Tech Demo 3!

Tech Demo 3

Pre-Alpha Build 0.225.0.117

Video about this patch is available on YouTube

Back in November 2023, we released Tech Demo 2 (0.224.0.29) during one of Steam’s Next Fests, and it also served as a proof of concept for our then-upcoming Kickstarter campaign.

We knew we wanted to completely change the ship design for the follow-up patch cycle (0.225.0.0), along with significantly improving the galaxy generation code, but the rabbit hole just kept getting deeper, and before we knew it, 18 months had flashed by in an instant.

So here we are in July 2025, 117 development builds later, having just completed the biggest and longest patch cycle the game will ever see. Pretty much every single aspect of the game has been refined or overhauled in some way.

This experience has definitely taught us some hard lessons around scope management and determining realistic timescales, so rest assured that future patch cycles will be laser-focused, with single-digit objectives and a much more regular cadence.

Right then, let’s take a detailed look at what this behemoth of a patch has to offer.

New Magellan Class Ship Design

Structural Layout

We were keen from the outset to create a vessel that has an immediately recognisable silhouette, distinct from anything else seen in film or on TV, while at the same time remaining somehow nostalgic and comfortably familiar. We also wanted the vessel to make practical, real-world sense, with appropriately placed physical hardware that’s based on real science and engineering principles.

It’s still very much a work in progress, but here’s what we’ve achieved for this update;

• Finalised the Magellan Class outer hull profile, with a massive new FTL ring, four sublight engine pods, and an extended keel fin for housing new engineering spaces.

• Doubled the spacing between decks to 100cm, increasing the available space for ship infrastructure, and thickening the overall hull shape.

• Expanded the footprint of C Deck, with more lab space for science activities, and two new large stairwells that are capped with panoramic ceiling windows.

• Expanded D/E Decks both Fore and Aft, adding more room for public spaces such as the “Mall” area, the Park, and a double-width corridor ring that serves as the main thoroughfare for crew foot traffic around the habitation decks.

• Finalised the engineering standards for the ship’s structural framework, which is now arranged into distinct logical segments that will play an important role in future features, such as managing atmospheric pressure and fire spread. The framework segments have also been designed to support any style of interior panelling, which will help with any future interior design packs or modding activities.

• All wall cavities now have visible insulation material, with 3D surfaces driven by Unreal’s new Nanite Tessellation feature.

• Added visible thruster VFX on the sublight engines, including breaking thrusters which ignite when the ship is exiting FTL.

Interior Design

The massive changes to the ship’s exterior hull design naturally resulted in a lot of internal changes too. The increase in deck separation, along with the new segmented framework design, meant practically every wall panel, floor panel and staircase had to be rebuilt to fit.

We took this as an opportunity to not only increase the level of detail across the ship interior but also to implement the foundational code for a number of future features, such as visible interior damage and increasing dirt/grime over time.

The internal changes to the ship are numerous, but here are the highlights;

• All new floor, wall and ceiling panels now have increased visual detail, with