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Dev Build

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NOTICE: This page is a Work in Progress as much of the lore/Development for the game is yet to be established.

Latest Build: Development Build 0.227.0.1


Development Builds (often shortened to Dev Builds) are work-in-progress versions of Starship Simulator. They are periodically released by Fleetyard Studios to project supporters and testers. These builds contain the latest features, fixes, and experimental changes being actively developed, often significantly ahead of updates to the public versions of the Tech Demo or the eventual Early Access release.

Purpose

Dev Builds serve several key purposes for the development process:

  • Allow dedicated supporters and testers early access to preview and experiment with new content and features.
  • Provide Fleetyard Studios with crucial feedback on stability, bugs, and gameplay mechanics from a wider testing pool.
  • Offer a transparent view into the ongoing development progress between major public updates.

Content & Stability

As active development versions, Dev Builds often contain features that are incomplete, unbalanced, or may have significant bugs (WIP Post-it's are often used to mark such areas in-game). They represent the cutting edge of development but are not intended to be as stable or polished as public demo releases or the final Early Access version. Specific changes implemented in each build are logged on the Dev Build Update History page.

Access

Access to the Dev Builds is managed by Fleetyard Studios and distributed via unique Steam Keys. Historically, access has been granted through methods such as:

  • Pledging at specific tiers during the official Kickstarter Campaign (which is now closed).
  • Supporting the project via the official [Simulator Ko-fi page] at qualifying supporter tiers.
  • Winning access through occasional giveaways or raffles, such as those sometimes held during the first Developer Live Stream of a month (entry often organized via Discord).

Access methods and supporter tiers may change over time; refer to official Fleetyard Studios communications for current details.

Updates and Communication

Detailed patch notes, discussions, bug reporting instructions, and feedback channels specifically for the Dev Builds are typically located within private channels on the official Starship Simulator Discord server, restricted to users who have been granted Dev Build access.

Dev Build History

The following are a list of development build updates made to Starship Simulator, detailing changes made between major public releases.

Development Build HistoryV0.225 — The Drake Equation

V0.225 Development Build History: Build for Tech Demo 3 (Click to Expand/Collapse)(Complete)
Date (YYYY-MM-DD) Development Build Number & Title Updates
2024-05-04 Development Build 0.225.0.10
 
  • The ship's framework around the B Deck central ring and stairwell is now mostly complete.
  • New flooring tiles have been added to the B Deck stairwell landing area, which are now damage/dirt aware.
  • Carpets around the ship now make use of Nanite Tessellation, adding actual 3D details to their surfaces.
  • You can now press "i" to toggle interior walls/floors on and off. This is a temporary tool for viewing background details.
  • Fixed the lighting on the railing balustrades rendering as solid blobs.
  • Fixed the lighting on the Conference Room table rendering as solid squares.
  • Removed the "impact simulation" functionality that was assigned to the "i" key previously. Props will no longer fly around when you press "i".
2024-05-05 Development Build 0.225.0.11
 
  • The B Deck corridor and stairwell area now have their final flooring tiles (they do still need a final detail run though).
  • Connected the new floor tiles to the ship customisation system.
  • Changed the design of the B Deck stairwell landing slightly so it flows into the corridor better.
  • Wall/Floor panels will now show/hide in sequence based on distance to the player. It looks nicer that way.
  • Exposed a selection of hardware/platform C++ functions to Blueprints so that we can detect the current RHI and GPU details, etc.
  • Upgraded Unreal Engine to 5.4.1 in the hope it fixes the Nanite Tessellation compatibility issues with Vulkan and/or Proton.
  • Fixed a number of issues that cropped up with the 5.4.1 upgrade.
2024-05-11 Development Build 0.225.0.12
 
  • Created detailed segment templates for 99% of C Deck.
  • Added the bulk of the new C Deck framework geometry.
  • Placed temporary lighting around all of the new C Deck areas to aid in exploration.
2024-05-18 Development Build 0.225.0.13
 
  • Created 3 new wall panel meshes for the B Deck stairwell area.
  • Created a new global wall panel actor with support for dynamic text labels on panels.
  • Created 2 new (wip) ceiling panels for the B Deck stairwell area.
  • Created 1 additional floor panel mesh for the VIP Lounge entrance.
  • Modelled the VIP Lounge doorframe metalwork.
  • Modelled a new yacht-style door mesh for the VIP Lounge. Still needs some work.
  • Generally tweaked the framework meshes around B/C Decks.
2024-05-20 Development Build 0.225.0.14
 
  • Updated the galactic seed generation system to use CRC hashes instead of a simple math formula.
  • Rebased the galactic coordinate system, moving the true galactic centre to coordinates 0, 0, 0.
  • Added the first Sector Political State code. This is the beginnings of civilisation in the galaxy!
  • Fixed the wall panels being rotated 90 degrees on F/G decks.
2024-05-20 Development Build 0.255.0.15 - Hotfix...
 

...It fixes the rogue wall panel jumping out at people on B Deck.

2024-05-23 Development Build 0.225.0.16 - Another midweek build!...
 

...In this build we have a much refined galaxy code, fixes for the real world star locations in sector -258,0,0, and a new volumetric Sag A!

  • Greatly optimised the galaxy generation codebase.  
  • Added the groundwork for more stellar object types. L,T,Y Classes, T-Tauri, Wolf-Rayet, Neutron Stars, White Dwarf stars and Rogue Planets.  
  • Re-imported the Sol-sector real world stars, also with about 600 new additions.  
  • Fixed the positioning offset of the real world stars.  
  • Fixed the positioning offset of Sol's planets.  
  • Fixed Sag A* not being at 0,0,0 properly.  
  • Replaced the old 2D Sag A* model with an all new hand-crafted volumetric version.  
  • Fixed the collisions in the VIP Quarters bedroom doorway. 
2024-05-26 Development Build 0.225.0.17 - It's time for the not-Friday dev build!
 

...I've been doing a lot of optimisation work on the galaxy side of things, and I've also implemented a YouTube player for the conference room. I need to investigate YouTube API compliance some more before we can call that feature permanent, but it's fun to play with for now at least

  • Optimised the array-sorting code for the galaxy sectors.  
  • Moved some of the galaxy-gen code to async functions running on the background thread.  
  • Increased the scale of the realtime starfield so that stars/nebulae don't move about when you rotate the external ship camera.  
  • Fixed the world-scale of the Nebulae. They were too small before, and are now correctly 100ly in diameter.  
  • Moved the test Nebula to -25500,0,0 as it's much bigger now. That's 300ly from Sol, which is a 1hr flight time.  
  • Optimised the nebulae shader a bit. Nebulae should now appear less bright and a bit more realistic.  
  • Implemented a YouTube player in the Conference Room. Click the "Load URL" button and then paste in YouTube link. It will auto play when you press enter.  
  • Added a new light source in the Conference Room that's synced to the YouTube video. It looks awesome if you turn the room lighting off. 
2024-05-30 Development Build 0.225.0.18 - It's the first post-stream build!...
 

...Rather than putting out new builds on Fridays, I am going to instead put out a new build every Wednesday and Sunday after the regular dev streams.

  • Created a new isolated data container for galactic sectors to store high level data. This means we can gather things like stellar populations without actually generating the star system data, which is much more performant.  
  • Converted the Sensors UI to use the new data structure.  
  • Greatly expanded the code for generating the "Background State" of any given sector. If you browse galactic sectors on the Sensors GPS tab, you will now see data relating to what the game will eventually generate there. 
2024-06-03 Development Build 0.225.0.19 - Time for another post-stream build!
 
  • Added SQLite functionality in preparation for importing a 2000ly radius of real world stars (about 60 million real stars).  
  • Updated the "Hold E to use the mouse" functionality so that it no longer zooms the view. You can still hold RMB at the same time to zoom.  
  • Updated the Sensors GPS screen so that the Display Focus buttons properly switch between modes.  
  • Added a "Manual Loc" marker to the Sensors GPS screen.  
  • Updated the general look and feel of the "Ship Loc" and "Manual Loc" markers on the Sensors GPS screen.  
  • Polished the position/zoom of the galaxy map on the Sensors GPS screen. It's now correct for any focus/coordinate combination.  
  • Updated the "Manual Location" coordinates on the Sensors UI so that the same coordinates are shared between the GPS and Long Range modes.  
  • Fixed the ship marker being in the wrong place on the holo-display.  
  • Updated the Holo-display to support all of the various galaxy map focus/coordinate combinations.  
  • Fixed the various label/marker materials so they properly stop rendering beyond the border of the holo-display.  
  • Optimised some of the target marker code for the GPS display mode. 
2024-06-06 Development Build 0.225.0.20 - In this build we have a new fun little feature...
 

...Hotfix. It fixes the rogue wall panel jumping out at people on B Deck.

  • Added MIDI input support for the lounge piano.  
  • Fixed the star names duplicating on the Long Range sensors.  
  • Fixed the range controls not filtering by distance on the Long Range sensors.  
  • Fixed the filter dropdown not filtering the Long Range sensors output.  
  • Fixed the sensor output text being too large for the display (still needs a lot of work).  
  • Linked the Long Range Manual Location coordinates to the GPS mode equivalent.  
  • The Long Range sensors will now list the stars from any manually entered sector, allowing you to plot a course to anywhere, from anywhere, at any range. 
2024-06-10 Development Build 0.225.0.21 - In this build we've increased...
 

...our real world data range to 2000ly, which is over ~17,600,000 real stars! Just to put that into perspective, with a 2000ly radius, and the ship's top speed being 300ly/h, that means it will take nearly 7 hours of constant flight to reach the edge of the real stars zone from Earth.

  • Fixed the YouTube screen in the Conference Room.  
  • Improved the MIDI code on the piano, so hopefully it will support more devices now.  
  • Worked with @Yuudai to create a database of 17.6 million real world stars.  
  • Implemented a new seed system made by @Tristian that gives us 2^256 unique seeds. That's a big number.  
  • Substantially cleaned up the galaxy generation code.  
  • Greatly improved how galactic sectors are generated, with gaps in real world data backfilled with procedural generation.  
  • Increased the range in which various star classes are rendered.  
  • Improved the array sort function on the stellar data, which seems to have removed all hitching when the ship moves 1ly.  
  • Added a pool table to the VIP Lounge. It's just a static prop right now, but I have plans for it in the future. 
2024-06-10 Development Build 0.225.0.22
 
  • This is a hotfix for the MIDI/Piano system. A single space made all the difference. 
2024-06-17 Development Build 0.225.0.23 - There's not a lot of new stuff...
 

... in this build as I've been on holiday all week, but here's what's new:

  • The front of the ship now has its base geometry, which at this stage is still just a hollow shell.  
  • The drone camera speed controls (mouse wheel) are now exponential, and have a much higher upper speed limit.  
  • The drone camera now resets to the bridge with its default speed if you press the middle mouse button.  
  • The first-person torch is now twice as bright, with double the range. 
2024-06-21 Development Build 0.225.0.24 - This is actually Wednesday's post-stream build...
 

but unexpected desk-sleeping and then some bugs that needed fixing induced a bit of a delay!

  • Updated the piano code to be compatible with more MIDI devices.  
  • Worked with @Tristian to further refine the sector-gen code on the galaxy. It's only taking about 50ms now to generate a typical sector.  
  • Updated the Real Stars SQL data using @Yuudai's updated DB structure, which is now a bit faster.  
  • Changed the order in which some aspects of the galaxy-gen happens, further improving generation speed.  
  • Renamed some of the more famous stars to reflect their common names. Still a lot of cleaning/tidying to do on the real stellar data.  
  • Modelled and added the rear section of the ship's basic framework, so it's almost entirely airtight now.  
  • Added a temporary floor to the Brig, so you no longer fall out when brigged.  
  • Updated the "Home" key when sat at the Helm so that it properly targets Earth's new location. 
2024-06-24 Development Build 0.225.0.25 - We're now rocking L, T and Y Class stars!
 
  • Updated the new game start location to align with the new Sol coordinates.  
  • Updated the Home button to align with the new Sol coordinates.  
  • Built a new star actor for LTY class stars.  
  • Tied the real world LTY stars to the new actor.  
  • Added procedural LTY class stars to the whole galaxy. Right now the population numbers are static. I need to research their real world distribution more. 
2024-06-28 Development Build 0.225.0.26 - A few fixes and a bunch of new framework
 
  • Fixed the Sol planets having strayed outside of the Sol system.  
  • Improved the lighting on LTY Class stars.  
  • Improved the magenta tint on T Class stars.  
  • Added/refined more of the structural framework on D and C decks. (The bit I did on stream is at the front of C Deck). 
2024-07-01 Development Build 0.225.0.27 Updated Real Stars list...
 

...and the new D/E Deck layout roughed in.

  • Added Saggitarius A* to the new Real Stars DB. I still need to add the code to recognise real Black Holes.  
  • @Yuudai has added approximately 2 million White Dwarf stars to the Real Stars DB. They will be recognised as such in game soon.  
  • Built a script for manually tweaking some of the Real Stars data, which we can run each time there's a new data pull.  
  • Updated the Real Stars DB to the latest version, which now has 18.2 million objects within 2000ly of Sol.  
  • Replaced the D Deck geometry with a blocked out version of its full new layout.  
  • Replaced the E Deck geometry with a blocked out version of its full new layout.  
  • Turned the player torch into a mini sun for exploring the new dark areas. 
2024-07-05 Development Build 0.225.0.28 Updated the greybox layout on D/E Decks...
 

...and started exploring the connection to F Deck

  • Re-jigged the crew quarters corridors to create a straight path to the outer ring.  
  • Doubled the width of the outer ring and placed test seating around it.  
  • Created a space for the bowling alley.  
  • Created the Internal Security area, with a firing range, office space, and 4 brig cells.  
  • Added the interior framework skin for the lower ring supports.  
  • Added the start of some structural ribbing inside the lower ring supports.  
  • Added a test route for the access path from F Deck through the ring supports.  
  • Generally tweaked and refined the D/E Deck interior layout. 
2024-07-11 Development Build 0.225.0.29 More D/E Deck layout refinements...
 

...and all Star/Planet types are now viewable on the short range sensors

  • Further explored and refined the internal layout of D/E Decks.  
  • Added the ability to zoom the Short Range sensors properly on the Holo-Display, with accurate distance scales.  
  • Added a temporary zoom clamp to the Short Range sensors on the Holo-Display, to prevent planets getting too large.  
  • Created new Holo-Display materials for the Sol planets and their associated rings.  
  • Created new Holo-Display materials for the Procedural planets.  
  • Refined the code for generating visual stars/planets.  
  • Created a new master class for "pre-textured" planets, like those of the Sol system. All pre-textured planets now inherit from this single class.  
  • Created a new master class for "procedurally textured" planets. All procedurally textured planets now inherit from this single class.  
  • Added Holo-Display compatibility to all planet and star types.  
  • Added some super WIP running lights to the ship's hull. 
2024-07-19 Development Build 0.225.0.30 - Piles of galaxy/star system data updates
 
  • Created macros for various bits of repetitive math used when building stellar data.  
  • Added a few additional data points to the stellar data pool.  
  • Fixed the Roche Limit calculation for all star classes.  
  • Added a Luminosity multiplier to the Roche Limit when placing the first planet in a system, to simulate the effect of stellar wind etc from larger stars.  
  • Added 80 stellar sub-classes to the star data generation, from O0V (50,000K) down to Y9 (250K).  
  • Significantly overhauled and expanded the data structures for planetary bodies.  
  • Refined and optimised the code for defining Orbital Distances.  
  • Refined and optimised the code for defining Base Planet Types.  
  • Refined and optimised the code for defining Planetary Masses.  
  • Refined and optimised the code for defining Core, Mantle and Crust densities.  
  • Refined and optimised the code for defining Core Mass Fractions.  
  • Refined and optimised the code for defining Planetary Radii & Volumes.  
  • Refined and optimised the code for defining Planetary Gravity.  
  • Refined and optimised the code for defining Planetary Atmospheres.  
  • Refined and optimised the code for defining Surface Temperatures.  
  • Refined and optimised the code for defining Final Planet Types.  
  • Refined and optimised the code for defining Orbital Characteristics.  
  • Refined and optimised the code for defining Planetary Data Objects.  
  • Added a new "Has Life?" boolean to the planet data. Big things will be coming from this soon.  
  • Updated the Sensors UI to list a lot of the new data points on Long Range scans.  
  • Updated the Live Starfield code to manage its own ship-relative location/rotation.  
  • Updated the static Star Skybox to manage its own ship-relative rotation. 
2024-07-26 Development Build 0.225.0.31 - Fundamentally changed...
 

...and improved how star systems are generated. This actually went live last night, I'm just getting around to finishing up the notes

  • Fixed the Sol planets all defaulting to the Earth class.  
  • Fixed the Filter on the Long Range sensors not filtering properly.  
  • Made the Long Range target list display the actual planet types. This is temporary for testing purposes.  
  • Fixed Black Holes behaving strangely.  
  • Black Holes now have a proper stellar mass range, with correspondingly small radii.  
  • Added planets to Black Holes. The huge Roche Limits generally mean you won't find anything other than icy bodies and ice giants.  
  • Reduced the size of the "Imposter" dot you see in space for planets.  
  • Fixed atmospheres not rendering properly on the new procedural planets class.  
  • Planetary escape velocity is now available as a data point.  
  • Added atmospheric chemicals to Gas Giants.  
  • Added a random 10% chance of life on Gas Giants (temporary for testing).  
  • Fundamentally changed how planetary systems are constructed. 
2024-07-31 Development Build 0.225.0.32 - Further improved planet generation...
 

...with a more organic process and additional data points.

  • Proto-planetary disk mass fractions (Hydrogen / Helium / Metals) are now implemented.  
  • Proto-planetary disk size is now properly calculated.  
  • Proto-planetary disk lifetime / evaporation are now properly calculated.  
  • Planets will no longer form beyond the Carbon Monoxide Snow Line, at around 30 Kelvin. This region will become a Kuiper Belt equivalent.  
  • Stars now report their mass fractions, metallicity, gravity and escape velocity.  
  • Gas Giant determination now depends on a body's ability to hold on to Molecular Hydrogen, which is properly calculated from the initial rocky body's escape velocity and the equilibrium temperature.  
  • Rocky Cores now use up the actual "metals" mass available in the proto-planetary disk, which properly limits the total mass of rocky cores in the system.  
  • Gas Giant Envelopes now use up the Hydrogen/Helium mass available in the proto-planetary disk, which properly constrains the size of Gas Giants in the system.  
  • Improved the Long Range sensors data on the UI, with separate boxes and more organised information. 
2024-08-08 Development Build 0.225.0.33 - Mostly modelling work and some tidying up.
 
  • Polished up more of the ceiling framework around the C Deck core and stairwell area.  
  • All floor panels on the ship have now been replaced by a common actor, with a simple static mesh input. Previously all floor panels were children of this actor, but this change removes some file structure bloat and makes the system far more versatile moving forwards.  
  • Built new floor panels for the C Deck stairwell area. These same panels will also be re-used on D/E Decks eventually.  
  • Finalised the framework where the main stairwell cuts between decks, including the lip measurements and the location of the wall panel brackets.  
  • Built a new staircase for the main stairwell that properly fits the new deck heights, which is overall a lot more high-poly compared to the previous one, thanks to Nanite. It still requires handrails and some smoothing off however.  
  • Removed Steve from his guard post on A Deck, and give him the ability to freely roam the ship. He could be anywhere, hiding quietly in the dark.  
  • Rebuilt the ship-wide nav mesh, so NPC's can path around once more. 
2024-08-12 Development Build 0.225.0.34 - Some accessibility improvements.
 
  • Finished the new main stairwell stairs structure, and added some additional detail to the top and bottom steps. It still needs the glass adding back.  
  • Added "Headbob" as an option under Gameplay Settings. It's now off by default, and is no longer connected to the "C" camera cycle.  
  • Added "Camera Zoom Amount" to the Accessibility Options, which controls how much the camera zooms when you press the right mousebutton. 0% is essentially equal to your current FOV, and 100% is equivalent to an FOV of 5, which is super zoomed in. Hopefully this will help players who have difficulty reading the text on UI screens.  
  • The mouse speed now scales with zoom level, so it will slow down when zoomed in.  
  • Added the "Home" key to the quick reference to let players know you can press Home when sat at the Helm to target Earth.  
  • Fixed the floor panels in Engineering rendering as untextured squares. 
2024-08-15 Development Build 0.225.0.35 - New crosshair options and some work on B Deck.
 
  • Added 23 new crosshair variations to the Controls Settings.  
  • Fixed the "Press F" text staying on screen when you enter a drone camera.  
  • Added Forward/Back indicators to the tutorial text box.  
  • Replaced the static background image on the tutorial text box with a dynamic border version.  
  • Updated various pieces of framework geometry around B Deck.  
  • Created a new custom collisions mesh for the B Deck framework flooring.  
  • Modelled a couple of test wall panels for the B Deck main stairwell planter.  
  • Removed the window meshes from the staterooms on B Deck temporarily. They'll be replaced with scene-projection capable versions. 
2024-08-19 Development Build 0.225.0.36 - New wall panels on B Deck.
 
  • Nudged a few wall panel brackets around a bit for perfect alignment.  
  • Modelled 7 new wall panel meshes for B Deck.  
  • Added the B Deck information screens back in.  
  • Changed the layout of the stateroom entrance alcoves slightly on the build template, wrapping the carpet to the wall profile.  
  • Fixed some missing collisions and filled some framework gaps around B Deck. 
2024-08-20 Development Build 0.225.0.37 - Hotfix for F/G Deck wall panels.
 
  • Fixed all the wall panels around F/G Decks.  
  • Fixed some flooring panels around the G Deck maintenance tunnels.  
  • Modelled new floor panels for the stateroom entrance alcoves. 
2024-08-22 Development Build 0.225.0.38 - New Security Desk on B Deck.
 
  • Finalised a lot of the ceiling framework around B Deck.  
  • Adjusted the VIP Lounge entry panels on B Deck to include a curved top to match the ceiling panel.  
  • Added bolts/brackets to the WIP ceiling panels outside of the VIP Lounge.  
  • Added a couple more wall panels to B Deck.  
  • Built a new security desk on B Deck.  
  • Built a new ceiling light above the security desk.  
  • Built new carpet panels to fit around the security desk.  
  • Optimised the framework wall panel brackets to be slightly less high-poly. 
2024-08-27 Development Build 0.225.0.39 - Backer systems v0.1!
 
  • Created a new SQL database for storing backer star systems. Right now it's just name, star temperature and location. The planets are procedural.  
  • Implemented the new Backer Stars database into the galaxy gen.  
  • Tweaked the anchor points for floor/wall/ceiling panels on B Deck for more accurate snap-alignment.  
  • Built some more wall panels for the B Deck corridor.  
  • Built some more floor panels for the B Deck corridor.  
  • Created a custom collision mesh for the B Deck server room floor.  
  • Tweaked the anchor positions on C Deck Ring 1.  
  • Copied the B Deck wall and floor panels down to C Deck.  
  • Made the Info Screen actor more generic, so it can be used anywhere without the need to create child classes. (Reducing folder bloat).  
  • Added a lot more attachment bolts around B Deck.  
  • Reduced the gaps between the floor panels.  
  • Merged the double floor panels in front and behind the B Deck security desk into single panels. 
2024-08-29 Development Build 0.225.0.40 - Now featuring dirty carpets
 
  • The flooring tiles now actively show dirt/grime when their grunge value increases.  
  • When players/NPCs step on a floor tile they add 0.01 to that tile's grunge value.  
  • For testing, and because we don't have a crew yet, floor tiles will tick up 0.01 grunge every 60 seconds.  
  • Added the old Roomba back to the game, which now actively cleans dirty floor tiles! It will eventually be replaced by an actual cleaning droid.  
  • Built several new wall panels around B Deck.  
  • Fixed some holes in the VIP Kitchen wall.  
  • Fixed some wall panels facing the wrong way in Engineering.  
  • Replaced the old balustrade lighting solution with a new one that is much more reliable.  
  • Removed the data centre doorway from B Deck, in favour of it being on C Deck alongside all the science labs.  
  • Added additional backer systems to the new database. We now have 40 backer systems in the game. 
2024-09-02 Development Build 0.225.0.41 - Bunch o' wall panels
 
  • Fleshed out the structural framework behind the B Deck stairwell planters.  
  • Modelled 9 new wall panels for the B Deck stairwell area.  
  • Added some missing bolts to existing B Deck wall panels.  
  • Copied compatible panels down to C/D Decks.  
  • Started modelling the B Deck ceiling area. 
2024-09-05 Development Build 0.225.0.42 - An uplifting experience
 
  • Experimented with various ceiling panel designs on B Deck.  
  • Made the main crew lift fully functional, with call buttons on decks B through F, and a deck selection panel within the lift.  
  • Added a WIP interior lift door, which opens along a curve. I might make all the doors curved where they exist on a curved wall.  
  • Added mouse sensitivity controls to the camera drone. Simply press [ or ] to decrease/increase the sensitivity in 5% increments. 
2024-09-13 Development Build 0.225.0.43 - I broke stuff, and then fixed it again, but better!
 
  • Added bolts to a few more wall panels that were missing them.  
  • Updated the handrail height on most panels so that they all match, and added a support bracket so that the handrails are no longer hovering in mid-air.  
  • Modelled some new doors for the main crew lift, both interior and exterior. These doors move on a curved track, and we'll use that approach for all doors on curved walls from now on.  
  • Moved the lift closer to the wall framework, which reduces the gap between the doors, but also causes some geometry to clip through the doors. This will be fixed on a per-deck basis.  
  • Fixed one of the lights on the Bridge ceiling not responding to the wall controls properly.  
  • Built a few new wall panels for the VIP Quarters, including a shelving unit and a WIP bed frame.  
  • Implemented a number of new shaders for handling triplanar projection on both moving and non-moving geometry. The new shaders are approximately 66% more memory efficient, utilising only a single texture sample instead of three.  
  • Updated the vast majority of the materials used on the ship interior to utilise the new shaders, and generally tidied them all up.  
  • Updated the roomba and floor panel code to work with the new shaders.  
  • Fixed the textures on the Bridge/Lounge chairs warping when the chair moves.  
  • Fixed the textures in the lift warping when the lift moves.  
  • Updated the Wood and Resin floor materials so that they support dirt/grime properly.  
  • Increased the detail of the Resin floor material to include hairline scratches and a slight ripple effect. 
2024-09-17 Development Build 0.225.0.44 - Now with added cat hair
 
  • Added bolts and new railings to 6 more wall panel meshes.  
  • Added some subtle scratches to the ship's structural framework material.  
  • Re-modelled the VIP Quarters alcove carpet to remove the excessive gap, and to add its bolts.  
  • Re-modelled the VIP Quarters doorframe to reduce the white panel's curve size, add the proper handrail, and add its bolts.  
  • Added the "auto refresh" on/off functionality to the Long Range sensors.  
  • Fixed Black Holes rendering at their full size on the Holo Display.  
  • Fixed the Holo Display turning itself back on if you have it turned off.  
  • Added a ship's cat.  
  • Added much smoother spline-based pathfinding for the cat, and built a new system for handling idle animations.  
  • Started the process of finalising the ship's various framework pieces for the upcoming demo update.  
  • Cleaned up a few dirty carpets that the poor roomba can't reach.  
  • Updated the Backer Systems database. We now have 54 backer systems in the game (Still only Name/Type/Location currently). 
2024-09-27 Development Build 0.225.0.45 - Sensors Improvement
 
  • Built a whole new list item UI element for listing star systems on the Long Range sensors.  
  • Added a splash of colour to the star system UI element, which uses the star's Kelvin temperature.  
  • Added a "Percentage Explored" indicator to the star system UI element, the functionality of which will be built over time.  
  • Replaced the existing Long Range sensor listing with the new UI element. (Replaces the tree method, which never really worked smoothly).  
  • Added a new page on the Long Range sensors for the planetary listings.  
  • Added a fade animation between the two Long Range sensor pages.  
  • Built a new UI element to host the "Send To Helm" button and the Coordinates display.  
  • Updated several UNOS UI elements to support additional functionality/customisation.  
  • Moved the "auto refresh" on/off UI element to a more sensible location on the Long Range sensors. 
2024-09-27 Development Build 0.225.0.45 - SQL Stellar Catalogues Hotfix
 
  • Added the Real World and Backer stellar catalogues. Unreal doesn't copy those files over automatically when packaging, so they were absent on the Laptop-based temporary build solution. 
2024-10-06 Development Build 0.225.0.46 - Time to start scanning
 
  • Significantly improved the Sensors data structure.  
  • Created various new UI elements to support the new data structure.  
  • The Explored percentage on the Long Range sensors is now connected to the save system.  
  • Added a progress screen to the Long Range Survey process.  
  • Planet listings on the Long Range sensors now show "Unknown Planet" until a survey has been performed.  
  • Added a tree structure to the Long Range sensors planets listing. 
2024-10-07 Development Build 0.225.0.47 - Unleash your inner honk!
 
  • Updated the Medium Range sensors layout to bring it in line with the Long Range version.  
  • Added the ability to perform a Medium Range scan while within a star system, which reveals more information about the planets therein ("Atmospheric Terrestrial Worlds" will further refine down to "Earth Analogues" or "Water Worlds" for example).  
  • Added the additional exploration percentage gained from Medium Range scans to the existing save data. 
2024-10-10 Development Build 0.225.0.48 - Surface Maps
 
  • Fixed a few minor issues with the sensors.  
  • Build a new system for distributing generated planet textures to various different game systems.  
  • Added a new "Surface Map" function on the Short Range sensors. This will display a 2D map of the planet's surface.  
  • The Short Range sensors will now automatically show targets within range.  
  • The Short Range sensors will now update the distance to the ship in real time. 
2024-10-14 Development Build 0.225.0.49 - More sensor polish
 
  • Added a 3 tier graphical indicator to planetary listings on the sensors, which reflects the 3 levels of scan depth.  
  • Fixed the medium range scan not saving properly.  
  • Renamed the "Display Range" controls to "Display Zoom", and inverted the controls on all sensor modes.  
  • Fixed the GPS mode not counting the stellar objects properly.  
  • Added "Rogue Planet" and "Unknown" counters to the sector object count. They'll just show 0 for now.  
  • Fixed the GPS mode not calculating the sector type properly.  
  • Tidied up the boxes on the GPS mode so they all line up nicely.  
  • Improved how the GPS mode is rendered on the Holo Display.  
  • Added the current Sensor Target to the galaxy map on the Holo Display.  
  • Renamed all instances of "Manual Target" with "Manual Sector" on the Sensors, which more accurately describes the output data.  
  • Replaced the "Manual Sector" indicator with an accurately scaled red cube on the Holo Display, highlighting the exact size of one cubic sector.  
  • Added a small information panel under the sensor mode buttons to display things like sensor status and condition.  
  • Added some flashing status text on the Long Range sensors when a survey is running.  
  • Fixed the Filter dropdown on the Long Range sensors.  
  • Added the Long Range manual location output to the Holo Display.  
  • Clamped the colour value on LTY class stars on the Holo Display so that they don't get displayed as bright red objects.  
  • Fixed the Sensors and Nav Target indicators on the Long Range Holo Display.  
  • Fixed the rendering of manual sectors on the Long Range Holo Display.  
  • Hooked up the remaining manual entry buttons on the Long Range sensors UI.  
  • Fixed various issues with focus switching on the Long Range sensors UI.  
  • Replaced the "spawned planet actor" with a more lightweight textured sphere on the Short Range Holo Display. Still WIP. 
2024-10-17 Development Build 0.225.0.50 - New Long Range Orrery Map
 
  • Added the little mode-details screen to the Medium and Short range sensors.  
  • The "Initiate Survey" button will now be greyed out and show as "Survey Complete" on the Medium & Long Range sensors if that system has already been scanned.  
  • Fixed the Long Range sensors not properly resetting to their default state when switching sensor modes.  
  • The "View Detail" button on the Long Range sensors is now greyed out if no target is selected.  
  • Fixed the Sensors Target indicator lingering on the Holo Display when no target is selected.  
  • Added the ability to align the Medium Range Holo Display to the ship or the target object.  
  • Added an Orrery Map to the Long Range Holo Display when selecting "View Detail" on any star system, at any range. 
2024-10-21 Development Build 0.225.0.51 - More feature completeness
 
  • Fixed the Orrery Map object alignment on the Holo Display. Everything is now in the correct relative location/rotation.  
  • Renamed the "GPS Dish" text on the sensors UI to "XNAV Dish", reflecting its nature as a complex X-Ray Telescope.  
  • Added a KM/AU scale zoom function to the Long Range UI for the Orrery Map, when on the "View Detail" mode.  
  • Replaced the single string "Action Message" variable on the sensors UI with an array instead. UI buttons can now trigger any number of unique actions.  
  • Fixed the Long Range sensors losing their target highlight when toggling the current focus mode.  
  • Tweaked the relative brightness of stars on the Holo Display to better accentuate the hotter stars.  
  • Improved the way explored state is tracked by the sensors UI and Holo Display. It's now stored as part of the sensor state, making it easier to pass around.  
  • The star/planets and their associated labels will now scale with the Holo Display Orrery Map, so if you zoom all the way in they get huge.  
  • Replaced the volumetric temperature regions with a texture based solution on the Holo Display, which means they now work when volumetric fog is turned off.  
  • Added the Sensor and Nav targets back to the Orrery Map.  
  • Made the Long Range scan results a little more ambiguous. They now only say "Terrestrial Planet" or "Gas Giant". A Medium Range scan is required to reveal more.  
  • Fixed numerous small niggles with the Long Range Sensors UI and the Holo Display. 
2024-10-25 Development Build 0.225.0.52 - New surface scan overlays
 
  • Added the ability to list the Medium Range sensors by distance "To Parent" or "To Ship".  
  • Updated the distance display on the Long and Medium range sensors to show KM if the distance is <0.1 AU.  
  • Implemented range awareness on the Long Range sensors, so the survey button will say now "Out of Range" if the target is over 2,000ly away.  
  • The Long Range sensors will now only show planets around a star up to the maximum 2,000ly range. They will soon estimate the number of planets instead, based on unaccounted mass.  
  • Added the knowledge level requirements to the Medium Range sensors.  
  • Added the ability to toggle clouds on or off on the Short Range planet view.  
  • Added the ability to toggle the day/night terminator on the Short Range planet view.  
  • Added the ability to show tech signatures on the Short Range planet view. 
2024-10-29 Development Build 0.225.0.53 - Follow the orange dotted road
 
  • Added 3D lines to the Nav and Sensor targets on the Long and Medium Range holo display modes.  
  • Created a new marquee material to make the 3D lines animated.  
  • Added distance display text to the new 3D lines.  
  • Fixed the Holo Display targets remaining visible beyond the edge of the display.  
  • Fixed the mini ship on the Holo Display being incorrectly visible in distant systems.  
  • Gave the mini ship a glowing texture to make it more visually obvious.  
  • Fixed the Nav and Sensor targets not having target circles on the bridge window display.  
  • Fixed the Sensor target not rendering at all on the bridge window display.  
  • Optimised a few aspects of the Holo Display rendering. 
2024-10-31 Development Build 0.225.0.54 - Scan everything!
 
  • Renamed the "Display Zoom" titles back to "Display Range" on all 4 sensor modes.  
  • Capped the sorted sector data to 50ly, which has all but completely fixed the per-lightyear hitching.  
  • Improved the Short Range data overlay buttons so that they have clear ON/OFF states.  
  • Added a temporary ship teleport button to the Sensors UI. (For rapid debugging).  
  • Added a temporary AutoNav button to the sensors UI. (Simulates an NPC pilot).  
  • Added the Orrery Map to the Short Range sensors. This will change to the planetary map when the map is enabled.  
  • Fixed the Display Range controls on the Short Range sensors.  
  • Added the ability to scan individual planets and stars, which means star systems can now be scanned up to the full 100%.  
  • Fixed the sensor target distance text showing up on the Orrery Map when no target is selected.  
  • Fixed stars showing negative distance values on various sensor modes.  
  • Fixed the Long Range sensors not properly capping their display range at 50ly when using the range controls.  
  • Polished and tweaked a few minor things here and there. 
2024-11-04 Development Build 0.225.0.55 - AVA appears to be from Bristol.
 
  • Fixed some items on the holo display not layering properly with the glass panels around the bridge.  
  • Renamed the "Display Order" category box to "Sensors UI" on the Medium Range sensors, and added a new toggle button for Display Order.  
  • Renamed the "Display Alignment" category box to "Holo Display" on the Medium Range sensors, and added a new toggle button for Display Alignment.  
  • Added a button to toggle the Temperature Regions on/off on the Medium Range sensors.  
  • Created a new material for rendering the temperature regions on a 2D plane. This will be for a future "flat" mode on the Orrery Map.  
  • Renamed the range category boxes (again) to "Sensor Range" in the hope that it causes the least amount of confusion.  
  • Fixed a math error on the Medium sensor range, and increased the display range to 30,000AU to match the hardware limit. It also now shows as LY over 0.1 LY.  
  • Added a visual effect to the dotted sensor target line when an active scan is taking place.  
  • Updated the sensor target label to say "SCANNING" when an active scan is taking place.  
  • Added a progress bar to the Long Range sensors when conducting a survey.  
  • Updated the Holo Display so that it cycles through the objects being scanned when conducting a Long Range survey.  
  • Updated the Holo Display so that it cycles through the objects being scanned when conducting a Medium Range survey.  
  • Greatly improved how visibility is managed for the space labels visible from the bridge windows.  
  • Updated the Long Range detail mode to have the star targeted by default.  
  • Added some AVA voice lines for the Long Range survey.  
  • Started replacing the WIP greybox geometry around D/E decks with proper framework pieces.  
  • Replaced the old Ring 0 framework geometry on F Deck with the new properly segmented version. 
2024-11-07 Development Build 0.225.0.56 - Back to the construction yard
 
  • Fixed several player collision issues around the main crew lift area.  
  • Prepped F Deck for its new framework pieces by removing the existing (incorrectly sized) floor and wall panels.  
  • F Deck, Ring 1, Aft - New framework walls.  
  • F Deck, Ring 1, Port, Forward, Starboard - New framework walls.  
  • F Deck, Ring 0 - New framework floor & custom collision mesh.  
  • F Deck, Ring 1, Aft - New framework floor & custom collision mesh.  
  • F Deck, Ring 1, Port, Forward, Starboard - New framework floor & custom collision mesh.  
  • F Deck, Ring 2, Aft - New framework floor (WIP) & custom collision mesh.  
  • F Deck, Ring 2, Port, Forward, Starboard - New framework floor (WIP) & custom collision mesh. 
2024-11-12 Development Build 0.225.0.57 - Time to mash that F1 key and report everything!
 
  • F Deck, Ring 1, Aft - Updated framework walls.  
  • F Deck, Ring 2, Aft - Updated framework walls.  
  • F Deck, Ring 2, Port, Forward, Starboard - Updated framework walls.  
  • Enabled Cloud Saves on Steam for all game branches, including the current public Demo.  
  • Fixed and re-enabled the F1 bug reporting form.  
  • Designed and templated the maintenance access corridors where F Deck connects to the FTL ring.  
  • Started building the "Keel Fin" that connects G Deck to the FTL ring.  
  • Designed and modelled the underside framework sections for F and G decks, including the cavity for the cargo holds to the rear.  
  • Started laying out the greybox geometry for the sublight engines and their associated pylons.  
  • Mapped out where the crew access points need to be cut through for the new H, I, and J decks inside the Keel Fin.  
  • Cut some access holes and fixed some collisions around G Deck. 
2024-11-21 Development Build 0.225.0.58 - Mmm, that new flooring smell.
 
  • D/E/F/G Decks, Ring 0 - Re-modelled all 3 versions of the stairs in the reactor room so that they fit the new deck heights.  
  • D/E/F/G Decks, Ring 0 - Added new spline-driven railings to the new stairs.  
  • F/G Decks, Ring 1 - Designed and modelled 4 new rubber floor panels. (They are similar to the old ones, just more detailed).  
  • F Deck, Ring 2 - Designed and modelled 1 new rubber floor panels.  
  • F Deck, Rings 1/2 - Added numerous new socket-based connection points around for the new floor panels.  
  • F Deck, Rings 1/2 - Fleshed out more of the structural framework pieces. 
2024-11-25 Development Build 0.225.0.59 - The network just cannae handle it cap'n!
 
  • The new sensors are now ~90% functional in multiplayer. It's mostly just the main star listing not replicating now due to packet size issues.  
  • Added a throttle to some of the sensor data updates to stop the replication being overwhelmed.  
  • Refined how numerous aspects of the sensors handle replication in an effort to optimise the network traffic.  
  • Fixed the ship lighting being super bright in multiplayer games for clients.  
  • F Deck, Ring 2 - Designed and modeled 2 new engineering floor panels.  
  • F Deck, Ring 2 - Updated the framework geometry around the battery rooms. 
2024-11-29 Development Build 0.225.0.60 - Replicate everything!
 
  • Updated the Galaxy Gen system so that it runs locally on client machines rather than being server-side only.  
  • There is now a physical box representing the Galaxy Gen system, located in the data centre on C Deck. It's a fun little meta thing.  
  • Replaced the replicated galaxy data with locally generated versions for better multiplayer performance.  
  • Updated the list-scroll function on the Long Range sensors so that the scroll position is replicated in multiplayer.  
  • Tested all sensor functions in multiplayer, with all of them seemingly now working as expected. Stress testing required.  
  • B Deck, Ring 1 - Fixed the collisions on the VIP Quarters framework.  
  • Fixed Jonesy's pathing issues. 
2024-11-30 Development Build 0.225.0.61 - Bunch O' Fixes
 
  • Fixed the player being respawned every time the ship moves 1ly.  
  • Fixed the client getting stuck on "Generating Galaxy" when joining a multiplayer game.  
  • Fixed clients not rendering any stars outside of the ship in multiplayer.  
  • Fixed bug 1384 - Multiplayer games are not allowing joins immediately.  
  • Fixed bug 1217 - LINUX BLINDING LIGHTS. 
2024-12-03 Development Build 0.225.0.62 - Moar Fixes
 
  • Fixed bug 1382 - Visible FTL effect not rendering if you disengage and re-engage FTL too quickly.  
  • Fixed bug 1298 - Mouse cursor vanishes in menus when a controller is plugged in.  
  • Fixed bug 1433 - YouTube player is broken.  
  • Fixed bug 459 - System Map labels don't appear until you click the system map button.  
  • Fixed bug 1469 - Funny physics glitch in passageway on D deck.  
  • Fixed bug 1465 - Planets that are off-screen are not updating on a Long Range scan.  
  • Fixed bug 1435 - Changing the Filter dropdown on the Long Range sensors isn't refreshing the list of targets.  
  • F Deck, Ring 1 - Added 3 new engineering style wall panel meshes and set up the panel labels.  
  • Fixed the UI screens on the main crew lift. 
2024-12-12 Development Build 0.225.0.63 "Aliens!"
 
  • F Deck, Ring 1, Aft - Added bracing/brackets to the framework around the main stairs.  
  • F Deck, Ring 1, Aft - Added 7 new engineering style wall panel meshes and set up the panel labels.  
  • F Deck, Ring 1, Aft - Added some Icelandic pebbles and rock formations to the main stairwell planter.  
  • F Deck, Ring 1, Aft - Added some old naval and engineering items to the main stairwell planter.  
  • F Deck, Ring 1, Aft - Added all of the missing panel bolts and location labels.  
  • Fixed the YouTube player showing a bright white screen by default.  
  • Fixed the F1 and F3 keys not working in recent builds.  
  • Added the first data generation for spawning FTL capable civilisations across the whole galaxy.  
  • Added alien empires, which in their initial form, consist of a central home system surrounded by a number of occupied systems.  
  • Built a new system for generating procedural alien race names. This will soon be improved to support consistent sounding themes.  
  • Added a new "Tech Signature" flag on the Long Range sensors, which will appear on inhabited planets following a Long Range scan.  
  • Updated the Star System code to focus on placing an Earthlike planet in the habitable zone for systems hosting an FTL capable species.  
  • Implemented some distribution curves to control the procedural attributes of alien civilisations. 
2024-12-16 Development Build 0.225.0.64 - Now with added fluff
 
  • Updated the Long Range summary field so that it generates a wordy description of the location instead of just data points.  
  • Updated the Holo Display so that inhabited systems show up as green dots. (Temporary for testing purposes).  
  • Fixed inhabited systems not highlighting properly on the Long Range target filter. (Temporary for testing purposes).  
  • Tweaked the inhabited system density/distribution numbers to get a more even spread.  
  • Updated the number of systems controlled by a race so that it's driven by their tech level.  
  • Updated the spread of planets controlled by a race so that it's driven by how many controlled systems there actually are.  
  • Added 70 unique spectral analysis graphics for stars on the Long Range system detail view.  
  • Updated the information readout for stars on the Long Range system detail view. 
2025-01-02 Development Build 0.225.0.66 - All about the data.
 
  • Toned down the strength of the M Class stars out of the window, and removed the LTY class stars from view as they are far too low a magnitude to be visible.  
  • Migrated all of the text data from the Sensors UI to the Galaxy-Gen system, so descriptive text for celestial objects is immediately available to any game system.  
  • Migrated the data handling code for all of the stellar text fields on the Sensors UI to a self-contained macro for easy re-use.  
  • Overhauled how knowledge levels work for celestial objects, so that it's now stored on a per-object basis instead of having generic booleans for the entire star system.  
  • Fixed knowledge level 3 (short range) scans not registering properly on the Sensors UI.  
  • Added a lot more data points to the stellar sensor output.  
  • Added a Dust Sublimation line to star system generation, so that no planets form where the equilibrium temperature exceeds 2000 Kelvin.  
  • Increased the required equilibrium temperature for lava worlds to 1200 Kelvin, up from 874 Kelvin.  
  • Began implementing Tidal Truncation Radius for stars, which will form the outer limit of Oort Clouds and the extent to which a star can affect the FTL drive.  
  • Added plants to all of the planters on B Deck (Thanks @Clairimus Prime !). 
2025-01-06 Development Build 0.225.0.67 - Now with added Kuiper Belts!
 
  • Fixed Mercury's spelling.  
  • Fixed the Sol planets not having L2/L3 names.  
  • Fixed the galaxy-gen incorrectly setting the max planet distance to 0km. Derp.  
  • Refined the Hill Sphere and Tidal Truncation Limit code for stars.  
  • Added the code to calculate a star's Oort Cloud maximum radius. This is based on galactic region, and is typically ~50% of the calculated Hill Sphere.  
  • Added Haumea, Makemake, Eris and Sedna to Sol.  
  • Added Knowledge Level 3 to all Sol bodies as default on fresh save files. I'll work out how to retrospectively set that.  
  • Added Kuiper belt Inner/Outer limits to the galaxy gen code. I'll refer to it generically as a "Scattered Disk" for all star systems.  
  • All star systems now spawn "Kuiper Belts", otherwise known as a scattered disk of icy dwarf bodies.  
  • Scattered Disk extents, Tidal Truncation Limits and Hill Radii are now displayed on the sensors UI.  
  • The Long/Medium range surveys will now reset the saved knowledge for any given system, effectively self-healing the data.  
  • The Stellar sensor data is now complete and accurately duplicated on all relevant sensor modes. 
2025-01-06 Development Build 0.225.0.68 - Sol Data Hotfix
 
  • Fixed exploration and some other data not loading properly when starting a new game.  
  • Fixed Venus not having a name at L2/L3 knowledge levels.  
  • Fixed the Sol system reporting 107% when fully explored. 
2025-01-09 Development Build 0.225.0.69 - Moar Data!
 
  • Added a description to the Sol star.  
  • Added a "Life Sig" indicator to the sensors, alongside the "Tech Sig" one.  
  • Moved the "Life" and "Tech" indicators into a more permanent position.  
  • Added Roche Limit calculation to the planet-gen, and also connected it up to the sensors output.  
  • Added Hill Radius calculation to the planet-gen, and also connected it up to the sensors output.  
  • Added Orbital Period calculation to the planet-gen, and also connected it up to the sensors output.  
  • Added Orbital Velocity calculation to the planet-gen, and also connected it up to the sensors output.  
  • Added a blacklist of bad words to the random alien name generator.  
  • Fixed the bug that was causing inhabited systems to have multiple hundreds of planets between the inhabited world and the star.  
  • Added Planet physical characteristics to the Sensors UI properly.  
  • Fixed atmospheric planets being too cold, based on some incorrect Bond Albedos and a lack of a greenhouse effect.  
  • Added equilibrium temperature to the Planet physical characteristics as an extra data point.  
  • Added Planet atmospheric data to the Sensors UI properly.  
  • Updated the "Tech" indicator on the Sensors UI so that it requires only Level 1 body knowledge (Long Range Survey).  
  • Updated the "Life" indicator on the Sensors UI so that it requires Level 3 body knowledge (Short Range Scan).  
  • Added a check to system/planet names so that Home Systems / Homeworlds are named distinctly from Occupied Systems / Occupied Worlds.  
  • Updated the Long Range target listing so that systems will now only show civilisation names when Level 3 knowledge exists. 
2025-01-13 Development Build 0.225.0.70 - Nearly done with the sensors!
 
  • Added Alien Civ data to Planets on the Sensors UI.  
  • Added proper summary text to Planets on the Sensors UI.  
  • Re-classed Kuiper Belt objects as "Icy Bodies" rather than "Dwarf Planets".  
  • Added "Tenuous Exosphere" as a new atmosphere type for non-atmospheric planets (no planet is truly non-atmospheric).  
  • Tidied up some of the text readouts on the Sensors UI.  
  • Renamed the "Target" text on the Long Range sensors to "Location" instead, to better reflect the nature of the sector location list.  
  • Added dotted and labeled Lava, Habitable and Frost lines to the Holo Display.  
  • Added the Planet sensors data to the Medium Range sensors.  
  • Added the Planet sensors data to the Short Range sensors.  
  • Potentially fixed the Bug Report crash. It now uses non-async tasks and will report server response time. Takes about 10 seconds per request.  
  • Added surface maps for Stars and Icy Bodies.  
  • Updated the surface maps for Earthlike, Rocky and Lava planets.  
  • Fixed Lava Planets not updating their temperature properly, and also fixed their surface lava amount not scaling with temperature properly.  
  • Added Nanite tesselation to the planets on the Holo Display. They will now have limited 3D terrain. 
2025-01-13 Development Build 0.225.0.71 - Hotfix
 
  • Fixed the massive FPS drop when warping at the same time as having an Orrery Map visible on the Holo Display.  
  • Claire did some more gardening on E Deck. 
2025-01-23 Development Build 0.225.0.72 - Now with lumpier planets.
 
  • Fixed Jonesy's pathing problems.  
  • Wrote a much better prop-saving system that allows props to be loaded as part of the level rather than being spawned from a data table.  
  • Re-positioned all of the props on the ship to match the new deck heights.  
  • Added some pool balls and cues to the pool table on B Deck. They're just there for the visuals, the physics aren't good enough (yet) to actually play pool.  
  • Added construction tools as props around the ship to underline the nature of the ship still being under construction.  
  • Added nanite tesselation to planetary surfaces, giving them very basic 3D terrain (from orbit - not landable surfaces).  
  • Improved the visual appearance of Lava Planets.  
  • Fixed the normal maps on terrestrial planets incorrectly generating lighting highlights beyond the day/night termination line.  
  • Whether or not a terrestrial planet has an atmosphere is now decided based on whether or not it can hold on to gaseous nitrogen.  
  • Fixed and improved the display of the random planets on the Main Menu. Remember, you can press H to hide the menu and turn it into a screensaver.  
  • Updated the ship's framework around the main crew lift to properly align the shaft segments and remove any penetrating geometry.  
  • Fixed the z-fighting light above the security deck on B Deck.  
  • Fixed the emergency lighting being the wrong colour during the Cold & Dark tutorial.  
  • Updated the game engine version to Unreal Engine 5.5.1. 
2025-01-24 Development Build 0.225.0.73 - Engine upgrade? What engine upgrade?
 
  • Fixed (or at least improved) small objects falling through floors when client FPS is too low.  
  • Fixed the weird green tint present in the 5.5 upgrade. Turns out it was the convolution bloom texture compression settings.  
  • Fixed the names of some construction props and fixed a few missing ID's.  
  • Rolled back to Unreal Engine 5.4.4, because multiplayer is very broken in 5.5, along with a few other things. 
2025-01-24 Development Build 0.225.0.74 - Bug Fixorama
 
  • Had another go at resolving the F1 crash issue. I'm also in discussion with the Mantis plugin author to try and properly resolve this.  
  • Fixed the floor panels disappearing when the client changes decks.  
  • Fixed floor panels getting grubby in places that are not currently serviced by a cleaning bot.  
  • Fixed the lift buttons not working for clients in multiplayer.  
  • Fixed the prop missing ID debug text being visible all the time for clients.  
  • Fixed the missing collisions on the wall panels leading to the VIP lounge on B Deck.  
  • Added an auto-refresh to the player ping on the Tab menu.  
  • Fixed the brig/mute buttons not allowing multiple clients at once on the host controls.  
  • Moved the Brig functionality to the new brig location on E Deck, and added some basic lighting.  
  • Fixed the name of a pot plant prop on the A Deck balcony.  
  • Set Planetary Ring chance to 75% for Gas Giants, 1% for Terrestrials, and 0.1% for Dwarf Planets. 
2025-01-26 Development Build 0.225.0.75 Engines to full!
 
  • Fixed the main stairwell carpet being grubby.  
  • Fixed the brig/mute buttons not allowing multiple clients at once on the host controls.  
  • Fixed the lift buttons not working for clients in multiplayer.  
  • Modelled some better engine pods for the Magellan's main engines.  
  • Built a new plasma exhaust shader for the main engines and connected it to the FTL system.  
  • Added collisions to the new Brig forcefields.  
  • Updated the audio attenuation settings on the piano.  
  • Updated the audio attenuation settings on the cleaning bot. 
2025-01-26 Development Build 0.225.0.76
 
  • Fixed the Host Controls showing 5 players in single player, and also ignoring the host when starting a fresh game.  
  • Fixed the Host Controls brig/mute buttons on the "Saved" tab.  
  • Added breaking thrusters when disengaging the FTL drive.  
  • Fixed the flow direction indicators on the reactor fluid pipes floating in mid air.  
  • Fixed the WIP sticker on the reactor floating in mid air.  
  • Fixed being able to target and sit in chairs through walls.  
  • Fixed the "Press F To Sit" text being in your face when trying to interact with consoles while standing next to a chair. 
2025-01-26 Development Build 0.225.0.77
 
  • Updated the main engine VFX so that the breaking thrusters fire the moment FTL is disengaged.  
  • Built a new Backer Credits screen that automatically populates from an external SQL database. This means we can update the credits without having to patch the game.  
  • Hopefully fixed multiplayer games being soft-capped to 16 players.  
  • Tweaked the net settings on the main crew lift.  
  • Tweaked the net settings on the ship physics.  
  • Tweaked the net settings on the skybox and live starfield. 
2025-01-27 Development Build 0.225.0.78 Showing some Backer love
 
  • Fixed the labels on the holo display not rotating to face the camera.  
  • Fixed the bald hair style casting a shadow erroneously.  
  • Fixed the Long Range LY/AU range buttons not resetting properly when switching sensor modes.  
  • Added 6,367 backer names to the game's credits. We're still missing a bunch, so please let Claire know if your name is not listed. 
2025-02-02 Development Build 0.225.0.79 Now with some modding support!
 
  • Created a new external MySQL database to host the Backer Systems data. This means we can update it instantly outside of the build cycle.  
  • Updated the Galaxy Gen code to read from the remote MySQL database instead of the locally stored SQLite one for Backer Systems.  
  • Added 83 backer systems to the game.  
  • Added 14 backer races to the game.  
  • Repurposed the old Backers SQLite file for Modding support. You can now add any number of systems/races to your local game. Those systems will not be there for clients in multiplayer unless you share your stars_modded.db file with them.  
  • Updated the Credits with lots more backer names.  
  • Updated all of the ship's framework sections around the F Deck Ring 2/3 area. You have to try much harder to fall out of the ship now. 
2025-02-07 Development Build 0.225.0.80
 
  • Added a few new wall panel types around F Deck.  
  • Created a new LED Strip actor that's connected to the alert lighting system. This will mostly be used on stairs, etc.  
  • Added LED Strips to a few steps on B Deck. Claire will be tasked with doing the rest.  
  • Fixed a bug with static mesh data that was preventing emissive/lighting materials from updating properly. (Related to the super bright lights bug).  
  • Fixed the flooring on all 8 Battery Rooms on F Deck.  
  • Created a new "snapping guide" system for easier and faster deployment of ship interior geometry.  
  • Added numerous sockets and a custom material to all of the new snapping guide actors.  
  • Rolled out the new snapping guides on B, C, F and G Decks.  
  • Rebuilt all of the NPC pathing on every deck.  
  • Fixed the main stairwell carpet getting all grubby (really this time).  
  • Moved the main stairwell handrail ballustrades into their approximate final positions on decks B through F.  
  • Added temporary strip lights above the main stairwell planters until the proper lighting is built.  
  • Added temporary spotlights to one side of the main stairwell to get a feel for the lighting as you traverse the stairs.  
  • Fixed the two offices on A Deck using the wrong/old lighting solution. 
2025-02-10 Development Build 0.225.0.81
 
  • Added more wall panels to B Deck.  
  • Added a new glass railing to B Deck.  
  • Adjusted some floor pieces on B Deck to make room for the railing ballustrade bases.  
  • Updated the main stairs mesh for better fit/alignment.  
  • Created a new mesh snapping guide for the main stairwell.  
  • Updated the Magellan Class loading screen to include an actual ship construction sequence. 
2025-03-13 Development Build 0.225.0.82 Getting back to business!
 
  • Finished the main stairwell handrail.  
  • Added the tinted blue glass back to the main stairwell.  
  • Upgraded to UE 5.5.4 in order to fix some shader driven engine crashes.  
  • Fixed multiplayer not working properly in UE 5.5.  
  • Fixed planetary rings not working properly in UE 5.5.  
  • Fixed an issue with the convolution bloom texture in UE 5.5.  
  • Re-jigged the main stairwell mesh to align properly with the ceiling panels.  
  • Filled the gaping hole under the main stairwell stairs.  
  • Added a couple of new ceiling panels on decks C through E.  
  • Added numerous new wall panels on decks C through E.  
  • Added numerous new floor panels on decks C through E.  
  • Updated the greybox geometry on D and E decks to better reflect the final deck layout and design.  
  • Added some basic geometry to mark the RCS thruster positions around the main hull. 
2025-03-17 Development Build 0.225.0.83 - So many wall panels
 
  • Updated the curved corner framework geometry at the fore of C Deck for better fit/layout.  
  • Added numerous new floor panels on C Deck.  
  • Added numerous new wall panels on C Deck.  
  • Started adding some doorframes around C Deck.  
  • Fixed the Long Range sensors scrolling to the top of the list when "Auto Refresh" is off.  
  • Fixed the Brig teleport stacking players on top of one another on Brig and Unbrig.  
  • Updated the default values on the multiplayer host controls so people aren't all called "Daniel Robert Govier".  
  • Fixed the Nav Mesh on B Deck again. 
2025-03-20 Development Build 0.225.0.84 - Even more wall panels
 
  • Added doors and windows to all of the labs on C Deck.  
  • Added more wall panels around C Deck.  
  • Added some greybox geometry for the Astrometry Lab on C Deck.  
  • Updated the Ring 1, D Deck, Forward geometry to reflect the fact it's now the ground level of the Astrometry Lab.  
  • Updated the Warp VFX to ensure it's hidden when not required to prevent it impacting performance (It's a bit glitchy - I need to fix it). 
2025-03-24 Development Build 0.225.0.85 - All the things
 
  • Added numerous more wall panels on C Deck.  
  • Added numerous more wall panels on D Deck.  
  • Added numerous more wall panels on E Deck.  
  • Added more floor panels on D Deck.  
  • Added some basic flooring to the B Deck VIP Quarters.  
  • Added the existing VIP Quarters wall panels to the remaining VIP Quarters that didn't have them yet.  
  • Added "Barrier Tape" to block off the unfinished areas on C Deck. It's a visual barrier only, you can walk through it.  
  • Updated the barrier tape code to spawn a random knot at each end of the tape.  
  • Added a roll of barrier tape as a prop that can be picked up, and also placed a few piles of dropped barrier tape around C Deck.  
  • Smoothed off the bulkhead metalwork edges.  
  • Added some basic temporary lights/shelving to the C Deck storage rooms to get a feel for the layout.  
  • Started measuring and adding greybox crew quarters on D/E Decks.  
  • Added temporary bed placeholders (standard UK double) to the greybox crew quarters on D/E Decks.  
  • Fixed the D Deck greybox geometry sticking through the floor on C Deck.  
  • Updated the D Deck greybox geometry to match the E Deck layout, and generally cleaned it all up a bit.  
  • Turned the player torch/flashlight back down to a reasonable value now that we have taped off the WIP/Greybox areas.  
  • Fixed the panel labels showing in mid-air under the stairs on F Deck.  
  • Updated the old Roomba model to a WIP droid model, which we're calling the "RM-84" model.  
  • Updated the RM-84 logic so that it prioritises the dirtiest floor panels when picking a new destination. 
2025-03-31 Development Build 0.225.0.86 - Everyone loves deck plans!
 
  • Built a new generic wall screen actor that can be placed in any wall screen location.  
  • Updated all of the wall screen corridor panels to fit the new screen actor.  
  • Built a new 2D overlay for the corridor walls on B and C decks, to be used for generating deck plans.  
  • Generated new deck plans for the B and C deck wall screens.  
  • Updated the B and C deck wall screens to add and re-position the info labels.  
  • Made a new circular model for the temporary lights to make them easier to position/deploy.  
  • Added temporary lights to all the VIP quarters on B Deck.  
  • Generally pottered around cleaning and tidying decks B through D. 
2025-04-07 Development Build 0.225.0.87 - Another step closer
 
  • Added a new map graphic for D Deck.  
  • Finished the bulk of the corridor floor panelling across F and G decks.  
  • Finished the bulk of the wall panelling across F and G Decks.  
  • Fixed the dodgy collision mesh that was preventing maintenance tunnel access to the Aft of F Deck.  
  • Removed the "Auto Nav" and "Teleport" buttons from the Sensors UI ahead of the live demo update. (They'll return to Dev builds later).  
  • You can now type /shiptp into the chat while sat at the Helm to teleport to the current nav target.  
  • Removed the "Inhabited" filter from the Long Range sensors. That was only there for debugging.  
  • Removed the green glow on inhabited star systems on the holo-display. That was also only there for debugging.  
  • Fixed some weird geometry misalignments around the F Deck maintenance tunnels.  
  • Added handrails around the F Deck maintenance tunnels.  
  • Added more final floor panels around the F Deck maintenance tunnels.  
  • Fixed a number of multiplayer issues.  
  • Fixed a number of minor issues with the sensors and holo-display.  
  • Added wall panel numbering to all of the wall panels on decks C through E.  
  • Added various construction props around decks C through E.  
  • Added more temporary lighting around decks C through E. 
2025-04-10 Development Build 0.225.0.88
 
  • Added a new /bugtp command to teleport to the location of a bug. (Copy/Paste the Camera field from a bug ticket).  
  • Added 7 new floor panels around the F Deck stairwell area.  
  • Added a new wall screen panel midway around the F Deck Ring 2 corridor.  
  • Added the framework for a security desk in the F Deck stairwell area.  
  • Added more flooring to the F Deck maintenance tunnels.  
  • Added more railing around the F Deck maintenance tunnels.  
  • Updated and partially rebuilt the stairs between the F and G Deck maintenance tunnels.  
  • Rebuilt the stair railing between the F and G Deck maintenance tunnels.  
  • Fixed several chunks of the ship's lower hull vanishing mysteriously.  
  • Fixed an invisible wall blocking the stairs between the F and G Deck maintenance tunnels. 
2025-04-12 Development Build 0.225.0.89
 
  • Updated more framework geometry around F Deck.  
  • Added additional snap guides to cover Ring 3 of the F Deck maintenance tunnels.  
  • Updated the HUD to say "Tech Demo 3".  
  • Fixed bug 1165 - Mission Timer not showing up for clients in multiplayer.  
  • Updated the Mission Timer to properly sync the time in multiplayer.  
  • Moved the NPC points of interest on F Deck to align with the wall panels properly.  
  • Fixed the door trigger boxes blocking prop interaction.  
  • Fixed bug 1138 - Holding tab to view online players blocks character movement.  
  • Fixed the /shiptp command so that it fails if the target is 0,0,0. Stops the ship being stuck in Sag A*.  
  • Fixed the UNSF and Ship Name text being stuck under the carpet on the Bridge.  
  • Fixed bug 1270 - Able to sit in chairs whilst ragdolled.  
  • Updated the debug/emergency teleports so that they auto-unragdoll you if you are ragdolled.  
  • Fixed the movable chairs resetting to their spawn location every 0.25 seconds. 
2025-04-17 Development Build 0.225.0.90
 
  • Fixed bug 1017 - ETA value incorrect when lower than 10% FTL power. Removed the 30km/s lower limit. 
  • FTL power values below 10% now affect the ship speed. The ship can now warp super slowly (temporary workaround). 
  • Fixed plugged-in controllers affecting menus and mouse pointer behaviour. Turns out it was caused by Epic's CommonUI plugin taking control of the cursor. 
  • Added a dynamic 3D hologram breadcrumb trail to the Tutorial System to replace the old string of waypoints. 
  • Added more robust editing tools to the Tutorial System to make tutorial step creation quicker and easier. 
  • Added more floor panels to the F Deck maintenance tunnels. 
  • Added more railing sections to the F Deck maintenance tunnels. 
  • Updated the stairs and flooring geometry in the F/G Deck Coolant Room. 
  • Restored the upper doorway in the F/G Deck Coolant Room. 
  • Added windows and window frame panels to the F Deck Ring 2 corridor. 
2025-04-18 Development Build 0.225.0.91
 
  • Updated the tutorial breadcrumb trail endpoint code in an effort to make it more reliable. 
  • Added all the work Claire has been doing, which I neglected to pull from git before putting 0.225.0.90 live! 
2025-04-19 Development Build 0.225.0.92 - Take that, bugs!
 
  • Progressed the Scanning & Nav tutorial. 
  • Added more wall panel geometry to F Deck. 
  • All wall panels properly numbered on F and G Decks. 
  • Decks D & E lighting channels fixed. 
  • Some props put onto deck F. 
  • Missing postit notes added. 
  • Fixed coolant room screens being out of place. 
  • Fixed some missing panel collisions on B and C Decks. 
  • Props can no longer collide with Chairs or Players to prevent physics crazyness. 
  • Fixed bug 1566 - Last name can be removed by putting spaces in the first name box. 
  • Fixed bug 1618 - Flooring customizations not available in areas with new flooring. 
  • Fixed bug 1475 - B-deck despawing too early. 
  • Fixed bug 1641 - Panels behind Deck signage in stairwell missing collision. 
  • Fixed bug 965 - FOV reset when sitting in chairs. 
  • Fixed bug 1343 - A Mug can push a chair, when you are on it, making you go at incredible speeds. 
  • Fixed bug 987 - Door stays open if unpowered and re-powered while locked. 
  • Fixed bug 1119 - Character customisation resets when sitting in chairs. 
  • Fixed bug 1047 - Character customisation resets when exiting drone camera. 
  • Fixed bug 1419 - After using the flying camera, your character appearance/clothing changes and you need to change it back again. 
  • Fixed bug 1225 - Nav Target Name Error after targeting Earth then clearing Nav Target. 
  • Fixed bug 1386 - Holding E while entering a Chair causes the cursor to stay on the screen. 
  • Fixed bug 1654 - Physics block exit from habitation compartment, entry was OK. 
  • Fixed bug 1437 - Zoom does not reset when standing up and sitting back in chair. 
  • Fixed bug 1431 - Ship customisation resets when you save and press F3 again. 
2025-04-24 Development Build 0.225.0.93 - No bug is safe!
 
  • Fixed bug 1689 - G deck snap guide visible when lights are off. 
  • Fixed bug 1688 - Lounge tables have no prop collisions. 
  • Fixed bug 1561 - Text flickers in multiplayer. 
  • Fixed bug 1626 - Can't press H in the server menu. 
  • Fixed bug 1592 - External View - Camera can be zoomed in to the shuttle bay. 
  • Fixed bug 1627 - lower back engine comnes out of place. 
  • Fixed bug 1648 - G class star in list filtered to only M class (inhabited systems ignoring the filter). 
  • Fixed bug 1674 - Star proxy ball sometimes visible when approaching a star system. 
  • Fixed bug 1671 - Nav Missmatch (Sensors/Helm/Target show different distances to target object). 
  • Fixed bug 1678 - Star systems on manually selected sectors are showing as 0ly away. 
  • Fixed bug 1687 - tab sometimes dosnt open and instead opens chat and sometimes enter just changes the game from full screen to tab. 
  • Fixed bug 1138 - Interrupts walking / running when pressing TAB. 
2025-05-05 Development Build 0.225.0.94
 
  • Almost finished the new Scanning & Navigation tutorial (just a few more voice dialogue lines to add).
  • Fixed bug 1518 - Sol surface maps not showing.
  • Created a new Pluto surface map using generative fill to backfill the area of missing real world data.
  • Updated more of the F and G deck framework.
  • Added numerous more wall panels around F and G decks.
  • Added Active & Stored versions of all seasonal overlay levels, so things like christmas trees are correctly removed from their storage location when placed out on display.
2025-05-08 Development Build 0.225.0.95
 
  • The new Scanning & Navigation tutorial is now 99% finished.
  • Added some tutorial specific event broadcasts to the Sensors console.
  • Fixed the blue highlight that plague planetary clouds on the sensors/holo display.
  • Added the ability for the sensors to properly toggle planetwide clouds on planets such as Venus.
  • Fixed bug 1697 - Bridge lighting panel is powered by wrong breaker.
  • Maybe made the YouTube player work in multiplayer. Needs testing.
  • Finished all of the F Deck corridor panelling.
  • Finished all of the G Deck corridor panelling.
  • Added new wall panelling around the Reactor Room.
2025-05-12 Development Build 0.225.0.96 - OMG it's public now!
 
  • Fixed bug 1681 - Everyone is Claire! (Sitting in a chair sets your character to the server host)
  • Fixed bug 1385 - Youtube player can't be seen by the client
  • Fixed bug 1709 - Can not enter maintenance tunnels on Deck G
  • Fixed bug 1705 - Full System Scan Exploitable with Sensor Switching
  • Removed a whole bunch of debug spam.
  • Removed the two test star systems from the galaxy.
  • Added the ability to cancel Long, Medium and Short range scans while they are running.
  • Completely re-worked how the ship's location/orientation are tracked and managed between game systems. This should ultimately ensure that a client's view of the world outside the ship will never differ from the server host, but it may also have broken a few things, so keep an eye open for weirdness.
  • Refined the initial galaxy-gen startup process and toughened up its logic when tracking the ship's location.
  • Improved how breadcrumb trails are drawn for the tutorials.
  • Fixed most of the issues with the Cold & Dark tutorial.
2025-05-13 Development Build 0.225.0.97 - Many fixes
 
  • Fixed bug 1732 - Loading screen getting stuck on "Generating Galaxy". If the galaxy hasn't finished generating within 10 seconds it will continue regardless. I think the problem was actually the opposite of this however, the galaxy was generating before the loading screen started waiting for it, so it never got the finished message.
  • Added a smooth camera transition lasting 0.5 seconds when you enter/exit chairs or the camera drone.
  • Fixed bug 1597 - The mouse sensitivity and inversion when controlling a drone are not same as players setting.
  • Fixed bug 1693 - Black screen on camera/scene change.
  • Fixed bug 1719 - Torch does not light up until you move forward.
  • Fixed bug 965 - Fov reset when using bridge stations.
  • Fixed bug 1278 / 1615 - Tutorial dialogue box overlaps with the escape menu.
  • Fixed bug 1282 - Cannot toggle the Quick Reference when escape menu is open.
  • Fixed bug 1728 - Cant skip or go to older tutorial steps while sitting at navigation console.
  • Added Stair lights in the reactor room, and maintenance tunnels.
  • Removed the G deck maps until they can be replaced as they are causing confusion.
  • Tech Signatures on the planetary surface map are now yellow.
2025-05-14 Development Build 0.225.0.98
 
  • Fixed bug 1779 - Selecting New Mission with Cold and Dark start now spawns in at Galactic coordinates 0,0,0.
  • Fixed bug 1721 - Cannot sit using F key.
  • Fixed bug 1758 - Stuck on generating galaxy.
  • Fixed bug 1788 - Ship teleports to middle sector map.
  • Added a "nudge" on the camera after exiting chairs in an effort to stop the camera rendering a black screen.
  • Fixed bug 1714 - Scanning button still says Abort Scan after a scan.
  • Fixed bug 1768 - 'Objects' is spelled wrong on the nav tutorial (medium range scanning).
  • Fixed bug 1383 - Piano Octave played does not change. Removed the key overlay that incorrectly appears, and added the ability to hit the piano keys using the mouse while E is held down. Also removed the "dong" when you hit parts of the piano that are not keys.
  • Fixed bug 1749 - Nav Tutorial Stuck.
  • Fixed bug 1763 - Yellow box in the wrong spot (Scanning & Navigation Tutorial).
  • Fixed bug 1792 - Scanning and Nav tutorial timing issues...
  • Fixed bug 1781 - Life and tech signatures only on surface map (map and sensors data not in sync).
  • Fixed bug 1770 - Second from last text box on Nav tutorial says 'awaiting arrival' under the text.
  • This build is live on both the Demo Pre-Release branch and the normal Dev Build.
2025-05-15 Development Build 0.225.0.99
 
  • Fixed chairs not correctly adhering to the player's camera mode when sitting.
  • Updated the sensors planet map generation in an effort to ensure tech signature consistency.
  • Fixed bug 1783 - Out of body experience (Host inherits the client's camera).
  • Fixed bug 1801 - Life signatures button is hooked to tech signatures button.
  • Added a delay to showing the character mesh when sitting in chairs to avoid a weird out of body moment.
  • Fixed bug 1677 - Planet labels out of the window still say Unknown regardless of knowledge level.
  • Fixed bug 1791 - Planet names are missing if you are in the same system.
  • Fixed bug 1757 - "Planet Name" text overlaid on star/ system name.
2025-05-17 Development Build 0.225.0.100
 
  • Fixed the planet labels saying Unknown after a Long Range scan while you are within the same star system.
  • Fixed bug 1806 - Cannot press F to sit in chairs.
  • Fixed bug 1835 - Hull Name barely visible. Also added a couple of extra names on the hull.
  • Fixed bug 1838 - Zoom seems to be set to 0% by default
  • Fixed bug 1827 - Stuck in Drone cam
  • Fixed bug 1819 - While having medium range scanning selected, the planet closest to the ship gets blown out of proportion in the Holo-Display.
  • Fixed bug 1777 - Sensors - short range targets do not update.
2025-05-19 Development Build 0.225.0.101
 
  • Fixed the "Out of Range" message on the Long Range sensors lingering behind the list of stellar targets.
  • Fixed bug 1481 - Lift peculiarities.
  • The main stairwell lift doors will no longer close on players, no matter how hard you try.
  • Added Open/Close buttons to the interior lift panel.
  • Generally optimised how the main stairwell lift works.
  • Note on bug 1676 (Long Range sensors laggy for clients): Attempts to fix this have been reverted for this build as they were causing further issues. The cause is understood, but a multiplayer-compatible solution requires further work on client-side star system data generation before updating the sensors display.
2025-05-22 Development Build 0.225.0.102
 
  • Changed the "blue blob" for planets/stars on the holo-display to a more futurey-looking wireframe.
  • Fixed planets not casting a shadow on the ship at high altitudes.
  • Fixed planets not occluding the visible sun flare effect.
  • Added shadow casting capability to planetary rings.
  • Improved the "dust" effect on planetary rings.
  • Fixed bug 1870 - Stairs to D-deck in engineering has a small "barrier" close to the top.
  • Fixed bug 1702 - Valves D-SUP-A01 / D-SUP-02. Not actually a bug, but I've added "Flow >" markers on the pipes to make things more obvious.
  • Fixed bug 1871 - Railing missing on D-deck in engineering.
  • Fixed bug 1704 - Planet title not fully in view.
  • Fixed bug 1558 - Surface map of stellar mass black holes is presented as a planet.
  • Fixed bug 1711 - Long Range Scan List of systems show data for 9 items.
  • Fixed bug 1755 - Waypoint in Coldstart Training.
  • Fixed bug 1679 / 1658 - Nav/Sensor target lines are inverted and too long on the holo-display GPS mode.
  • Fixed bug 1807 - Backer systems are showing in the filter by type box regardless of choice.
  • Fixed bug 1847 - Completing a Scan when the Holo Display is off turns it back on again.
2025-05-30 Development & Demo Pre-Release Build 0.225.0.103
 
  • Removed ~37,000 duplicate stars from the Real Stars database, where multi-star systems resulted in duplicated data. There are now 18,172,753 genuinely unique real locations in the database.
  • Fixed rings on procedural planets not acquiring the correct seed value.
  • Fixed every planet on the main menu having ring shadows, even when there isn't a ring.
  • Fixed planetary rings being visible through objects when TSR is enabled in the graphics settings.
  • Improved how data is generated for custom star systems.
  • Added proper Long Range descriptions to the Sol and Lacaille 9352 systems.
  • Fixed bug 1897 - Lava planet texture is missing.
  • Fixed bug 1818 - Laceille 9352 Issues.
  • Fixed the Sol and Lacaille 9352 systems not generating much of the new sensors data.
  • Fixed a couple of erroneous looping events on clients that were causing hitching.
  • Added some framework geometry on G Deck to fill the void under the main crew lift.
    • Developer Note: With this build I've replaced the old method for generating custom systems, instead building that functionality into the procedural generation system. There is now a "stars_custom.db" SQLite database in the game's Content folder, which is used to store all the data needed to generate full custom star systems, including custom planets. This actually also completes the groundwork for building the in-game star system creation tool, with only the UI work now being required to make that a reality.
    • For now, you can edit the SQLite file manually if you want to create customised star systems. The data structure is a bit ambiguous, so have a look at how Sol and Lacaille 9352 are structured as a guide.
2025-06-01 Development & Demo Pre-Release Build 0.225.0.104
 
  • Manually updated the Real Stars database to the correct revision, as it didn't do it automatically.,
  • Fixed clients only being able to sit in chairs once.,
  • Fixed K Class procedural stars not being generated.,
  • Added a couple of post-it to the YouTube player. "Will not play livestreams" and "Not all videos are compatible".,
  • Resized the planter lights outside of the VIP quarters.,
  • Moved the Bridge window controls up to the black screen properly.,
  • Adjusted the "warp" UI so that it doesn't clip with the console geometry when viewed from a distance.,
  • Added barrier tape to the doors with drops on F Deck.,
  • Updated the wall panels at the back of the F Deck stairwell to remove some ceiling overlaps.,
  • Added glass to the Ring 1 windows on F and G Decks.,
  • Fixed bug 1894 - B-F Elevator issues.,
  • Fixed bug 1912 - Sensors: Target Summary - once life discovered in a system, it shows as living on all scanned planets,
  • Fixed bug 1913 - Long Range Scanning: O-class star appears on K-class filter list, and not under O-class filter list,
  • Fixed bug 1915 - B-class stars having too large radius for short range scans without flying into them.,
  • Fixed bug 1875 - Lamps on Deck B,
  • Added a chess board to the B Deck VIP Lounge that should hopefully work in multiplayer. Press the little "Reset" button on the board to spawn the chess pieces.
2025-06-04 Development & Demo Pre-Release Build 0.225.0.105
 
  • Fixed the sun shafts volume that was missing from A/B deck.
  • Added a sun shafts volume to the two stairwells either side of C Deck.
  • Added a sun shafts volume to the "Mall" on D/E Decks.
  • Updated the Magellan Class graphic when starting a new game. RIP old Magellan Class model.
  • Updated the Backer Systems database. There are now 84 backer systems in the game, about a quarter of which have alien civilisations.
  • Updated the Game Credits, which now includes 5,447 backer names! We're still missing 1.119 people, so please check the credits, and if your name is not listed, get in touch with Claire and she'll sort you out.
  • Added manual orbital position values for the Sol planets.
  • Moved the ship's starting position next to Earth. Still need to fix the starting rotation for best sun-angle.
  • Fixed Venus being inhabited. The criteria for life/tech on custom planets is now surface temp rather than position in habitable zone.
  • Fixed the Long Range sensors not auto-scrolling to the current target when pressing "Back".
  • Added the ability to click the Holo Display to target objects, either directly or when holding down E.
  • Fixed the trace channels on the Piano and the Chess Board so they are properly using the Interaction channel.
  • Fixed bug 1919 - While teleporting from A deck to F deck while sitting in a chair results in getting stuck between E and F deck.
  • Fixed bug 1917 - Magellan Not at Earth When Beginning New Mission
  • Fixed bug 1918 - The Return of Bug 1711 (Long range sensors list is showing 0% Explored after scanning, when list is greater than 9 items.)
2025-06-12 Development & Demo Pre-Release Build 0.225.0.106
 
  • Implemented an AgX Tonemapper solution.,
  • Tweaked the Post Process settings and generally increased the brightness slightly across the whole ship interior.
  • Fixed the planetary ring shadows often being way wider than the actual planet.
  • Fixed the ring shadow caster being offset too far from the ring surface.
  • Fixed the ring light response so that it more closely matches the star's luminance.
  • Fixed the colour banding on rings so they correctly get less rocky and more icy as temperature decreases.
  • Added a rare chance for a secondary ring at an acute angle on ringed planets (to simulate a recent collision event).
  • Data for the current local star system no longer replicates over the network, it's now all generated locally to prevent lag.
  • Built a very early WIP version of our organic 3D printers for the VIP Lounge galley.
  • Added a new pop-up UI when selecting Stars/Planets on the Holo Display, for setting Sensor/Nav targets.
  • Increased the brightness of the Sensor/Nav Symbols and trace lines on the Holo Display.
  • Fixed manual sectors not being aligned centrally on the Holo Display.
  • Fixed bug 1930 - Poor performance when selecting a manual sector on the Long Range sensors.
  • Fixed bug 1676 - Star listing on sensors extremely laggy for clients in multiplayer.
2025-06-16 Development & Demo Pre-Release Build 0.225.0.107
 
  • Updated the GPS and Long Range "manual sector" display/controls so that they now use the "Sector ID" instead of galactic coordinates.
  • Updated the Single-Sector Galaxy Gen to work with the new Sector ID system.
  • Updated the Holo Display to work with the new Sector ID system.
  • Fixed O Class stars showing up as G Class stars on the sensors
  • Fixed the GPS mode unreliably identifying which manual sector is currently being targeted.
  • Added the correct rings texture to Saturn.
  • Fixed bug 1954 - GPS Sector Information Not Automatically Updating
  • Fixed bug 1948 - Black screen when getting out of chairs or joining a session when there is no star nearby.
  • Fixed bug 1937 - Certain K Class stars showing invalid class
  • Fixed bug 1787 - Long Range Holo Display changes from Orrery to Star Map while warping
  • Fixed bug 1841 - Bridge panels not online for joining clients. (Electrical system init issue)
  • Fixed bug 1951 - The ceiling on F deck is visibly unloaded when standing at the bottom of the cryroom stairs
  • Fixed bug 1950 - On cryoroom stairs visible f deck panels unloaded
2025-06-20 Development & Demo Pre-Release Build 0.225.0.108
 
  • Modelled some new chairs for the Bridge stations. Still WIP, they haven't had their final detail pass yet.,
  • Created a new map template for G Deck.,
  • Created a new map template for F Deck.,
  • Modelled a new Bridge ceiling, which includes a proper space for the Holo Emitters.,
  • Added Holo Emitters to the Holo-Display, and added some visible light shafts (requires Volumetric Fog being enabled).,
  • Updated the G Deck wall map screens with a new graphic and new labels.,
  • Updated the F Deck wall map screens with a new graphic and new labels.,
  • You can now select practically any country on Earth for your uniform's country flag (248 options).
2025-06-24 Development & Demo Pre-Release Build 0.225.0.109
 
  • Made a great deal of headway on the mega patch log for the demo update.,
  • Fixed a mismatch between "outside" and "sensor" Earthlike planetary surfaces. This was actually a difference between Earthlike definitions, so both now consistently use a temperature range of 268-320 Kelvin (-5.15C - 46.85C).,
  • Added the ability to spawn an NPC in any one of the Bridge chairs.,
  • Added a number of NPC commands to the Sensors NPC.,
  • Added a number of NPC commands to the Helm NPC.,
  • Updated the chairs to support all of the NPC interaction code while the player is seated.,
  • Updated the chair interaction menu to always zero the mouse point upon opening.,
  • Added station names to the Bridge chairs when you hover over them.,
  • Fixed the backfaces of wireframe planets on the Holo-Display not rendering properly.,
  • Fixed the Short Range sensors not determining the correct initial display range.,
  • Fixed the "You are here" indicator locations on all of the D/E Deck map screens.,
  • Fixed the light from stars "flashing" as you enter a new system.
2025-06-25 Development & Demo Pre-Release Build 0.225.0.110
 
  • Fixed the bridge chairs using the old model for clients in multiplayer.
  • Fixed chair name/hint text using default values for clients in multiplayer.
  • Fixed the chair pop-up menu not working for clients in multiplayer.
  • Fixed the summonable NPC's only appearing as boots and hair for clients in multiplayer.
  • Reduced the Helm NPC commands to only the pertinent ones for now to avoid confusion.
  • Fixed the Helm NPC killing the FTL drive when asked to navigate while already at FTL.
  • Added an "All Stop" action to the Helm NPC.
  • Fixed the "Align To Target" mode not showing anything on the Holo Display for clients.
  • Updated the "Align To Target" mode so that its display range defaults to the star's frost line. This makes it easier to see the habitable zone straight away.
2025-06-26 Development & Demo Pre-Release Build 0.225.0.111
 
  • Expanded the available commands for the Sensors NPC, such as the ability to Zoom and Scan.
  • Updated the NPC menu to be more context sensitive, and generally less clunky.
  • Added the ability to interact with chairs and the NPC crew while holding down E to unlock the mouse cursor.
2025-07-02 Development & Demo Pre-Release Build 0.225.0.112
 
  • Reduced the size of the NPC menus on the Bridge by about 40%.
  • Made the NPC menus background slightly transparent, with a fade-in effect.
  • Updated the NPC menus so that they appear where the mouse is on-screen if you are holding down E to open them.
  • Updated the NPC menu so that the "sit" option auto checks how far the player is (you need to be within 2m to sit).
  • Updated the HUD mouse target text to be smaller and less intrusive.
  • Updated the HUD so that the target and hint text vanish while you have the NPC menu open.
  • Fixed "Press F For Options" on NPC capable chairs reverting to "Press F To Sit" after a player sits in them.
  • Fixed the "Selfie Cam" view mode on chairs not unlocking camera rotation, preventing you from looking at yourself.
  • Fixed multiplayer clients getting forced to third person when sitting in chairs. Chairs now inherit your existing camera mode.
  • Fixed multiplayer clients not being able to summon or dismiss NPC's in chairs.
  • Fixed NPC's facing the wrong way when summoned into a chairs facing away from consoles. NPC crew will also turn to face the player when engaged.
  • Fixed bug 1997 - NPC Commands Menu inaccessible.
  • Fixed bug 2005 - Helm Station tooltip stays when looking out the window.
  • Fixed bug 1996 - Player Changing Appearance when Sitting in a Chair.
2025-07-03 Development & Demo Pre-Release Build 0.225.0.113
 
  • Moved a couple of lights in the F Deck maintenance tunnels so the barrier tape is illuminated properly.
  • Updated the credits scroll so that it doesn't slow down at the end. It scrolls at a constant speed throughout.
  • Fixed the dark background on the credits not filling the screen. It's now good all the way up to 8K UHD screens.
  • Updated the autopilot so that it will now multiply the target throttle value by 0-100% based on being 90-0 degrees off-target.
  • Fixed bug 1888 - Jump in FTL power and speed on autopilot
  • Fixed bug 1993 - 200K star parked 50K away
  • Fixed bug 2007 - Credits slow down and don't complete
  • Fixed bug 2008 - Hole in floor
  • Fixed bug 2024 - Feet left on floor
  • Fixed bug 2016 - Tech and Life lamps OFF in Medium Range scan mode
  • Fixed bug 2023 - Multiplayer details
  • Fixed bug 2017 - Planets in multiplayer
  • Fixed bug 2014 - Non-persistent Civ data
  • Fixed bug 2015 - Planet overview incorrectly states there are lifeforms on it
  • Fixed bug 1916 - Second occupied Earth Analogue not labeling correctly
  • Fixed bug 2020 - Multi Player Client Can Dismiss Player In Chair
  • Fixed bug 1998 - 1 locations in range
  • Fixed bug 1957 - Objects only have physics after been interacted with/moved
2025-07-03 Development & Demo Pre-Release Build 0.225.0.114
 
  • Tweaked the arrival distance code on the autopilot so it arrives slightly further away depending on how dangerous the target is.
  • Fixed bug 2025, 2026, 2027 - FTL power settings while on Autopilot are too low for distant stars.
2025-07-04 Development & Demo Pre-Release Build 0.225.0.115
 
  • Updated the Scanning & Navigation tutorial with additional dialogue, and fixed a missing step for targeting the planet in the Short Range mode.
  • Fixed manual sectors not loading custom systems (like Sol) properly.
  • Increased the display range cap on manual sectors to 85 lightyears, so that it can display the full sector cube.
  • Fixed bug 1809 - Tutorial - Ava talks at 0% volume
  • Fixed bug 1966 - The bridge holo projectors disappear when bridge console power is cut
2025-07-04 Development & Demo Pre-Release Build 0.225.0.116
 
  • Updated some database references due to a move of server hosts.
2025-07-04 Development & Demo Build 0.225.0.117 - OMG it's live now.
 
  • Fixed the Habitable Zone text on the Holo-Display losing its colour.
  • Updated the pop-up window on the main menu.

Development Build HistoryV0.226 — VR

V0.226 Development Build History: Build for Tech Demo 4 (Click to Expand/Collapse)(Complete)
Date (YYYY-MM-DD) Development Build Number & Title Updates
2025-07-23 Development Build 0.226.0.1 - Not for sufferers of megalophobia
 
  • Fixed a bug that causes characters to jump over and over with certain USB devices plugged in.,
  • Rebuilt the Main Menu so that it's fully 3D instead of being a 2D overlay.,
  • Updated the game's logo on the Main Menu so that the text and graphic are separate objects. This makes it easier to change the blue flair text, -and offsets the graphic backwards slightly to give it some 3D in VR.,
  • Updated a number materials used in and around the UI so that everything plays nicely in VR.,
  • Added the ability to launch the game in VR (only works as far as the Main Menu right now). You will need to specifically choose to launch the game in VR on steam using the launch options, otherwise it will default to First Person without an HMD.
2025-08-04 Development Build 0.226.0.2
 
  • Converted the Magellan Class loading screen to be a proper 3D environment instead of a slideshow of images.,
  • Updated the Loading Screen text widget to be a 3D object instead of a 2D overlay.,
  • Started using Epic's new Gameplay Message Subsystem for managing global events instead of a third party plugin (another plugin deleted, yay!).,
  • Completely overhauled the loading sequence for the Magellan Class, with improved code and a more realistic sequence of events for the ship construction.,
  • Upgraded to Unreal Engine 5.6.,
  • Improved the fade-to-black which transitions the player from the Main Menu to the Loading Screen.,
  • Improved galactic sector generation times, reducing it from ~30ms to only ~3-5ms per sector.,
  • Optimised the lighting optimisation. It now uses extended mesh bounds to decide light visibility instead of invisible spheres (which break Lumen).,
  • Updated all of the lights in the game to support Lumen and MegaLights properly, with a view to enabling those features soon.,
  • Fixed a corrupt blueprint that was preventing the ship from receiving inputs.,
  • Fixed some issues with the player character that was preventing VR compatibility.,
  • Added a VR character with full body IK.,
  • Added widget interaction to the right VR hand. The touch point is just above the index finger. Not sure why it's straying from the bone yet.
2025-08-14 Development Build 0.226.0.3
 
  • Improved the visual appearance of the sub-menus on the Main Menu, and made them more in-keeping with the UNOS aesthetic.
  • Added a subtle black border to the sub-menus so that they are more visible against bright planets in the background.
  • Removed the fade effect when you open/close menus, because we're using a masked UI material now rather than a Transparent one.
  • Added subtle background gradients to the Main Menu and its sub-menus, driven by a lightweight noise function.
  • Shortened the initial fade-in from 10 seconds down to 1 second when you first open the game.
  • Added proper VR hand controllers to the Main Menu, along with the required interaction logic.
  • Added some detection logic to swap the VR controller meshes based on the VR headset brand.
  • Updated the Valve Index controller mesh so that its little green light is an actual light.
  • Added a visible blue laser pointer to the VR controllers on the Main Menu.
  • Added UI interaction capabilities to both VR hands in-game. You can now use either index finger to press UI buttons.
  • Tweaked the index finger UI interaction to make scrolling with sliders easier.
  • Added the ability to pick up pops in VR.
  • Updated the interaction system so that props adhere to the hand rotation in VR, while adhering to the camera yaw in First Person.
  • Updated the material used for lighting panels in-game so that lights have a prismatic diffuser texture on them.
  • Updated the ceiling panels by the entrance to the Magellan's VIP Lounge. (Experimenting with a slightly new design)
  • Added some basic XBOX controller support for First Person. You can do the basics, like run, jump and press UI screens.
2025-08-21 Development Build 0.226.0.4
 
  • Modelled 7 new ceiling panels for use around the C/D/E Deck corridors.
  • Fixed a number of flipped materials on various panels around the ship.
  • Fixed bug 2176 - Wall panel labels.
  • Added White Dwarfs to the galaxy-gen and system-gen systems.
  • Added planetary nebulas to the younger (based on Kelvin temp) White Dwarfs.
  • Tweaked the nebula shader so that it hue-shifts its base colour depending on volume texture density. Still needs more work.

Two caveats for this build. Firstly, there are ceiling panels out of place all over the ship, which will be fixed over the next couple of builds. And secondly, the White Dwarf implementation is by no means finished, there's still a bunch of tweaking that needs to be done.

2025-08-26 Development Build 0.226.0.5
 
  • Optimised most of the materials used around the ship for a reduction in shader complexity. This should result in some per-pixel performance gains.
  • Converted all textures used by the game to Virtual Textures, reducing VRAM usage, especially with the 8K planet textures.
  • Implemented some texture optimisations on UI screens around the ship, with the wall maps and battery UI's currently using the new technique. They will "pop in" when you approach them for now (until I tweak it), but their VRAM usage when out of *range is now effectively zero. When all UI screens have been updated, this should cut our total VRAM footprint by over 75%, from 4GB to <1GB.
  • Built a whole new shader for Planetary Nebulae, which can now be found around White Dwarfs with temperatures in excess of 10,000K. They grow larger and dimmer depending on the age of the White Dwarf that created them.
  • Added 6 colour palette profiles to the procedural nebulae.
  • Moved the Planetary Nebula spawning code to the galaxy-gen itself, which means they are now multi-lightyear sized objects can can be seen from up to 150ly away.
2025-09-07 Development Build 0.226.0.6
 
  • Designed a new more angular ceiling panel for the corridor ceilings around F/G Decks.
  • Prepared all of the ceiling light actors on the ship for optimisation/feature level settings.
  • Added White Dwarfs to the filter dropdown on the Long Range sensors.
  • Added support for White Dwarf surface maps on the Short Range sensors.
  • Fixed Open Clusters breaking player/ship collisions when you enter the nebula.
  • Created a new Open Cluster nebula actor, which now has feature parity with the Planetary Nebula equivalent.
  • Created a couple of new ceiling panels for the main stairwell planters.
  • Optimised all of the lights on the ship for better performance.
  • Made numerous small optimisations across the board.
  • I have added two additional builds to the "Betas" dropdown on Steam. These are for testing performance on various lighting configurations. We currently have;
    • Default - Ship lighting does not cast shadows. Faked global illumination. Screen space reflections. (**~170-180fps** on my RTX 4090)
    • Lumen - All ship lighting casts shadows. Lumen global illumination. Lumen reflections. (**~70-90fps** on my RTX 4090)
    • Potato - No physical lighting. Single static ambient light only. No Shadows. (**~230fps** on my RTX 4090)

When the new settings menu is finished these will all be rolled into the default build, with a hybrid configuration being possible.

I'm very interested to know what sort of FPS you are getting on your given GPU for these different build, so please report back 🙂

Right now there are waaaay too many White Dwarfs with nebulae around them, so that will be refined and tuned as we polish this patch.

2025-09-15 Development Build 0.226.0.7
 
  • Greatly simplified the ceiling lights optimisation. It now only uses current-deck checks rather than constantly looping player-distance checks.
  • Fixed the autopilot approach distance for White Dwarf stars. It will no longer plough into them.
  • Added a new LED Grow Light for the VIP Quarters planters.
  • Added new LED Grow Spotlights for the main stairwell area, which arbitrarily articulate and have dynamic spline-based cables.
  • Added a selection of new ceiling panels around the B Deck corridor and the main stairwell area.
  • Fixed some flipped panels and some lighting issues.
  • I've still got a few more ceiling panels to sort out, but this week I'll mostly be focusing on updating the Settings menu to support all the new quality switches, which means Lumen will become a simple on/off toggle in the graphics options on the default build.
2025-09-25 Development Build 0.226.0.8
 
  • Added partial controller navigation support to the Main Menu and its sub pages.,
  • Added partial keyboard navigation support to the Main Menu and its sub pages.,
  • Added partial controller navigation support to the Settings Menu.,
  • Added partial keyboard navigation support to the Settings Menu.,
  • Improved how the game menus track the current page.,
  • Added some quality of life improvements to controller/keyboard menu navigation.,
  • Replaced the corrupted images on the ship selection screen with simple faded question marks.,
  • Fixed multiplayer not working properly in UE 5.6.,
  • Added a Witches Hat to the character customisation in time for Halloween. More hats will be added over time. Now that we have that functionality we'll also add backer-specific uniform hats at some point, in addition to the uniform patches.,
  • Added the ability to turn shipwide lighting shadows on/off now that we have MegaLights enabled.,
  • Fixed a number of lighting panels across D/E decks that were failing lighting optimisation checks.
2025-10-05 Development Build 0.226.0.9
 
  • Overhauled the Settings UI to make it more consistent with the UNOS look and feel.
  • Split the Graphics Options into clearer categories.
  • Render Scale now goes all the way up to 200% if you want to end your GPU's life early.
  • Anti-aliasing now provides options for FXAA and None for anyone who hates the temporal ghosting from TAA/TSR.
  • Volumetric Fog now has 4 quality levels, with surprisingly substantial GPU impact.
  • Lighting Quality now goes from "no lights at all" (also known as potato mode) all the way up to every light casting shadows. Be aware that the "Max" setting has a massive GPU impact, because it substantially increases the number of ray tracing samples for internal lighting shadows.
  • Global Illumination now allows you to enable Screen Space or Lumen global illumination, in addition to None.
  • Star Shadow Quality now allows you to control the impact of VSM shadows cast by stars.
  • Added various lighting quality profiles to ship lighting and stars, to enable seamless graphics setting changes.
  • Added Low, Medium, High and Max graphical preset buttons to the Graphics settings.
  • Fixed the "save" button not being clickable on the various settings pages.
  • Thanks to Claire, we now have a lot more in the way of Halloween decorations around the ship.
    • I have been heavily profiling and refining the new graphics settings, to the point where our minimum spec PC (1050ti) is now easily achieving 40-50 fps with everything set to Low and running at 75% render scale. With ship and star lighting enabled it's getting around 25-30fps, so we definitely still need to optimise the lighting some more for lower spec machines. By way of comparison, my 4090 is getting 100fps with everything maxed and Lumen enabled (Lighting Quality set to "High", because "Max" is unnecessarily heavy).
    • Next up I'll be deep-diving the Reflections and Post Processing CVars in an effort to further extract the most performance from the engine.
    • Important - If you start up the game and it's a garbled mess, you'll need to navigate to the graphics options and restore the render scale to 100%. This is due to the scale being extended to 200%. I have added a bit of code to try and detect and fix legacy settings automatically, but I have no way of verifying it's working.
2025-10-17 Development Build 0.226.0.10
 
  • Improved the White Dwarf system code so that planets do not generate within the radius of the star's Red Giant phase of life. *We're not modelling inward migration yet, so generally White Dwarf systems won't have planets closer than 1-2 AU of the star.,
  • Improved the Radius to Mass determination code for White Dwarfs, so that it properly takes electron degeneracy pressure into account and uses the Nauenberg zero-temperature mass–radius relation.,
  • Improved the Kelvin to Age determination code for cooling White Dwarfs, which is now modelled using a power law matched to real world observations.,
  • Continued updating the D/E/F Deck ceiling panels.,
  • Significantly changed the layout of the VIP Quarters on B Deck.,
  • Added two missing doorframes behind the main stairwell on F Deck.,
  • Fixed the player character being a ghost in potato lighting mode.,
  • Progressed the VIP Quarters interior, including some new fire effects.,
  • Fixed the missing textures for the spline Pipes & Railings around Engineering.,
  • Tweaked the tonemapper that was causing Niagara flames to turn pink. The game's colours should generally be more accurate and slightly more vibrant now.
2025-11-15 Development Build 0.226.0.11
 

Optimised the distance-culling values of practically every wall, floor and ceiling panel (several thousand).,

  • Finished off the ceiling panels on Decks C through F.,
  • Finished off the B Deck main stairwell ceiling panels.,
  • Continued conducting A/B testing on various graphics settings to scrape out every last frame of performance.,
  • Added a new function for automatically setting the distance culling values on lights. Lights now cull aggressively as soon as they are out of view.,
  • Added a new function for properly culling actors with Nanite geometry based on their Max Draw Distance.,
  • Fixed the stair lights in the VIP Lounge turning off half way up.,
  • Added the ability to start new games using the Caravella Class WIP ship. It will overwrite the current savegame until multiple saves are implemented, and access will need to be granted via SteamID for Admiral level backers.,
  • Fixed bug 2238 - Stair-light not working on one step on deck D,
  • Fixed bug 2258 - Invisible wall on stairs between decks B and C,
  • Fixed bug 2266 - stuck in elevator shaft,
  • Fixed bug 2284/2243 - Clipped through the lift going from B Deck to F Deck,
  • Added WIP shuttle functionality.,
  • Improved NPC logic and expanded NPC crew to cover C Deck.,
  • Numerous small tweaks here and there.
2025-11-16 Development Build 0.226.0.12
 
  • Fixed bug 2296 - Sitting at helm causes the Holo-Display Command Interface to appear behind you
  • Fixed bug 2294 - Sitting at helm causes the screen to jitter and makes navigating very difficult
  • Fixed bug 2293 - Clicking on Continue Mission results in being returned to the main menu.
  • Fixed bug 2292 - Camera Fighting at Helm Station/Nav pathing not focusing on target
  • Fixed bug 2304 - While at the helm, the ship is stationary in Earth vicinity, despite full FTL Engaged. Ship appears to be glitching, lurching forward.
  • Fixed bug 2237 - Cold start tutorial is starting on A Deck
  • Fixed bug 2291 - Inner ring door panels on E-Deck have no bolts
  • Fixed bug 2281 - Spot lights on A Deck are connected to the wrong breaker
  • Fixed the teleport locations for the shuttle teleporter in the A Deck bathroom, and the shuttle itself.
  • Added a visible background to the shuttle teleporter in the A Deck bathroom.
  • Fixed the proxy mesh for the Magellan not showing up when you're in the shuttle.

Just as a reminder, the shuttle exists purely as a test of multiple-ship independent location capability. The shuttle will remain in orbit around Earth, while the Magellan can travel the galaxy as normal. Every time you teleport to the shuttle, you are teleporting your character to the Sol system.

2025-11-17 Development Build 0.226.0.13
 
  • Fixed bug 2306 - Loading Cold and Dark Tutorial Results in Fatal Error.
  • Fixed the torch not coming on automatically during the Cold and Dark tutorial.
  • Reduced the delay between each step on the loading screen.
  • Made the electrical system steps more granular on the loading screen.
  • Fixed the fade-to-black transition after the loading screen completes.
2025-11-18 Development Build 0.226.0.14
 
  • Fixed bugs 2310/2313/2312/2311 - Start in the carpet in the conference room & cannot sit in chairs.
  • Fixed bug 2238 - Stair-light not working on one step on deck D
  • Fixed bug 2176 - Panel BP-104-R has a second label hovering a little off the wall that says BP-104-L1
  • Fixed bug 2289 - Panels BP-103-L are incorrect
  • Fixed bug 2297 - Stewards go to the C deck bathroom to print food
  • Fixed bug 2264 - Pumpkins on the bridge are named "PROP NAME" on mouseover.
  • Fixed bug 2272 - Nametag NPC cant be turned off despite it is off
  • Fixed bug 1934 - NPC Nametags flicker "on" briefly as the NPC walks around.
  • Fixed bug 2167 - Jonesy's nametag doesn't obey NPC names visibility.
  • Fixed bug 2115 - Typo in Scanning & Navigation tutorial.
  • Fixed bug 2035 - Maintenance access door blocked.
  • Fixed Props not showing labels when looked at.
  • Fixed some NPC pathing issues.
2025-11-22 Development Build 0.226.0.15
 
  • Fixed bugs 2298/2314 - Yellow Highlights Not Alligned in Cold and Dark Tutorial
  • Fixed the Startup Distributor UI screen being the wrong size.
  • Fixed bug 2262 - Pressed F to get up from VIP lounge chair and avatar stuck.
  • Fixed bug 2269 - Prop Highlights - Bridge seat highlight sometimes stuck.
  • Updated the Prop/Chair highlighting system to be properly occluded by walls or other objects.
  • Added 132 NPC crew members around the ship to test their impact on performance.
  • Improved and optimised how NPC crewmembers process points of interest and general decision making.
  • Fixed the ceiling geometry in the VIP Quarters so that it's not protruding through the roof of B Deck.
  • Fixed the nav mesh around B Deck so the NPC crew are able to use the doorways properly.
  • Added a test system for changing Watch/Shift aboard the ship. The B Deck NPCs will go on/off shift every 5 minutes.
  • Fixed the ship starting at Sol when continuing a saved game.
  • Updated the player spawning code to support brigged players in Multiplayer.
2025-12-11 Development Build 0.226.0.16
 
  • Fixed the YouTube player in the Conference Room. It's now using a whole new system, which so far has been more reliable.
  • Fixed bug 2325 - Ship Customisation - Incorrect Floor
  • Fixed bug 2321 - Bridge seat names can persist when not looking at it
  • Fixed bug 2262 - VIP Lounge chairs will eject the player into the table at certain angles.
  • Fixed the server host being able to see clients highlighting objects.
  • Fixed the player torso not casting shadows.
  • Fixed clients in multiplayer getting chucked outside the ship when getting out of a chair.
  • Fixed the multiplayer menu starting on the wrong tab.
  • Added Forward/Left/Right/Aft camera views to the camera rotation, and also made it usable at any time, not just at the Helm.
  • Fixed chairs showing floating Hair/Boots for clients when joining an active game.
  • Fixed the player character being visible on the bridge ceiling when sitting in chairs.
  • Fixed the player character getting stuck on the bridge ceiling when quitting a game.
  • Fixed water worlds not generating a surface texture.
  • Fixed bug 2333 - Stair lighting is not showing its custom colour.
  • Added the first experimental version of (very basic) planetary landings.
  • Added galactic-location knowledge to planetary surfaces for accurate sky rendering.
  • Added teleport locomotion to the VR controllers (Upper button on most controllers).
  • Added "Nanite Tessellation On/Off" to the Graphics settings.
  • Fixed some of the settings defaults, and changed the default FPS cap to 60 instead of Unlimited.
  • Improved NPC performance.

The new planetary landings system will spawn planetary terrain when you are within 1,000,000km of a solid planet. A temporary portal will appear in the A Deck bathroom (on the left hand side) when valid terrain exists. Right now it's extremely basic, but the terrain will change depending on the planet type, and the sky should be accurate to the planet's location in the galaxy. To exit the surface just hit Alt+1 to teleport back to the bridge.

2025-12-15 Development Build 0.226.0.17
 
  • Planetary surfaces for Terrestrial and Atmospheric Terrestrial planets now properly inherit the surface colour that's visible from orbit.
  • The colour of grass on atmospheric planetary surfaces is now consistently driven by a planet's seed.
  • Fixed collisions and foliage spawning on planetary surfaces breaking if you stray too far from where you landed.
  • Fixed bug 2345 - Distributer and Aggregator UI panels misalligned.
  • Fixed bug 2155 - Star Age isn't being calculated properly beyond the galactic disc.
  • Updated the Star Age calculations to properly apply increasing age as you get further above the galactic plane.
  • Tweaked the density of White Dwarfs in the galactic halo.
  • Fixed bug 2320 - Multiplayer - Loading screen light from joining players is synced in MP
  • Fixed clients getting a black screen when joining multiplayer games.

It's worth noting again that planetary surfaces are still very much a work in progress, and everything you see right now is purely for testing purposes. The final release-ready surface environments will be far more polished and diverse, but we won't be adding them to the demo until they are much closer to release quality.

2025-12-19 Development Build 0.226.0.18
 
  • Fixed Earth being 0.19au away from where it should have been.
  • Improved the default starting position around Earth for better visuals.
  • Fixed the shuttle and ship proxies having incorrect transform offsets. They are now perfectly aligned and work in multiplayer.
  • Replaced the old Magellan proxy mesh with a new one matching the new ringed hull shape.
  • Fixed bug 2344 - Cold and Dark Start no longer cold and dark start.
  • Fixed bug 1989 - Multiplayer - Cant sit in chairs.
  • Fixed bug 2349 - Earth broken/gone!
  • Built a new system for registering and displaying error messages in the game. I'll make this an optional thing in the preferences.
2025-12-30 Development Build 0.226.0.19
 
  • Fixed bug 2363 - Chairs - Can't dismiss the Engineering and Stewards NPCs,
  • Fixed bug 2359 - Tutorial - cold start training spawns you half in the ground,
  • Fixed bug 2319 - Multiplayer - Player is joining without their customisation,
  • Added the first implementation of sublight thrusters, which have been installed on the Caravella for testing. We won't roll this out to the Magellan until it's polished.,
  • Added a new system for generating content at sublight scales, like small asteroids and derelict vessels. The system isn't ready to be fully integrated yet, so it's currently disabled until we have subflight flight fully working.,
  • Updated the two alcoves on the bridge to include WIP geometry for the final 4 bridge stations.,
  • Added some placeholder screens to the 4 new bridge stations.,
  • Moved the bridge window polarisation controls to the Environmental Controls station.,
  • Updated the chairs to always spawn with an active NPC if they are flagged for it.,
  • Added Neutron stars to the game. They still need their proper math implemented for mass etc.,
  • Added Rogue Planets to the game. They don't have full descriptions/data on the sensors UI yet.,
  • Built a new system for issuing and managing shipwide objectives.,
  • Built new systems to manage crew task generation for each of the 7 ship departments.,
  • Added the ability to command the NPC bridge crew (via the holo display) to autonomously explore a target system. NPC's need to be seated in the Helm and Sensors stations for this to work.,
  • Added some basic voice dialogue to the bridge NPC's for when they are performing an automated system scan.,

This update adds our first implementation of shipwide objectives, and the ability to assign tasks to individual crewmembers. Right now there is just a single "explore this system" ship objective, but it's generating individual tasks via departmental task managers that are being assigned to NPC crewmembers. In the future these will viewable on in-game screens and on player HUD's.

Once you issue an "explore this system" command from the long range holo display mode (make sure the display range is <20ly), the NPC crew will travel to, and short-range scan every planet in a system. This will result in the system being 100% explored, while you go off and grab some drinks at the bar. Right now you can't stop the process once it's started, but we'll add order cancellation once we have better UI coverage of what's going on.

Development Build HistoryV0.227 — Taking Command

V0.227 Development Build History: Build for Tech Demo 4 (Click to Expand/Collapse)(In Progress)
Date (YYYY-MM-DD) Development Build Number & Title Updates
2026-1-2 Development Build 0.227.0.1
 
  • Made a new global optimisation macro for handling UI screen optimisation.
  • Updated the Bridge Window UI to collapse to 1x1 pixels when not in view.
  • Updated the three Helm UI's to collapse to 1x1 pixels when not in view.
  • Updated the Sensors UI to collapse to 1x1 pixels when not in view.
  • Updated the Window Controls UI to collapse to 1x1 pixels when not in view.
  • Updated the Door Controls UI to collapse to 1x1 pixels when not in view.
  • Updated the Holo Display mode UI to collapse to 1x1 pixels when not in view.
  • Updated the Alert Panel UI to collapse to 1x1 pixels when not in view.
  • Updated the Distributor UI's to collapse to 1x1 pixels when not in view.
  • Updated the new placeholder bridge screen UI's to collapse to 1x1 pixels when not in view.
  • Updated the Wall Map Screen UI's to collapse to 1x1 pixels when not in view.
  • Updated the Battery UI's to collapse to 1x1 pixels when not in view.
  • Updated the Reactor UI to collapse to 1x1 pixels when not in view.
  • Created a new beta branch called "previous _build", so that we can always compare backwards by one version for A/B testing.
  • Added placeholder UI's for the Comms, Weapons and Defence stations.
  • Bypassed a "run on background thread" plugin because it was generating crashes.
  • Removed audio occlusion from the bridge NPC dialogue, because some things on the bridge are incorrectly blocking the speech.

All of these UI optimisations are designed to reduce the amount of VRAM the game is using in general, but most specifically on startup. This, in addition to switching entirely to Virtual Textures, is pretty much all we can do to limit the game's VRAM footprint. Our 4GB 1050ti test machine is maxing out at around 3.7GB VRAM used.

From this build onwards we'll move to the 227 patch numbering. We've already got ~75% of 227 implemented, so when we go live on the public demo (as soon as possible) we'll release it as 0.227.1.0.

Development Build HistoryV0.228 — Sublight Engines

V0.228 Development Build History: Build for an untitled version (Click to Expand/Collapse)(Planned)
Date (YYYY-MM-DD) Development Build Number & Title Updates
date here Development Build Number
 
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