It's been a while since I posted a development news update, largely because I've been spending almost all my time on development. Since Ganymede was made the default build, there have been two opt-in betas: Helios and now the latest, Icarus.
Overall players are very happy with the progress since launch. The number one complaint with Ganymede was the number of areas where players could get "stuck" due to lack of information on how to progress. While there are areas of the game where players may need to figure things out on their own, I don't want players to be stuck with nothing to do for any significant amount of time, particularly on the main story line. A major goal of the recent builds has been to improve the mission system, particularly providing more guidance in areas where players don't know what to do to advance the main story.
In a little over a week I plan to make Icarus the new default build, so if you are about to start a first-time or new playthrough, I'd suggest switching to the Icarus build now (see here for instructions, choose "Icarus Unstable" as the beta). It has more content, particularly in the mid and late game, and improves a large number of areas. Note that saves are not forward compatible with named build changes during Early Access, so you will not be able to switch to Icarus from a Ganymede save. Scroll down for a spoiler-free list of changes in Icarus.
Early Access Content Progress
There are several very rough metrics for how much content has been added since the start of Early Access: number of different anomalies, mission logic elements, and number of words. Mission logic elements are the smallest unit of "quest" logic. By itself, the number isn't particularly meaningful, but it tends to grow roughly in line with the amount of game play content.
A small snippet of mission logic from the early game. Each green or pink colored box is a mission logic element.
I want to stress that I'm personally not focusing on any numeric metrics of content: I want to deliver the best possible experience to players. Part of that is having lots of different anomalies and things to discover, but increasing content numbers are a side-effect of the goal. I'm presenting these numbers to give players a sense of the overall progress.
Betelgeuse (Dec 2022, first Early Access version): 75 anomalies 1264 mission logic elements 25,000 words
Draconis (Jan 2023): 91 anomalies 1516 mission logic elements 29,000 words
Europa (Mar 2023): 111 possible anomalies 1839 mission logic elements 36,000 words
Fornax (May 2023): 120 possible anomalies 1990 mission logic elements 40,000 words
Ganymede (June 2023): 145 anomalies 2390 mission logic elements 48,000 words
Icarus (latest opt-in build): 179 anomalies 3339 mission logic elements 60,000 words
Examples of some of the 179+ anomaly images
For comparison, Starcom: Nexus had ~195 anomalies and 65,000 words (it used a different mission logic system so the numbers are not comparable, but it had considerably less mission logic than Unknown Space does now).
In terms of game length, the median time for first time players of Betelgeuse to reach the end of the main story line was 8 hours. For Ganymede, it was 16 hours. Again, I want to stress that I'm not focusing on numeric values: some of the more recent changes have been with the goal of reducing time spent wandering around not having any obvious missions to progress on.
At this point, I am starting to steer the huge vessel that is Starcom: Unknown Space toward an ending. I have a vision of what that ending looks like, but it will likely evolve as I implement it and get feedback from players.
To anticipate the question of "when is full release", the answer remains unchanged: when it's done. I hope to have an ending in place in the next few months, but it is likely that once that ending is in place I may spend several more months iterating on it. There are also a number of items not directly related to content development that will add several weeks here and there. As always, if players are finding that the game isn't done, then it's not done.
Helios & Icarus combined changes (relative to Ganymede):
34 new planet anomalies
New stories, side quests, factions
New ship modules, techs
New enemy types
New discoveries
Mission log now differentiates missions, objectives by "actionable" status
Additional mission details to help with common "stuck" areas
Mission progress scaling by actionables, e.g., timed events and hints trigger faster if the player has few or no active mission objectives
Fog of Exploration tech
Alternate laser fire controls
Change to crew progression system
Changes to encounter, drop and anomaly balance
NPCs no longer aggro from small damage
All ships will eventually fully recover lost modules, e.g., Celaeno will repair itself. This has the added benefit of reducing save file sizes (a significant chunk of saves is storing full ship layouts)
Drop attract max speed scales up with ship speed (minimizes outrunning drop pick up)
NPCs will pick-up drops for their own kills after a brief delay
Scaled up asteroid objects
Trade planet icons
Allow mission lane expansion (should make releasing story patches easier)
Changes to visibility system
Increased color brightness of some factions
Lateral thruster changes, VFX
Change to mouse steering option
Lua consule for debugging with F11
Straight-line autopilot option
Autopilot to station will automatically dock
Changed "home" map marker
Numerous balance changes
AI changes
Support/maintenance crew
Added support for vysnc, exclusive full screen
Additional display options
Performance improvements
Numerous minor bug fixes
As a reminder, if you would like to follow development more closely, I post weekly updates every Friday in the Steam discussion forums and on the game's blog.
Ganymede 13216 Minor Map Patch
Minor patch to fix issue where icons from Prologue universe are visible after wormhole, as well as fixing a uncommon null reference check in minefields.
Ganymede 13215 Minor Patch Notes
This patch is primarily intended to fix address a scenario where it is possible for two storylines to become out of sync if the player misses a particular interaction.
Patch to mission logic to avoid two storylines from getting too far out of sync.
Fix for rare null reference error with beam weapons
Several performance optimizations
Patches within the same build name, e.g., "Ganymede", are intended to be save compatible.
Ganymede Update
The default branch of Starcom: Unknown Space has been updated to the Ganymede build, which incorporates the combined changes of several opt-in betas the players have been testing. This build is not save compatible with Draconis, but if you were in the middle of a playthrough, you can still finish it by switching back to the Draconis Rollback build:
As outlined in a recent blog post, Ganymede has roughly 50% more content than Draconis, and twice as much content as Betelgeuse (the first Early Access release).
While most players are having a great time with the update, there are still some issues. The biggest being there are some points where some players find themselves "stuck" and unsure where to progress. Sometimes this is due to the mission log being unclear, the player doing things in an unexpected order, or an outright bug. If you find yourself at a point where you can't figure out what to do next for any significant amount of time, check in the discussion forums. If your issue isn't addressed there, let me know.
Summary of the major changes since Draconis (with minimal spoilers):
Additional content, anomalies, missions, factions
Several new technologies and modules
Changes to skill checks, UI and numerous skill check anomalies
Changes to crew skill progression
Changes to various ship AIs
"Smart" autopilot can plot trip using fast-travel nodes
Player can allow autopilot to continue while ship menu is open (will pause if threats or unknown objects are detected)
New music tracks, changes to music triggers
New achievements (not fully tested)
New planet types
Void drag formula changes
Explored system void drag reduction
Changes to trade system, initialization, pricing
Changes to NPC drone squadron AI
Changes to sector/persistent coordinate normalization
Changes to NPC encounter generation
Changes to trade system
Player can rename crew members
Repair system now prioritizes surveyor module
Increased max thermal penalty from 30% to 40% and updated thermal analysis (which incorrectly had a max of 20%)
Procedural anomalies avoid choosing same anomaly in succession
Fully explored planets dimmer on map
Fixed duplicate log entries due to bug
Additionally, now suppress log entries with identical text (e.g., exact same conversation repeated)
Fix for music volume changes not persisting
HUD notifies player of XP progression and new missions
Fixed issue where survey lander path would go very wide after first launch
Fixed guns should now favor locked target, if any
Fix for null ref pooling exception in late game scenario
Changes VFX for several particle systems to eliminate a potential performance bottleneck
Adds experimental mouse steering option
Cursor changes when hovering an external web link (e.g., to the discussion forum)
Changes to content loading system
F8 feedback now can include latest save
Clarified several mission points
Numerous minor bug fixes and typos
As always, you can give feedback in game at any time by pressing the F8 key, or in the Steam Discussion Forums.
Thanks for playing Starcom: Unknown Space in Early Access!
- Kevin
Ganymede Incoming
Ganymede is now available for opt-in playtesting (see here for instructions). If there are no serious issues discovered, I plan to make it the new default build in the next ten days. If you are about to start a new game, you may want to switch to the beta now, so you can start on the latest version. As always, even if the default version changes, you will always be able to switch back to older versions to access previous saves.
Compared to the current default build, Draconis, it incorporates the changes from Europa and Fornax, along with a new batch of fixes and content. As mentioned in a recent blog post, Ganymede has roughly 50% more content than Draconis, as measured in unique anomalies and mission logic, and twice as much as Betelgeuse (the first Early Access version from December).
Last month, I posted a player survey to get an idea of what area or areas players most felt I should be focusing my attention during the next few dev cycles. Based on the responses and comments, most players want me to focus on creating content. In the free-form responses, a number of players talked about getting stuck and not knowing how to progress. This is an area I'd like to address: I want to strike the right balance between letting players discover/figure out stuff on their own, but also not feel frustrated if they missed something that's blocking the story progression. I've created a pinned thread in the discussion forums specifically for this topic and added an option to the in-game feedback system to include your latest save.
The compiled list of changes since Draconis:
Additional content, anomalies, missions, factions
Several new technologies and modules
Changes to skill checks, UI and numerous skill check anomalies
Changes to crew skill progression
Changes to various ship AIs
"Smart" autopilot can plot trip using fast-travel nodes
Player can allow autopilot to continue while ship menu is open (will pause if threats or unknown objects are detected)
New music tracks, changes to music triggers
New achievements (not fully tested)
New planet types
Void drag formula changes
Explored system void drag reduction
Changes to trade system, initialization, pricing
Changes to NPC drone squadron AI
Changes to sector/persistent coordinate normalization
Changes to NPC encounter generation
Changes to trade system
Player can rename crew members
Repair system now prioritizes surveyor module
Increased max thermal penalty from 30% to 40% and updated thermal analysis (which incorrectly had a max of 20%)
Procedural anomalies avoid choosing same anomaly in succession
Fully explored planets dimmer on map
Fixed duplicate log entries due to bug
Additionally, now suppress log entries with identical text (e.g., exact same conversation repeated)
Fix for music volume changes not persisting
HUD notifies player of XP progression and new missions
Fixed issue where survey lander path would go very wide after first launch
Fixed guns should now favor locked target, if any
Fix for null ref pooling exception in late game scenario
Changes VFX for several particle systems to eliminate a potential performance bottleneck
Adds experimental mouse steering option
Cursor changes when hovering an external web link (e.g., to the discussion forum)
Changes to content loading system
F8 feedback now can include latest save
Numerous minor bug fixes and typos
Early Access Player Survey & Fornax Beta Update
Have you played Starcom: Unknown Space? I've created a quick survey to hear where you'd like me to prioritize my efforts for the next few updates:
Also, there's a new opt-in beta available, Fornax. This is not compatible with Draconis saves (the current default build), but if you're about to start a new game, you might want to consider switching to this branch. From early tester reports it is at least as stable and offers a number of improvements over Draconis.
Some of the combined changes from Europa and Fornax:
New mid-game content, anomalies, factions and side-quests
Changes to skill checks and skill system
Several new technologies & modules
Player can rename crew
Factions now gradually recover or lose resources over time to return to baseline
Misc. changes to trade system
Changes to NPC AIs
Changes to thermal efficiency
Fix for music volume issue
Includes "built-in" save that allows skipping of the opening prologue story line for players who have already played a previous build
Numerous typo and bug fixes
Finally, I'd like to remind everyone that if you have questions or suggestions, a great place to post them is in the Steam discussion forum, which I read regularly. It's also where I post regular weekly progress updates:
Thanks for reading and thanks for playing Starcom: Unknown Space!
- Kevin
Draconis Update
The default branch of Starcom: Unknown Space has been updated to the Draconis build, which fixes a number of bugs, adds some quality of life changes and introduces new content. This build is not save compatible with Betelgeuse, but if you were in the middle of a playthrough, you can still finish it by switching back to the Betelgeuse Rollback build:
Summary of the major changes from Betelgeuse (with minimal spoilers):
Several new story lines, regions, missions, mostly in the current mid-game
Numerous new anomalies and discoveries
Changes to region placements
Buffs to several techs and level II modules
Increase max thermal penalties, slow dissipation
Thermal exhaust modules
Tactical "slicing" to improve item drop probability
Add mission coordinates to mission log entries
General improvements to the tracking and completion of certain missions
Smoothed item drop frequency
Flinger speed increased, fling sound
Change to skill check result display
Menu option to adjust intensity of anomaly image distortion/noise effect
Esc now closes Ship menu
Change player name input to separate first / last name
Fix for issue where NPCs would fail to respawn
Fix for issue for random anomalies not being added
Fix for Plasma/Flinger issue
AI better at avoiding star damage radius (still not perfect)
Edgedar Icons no longer block firing action (also fixes bug where sometimes there would be small a firing dead zone)
Lots of minor bug fixes
Numerous minor mission, balance adjustments
Numerous typos fixed
As always, you can give feedback in game at any time by pressing the F8 key, or in the Steam Discussion Forums.
- Kevin
Draconis Incoming
Since Starcom: Unknown Space entered Early Access in December, I've been hard at work on fixes, changes and new content. Due to the interconnected open-world nature of the game, major changes to the game's content are not save compatible. To minimize player confusion, not every content change is immediately posted to the default branch (which most players are on). Instead, these are posted as opt-in betas so that players can switch to them. Once the combined betas have enough new content and have been tested by several dozen players, they will be made the default.
The latest beta, Draconis Unstable (combined with the changes and content from Cassiopeia) is on track to be made the default build in a little over a week, barring any major new bugs discovered between now and then. If you are about to start a new game, you may want to switch to the beta now, so you can start on the latest version. As always, even if the default version changes, you will always be able to switch back to older versions to access previous saves.
Summary of the major changes from Betelgeuse (with minimal spoilers):
Several new story lines, regions, missions, mostly in the current mid-game
Numerous new anomalies and discoveries
Changes to region placements
Buffs to several techs and level II modules
Increase max thermal penalties, slow dissipation
Thermal exhaust modules
Tactical "slicing" to improve item drop probability
Add mission coordinates to mission log entries
General improvements to the tracking and completion of certain missions
Smoothed item drop frequency
Flinger speed increased, fling sound
Change to skill check result display
Menu option to adjust intensity of anomaly image distortion/noise effect
Esc now closes Ship menu
Change player name input to separate first / last name
Fix for issue where NPCs would fail to respawn
Fix for issue for random anomalies not being added
Fix for Plasma/Flinger issue
AI better at avoiding star damage radius (still not perfect)
Edgedar Icons no longer block firing action (also fixes bug where sometimes there would be small a firing dead zone)
Lots of minor bug fixes
Numerous minor mission, balance adjustments
Numerous typos fixed
Thanks for reading, until next update!
- Kevin
Minor Update Patch, Betelgeuse 10810
Betelgeuse 10810 has had a enough testers that I feel it is stable enough to go live on the default branch. It is a relatively minor patch (no content changes) and should be save compatible. As always, if you experience any issues, please them report in the Discussion Forums or via F8 in-game.
Fix for NullReference exceptions in a late-game scenario
Undo, redo, revert in shipyard
Preliminary Steam Workshop integration
Improvements, fixes for gamepad controllers (particularly the shipyard)
Obstacles registered as targets for AI and controller
Allow submission of screenshot with F8 feedback
Minor UI improvements
Minor performance improvements
Eventually there will be in-game help for gamepad controls, however this will be integrated with content changes, so for now there is are (partial) control definitions in the option menu.
Welcome to Starcom: Unknown Space
Greetings Commanders!
I'm Kevin, the developer of Starcom: Unknown Space, and I'd like to thank you for supporting the game during Early Access.
Starcom, as you might not know, started as a simple Flash game with light RPG elements released way back in 2009. Despite its relatively bare-bones design, player enthusiasm encouraged me to eventually begin work on a full-fledged PC title called Starcom: Nexus, released into Early Access in 2018 and full release in 2019. This was an enormous step up in features, depth, and complexity. After its completion, I realized I still wanted to do more in this space (pun intended). Certain early design and technical decisions made some of the improvements and stories difficult to do with the existing game. I had learned a tremendous amount during Starcom: Nexus' development journey, so I decided to begin work on a new game, which eventually became Starcom: Unknown Space.
I want to make this game the best possible experience of space exploration and adventure it can be. To help me with that, I'd like to hear from you. Please feel free to share your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions. You can submit them anonymously in-game via F8 or discuss them with me and others in the Steam discussion forums (also a good place to ask questions).
Game Updates During Early Access
By the time you read this, there should already be a beta update available for opt-in (ominously titled "unstable", although it should be pretty stable). Once enough players have tried it out, it will be promoted to the main branch. This is a minor update: the most notable addition is the addition of the frequently requested "undo/revert" functionality in the shipyard.
I've already started working on the game's next content update. Although I don't have a timeline for its release yet, I wanted to give you a sense of what to expect in terms of game updates. Due to the complicated interactions of its open-world content, major updates that change the game's core story will not be save-compatible (these are identified by changes to the build name, e.g., "Arcturus", "Betelgeuse", etc.). Once there are a sufficient number of updates that are well tested, the main branch will be updated. Players who were in the middle of a playthrough will have the option of switching back to the previous version to complete their game.
News Updates
During development I will be posting regular small updates in the discussion forums to let you know what I've been working on each week. I'll keep major spoilers out of these updates, but may talk about new features, aliens, weapons, etc.
Larger updates will be posted as news items (like this one here) and sent to subscribers of the game's mailing list.
In Conclusion...
As I mentioned at the top, I'm the game's developer and sometimes refer to myself as a solo dev, but that's not really true. I have been fortunate to work with a number of talented freelance artists and composers who have helped create the game's characters, models and music, especially: Moritz Sebastian (music), Hardy Fowler (portraits), Ruslan Ahmatnurov (prop concept art), and Povilas Selila (ship modules and artifact modeling). And of course, you the players, for supporting the game and giving me the privilege of being able to do what I love.
