So it’s nearly two years now since the idea of Shallow Space was conceived, when we took a look at the basic idea of a space RTS, pulled it apart, and started building something slightly different from the remains. The aim is to create something that has us commanding a fleet of ships in all its glory and it’s a battle we seem to be winning, with most of the major hurdles overcome. Throughout the last year we’ve established our ‘A-team’ and although there are still undoubtably challenges ahead, the cogs of our production are greased and turning soundly. [img=http://shallow.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/sspace-2016-01-03-17-17-06-56.jpg][/img] Then we hit Steam, which is crazy! I’ve used it back since Halflife 1(?) days and to scroll through my Library and see ‘Shallow Space’ there, still feels weird – and now, it feels as if we as a team have something to prove. We’ve encountered a high number of very patient and generous Players (that's you) who have been providing great feedback which is massively motivating! [img=http://shallow.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/vlc-2016-01-02-21-34-38-96.jpg][/img] Over the festive period we fired out 2 incremental updates after Update 7, which marked the start of something new. In future we’ll be releasing out incrementals after a major update as the new normal, to catch the bugs you guys shout out a little quicker and it allows us to hang around on that focus, adding some more details. Update 8 has been brewing for a week or so now and already we’ve had a number of major breakthroughs. The first was the puzzle of getting the ship configurations and flotilla to be randomly generated, which above all adds an ‘auto-fill’ button for when you just feel like jumping in a game. The new random generator code has allowed us to add a load of options to tweak the experience, especially in the simulator; in which you’ll be easily able to generate some chunky non-symmetrical fleet battles. [img=http://shallow.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/sspace-2016-01-02-21-17-36-32.jpg][/img] Explosions have gone under the knife also, with a new particle system manager written which will really add some sparkle to ship explosions and future weapons effects. We’ve also started adding more functionality to the maps to allow for pedestrian traffic and stations preparing to add the Player constructable modular stations. [img=http://shallow.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Boomage3.gif][/img] So with a bit of cash now coming in paying for many of the team to go fulltime, the assets are landing thick and fast ready to be imported into the game, we can look forward to another year of strong progress to follow the last one. We want to give a massive thank-you to all of our followers and especially the Early Access supporters, and we look forward to pushing out Update 8! Happy new year to you all! Special thanks to Rock, Paper, Shotgun for making us part of their Top games of 2016 list!