Plans for next update

The next update - probably 0.0.6, although I may skip this one - is coming along rather nicely. It's still in the early stages, and I simply wanted to discuss the new features that may be introduced.

First one is the possible replacement of the ships. I've been working on a new system for ships, which features smaller ships running around in a similar way to the Star Cleaner ship. These ones have precise computer-assisted aiming and require some maneuvering to avoid. I've been experimenting with the movement and if it all works out, the old static ships may be replaced with these ones, or simply added as extras or obstacles to the player.

I'm also going to work on having more jobs for the player, such as recovering cargo from ships, station maintenance, deliveries, etc. This system will take longer than the new ship system, but it'll be worth it.

I've also created a new save game auto-update feature. If your save file is outdated, the game will add the new values in by itself. After extensive testing, it seems to work fine, even an empty file can be converted to a usable save file.

Another system that I want to work on, but don't know how to, is saving the current state of the solar system the player is in. If I manage to make this, I'll also be able to make an "Uber" job for the player, where they'll take a person from one solar system to another. This, when paired with the new ship system, can make for some very interesting situations. Maybe the player will encounter assassins that'll try to kill the passenger, or they'll be able to become an escort for cargo ships. There's no guarantee this system will be made, but if it is, I think it'll be both a great addition to the game, and it'll also open up a lot of opportunities for other new systems, such as ships arriving in solar systems to aid the other ships in battle, or a variation of that.

Back to discussing systems that I know how to make, I'll also remake the teams system I have. A lot of things in the game have a "team", a faction/government/whatever they support. This, in the game's code, is expressed with a number: if the team is equal to 1, the thing belongs to the pirates, if it's equal to 3, it belongs to the Union, etc. I'm planning to remake this into a system that instead of using numbers will use text, and I'll also implement an "ally" system, where allied teams don't attack each other and stuff like that. This one shouldn't take to long to make, so you can expect to see it in the next update.

I'm also planning to add a "bounty hunter" job for the player, not necessarily now, but sometime - hopefully soon. This job will basically be a "go there and kill that" thing, and will offer credits (basically money) as payment. There may also be a customizable weapon system, where you'll be able to tweak several aspects of your ship's weapon, it'll cost credits to do that, in an effort to make them have some importance in the game.

As you can probably tell, I'm trying to make this game something more than a cleaning simulator. I want to make it a full game, and for that to happen, I need variety. That variety could be either more content as a cleaner, or simply more jobs. I want to do both, but for now the cleaner job feels pretty much done, so that's why I want to work on making other jobs.

This is where I'll end this post. As always, your feedback is appreciated and your suggestions welcome. If you have any questions, you can either leave a comment or contact me on reddit. This post was mostly discussions of what I may create, or what I am creating, I personally prefer to show results, but since there may not be an update for some time, I wanted to make clear what I'm working on - and it was also for people who want to know what direction the game's going in. That's it.