Lord of Rigel Early Access 3- Research Victories and Grand Menaces
Our first update for 2024 includes some long-awaited features and nears the end of our roadmap for LoR early access.
This patch includes some critical fixes:
Tutorial planets menu fix
Blank autosave display data fix
Autoturn fixes for some menu transitions
In addition, two end game features you've been patiently waiting for have been added: Research Victories and Grand Menaces.
Research Victories Once you've reached the end of a research field, you can choose hyper advanced technologies for upgrades or select the Path of Ascension technologies.
There is one technology for each field, which unlocks a special project that can be constructed on your homeworld to trigger civilization-wide ascension.
Grand Menaces These are galaxy threatening foes that are end game threats. Defeating a grand menace reduces galactic tension and can help keep a galaxy from the edge of all out war.
Threats include a full invasion of the exiled forces chasing the Synth from their home galaxy, the mothership of the mysterious Von Neumann probes, the extra-dimensional "System Killer," and the Infection Mothership.
Image 1. The Infection Mothership- An extragalactic threat that uses biological agents to sterilize worlds.
Ship Refitting Ship refitting has also been added. This will take existing designs and you can upgrade ship weapons and systems but not change the underlying hull type (ex. a frigate remains a frigate). Ship crews and experience are transferred.
Ships can be refitted as long as there is a Starbase, Battlestation, or Citadel. Image 2. Ship refitting in the build menu
Research Menu Updates Another requested change was adding a filter to the research menu to hide technologies not currently researchable. The tech filter button at the bottom of the screen can be toggled to show all possible technologies. Image 3. Research menu tech filter.
Other changes this update include additional optimizations to end turn, tactical AI, and diplomacy.
What's Next? With the core features we aimed to include with the rework of LoR in Unreal now available, we want to work in additional requested community features and bug fixes. So please keep reporting any encountered bugs, quality of life suggestions. Also please keep sending us your save files as they help with balancing and tuning!
Early Access 3 Patch 2024.1
Ticket #1752 Production to complete items fraction inverse fix
Ticket #1755 Double monster defeated in GNN fix
Ticket #1754 QOL – Turn off hostile action confirm prompt if being ambushed by AI
Ticket #1749 AI defeated fleet messages fix
Ticket #1761 Tutorial outpost button fix
Ticket #1760 Auto save info blank fix
Ticket #875, 865, 866 QOL - Grand Menace implementation fixes
Ticket #1750 Different production rates for the same item in build queue fix
Ticket #1721 Elder Species fleet massing warning area reduced
Ticket #1619 Research screen close on right click fix
Ticket #609 QOL – Research menu improvements
Ticket #1751 Ground combat trait menu display fix
Ticket #1759 Doomsday Clock and Trade Treaty fix
Ticket #1716 QOL – Ship Refitting
Ticket #1758 Turn event sequence fix
Ticket #1757 Spinal mount beam attack modifier fix
Ticket #1753 Ship viewer on Tundra planets showing clouds fix
Ticket #867 and 868 QOL – Ascension Victory Implementation
Ticket #1763 Synth scrapping guardrail for only outpost
Ticket #1756 Trade treaties with repulsive species fix
Ticket #1767 Outposts not becoming players upon AI defeat fix
Ticket #1764 Auto turn stop on Research menu fix
Lord of Rigel End of Year Update
A Year of Lord of Rigel
It's been a very busy year for Lord of Rigel development as we've worked in numerous quality of life requests along with implementing more core features in the Early Access roadmap.
Over 2023 we've implemented the following key features:
Lithovore and Mechanoid species- The Tulocks and Synth
Custom species
Gigantic and Legendary Galaxies
Elder Species- The Rigelans and Arcturans
Diplomacy Victories
Final War
Galactic Tension and the Doomsday Clock
Megastructures- Dyson Spheres and Ringworlds
Additional ground combat units (LSAVs for planetary militia)
In addition to these we've added numerous quality of life features based on your feedback (not an exhaustive list, but the major ones):
Strategic AI overhaul
User Interface reskin and color selection
Event ticker filter
System sidebar in colony view
Cycling between systems and colonies in system and colony view
Player engagement options (chase, evade, circle) in tactical
Auto ship design generation in ship designer
Post combat report
Ship info tooltips
Loading and saving build queue presets
Sharpness graphics setting
AI personality type indicators in diplomacy and info screens
Next Update
Our next update will focus on community reported bug fixes but will also include two long awaited features: Research Victories and Grand Menaces.
Research victories involve unlocking all of the path to ascension technologies and constructing a super project for ascension on your homeworld. Image 1. Ascension technologies.
Image 2. Ascension end game scene preview.
Grand menaces are galaxy-level end game threats that can also reduce galactic tension.
Image 3. The "System Killer" an extra-galactic grand menace.
What's coming in 2024
Our next main requested feature is a ship refitting system which will come in a 2024 update. We're a tiny team and we've prioritized reported bugs and issues from the community, including balance issues. We plan to continue to do that through 2024, and with reaching the end of our EA roadmap release 1.0.
With the 1.0 release we'll also have the Lord of Rigel Artbook which includes concept art and universe backstory.
Post-release we want to focus on community suggested quality of life improvements and features.
Images 4, 5. Preview of the LoR Artbook
Early Access 2 Patch 2023.10 Revised
Ticket #1711 QOL – New Exile AI setting new colony Ticket #1739 Outpost scrapping empire list view blank fix Ticket #1738 ECM mismatch between ship tooltip and ship designer fix Ticket #1732 Lithovore-Mechanoid displaying food consumption when non lithovore-mechanoid species on planet fix Ticket #1734 Removed cancel button for stationary fleets Ticket #1742 Fleet ETA calculation fix Ticket #1736 Gaia planet layering for ship designer fix Ticket #1733 Tech tree scroll to new researched item fix Ticket #1740 Double purchase fix Ticket #1741 Protomatter message appearing before research complete fix Ticket #1717 QOL – AI expansion tweaks Ticket #1737 Messages from dead factions fix Ticket #1731 Auto resolve adjustments for moving monsters fix Ticket #1744 Space Amoeba loop fix Ticket #1743 New game starvation calculation fix Ticket #1745 Defeated faction Galactic Council candidate Ticket #1710 QOL – Improved planet image angles in Engage Menu Ticket #1746 End turn soft lock fix Ticket #1747 Transit time calculation fixes Ticket #1748 AI building outpost on player occupied Dyson Sphere fix
Early Access 2 Patch 2023.10
Ticket #1711 QOL – New Exile AI setting new colony
Ticket #1739 Outpost scrapping empire list view blank fix
Ticket #1738 ECM mismatch between ship tooltip and ship designer fix
Ticket #1732 Lithovore-Mechanoid displaying food consumption when non lithovore-mechanoid species on planet fix
Ticket #1734 Removed cancel button for stationary fleets
Ticket #1742 Fleet ETA calculation fix
Ticket #1736 Gaia planet layering for ship designer fix
Ticket #1733 Tech tree scroll to new researched item fix
Ticket #1740 Double purchase fix
Ticket #1741 Protomatter message appearing before research complete fix
Ticket #1717 QOL – AI expansion tweaks
Ticket #1737 Messages from dead factions fix
Ticket #1731 Auto resolve adjustments for moving monsters fix
Lord of Rigel Roundup #38
Greetings Lords of Rigel! We've just passed a year in Early Access with that we've entered EA 3. With the past two updates we've put in some major updates such as the Elder Races, Doomsday Clock, AI aggression, and an update to the user interface. Legendary galaxies (1024 stars) are also available. Based on your comments we did a reskin of the interface along with some adjustments on where UI button elements are. Switching out buttons to be brighter is intended to make it easier to identify intractable parts of the UI. AI aggression is the next major area we're working on, making sure that military force use is tied to the AI personalities. As players have noted some AIs aim to “build tall” instead of expand and others spread outwards, so we've wanted to make sure AI aggression is also showing the same variety.
With EA3 we're working towards a 1.0 release aimed in 2024, but we're wanting to continue to incorporate balance and UI quality of life improvements from your feedback.
EA3 features will include:
Research Victory
Grand Menaces
Ship refitting
Figure 1. Updated, reskinnable user interface.
Figure 2. UI prompt with new color scheme.
For our latest deep dive, Space Pirates!
In the LoR galaxy space pirates are some of the forces that reached the galaxy from the Synth's creators on their hunt throughout the universe to destroy all machine-life. Turning to raiding and piracy, these groups patrol some systems, and there are also occasional raiding fleets. Style wise we wanted more rugged less technologically advanced ships with a mix of Babylon 5 and Battlestar Galactica design sensibilities. Pirate ships are also loaded out more with kinetic weapons and heavy armor. Pirate ships include corvettes, frigates, and large capital ships with centrifuges to generate gravity. Generally good early to mid game player ship design should counter pirate forces easily.
Figure 3. Space pirates!
Figure 4. A pirate mothership in editor- a preview of an EA3 Grand Menace.
Also moving forward we'll be calling these Community Updates as opposed to "roundups."
Early Access 2 Patch 2023.9
Ticket #1711 Destroyed faction continues to own system fix
Ticket #1685 – Diplomacy demand without details fix
Ticket #1686 – Galactic Council self vote fix
Ticket #1684 – Elder species eliminated but not met fix
Ticket #1615 – Rebellion adjustments to GNN events fix
Lord of Rigel - Roundup #37 - Custom Species Available!
Greetings Lords of Rigel!
This patch includes a major update that many have been waiting for: Custom Species!
While originally this was going to be phased with EA3 as we wanted to get balance on the default species to help with the AI, the feedback we’ve received on Lithovore and Mechanoid species has let us hammer out and refine the AI further on its basic economy use. Now, we’re shifting our focus over towards the military part of the AI.
As always your feedback has been crucial for improving the game and saves from the mid to late game have helped us with tuning the AI and adjustments beyond issues you might be reporting in them. Specific UI feedback and improvements helps us improve the game. As can be seen from previous patches we’ve worked hard to implement quality of life improvements and UI adjustments, and we wouldn't be able to implement these changes or make these bug fixes without your feedback.
This patch: Major Updates: • Custom Species
Q.O.L./Balance: • Recommended techs different for Mechanoid and Lithovore species • Stargate icons in galaxy map • Different indicators for home worlds and outposts in galaxy map • Scrap and buy prompts show total treasury • Animations for entering and exiting system view • Auto-select all units on tactical start
Bugfixes: • Scrapping support ship fix • Scrapping colony buildings fix • Subterranean and Tolerant evolutionary mutation max population count fix • Critical- GNN soft-lock fixes • AI out of range fix • Colony focus UI refresh fix Upcoming fixes and Q.O.L. adjustments: • Further refinements to auto construction • Scuttling enabled for ships not at a colony (but no refund) • AI improvements on building combat fleets • Adjustments to random monster attacks • Event ticker filters
EA2 coming features: • Elder Races • Doomsday Clock EA3 features will include: • Research Victory • Grand Menaces • Legendary Galaxies (1024 stars)
For this week’s deep dive we’re going to look into the Custom Species! A much requested feature, you can adjust all of the species traits for a selected species in a new game by selecting the custom button. You’ll cosmetically have the ships, home-world, and appearance of the species selected but you can change their name and all traits. You have a total of 10 traits you can select overall and “picks” are the overall points which can be from 10 to -10. This will increase or decrease your end game score. So you can create a powerful Creative, Democracy, Lithovore species but it’ll have a massive impact on your final score. This provides a lot of flexibility!
Image 1. Custom Species Menu
Let us know what further changes you would like to see or if you have encountered any technical issues. Please post on the forums, reach out to us via Discord or send an email: contact@rhombus-studios.net Saved games and clear steps to reproduce the bug are critical. It helps us to quickly track down the bug and get it fixed. Additional information on bug reporting tips can be found here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/437440/discussions/.
As always, we appreciate the feedback, conversations, and support from all of you!
