We're finally back with another release after three long years! The biggest thing to have happened in that time is the integration of the Gestalt framework. This means that:

• Modding is now much, much easier. Check out how to create your own module with a few simple steps!
• Modules can more easily be added to the game. Simply drag the folder into the modules directory!
• More ships! More guns! More [insert other item type here]s! All in various modules we've got under the Destination Sol organization on GitHub. Note that some of these modules may be unstable or imbalanced
• No in-game interface to select modules yet, sorry! We hope to add this in a future version

There have been many other small changes over this time and as such it's just impossible to list them all. Here are the highlights:

• Significant code cleanups and enhancements
• Many, many bug fixes (and probably just as many bug introductions!)
• Brand new logo and animated menu background
• Some UI tweaks, including a remade new ship screen in which you can select how many systems will be generated (up to 9!)
• Some balance adjustments, including reducing the time between shots on the blaster
• Continuing a game will now generate the very same world each time
• In game console for cheating (use wisely)! Open it by pressing the tilde key and type `help` to see a list of commands
• A splashscreen will now appear while the game is starting
• Waypoints! Select anywhere on the map to mark for later.
• You can now pan the map with your mouse
• Faction enhancements. Increase your reputation among factions by buying things from them, or shoot at them to make them dislike you!

For full contents, see https://github.com/MovingBlocks/DestinationSol/milestone/4 Included in this release are four featured modules:

• federal
• syndicate
• salvage
• warp - a great example of the current possibilities of modules. Aside from its awesome ships, it introduces a new and interesting gameplay mechanic: research.

If you are coder, modder, artist, or are merely trying to become one of those things, and you want to help us in developing this game then we will happily welcome you! Check out our instructions for setting the game up for development to get you started; make sure also to say hello in our Discord server. Speaking of which... Feel free to join us on our Discord! (room #destination-sol) Oh and if you spot any issues with this release then feel free to report them to us there, or on our GitHub. While this release is long overdue, do keep your eyes peeled for more updates in the future. We currently have a dedicated Google Summer of Code student working on transitioning our code-base into a much more manageable state. We're not quite there yet, but with our frameworks in place the path to supporting multiplayer is now open. It will take effort (and new contributors!) but with your help we'll get there!