It's been far too long! Drifter 0.8.4 is now live! This is the fifth release in the 0.8.x series, codename "Event Horizon". I'm continuing to work on finalizing the various bits and pieces of the game that need to be done for 1.0 but in the meantime I've got a lot of fixes and quality of life improvements rolled up into 0.8.4. My plan is to go back to a more regular update schedule going forward and try and position 0.9.x as a PRE-1.0 shakedown cruise, so to speak. What follows is a list of what's new, changed and fixed! WHAT'S NEW

• Added support for the SDL2 Controller API
  • Controllers are hot-swappable
  • Added support for controller button images
• Added support for configurable joystick deadzones (configuration starts from the old default of 10% and goes to 20%)
• Added initial HiDPI/Retina support
• Game can now change resolution without requiring a restart
• Added loading messages
• Switched from depth test to occulsion test for sun flares; should improve performance on Intel GPUs
• System map now supports controller zoom and yaw
• JoyPointer now fades out if it hasn't moved for 2 seconds
• Code cleanup
  • reduced number of compiler warnings
  • reduced amount of spurious log messages
  • 3D engine moved to its own source repo
  • Cleaned up configuration UI code

BUGS FIXED

• Fixed bug where station hitboxes in multi-station systems were not being initialized properly
• Fixed bug where NPCs were not spawning under certain conditions
• Fixed trail timer and missile timer bugs

[ 2018-03-20 04:55:34 CET ] [ Original post ]

It's been far too long! Drifter 0.8.4 is now live! This is the fifth release in the 0.8.x series, codename "Event Horizon". I'm continuing to work on finalizing the various bits and pieces of the game that need to be done for 1.0 but in the meantime I've got a lot of fixes and quality of life improvements rolled up into 0.8.4. My plan is to go back to a more regular update schedule going forward and try and position 0.9.x as a PRE-1.0 shakedown cruise, so to speak. What follows is a list of what's new, changed and fixed! WHAT'S NEW

• Added support for the SDL2 Controller API
  • Controllers are hot-swappable
  • Added support for controller button images
• Added support for configurable joystick deadzones (configuration starts from the old default of 10% and goes to 20%)
• Added initial HiDPI/Retina support
• Game can now change resolution without requiring a restart
• Added loading messages
• Switched from depth test to occulsion test for sun flares; should improve performance on Intel GPUs
• System map now supports controller zoom and yaw
• JoyPointer now fades out if it hasn't moved for 2 seconds
• Code cleanup
  • reduced number of compiler warnings
  • reduced amount of spurious log messages
  • 3D engine moved to its own source repo
  • Cleaned up configuration UI code

BUGS FIXED

• Fixed bug where station hitboxes in multi-station systems were not being initialized properly
• Fixed bug where NPCs were not spawning under certain conditions
• Fixed trail timer and missile timer bugs

[ 2018-03-20 04:55:34 CET ] [ Original post ]

Drifter 0.8.3 is now live! This is the fourth release in the 0.8.x series, codename "Event Horizon". We've finally converted the game to use SDL2 instead of SDL1 which means the game should handle monitors and resolution changes a lot more smoothly than before. Also while it's not 100% there yet it should better handle Retina/HiDPI displays as well. Eventually we will be switching over to the SDL2 method of handling gamepads/joysticks which should mean a lot better support there for auto-detecting controllers and all that good stuff. In addition to SDL2 we adjusted the yields in ore processing to reflect the changes that were made a while back to the weights and prices on a number of metals. Hopefully this should make mining profitable again. 0.8.3 also features a number of bug fixes which should improve stability and the ability to complete certain missions. What follows is a list of what's new, changed and fixed! WHAT'S NEW

• Switched to SDL 2 finally!
  • SDL 2 behaves better in general
  • Many graphics settings now take effect immediately
  • Initial improved resolution handling
  • More resolution improvements soon in 0.8.x
  • Please report any issues you have!
• Adjusted ore processing yields
  • Accounts for reduced weight/price of metals from previous updates

BUGS FIXED

• Fixed certain missions not completing automatically
• Fixed scroll reset bug on Buy/Sell click in market
• Fixed crash on new game/loading after having died
• Fixed mail notification not being reset on new game

[ 2017-07-03 01:20:16 CET ] [ Original post ]

Drifter 0.8.3 is now live! This is the fourth release in the 0.8.x series, codename "Event Horizon". We've finally converted the game to use SDL2 instead of SDL1 which means the game should handle monitors and resolution changes a lot more smoothly than before. Also while it's not 100% there yet it should better handle Retina/HiDPI displays as well. Eventually we will be switching over to the SDL2 method of handling gamepads/joysticks which should mean a lot better support there for auto-detecting controllers and all that good stuff. In addition to SDL2 we adjusted the yields in ore processing to reflect the changes that were made a while back to the weights and prices on a number of metals. Hopefully this should make mining profitable again. 0.8.3 also features a number of bug fixes which should improve stability and the ability to complete certain missions. What follows is a list of what's new, changed and fixed! WHAT'S NEW

• Switched to SDL 2 finally!
  • SDL 2 behaves better in general
  • Many graphics settings now take effect immediately
  • Initial improved resolution handling
  • More resolution improvements soon in 0.8.x
  • Please report any issues you have!
• Adjusted ore processing yields
  • Accounts for reduced weight/price of metals from previous updates

BUGS FIXED

• Fixed certain missions not completing automatically
• Fixed scroll reset bug on Buy/Sell click in market
• Fixed crash on new game/loading after having died
• Fixed mail notification not being reset on new game

[ 2017-07-03 01:20:16 CET ] [ Original post ]

Drifter 0.8.2 is now live! This is the third release in the 0.8.x series, codename "Event Horizon". We've finally fixed the bug we were experiencing in lua that was causing some instability. The game should no longer crash on the starmap when you're running missions. Also we've added a bunch of new stuff as we prepare to add pilot skills and attributes. You can see some of the new UI we've got in place but it won't be useful until we flesh these systems out over the next few weeks. WHAT'S NEW

• Initial Pilot Attributes
  • Attributes now exist in the game
  • Skills now exist in the game
  • You can't interact with them much yet!
  • You can view the Pilot Status UI though
  • Attributes will expand in 0.8.x
  • Initial Skills will be added in 0.8.x too
• Initial Pilot Status UI's
  • Displays initial attribute skill trees
  • Displays initial factions reputation
• Improved the HUD visuals and options
  • more HUD polish!
  • HUD now anchors at the corners when scaling
  • HUD now has X and Y offset for direct control!
• Start tracking pilot specifics
  • Pilots now have factions, attributes and skills
  • Currently only used by the player
  • This will later be used by AI (but not yet)
• More work on procedural planets
  • Added earth-like planet as a teaser
  • Making the planet editor lua scripted
• Improved planet loading and unloading
  • Will make a difference in subsequent updates!

BUGS FIXED

• Fixed crashes from lua stack overflows
• Fixed Tables and Text views scroll resets
• Fixed re-docking timer counting when it shouldn't
• Fixed some station collision shape issues

[ 2017-06-28 02:51:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

Drifter 0.8.2 is now live! This is the third release in the 0.8.x series, codename "Event Horizon". We've finally fixed the bug we were experiencing in lua that was causing some instability. The game should no longer crash on the starmap when you're running missions. Also we've added a bunch of new stuff as we prepare to add pilot skills and attributes. You can see some of the new UI we've got in place but it won't be useful until we flesh these systems out over the next few weeks. WHAT'S NEW

• Initial Pilot Attributes
  • Attributes now exist in the game
  • Skills now exist in the game
  • You can't interact with them much yet!
  • You can view the Pilot Status UI though
  • Attributes will expand in 0.8.x
  • Initial Skills will be added in 0.8.x too
• Initial Pilot Status UI's
  • Displays initial attribute skill trees
  • Displays initial factions reputation
• Improved the HUD visuals and options
  • more HUD polish!
  • HUD now anchors at the corners when scaling
  • HUD now has X and Y offset for direct control!
• Start tracking pilot specifics
  • Pilots now have factions, attributes and skills
  • Currently only used by the player
  • This will later be used by AI (but not yet)
• More work on procedural planets
  • Added earth-like planet as a teaser
  • Making the planet editor lua scripted
• Improved planet loading and unloading
  • Will make a difference in subsequent updates!

BUGS FIXED

• Fixed crashes from lua stack overflows
• Fixed Tables and Text views scroll resets
• Fixed re-docking timer counting when it shouldn't
• Fixed some station collision shape issues

[ 2017-06-28 02:51:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

Drifter 0.8.1 is now live! This is the second release in the 0.8.x series, codename "Event Horizon". In addition to a number of bug fixes we've finally completed the initial implementation of the faction system. You can't interact with it just yet but once factions are fully implemented it will allow all kinds of interesting things like faction specific missions, equipment and ships. WHAT'S NEW

• Initial faction system implementation!
  • Factions now exist in the game
  • You can't interact with them yet!
  • Initial territory capital selection
  • Initial procedural territory expansion
  • Initial territory visualization in galaxy view
  • Faction system will be fleshed out in 0.8.x
  • Faction specific missions on the way
  • Factions will be player joinable
• Added keyboard shortcuts
  • Galaxy Map - G
  • System Map - H
  • Jump Console - J
  • Ship Menu - O
  • Comms Menu - K

BUGS FIXED

• Fixed some stability and memory allocation bugs
• Fixed dropdown menus being broken
• Fixed system state clean up where ghost stations could persist
• Fixed search dialog incorrectly popping up from remote system view
• Fixed Jump Override slider updating when open and timer expires

[ 2017-05-14 03:19:18 CET ] [ Original post ]

Drifter 0.8.1 is now live! This is the second release in the 0.8.x series, codename "Event Horizon". In addition to a number of bug fixes we've finally completed the initial implementation of the faction system. You can't interact with it just yet but once factions are fully implemented it will allow all kinds of interesting things like faction specific missions, equipment and ships. WHAT'S NEW

• Initial faction system implementation!
  • Factions now exist in the game
  • You can't interact with them yet!
  • Initial territory capital selection
  • Initial procedural territory expansion
  • Initial territory visualization in galaxy view
  • Faction system will be fleshed out in 0.8.x
  • Faction specific missions on the way
  • Factions will be player joinable
• Added keyboard shortcuts
  • Galaxy Map - G
  • System Map - H
  • Jump Console - J
  • Ship Menu - O
  • Comms Menu - K

BUGS FIXED

• Fixed some stability and memory allocation bugs
• Fixed dropdown menus being broken
• Fixed system state clean up where ghost stations could persist
• Fixed search dialog incorrectly popping up from remote system view
• Fixed Jump Override slider updating when open and timer expires

[ 2017-05-14 03:19:18 CET ] [ Original post ]

Drifter 0.8.0 is now live! This is the first release in the 0.8.x series, codename "Event Horizon". The biggest reason we're moving so quickly from 0.7.x to 0.8.x is that we've finally implemented Lua script support and in-game missions are now completely scriptable instead of the horrible mission templates we were using before. Because the Lua API for Drifter is still very new we are currently not providing the raw Lua source for missions but I'm hoping by 0.8.1 or 0.8.2 or so they will be raw text files that you can play around with and even make your own missions! There's been a bunch more polish as well and stuff continues to look better and better. That said, we'll give you a bit of a rundown of what's new and fixed below. NOTE: Older savegames still work but any missions you have that were in progress will not be able to be continued because the new scriptable missions are not compatible. WHAT'S NEW

• New Ship Status UI in the ship menu
  • Displays all equipment installed on the ship
  • Displays current ship statistics and status
• New HUD mail message notifications
  • Messages now display read/unread state
  • Displayed on the bottom left of the HUD
  • And in the top left of the station headers
• New jump status information in the HUD
• New icons in the starmap and station views
• Ship menu now has icons and is neater
• New procedural mission system
  • Missions are now fully scripted!
  • This build includes improved versions of all existing mission types
  • With the new system, mission types and variation will get rapidly better.
  • Missions now visually formatted
  • Missions now send you mail when completed
  • Missions now display HUD messages
  • Missions now check and display requirements
    • i.e If you don't have cargo space for the mission item
  • Missions now have random mission-specific responses
  • Mission information in active list is now dynamic
    • i.e Distance to targets, etc
  • Missions display objectives more clearly
  • Missions display state more clearly
    • i.e Patrol missions show waypoint progress
    • Information displayed by mission is mission specific
    • Completion deadlines for urgent missions are clearer
  • Terminate missions now spawn the enemy when close
    • Fixes mission specific NPC's being killed before you arrive
• UI polish and improvements
  • Main menu and pause menus visually polished
  • UI headers now display in all station views
  • Starmap search field now auto focuses
  • Plot course and View system buttons in Starmap Search
  • All tables and views polished further
  • Assets view shows ship icon
  • More scrollbar momentum and click improvements
  • Can no longer use jump console while jump state is active
  • Can no longer view the local station as a remote station
  • Can no longer load when no save is selected

BUGS FIXED

• Jump state save caused some ships to become “stuck”
• Afterburner sound no longer stays active while paused
• Table sorting now works (again!)

[ 2017-03-26 04:42:01 CET ] [ Original post ]

Drifter 0.8.0 is now live! This is the first release in the 0.8.x series, codename "Event Horizon". The biggest reason we're moving so quickly from 0.7.x to 0.8.x is that we've finally implemented Lua script support and in-game missions are now completely scriptable instead of the horrible mission templates we were using before. Because the Lua API for Drifter is still very new we are currently not providing the raw Lua source for missions but I'm hoping by 0.8.1 or 0.8.2 or so they will be raw text files that you can play around with and even make your own missions! There's been a bunch more polish as well and stuff continues to look better and better. That said, we'll give you a bit of a rundown of what's new and fixed below. NOTE: Older savegames still work but any missions you have that were in progress will not be able to be continued because the new scriptable missions are not compatible. WHAT'S NEW

• New Ship Status UI in the ship menu
  • Displays all equipment installed on the ship
  • Displays current ship statistics and status
• New HUD mail message notifications
  • Messages now display read/unread state
  • Displayed on the bottom left of the HUD
  • And in the top left of the station headers
• New jump status information in the HUD
• New icons in the starmap and station views
• Ship menu now has icons and is neater
• New procedural mission system
  • Missions are now fully scripted!
  • This build includes improved versions of all existing mission types
  • With the new system, mission types and variation will get rapidly better.
  • Missions now visually formatted
  • Missions now send you mail when completed
  • Missions now display HUD messages
  • Missions now check and display requirements
    • i.e If you don't have cargo space for the mission item
  • Missions now have random mission-specific responses
  • Mission information in active list is now dynamic
    • i.e Distance to targets, etc
  • Missions display objectives more clearly
  • Missions display state more clearly
    • i.e Patrol missions show waypoint progress
    • Information displayed by mission is mission specific
    • Completion deadlines for urgent missions are clearer
  • Terminate missions now spawn the enemy when close
    • Fixes mission specific NPC's being killed before you arrive
• UI polish and improvements
  • Main menu and pause menus visually polished
  • UI headers now display in all station views
  • Starmap search field now auto focuses
  • Plot course and View system buttons in Starmap Search
  • All tables and views polished further
  • Assets view shows ship icon
  • More scrollbar momentum and click improvements
  • Can no longer use jump console while jump state is active
  • Can no longer view the local station as a remote station
  • Can no longer load when no save is selected

BUGS FIXED

• Jump state save caused some ships to become stuck
• Afterburner sound no longer stays active while paused
• Table sorting now works (again!)

[ 2017-03-26 04:21:05 CET ] [ Original post ]

Drifter 0.7.2 is now live! This week's build is mostly UI fixes/cleanup and bug fixes. The full details as to what's new in 0.7.2 are listed below and are also over on the wiki: http://celsiusgs.com/drifter/wiki/Current_Build_and_Known_Bugs

[ 2017-03-11 02:24:32 CET ] [ Original post ]

Drifter 0.7.2 is now live! This week's build is mostly UI fixes/cleanup and bug fixes. The full details as to what's new in 0.7.2 are listed below and are also over on the wiki: http://celsiusgs.com/drifter/wiki/Current_Build_and_Known_Bugs

[ 2017-03-11 02:24:32 CET ] [ Original post ]

Drifter 0.7.1 is now live! The biggest thing is Material Synthesis is now fully functional! There's still quite a lot of polishing and balancing to be done but now that I'm back on track we'll be doing that in the next few weeks. Feel free to head to an Industrial type system and have a poke around. Right now I have blueprints for the new "synthesis materials" which are basic building blocks of a lot of more complicated recipes and there are blueprints for the currently available weapons in the game. Eventually there will be blueprints for new weapons and equipment which may not be readily available for purchase ːsteamhappyː Note that nothing is really well balanced and it's all subject to change but I'd love to get some feedback for what you think based on what's there. The full details as to what's new in 0.7.1 are listed below and are also over on the wiki: http://celsiusgs.com/drifter/wiki/Current_Build_and_Known_Bugs

[ 2017-02-25 06:07:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

Drifter 0.7.1 is now live! The biggest thing is Material Synthesis is now fully functional! There's still quite a lot of polishing and balancing to be done but now that I'm back on track we'll be doing that in the next few weeks. Feel free to head to an Industrial type system and have a poke around. Right now I have blueprints for the new "synthesis materials" which are basic building blocks of a lot of more complicated recipes and there are blueprints for the currently available weapons in the game. Eventually there will be blueprints for new weapons and equipment which may not be readily available for purchase steamhappy Note that nothing is really well balanced and it's all subject to change but I'd love to get some feedback for what you think based on what's there. The full details as to what's new in 0.7.1 are listed below and are also over on the wiki: http://celsiusgs.com/drifter/wiki/Current_Build_and_Known_Bugs

[ 2017-02-25 06:07:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

Drifter 0.7.0 is now live! This is the first release in the 0.7.x series, codename "Defiant". Note: We've got a new trailer and new screenshots up on the store page, so you should definitely check those out! Because I’m going to be in Seattle next week for Steam Dev Days I really didn’t want to delay updates any further so I decided to go ahead release 0.7.0! We managed to get the bulk of the initial 0.7.0 update done and Material Synthesis is about 90% of the way there. So the plan is for me to complete Material Synthesis and add it in 0.7.1 in 1-2 weeks time after I get back. In the meantime there’s a ton of new stuff in 0.7.0 and the game is looking amazing, even if I do say so myself. We’ve spent a lot of time filing down rough edges and generally polishing the game to where we’re very happy with how it looks and feels. There’s still some work to be done but it’s much closer to feeling “done” as of 0.7.0. In addition to an all new starfield background we’ve improved the look and feel of the UI in a number of areas, station interiors are now more interactive and all of the current items and equipment in the game now have icons. That said, the full list of what’s new and improved is below! One big change I feel is important to note is I removed the old controller UI interaction system as I was never particularly happy with it and it was proving to be difficult to maintain. So going forward the controller will use what I’m calling a “joypointer” where the left analog stick moves a virtual pointer. Pressing the “GUI Accept” button will click buttons and holding it will let you drag things like lists and sliders. Also if you press the “GUI Cancel” button it will allow you to quickly leave station areas and close menus instead of hunting for the close button. It’s still not 100% where it needs to be but it already works a lot better than the old system and we’ll be improving it in the coming weeks. WHAT'S NEW

• New trailer and screenshots
• New (much better) starfield background
• New UI and HUD color scheme and fonts
• New ship radial menu colors and design
• New ship radial menu icons for jump, stop, system, dock
• New “joypointer” for better controller UI interaction
• New integrated UI for Station interiors
• New interior for material synthesis
• New interior transitions with fades and audio
• New docking sequence including docking animation
• New fade transition on undocking, and rotating stars in bay
• Player now lands in docking bay instead of the station hub
• Player ship now docked in docking bay, with idle animation
• Improved Odyssey model and texture
• Improved pilot quarters and docking bay interior
• Improved main and pause menu design
• Improved station info bar
• Improved item detail popover
• Improved ship info block in Docking Bay
• Improved sliders ui with a border
• Improved ship display size in Ship Market and Ship Fitting
• Improved star halo
• Added comma separators to ship equipment amounts and prices in market
• Added item detail popup for remote market view
• Added Star halos and planetary atmosphere in system map
• All current equipment and item icons are complete!
  • All existing icons polished up
  • 17 new icons
    • Antimatter, Trilumin, Fusion Reactors, Chemical Processors
    • Mining Laser, Particle Beam, Gamma Beam, Neutron Lancer
    • Industrial Robots, Iron, Molybdenum, Adamantine
    • Station, Colony and Ship Components
    • Farm Animals, Domestic Animals

Implemented 99% of Material Synthesis functionality and UI 0.7.x weekly builds will contain usable implementation BUGS FIXED

• Fixed memory leak in scene system
• Fixed Rogue Librarian mission being incompletable

[ 2016-10-08 14:36:52 CET ] [ Original post ]

Drifter 0.7.0 is now live! This is the first release in the 0.7.x series, codename "Defiant". Note: We've got a new trailer and new screenshots up on the store page, so you should definitely check those out! Because Im going to be in Seattle next week for Steam Dev Days I really didnt want to delay updates any further so I decided to go ahead release 0.7.0! We managed to get the bulk of the initial 0.7.0 update done and Material Synthesis is about 90% of the way there. So the plan is for me to complete Material Synthesis and add it in 0.7.1 in 1-2 weeks time after I get back. In the meantime theres a ton of new stuff in 0.7.0 and the game is looking amazing, even if I do say so myself. Weve spent a lot of time filing down rough edges and generally polishing the game to where were very happy with how it looks and feels. Theres still some work to be done but its much closer to feeling done as of 0.7.0. In addition to an all new starfield background weve improved the look and feel of the UI in a number of areas, station interiors are now more interactive and all of the current items and equipment in the game now have icons. That said, the full list of whats new and improved is below! One big change I feel is important to note is I removed the old controller UI interaction system as I was never particularly happy with it and it was proving to be difficult to maintain. So going forward the controller will use what Im calling a joypointer where the left analog stick moves a virtual pointer. Pressing the GUI Accept button will click buttons and holding it will let you drag things like lists and sliders. Also if you press the GUI Cancel button it will allow you to quickly leave station areas and close menus instead of hunting for the close button. Its still not 100% where it needs to be but it already works a lot better than the old system and well be improving it in the coming weeks. WHAT'S NEW

• New trailer and screenshots
• New (much better) starfield background
• New UI and HUD color scheme and fonts
• New ship radial menu colors and design
• New ship radial menu icons for jump, stop, system, dock
• New joypointer for better controller UI interaction
• New integrated UI for Station interiors
• New interior for material synthesis
• New interior transitions with fades and audio
• New docking sequence including docking animation
• New fade transition on undocking, and rotating stars in bay
• Player now lands in docking bay instead of the station hub
• Player ship now docked in docking bay, with idle animation
• Improved Odyssey model and texture
• Improved pilot quarters and docking bay interior
• Improved main and pause menu design
• Improved station info bar
• Improved item detail popover
• Improved ship info block in Docking Bay
• Improved sliders ui with a border
• Improved ship display size in Ship Market and Ship Fitting
• Improved star halo
• Added comma separators to ship equipment amounts and prices in market
• Added item detail popup for remote market view
• Added Star halos and planetary atmosphere in system map
• All current equipment and item icons are complete!
  • All existing icons polished up
  • 17 new icons
    • Antimatter, Trilumin, Fusion Reactors, Chemical Processors
    • Mining Laser, Particle Beam, Gamma Beam, Neutron Lancer
    • Industrial Robots, Iron, Molybdenum, Adamantine
    • Station, Colony and Ship Components
    • Farm Animals, Domestic Animals

Implemented 99% of Material Synthesis functionality and UI 0.7.x weekly builds will contain usable implementation BUGS FIXED

• Fixed memory leak in scene system
• Fixed Rogue Librarian mission being incompletable

[ 2016-10-08 14:12:37 CET ] [ Original post ]

Drifter 0.7.0 is now live! This is the first release in the 0.7.x series, codename "Defiant". Because I’m going to be in Seattle next week for Steam Dev Days I really didn’t want to delay updates any further so I decided to go ahead release 0.7.0! We managed to get the bulk of the initial 0.7.0 update done and Material Synthesis is about 90% of the way there. So the plan is for me to complete Material Synthesis and add it in 0.7.1 in 1-2 weeks time after I get back. In the meantime there’s a ton of new stuff in 0.7.0 and the game is looking amazing, even if I do say so myself. We’ve spent a lot of time filing down rough edges and generally polishing the game to where we’re very happy with how it looks and feels. There’s still some work to be done but it’s much closer to feeling “done” as of 0.7.0. In addition to an all new starfield background we’ve improved the look and feel of the UI in a number of areas, station interiors are now more interactive and all of the current items and equipment in the game now have icons. That said, the full list of what’s new and improved is below! One big change I feel is important to note is I removed the old controller UI interaction system as I was never particularly happy with it and it was proving to be difficult to maintain. So going forward the controller will use what I’m calling a “joypointer” where the left analog stick moves a virtual pointer. Pressing the “GUI Accept” button will click buttons and holding it will let you drag things like lists and sliders. Also if you press the “GUI Cancel” button it will allow you to quickly leave station areas and close menus instead of hunting for the close button. It’s still not 100% where it needs to be but it already works a lot better than the old system and we’ll be improving it in the coming weeks. WHAT'S NEW

• New trailer and screenshots
• New (much better) starfield background
• New UI and HUD color scheme and fonts
• New ship radial menu colors and design
• New ship radial menu icons for jump, stop, system, dock
• New “joypointer” for better controller UI interaction
• New integrated UI for Station interiors
• New interior for material synthesis
• New interior transitions with fades and audio
• New docking sequence including docking animation
• New fade transition on undocking, and rotating stars in bay
• Player now lands in docking bay instead of the station hub
• Player ship now docked in docking bay, with idle animation
• Improved Odyssey model and texture
• Improved pilot quarters and docking bay interior
• Improved main and pause menu design
• Improved station info bar
• Improved item detail popover
• Improved ship info block in Docking Bay
• Improved sliders ui with a border
• Improved ship display size in Ship Market and Ship Fitting
• Improved star halo
• Added comma separators to ship equipment amounts and prices in market
• Added item detail popup for remote market view
• Added Star halos and planetary atmosphere in system map
• All current equipment and item icons are complete!
  • All existing icons polished up
  • 17 new icons
    • Antimatter, Trilumin, Fusion Reactors, Chemical Processors
    • Mining Laser, Particle Beam, Gamma Beam, Neutron Lancer
    • Industrial Robots, Iron, Molybdenum, Adamantine
    • Station, Colony and Ship Components
    • Farm Animals, Domestic Animals

Implemented 99% of Material Synthesis functionality and UI 0.7.x weekly builds will contain usable implementation BUGS FIXED

• Fixed memory leak in scene system
• Fixed Rogue Librarian mission being incompletable

[ 2016-10-08 14:11:13 CET ] [ Original post ]

Drifter 0.6.14 is now live! There's probably not going to be a build next weekend as we're pretty much in the final stretch for 0.7.0 and instead we'll be pushing on finalizing that so we can get it out before the month is over! That said this week we've still got some new icons and a bunch of solid bugfixes lined up. The full details as to what's new in 0.6.14 are listed below and are also over on the wiki: http://celsiusgs.com/drifter/wiki/Current_Build_and_Known_Bugs

[ 2016-09-18 04:38:18 CET ] [ Original post ]

Drifter 0.6.14 is now live! There's probably not going to be a build next weekend as we're pretty much in the final stretch for 0.7.0 and instead we'll be pushing on finalizing that so we can get it out before the month is over! That said this week we've still got some new icons and a bunch of solid bugfixes lined up. The full details as to what's new in 0.6.14 are listed below and are also over on the wiki: http://celsiusgs.com/drifter/wiki/Current_Build_and_Known_Bugs

[ 2016-09-18 04:38:18 CET ] [ Original post ]

Drifter 0.6.13 is now live! Not a huge update this week but we're still moving closer to 0.7.0. I'm even hoping next week's build will be the final 0.6.x build! That said this week we've got some new icons and bug fixes for you. The full details as to what's new in 0.6.13 are listed below and are also over on the wiki: http://celsiusgs.com/drifter/wiki/Current_Build_and_Known_Bugs

[ 2016-09-10 06:06:10 CET ] [ Original post ]

Drifter 0.6.13 is now live! Not a huge update this week but we're still moving closer to 0.7.0. I'm even hoping next week's build will be the final 0.6.x build! That said this week we've got some new icons and bug fixes for you. The full details as to what's new in 0.6.13 are listed below and are also over on the wiki: http://celsiusgs.com/drifter/wiki/Current_Build_and_Known_Bugs

[ 2016-09-10 06:06:10 CET ] [ Original post ]

Drifter 0.6.12 is now live! Still plugging along on Material Synthesis! In the meantime, I've added some (often requested!) number formatting for better readability and Sven has been working on some new sound effects and icons for this week's build! The full details as to what's new in 0.6.12 are listed below and are also over on the wiki: http://celsiusgs.com/drifter/wiki/Current_Build_and_Known_Bugs

[ 2016-09-03 06:10:43 CET ] [ Original post ]

Drifter 0.6.11 is now live! Things continue to come together for 0.7.0! The Material Synthesis UI is nearly done and I've also embedded Lua support this week as the first step towards adding scripting to the game. For example one plan is to replace the current mission system with fully scriptable missions, which is pretty exciting! There's really a ton of stuff that will come out of this scripting support, but let's take it one step at a time :) That said this week's build features some new equipment icons from Sven and I've gone and cleaned up a few things under the hood but there isn't much new feature wise. The full details as to what's new in 0.6.11 are listed below and are also over on the wiki: http://celsiusgs.com/drifter/wiki/Current_Build_and_Known_Bugs

[ 2016-08-27 04:43:07 CET ] [ Original post ]

Drifter 0.6.10 is now live! Work continues apace towards 0.7.0! I've been working away on the Material Synthesis UI this week which is coming along nicely. That said this week's build features a bunch of new launcher icons that Sven's been busy with and I've fixed a few bugs and tweaked the NPC cargo drops so they're not quite so ridiculous. The full details as to what's new in 0.6.10 are listed below and are also over on the wiki: http://celsiusgs.com/drifter/wiki/Current_Build_and_Known_Bugs

[ 2016-08-20 03:52:08 CET ] [ Original post ]

Drifter 0.6.9 is now live! We did a lot of under the hood work on making way for the new material synthesis system. That said I also tweaked the AI to make projectile weapons a little more accurate and beam weapons less accurate (as they were nearly impossible to dodge before). Also Sven has cooked up a ton of new icons! The full details as to what's new in 0.6.9 are listed below and are also over on the wiki: http://celsiusgs.com/drifter/wiki/Current_Build_and_Known_Bugs

[ 2016-08-13 03:02:40 CET ] [ Original post ]

Drifter 0.6.8 is now live! This week's build includes some new goodies to play with along with the usual bug fixes and polish. For example we've added some new modules and a few new procedural mission templates to spice things up! That said, the full details as to what's new in 0.6.8 are listed below and are also over on the wiki: http://celsiusgs.com/drifter/wiki/Current_Build_and_Known_Bugs

[ 2016-08-06 05:26:16 CET ] [ Original post ]

Drifter 0.6.7 is now live! This week's build has some new stuff and fixes but is a little light on new features because we ended up putting in quite a lot of work towards 0.7.0 and some under-the-hood cleanup. That said, the full details as to what's new in 0.6.7 are listed below and are also over on the wiki: http://celsiusgs.com/drifter/wiki/Current_Build_and_Known_Bugs

[ 2016-07-30 05:49:10 CET ] [ Original post ]

Drifter 0.6.6 is now live and we've got a bunch of new stuff and fixes! Some of the highlights of this week's build include: - A Cargo Scanner module which can scan both ships and fixed containers - Some NPCs now have random cargo in their holds (for you to scan, and do nothing illegal with, surely) - Floating containers and ore now display what they contain instead of simply "Container" or "Ore" - Beam weapons have been tweaked and no longer do damage beyond their intended maximum range That said, the full details as to what's new in 0.6.6 are listed below and are also over on the wiki: http://celsiusgs.com/drifter/wiki/Current_Build_and_Known_Bugs

[ 2016-07-23 01:35:39 CET ] [ Original post ]

This week's build is now live! The biggest change this week is NPCs are now created using a new algorithm which gives them different ship equipment and weapons. This algorithm determines the "difficulty" of the NPC based on the current system's safety rating and chooses its weapons, armor, etc. based on this. I haven't really done a lot of balance testing on this, so hopefully this first attempt is reasonable. The intent was to make combat a bit more difficult in certain places so keep that in mind but please let me know how you find it as you play! Also I've added initial support for the Steam Controller to the game. You can give it a shot by selecting the Steam Controller preset in the Controller Config page of the settings. That said, the full details as to what's new in 0.6.5 are listed below and are also over on the wiki: http://celsiusgs.com/drifter/wiki/Current_Build_and_Known_Bugs

[ 2016-07-16 05:00:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

Drifter 0.7.0 is still in the works but as a part of restructuring my development process we're moving to weekly builds starting today. Old habits are hard to break but the way I was working on the game previously was just not working out and it took me some time to take stock and try and fix things. That said hopefully this will help keep development from stalling out again and also it will mean lots of visible progress/less radio silence. Also we'll be able to address bugs more quickly and we'll be doing constant mid-stream polish as we go. That said, the full details as to what's new and fixed in 0.6.4 are listed below and are also over on the wiki: http://celsiusgs.com/drifter/wiki/Current_Build_and_Known_Bugs Scroll down to see a preview of the new UI look as well!
[url=http://celsiusgs.com/drifter/images/releasenotes/0.6.4/newui.png]
(Click to enlarge)

[ 2016-07-09 05:35:17 CET ] [ Original post ]

Featuring a number of quality of life improvements, new icon artwork, and a number of bug fixes you can get the details of what’s new and fixed on the wiki: http://celsiusgs.com/drifter/wiki/Current_Build_and_Known_Bugs Drifter 0.7.0 and Beyond Thank you for your continued patience as we work towards 0.7.0. Despite my attempts at trying to increase the frequency of updates we have fallen behind in that regard and I apologize for that. The good news is we have been able to focus on finalizing all of the design work for Drifter 1.0 over the last few months and I feel like there’s finally a clear path for finishing the game. Drifter 0.7.0 should be finalized in the next few weeks which will finally see the replacement of the placeholder planet textures with procedurally generated ones, the introduction of the Material Synthesis system, and the introduction of the frequently-hinted-at spatial anomalies which will add a new element of exploration to the game. Once Drifter 0.7.0 is out, I feel like there are maybe 3 or 4 major updates left before we hit 1.0 and the game is finished. With the major design work out of the way most of what is left is implementation, and we’re going to push for a major update every 4 weeks. I realize it’s been difficult for us to maintain a consistent schedule but I really want to get the game to 1.0 and properly released and the only way to do this is to keep pushing for it. That said, Drifter 1.0 is not going to mean the end of development on the game because there’s still a lot of things I’m hoping to add to the game post-release but I feel like this is a necessary step and it’s been a long time coming. In the meantime, enjoy some concept art Sven has been working on for three new station facilities we’re adding leading up to 1.0!

[ 2015-12-16 16:52:58 CET ] [ Original post ]

Drifter 0.6.2 has been released! Before I talk a bit about the update I just wanted to say that now that 0.6.2 is out and it isn't hanging things up, I'm going to attempt a new development track system as we move towards 1.0. Basically we're going to be working on two release tracks going forward with a small release every week or so and a bigger update being worked on in tandem with a longer ~1 month release cycle or so. There are a few issues I'm hoping this will solve: 1) It will help keep up the momentum for us. There's a ton of stuff big and small that has to be done and getting releases out on a regular basis will be motivational and it will make sure that big and small picture items get addressed properly. 2) It will allow us to be more visible with what we're working on and avoid going silent on updates for long periods of time. I really don't enjoy getting into situations where people were getting concerned if the game was still being worked on or not and all I could do was to insist that it was. This way we show, instead of tell. Anyway! That out of the way, here's more on 0.6.2: Some highlights include the fact that I re-wrote the entire station docking control system to prevent people from getting stuck while trying to undock from busy stations! We also added a new 3D animation system which will allow us to add little animations all over the place. For the moment it is being used to make the rock shields on the Aspis spin:
I've added a new Jumpdrive Console which, in addition to giving important information about your ship's jump drive now allows you to override the cooldown lockout. This comes with a risk of course, because your jump drive could overload and damage your ship (and void your warranty!):
Also we've added containers that you can deploy in space that you can use for storing things that you can't fit in your hold, such as the spoils of mining, or maybe the spoils of slightly less legal activities:
Finally we've added a new station type, the Agricultural Station:
There have of course been a number of other new icons added and bugs fixed. You can get the full details in the release notes page on the wiki: http://celsiusgs.com/drifter/wiki/Current_Build_and_Known_Bugs Existing save games from 0.6.1 should still work with 0.6.2. Enjoy!

[ 2015-09-05 02:05:29 CET ] [ Original post ]

The Beginning of the End

Don’t worry this isn’t a post about how we’re giving up. It is in fact the complete opposite of that! Drifter has been in development for quite some time, almost going on 4 years now! It’s been somewhat slow going at times mainly because it’s a fairly big game and we’re a pretty small team. That said we definitely wouldn’t be here and Drifter wouldn’t exist as it does if it weren’t for the support of amazing people like you who believe in us and have been supporting us along the way. Trying to juggle development and promotion over such a protracted development cycle has caused a lot of slip ups and it feels like its been hard at times to keep the momentum going. Thankfully we have been fortunate enough to have a game that suits itself well to Early Access and that people have been playing and enjoying it for quite some time now but it is about time we thought about pushing it towards version 1.0 and a proper release. While there is still quite a lot of work to be done it feels like the end is in sight and if we can maintain a steady pace of development and enthusiasm throughout the rest of the year we’ll be very close to if not at 1.0 before the year is out! That’s the idea behind The Year of Drifter: we’re going to try and turn the final push towards 1.0 throughout the rest of the year into a celebration of the development of the game. It’s my feeling that this will not only help us keep our pace up but it’ll be pretty interesting to you so you can stay tuned and watch as things come together. We’ll be trying some new stuff as well like live streaming and feature polls and, despite it being a single player only game, I have some ideas of some in-game events that we’re going to be running later on in the summer and going into the fall. It should be an exciting time and I’ll hope you’ll join us!

Posters

As part of The Year of Drifter, and considering that folks have occasionally complained about the cost of shipping, I’ve managed to figure out how to offer FREE SHIPPING on the remaining posters and I’m offering a special deal where you can buy a poster and a copy of the game together as well. Not only is it a sweet poster but buying one helps support the development of the game! http://driftergame.com/posters.php

0.6.2 Is Incoming

I’m just putting the finishing touches on 0.6.2 and that’ll be released by this weekend most likely! I’ll reserve a full post to go into the gory details but in 0.6.2 I’ve finally fixed the last of the docking queue bugs so you should never again get stuck waiting to launch your ship! Also you’ll be able to buy special containers that you can permanently place in space as extra storage that you can use while mining (or being an evil pirate) so you don’t need to go back to base as often.
Finally I’m introducing a new mechanic where you can override the hyperspace jump cooldown if you need or want to jump more quickly. Obviously there will be a risk to doing this but I think it should add an interesting dynamic to the game.

0.7.0 And Beyond

After 0.6.2 I’m going to get back to working on the exploration related feature I keep teasing* as the next major milestone but do keep an eye on the Development Roadmap to see a broad list of what I have planned for the coming weeks and months.
*And no, it’s not wormholes (precisely).

[ 2015-07-01 16:59:05 CET ] [ Original post ]

Drifter 0.6.1 has been released! The biggest change for 0.6.1 is the UI overhaul started in 0.6.0 is now nearly complete. Most of the UI in the game now supports keyboard and gamepad interaction. It's not quite 100% but it should be pretty good for couch gaming at this point. We've also updated and added a number of new item and equipment icons. In addition to this there are a large number of UI improvements and bugfixes, you can get the full details in the release notes page on the wiki: http://celsiusgs.com/drifter/wiki/Current_Build_and_Known_Bugs Existing save games from 0.6.0 should still work with 0.6.1. Enjoy!

[ 2015-02-21 04:31:01 CET ] [ Original post ]

After perhaps far too long Drifter 0.6.0 (code name "Narcissus") has been released! This is a very substantial update that includes a large number of improvements, additions, and bug fixes to the game. As well, considering the under the hood changes I've taken the time to make in 0.6.0, I am working to avoid any more long development delays and get to actually completing Drifter some time before 2015 is out (hopefully much sooner than that of course). In fact, my current plan is to deliver many smaller updates with a turn around time of 2-3 weeks from here on out until the game is finished. Some highlights of this update include: - Initial space station interiors - 5 new ships - New ship equipment icons - A large number of user interface improvements both under the hood and visually - Initial keyboard support for GUI interaction (with controller support coming soon) For the full details, check the release notes page on the wiki: http://celsiusgs.com/drifter/wiki/Current_Build_and_Known_Bugs Existing save games from 0.5.3 should still work with 0.6.0. Enjoy!

[ 2015-01-10 04:21:41 CET ] [ Original post ]

Just so folks see this and realize that we're alive and kicking and Drifter is still being worked on I figured it'd be appropriate to post an announcement about it. Basically version 0.6.0 is coming sometime this week and along with it will be the first set of station interiors, 5 new ships, some new equipment, UI improvements and a bunch of under the hood changes that nobody will notice but will make it easier for me to work on the game! The plan after this is a much more frequent and aggressive update schedule which will eventually lead to the 1.0 release. Anyway once 0.6.0 is out I'll post a followup announcement along with detailed release notes so you can see what's new, fixed and changed :) -Colin

[ 2015-01-06 02:57:01 CET ] [ Original post ]

Drifter 0.5.3 has just been released! This release is primarily a bug fix release, but I've fixed quite a few! For a full list of changes and fixes, please visit the Drifter wiki page for the current build here: http://celsiusgs.com/drifter/wiki/Current_Build_and_Known_Bugs

[ 2014-05-27 21:35:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

Drifter 0.5.2 has just been released! This release includes a number of bug fixes and improvements. Improvements include the long-awaited addition of ship modules and manual docking! I've only included 3 modules in this update as I had to re-write the module system once already and I want to make sure that it's working properly before I add more. For a full list of changes and fixes, please visit the Drifter wiki page for the current build here: http://celsiusgs.com/drifter/wiki/Current_Build_and_Known_Bugs

[ 2014-05-13 09:22:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

Drifter 0.5.1 has just been released! This release includes a number of bug fixes and improvements. Improvements include the addition of an auto-save feature, HUD adjustments, and UI tweaks to address player feedback. For a full list of changes and fixes, please visit the Drifter wiki page for the current build here: http://celsiusgs.com/drifter/wiki/Current_Build_and_Known_Bugs

[ 2014-03-14 07:37:00 CET ] [ Original post ]

Drifter is Now Available on Steam Early Access!

Drifter is an open-world sandbox space trading game with a procedurally-generated galaxy 100,000 light years across made up of tens of thousands of star systems to explore and features an original soundtrack by composer Danny Baranowsky. Take on the role of a spaceship captain attempting to eke out a living among the stars by trading goods between star systems, hunting pirates for bounties, mining asteroids for valuable ore, or even becoming a pirate yourself. The choice is yours!

[ 2014-03-04 17:05:00 CET ] [ Original post ]