Space Haven Alpha 18 - Now in the Unstable Branch!

A lil somethin somethin: You can find the details for this event on the announcement page here.

Greetings, Spacefarer!
We have decided to take a different approach with the upcoming Alpha 18 Update and release an early unstable version of the update for testing.

We have added a new special branch for this, which will allow you to access this new update right away if you want to see how the new update is looking. Keep in mind this branch will have an early version that still has some missing assets, incomplete translations and is more than likely to crash at times!

This version is even earlier than an experimental branch build.

Space Haven Alpha 18 is now available to play in the Unstable (Work-in-Progress) branch. As a reminder, the update process is as follows:

1. A new Update is first available in the Unstable/Experimental Branches.
   
2. Players, who do not mind playing a more unstable version, will first want to test the new update.
   
3. Once the Unstable/Experimental versions of the new update build looks solid and stable enough we will push it out officially to all players!

NOTE! Joining Unstable/Experimental is completely optional, and you should only do it if you are willing to risk that some new bugs are introduced, which could affect your game play and potentially break your save.

Please do not join the Unstable/Experimental branches if you don't want to risk breaking your save or have the game break on you in midst of play! If you want to play a more stable version please wait for the official release of the update.

Here is how you join the Unstable Branch:

• Open Steam Library
  
• Right click Space Haven
  
• Select Properties
  
• Go to tab 'Betas' at the top.
  
• Select 'unstable_work_in_progress' in the drop-down.

To see what has been added, check the in-game patch notes.

Giving Feedback


Please give your feedback in the experimental branch forum. Link below:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/979110/discussions/5/


Let us know what you think of the new features and if something should be altered or tweaked in your mind. Perhaps something makes the game too hard or something is too annoying, let us know so we can get a feel for how the new features feel! =)

What's New in Alpha 18 Unstable Branch
A New Starmap
A new starmap with new features such as faction intentions, interstellar events, more missions and the addition of fog of war.

We've built upon the starmap once before during early access, which in our mind was a clear step in the right direction. However, as a lot of feedback has stated the early and mid game of the Starmap has been enjoyable but once the player has reached a certain point the content has not been able to provide excitement to the same degree.

Ultimately, our goal would be to pack the content of the game in an experience that would make the experience more giving from the beginning to the end. We are working on building a new starmap, with more opportunities to present the player with events and with the content of the game packaged in way that gives more more meaning to the progression of the game.

At the same time we have to remember that the game is also very much a sandbox type of game, and we want to keep the possibility for the player to play in such a way if that is what they desire.

Faction Intentions
The starmap becomes more alive with factions having their own intentions.

Our current idea is to try to create a little bit of life to the starmap, and not have it be entirely static. As a step towards making the starmap a little bit more alive we've thought of a concept of faction intentions.

You will be presented with so called faction intentions, where a faction has some intention to carry out an action in the starmap and you can choose to support them or ignore it.

Interstellar events
Traveling in hyperspace may present you with new encounters, from groups having their ship broken down to enemies wanting to ambush your fleet.

Inspired by the map traveling in Fallout 2 we've implemented a new feature that makes it possible to encounter events mid hyperspace jumps.


Each interstellar hyperlane may have 1 or more events available to discover.

Enemies may catch up to you if you roam the galaxy and get on their wrong side.

The purpose of this feature is that it makes it possible to generate events which the player can encounter free from having them tied to certain sectors and NPC movement in the starmap. These can be distress beacons from ships breaking down mid hyperspace jumps but also groups that are on the hunt to take the player down due to their actions.

This system should work well as a way to generate more events for the player to encounter in the future. It gives us more freedom to generate more in addition to all the events already happening within star systems and sectors.

More Missions
We are adding some more missions, which can be accepted directly in the starmap

We are building upon the missions system and adding some more missions, which can be directly accepted from the starmap. These may work together with faction intentions, giving more variety to the types of missions that factions offer to you as the player.

Fog of War To add to the exploration feel the starmap will have fog of war and only reveal the next destinations.

Previously the whole starmap has been visible from the start. In the new iteration we want to try having a fog of war hiding all but the next available star systems through hyperspace jumps. With this we would like to add more of the exploration feel to the game.

A Comprehensive Sectionalized Tutorial
Introducing Sheridan! A leader of the Haven Foundation guiding new players to become experienced Spacefarers.

Up until this point Space Haven has not had a traditional tutorial. Meaning a fail safe introduction to the game along with lots of information.

Space Haven has only had scenario hints, guiding the player to a hyperspace capable ship. While these work to some degree and we aim to keep them (As an optional help), the feedback we've received has shown that we need to create a proper tutorial for the game.

We have decided to address this issue and we've created a tutorial, which will introduce the player to the game in a comprehensive way. We've also created a character by the name of Sheridan to guide the player on becoming a true Spacefarer! (Sheridan is inspired by a tv-series. =) )


The tutorial is sectionalized allowing the player to revisit any topic that they want to learn more about.

There are a few main points we want the tutorial to fulfill:

1. The tutorial is optional - The player will be able to skip the tutorial and jump straight in, using only the scenario objective hints as before.
   
2. The tutorial gives a sense of progression - For many the tutorial will be the first experience with the game and so we wanted the player to feel like the ship they are building is their own, and that the tutorial has some progression to it.
   
3. The player can revisit any topic as they wish - We wanted to make it possible for the player to revisit different parts of the tutorial in case they felt like they missed something.

Sheridan explaining what the Recycler is for.

We felt it is important to give the player the feeling they are building something of their own right away, instead of just presenting scattered scenarios where the player has to figure out what they are seeing on the screen.

This is why the basic category of the tutorial in Space Haven is for the player to build their own ship on a small ship hull, with each step having information on why certain facilities are built and how they make the ship function as a home for crew members.


In addition to teaching how to build a hyperspace capable ship the tutorial will teach the player about the essential topics for survival.

We divided the building process into different sections, allowing the player to revisit different parts of the tutorial and look into something more than one time. In addition to the basic building tutorial we made a few other categories, which give information on topics that are beyond the scope of just building a hyperspace capable ship.

This combination should make for a great tutorial. The tutorial is of the type where there is a lot of handholding. However, since we aim to keep the scenario hints we have used up until this point as an additional help tool, we feel like players who like handholding tutorials and players who want more freedom right away can both be satisfied.

A New Trading Menu and Modified Pricing

We've modified how the trading prices act within the game and implemented a new system to allow NPC's to value some items more than others depending on their own stock. There are three new categories introduced to the trading menu.

• Premium - The trading partner is in high need of this resource and is willing to pay a premium price.
  
• Markup - The trading partner has a need of this resource and is willing to pay at a better price.
  
• Discount - The trading partner has a surplus of this resource and is willing to part with it at a discounted price.

We also created a new look to the trading menu, making it more streamlined and easier to see many resources at once.

A New Interstellar Jump Menu and ISP Dispensers

We've added a new way to combat interstellar travel sickness. In addition to hyperspace chambers there are now also medical pills that can be given to crew members to lessen the effects of traveling in hyperspace without being in a hyperspace chamber.

The ISP Dispenser, essentially a medical cabinet filled with pills, provides a way to minimize the chance of acquiring interstellar travel sickness. The pills have some side effects though, affecting the crew member for some time after taking the pill.

This gives some more options on how to deal with interstellar travel sickness. Additionally, it allowed us to implement a way to remove the forced auto drops when entering new star systems in the starmap.

Alpha 18 - Now Out in The Unstable Branch
This update is available for you to play right away in the new unstable (work-in-progress) branch.

NOTE! Joining Unstable/Experimental is completely optional, and you should only do it if you are willing to risk that some new bugs are introduced, which could affect your game play and potentially break your save.

Please do not join the Unstable/Experimental branches if you don't want to risk breaking your save or have the game break on you in midst of play! If you want to play a more stable version please wait for the official release of the update.

You can find all the instructions on how to access the new update at the top of this post! Enjoy and stay tuned, Spacefarers!