TL;DR
- Losing the last ship is no longer the end of the game — the corporation compensates it, at a cost.
- The galaxy map was reworked into compact, readable star system clusters.
- In-game mail was added as the first social mechanic, mainly for story and corporate communication.
- Take a look at current deployed version s0.5.0/c0.5.0
Losing Everything
Now, if a player loses all of their ships, the corporation they have a contract with provides a new basic ship - Prospector.
From a lore perspective, this is fairly straightforward: when the game begins, the player signs a contract with a corporation, and under the terms of that contract, the corporation is obligated to compensate the loss of the last ship. Of course, not for free. Such incidents negatively affect the player’s reputation within the corporation and may eventually lead to harsher cooperation terms.
For the player, this is an important moment: total ship loss remains painful, but it no longer means the end of the game.
The Galaxy Became More Compact and Meaningful
I slightly reworked the galaxy map data. The galaxy is now represented as a set of star system clusters rather than evenly scattered space.
Each system received a more distinct and meaningful name, and the clusters themselves now read as connected regions instead of random points on a map.
In addition, almost all systems are now connected via stargates — except for those where security is not guaranteed by any corporation. These systems remain isolated and will require alternative travel methods in the future. This is groundwork for what comes next.
The First Social Mechanic — In-Game Mail
An in-game mail system has been added — the first mechanic directly related to social interaction.
For now, its primary purpose is narrative and service-oriented. Through mail, players can receive story messages, various notifications, and letters related to corporate contracts.
Over time, mail will become an important communication channel and information source. At this stage, however, it mainly helps to gently guide the player into the game world and the events unfolding within it.