The first significant update since the 1.0 release. Not a massive update, but it does add a very useful new building - the geothermal power plant. Research this tech at the geology lab and expand your base to reach a geothermal vent, and you'll have a reliable source of power. Not a huge amount, but it won't run out like coal and doesn't require expensive factories like wind and solar, so ideal for the mid game. Also, to make use of the additional power and to try and encourage bigger late-game builds, I've made the rocket quite a bit more expensive to research, build, and launch. Certainly still possible on day 3 though for the achievement - my first test game launched the rocket on day 3 hour 56.

Changelog

New features - Geothermal vents placed semi-randomly on the map (new games only). - Added the Geothermal Power Plant building, which can only be built on a geothermal vent. - Geothermal Power project added to the geology lab to unlock the new building. - Two projects to improve the output of the geothermal power plant also added to geology lab. - Added checklist items for researching and building geothermal power plants. Balancing - The Hydrogen Fuel and Rocketry projects now take longer. - Increased the cost of building a rocket. - The rocket now takes more fuel to launch. Fixes - Fixed a bug in the settings menu causing sound and music volumes to be swapped. - Fixed resource processor getting stuck if switched off while a colonist taking an item from it. - Various minor UI and text fixes. Optimisation - Some changes to the way smoke works, to reduce CPU and GPU usage. - No smoke and dust shadows if shadow detail is set to low in the settings.

[ 2021-08-09 17:31:18 CET ] [ Original post ]

A group of colonists from a distant world have arrived at their new home. Equipped with advanced technology but limited resources, they must build to survive.

Sigma Draconis is a colony building game which focuses on building and resource management. It is designed to be quite challenging but also fun and relaxing to play.

World

The game features procedurally generated maps with vegetation that grows and spreads over time, free roaming wildlife, and resources for your geologists to reveal.

Resources

Primary resources in the game include organics, ore, stone, and coal. Vegetation and exposed rocks can provide what you need to begin with, but later your geologists will need to find buried resources that you can mine.

Food

Nutrient mush can be easily manufactured but is detrimental to your colonists' happiness. Some native plants have edible fruit which can be harvested by a botanist, but for a sustainable food supply you will need to grow your own crops. There are currently five varieties to choose from.

Power

There are various ways to generate electricity in the game, and successful power management is vital. The nights are long and very cold on this tidally locked world, and your colonists may die if fuel reserves are inadequate.

Colonists

Each colonist has one of three skills, all of which will be essential to the success of your colony. Colonists also have individual perks which can effect them in different ways. Various factors such as workload and diet can affect the happiness and productivity of your colonists, so these must be carefully managed.

Objective

In the current version of the game, the final objective is to build and launch a rocket.