Exploration and Space Fauna

First of all, I have to tell you that I had to change the name of my game again, and since two name changes in such a short period of time are quite unusual, I would like to explain the reasons behind it in more detail. Originally, the game was called Entrotria, and I was actually quite happy with the name, mainly because of the subtle allusion to entropy (a term from thermodynamics, often somewhat flippantly described as disorder), which is of course an essential element in a somewhat chaotic alien 4X game like mine. However, there is also the game Enotria: The Last Song, by Italian developer Jyamma Games, who, concerned about their trademark, asked me to refrain from using the name Entrotria. This led to the first name change to Entrorxia, which I thought should be far enough away from Enotria to prevent any false associations. For example, a search on Steam no longer brings up Enotria, and the similarities in sound should now be sufficiently altered.

Unfortunately, Jyamma Games does not share my opinion in this case, and since I, as a solo developer, do not have the desire, energy, or resources to be sued through who knows how many court instances, I have decided to change the name again in order to finally bring this tiresome chapter to a close. Ultimately, I want to convince people with the quality of my game, not with its name. Therefore, Entrorxia will be called Ultakia in the future.

But enough of this legal nonsense; let's focus instead on what has happened since my last update.

First of all, it should be noted that the economic simulation of the game has been largely completed for some time now. I say “largely” because balancing is, of course, an ongoing process and therefore never really finished. Major changes were still needed, primarily in the areas of exploration and military. First, exploration:

eXplore is a fundamental part of any 4X game, but until now it has always been somewhat neglected, with the focus primarily on the economy. That's why I've invested a lot of time in developing this aspect of the game into a fully-fledged X. The first step in this direction was already taken in the summer, when many separate systems were turned into a coherent map. But to make exploring this universe really fun, there need to be rewards for those who venture into the depths of space. And perhaps also, let's say, risks, so that the hard-won treasures really feel valuable.

[Crystal Clumps, Iron Clumps, and Water Bubbles]

Steam post image Steam post image Steam post image

Meanwhile, clusters of resources can be found throughout the galaxy, providing a significant boost to the economy if you can capture as many of them as possible. (Or at least more than your opponent.) But that's not all! At first glance, space may seem empty to us, but who knows what might be lurking around the next corner. And this is where the space creatures come in. There will be 20 of them in the finished game, and each one allows you to acquire unique technologies. When you discover a new space creature, an encounter event is triggered, which allows you to influence your relationship with the space creature and gain additional bonuses. (Such events now also occur when another player is discovered...) However, space creatures raise a much more fundamental question: Do we want to try to coexist with them, or should we let our weapons do the talking? In either case, players can benefit and gain unique technologies. For every pacified space creature colony, there are special fragments that enable the exploration of new technologies. However, pacification naturally costs resources, which are then lacking in the economy. Military victory over a space creature naturally entails losses. However, in this case, special fragments that enable access to unique technologies also serve as a reward. These are different technologies than in the case of pacification, mind you...

[New technologies depending on which space creatures were discovered]

The modified diplomacy system comes into play for further interaction with the space creatures. Relations with other peoples are now calculated primarily on the basis of border conflicts that neighboring areas induce in each other. The more adjacent areas there are, the worse the relationship. Diplomats in the form of nobles can remedy this situation, but they are particularly expensive to maintain. This quickly raises the question: Should I really use my valuable nobles for space creatures when I am otherwise threatened with a major war? But if the space creatures have a problem with you, they may block an important route at the wrong moment or even chase your spaceships...

SPEEDER SNAIL SLAUGHTERS A SMALL GIRATAKEL FLEET

And as if that weren't enough, the game also offers resource collection bonuses! If you exceed certain thresholds for a resource, you unlock a small reward! For example, a new building or some other bonus. This ensures that it continues to feel motivating to produce more and more, while also creating more strategic depth. After all, I'm only 5 silicon production away from this great new weapon! But is it really worth not investing in more iron now?

In addition, there are changes to the technology tree. It is now also possible to obtain certain resources with the help of some technologies, which means that research has been given a slightly higher value.

And then there are the changes to the military. My primary goal here is to make it possible to obtain spaceships early in the game without the player suffering too many disadvantages in terms of economic development. (This is especially important to make exploration and combat against space creatures easier.) To this end, there will be free spaceships available in shipyards in the future! Yes, you heard right, some spaceships will be free in the future! Of course, only to a limited extent, but that's why you can upgrade your shipyard! This makes it much easier to obtain spaceships early in the game to fight small skirmishes or defend yourself against pirates, which I am currently working on...

[Shipyard Levels 1, 2, and 3]

Steam post image Steam post image Steam post image

I'm also changing how inversion troops work, in the hope of eliminating the currently rather annoying micromanagement.

[Civilian Guard of Giratakel, Shrunk, Boröns, and Eatharr]

That was quite a lot! I think it's obvious that I'm currently under a lot of New Year's stress. But after all these changes, the game should now be finished in terms of content. So now it's time to improve the gameplay, fix bugs, and tweak the tutorial so that the first playtests can start as soon as possible at the beginning of the year.

Thank you very much for your support and have a great start to the New Year 2026!

-a hungry Giratakel who still hasn't understood that fairy lights don't taste good