Development Update: 13 May 2026
The hull of the Arkship groaned as the vessel was ejected from the hyperspace anomaly into the structure of real space-time. Belit Tseri reeled at her station on the bridge, struggling to maintain her footing as the shift of realities threatened to overwhelm her senses. Realspace was ordered, regular, plodding... a palpably different feel from the chaotic, frenetic flow of hyperspace. Yet distantly familiar... how long had it been? Very long indeed. A glance at her bridge officers showed them seemingly unaffected. She straightened her tunic and tried to clear her head, and set to the task at hand: homeward bound again. But what state would the galaxy be in, after so long?
Greetings, galactic despots! It has been a while... I'm told that time flows differently inside the hyperspace anomalies. Now that we are back in realspace, we have an updated build for you. It mostly includes under-the-hood changes to prepare for future updates, but there are a few new features.
Starmap Overlays
There is a new control at the top right of the strategic map screen called "Starmap Overlays" which allows you to more easily turn map UI features on and off on the fly without having to dive into the Options menu. The list of features also includes a new "Sensor Range Circles" option, which provides a visualization of your current sensor range.
Steam Cloud Saves
Support has been added for Steam Cloud saves. You can now switch between saves on your Local Machine and the Steam Cloud via a dropdown menu at the top right of the Save/Load screen.
Steam Workshop Support
A new "Additional Content" screen has been added, accessible from the Main Menu. This screen allows you to view and manage the active build version of the game, as well as mods from the Steam Workshop that you have subscribed to. Yes, this means that Steam Workshop is now supported! May the Mods be with you.
Patch Notes for 13 May 2026 (ver. r53270)
Changes and Additions
- Added Additional Content Panel for Build Version and Workshop Mod management.
- Added a dropdown list to the Load/Save screen to switch between Local Machine and Steam Cloud.
- New top bar icon for selecting "Starmap Overlays."
- Added "Show Scan Ranges" option in the Starmap Overlays list.
- Added "Habitability Colors" option in the Starmap Overlays list.
- Tactical UI tweak: Use SHIFT + Right Click to quickly rotate ships.
Fixes and Housekeeping Changes
- Updated vscode extension protocols.
- Default to high performance GPUs on hybrid laptops.
- Attempt to restore Windows 7 compatibility.
- Fixed a missing icon bug that could cause crashes during morale notifications.
- Fixed AI logic glitch related to energy torpedo targeting.
- Fix for a fleet visibility bug.
- Improved mod compatibility.
- Removed source of indeterminism in tactical AI behaviors.
- More diplomatic events are now auto removed as a result of starting a war.
- AIs should no longer declare war on empires they're unable to communicate with.
And now to find the descendants of those ancient admirals who stayed in realspace but owed me money.
