Next Fest is almost here, and with the planned release date approaching real soon Private Mining Company will be participating! I have been working on some large overhauls to the core gameplay for a while, and they are ready just in time for Next Fest! So I present to you,

The Great Next Fest Update! (or v0.2)

Level Redesign

Each level has been redesigned to give a more engaging gameplay experience where space is more limited.

Contract Overhaul

To address many of the issues in the core gameplay loop, I have reworked how contracts are completed. Contracts will now have a progress meter that is separated from the ore you can spend on upgrades. This progress meter is linked directly to your mining output, but it will not go down when ore is spent.
On top of that, each contract now has a timer for completion. Once this timer is up, the contract will be ended. To reach the contract requirement in time, drill power will need to be increased. The goal of this change is to encourage the active spending of ore throughout each contract.
Drill power has also been changed. You now will be able to trigger power increases on demand, taking out the tedium of balancing drill power.

Soldier Overhaul

Soldiers have been changed to take a more active role during gameplay. During missions, you can now purchase temporary boosts for your soldiers using ore.
Soldiers can now also have a unique class that grants them special abilities. The first class you will get access to in the demo is the Engineer, which provides a buff to nearby turrets. Soldiers also now can only be healed in between missions and will heal slowly passively. Be careful! Bringing an injured soldier into battle could be a death sentence.

Base Redesign

The home base has been redesigned to have a more streamlined appearance, while also providing more information than ever.

Planetary Travel

Although locked for the demo, in preparation for the full release you can now see some of the planets that will be available.

Rank System

Completing more difficulty missions now rewards you with higher ranks. Ranking up will give access to new planets and upgrades as well as more difficult contracts.
Naturally, this will be used as an overall progression goal for the full game. The Demo now concludes upon reaching rank 5. I hope you enjoy the new update. Many more changes and improvements have also been made that I have not listed here. Leave your feedback here!