Happy Sunday! We hope you are having a good time during the festive season. We’ve been hard at work on the development of Space Station Designer since our last update back in August, and we wanted to end 2023 on a high note by releasing Space Station Designer v. 0.5.15, which features a significant number of additions and improvements. Please read on for the details. [u][b]‘Campaign’ mode redesign[/b][/u] One of the main pieces of feedback we received regarding the ‘Campaign’ mode is that it was too open-ended and that newcomers felt that the sheer number of options could be a tad overwhelming. We went back to the (online) drawing board and designed a series of mandatory objectives that will progressively introduce players to the various mechanics available in the game. This includes objectives in areas such as ‘Earth Facilities’, ‘Crew Management’, and ‘Research’, among others. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/39402435/e1837cef0086254c71df91646a74ec075a11865d.png[/img] When you start a new campaign, you’ll notice a button in the top-left corner with a ‘target’ icon: [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/39402435/0aa14f060f17c0d1169b8c97f1ed3815563b95e9.png[/img] Clicking on it will reveal the initial set of objectives: [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/39402435/954574f84f79e21f715bf2947abc5780b7e09928.png[/img] You can take as much time as you need to complete these objectives. During this period, the Government will grant you funding on an annual basis, which you can use to keep the station running. We have been conducting extensive playtesting in the last few days and it took us nearly six hours to accomplish the final objective (“Acquire the 'Expansion in LEO' research technology.”). Let us know how long it takes you to finish phase 1 in the comments section! [u][b]Changes to the existing ‘Sandbox’ mode[/b][/u] We understand that not everyone wants an experience with fixed objectives to follow, especially if they have already completed the game and are conducting a second playthrough to try out a different approach. Thus, the previous ‘Campaign’ mode has been renamed to ‘Sandbox’. The mechanics are still the same: you start with a Core Module, and the Government will grant you a yearly reward based on certain criteria, which can be reviewed via the ‘Government’ button. As an open-ended experience, you can progress through the tech tree as you see fit. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/39402435/a7e2f114ada184ad0bf8e39f7c3ce56cfa74f381.png[/img] Note that the ‘Sandbox’ mode is temporarily disabled for version 0.5.15. We’ll restore it in an upcoming update. [u][b]'New ‘Sandbox’ mode[/b][/u] Wait, didn’t we have a ‘Sandbox’ mode already? Yes, we did! And it has been renamed to ‘Free Builder’ mode. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/39402435/36d7927f43bd679689f3e70fc408baae87243a98.png[/img] You can continue using this game mode and enjoy a chilled experience while building large designs without any financial restrictions. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/39402435/976edaf5a98ccb32c876257dbf1fd84d6ea993e2.png[/img] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/39402435/884796d37e3ba95436c6e56155fa8962c34b343a.png[/img] [u][b]Maintenance-related research technologies and modules[/b][/u] We’ve added three new research technologies to the tech tree: “Maintenance Level I”, “Maintenance Level II”, and “Maintenance Level III”. Each one of these technologies features two modules: an ‘Airlock’ and a ‘Maintenance Workshop’. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/39402435/0cf3117d5c96769d9f8226ba8bff9a995f37b726.png[/img] Airlocks have been revamped and they now have an attribute associated to them called ‘maintenance area of influence’. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/39402435/cc0cee9649fe477a2da3a49062ecc34550315813.png[/img] From now on, if a module experiences a failure, it can only be repaired if it’s within the ‘maintenance area of influence’ provided by an Airlock-type of module, which represents the area where astronauts can efficiently (and safely) work outside the station. If the module happens to be outside this area of influence, it will have to be replaced altogether. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/39402435/47f746cc24820de69e0df761fc4fa803f383a43d.png[/img] We’ve also added a ‘maintenance boost’ attribute to the ‘Maintenance Workshop’ modules. If a module experiences a failure, and assuming it’s within the ‘maintenance area of influence’ provided by an Airlock, you’ll receive a small repair boost if they also happen to be close to a ‘Maintenance Workshop’. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/39402435/c1b26c81e22145aa28d46e76ee380eb8cd18ced1.png[/img] Please note that the ‘boost’ calculation hasn’t been implemented yet. We’ll add this to one of the upcoming updates. [u][b]Changes to the Earth Facilities[/b][/u] In a previous update, we had moved the ‘Earth Facilities’ research technology further down the tech tree and into Phase II. We realized that this was limiting the gameplay too much, so we brought the ‘Earth Facilities’ back to Phase I. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/39402435/86d7fc51af00d31ba9ddacf5012bca3b9e45a675.png[/img] In addition to this, we’ve tweaked the mechanics so that only certain buildings are available by default. The rest of them will have dependencies on more advanced technologies from the tech tree, which are communicated via a tooltip. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/39402435/db12676bddf46407d3a2e0c57578bdd6de677ff0.png[/img] [u][b]Addition of design constraints[/b][/u] Another large piece of feedback we got is that, despite the impressive amount of space station module types available, we aren’t placing enough design constraints that force players to think more carefully about their designs. We’re making steps towards resolving this problem as part of this update. For example, adding a module to a production line can only be done if said module is within a maximum distance from existing modules within the production line. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/39402435/49fd0e35e465c37515cf684cbde1afc177b60641.png[/img] We’ve never met anyone who enjoys a long commute to work. Astronauts are no exception, so from this update onwards, research modules will receive a proximity bonus if they are closely located to a crew quarters module. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/39402435/a2e757e73e4995861d4f3416342ee92a00aad068.png[/img] Similarly, we’ve placed a constraint on the maximum distance that a module can be located away from electricity/cooling modules. As of this update, the game only detects if a module is violating this constraint, but doesn’t apply any penalties. These penalties will be included in a future update. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/39402435/26eadeea84e2af350d913e10dcbaa8599332fd0d.png[/img] We’ve also added more filters to the orbital outpost screen to quickly visualize which modules are outside of the maintenance area of influence, far from an electricity module, etc. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/39402435/1e8822b89a54abcf8cbdd6a9edc250485c037fc4.png[/img] This screen can be accessed by using the ‘Looking Glass’ buttons located in the top-right corner of the screen. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/39402435/8a25426f330e9734de295176e9081aa846a6702b.png[/img] [u][b]Game balancing[/b][/u] As mentioned earlier in this post, we can confirm that Phase I is fully playable and that it took us approximately six hours to complete. We have performed extensive balancing to our “Master Spreadsheet” to ensure an enjoyable experience, but let us know in the forums if you find that certain modules are too powerful or not powerful enough, so that we can revise them accordingly. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/39402435/d1c750049f4319e483e7c8ec8036f6bbdf8fdb73.png[/img] [u][b]Upcoming changes[/b][/u] Expect more interesting mechanics in our upcoming updates, including deeper mechanics around propulsion modules and the station’s center of mass. These mechanics will make use of the ‘Propulsion Pod’ modules, which we’ve recently added to the game. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/39402435/79ee93c0b4e16207d1028720c42e47f9c80c8980.png[/img] [u][b]Closing thoughts[/b][/u] We hope you enjoy this updated version of 'Space Station Designer', and don’t hesitate to let us know your thoughts in the forums. Happy New Year! --Ignacio, Mauricio, and Nicolas (Polar Motion)