Hello everyone, it came to my attention that EarthX crashes on startup. After a quick investigation, it seems the issue is caused by the Discord SDK. If Discord is running in the background, the game may crash on startup. This issue wasnt caused by any recent changes to the game, as nothing has been updated on my end in months. Ill wait a few days to see if Discord resolves it, and if not, Ill release a patch to fix the problem. I'm really sorry for that! Denis

[ 2025-01-24 16:03:19 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey everyone, After two long years, were super excited to finally announce EarthX 2! :D [previewyoutube=t-Vko_CDzdE;full][/previewyoutube] Please consider adding EarthX 2 to your wishlist (the algorithms are unforgiving :/) https://store.steampowered.com/app/1486940

Why a Sequel and Not Just an Update?

I started making EarthX when I was 17, basically learning game dev on the fly. While I somehow managed to create a nice gameplay loop with a lot of cool features, the code became a giant spaghetti mess. This made updates and fixes harder and harder to implement, which limited the creativity in the long run. EarthX is still awesome, but it could be even more awesomehence EarthX 2! By starting fresh, we could create a cleaner codebase and project structure and go *totally wild* with new ideas.

How is the Sequel Different?

I rebuilt the entire game from the ground up while Lucas overhauled the graphics. It took thousands of hours, but now we can finally include second stages, custom space stations, mini-games, new planets, a completely new and fresh UI, more unique rockets & spacecraft, and all those little features weve always wanted to add. EarthX 2 feels far more refined than EarthX 1though youll have to see for yourself later this year!
Were super hyped to hear what you think, and we really cant wait to release EarthX 2 and start rolling out new updates together with you all, so please make our dream come true and consider adding EarthX 2 to your wishlist! <3 Have an amazing month ~and see you soon! Denis & Lucas https://store.steampowered.com/app/1486940

[ 2025-01-21 14:04:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, We're excited to share the news that after four long years, EarthX is finally emerging from Early Access on July 12th! You can get the game via Steam and GOG, and thanks to the efforts of Pineapple Works, it will also be available on the Nintendo Switch!
It has been a long journey. Exactly 4 years ago, on July 12, 2019, we launched EarthX in Early Access here on Steam. It was a pretty tough decision - I felt like this game wasn't nearly as good as other games, and I was scared of all the reactions the game would get. Looking back now, I realize that if we hadn't taken that leap, we wouldn't be here today, and EarthX might have faded away.

It's you who have given me all the motivation I needed to keep going, all the updates and hard work wouldn't be possible without you, so I'd like to say a big thank you from here!

While EarthX may not be a flawless masterpiece, it's important to note that imperfection doesn't equate to a bad game. Personally, I believe EarthX is a fantastic game that offers a lot of enjoyment to many players. I'm immensely proud of what my team and I have achieved over the years, and ultimately, it's the shared moments we've experienced together that truly matter. I'm also grateful to Pineapple Works for the work they put into the Nintendo Switch port - it wasn't easy, there were a lot of obstacles, and the game basically had to be rewritten to run on Switch and not just Switch. I think they did an excellent job!

Next week, on July 12th, EarthX will become a legitimate game. I feel similar excitement and anxiety as I did 4 years ago, and that's okay :D

Earlier this year, we worked on some fun merch designs that I will be releasing this weekend - hope you like them! And then there's another surprise later this year, but shhh :) Trailer (PC): https://youtu.be/kGIZqRpQm-M Trailer (Nintendo Switch): https://youtu.be/k1Jzzq26kQI Have a good weekend, EarthX Team

[ 2023-07-07 10:00:42 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi, Don't ask me how, but for some reason the previous patch exported without the music and tutorial audio files. I'm very sorry about that. I discovered the problem yesterday and immediately reverted the version back to 0.9.2 (in case anyone asks why the game was updated yesterday and again today). PS: Thanks to Rami for helping me discover this big mistake. Denis & EarthX Team

[ 2023-05-26 12:19:14 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey all! This extremely small patch fixes a bug I found today. If you launched a rocket while another rocket was launching, you could launch it from the exact same launch pad. This would cause the rocket to get stuck. I can't see how 0.9.0/0.9.1/0.9.2 could have introduced this bug, so it must have been in the game for a long time. Sorry I didn't catch it sooner :< Feel free to tell me if there's anything else I can fix/improve. I can't promise to fix/improve your find, as I can't afford to edit the game weeks before full release (too much risk), but it's good to know about issues and fix them later ^^ All in all, I hope you have a great week and see you soon <3 P.S: How do you like the new Steam graphics? I have changed the game cover as well as the banners. Let me know :) Denis & EarthX Team

[ 2023-05-17 12:28:46 CET ] [ Original post ]

Happy May!

EarthX went through two years of active development, during which we released exciting updates that generated a lot of hype among our community. As the game evolved, I started producing trailers for each update, which proved to be a time-consuming and energy-draining task. Today, I would like to highlight all the major updates and some of the best trailers - I hope you enjoy them! Before we start, I'd like to remind you that there is a final trailer available for you to watch and share. A lot of work has gone into it and I am very proud of it. Tell me what you think! [previewyoutube=kGIZqRpQm-M;full][/previewyoutube]

0.0.55 - 0.1.15

Back in 2019, on New Year's Eve, I was home sick from high school with nothing to do. So, I opened up Unity and decided to make a simple animation of a rocket launch to post on social media. To my surprise, it got about 500 likes and tons of positive feedback, even though it wasn't that great. That's when I was motivated to create a little demo game, just for fun, during my two-week break from school. Back then, EarthX looked like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWJ-38Eg06M

• 0.0.80 Changelog
• 0.1.15 Changelog

Quali Era (March - June 2019)

0.1.7 - 0.2.4

After the release of the 0.1.15 update, something exciting and unexpected happened that motivated me to continue working on EarthX. These updates were crucial to the overall development of the game, as I used them to learn proper game mechanics. Although most of the features I added during this time are now long gone, they were still significant, including contracts, rocket explosions, the simple building system, clouds and loans. This was also the time when Adrian started helping me with marketing, but I'll talk more about that in another post :D Back then, EarthX looked like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agJKldGZMqw

• 0.1.7 Changelog
• 0.1.8 Changelog
• 0.1.9 Changelog
• 0.2.0 Changelog
• 0.2.1 Changelog
• 0.2.2 Changelog
• 0.2.3 Changelog
• 0.2.4 Changelog

Van Era (July - September 2019)

0.2.5

In the 0.2.5 update, I mainly focused on bug fixing and creating a launch trailer (many thanks to Roman for his help! Check out his game - DevLife). I also added a Flat Earth mode where every rocket you launched would explode on the dome. While some players understood that it was a joke, others gave me negative reviews because their rockets kept exploding. So I removed it in a patch. As soon as I clicked the "Release in Early Access" button, I realised that the default game language was set to Polish. I quickly worked on a hotfix, and it was so stressful! Despite this mishap, I enjoyed the Early Access launch and got a much better response than I expected. It gave me even more motivation to keep working on the game. First real trailer of EarthX: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0k0-Sz8hZo

• 0.2.5 Release Announcement

0.2.6 - 0.2.8

After releasing EarthX on Steam in Early Access, I faced many challenges. There were numerous bugs and limited content, and I felt immense pressure from reviews and videos on YouTube. I knew that the current graphics and UI wouldn't support expansion of the game, so I focused on overhauling the UI in the 0.2.6 update. From there, I wanted to improve the game's economy and research systems with the 0.2.7 update. However, I also wanted to address concerns that the game was boring, so I added AI and improved Earth's visuals. Although these updates were crucial to the future of EarthX, I admit that my execution was not perfect and my inexperience was evident. Back then, EarthX looked like this: https://youtu.be/3LzVIgdm-WY

• 0.2.6 Changelog
• 0.2.7 Changelog
• 0.2.8 Changelog

Golden Era (January - December 2020)

0.2.9 - 0.3.0

Two key factors have been instrumental in making EarthX the game it is today. The first was the fact that the team had a lot more time to work on the game in 2020 due to the pandemic, which allowed us to release several significant updates. The second was rykllan and SPATE. rykllan's contributions, including vehicle models, buildings and even CEO characters, were crucial to the development of the game, and her support in decision making was extremely valuable at the time. SPATE's spacey music for the trailers was also an important addition and helped build the community we have today. This allowed us to stay motivated and rework the game so that it actually made sense and was somewhat enjoyable. Trailer and Teaser, both using music by SPATE: https://youtu.be/DeKT6F0B-VY https://youtu.be/Ppy9Wfr1Gso BONUS: There is an unreleased version of this trailer. I loved the idea so much that I decided to scrap it at the time. I wasn't skilled enough to do it the way I wanted. But the idea came back for the final trailer! [previewyoutube=t7SGqbyQyzg;full][/previewyoutube]

• 0.2.9 Changelog
• 0.3.0 Changelog

0.3.1

The Mars update was highly anticipated. Players could now land on Mars, set up colonies and even terraform the planet! We also introduced new Mars buildings such as Hotels, Greenhouses, Resource Factories and Solar Panels. Terraforming Mars became the endgame goal of EarthX, and the update also included new ships, payloads and missions. I also added LinkLink, inspired by Starlink in real life. I was going to call it Earthlink or Netlink, but Tygoo, one of our community members, came up with the name LinkLink and we all loved it! It's fun, easy to remember and fits the vibe we were going for. Trailer and Teaser, both using music by SPATE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SyWpOoUuaw https://youtu.be/CcMjd4Mch_M

• 0.3.1 Part One Changelog
• 0.3.1 Part Two Changelog

0.3.2 - 0.3.2.5

The Boca Chica update overhauled research and added new prototyping mechanics, as well as droneships, an overhauled refurbishment system and vehicle finance data. The Dust update added new features such as Sandstorms, LinkLinks on Mars, Refuelling on Mars, new Mars buildings, and improvements to Static Fire, Milestones, game end screen, multi-window camera system, and Mars Nuke improvements. Trailer and Teaser, both using music by SPATE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zunpc4mEs5w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnA17pFXDn0

• 0.3.2 Changelog
• 0.3.2.5 Changelog

The End (January - November 2021)

0.3.3 - 0.9.0

The Kalm update brought long-awaited improvements such as an improved contract system, automation and the addition of managers. Launchpads were revamped, allowing players to build their own, and new rocket models and recognisable missions were added. The Moon Update was the final content update before the full release of the game, introducing the ability to visit and build on the Moon, new spaceship and Mega Launchpad models, and a revamped special offer system. As EarthX approached the final stages of development, progress on the models slowed considerably due to rykllan's personal circumstances. I was lucky enough to have Lucas step in and help me finish the game with his good modelling skills. He created important models for the 0.9.0 update, as well as some for the 0.3.3 update. I am very grateful for his contributions. Trailer and Teaser, both using music by SPATE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGIZqRpQm-M https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fqpulQpnR0

• 0.3.3 Changelog
• 0.9.0 Changelog

Unfortunately, I had to stop working on EarthX after the 0.9.0 update due to personal reasons. I was so close to releasing the full version of the game in August last year, but some unexpected events came up that required my attention. One last thing - 2 years ago I made a music video showing all the progress of EarthX from the very beginning to the 0.3.2 update. It's a very interesting watch IMO! [previewyoutube=w104je1AxYQ;full][/previewyoutube] We would like to thank each and every one of you who supported us during the Early Access period. It was truly an unforgettable experience, all the updates and stories. <3 Stay tuned for another article next week! Denis & EarthX Team

[ 2023-05-15 09:58:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

Warning: This article contains spoilers. If you want to discover the content all by yourself, stop reading!

Happy May!

EarthX has been a huge part of our lives for the past years. I started the project on New Year's Eve 2018, mainly out of boredom. This game becoming what it is today was kind of an accident, but we'll save that story for another post. Today, let's focus on some of the statistics of the game, which I've turned into cool infographics. I hope you enjoy them! Let's start with the vehicles. There are 11 of them: rockets, capsules, spaceships, and even spaceship prototypes "inspired ;)" by what is happening in Boca Chica.
Spaceships allow you to visit other planets. EarthX has 3 planets: Earth, Mars, and the Moon. Of which the Earth and Mars are the main ones.
In addition to yeeting rockets to other planets or launching random payloads, EarthX lets you launch 122 unique payloads that you may have heard of in your life. Not to mention the 85 hand-written articles.
Milestones highlight your company's progress and show what you can achieve in the game. Fundraisers are here to help you financially.
But let's be real, the most exciting feature in EarthX is nuking Mars. (even though it might not be scientifically accurate)
Once you do it, Mars will become green, and you know what you can do on green planets? Build buildings! There are a lot of them in EarthX!
Last but not least, there are dozens of characters you can choose from to be the face of your company. Some of them will even help you run it!

But making a game is more than just adding content

There's a lot of stuff that goes into a game that you might not notice at first glance. One of those things is renders. EarthX uses renders to make missions, articles, milestones, and more interesting. But let me tell you, it's a lot of work to create them.
And that does not even compare to all the animation clips that we made. I had a ton of issues trying to get the right rocket animation to play at the right time and keep the rocket in the right place.
But by far, the hardest task was actually coding the game. When I started on EarthX I did not know how to code at all and I had no long-term plans for what EarthX would be. Because of this the code of EarthX went through countless rewrites and is quite the mess now. The game has 32 thousand code lines spread across 158 scripts.
So as you can see. EarthX is a pretty big game, even if it doesn't look like it at first. And now you know why we love this game so much! Stay tuned for more articles coming this month leading up to the full release of the game. Denis and the EarthX Team

[ 2023-05-08 07:56:01 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, it feels like I didn't really publish anything since forever. I was busy with my new real-life job and had no time to work on anything except weekends. Stuff sadly isn't going according to plan most of the time. Adrian finally delivered the freshly recorded tutorial to me and I've been working on it in January. And today I'm releasing that patch. I've also adjusted the prototype explosion rate, it SHOULD be lower now. Feel free to inform me whether it's better or not.

Soo hey! I said that the tutorial patch would be the game's last patch and that it would be a full release shortly after?

Well. Yes. I could release the game even now. But I can't and I have two reasons for it: 1) Pineapple Works is *almost* done with the EarthX port to Nintendo Switch. They have been working hard on improving the game's performance. They basically had to rewrite a big part of the code and optimize all the models. They work hard and this is kinda my fault, as when I was doing EarthX, I was inexperienced with game development. Performance and optimization were words that I didn't know the meaning of. 2) I have no free time nowadays. And this will continue for a few more weeks. I am able to work only during weekends, as after-hours I'm basically too tired. Before EarthX's full release, I'd love to make some fun T-Shirt designs and open a small merch shop. I have cool ideas, but again, time. And since I don't want to crunch their developers and don't want to release a half-baked game on consoles, we've decided to push the release to later in Q1 of 2023. I'm sorry if this decision disappoints anyone, my options are just limited. - Oh yeah and happy new year! I hope all of you have spent a good time with your friends and family! See you in February! <3 EarthX Team

[ 2023-01-11 14:33:22 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello, 3 new achievements have been added to the EarthX.
Adrian & Denis & EarthX Team

[ 2022-09-26 09:45:57 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, Before we start: This patch does not require you to create a new save. However, if you use an older save and play on 0.9.1, you might encounter a bug where you can't launch a payload when launching it from the contracts window. To solve this, either build a completely new booster with 0 flights or launch the payload by first selecting the vehicle in Vehicles Window. This bug does not happen on new saves. :> While we wait for new tutorial voice-over files, I decided to release all improvements and bug fixes I have so far. The biggest visible difference for you is improved graphics and better performance, as well as a refreshed main menu (moved a few buttons here and there). Lucas added 4 new CEO drawings, including Starman who you may know from crewed payloads. We will continue to monitor the situation around bugs until and after full release and release fixes as needed. If you haven't seen our previous post, EarthX Final Trailer is premiering this Friday at 6 pm CEST ;D See you on Friday, Denis & EarthX Team

[ 2022-08-16 08:57:23 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, as we get closer to full release, it's time to finally release the long-awaited EarthX Final Trailer this Friday at 6 pm CEST on our YouTube channel.
We are incredibly excited to see your reactions and opinions, a lot of work was spent on it! :D The trailer is a little over 2 mins long and it's both cinematic and gameplay. You can watch it here and click the "Notify me" button: [previewyoutube=kGIZqRpQm-M;full][/previewyoutube] There is a short teaser available on our Twitter profile: https://twitter.com/EarthxGame/status/1547282944569626624 BTW. I updated EarthX's store descriptions. Let me know if you like them :3 See you on Friday, Denis & EarthX Team

[ 2022-08-15 16:35:21 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, I haven't published any posts since my birthday in February. The reason for that is that there's not much to talk about. Some people might see me answering in the forums or replying under reviews. The 0.9.0 update in November last year was the final content update I have released for this game. The next update we want to publish is the final version (1.0) that will bring some bug fixes, translation improvements, a few new CEO characters, and a refreshed tutorial - of course. You might ask - why haven't we just done it in January and just fully released the game? The answer is quite simple. EarthX will not be published just on Steam. We are working with our friends at Pineapple Works on bringing EarthX on the Nintendo Switch platform. Adrian and I have been also planning on releasing the game on other PC game stores, but more on that later! That being said, lots of things have been happening behind the scenes that go beyond coding the actual game. It was promised that EarthX would be fully released in early summer. We will have to push this timeline a little further, now aiming for August to September. Everything depends on how long the certifications will take. We haven't had a chance to talk about the Russian invasion of Ukraine yet. We fully support Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, stay strong - the world is with you. EarthX has participated in a bundle organized by Humble Bundle, where 100% of income was transferred to Ukraine. During that time, we generated nearly 400k keys that were given to the bundle creators. Over 200k keys were already activated on Steam by people who bought the bundle. We are really happy to see so many people supporting the case! <3 We've also made a commitment to removing the "Dmitry Rogozin" CEO character from the game. We've announced that after Rogozin's harsh comments on his Twitter account. This final decision is personal, as we just don't want to keep such a toxic guy in the game that is somewhat friendly. The purpose of this post is to remind you that we're still alive :D We are closer to wrapping up this project than we ever were. Thank you for reading, EarhtX Team

[ 2022-06-22 14:15:26 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, in 2020/2021 we did 18% and 19% discounts for my 18th and 19th birthdays. A lot of you liked that, myself included, that's why let's repeat this for this year as well! EarthX will be discounted by 20% starting this Friday. Btw. Some of you have asked what's happening with the game, and since I didn't really talk about it since November (0.9.0 Update), let's reiterate our plans: The game is basically done, there will be no more content updates, as the Moon Update was the last one (which was clearly told for 1 year beforehand). There's still no full release yet, as we are cooperating with our partner 'Pineapple Works' on a Nintendo Switch port. Remaking this game to a different platform will take some more time, but our optimistic heads want to fully release EarthX in early summer. In March, I will sit down on patches. The tutorial needs to be re-recorded and improved (as it sucks currently), and some bugs need to be fixed. The English/Polish languages will also be improved and streamlined. We will make new steam descriptions and graphics, too. Meanwhile, I was working on a different project since December and it's shaping up very well. I literally can't wait to start showing it to everyone, but first, we need to sort things with EarthX out. Again, thank you for being patient, and thank you for 3+ years of continuous support and trust. I went through different phases of my life while making this one project, so it's very valuable to me. I did meet a lot of great people through it, too! Denis

[ 2022-02-09 17:29:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, Merry Christmas Denis & EarthX Team

[ 2021-12-23 22:08:51 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, I'm a little sick now (again), but I thought I would release this medium-sized update today, as promised. This update is special because it's the last content update for EarthX before we will be fully releasing the game next year. Before we go to this update's changelog, let's see what's next for the game. 1) I do not plan to add any new features to the game. This update should be the last content update. 2) Improvements and bug fixes will still be released as needed. 3) I noticed that the in-game tutorial needs a little rework. This will be done before full release. I will also add a few new achievements to the game. 4) This update doesn't have a trailer, instead, I will spend more time on the full release trailer. 5) The full release will take next year as we iron out the rest of the bugs and Pineapple Work makes the Nintendo Switch port. That's it for now, the team is excited as f**k to release our first game!!!

What's new in 0.9.0?

Moon

The most noticeable change is being able to visit the Moon and build on it. The Moon gameplay is driven by Artemis contracts and only Moonship can be used to get there. You can build 3 types of buildings on the Moon: Solar panels, Landing zones, and Habitats. Sending humans to the Moon is needed to unlock the Crew Spaceship. Sending Cargo Spaceships to Mars is still allowed without going to the Moon. Let me know if I should change anything about this.

New Spaceship Models

Just like the other rockets in previous updates, rykllan worked on refreshed models for the spaceship. All rockets have now been brought to the same level of detail.

New Mega LaunchPad Model

With new Spaceship models, we had to rework the LaunchPad and its animation to reflect the current one at Starbase. Lucas worked on the LaunchPad model and the catching arm and I did a nice little catching animation.

New Special Missions

A lot of new special missions have been added. Adrian worked hard on writing news articles for some of them.

Reworked Special Missions

When adding new special missions I thought that they spawned too randomly and with far too many at once. To change this, I distributed all of them across the gameplay. This means that you will now gradually get them as you play. Some of the existing and new special missions got new educational descriptions and payload banners.

Launch Profiles when building LaunchPads

When placing a LaunchPad, you will now see in which direction the rocket will launch.

Added Satellite Models to Fairings

In 0.3.3 I removed satellite models because the models were not near the current level of detail. After rykllan and lucas created a few, I added them back. Lucas also made a nice Roadster model with Raptor engine attached to it, because why not xD.

New Droneship/Plane Models

And finally, the last major changes; a new Droneship and Plane model have been added, both made by rykllan.

Improvements

• Some contracts now spawn instantly
• Added Mars resources net change statistic to Mars details panel
• Display more detailed Mars resources stat only in a tooltip
  
• Improved Assistant and Scrap Engineer managers
• Get full building cost if its destroyed right after its placed
• Allow removing default landing zone on Mars and Moon if there is a different landing zone
• Added confirmation before canceling a contract
• Added a setting for mission reports
• Allow canceling special offers (except gameplay-depending ones)
• Deactivate building panels when you can't buy them
• Remade Spaceship renders
• Added "Requires new booster" indicator to payload list
• Made Large Rocket be able to send payloads to Moon Orbit
• Added "First Moon Landing" milestone
• Remove building construction time from sandbox mode
• Replaced landing upgrade icons with grid fin icons
• Replaced capsule support icons with parachute icons
• Allow free building repair on sandbox
• Remove building tracker from solar farm
• Rebalanced Managers Unlock requirements
• Rebalanced Mars buildings
• Added "Saving game..." in the corner instead of a notification
• Changed save file naming scheme
• Upped booster landing failure rate
• Reordered milestones for them to actually make sense
• Added Roadster Payload model
• Added different sounds for money income and expenses
• Added "Without Interest" achievement back
• Decreased sandstorms amount
• Improved currently built vehicles amount color
• Improved random company names list
• Changed "Earth-like planet" to "Unlimited"
• Recalibrated Spaceship landing sphere
• Up contract spawning amount
• Add pictures to credits
• Removed Earth to Earth feature
• Removed Managers Speed Setting
• Removed some incomplete languages
• Updated SPATE logo
• Added Dimosha to credits
• Added eastereggs...

Bugfixes

• BUG: Main Menu buttons weren't centered... :c
• BUG: The camera sometimes froze
• BUG: Sandstorms appeared when loading a game with terraformed Mars
• BUG: You could refurbish non-reusable rockets when saving the game during its flight and then loading it again
• BUG: Payloads that require a new booster could be invisibly launched on a capsule or spaceship using an already flown booster
• BUG: Managers sometimes didn't launch player's own payloads
• BUG: "Own" payloads check box didn't work
• BUG: Spaceship landed on Mars after delivering its payload to Mars Orbit. It now parks on Parking Orbit and returns to Earth
• BUG: When deleting a launchpad, it still appeared as an option in the Mission Setup window
• BUG: News duplicated themselves
• BUG: Assistant Manager sometimes didn't work
• BUG: You couldn't remove a landing zone after a Spaceship that landed on it was scrapped
• BUG: You could cancel the time cooldown of the Droneships after landing if you start another flight and abort it
• BUG: Rockets were launched in the wrong direction when launching from Medium LaunchPad
• BUG: Parking Orbit tracker on Mars was offset
• BUG: Farm Field didn't have its own building banner
• BUG: Special news didn't appear when accepting or declining a contract/offer
• BUG: Right shift didn't work when holding it down to build multiple buildings or to take action without confirmation
• BUG: "Fairing lost" showed when you launch a capsule or a spaceship
• BUG: Tutorial is English in the Polish language
• BUG: Typo "Buisness"

That's it for now, have fun playing, and thank you for a nice journey that took 3 years :) Denis (and rewriting-man Lucas)

[ 2021-11-14 16:22:46 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, this week I worked on snapshot 2 of EarthX 0.9.0. I fixed a bunch of bugs, completed the missions, and even added a few improvements to QOL :) Thank you to everyone who tested and reported any bugs. This is probably the last snapshot before the official release next weekend. Denis

[ 2021-11-07 22:33:15 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, I promised you to write a small post when the snapshot releases, so I do it now. There are probably some annoying bugs and I will be happy if you report them if you find one :D How to play the snapshot? Simply go into EarthX's preferences on Steam, then BETAs tab, and select "Snapshots" from the list. The game should then start updating itself. I will upload new snapshots starting early next week, fixing bugs etc. Also, Snapshot 1 has new missions and payloads, however, they don't have their translated names yet nor icons. You will see a white box and "MISSING: payload_name" pretty often haha

[ 2021-10-29 18:58:59 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, it's been a while since the September devlog, so time to update you on everything. I've been in hospital at the end of September for several days, so I did another break from the projects for about 2 weeks to gain power and focus. The update itself is currently at ~85-90% completion level. I've completed all main Moon mechanics, added all planned buildings, replaced Starship models, added Superheavy catching animations, and did some other polishing work. What's left is pretty much only bug fixing and additional missions. I will work on them this week as Adrian sends me new in-game news for new payloads. Once I add new missions, I will do some private testing and then upload an experimental build for everyone to test (if you want to help). I will let you know in an additional Steam post once it's up (and on my Discord server ofc).

Preview into Work-In-Progress Stuff

Firstly, and probably most importantly for me, we've finally replaced the old plane model. Like literally, I did it in like 1 min about 3 years ago "only for testing". It ended up being used in the game for pretty much its entire existence. The plane was currently the oldest model in the game, it was added even before EarthX was released on itch.io;

Lucas also made some new Moon buildings and they were implemented in the game this month. Here's an example of a Moon base you can build.
In October we've finally agreed with the team on how Moon will work in EarthX. Originally, about 2 years ago, we had plans to add Mars and Moon in one update. We wanted to make a much more complicated game back then. When we've worked on Mars, it turned out to be way more difficult to make and balance than we thought. rykllan spent many days creating all of the Mars buildings, while I tried to make a cool gameplay concept. It partially worked since Mars seems to be playable, maybe not "as cool" as the rest of the game, but it's good enough IMO. Then we decided to add Moon "later" in the development, and it eventually turned out to be the last EarthX update. Then, "why don't you make Moon like Mars", you would ask? Well, the answer is pretty simple and I hope you understand. If we make Moon gameplay like the Mars gameplay, what's the point of flying to Mars after you've conquered the Moon? If the gameplay design/models look and work similar on both planets, it would get repetitive even more than it's now. We want to avoid that since Mars terraformation is the endgame of EarthX and most of the players would simply stop playing after reaching Moon.
So what's our plan then? Well, we just make the Moon be a teaser of Mars. Even better, you will still be able to start sending stuff to Mars and build some buildings there before you build a base on the Moon. However, only after you build a base on the Moon and send a few people there, you will be able to unlock Crew Starship. The Moon Materials and Moon Crew will come from both Artemis 1 and Artemis 2 contracts you will get when playing the game.
We think this is the best way we can do it. If you have any suggestions, we are pretty open to hearing them, but I will probably not rewrite everything (again hehe).

Full release informations

The full release is close. The hype within our team is enormous and I'm personally pretty excited since this will be the first project that's years old I will actually finish (it's beautiful!). Let's just keep it short here. When? I want to release it on my birthday that's on 11th February, but plans might change. It will be early next year for sure! Will there be bugfix updates? Yes, as long as players find some bugs, I will try to recreate them and release a bugfix patch as soon as possible. There will be a few months period between the 0.9.0 release and the full release, so we hope to iron out most of the bugs in that time :D Cool, but what about content updates? Sorry to tell you that, but 0.9.0 will be the last content update for EarthX. We might add new missions etc. but that will be probably very rare xD The reason we're deciding that way is that we just want to move forward. EarthX's code is made mostly by a dumb teenager (hi that's me) and it's very hard to add new content or even extend the current one. We want to focus our forces and new skill on our next project - EarthX 2. (what an amazingly original name btw!) Oh no, that's sad, but can I at least have some physical items? Yes and No. Yes because we actually want to make a few interesting T-Shirt designs and No because we are lazy to do them. However, I hope I will find some time and motivation to make at least two lol Nice, but when I have an EarthX T-Shirt, I might go show it off to friends or something, can I take EartthX with me? :3 What an amazing question, the short answer is yes, we are in talks with Pineapple Works studio and they are willing to take the challenge of understanding and editing the bad teenager's code and make a Nintendo Switch port out of it. I will personally support them as much as I can :) Cool, now I have to buy Nintendo Switch... Will I have some moneys left to buy EarthX on full release? For many months I talk about increasing EarthX price to 17.99, I think that will change. I might leave EarthX below 15. The current price is 14.69 and I just might increase it to 14.99 and call it a day. It's only for the Steam version btw. I have absolutely no idea how much EarthX will cost on Nintendo Switch.

The end

Yes, this is the end. The end of all ends. This year was hard for me, and probably hard for many people as the world goes back to normal and many of you had work or exams or other responsibilities. All I can do from my position is to wish you a good life and thank you for supporting this project. Byeee and see u next time Denis

[ 2021-10-24 23:14:15 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, Today we will talk about Update 0.9.0 and the stuff that we did in the past 2 weeks. I will also introduce you to the planned Moon gameplay (how it all will work), and mention EarthX 2 at the end too.

To the Moon! Update 0.9.0

As you know, the latest update was 0.3.3; So why not make 0.3.4 now? That's because 0.9.0 will be the last content update before we fully release the game on Steam. But don't worry! There will still be bug fixes from time to time as needed. I told you that 0.9.0 would release in late 2021, but the plans did change. I had a lot of time and motivation in the past two weeks, and I also got pretty much all models from rykllan and Lucas. That allowed me to work on EarthX almost every day since the last teaser. The update now aims to release in October or November. After 0.9.0, we plan to release a series of regular patches that improve the game and fix the bugs. In one of them, I will rework the tutorial a little (add subtitles, etc.) and record it again with Karolina. This time, amateurs like Adrian and me will not touch the files anymore trying to improve the quality in Audacity. We will handle the job to professionalist SPATE, who knows sound mixing from the bottom to top very well.

Do you have any more of them... update progress?

Of course, I have. rykllan worked very hard on his new Superheavy and Starship models. They look great and now all vehicles in the game are in similar detail/style (Medium Poly).
As you can see, there's a new LaunchPad with Mechazilla (catching arms) on the tower. It's made by Lucas and he did a great job!
The Superheavy and Tower of course got their new catching animation. It's not possible to upload videos on Steam, that's why you will be able to find a WIP catching demo on Streamable under this link: https://streamable.com/ctazn0 To my surprise, rykllan also made two new Droneship models. Refreshed OCISLY and ASOG. ASOG will not be added to EarthX because I don't want to rewrite Droneship scripts to support more types, but I did replace the current Droneship model.
(new vs old) I also re-added Fairing payloads.

Moon

I'm writing this here because I saw some players expecting Moon gameplay to look like Mars gameplay (colony/terraforming). I want to lower your expectations, because if I do Moon like Mars, then Mars would get boring. EarthX has been always about Mars and I will let it be that way.
The Moon gameplay will be relatively simple. You will be able to fly to the Moon and build buildings on it (Solar/Small Habitats/Landing Zones only). The Moonbase size will be limited, as you will not be able to produce Moon Materials by yourself. The plan is to add an Artemis-like contract, that will give you a dozen Moon Material payloads that you can launch to the Moon. Landing humans on the Moon will be required to unlock Crew Spaceship, however, you can completely ignore Moon-gameplay if you want to build a non-human city on Mars. I don't know yet if that's a good idea, but I will validate it during testing. All of this means that on the Moon, only Moon Materials will matter. You will not have to worry about Oxygen or Water, as these features are reserved for Mars as I mentioned earlier.
That's it for EarthX progress so far. I still need to design & script a few features, but I'm starting to finish and polish everything.

EarthX 2

I have got a few questions about this project and I want to answer some of them.
EarthX 2 is currently during the very early planning phase and we're just taking notes of what works and what could work. We didn't start any work on it yet, except low-quality concept arts that were made for fun. The game is set to release in 2024+ without early Early Access as we did with EarthX. There will be Early Access about 3 months prior to game release. But don't worry, we will not be silent for 3 years. The development of this game will be fairly open. We will post monthly devlogs on Steam and do closed tests from time to time to gather some feedback. I got some questions about what EarthX 2 will be about. I don't want to talk about it yet, but I will say stuff I said on our Discord server:

• It will be pretty much like EarthX, but with deeper mechanics and more content. For example, there will be individual countries, the scale will be 1:1, and the time will be calendar-based.
• While EarthX is only about SpaceX, the sequel will also include Tesla.
• Mod support wasn't quite possible in EarthX because the game wasn't built for that. EarthX 2 will be made with mod support in mind from the ground up. You will be happy.

That's it for now, I will talk more about this project after EarthX's Steam Full Release. Can't wait! Have a good weekend everyone :) Denis

[ 2021-09-10 13:02:03 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, I have been silent for most of the summer. I completed and passed the exams and then visited my grandma/pa in Poland after 2 years of not seeing them :D Haven't really had any time to work on EarthX or be active in EarthX socials. But now I would like to introduce the Moon Update to you. It will be the last update for EarthX before exiting Early Access. The update size will be rather small/medium since I will only replace a few models, add some buildings to the Moon, and maybe new missions that are related. During my break, I was thinking about the E2E feature. I don't really like it because it's "too simple", and making it more complex doesn't really work, since there are no countries/licenses or any different logic that would fit it. I think the best way is just to remove it, but I'm happy to hear your feedback. That being said, if you have ideas for the EarthX 0.9.0 Moon Update, let me know in the comments! I always read them! :) Denis [previewyoutube=6fqpulQpnR0;full][/previewyoutube]

[ 2021-08-26 17:16:51 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, I haven't posted anything for a pretty long time, so I thought I would update you all with the current project status. I haven't started working on Moon Update yet, as I'm in the middle of final exams and spending my focus and time towards learning stuff, so I could attempt to pass them. This doesn't mean that EarthX is canceled or anything like that, it's just in "pause" mode since the lastest 0.3.3 update. As far as I know, rykllan and Lucas are slowly starting to work on the Moon Update models, because they're nearly done with their school as well. The project pause doesn't mean that I didn't collect any feedback during that time. Everything EarthX players mentioned was added to my Trello TODO list, so I'm aware of current issues (like a strange tutorial for example). You can of course give any feedback here in the comments or Discord server or Steam Discussions Forum :D That being said, wish me luck, getting back to work soon. Can't wait because I haven't coded for a lot of time and I'm excited to do it again! Denis

[ 2021-07-02 09:18:11 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, First of all, sorry that this patch took so long to release. I have exams coming in June and I had to catch up a little with the school. I also had a big burn-out in April, so I took a two-week-long break :D The next, and last, Moon Update will be released at around the end of the summer. That's because I will focus on exams in June and July. I just need to get the exams right, I hope you understand. In this time, rykllan and Lucas will prepare the models, so the work on the update will go smooth later on.

What's new in this patch?

• Update all languages
• Increase the Martians you can have in one hotel
• Set factory employees to max on default
• Added Hydrogen Aerospace as a launch provider
• Add LinkLink header to translation files
• Temporarily remove Hebrew language (Problems with displaying the text correctly. Until I solve it, I'll hide it from the menu)

Bugfixes:

• BUG: Managers tab doesn't update automatically.
• BUG: Special characters have a small background behind the letters
• BUG: Upgrading rockets makes them more expensive.
• BUG: Tooltip says LinkLink outline is orange.
• BUG: Build mode ignores the no-clouds setting
• BUG: "Requires new booster!" shows even before you reuse rockets.
• BUG: Production sometimes bugs at the end.
• BUG: EX-37A payload has a wrong description.
• BUG: Cookies oven has a wrong description.

Thanks for your patience and understanding! Denis

[ 2021-05-05 17:39:31 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, I released a quick hotfix patch for the newest 0.3.3 update. This hotfix only fixes the not-showing produced payloads. I am very sorry for this, it was caused by me "fixing" bugs minutes before release xD And as you know, fixing bugs creates more bugs :D I hope it works now! No new save is required :) Denis

[ 2021-04-11 00:05:58 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, Stay calm and play EarthX Kalm Update, which adds lots of improvements and long-requested features, like an improved contract system (finally!), and automation (damn, finally!). We started working on this update shortly after 0.3.2 came out, but we knew that 0.3.2 itself had problems and we didn't want to leave you without any updates for almost half a year. That's why we released 0.3.2.5 perfectly at the end of the previous year. Since then, works and testing of 0.3.3 have been accelerating and we are able to release it for everyone. We also plan to release 0.3.3.1 next week, which will improve found-by-players stuff, fix bugs (if any), and update translations.

What's new?

Managers

They do basic stuff for you, allowing you to mostly focus on Mars in the mid-game, while your company is up and running.
Launch Director will launch rockets for you. Lead Engineer will build and refurbish vehicles for you. Fleet Manager will launch fleets to Mars and back for you. Assistant will bid contracts and accept offers for you. Inspector will static fire rockets for you. Scrap Engineer will scrap overused vehicles for you. Media Manager will renew fundraisers for you.

Contracts

Contracts have been fully reworked. With refreshed window interface, everything now fits the rest of EX's UI.
Crewed payloads will now look different from normal payloads.
Bidding as well as offers have been improved. The first bidder with the cheapest launch price will now always win, contracts now appear rare with a higher value, while offers will allow you to accept offers for normal payloads. No more time without anything to launch! To improve EX's performance, I introduced payload stacking and a "smart" payload loader in the Launch Setup window. This idea wasn't mine (thx Sarya), but I liked it the first moment I saw it. Smart payload loader will not show you 500 LinkLink panels in the Launch Setup window, since if your selected vehicle will be able to launch a max of 5 LinkLinks at once, it will show you only 5.
EarthX got a lot of recognizable missions, which real SpaceX launched into space since its existence. You will get these special missions as you play on your save. It is now possible to get a commercial contract to launch something to Mars orbit, or commercial ISS crewed contracts (not only CCP).

Launch Pads

rykllan has been working hard on a new rocket model. It's highly detailed and beautiful. Lucas has been working on more detailed launch pads. Together, they created a new definition of EarthX's model quality.
With new rockets, I have completely reworked rocket animations. Now there's more variety of failures at landing or at launch. Next to that, I also reworked rocket sounds, since before the sounds overlapped very strangely causing some ear problems for many (including me).
Long requested feature, you can now build your own launch pads (besides Mega LaunchPad). You can place them anywhere in the world. Droneships won't be a problem anymore, since now you can have an unlimited amount of them.

Earth to Earth

A relatively small sister feature to LinkLink, you can now create your own Earth to Earth network around the Earth. It's probably the laziest feature I was working on and I was about to scrap it, but players like it on the testing phase, that's why it landed in the update.

Other

• Service tab - You can now access all of your vehicles at once in one list
  
• Reworked Mars fueling - You can now only fuel when there's fuel on Mars. First Spaceships will be most likely scrapped by you
• In-game screenshots (R+T) (They save in MyDocuments/EarthX/Screenshots)
• New office model by Lucas
  
• Your own CEO pictures from files
  

Improvements

• Pinned windows should save their position
• Move Milestones to a separate side window
• Improve quick notifications
• Improve News UI
• Disable project hiding when it's not unlocked
• Add "winning" to contract panel when winning
• Highlight new milestones
• LinkLinks should only protect Martians against sandstorms
• Add subtle borders to all windows
• Disable tweets on auto-launches
• Disable notifications on endless production
• Sandstorms should only destroy solar panels and kill Martians
• Add more sandstorms on Mars
• Display mission reports as normal notifications
• Game speed will now save during planet switch
• Make tests shorter
• Add total rockets launched to Main Menu
• Add Moon/Mars models around Earth
• Add a Twitter link to Main Menu
• Disable tests which you have to complete only once
• Improved graphics
• Spaceships flying to Mars orbit should park on Mars Parking Orbit and come back to Earth
• Add a new difficulty setting, payloads pay will be divided by the payloads amount
• Add random name button at company creation
• Add tooltips to settings toggles
• Removed 20m hop test for Spaceship Prototype
• Sidebooster landings should count as 2 auto landings
• Add satellites generator on Mars
• Limit sats amount
• Research window refreshes insanely often
• Add launch shake effect setting
• Mars Battery Pack will have greater store capacity
• Improve Sandstorms look
• Add auto-launch setting
• Rocket engine sound toggle setting
• Save camera rotation on planets
• Clouds visibility setting
• Disable explosion effect while being on Mars
• Settings open on pause menu first
• Gameover will now use game time
• Move language setting to the top
• Allow selecting time range in company finance stats
• Add fundraiser general multiplier to game difficulty system
• Improve deadline sorting for payloads in Launch Setup Window
• Improve window close animation
• Allow closing all notifications at once
• Flight count on vehicle setup panel will now show flights amount with current flight included
• Improved LinkLink performance
• Automatic Tanker selection
• Removed LinkLink Window refresh animation
• Martians shouldn't be killed all at once when a player ran out of resources
• Improve water quality
• Improved LinkLink finances
• 0.3.4 info on Moon surface
• Separate Nuke word from Nuke button
• Add icons to Main Menu buttons
• Make Mars battery pack smaller
• Remove random articles from News
• Move languages to Scriptable Objects
• Add Chinese font
• Add Brasilian language
• Add the Japanese language
• Add Hebrew font support

Bugfixes

• BUG: Upgrade tasks do NOT refresh when a player is focused on the research window
• BUG: Mars resources behave strangely when all landing zones are taken.
• BUG: Mars resources are able to go negative
• BUG: Telemetry slider doesn't have any animation
• BUG: You can produce locked units in Giga Factory when you check the "endless" option
• BUG: You can launch Murphy with a cargo capsule
• BUG: When upgrading to automatic landing during flight, it will switch it to automatic mid-flight
• BUG: Action camera sometimes stuck open
• BUG: Rocket launch/landing counts even if it's failed
• BUG: Rocket explosion shake happens even when the game is paused
• BUG: Rocket engine sound does not stop after landing/explosion
• BUG: When testing something, building models are not showing.
• BUG: Upgrade indicator is not disappearing after unlocking automatic landing before manual landing OR crew capsule support before cargo capsule support
• BUG: Planet icons don't disappear after creating a new career game from the sandbox
• BUG: First launch/First landing articles/milestones show even if it's failed
• BUG: You could open Action Camera multiple times
• BUG: Changing language sometimes didn't work on macOS/Linux
• BUG: You can static fire a rocket before it's done being built
• BUG: Deleting Giga Factory didn't delete the Giga Factory production panel
• BUG: Available vehicles count was lying to the players
• Unchecking "Show Static Fire" using the static fire window, does not save the setting. The window will reappear after the next game reload.
• BUG: You could build on Mars water after terraformation
• BUG: Contract preview stays even when there are no contracts
• BUG: Unit does not produce if Endless is selected and you pick a different Unit
• BUG: Opening LinkLink Window sometimes causes a big lag
• BUG: Missing Earth/Mars translations in LinkLink menu
• BUG: Landing Zone wouldn't allow launching even if there was space on Parking Orbit.
• BUG: Baikonur droneship clips into the land
• BUG: You can refurbish Small Rocket after flight sometimes
• BUG: Webcast sometimes overlaps wrong cameras
• BUG: When clicking fill while having no payloads, missing_so shows
• BUG: Action camera title is too small
• BUG: Action camera stays open when going into the cinematic camera
• BUG: Milestones sometimes do not refresh
• BUG: EarthX crashed when a save was broken.

Funeral

• Remove John from the CEO list. (Moved to Managers)
• Remove random "trash" news
• Temporarily remove AI rockets, as rykllan needs more time to finish them, and we didn't want to delay 0.3.3 even more.

Special Thanks

Thank you for all testers testing this and the previous update before its public release on Steam. A special thanks go to: - Brock Keeble (Captain) - Benjordy2 - Complete Elon Simp - Wyatt - Jan - iHush - Bendier You all rock!

[ 2021-04-09 20:21:57 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, what's up! First of all, thanks to everyone for your kind words, they really do help keep everything up. We do read them, we do answer to them. Works on 0.3.3 accelerated in March, as I finally got all the needed models. I will not spend much time today talking about the update, because I would rather use this month's devlog to talk about EarthX's future.

EarthX 0.3.3 - Kalm Update

Planned to be released in April, Kalm Update will introduce managers, new launch pads management, new visuals, and more. This month I have been working on new animations. Rockets will get new failures, new models, new landing attempts. When I was reworking the animations, I also reworked Launch Pads and Droneships. You will be able to build your own launch pads of every type and have unlimited droneships.
I introduced a lot of quality-of-life improvements, fixed a lot of bugs. For example, fueling on Mars won't happen "just like that", you will need an actual fuel farm on it first, which will most likely result in you scraping the first Spaceships which land on Mars.
There is more I have been working on, but let's keep it in a secret until the update releases! We plan to start testing it in mid-April on our Discord server: https://discord.gg/sbXwwMs

EarthX - The Future

As you probably noticed, I don't talk a lot about EathX's future, you only get news one update ahead. This time is no different, as 0.3.3 is about to release and 0.3.4 "shortly" afterward. Making this project is pure fun to me, there are some sad moments, but the good moments are the ones we should look for.
What am I trying to say is that EarthX 0.3.4 will be the last content update for EarthX. After 0.3.4 I will spend weeks hearing you guys and release patches fixing bugs and improving current features, then the 1.0 comes - EarthX full release. To be honest, I did not think this project will go so far. This was supposed to be a small path-finder game (to learn some skills for me), and I ended up making it for almost 3 years. No, I'm not crying, you are. I couldn't make it without rykllan, he's responsible for all models since 0.2.9. Rykllan basically helped make this game as it is now. He's not able to do everything, of course, so am I. But together, I personally think, we created something cool - an unforgivable experience of our lifetimes. Let's give some credit to Adrian too - he does not work directly on EarthX often, but he's the one who keeps EarthX kinda alive in the team-things AND the media-things. Something I would rather not do myself because it's boring haha Patrick (SPATE) makes amazing music and allows me to use it in trailers for EarthX, that's why each update is so special, with different themes, different moods, different us. Lucas, a new member of the team, but an old member of our community, lately he helps rykllan beating his burn-out and did the launch pad and Starman model. He will work on this project until its full release. Captain, who likes to test big updates and point out the stupid bugs I forgot about. You, the community, who makes this project alive when I'm struggling with releasing an update ASAP. And of course - ME because why not XD What I'm trying to say is that EarthX is not only the game, we are EarthX, and I'm proud of it. Ok ok ok I think I got too deep and too serious here lol but you get what I mean Now I'm going back to work and you go back to whatever you were doing Next EarthX update soon, Denis PS: thank you so much for 252 reviews - really appreciated <3 Some nice pics:

[ 2021-03-31 20:08:45 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, it's been 2 months since the 0.3.2.5 release and normally I release an update every 2-3 months. This time will be different, as 0.3.3 turns out to be bigger than I thought, and making the models/all the graphics also took more time than expected. I would expect the 0.3.3 "Kalm Update" to release somewhere around April. I will of course keep you informed by writing devlogs like that at the end of each month!

Ok so first, what happened in 2 months?

Rykllan and I had a lot to do in our private lives, that's why to not delay the update even further, we decided to hire Lucas (from the Discord server) so that he could help us speed up with the models. He's been working on new launchpad models, on new office model, and recently he's been working on a rigged low poly Starman model for the renders. :D
Rykllan, however, is working on the new Falcon model, which is looking f***ing sick and will look beautiful in the game, on the renders, and eventually on the merch!
He's been also working on 6 new arts for the managers:
Wait.. what? Managers? Launch Director? What is this? Wait... is this... automation???? Yup, it's a long-awaited automation :3

Managers

I could make 8 toggles for you to just click and activate, but that would be boring. Instead, I designed a system where you hire managers (with their own appearance), and you will have to pay them for their work. You will not be able to hire all managers at the same time, I think the max will be around 5 on easy and 3 on hard. When you hire a manager, you will not be able to fire him for some years. All of this will still require some planning from your side, but I think this will be fun, if not, I will change it in the updates - it's just early access overall, and I love to test new ideas!

Contracts

The contract system has been redesigned and rewritten from the ground up. Basically, what I wanted to fix was that players sometimes didn't get anything to launch for years, and also the random bidding system, which was too random.
I combined offers and contracts together. Now you will get normal payloads as offers, which you can just accept. There shouldn't be a time without payloads for you. I made contracts relatively rare, but now I've increased the value of them (You will get more money per launch). Offices will now no more be a part of the contract bidding system. The deadline system also has been redesigned, I now no more plan to simply delete the payloads after their initial deadline. You will still be able to launch them for some years, but you will pay yearly increasing fines until you do so. There will be a launch-in-time bonus (random), and some payloads will require a brand new booster to launch (this will go down over time, as the commercial market realizes that reused rockets are safe to use).

Payloads

Payloads also got quite a few ground-breaking improvements.
First off, payloads like LinkLink or Materials will STACK! :O On the payload panel, bottom-right, you can see the "x12" mark, which means that there are 12 payloads of the type stacked. Another cool performance improvement is that when you try to launch LinkLinks, in the Launch Setup Window you will only see as many LinkLink payloads as you can launch with the selected rocket. That way, you won't see hundreds of LinkLinks in such a small list, which also improves the performance drastically. I also improved the window appearance.

Vehicle Service

I added another tab to Vehicle Window, where you can see all of your built vehicles at once and service them. You can static fire/refurbish/launch each of the vehicles from this menu.

Earth to Earth

EtE is a sister feature to LinkLink, you will be able to create the Earth transport service and get some additional funds from it.

Other

You can now see Moon/Mars from Earth!
Mission reports now show as normal notifications (to simplify the UI), and you can close all notifications at once.
Aaaaand pinned windows will now save their positions (even when you close the game or reopen the windows)!

Conclusion

The work on EarthX did slow a little and there's still a lot to do, but we are working as fast as we can! All of the stuff above will be a part of the 0.3.3 "Kalm Update". The last EarthX content update is going to be EarthX 0.3.4 "Moon Update". I hope you have a great day/week/month! See you next time:) Denis

[ 2021-02-27 18:00:41 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, EarthX 0.3.3 will rework existing features like AI, Contracts, and current rocket models. The update will also include features like managers (game automation), and more customization. We can't wait to release the update for you. The date is unknown as of now. Here's the teaser: [previewyoutube=__q1nXAqyRk;full][/previewyoutube] I'm very sorry for the slow update rates, but as I have shown in 2020, the wait will be worth it. I have my private life too (with school and stuff) and I can't spend 100% of my free time on making games. I'm working as fast as I can! Have a great day and see you soon, Denis

[ 2021-01-29 23:09:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, In July, I released the Mars Update (0.3.1), and then 2 months ago the Boca Chica Update (0.3.2); Today I'm releasing the Dust Update (0.3.2.5), which is a follow-up medium improvement update to both mentioned earlier updates. Too many updates haha I want to wish you a happy new year, let's make it better than 2020 :) In early 2021 I will post a new roadmap about my plans for EarthX. Spoiler: it won't be boring. Denis.. just stop talking and show us the Dust Update. Ok ok ok I will, but quick info: I added EarthX to localizor, you can help translate EarthX to your languages there (and also fix current ones (even English yes)) Thanks for the help in advance: https://www.localizor.com/earthx

What's new?

New Features

Sandstorms

They will be able to destroy your buildings and they will disappear after you manage to terraform Mars to 70%. When you use nuclear bombs to terraform Mars, expect more sandstorms. Nukes can terraform Mars relatively fast, but...

LinkLink on Mars

Can terraform Mars slower, without more sandstorms. You will be able to launch Martian LinkLinks with a Heavy rocket or with Spaceships. LinkLinks not only terraform Mars but also protect your buildings from sandstorms by informing them about their position.

Mars Farm Field Building

After you terraform Mars, you will be able to build it.

Refuel on Mars

Getting Spaceships back to Earth will take a little longer now, as your Spaceships will need to refuel first.

Exchange/Convert Spaceships to Materials on Mars

If you don't want to wait for refuel, and you need some Materials, you can convert landed Spaceships to Materials.

Wind Turbine Building

In case you need more electricity, you can build a wind turbine on Mars.

Battery Pack Building

Electricity needs to be stored somewhere tho... that's why I copied the idea from a well-known (not) auto-maker and added the battery pack building.

Static Fire Rework

I improved the static fire idea from 0.3.2; You will be able to start a static directly from Launch Setup Window (Refurbishment too) and you will be able to build a Static Fire Tripod building, which will allow you to static fire more rockets at the same time.

Big Milestones

To make EarthX more interesting to play, you will be able to set up your own predictions/timelines in the Milestone Tab (Company Window). Be Elon Musk haha

Game End Screen

In classic mode, you will be able to access a game end screen, where you can see total launches, total score, years, achieved milestones, etc.

Vehicle Setup Panel Improvements

When you construct a rocket, it will save and load. I also removed unnecessary modules from the system and UI, which drastically improves the performance. Each vehicle will now require only 1 factory, and the build queue will be dynamic. For launching, I moved the payloads list to a tooltip and added info about the landing zone, secondary vehicle (spacecraft).

Spaceship All-Orbit Upgrade

To make Cargo Spaceships even more OP, I added this little upgrade, which allows you to take payloads to LEO, MEO, and GEO at the same time (in one flight).

Multi-Window Camera System

I reworked the original idea of Action Camera and added support for multiple windows, which means that you can watch pretty much everything at the same time (Capsule Docking/Landing, Static Firing, Prototyping). You will be able to turn them off when they appear, or in the settings menu.

Sorting

This is such a simple to add quality of life feature. You will be able to sort payloads (in Payloads Tab and in Launch Setup Window), as well as the unavailable vehicles in Vehicle Window (for example you don't need to see your 15 Spaceships flying towards Mars for a full year in the list). Additionally, you will be able to automatically fill the fairing by only clicking one button in Launch Setup Window.

Nuke Improvements

When you send nukes to Mars, they won't explode imminently, but they will store themselves and you will be able to detonate them when you wish (with a button). Nuking Mars with 100 nukes at the same time... what could possibly go wrong?

Reworked Translation System

Each language now has only 1 K/V (key/value) JSON file and is managed by localizor website. Thanks in advance for the help with translations and corrections!

Improvements

• Prototypes in the tech tree
• First landing zone not required on Mars
• F1/F2/F3... shortcuts to open windows
• Add background slides to screen blur
• Show time left on Giga Factory Production panels
• When you hold "Shift", the player confirmation will not appear and the answer will be "yes"
• New Mega Launch Pad model
• Show vehicle Extras even if the vehicle is not unlocked
• Allow Gigafactory to produce endless units
• Show building tracker while it's under construction
• Refresh launchpad list when Droneship arrives
• Move QuickSettings to Settings (and save them in save file)
• Move settings file to MyDocuments
• Add "Constructing..." when clicking "Build" prototype
• Display droneship icon next to a launch pad selectable panel
• Mars building production improvements
• Remove 1-second break between tutorial sequence
• Droneship prices decrease rather than increase
• Change first Droneship price to 21 370 000
• Add pin option to all windows
• Water/Fuel/Electricity production plants will only store as many resources as they can produce
• Allow cinematic camera on focus
• Prototype prices decrease rather than increase
• Close all windows only during the first Mars transition
• CRS and Roadster payloads can now explode
• Static fire should also test rocket engines
• Expandable Rockets will have more payload space than reusable
• Allow hiding projects
• Add text "You're testing X now" next to the "Test" button
• Add info about orbits for each vehicle
• LinkLink requirement now shows how many LinkLinks needs to be still launched
• New Main Menu music by SPATE
• Each prototype iteration builds faster
• add a notification after a failed static fire/prototype
• Remove save delete confirmation if save is marked as game over
• Change "Spaceship Vacuum Engine" to "Vacuum Engine"
• Employees should affect the production speed
• Make prototype build times shorter
• Remove skill points from Mars buildings
• Increase CRS/CCP missions
• Upgrades affect vehicle build time
• Show LZ cam when the rocket is landing on LZ
• Improve webcast views
• Add "EarthX Lag Goes BRRR" when the camera lags
• Add a setting to automatically launch rocket
• Add action camera to capsule landing
• Add action camera view to ISS docking
• Add `none` text to projects list when nothing is unlocked
• Disable launch panel teleporting to top at manual landing
• Add elapsed time to Discord Presence
• Add `none` text to vehicle list when nothing is built
• Add dot when Fundraiser is available
• Add warning before playing sandbox
• Droneship landing requirement is too strict
• Add quick notification when payload gets produced
• Improve task display
• Remove webcasts from Superheavy
• Block Building Setup Window for some buildings
• Decrease Martians amount from x100 to x50
• Show more info on vehicle selecting panels
• Add more config settings to the settings file
• After the spaceship takes something to Mars Orbit, it should "Travel to Mars" and land on it after a mission
• Make some Mars buildings more expensive
• Replace landing zone build phases
• Add build timer to droneship construction
• Improve landing zone color palette
• Detect player's language on the first run
• Change CCP to Crew
• Nukes production is now faster
• Improve payloads sorting
• Add build timer to prototype construction
• Vehicle list in Launch Setup Window now refreshes
• Remove Webcast Upgrade from Superheavy
• Display rockets without static fire in Launch Setup (and allow to static fire them from this window)
• Remove "Launch X Large Rockets" from Fairing Catching Upgrade
• Lower Superheavy Space Engine tests needed by 50%
• CRS/CCP missions optional in Sandbox
• Disable welcome message when the tutorial is disabled
• Show Tutorial Window if `Tutorial?` is checked
• Infinity sign instead of sandbox
• Game will now not save after reaching game over
• Improve Greenhouse building performance
• Disable Mars Transition on Sandbox
• Tesla build speed cheat should also affect droneship build time
• Remove default Mars Materials
• Action Camera text is white, should be black or more visible
• Improve description of CEO achievements on Steam
• Add Japanese font support
• Remove Hungarian
• Add Italian

Uff... time for...

Bugfixes

• BUG: Missing Prologue EP Mission
• BUG: Missing Cat Mission
• BUG: Missing Technician Mission
• BUG: Missing Flatearther Mission
• BUG: Mars resources double after save load
• BUG: Camera sometimes moves when you use side mouse buttons to speed up the time
• BUG: Upgraded upgrades still show the latest tasks
• BUG: Vehicle list goes to project list when no vehicle is selected
• BUG: Mega LaunchPad panels stay after save reload
• BUG: Prototype building does not stop after save reload
• BUG: Contracts were always 1 year ahead
• BUG: Player confirmation would stay after game over puts you to Main Menu
• BUG: Infinite OnDroneship bug still exists
• BUG: Launch button is active when you select rocket and payload, but not spacecraft
• BUG: Some achievements are not working
• BUG: LinkLink +- buttons do click with `space`
• BUG: Pausing game while having side-window menu open closed the window
• BUG: Hangar sliders do not refresh sometimes
• BUG: Webcast camera & terraform UI are overlapping
• BUG: CEO achievements are broken (IDs)
• BUG: When the player paused the game with the auto-pause setting on, closing a window would stop the pause
• BUG: Tooltips didn't reset their pivot rotation
• BUG: You can see droneship in Spaceship launch webcast
• BUG: ISS Docked Vehicle panel is not rounded to 5px
• BUG: Camera/Build Sensitivity settings didn't load properly after editing the default value
• BUG: Launch Pads/Tankers overlapped header text in Launch Setup window
• BUG: You could hear testing engine while being on Mars
• BUG: You can enter build mode while being on rocket focus
• BUG: The text next to the UI Scale slider didn't display decimal numbers
• BUG: +- button icons sometimes do not appear on Giga Factory Production panels (Full HD)
• BUG: Control buttons on setup panel aren't rounded
• BUG: Building rotation would not save if you rotated it to right
• BUG: Tutorial sequences sometimes played twice
• BUG: Background music sometimes changed in the middle of playing
• BUG: Camera shaking when in pause mode
• BUG: No lights on McGregor stuff
• BUG: Windows pinning/close buttons aren't rounded
• BUG: Launch Setup Scrollbar isn't rounded

[ 2020-12-31 14:56:49 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, Don't expect any devlog at the end of December... because the next update is pretty much finished and it's being tested now. The update name will be "Dust Update", and it's coming soon. I'm not sure if I will be able to release it before Christmas, but should be released within a week or two. And yes Merry Christmas because yes, my dad and mom will give me a second monitor, so my work experience on new updates will be much better :D And in a month or so I will get my own room, for the first time in my life haha Tell me what you want to get :D I'm not sure if I can do this, but I will leave 2 EarthX steam keys here for you or your friends: FDF9C-6WI0J-DF7YZ EFFIJ-772LB-WLQN7 And there's another giveaway for 5 keys in my Discord server: https://discord.gg/sbXwwMs So yeah, take care! Denis

[ 2020-12-21 14:07:03 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, First off, let me say thank you for over 200 reviews on Steam! Maybe it's a little compared to bigger games, but for us, it's actually a lot and we are happy with it! While EarthX Boca Chica Update was pretty successful, it has a lot of things that can be improved. This is the reason I'm working on 0.3.2.5 now, which will improve both Boca Chica and Mars update. It should release in early 2021. Does this mean that 0.3.2.5 will get no real features? Pff, you would be surprised :D [Please note that everything I will show and say you know is Work in Progress :D]

Milestones

Milestones will allow you to set your own predictions and see if your timelines are correct. EarthX will show you by how many years you were wrong, or if you predicted Mars landing perfectly. Milestones are also great for new players, as they will know what EarthX is capable of right from the beginning.

Game End Screen

Don't get mislead by the name, as you will be able to turn on the end screen at any time. YouTubers who will record series from EarthX may use this feature as a nice video outro/intro. This end screen will show you your current stats, will display your account balance from 2002 and will show you your timeline of achieving milestones.

Sorting Features

It will help you search for your own or commercial payloads to launch. The sorting system was generally improved for payloads, so the payloads which are about to expire will now always display at the top. Sorting for vehicle menus will allow you to hide currently used vehicles, for example, Spaceships flying to Mars. You probably don't need to see them in the list during their entire adventure :D

Navigation Tools

You will be able to search for the payloads and auto-fill them into the fairing. It might be very helpful for fast filling the Spaceships with LinkLinks and Materials!
In addition to that, you will be able to start a refurbish/static fire action right from the Launch Setup window. I saw a lot of players being confused about no rockets on that menu, maybe this will help!

Mars Improvements

There will be a lot of Mars improvements, like sandstorms, 3 new buildings, and Martian LinkLink.
The first landing on Mars won't require a landing zone. Until now you "magically" had 15 Materials from the start of your save. From now you will need to get the first Materials to Mars by yourself.
Long requested feature is also finally being added to EarthX. Fueling on Mars. It will be relatively slow without any available fuel on Mars. I think with this new little feature, fuel on Mars will get some more purpose :D

New Upgrade

I heard that Spaceship is being extremely OP and needs to be nerfed. My answer to that is that new little Upgrade, which will allow your Spaceship to take payloads to all 3 Earth orbits: LEO, MEO, and GEO. It will be even more OP! :D

Conclusion

This update will bring much more ofc, a lot of QoL issues like this:
(^ added a real-time production timer bottom-right.) EarthX is the first commercial project I have been working on and it's doing great. My best project, would do it again 10/10
Also, remember in 2019 when I said that I will for 99% not add any planets to EarthX? Well, I guess this didn't work out, just like the old explosion system, where rockets exploded even if they had 99% reliability :D Have a really great day, Denis

[ 2020-11-30 13:55:04 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, While we are working on the 0.3.2.5 update, please watch the story of the EarthX video, which we have created :D This video shows all the major events which happened since 2018 :) [previewyoutube=w104je1AxYQ;full][/previewyoutube] Thank you for supporting us, this really means a lot. Sometimes it's harder to go through life, but we have managed to come that far, which means we will manage to go even further. Have a very good day! All music credits go to SPATE, he's creating amazing art (yes, we can call it art!<3) for a year already. Here's his SoundCloud profile: https://soundcloud.com/patrick-kurola

[ 2020-11-12 18:17:10 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, With this very small patch, I fixed some of the issues you found after the initial 0.3.2 release. Thanks for your support and feedback!

Added

• Add + & - to production units panel
• Add UI Scaling Setting

Improved

• Default resolution will be now the highest possible
• Improve Last Flight feature
• Automatically open prototype window when it finishes building
• Enable employee amount change during construction
• Change profit/loss translation at the bottom of company window
• Make Starhopper/SNs cheaper
• Improve prototype explosions

Fixed

• Falcon Heavy does not disappear after an explosion
• Gameover seems to not work
• Action Camera goes off in the middle of 20m Spaceship Hopper test
• Gameover UI isn't rounded
• Company legend data does not refresh on language change
• Return/Remove buttons are overlapping
• Vehicle Panels sometimes do not appear after unlocking something
• You can close the LaunchSetup window with ESC
• After Upgrading/Unlocking Extra, the selected one resets to the first one on the list
• Mars terraforming UI isn't rounded
• Prototype indicator dot is lighting even if the prototype is being built now
• Spaceships & Parking orbit icon in different places
• LaunchPad isn't recognized on LP selection
• Spaceships sometimes didn't want to be returned to Earth :c
• Pink payloads in Spaceship
• Add "Hold Shift to place multiple"
• Some missing translations were added to the translation files

In case some bugs would appear, I'm ready to release more patches while I'm working on the next medium-sized update. More details later. Feel free to ask/report me anything! Denis

[ 2020-11-04 21:43:31 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, While working on a 0.3.2.1 patch, I decided to release a quick hotfix update, which fixes the issue where vehicle panels stay after save reload. Sorry for that, this bug has been missed during our internal testing xD

Fixed

• Vehicle panels stay after save reload
• Medium solar panels require electricity to work (lol)
• 2 same tasks in Steel Factory (Have X Martians)

The bigger patch (0.3.2.1) should be released this week! There are quite a few things to improve/change, thank you for the massive amount of feedback during this weekend! We have never seen anything like that. Each line of your valuable feedback will make this game better, as we know what to focus on!

[ 2020-11-01 14:48:12 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, It's been a while. Rykllan and I had some problems in our private life, that's why there was a slight delay of the 0.3.2 update. The Boca Chica update is probably the largest one I ever released. I'm still continuing to improve the core gameplay mechanics and performance.

What's new?

Research

This reworked feature is a big step forward in terms of balance, freedom, and replayability. You can choose your path, you can choose if you want to unlock/upgrade something now or later (or not at all). It will be easier for me to add new vehicles and missions in the future.

Upgrades

Now instead of unlocking modules and creating new vehicle projects... you just have to upgrade the project itself. No more annoying vehicle creation every time you unlock something. Projects will create automatically as you unlock them.

Testing Facilities

SpaceX currently tests its Starships in Boca Chica. I wanted to add this to the game since the beginning of this year. And here we have it. In order to unlock Spaceships, Reusability, or even some of the vehicles, you will have to go through Prototype testing.

Static Fire

The static fire was a thing in earlier versions of the game. I removed it in the Mars Update. The reason for that is because it wasn't cool enough. It didn't make any sense. With this update, static fire is being added again, but in a completely different form!

Droneships

Up until now, droneships were more for decoration. From now, they will be mandatory if you want to recover the booster after the GEO mission, or if the fairing was 85% full. Droneships have now gotten their own window tab and animations.

Refurbishment

As I promised, I reworked the unlogical "repair" system and replaced it with the refreshed "refurbishment" system. You will now have to refurbish every reused booster (build fairings, second stage, etc.). Spaceships & Superheavy rockets won't need so much refurbishment. Now catching the fairings will be somehow valuable, as it will have you some millions ;)

Vehicle Finance Data

You will now be able to see, if a booster still makes money and see how much money did a rocket project made vs how much did you spend on it (upgrades, flights, refurbishments, etc.)

Tutorial

Do I have to say anything more about this? :D Karolina did an excellent job of voice-covering the sequences. She will do more with the upcoming updates, stay tuned.

Production Window

After a lot of feedback from EarthX's players, I finally moved the hated "gigafactory menu" to a separate UI Window, where everything should be easier to manage. The selected units to save now in the save file! :D

Other Important Improvements

• Improved Optimization during Late-Game
• Added Hard Mode
• Reworked Explosions
• Added In-Window-Camera for Static Fire/Prototype Testing
• Added Droneship camera to the Webcasts.
• Improved LinkLink
• Added Slider to Employee Amount Selection
• Improved Graphs
• Added Option to disable Mouse Light
• Added LabPadre Tower

Small Improvements

• Make Mega Launchpad cheaper ($350M) and Mars buildings more expensive
• Martians will now share their DNA with other Martians more often (Reproducing)
• Removed fake +25% store capacity on Mars resources
• Fairing catch chance increase over time
• Add "Land now" button to launch panel
• Hide Money/Skill Points in Sandbox
• Make second stage flight longer
• Add instant build after vehicle creation
• ESC exits build mode
• Disable Bankrupt on Sandbox
• If a window isn't on top, clicking on its icon will appear it, not close
• Removed amazing amounts Vehicle window refresh animations when refreshing
• Add a reason when the "Launch" button is blocked
• Cancel placing current building when the player moves with the mouse
• Change vehicle type colors
• Building buildings on sandbox will be free
• Optimize vehicle/contracts lists load
• Add tooltip to CompanyWindow->Other

Bug Fixes

• BUG: You can't open the main menu if the not_close window is open
• BUG: You can't open Cinematic Camera if windows are open
• BUG: After focused mission mouse light disappears
• BUG: Fix settings scroll
• BUG: Rocket sound is looping when in the main menu
• BUG: Clicking on vehicle/contract panels does not reveal the current window
• BUG: When accepting input fields with the "enter", the camera does not work
• BUG: Changing employees amount in a factory while constructing stops the building for a while
• BUG: You can select landing zone when the rocket is expandable
• BUG: Doubleclick does not work on refurbish
• BUG: Mouse light stops on buildings and mountains
• BUG: There's visible grass in the medium hangar model
• BUG: Company graph is too small
• BUG: You could open cinematic camera while first Mars transition

Special Thanks

Karolina Dekajo -> for voice-covering EarthX Brock Keeble -> for carefully testing EarthX 0.3.2 before public release Juan "Grimidk" Mendez -> for improving Spanish language Pran Capouillez -> for translationg EarthX to French Discord Community -> for your support while developing EarthX

[ 2020-10-30 20:33:12 CET ] [ Original post ]

EarthX was one of the finalists of the Indie Showcase contest organized as part of the Digital Dragons 2020 conference! In regard to the event, that is only online this year, we have prepared a free demo for you, that will be available to download between 14th and 19th September. And if you feel hungry... then we have a 25% discount for you! The discount will be available for the next week (from 14th to 21st September).
For the Indie Showcase contest, the jury chose 66 games from 38 countries. The results will be announced on September 18, 2020, during the Digital Dragons Awards gala. The first three places in the Best Indie Games category are going to be awarded. There will also be a Community Award for the best game chosen by the players. If you know what I mean :) :3 :D :3 ;) :) ;) :D hehe
That's it for now! EarthX 0.3.2 is still being developed, there was a 2-week break in September, as I was fixing stuff with my school. I got full-time homeschooling for the rest of this year, so I will probably have more time for this project. As always, contact me on Discord if you want to ask something ^^

[ 2020-09-14 15:50:51 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, Today I have a lot of COOL news to share. Let's get right into it! What do I do now? I still work on 0.3.2 Update, it's extremely hard and time-consuming, as I'm literally rewriting about ~30% of the game. Why? Because this is the right thing.

Research

Today (0.3.1) player progress works like that: *do something* *next level* *do something* *next level*, you really have no choice what you want to do. You have to complete capsule tasks, you have to complete Heavy rocket, you just have to. What if it can be done differently? Yes, Exactly. This is what 0.3.2 will be all about. To give you a choice. You will be able to completely ignore capsules and even Heavy rocket. It will be up to you what and when you want to research. Take a look at this little tech-tree sneak peeks.
As you see, there are no modules now. Modules in EarthX were kinda hard for new players and it was annoying to create anything. In 0.3.2 there are going to be some hard-coded rockets, which you can unlock and upgrade! Upgrading rockets/capsules/spaceships will look like this:

Tutorial

Yes! EarthX is finally getting a tutorial! That's so amazing! During EarthX's life, I got SOO MANY requests about the tutorial. I couldn't make it because hiring a professional voice actor is expensive as f**k, and EarthX kinda didn't have any content until Mars Update. Now that Mars is released, I was able to hire my very good friend Karolina (~aka .carolaine), so she could record a few dozens of lines I gave her. Her voice is amazing and it does fit EarthX so good!
Take a look at the demonstration I made last week on my Twitter: https://twitter.com/EarthxGame/status/1297940600969474050 [Note: These were RAW files, still good but without any effects and improvements. Now after a week since this recording, I improved her voice a lot!]

Droneships

The droneships will get their own mechanics, you will be able to buy them, name them, and move them around the world (from launchpad to launchpad obviously).
I have rewritten their core, so they are now independent of any launchpad, this means that I can make a very cute swimming animation :D Take a look: https://twitter.com/EarthxGame/status/1298276520469897217

Other

I added more info to the company window:
You will now be able to build stuff in the Production Window (instead of each Giga Factory) + Things you build will now save and load!
rykllan is still working on Boca Chica model (and many others):

Digital Dragons

EarthX got accepted to the finals of Digital Dragons this year! We will compete with 65 different games, that's why we will run a discount and a free DEMO of EarthX in mid-September. The demo will be available only for the duration of the sale. We will probably release a new demo every sale in the future, so new players can try out EarthX!

Summary

The team behind EarthX is getting bigger. The game community is getting bigger too. I'm very happy and THANK YOU very much for supporting me, for supporting us! I couldn't ask for better players! <3 Join our Discord server: https://discord.gg/sbXwwMs And maybe follow EarthX on Twitter (just an idea ok) Denis

[ 2020-08-29 23:10:12 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi, Today I made a short teaser for the next update I'm working on. EarthX 0.3.2 will be focused on improving the in-game research and vehicle mechanics. Also, I want to optimize the game a little bit. Here's the teaser: [previewyoutube=GnA17pFXDn0;full][/previewyoutube] No exact release date is known yet, but it's coming out in 2020! Here's one screenshot of the new UI I was working on last week. As you can see, everything should be simpler and more intuitive. I watched about 100 hours of EarthX gameplay during last month and I took many notes about what to improve.
That's it for now, thanks for reading!

[ 2020-08-03 17:12:06 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, Thanks for making me aware of the Mac/Linux issues (can't open the main menu, can't save). I worked all 2 days to find the problems (as I do not own Mac/Linux). Thanks for Grimidk for the help with testing on macOS, and thanks for Jere for testing on the Linux. Also thanks for bami for helping me with the code on these systems.

I also added several other fixes, full changelog:

• Fixed the issue with the main menu/saving on Mac/Linux.
• Redesigned the spaceships landing code. It should work now at any time.
• You could turn Superheavy expendable and then launch a tanker with it.
• You could launch Spaceship to Mars without selecting the tanker.
• You couldn't click on Mars trackers with problems.
• You can now disable launch trackers.
• You can now disable game over.
• Fixed the issue with random time speedup.
• Fixed the issue by focusing on rockets on Mars.
• Added a text below the "Run" LinkLink button, which tells you where to build LinkLinks.
• Some additional optimizations and smaller fixes.

Remember, that you can ALWAYS report me any issues, and I will try to fix them as soon as possible (if critic) or with the next big update (if small bug). Denis

[ 2020-07-18 18:35:32 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, After almost 4 months of hard work, countless sleepless nights, and a lot of pizzas, I'm finally ready to show you the long-awaited Mars Update. Before we get into the changelog, I would like to say BIG thank you for rykllan and the Discord community. Thank you for all the translators as well (Listed at the end of the Changelog). We all did a great job on making this update possible. Mars Update got its own Trailer on Youtube: [previewyoutube=3SyWpOoUuaw;full][/previewyoutube]

Most Important Changes

• Mars

  
  
  Yup. You're reading that right. Mars. That Red Planet. In our Solar System. You can land on it, you can build on it, you can play on it! A long-requested feature is finally here. rykllan made many new buildings, like Hotels, Greenhouses, Resource Factories, and Solar Panels.

• Mars City

  
  
  As said above, you will be able to build buildings on Mars. It will be harder to do, as you will need Materials from Earth. Once you have established an Infrastructure (Oxygen, Water, Food), you can begin with Colonizing the Red Planet. Keep an eye at the Resources, as a shortage can cause thousands of Martians to die and you will have to begin all over.

• Mars Terraforming

  
  
  Mars Update couldn't be Mars Update without Mars Terraforming. You can either struggle with oxygen shortages OR you can nuke the POLES in order to heat up the Mars. Mars Terraforming is now the Endgame Goal of EarthX.

• Spaceships

  
  
  Spaceships have now 3 types: Cargo, Crew, and Tanker. You can now launch normal Payloads with these. (like hundreds of LinkLinks at once). You can also send Resources to Mars, creating large Fleets of Spaceships on the Parking Orbit. All of them will leave every 2 years, sending stuff to Mars, and then land on the Landing Zones.

• LinkLink

  
  
  LinkLink production was moved to inside the GigaFactory Menu. You will now be able to select, how many LinkLinks should be built. x15 and x30 versions were removed, leaving only x60 one. The payload size of x60 is now Medium. You can also see when 30% of your LinkLinks are going to be deorbited. Small Terminal was added (capacity of 15k Customers), as well as the Large Terminal (capacity of 1M Customers).

• Launch All Rockets At Once

  
  
  Do you feel it? You setup 10 rockets of yours on the launch pads. What would you do then? You would launch them one by one. The probability of you breaking your finger by doing so is pretty high. To protect me from you fulling a lawsuit against me, I made a feature, where you can launch ALL your rockets on the launchpads AT ONCE. Forget about Mars, you can launch ROCKETS!!

• 3 New Missions

  
  
  Show to a Flathearther, what the Earth really looks like. Everyone knows it's flat... Right? Pff, they won't believe anyway, as there is a lot of Evidence on Youtube. (These videos with yellow caption). Help SPATE to promote his Prologue EP by sending a copy of it to the ISS. The astronauts there will have a very good space-party, which no neighbor can complain about. Unless we aren't alone. Save Matt and his potatoes from Mars! He needs our help. He needs YOUR help. Go play and save him!

• Major UI Redesign

  
  
  The edges roundings have been changed from 15px to 5px. I also removed unnecessary margins, backgrounds, and spaces. Everything now looks just better. Think of it as a Samsung Galaxy S6 (old UI) vs Samsung Note 10 (new UI)

• New Main Menu

  
  
  Remember that old Main Menu which showed my face for 0.3 seconds every time you opened it? It's gone. I removed it. I dragged it over the Windows Bin and dropped it there. I then started to create a new Main Menu, with new Settings, with new Game Creator, with new Game Loader, where you can have unlimited saves now (no more 7 slots!). The new Main Menu is just better than the whole game altogether. I love it, you will love it, even your cat will dream about it.

Other Changes

There are a lot of balance changes, a lot of fixes, a lot of small improvements. I decided to no more post these in changelogs, as it's not that needed. Thanks to the translators you got: - German Language (by MCE_23) - Turkish Language (by Mehmet Tandoanfrom from https://turkceoyunmerkezi.com/) - A part of Hungarian Language (by Zsolt Brechler) - Spanish Language (by Daniel Yah & Juan "Grimidk" Mendez) - French Language (by Paola Sanchez & Clovis Chateau) Not all translations are fully finished, these guys are doing it on GitHub in their free time. Everyone can participate: https://github.com/earthxgame/languages

[ 2020-07-12 10:48:56 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, I made this little trailer for the upcoming Mars Update. It will be available in July, no exact date is known yet. I hope you will like it ^^ [previewyoutube=3SyWpOoUuaw;full][/previewyoutube] Also, EarthX is on Summer Sale now. Denis

[ 2020-06-28 09:13:26 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, I wanted to share some info about the progress I made in the last 2 weeks. Mars Update is still planned for the end of July. After finishing the Mars code architecture, I was able to work on the graphics design. Not all are finished yet, but some visible progress is already there and you can see it on the screenshots below.

This screenshot shows how Spaceships can land on Mars. Rykllan did an amazing job on the models, again. Personally, I love the connection between building colors and Mars colors (+ the rocks). What do you think?

You will be able to terraform Mars!

[previewyoutube=k2x9dcfd8cE;full][/previewyoutube]

And here's how it looks like from gameplay camera view:

Lucas on Discord already launched 80 Spaceships from Earth to Mars (and back). He surely was very bored. (xD)

That's it for the announcement. You can always reach out to me on Discord or here in the comments :) Have a very good day! Denis

[ 2020-06-16 12:36:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, first of all, I wanted to inform you that 0.3.1 Part Two (Mars Update) has been delayed. I don't know when it will be available, but I think it's around 2 months. Adding Mars is harder than I expected!

I talk about stuff in the newest Devlog!

[previewyoutube=t0JPXACofmA;full][/previewyoutube]

A few screenshots from EarthX 0.3.1 Part Two (Mars Update)

[ 2020-05-28 09:48:37 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, Here we come with another update. I decided to split 0.3.1 into two parts, so you don't have to wait more months to play it. Big thanks to the Discord community, which helped a lot during the development. As I normally do, big shoutout to rykllan for making amazing models in this update ^^ Big thanks to Jere as well, as he did a lot of brutal testing last week. I was highly focused on adding LinkLink (~aka Starlink) and new building mechanics, but there was a room for other improvements. Before I start with the changelog, I wanted to share my current roadmap with you:

• 0.3.1 Part One -> LinkLink & new buildings
• 0.3.1 Part Two -> Mars & more Starship types
• 0.3.2 -> Improved vehicle mechanics (e.g. when you land a booster it takes time to go back to the hangar)
• 0.3.3 -> Major AI update (More rocket models, more interactions, better logic)

OK time for the changelog!

LinkLink Update

New Features

• Added LinkLink LinkLink is Starlink. I originally wanted to name it Earthlink, but a player on my discord server suggested the better name, which probably fits more into EarthX. ^^
• Added new buildings 4 types of factories, 4 types of hangars, and a LinkLink terminal.
• Reworked build mode It works a little bit faster, the buildings now need time to be built (with cool construction models), and the rotation of a building itself is being saved.
• Reworked contracts & payloads With better UI and more optimizations. The payloads have now gotten their tab, where all payloads are listed.
• Reworked company statistics Now you can see in which category you spent the most money & how much do you spend yearly on average.
• Reworked news The news window has gotten a new UI & code. The content of news doesn't save directly in savefile now, so the savefiles should be smaller ~40% on average.
• Added new CEOs rykllan had fun making these. Who wants to play as me or the Earth plush? :D
• Added new achievements (26)
• Reworked game over
• Added new launchpads: in Australia and India
• Added French

Improved

• "Land" button at manual landing will now be always visible through the rest of the UI.
• Improved the look of a report window after a mission.
• Improved auto-move to a hangar after a vehicle has been built.
• Added a visual preview of a vehicle on its project panel.
• Improved vehicle window UI.
• Now you can update the negotiation price after it has already been submitted.
• The selected price will save by type (a request from a player)
• Added last launch year to the contract panel.
• Removed the ability to create custom launchpads (except Mega LP)
• Optimized the performance of building trackers.
• Added some UI animations to many places in the UI.
• Mouse light will now be disabled if focused on a rocket.
• Added new sound when reaching a new level.
• Improved cloud rendering.
• Improved many more small things that I forgot to write down.

Fixed

• Rocket launch tracker didn't change its opacity when focused before launch.
• "no capable rockets" didn't show up on incompatible ISS contracts if the player had the best rocket possible.
• Fixed "FAILURE_NAME".
• Sometimes you would need to click on a module twice to select it in the designer.
• Superheavy rockets landed in the air over the landing zone.
• Buildings didn't save their rotation.
• You could build in the water.
• Trees hidden by building A could be unhidden by building B in build mode.
• After removing a building the trees didn't show back up. (Gretna hated us for this..)
• "Flights" graph didn't refresh in the new year.
• Side windows were always under other windows in the UI.
• Player progress window didn't open sometimes.
• Fixed many more small things that I forgot to write down.

[ 2020-04-27 10:18:12 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, after about 2 months of work, I'm able to deliver another cool (?) update, which will add LinkLink and new build mode (mainly) :D It should be up in about a week, me and my team will start testing from tomorrow. Trailer: [previewyoutube=wZw8M8rbjEg;full][/previewyoutube]

[ 2020-04-20 17:43:27 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, On March 4th I released a teaser for the upcoming 0.3.1 update, which will add Mars and other cool stuff. Today I want to change these plans a little, as during this month I came upon some other ideas. Mars will be added (as well as the Mars colony stuff), but a little bit later (0.3.1 Pt2); I'm doing this change now because rykllan will not be able to make the necessary models that fast. He's not Tesla :D Another reason is that I don't have all plans ready yet (I kinda currently lack of new ideas for colony features - you can suggest them!) EarthX 0.3.1 Pt1 will add LinkLink (Starlink) and other cool improvements. I have rewritten the whole contracts and missions system, which will bring more performance and reliability into it. This update will also bring a lot of improvements suggested by the community on our Discord server.
To sum everything up: I decided to split 0.3.1 to two smaller updates (0.3.1 Part One and Part Two), so you don't have to wait months for it.

BREAKING

I played EarthX yesterday and three rockets of mine exploded in a row. Shortly afterward I got a call from Gretna. She told me that she wasn't very happy to see all the Co2 I released into Earth's atmosphere. Then she showed me all the rocket emissions all EarthX players made since July 12th. Some of them even launched 5000 rockets in less than a week! After I saw all these stats I decided to... remove all rockets in the game. I always wanted to be a baker. This game will be about baking bread now. Or not. April fool! haha yes i am very funny......

Soundtrack DLC

.xrm and SPATE have done an amazing job on making the music for the game, that's why we want to support them by releasing a soundtrack DLC. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1260270/ See you next, Denis

[ 2020-04-01 11:26:54 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, I'm starting to work on another big major update for EarthX. I won't tell you many details for now, but let me show you the teaser video I made. I hope you will like the update, it seems amazing on paper - but will it in the actual game? :) I will need about 2-3 months to make it. The covid-19 virus may slow it down a little, as it's spreading in my region. Please stay tuned. Teaser: [previewyoutube=CcMjd4Mch_M;full][/previewyoutube] Greetings, Denis

[ 2020-03-03 23:09:39 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, I've collected the most important (for me) issues, which some of the players reported me during the last 2 days. I'm releasing a hotfix update now (0.3.0.1), which is actually becoming a tradition, as I'm releasing a .1 patch after every bigger update :D

What did I improve/fix?

• Removed Main Menu background. (It literally crashed the game for some players, I AM VERY SORRY FOR THAT!)
• The "Flights" variable didn't increase for capsules and spaceships.
• The launchpads custom names were "Missing Text :(" after the game loaded.
• The ISS docks were always full after you loaded the game. This problem happened in 0.2.9 as well and I thought, that I fixed it. Apparently not, but let's see if the fix works this time!
• rykllan also refreshed the look of Jeff (Who?)
• The ISS tracker will now be barely visible when focused on ISS.

I also fixed other small issues, which I forgot to write down. I'm a human as well, okay? :D Cheers, Denis

[ 2020-02-23 16:21:06 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, I hope you liked the 0.2.9 update, which I released last month. This time I come with a little smaller update, which still has a good amount of content. The 0.3.0 update was meant to improve things from the last update, and I think I achieved the goal. I'm now ready to start implementing interplanetary stuff (Mars & Moon).

What's new in 0.3.0?

New Stuff:

• Added Steam Achievements. (27)
• You can now catch the fairings, just like real SpaceX does!
• New missions: "Astronaut's Cat" and "Technician in a Suitcase".
• ISS Window, which allows you to track currently docked vehicles and see when they're going to return to the Earth.
• Added new Earth model.
• Added company stats (Graph).
• Added Game Over.
• You can now return to the main menu.
• Added 5th character: Jim (made by rykllan).
• New barge model from rykllan.
• Added Octagrabber animation, which will catch and secure your rocket every time it lands.
• Every vehicle type now has its own naming system (Rockets: B1XXX, Capsules: CC1XXX, etc.).
• Now you can cancel rocket build.
• You can now take off rocket landing gear (the rocket will fly for the last time, with no landing).
• The built vehicle will try to move to the hangar on its own every few seconds, once there's no space in them.
• Added fundraising-related news.
• Added a few of the ISS News, which will tell you a little bit about the modules on it and how were they launched. Some educational stuff is always fun :D
• Now you can focus on the ISS.
• A shuttle and an astronaut will fly next to the ISS sometimes.
• The hangar icons will now tell you, how much space is in every one of them.
• Added potato.
• Refreshed Main Menu look.
• Added Spanish & Latin Spanish languages to the game. (by Daniel Yah)

Improvements:

• Now you can directly see how many vehicles are built from the projects list.
• The vehicle reliability was maxed up to 99% (Before 97%).
• The max-orbit will now not be shown on the capsules and spaceships (Unnecessary)
• Improved the look of the buttons in some places.
• Static fire gives you now 20% chance of rocket reliability improvement.
• Added parachute opening sound.
• Now you can focus on your launching rocket directly from the 3D view.
• The launching rocket tracker will now be a little less visible when focused.
• Added some hints while crafting a rocket.
• Now if you're more than level 5, the rocket build panel will fold up automatically.
• Folded up build panels will now show the general build progress.
• Improved overall English, Polish and Russian languages.
• Now you can add a vehicle project to your favorites. (it will always stay at the top)
• Now you can launch a payload directly from the contracts window by double-clicking on it.
• The AI will now generate some ISS contracts. (10% of chance)
• Improved the sorting of contracts on the list.
• Added visual banners to the pop-up notifications about special missions.
• Increased the amount of CRS and CCP missions.
• The vehicles in the hangar preview window will now show the condition.
• Added a selection indicator around the building tracker when you're editing the building.
• Improved the look of work progress sliders in the building trackers (for factories and labs).
• Fundraiser news will now open automatically. (So the players don't miss it)
• Added labs to required buildings in the player progress window.
• Added fairing catching to the required challenges in the player progress window.
• Moved manual landing from Level 9 to Level 5
• Moved Rideshare from Level 6 to Level 3
• Improved the CEOs look (by rykllan)
• From now on, every launchpad built will give you an additional launch at the same time.
• Removed the CEO's real names. (so I don't get in trouble once the game get more popular)
• Added missing sounds in some places.

Bugfixes:

• You could launch a rocket with less than 60% condition by double-clicking on it.
• The rocket "flights" variable was always one too big.
• You could build a GEO rocket without a large fuel tank.
• You could build a Heavy rocket without a large fuel tank.
• 2nd stage flew into 1st stage after separation.
• Webcast would not hide after you abort the launch.
• Translation text did not load then you aborted a rocket.
• Rocket launch trackers would show on random places on your screen, which gave a bad effect.
• You could launch the same capsules and rockets.
• Capsules did not return from the ISS, and the ISS was always full! :o
• You could launch more capsules to the ISS than it had space.
• Simple computer did not allow you to build an MEO rocket.
• You could not build a large crew capsule.
• You could launch an ISS-docked vehicle by double-clicking on it.
• You could launch a Heavy rocket from a small launch pad when it had a small fairing.
• You could launch the same payload twice by double-clicking on it in the contracts window.
• The rockets sank into the barge at landing.
• You could launch a Heavy rocket from a launchpad, which was already used by other rocket.
• You would get 0% condition when repairing capsule (and spaceship).
• Vehicle project icons did not load in the project preview.
• A "Contract blue dot" appeared even if there weren't any available contracts.
• You could open an old tutorial version in the contracts window.
• You could launch more rockets than allowed by double-clicking on the payloads in the contracts window.
• Vehicles stored in hangars did not have their own vehicle type icons.
• Building category buttons weren't translated to other languages.
• Launching a Cargo capsule would count as launching a Crew capsule.
• Launching a capsule would count as launching a spaceship.
• Starting to place a building would already count it as placed.
• Player level did not refresh after the game load.
• Fundraiser "Hats" only gave you 900K instead of 5M.

[ 2020-02-21 15:45:22 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, Today (11th February) I'm officially 18 years old. What does that mean for you? Nothing. (actually a discount but ok) What does that mean for me? Also nothing. I just wanted to celebrate the week by discounting the game by 18% :) I started EarthX when I was 16 and I will finish it before my 19th birthday. I have so much fun making this game, you don't even know! The community is amazing, the feeling of actually achieving something is amazing! From here, I want to say big THANK YOU for everyone who's giving feedback, opinions, and playing. I love u all. I will release next update (0.3.0) very soon, and here's a little preview :)

[ 2020-02-10 23:34:21 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, I'm releasing a small bugfix update, which is fixing and improving the following things: Improved:

• The save files are now saving in your Documents folder on your OS. If you had any save files before this update, they will be automatically moved.
• The project name now displays inside it (where vehicles are listed)
• Now you will get more contracts. There shouldn't be a situation anymore, where you don't get contracts for serval years.
• Now phases like "launch small rocket" or "launch medium rocket" are listed as "launch LEO rockets" and "launch MEO rockets". Some players were confused, which rockets were medium and which not.
• The launchpad list will now refresh at the end of every flight if the Launch Setup Window is open.

Fixed:

• Fixed: The hangar space wouldn't be set to free once you deleted a vehicle with less than 60% condition.
• Fixed: If the "Tesla Roadster" mission would fail, you couldn't complete the required challenges, which actually blocked the whole game. (I'm sorry for that:( )
• Fixed: Failed manual landing would be count as a success sometimes.
• Fixed: Sidebooster rocket stuck in the air without mission report at the end if launched from your own launch pad.
• Fixed: A secret level 21 didn't work.
• Fixed: You could launch more rockets than the UI said.
• Fixed: You couldn't use Spaceship as a transport vehicle for CRS or CCP missions to the ISS.
• Fixed: If you saved the game during a vehicle repair, it would break after load.

Thanks for all the bug reports and feel free to report more! (if any found ;D)

[ 2020-01-26 22:35:00 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, This update took me more than three months to make. I wouldn't do this without the help of the community on my discord server, which gave me a lot of feedback during the development. I also wanted to give a big thanks to Sergey (~aka rykllan), who made A LOT of models for this update! This update also got its new trailer, so watch it here: [previewyoutube=DeKT6F0B-VY;full][/previewyoutube] I've rewritten almost every script, so the performance improvements should be very significant (the game will run faster).

NEW FEATURES

Launch Setup Window

Now you will be able to select multiple payloads at once in one rocket! Besides that, you will be able to manually select launchpads and landing zones. Launching stuff into Earth's orbit is very easy now!

International Space Station

Yes, you heard that right. ISS has been added to the game. Not just ISS. You can now launch CRS (Resupply Missions) and CCP (Crew Missions) to the ISS.
ISS will be building itself over time:
Of course, in order to launch CRS and CCP missions, you will need the right vehicle for that.

Capsules

You can now build cargo & crew capsules in the new vehicle creator window, where you can see the costs, reliability, and capability of the vehicle during designing it. rykllan made a completely new rocket model, which now seems like a real Falcon family rocket :)

New modules

Well, a lot of new modules. There were 12 modules in 0.2.8, now we have almost 50 :D All of the modules are needed for various vehicle types, but there are also two special: Camera (for realtime webcasts)
Altitude Sensor (for realtime telemetry)

Spaceships

Now you can build very large rockets and spaceships!

Launchpads

I added 10 default launchpads all over the world. In addition, you can build your own launchpads now! Btw. Rykllan made new launchpad models :D There are now Simple, Advanced, and Mega launchpads!

Building Setup

I've removed the "building window" and added a new one called "Building Setup". Every building has its own settings. Now you can hire up to 50 employees in some buildings. I also added dynamic bills, so if you use your factory very often in the quarter, you will pay a lot more!

Deadlines

The deadlines are back! In a new form. See it yourself in the game.
There are a lot more small improvements and small features, but you can find them yourself. I won't spoil everything! Have fun with playing and remember, that you can always send feedback to me :)

[ 2020-01-24 15:42:15 CET ] [ Original post ]

An update will be released this week. Stay tuned. This is the trailer: [previewyoutube=DeKT6F0B-VY;full][/previewyoutube]

[ 2020-01-21 21:32:03 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, It's 31. December at my location, so I'm about to begin the first decade in my life, which is amazing :D (yes I know the decade starts at 2021, but plz don't take my happiness from me); Today I want to welcome all new players, who joined us on this winter sale. I didn't plan to run a sale this time, but I had somehow set it up back in October and completely forgot about it. But yeah, here we are! There was no update since October, but believe me, I was working on new stuff all the time (i even released a snapshot on my Discord server (on that server: https://discord.gg/sbXwwMs ));
What's the point of writing this? I want to list out the stuff I plan to do in 2020: 1. buy a Tesl oh sorry I mean list the stuff I plan to do for EARTHX in 2020: 1. complete EarthX and full release it before/after the summer. Yeah, that's basically it. I don't plan any ports for 2020, but expect them in 2021 (mobile/console?); I also plan to release a lot of more updates before the full release. Let's say... who wants Mars and Moon? The 0.2.9 update will introduce a lot of new content, like Dragon capsules, Starship or ISS. You can follow me doing that by joining on my Discord server (it's really the best way to communicate with all of you at the same time!). With all the things said, thank you for supporting me and thank you for the great community on the Discord server (yeah I know, I talk too much about Discord..............) To appologize you, check the cool Starship docked to ISS screenshot :D

[ 2019-12-31 11:21:46 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, I was very busy this month and I will be in the next as well. Christmas is coming, have a lot to do not only in EarthX but also in school and at home. However, this didn't stop me from adding new interesting features! Let's see what I got so far (Don't worry, I won't spoil everything ;)) I've expanded the rocket launch system to the new high levels I never dreamt about. Now you can e.g. watch the rocket launch on an in-game webcast, just like SpaceX does! [previewyoutube=lAJyjSd8afk;full][/previewyoutube] You can also see the new telemetry thing, which allows you to get more immersed in the firework launch. Speaking about fireworks, see how the explosion looks like now: [previewyoutube=lsK6GhvSRaQ;full][/previewyoutube] I would say it's S3XY, but it is only my personal opinion. I added a lot of new animations to the game, see how the parachutes are looking now: [previewyoutube=AYK6mTu6Ie0;full][/previewyoutube] And some of the backstages while working on new animations. Yes, it's a "Dragon 2" type capsule on the top of the rocket! [previewyoutube=MYWb297SCD4;full][/previewyoutube] I'm very excited to release it next year and I'm very happy I can work on this now! Some of you noticed, that there was no update since October, but it's mostly due to the school and my babysitting "career", which just takes time and I feel okay with it. EarthX is only a hobby project and I will deliver as always... I just need more time ;) Greetings, Denis

[ 2019-12-09 21:56:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, The latest update (0.2.8.1) was published exactly one month ago. I usually publish updates at the end of the month, but this time it's a little other. The 0.2.9 update will introduce a lot of new content like ISS, Capsules, and Starship. This required me to actually rewrite the game core (all rocket-related features). This, of course, takes a lot of time and I'm still not done with that. I usually stream my work on my Youtube channel. I don't want to promise or publish anything for now, but I can already give you some screenshots. + expect an open beta before the 0.2.9 release. I don't know when it will be available, but the beta this year for sure. Please stay tuned!

[ 2019-11-15 15:33:07 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, I made this small teaser trailer. I hope you will like it :D EarthX 0.2.9 coming later this year! [previewyoutube=Ppy9Wfr1Gso;full][/previewyoutube]

[ 2019-10-30 22:02:06 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey! Now that 0.2.8 (with 0.2.8.1) is released, I can begin working on the next update. Of course, I'm talking about the 0.2.9 update, which will add some amazing features! Well, I will point out right at the start, that this update is a little bigger than any previous, so I will probably need more time to make it. Just stay tuned! I will share with the progress on my Discord server: https://discord.gg/sbXwwMs (there are actually amazing people! I love to message with all of them :D) But let's begin with the content, I plan to add to the game during this month/two months. The 0.2.9 was supposed to add crew stuff and it is! I want to add crew missions, and with that Dragon capsules (Crew & Cargo), Starship, new launch pads, and new payload types (or orbit types). (I think now you see, why I need much more time for this update) :D Rykllan (3D Designer) already made some models. They're looking amazing and I can't wait to add them to the game as playable objects. :D



Other things to mention: I will do a price increase in the near future. The price will go up to 11.99$. Why am I doing a price increase? EarthX is available since 12th July and I added A LOT of new content during that time. I just feel like this game is worth more, but also the expenses are going higher and higher as I'm hiring more and more people to do content for EarthX (models, icons, music). However, if you feel like this game is not worth 12$ for now, just add it to your wishlist. There will be some discounts during this and next year and you will be notified. To sum up: The 0.2.9 update will be released somewhere in November, then I will begin the work on 0.3.0 update (about which I will tell you in the Winter changelog :D).

[ 2019-10-26 12:47:24 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey! The previous ~0.2.8 update had some serious issues with the negotiation. It was pretty logic for me because I knew, how to use it. However, almost every other player just didn't know what was this and why I added it to the game. 5 months, 10 updates;
With 0.2.8.1 I made it a lot easier to use for everyone (I hope) :) Just take a look:
You can select the price by moving with the slider. The more you office employees have, the higher price you can offer!

Other improvements

Added launch indicators for the launchpads

• updated Russian to v0.2.8 (by rykllan)
• now you can close unpinned windows with ESC
• now you can build multiple buildings with the same type by holding SHIFT while placing a building
• rocket build panel UI improvements
• UI is now a little darker
• improved window pinning
• reusable rockets are now a little stronger
• updated tutorial content
• temporarily disabled NVIDIA Ansel (it caused some issues)
• Fixed: you couldnt start a new game after exiting from the previous one
• Fixed: tutorial buttons didnt work
• Fixed: remove button didnt show up after placing a building
• Fixed: infinity camera shake while explosion during the game pause
• Fixed: you couldnt take a contract with 21% of trust when you had 21% of trust

[ 2019-10-14 19:04:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey! A few days ago I released the 0.2.8 update, which introduced some of the AI. With AI I also had to remake the contracts system to make it more responsive. I've read a lot of feedback, and that the new contract system is not made very well, and that's why I want to fix it. But before I can do that, I will need your feedback. What do you like or what DON'T you like about the new contracts system? I can't go back to the old one, because there's AI now. The contracts system just needs to support it. However, I can set the contract prices "by myself", so you don't need to offer your own. Let me know what you think down in the comments or on my Discord server! https://discord.gg/sbXwwMs

[ 2019-10-10 17:11:25 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, I REALLY can't believe I did it to this point. EarthX was a very small prototype game a few months ago, but now with YOUR support, EarthX gets better and better every update. I would like to THANK YOU very much for all the bug reports, feedback and thoughts! It took over a month to make and release this update, which I am very sorry for. The first 3 weeks after 0.2.7 release was amazingly hard for me, due to school begin and my broken PC, which just burned. (I lost a very big amount of data then, EarthX project included). Good that we have a cloud save :D Let's talk about 0.2.8 now. This update is as big as 0.2.7 (probably even bigger).

New graphics apperarance

I liked the graphics in EarthX a month ago, but I just wanted a little bit more. So I started making the new graphics (my old GPU literally burned like a competitor' rocket in EarthX).
- new water - wind effect - shadows - windows light - better textures These new graphics did cost me about 235$. :D

Artictifical Intelligence V1

I've got over a hundred of requests about AI since April this year. I wanted to do it earlier, but there were more important things to do. Please take note, that this is version 1 of AI (I just don't know, how to do it better for now). AI will improve a little bit in every early access update.
What can AI do? AI exists in 2 forms. The AI contains space companies, but also contract givers. The space companies (type A) are here to launch payloads, build rockets and, of course, dominate the market. Type A will fight with other types A and with the player itself too. The contract givers (type B) are generating contracts. The whole contract system was redesigned, as there is now the possibility to negotiate (offer) the launch price to the AI.
The cheaper the launch price is, the more chances you have to get the contract! The launches of the rockets are visible for the player. The AI-rockets are exploding too! (Thank you @rykllan for the models!)

News system

Another exciting (for me) feature, which is highly connected with the AI, is the new news system!
News are showing up during the gameplay. When AI-rocket explodes or AI-company bankrupt, in-game journalists will write some sort of news for you. We've spent pretty much time for writing the text for it (which is then a little bit randomized).
There is currently one special type for it. Every year, there will be a summary of the last year. You will be able to see other companies' finance and stats and take notes. It's nice to see, how everyone is playing with you! Other words, the news are just another step into making the game cooler:D

In-game twitter (Earthmusk)

Why Earthmusk? Because Earth + musk, which is mzg in polish, which means brain. So the English name of Earthmusk is Earthbrain, but I like Earthmusk.
When I launched rockets, it felt a little boring. Then I just thought about how to make it better and I reminded myself, that Elon Musk comments the SpaceX stuff on his Twitter account. There are more features to come to this in the next updates!

New build mode

What should I tell you more about this? You had to select a slot, in which you wanted to build your desired building. Now you just place it where you want (expect water. Buildings don't like water.)

CEO

Now you can choose your CEO avatar! There are only a few available for now, but I plan to add a few each update.

New rocket animations

Now if a rocket flies to the LEO, it will look like it's flying to the LEO. GEO is, of course, a higher orbit, so the rocket will fly higher!

Manual rocket landing

Yeah, also often requested, so here you go!

3 new rocket modules

Simple/Advanced Battery and GPS. These were available earlier, but the game just ignored them. Now they are officially added.

Other smaller changes (bugfixes too)

• Improved: on-earth object scaling (everything is smaller now)
• Improved: changed the earth rotation direction
• Improved: test mission will be no longer selected on default
• Improved: mission report window appearance
• Improved: camera movement is now more responsible\
• Improved: add time controls with numbers (1-2-3)
• Improved: rocket creation tool
• Improved: main menu appearance
• Improved: second stage animation
• Improved: trust system (emojis)
• Improved: pinning availability for windows
• Improved: new interface sounds
• Fixed: rockets didnt reset their position after a launch
• Fixed: rocket reliability could be more than 100%
• Fixed: landing rockets could cause a lot of errors sometimes
• Fixed: mission report showed the wrong info after the failed static fire
• Fixed: particles didnt work properly on some of GPUs
• Fixed: profit after a mission was wrongly calculated
• Fixed: tooltips didnt change their scale
• Fixed: static fire took two payments
• Fixed: side boosters would not disappear sometimes
• Fixed: planes didnt show up
• Fixed: the player level didnt load properly after starting a new save
• Fixed: time didnt load properly after starting a new save
• Fixed: rocket remove button didnt show up at <60%
• Fixed: you could save the game even if the company creator was open
• Fixed: you could get 0$ sometimes
• Removed: the truth mode (flat earth)
• Removed: deadlines for contracts (they will come back!)

Thank you for reading this all!

[ 2019-10-07 14:54:06 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, Most of you were expecting a new update this month because I used to release one big update somewhere at this time. A snapshot update will be available on the last weekend this month. The full 0.2.8 update is now planned to release somewhen in October! I tried to make it happen now, but I had a lot of troubles while making the AI. I'm now +/- 50% done with that.

First AI features

I connected the contracts system to the AI, so now there are 3 types of AI: Government, Private, and Contractgiver.
The contract givers are generating contracts and you can literally negotiate with them about the payload launch price The funny thing about it is, that the other AI companies ALSO can negotiate the contract with contract givers! It's kinda amazing because when you (as a player) don't do much, then you will stay behind, while others will complete contracts and gain money. The system is pretty much done, but I still need to add more small details to it. Today I began working with the new models made by rykllan. Seeing a fake rocket in EarthX is such an amazing feeling, which I will never forget about.
I'm streaming all of this on my Youtube channel, so you can watch the development process of the EarthX. https://www.youtube.com/Mesote Have a good day!

[ 2019-09-25 12:06:24 CET ] [ Original post ]

Our friend from Kodera Software, Mariusz, has a birthday today. His game, V: Rings of Saturn, will be available with a 10% discount over the next week.

About V: Rings of Saturn:

If you love space games, V: Rings of Saturn will be a great choice. https://store.steampowered.com/app/846030/V_Rings_of_Saturn/

And, once again - happy birthday, Mariusz! You do a great job.

[ 2019-09-16 17:00:49 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello! I had A LOT of troubles making this snapshot, but uhh... I did it! This snapshot contains maybe a little less new features, but it gave me time to prepare everything for upcoming AI features. Please take your time to read the changelog and then just play this new snapshot. :)

Changelog:

• Added: Manual landing

When you have manual landing legs selected, you have to manually deploy the landing legs while your rocket is at landing.

• Added: 3 new modules

Simple battery, advanced battery, and GPS. Those modules were available earlier, but now they actually have their purpose and you can use them in reusable rockets.

• Added: Earthmusk

I wanted to add this feature since 3 big updates now, but I was able to do it just now. Earthmusk is just a twitter-like feature, giving the players more world feelings.

• Added: NVIDIA Ansel support

This feature allows you to shot beautiful high-res screenshots from the game.

• Improved: Now you can control time speed with keys: 1, 2, 3 and 4
• Improved: Rocket creator

Everything works better now. I completely redesigned the code architecture for it.

• Improved: Trust system

I added emojis to it (instead of that stupid shield icon)

• Improved: Main menu appearance

The most important thing for the new players: Main Menu was completely redesigned and is much simpler to use.

• Improved: Second stage animation
• Fixed: Side boosters would not disappear sometimes
• Fixed: The planes didn't show up
• Fixed: A lot of smaller issues

How to download this (and other) snapshots?

Go to your library and click with the right mouse button on EarthX on the list. After that go to the properties and select "BETAS", and then "snapshots" from the dropdown list. You will probably need to restart your steam after that in order to begin downloading snapshots versions. Snapshots are available only for Windows in the English language. Note: Snapshots are for testing purposes only. If you've found any bug, please let me know on my discord server: https://discord.gg/sbXwwMs

[ 2019-09-15 20:21:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, I've never posted any devlog here, so here I am. Maybe let's introduce myself first :D I'm Denis and I'm 17 years old. I was born in Poland and moved to Germany when I was 12. I started working on the code year after when I was 13. Why am I telling you all the stuff? It's important for you to understand, that I still go to the school and I'm able to work on EarthX only in my free time, in evenings. Last 3 months were amazing. I released my first game ever on the Steam, which I'm very happy for. I've never experienced so many new stuff and things to organize and make in that short period of time. I'm very glad that what I achieved (with the help of you all!), but that all was in my vacation time. Now the school begins and I won't make that much stuff rapidly. DENIS! What does that mean? No EarthX updates? GIVE ME MY MONEY BACK! No-no-no. The updates are still going to be released. I just now need little more time to make them. Take in mind, that I began working on EarthX at the beginning of this year, where I also was in school. If I did it in the past, then I can also do it in the future! :D Gamedev was and will still be my passion and hobby, and I'm glad I can work on EarthX with this community.

Okay. Now I will stop cry and announce a few new things coming in the future.

All of the things listed below were also announced on my Discord server, where you can very easily contact me! https://discord.gg/sbXwwMs Firstly: I added NVIDIA Ansel support to EarthX. Now every one of us can make beautiful screenshots from the game. It should be available in the 0.2.8 snapshot 2 update.
Now let's go to the real gameplay features: As some of you guys know, I'm actively working on the 0.2.8 update, which brings AI and a lot of more new features to the game. I released the first part in the snapshot 1 update, and I will release snapshot 2 in a few days. The first feature, which I want to remake, is the rocket creafting tool. I released the first preview of it today on Youtube: [previewyoutube=B8AbkeSnw4E;full][/previewyoutube] I will also add full batteries/GPS support and few other surprise modules-related features. I really hope you will like them. Thanks for reading it all, let me know if you like this type of posts here. Denis

[ 2019-09-08 21:50:09 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, After 9 days of me taking a "break", I can finally release the first snapshot of the 0.2.8 update. Why is snapshot 1 amazing? Because it takes the graphics on another level! I tried to make it look nicer but also that you can still run it on low-end PC. The system requirements are going to be a little higher, but this is what I do expect from the players on Steam. You can still launch EarthX on LOW at a potato PC tho. Why did it take more than a week to make? One of the reasons is my private life problems, like school or my destroyed PC. I will talk about that later in a new post ;)

Snapshot 1 got its small hotfix update:

• Fixed: few bugs found by the players and me.

Please re-download this snapshot in order to play a little less bugged game!

Changelog:

Visual:

• Improved: Everything is smaller I made every object 30 times smaller to get more space for AI companies, but also for better visual appearance.
• Added: New water appearance The water has now its animation, reflections, and the actual visible ocean deep.
• Added: Wind All trees and clouds are affected now by the wind.
• Added: Shadows All objects have now its shadows!
• Added: Better color shadings Now the colors are looking even more dynamic and nicer!
  
• Improved: The earth rotates now the right way! So many players requested me to change this, so here you go!
• Improved: GEO sats are now static Just like IRL.
• Added: Engine smoke when the rocket is flying in the atmosphere

New features:

• Added: New build mode I reworked the build mode. Now instead of 24 slots, you can place buildings where you want and how you want.
  
• Added: New rocket animations (AGAIN!) But this time with a lot better appearance and performance! I added 3 types of animations for LEO, MEO and GEO orbits, so everything is now visualized. Even the second stage! You can now see the fairings deploy on the second stage :D The landing has now sonic booms!
  

Other:

• Improved: Test mission will be no longer selected on default
• Improved: Mission report window appearance
• Improved: Camera movement (it's more responsible now)
• Fixed: rockets didnt reset their position after a launch
• Fixed: landing rockets could cause a lot of errors sometimes
• Fixed: rocket reliability could be more than 100%
• Fixed: mission report showed the wrong info after the failed static fire
• Fixed: the offices are looking for wrong contracts after game load
• Fixed: particles didnt work properly on some of GPUs
• Fixed: profit after a mission was wrongly calculated
• Fixed: Tooltips didn't change their scale
• Fixed: Static fire took 2 payments
• Removed: Truth mode (Flat earth)

How to download this (and other) snapshots?

Go to your library and click with the right mouse button on the EarthX on the list. After that go to the properties and select "BETAS", and then "snapshots" from the dropdown list. You will probably need to restart your steam client after it in order to begin downloading snapshots versions. Snapshots are available only for Windows in the English language. Note: Snapshots are for testing purposes only. If you've found any bug, please let me know on my discord server: https://discord.gg/sbXwwMs

[ 2019-08-29 23:38:13 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, After 4 snapshot updates, I'm glad to announce, that the full 0.2.7 update has been released now. This update was actually really easy to make, but of course, there were some hard times, which I passed through. 0.2.7 "Research is consistent" update was focused on adding research stuff and I think I've achieved the goal. You can now upgrade your modules, the rockets are getting cheaper and cheaper over time, and you can research the explosions. This update gave EarthX more deep and opened me the door to add a lot of more stuff. Please take your time to read this changelog (Screenshots are here too!) and in the end, I will talk a little bit about 0.2.8 (next) update. Watch the trailer here: https://youtu.be/hspjjg0l8w4

Changelog:

Rockets and modules




• Added: Completely new explosions system The explosions are now based 100% on the reliability of the modules. There're of course some randoms in it, but now you can really do something about it. If a rocket explodes, you actually know why. I've added about 25 reasons (4-5 for each module) like overpressure or software failure. An issue can happen only one time, so after 15-20 explosions the rockets are getting more and more reliable. A perfect fundament for crew missions :D
• Added: New rocket animations I moved the animations 100% to the code, so I can have a lot of more control over it. That's why now if a rocket explodes, it starts to spinning around before it. The rockets can now tip over at landing and explode after it.
• Added: New explosions effect Now if a rocket explodes, the camera shakes.
• Added: New static fire logic If you're making a static fire now, there's a 5% chance that the rocket explodes on the launch pad. However, there's also a 20% chance of finding an issue in the rocket, which adds reliability to it.
• Added: Mission reports You can now see a report after every mission. It contains stats and so on. No more annoying notifications while launching the rocket :D
  
• Added: New rocket repairing system Now repairing rockets is more intuitive and easier.
• Added: One step forward to make rockets affordable Now the modules are cheaper each build. For example, if you've built 10 small fairings, they just get cheaper (so is the rocket too).
• Added: New durability system I moved the durability from the rocket to each of the modules, so the rocket repairing would be more intuitive. It also affects the explosions a little bit.
• Added: Now you can preview the modules in the rocket preview You can see the build costs at building and durability status at launching/repairing.
  
• Added: Module upgrades Module upgrades make the desired module cheaper, more reliable and the build time is faster.
• Added: 3 new skill point types Fairing, Fuel tank, and Engine skill points are used for upgrading the modules.
  
  

  Other

  
  
• Added: Tutorial Now the John (James actually) will teach you, how to play EarthX :D
  
• Added: Factory stats Now if a factory builds 60 engines, it will build them 6% faster. You can see it as the building upgrades (which got removed in snapshot 2). All buildings have now their level.
• Added: Hangars existing sense Now the hangars are actually storing your rockets. Every hangar can store up to 3 rockets.
• Added: Tooltips As the players requested, I added tooltips to some places in the UI.
• Added: GEO ring The satellites launched on GEO orbit are flying around the earth in a very visible way. Besides that, I added 6 new satellite models, which are made by rykllan.
• Added: Naming buildings Now you can name every building as you want. Feature requested by one of the players.
• Added: Flying numbers It's just a better visualization of money income/outcome etc.
• Added: Game version control Now you can't play the save files from older versions of EarthX. This caused a lot of bugs and it will be not supported in Early Access. This game develops rapidly ;)
• Added: One secret easter egg Improved: Working with offices Now you can decide, which type of contracts the office should look for.

  Improvements and small features:

  
  
• Improved: Research tree look
• Improved: Overall UI improvements
• Improved: Unlocking balance
• Improved: Rocket look
• Improved: Added 150 satellites object limit You can still launch more than 150 satellites, but the game will show only the max of 150 of them on the Earth orbit.
• Improved: Added colors to the building icons
• Improved: Building trackers appearance and performance
• Improved: Shadows appearance
• Improved: Explosions & engine particles appearance
• Improved: Interface sounds
• Improved: Buttons Now if a button is disabled, it will look more like it's disabled.
• Improved: Rocket repair logic Now the durability of the fairings after a mission on a reusable rocket will be 0%.
• Improved: Loans amount are now higher (Inflation hehe)
• Improved: Paying taxes In older versions of EarthX, if you got 10M$ of income and 5M$ of the outcome, you would still pay 13% of that 10M$ income. Now you pay 13% of (income - outcome), in this case, 5M$.
• Improved: Game balance
• Improved: Increased the character limit on every input field.
• Improved: Main menu home look

  Bugfixes:

  
  
• Fixed: Research tree loading
• Fixed: 3-core rocket building was too easy
• Fixed: Contracts and missions didn't work properly
• Fixed: Modules build didn't progress sometimes
• Fixed: Bug, where you could create a new game, while you were already in the game.
• Fixed: Bug, where you could build a rocket without unlocked modules.
• Fixed: Truth mode loading didn't work properly.
• Fixed: The resolution in the settings tab was always the lowest.
• Fixed: You couldn't get into the build mode if any window was open
• Fixed: You couldn't pause the game if any window was open
• Fixed: If you paused the game, it would unpause if you closed any window
• Fixed: Employees pay was always 0$
• Fixed: Buildings rent was always 0$
• Fixed: The contract would be removed even if you're launching a mission right now.
• Removed: Building upgrades Added in a new form of factory stats.
• Removed: City names Now you can name every building on your own.

Research is consistent. Big thanks to rykllan for mental support and for helping to make the next update 0.2.8 possible. Now I will begin working on the 0.2.8 update, which will focus on... competition. Imagine fighting against other space companies. The contract count is limited and you have to convince others, that you're the best. I really hope I can do that because the game will get much more gameplay deep after that. Anyway, we will see how it goes :D Discord server: http://mesotegames.com/discord

[ 2019-08-20 12:57:34 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, This is the final snapshot of the 0.2.7 update. The full 0.2.7 official release is scheduled for tomorrow. Working on this all snapshots was very exciting and I learned a lot. Now I will make few days break and then I will begin working on 0.2.8 update :)

Changelog:

• Added: Tutorial
• Added: Naming buildings Now you can name every building as you want. Feature requested by one of the players.
• Added: Hangars existing sense Now the hangars are actually storing your rockets. Every hangar can store up to 3 rockets.
• Added: Flying numbers It's just a better visualization of money income/outcome etc.
• Added: Game version control Now you can't play the save files from older versions of EarthX. This caused a lot of bugs and it will be not supported in Early Access. This game develops rapidly ;)
• Added: One secret easter egg
• Improved: Working with offices Now you can decide, which type of contracts the office should look for.
• Improved: Paying taxes In older versions of EarthX, if you got 10M$ of income and 5M$ of the outcome, you would still pay 13% of that 10M$ income. Now you pay 13% of (income - outcome), in this case, 5M$.
• Improved: Game balance Few experiments with explosions and employees pay.
• Improved: Increased the character limit on every input field.
• Improved: Main menu home look
• Fixed: Truth mode loading didn't work properly.
• Fixed: The resolution in the settings tab was always the lowest.
• Fixed: You couldn't get into the build mode if any window was open
• Fixed: You couldn't pause the game if any window was open
• Fixed: If you paused the game, it would unpause if you closed any window
• Fixed: Employees pay was always 0$
• Fixed: Buildings rent was always 0$

How to download this (and other) snapshots?

Go to your library and click with the right mouse button on EarthX on the list. After that go to the properties and select "BETAS", and then "snapshots" from the dropdown list. You will probably need to restart your steam after that in order to begin downloading snapshots versions. Snapshots are available only for Windows in the English language. Note: Snapshots are for testing purposes only. If you've found any bug, please let me know on my discord server: https://discord.gg/sbXwwMs

[ 2019-08-19 12:38:22 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, I'm glad to release this not-a small snapshot update today. I've worked on it for about a week and the work time I put into it was massive. I hope you will all enjoy it. I will now work on the last snapshot update and release the full 0.2.7 after it.

Changelog:

• Added: Completely new explosions system The explosions are now based 100% on the reliability of the modules. There're of course some randoms in it, but now you can really do something about it. If a rocket explodes, you actually know why. I've added about 25 reasons (4-5 for each module) like overpressure or software failure. An issue can happen only one time, so after 15-20 explosions the rockets are getting more and more reliable. A perfect fundament for crew missions :D
• Added: New rocket animations I moved the animations 100% to the code, so I can have a lot of more control over it. That's why now if a rocket explodes, it starts to spinning around before it. The rockets can now tip over at landing and explode after it.
• Added: New explosions effect Now if a rocket explodes, the camera shakes.
• Added: New static fire logic If you're making a static fire now, there's a 5% chance that the rocket explodes on the launch pad. However, there's also a 20% chance of finding an issue in the rocket, which adds reliability to it.
• Added: Mission reports You can now see a report after every mission. It contains stats and so on. No more annoying notifications while launching the rocket :D
• Added: Factory stats Now if a factory builds 60 engines, it will build them 6% faster. You can see it as the building upgrades (which got removed in snapshot 2). All buildings have now their level.
• Added: Tooltips As the players requested, I added tooltips to some places in the UI.
• Improved: Building trackers appearance and performance
• Improved: Shadows appearance
• Improved: Explosions & engine particles appearance
• Improved: Interface sounds
• Improved: Buttons Now if a button is disabled, it will look more like it's disabled.
• Improved: Rocket repair logic Now the durability of the fairings after a mission on a reusable rocket will be 0%.
• Improved: Loans amount are now higher (Inflation hehe)
• Fixed: Bug, where you could create a new game, while you were already in the game.
• Fixed: Bug, where you could build a rocket without unlocked modules.
• Removed: City names

How to download this (and other) snapshots?

Go to your library and click with the right mouse button on EarthX on the list. After that go to the properties and select "BETAS", and then "snapshots" from the dropdown list. You will probably need to restart your steam after that in order to begin downloading snapshots versions. Snapshots are available only for Windows in the English language. Note: Snapshots are for testing purposes only. If you've found any bug, please let me know on my discord server: https://discord.gg/sbXwwMs

[ 2019-08-16 10:52:42 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, In this snapshot update, I continue to rework and improve all the modules & rockets related stuff. The full 0.2.7 will be a pretty big update, which changes all how we play EarthX. I started working on the module upgrades, but I also began working on new buildings related things. Please stay tuned for more snapshots and of course for the full 0.2.7 version of the game.

Changelog:

• Added: 3 new skill point types
• Added: Module upgrades (in BETA)
• Added: Modules list to the rocket preview
• Added: Module prices in the rocket preview
• Added: New rocket repair system
• Added: New rocket durability system
• Improved: Rocket look
• Improved: Added 150 sats limit on the orbit
• Improved: Research tree look
• Improved: Building icons
• Fixed: Contracts and missions didn't work properly
• Fixed: Modules build didn't progress sometimes
• Removed: Building upgrades

How to download this (and other) snapshots?

Go to your library and click with the right mouse button on EarthX on the list. After that go to the properties and select "BETAS", and then "snapshots" from the dropdown list. You will probably need to restart your steam after that in order to begin downloading snapshots versions. Snapshots are available only for Windows. Note: Snapshots are for testing purposes only. If you've found any bug, please let me know on my discord server: https://discord.gg/sbXwwMs

[ 2019-08-10 18:40:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, After releasing 0.2.6 with the new user interface, I opened the way to easily add new content now. So here it is! Take in mind, that this is a snapshot (test/beta) version of 0.2.7 update and not everything will work correctly.

Changelog:

• Added: GEO ring
• Added: 6 new satellite models (by rykllan)
• Added: Module build price decreases over time (so is the rocket build price)
• Added: Modules in rocket preview
• Added: You now have to repair every module itself
• Improved: Research tree look
• Improved: Rocket displaying in the preview
• Improved: Research tree unlocking balance
• Fixed: Research tree positioning was wrong (lvl 20 module in lvl 6 section)
• Fixed: 3-core rocket building was too easy
• Fixed: Rocket repair price was wrong
• Fixed: Rocket engine sound would appear even if the sounds are disabled

How to download this (and other) snapshots?

Go to your library and click with the right mouse button on EarthX on the list. After that go to the properties and select "BETAS", and then "snapshots" from the dropdown list. You will probably need to restart your steam after that in order to begin downloading snapshots versions. Snapshots are available only for Windows.

[ 2019-08-08 00:01:23 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, With this update, I want to begin to fix the game. As you probably know, the research tree is too simple and the old user interface (UI) didn't work as it should. I've spent a lot of time making new in-game and main menu UIs, but I've made it! The new UI work now on most of the modern displays, it's more intuitive, and of course - it looks better IMO. You can see the biggest changes in the main menu and in the research tree. The main menu got a new feature - a changelog (as someone requested). I've also prepared the research tree UI for the next update, which will bring new and improved stuff to it.


Sadly, new UI also removed something... in-game achievements. Why? Because I want to add steam achievements in the near future, maybe after this summer. I hope you will like the update as much as I do, and be now prepared for more content update, starting with 0.2.6.1 ;)

Changelog

• Added: new main menu UI
• Added: new in-game UI
• Added: earth rotation effect
• Added: 10 new levels
• Added: Russian language (by rykllan)
• Added: French language (by Superkooka)
• Fixed: time would stop sometimes at the end of some quarters - no more!
• Temporaly removed: In-game tutorial (was very buggy, I will have to remake it)

[ 2019-08-06 17:23:48 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, As I said, I created a new user interface for EarthX. I've changed a lot of code so probably a lot of things just don't work the right way. That's why I need your help at testing it!
The beta is of course only for those, who want it. You can enable it now by going to game properties -> betas, and selecting the "snapshots" from the dropdown. The beta update should start automatically, but if it doesn't, restart your steam.
The full 0.2.6 update is planned to release this weekend. Thanks for all the good words and for giving your trust in me! Regards, Denis

[ 2019-08-01 23:15:15 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, I currently don't talk much, but I'm working hard at these hot days at making a new user interface for you. I've finally got something of it done, so take this quick preview and tell me your feelings :D
New UI features:

• more info (prices, what is something doing etc.)
• more flexibility (windows are drag-and-move, time will probably not stop if any window is open)
• more control (sorting, we love and respect your scroll on your mouse!)
• uses newer technologies (TextMeshPro for sharper text, UI Gradient + Procedular Image for colors and shapes, and new blur for the better and faster behind-interface-blur!)

[ 2019-07-24 21:21:14 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, In this patch update, I focused mostly on features, that already exist in the game. While I work on a new user interface, I decided to release this patch, which brings improved employees system (not the final version, but I made a few required changes).

Employees

Now you hire and assign the employees directly to the buildings. There're no groups or other sliders. Previously you had to move with 3 (!) sliders to hire, assign and allocate the employees into the building. It was good for 1-2 buildings, but for the longer gameplay, this was just boring and nonsense over time. The new employees system allows you to hire and allocate employees directly into the building. Every building has now about max 30 employees at the beginning with the upgrade availability, which will allow you to have up to 60 employees in one building.

Rockets repairing

The rocket repairing system was improved and fixed a little bit. I've added some visual confirmations that that rocket is being repaired.

New languages

Jere, my friend, made german translations for EarthX. Of course, it requires few improvements and fixes (probably), but we will fix them as we go with the updates and patches ;) The German language is available in the game as well as in the store. One of the discord members (rykllan @Proton) is working on Russian translations, while someone else is working on French translations, which I am very grateful for.

Other smaller changes

• Added: Now you can turn the music off and leave only the sounds.
• Improved: The resolutions are now taken from the system, so no more missing resolutions!
• Improved: Added a few more info to the tutorial.
• Improved: Game balance.
• Fixed: Issue, where the game randomly crashed.
• Fixed: You couldn't launch reused rockets.

[ 2019-07-21 12:11:59 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, In this post, I want to share with you about features and updates, which are coming this summer. EarthX is still in early access, but I've already finished all the fundamental stuff, so I can now just add more features. These are just plans, the plans can change. If something doesn't show up in summer, then it will probably later. Take that in mind :D Honestly, I didn't expect so many people to play my game on early access release weekend. Of course, there were some issues with the game itself, but two patches fixed that. Now I can focus on another big update (0.2.6), which will completely rework modules research tree, so it's more interesting and fun to play. The new research tree will be bigger and it will have many more features.

Research tree

There are going to be 2 types of modules. The first one will decide, how good the rocket is, (Example: engine, fuel tank, fairing...) while the second one will give some boosts for that rocket (Example: fewer explosion chances). Also, you will be able to upgrade the module itself. The upgrade will bring less production costs and faster build time. And that brings us to...

Factory

The factory logic will be changed a little bit. Statistics The factory will count every module built. It will then count every money earned and spent, and then show that to the player. The factory will now have its own level, which will be needed for the next mechanic, building upgrades. Upgrades The building upgrades are available now, but this mechanic is broken and sometimes it's just nonsense. I currently have only a few plans about how to fix that, but I won't tell it here now, because I'm not sure. I can only tell, that the building upgrades will now also increase the maximum of employees amount in that building. Also, now every building will now need employees (example: hangars).

New employees system

The employees system is not good now, so it will be also changed.

Competitors

Yup, this feature was requested a lot. It will be here probably at the very end of this summer. I don't want to spoiler anything from that, but it will be amazing (imo :D)

New user interface

The user interface (UI) isn't bad now, but it can be better. That's why I started working on a new UI. I don't know when it's going to be available, but 100% sure before competitors system.
To sum everything up, the game will have its boom this summer. I'm going to add a lot of new features and THANK YOU again for buying my game in early access! <3 Greetings, Denis

[ 2019-07-16 07:29:15 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, In this second patch, I fixed a lot of smaller and bigger issues found by the players and me myself. This week, I want to be 90% focused on fixing bugs found by you, because I always want to work on a stable game. Feel free to report bugs everywhere you can, I read them all!

Buildings bug

This bug added in 0.2.5.1, which caused a lot of issues with buildings (like you could build an engine in an office XD) was fixed. I only made a small change in the code and broke the game by the way...

Rockets management improvements

50% of the changes were requested by the community!

• Added: Remove the whole rocket project
• Added: Remove the module from the factory build queue in rocket build panel
• Added: Project name to the rocket build panel

Other smaller changes

75% of the changes were requested by the community!

• Added: Welcome notification
• Improved: Research tree look
• Fixed: Research tree icons look
• Fixed: There was a confirmation before loading a save with flat earth

[ 2019-07-14 23:06:36 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, Firstly I want to apologize for those fails and critical errors at the beginning. It forced me to release two small hotfixes in one day, but they fixed some of the technical issues. In this patch update, I fixed the rest of the found issues by the players, which could even destroy the game.

Realistic mode - What is this?

This mode was supposed to be there only for fun (flat earth, rockets exploding at the doom), but a lot of people didn't quite understand that. That's why I added a confirmation before playing it.

New ID system

I've updated the old ID system in the game, which caused a lot of issues. The new one is smaller and faster, and of course, safer to use. If there're still issues with rocket-launch-panel-bug, feel free to report it on the steam community tab!

Other smaller changes

75% of the changes were requested by the community!

• Improved: Buildings list sorting.
• Improved: Polish translations.
• Fixed: Tutorial appeared in the sandbox & realistic mode.
• Fixed: Rocket auto factory selection button didn't work sometimes.

[ 2019-07-14 00:39:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey, As you probably know, the EarthX Steam launch is tomorrow at night (about 23 pm CEST). Before that, I want to talk with you about my updating policy, future updates content and my long term plans for this game. The price of the game will be set to 7.99$, which I think is fair. I've spent a lot of time making this game, so I want to have some money from it :D Even tho, I still have a lot of ideas for EarthX, and for my other future games.

Who makes this game actually?

The main developer (me - hello), Denis, is 17 years old. He comes from Poland and is doing stuff with the code for good 5-6 years now. He does 99% of the code, 60% of the gameplay design, 60% of the graphics and 20% of the sounds. The second developer, Micha, also comes from Poland. He is responsible for game testing, creating new features design and motivating Denis for the work. + Adrian does market the game, and Jakub is helping with the code a little bit. A lot of people put their hands on EarthX, which I am very glad about, but if I would mention them all, then this article would be too long for the steam servers :D

Update policy

The second most important thing is our update policy. EarthX is currently an early access title, so we want and will add a lot of more features to the game. I'm making this game since the beginning of this year, and the updates appeared every 2-3 weeks on itch platform. I've learned a lot about making and releasing game updates, so I can tell for sure, that the time between updates will stay the same. However, if the update isn't ready within 2-3 weeks, then I still won't release it. I want to make things completely done and then release it. I am going to a month vacation this year (with my PC), so I will be able to work on the game at night, but little less. I mean, the updates will appear, but I will probably need more time for this.

What will be added and what not

In the near updates: - I want to rework the modules, researching and build system a little bit. It seems too simple for now and there are few problems with that. The mechanics were made at the very beginning of making this game, so they're a bit outdated due to the game development progress. - Employees also seem to be a little bit broken for now, but remember: I can fix everything, just give me some time :D After that: - Competitors like NASA or ULA would make the game more dynamic and interesting. I will add them by one of the updates. - Materials also would be cool. Imagine buying tons of steel only to build one rocket :D - Weather - this will make the challenge even bigger. Imagine, that your contract would expire in one quarter and you need to launch rocket NOW, but it's rainy day (hallelujah) :D What will not be added (for 99%): - The planets. This game is more about Earth (look at the game name), so planets are not planned in the near future. However, I didn't say no ;) - yup, that's it.

To sum everything up

This is a game created by dummy teenager, who loves SpaceX and Elon Musk, so don't take me serious :D Also, the earth is flat! (I wanted to make the earth flat from the beginning, but men in black visited me and told me, that I should make it round. The government hides the truth BELIEVE ME!)

[ 2019-07-12 17:49:01 CET ] [ Original post ]

After about 4 days long of making this trailer, we can say, that it's finally done! We hope you will like it the same as we do. :) Thanks Theromanek100 for editing it! Regards, Mesote Team

[ 2019-06-21 15:23:09 CET ] [ Original post ]

Till now, we've developed the game on other indie game websites, and now we are ready to release it here. We still need about a month to get things done, so stay tuned and add EarthX to your wishlist (which will help you be up to date)! :) Regards, Mesote Games

[ 2019-06-11 18:48:00 CET ] [ Original post ]