and wish you all the best going forward, this is a lot of work gents, my compliments on your efforts thus far.
