Hi all, the Month 4 Update is here, right on schedule for the Early Access roadmap: [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/39741526/94765d42e5cbe5cf0f62b35180e83bb533c9be43.jpg[/img] Here's the lowdown on what's new: [h2]Full Pilot Skill Tree[/h2] The Pilot Skill tree has been completed and refreshed, and now includes 18 brand new pilot skills (taking the total to 32 - not including up to 3 skill levels for each skill). New skills include [list] [*] 'Commandeer' - allowing you to capture and fly enemy ships [*] 'Drone Pilot' - allowing you to deploy combat drones (new 'utility' equipment) [*] New maneuvres: 'Strafe' and 'Reverse thrusters' [/list] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/39741526/131cd3710ac87104d0ef342fc5a3a4072ae71901.png[/img] In addition, skills have been rebalanced (particularly cooldown times); some new skill levels have been added to existing skills; new upgrade paths have been introduced; and it is now also possible to manually or automatically reorder skills in the hotbar. [h2]Improvements to wreck exploration and mining[/h2] As suggested by players (including Splattercat in his great stream) Wreck exploration and mining have been made more interesting by the addition of success rolls, which can be boosted by pilot skills, and new 'Create-your-own-adventure' micronarratives when exploring wrecks. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/39741526/f127b417d56e173a07fd6c9240232f0637c0aedb.gif[/img] [h2]A new 'endless' game mode[/h2] Another addition drive by player feedback, the new 'endless' game mode lets you to switch off the main victory-point based win condition, allowing for more open and less time-pressured gameplay. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/39741526/26fb1f04c622a4f780b30ab4fbb766b3044eb656.png[/img] [h2]Fast travel mechanics[/h2] Some stations now have transport hubs - a brand new station module allowing you to 'fast travel' to distant sectors. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/39741526/e6a62fd8c898d87e7c3b45edf99a84a2b6914276.gif[/img] [h2]UI improvements and bug-fixes[/h2] Beyond the features already mentioned, this update also includes a host of more minor UI improvements and bug-fixes (over 50 distinct changes in total) including: [list] [*] 'Continue game' button in splash screen [*] Auto-scaling of font-sizes for equipment names [*] Ability to highlight mission targets for a specific mission [*] Ship speed and cargo information added to main UI [*] Numerous improvements to tooltip info [/list] [h2]Save file compatibility[/h2] Unfortunately due to the scale of the changes in this update, it has not been possible to preserve compatibility with save files from v1.14 or earlier. If you wish to continue a game started in the earlier version, you can select the 'previous' version from the betas tab after right-clicking Relic Space in your game library. [h2]Join the Discord[/h2] As mentioned in the last update, some of the above changes have already been made accessible to players via the [url=https://discord.gg/gZA84Kz262]Discord[/url] Beta branch. Do check in there to get access to bleeding edge builds as well as to discuss the game with fellow fans and the developer.