Editing Playtest

On {{#formatdate:11 July 2022|dmy}}, [[Introversion Software]] first released [[The Last Starship]] to an initial set of playtesters who signed up on the Steam store page. Playtesters played the game and provided bug reports, suggestions, and general feedback via the Steam discussion forums. The playtest ended on {{#formatdate:15 February 2023|dmy}} with the start of the public [[Early Access]] release of {{Version|Alpha1D}}. The release of Early Access made the playtest builds inaccessible. The demo was removed sometime around {{#formatdate:20 February 2023|dmy}}. This changelog is provided for historical purposes.

== Demo Alpha1C ==

The public demo was [https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1857080/view/3649639324203267958 released] on {{#formatdate:26 January 2023|dmy}}. This demo included only the New Game game mode and was paired with [[Playtest#Alpha1C|Playtest Alpha1C]], containing Creative Mode. No official changelog was released.

== Alpha1C == 

The seventh update to the playtest was [https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1857080/view/3649639324206215740 released] on {{#formatdate:27 January 2023|dmy}}.

We have updated the Playtest build to include the latest ship editor and Creative Mode. We have disabled the other parts of the game for now - we'd appreciate it if you could help us test the editor and creative mode, and provide feedback for those. Thanks!

; Creative Mode

: Unlimited budget to create whatever ship you can think of
: Instant spawn equipment & resources, with no constraints
: BUT you cannot leave the system
: New menu option 'Import Hostile', for combat testing against your ship library  

; Ship Editor (Continued))

* Ship Editor now supports dragging a box shape to fill large areas, as well as drawing freehand
* Ship Editor now shows Mass, Toughness, Crew Capacity, and $Value at the top of the screen
* New 'Spawn' button when in Creative Mode, which permits instant spawn of any Equipment, Resource or Item

; New Alert System

: This replaces the previous fullscreen alert system
: Onscreen alerts for dangerous events -
: Hostiles, meteors, critical resource shortages, hull breaches, reactor shut downs, low batteries etc
: With helpful tooltips to guide new players<
: Hull breaches are located with a line from the alert

; SMALL CHANGES

* Auto-save after FTL jump now captures thumbnail like manual save.
* "Create Storage Hint" now displayed when a Drone Bay becomes clogged with items
:which do not have a storage place set on the ship.
* Loading a ship in the editor will no longer send a cargo shuttle with 5 new crew
* New graphics for crew and passenger bodies in space
* Enemy ships will always spawn dead bodies after destruction


; BUG FIXES

* The docking port is now available for sale at shipyards and stations
* Pressing J no longer draws boxes around the toolbar at the bottom.

== Alpha1A ==

The sixth update to the playtest was [https://steamcommunity.com/games/1857080/announcements/detail/3667652000897376511 released] on {{#formatdate:10 January 2023|dmy}}. An updated Windows build was released the same day. 

'''<u>NEW CONTENT</u>'''

; Ship Editor
: An entirely new in-game ship editor that allows you to change your fleet ships, or desgn and build new ones.
: You must be at a shipyard to commit any changes, but you can make design changes at any time.
: You can load any ship directly into the ship editor from the Main Menu.
: Any ships you create with a value of less than $1M will be usable as New Game start ships
: Ships can be exported locally, or uploaded to Steam Workshop.


; New Ship Library
* We now have a library of ship designs, including many sourced from our talented Playtest community.
* When you visit a shipyard, you will find many ships for sale, including those designed by the community.
* Some ships for sale will be just the empty hull. Others will be pre-equipped and ready to fly, if you can afford them.
* Any ships you subscribe to from the Steam Workshop will be automatically included for consideration
* Any ships in the library with a value of less than $1M will now be available to start in the New Game menu.
* Ships you create are added to the ship library and will be available for purchase in game, at shipyards.


; Steam Workshop integration
: You can now share any ship you create from the main menu, by clicking the "Upload To Steam" button
: You can subscribe to any ship on the Steam Workshop, and it will be included in your game world via the Ship Library
: You may encounter that ship as an enemy vessel, or as a ship for sale.


; Combat encounters improved
: Combat encounters now use the Ship Library to create suitable enemy forces.
: You will now encounter a much larger variety of enemy vessels.
: The enemy forces will scale in difficulty based on the capability of your fleet, and your combat rank.
: Sometimes you will face just one or two very powerful enemy vessels. Other times you will face a large fleet of much smaller ships.
: Enemy ships have been given a rudimentary pilot AI, but this will improve in future
* The old boring combat mission has been removed
* It has been replaced with a sector-wide objective to eradicate all hostiles, which resets after each sector.
* You can earn big money by cleaning up each sector this way.


; Evasion chance
: During combat your ships now have a chance to evade incoming weapons fire
* This is based on the incidence angle between the ordnance and your ship
: (head on into fire gives no evasion chance. Side on (travelling fast and close to the enemy turrets) gives max evasion chance
* The faster you are travelling, the greater your evasion chance
* The faster you are turning, the greater your evasion chance
* Small ships gain the most from this. Large, slow heavily armoured beasts gain the least.


; On-screen award system
: Completing any mission or objective will now show an on-screen award
: The award shows your money earned, as well as any XP points gained, ranks increased etc


; Compass widget / detach camera control
: There is a new compass widget at the top of the screen, that shows the direction the camera is facing.
: You can click it to toggle if the camera is attached to the current ship, or moving freely.
: This is very useful during heavy combat where you can detach the camera from any one ship

; Settings menu (Main Menu)
* Controls for UI Scale
* Controls for Sound Volume
: (More to come)

; Lots of new artwork
; Lots of new audio

; Equipment resizing
: Lots of placeholder artwork has been replaced with final art, and some equipment has changed size.
* Thrusters are now 3x1 and sit entirely within a wall
* Engines now resized to 7x4 to better fit their sprite footprint
* Docking Ports are now 6x2, to better fit their sprite, and to give more delivery space

'''<u>SMALL CHANGES</u>'''

* The visualisation when placing equipment is now different, and is based on the normal view rather than the schematic view
* The basic Praxis starting ship now has a Small tank and a Medium tank onboard
* You can now repair structural damage from the SHIPYARD menu (when at a shipyard)
* FTL Charges now come in a stack of 1 (previously 100)
* FTL Travel has been sped up
* FTL drive now draws 80MW of energy when charging, instead of 100. (So as not to shut everything else down)
* Void Collapse slowed down and made to start further away in each sector, so you have longer before it arrives
* 'Weapons Free' and 'Exterior Work' are now enabled at the start of a game by default
* Passengers will now sometimes stay on deck during transport
* Travelling in hyperspace 'through' the void now causes structural damage. Be careful!
* NPC miners will now leave after mining a small amount
* Ice Comets are now shown in the sector map

'''<u>BUG FIXES</u>'''

* You can no longer 'turn in' the flight ready mission
* You can no longer turn in an industry/mining mission unless you have enough ore
* The Void Collapse predicted size is now accurate when in Home Sector
* Drones will no longer continue repairing a ship that has been destroyed
* Drones will now properly deactivate when their home ship is destroyed
* You will no longer receive CO2 warnings from enemy/neutral ships
* NASTY BUG: You will no longer lose tons of money sometimes after completing a mission (happens when revisiting previously visited star systems straight after)

== DEMO3A ==

The fifth update to the playtest was [https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2000350/view/3386171148635066517 released] on {{#formatdate:7 November 2022|dmy}}.

'''<u>NEW CONTENT</u>'''
; Revamped Trade Screen
: The trade screen now groups all items into categories such as Power, Resources, Weapons etc.
: Click to buy 1 of any item, or hold shift and click to buy 5. Use the right-mouse to cancel orders.
: Selling now has its own dedicated tab where all of your sellable resources and equipment are listed
: Your trade-in-progress is shown at the bottom of the screen

; Clear Proximity Mines (contract)
: There is now an incredibly low risk combat mission available early in the game, to clear proximity mines
: Designed to allow players to practice combat with virtually zero risk
: (Requires a weapon system of some kind)

; Loaders reconsidered
: We have noticed many players getting stuck when trying to figure out Loaders for the first time.
: You now start the game with a 'Fuel Loader' and an 'Oxygen Loader'. These operate identically to the old Loader, but only for their resource.
: The original loader is still available and can supply any resource as before.


'''<u>SMALL CHANGES</u>'''

* The HUD will now choose a sensible scale value when you first run the game, taking into account your screen resolution. Use + and - to change.
* Logistics drones will no longer collect dead bodies, or spacesuits containing bodies
* New graphics for Railgun, Cannon, Mining Laser, Loaders
* Some equipment sizes have changed: Railgun, Cannon, Mining Laser


'''<u>BUG FIXES</u>'''

* If a drone collected a dead body, it would jam up the drone bay forever
* The Shipyward window will no longer remain open when you jump to hyperspace

== DEMO2B ==
The fourth update to the playtest was [https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2000350/view/3396302964501693748 released] on {{#formatdate:19 October 2022|dmy}}.

; SMALL CHANGES
* The Flight Ready mission now requires a jump to the nearest [[Colony|COLONISED system]] (so players find the [[contract]]s board)
* Removed the ‘Nomad’ and ‘Evacuation’ missions from the demo, as they are longer term objectives
* The first two starting [[ship]]s are now available in the demo
* The starting ship now has 25 cabins (to permit early Passenger missions)
* Guarantee a Delivery mission will always be available in the first sector
* Guarantee a Passenger mission will always be available in the first sector
* The science mission now has a ‘Research Institute’ that will phone you to inform you of rewards given
* New UI sound effects

; [[Tiddlet|TIDDLET]] IMPROVEMENTS
* The tiddlet mission is now guaranteed to start at the entry system to the sector
* Guarantee there will be no hostiles in that system
* Guarantee there will be no hostiles in the destination system either
* The player now receives a call at the start of the tiddlet mission, to encourage them to find the job
* The Tiddlet mission now shows up at the top of the list with the other special missions
* Added character portrait for the tiddlet breeder

; BUG FIXES
* The special [[Hyperspace Sensor|Hyperspace Sensor (LR)]] is now correctly categorised as Logistics in the Power Usage screen

; Playtest sector limit increased to 5

== DEMO1 ==
The third update to the playtest was [https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2000350/view/3288215215611916431 released] on {{#formatdate:11 October 2022|dmy}}. An updated Mac build was released on {{#formatdate:12 October 2022|dmy}}, which fixed a typo in the game's text. Any other changes are unknown.

'''<u>NEW CONTENT</u>'''

; DEMO (Playtest)
* Brand new story episode (experimental) in second sector : '[[The trouble with Tiddlets]]'. Treat them well!
* New music for new games and for the first hyperspace jump etc
* New tutorial / help elements at the start of a new game to aid new players, based on EGX feedback
* Made the '[[Contract#Make your new ship ready for flight|Flight Ready]]' mission more intuitive and informative, based on EGX feedback
* All new game scenarios locked on start, except the simple [[The Praxis|PRAXIS]] one
* [[Spacesuit]] [[Oxygen|O2]] level is now much more forgiving in the very first system - so players have a chance to find their feet

; New Main Menu treatment
* All saved games and ship exports now have thumbnails (after saving)
* The game now pauses when the Main Menu is open

; Shipyard reconsidered
* The [shipyard] no longer permits ad-hoc modification of the hull or interior of a ship
* You can still install armour or expand habitation, and construct [[scaffolding|scaffold]]

; External work
* Your crew can now install some equipment on scaffold, entirely outside the ship. Eg [[Mining Laser|mining lasers]].
* Crew can also repair and dismantle external equipment
* New ORDERS option - "Exterior Work", which permits or forbids your crew to do work outside in spacesuits.

; New 'Exterior view' graphics for all ships (work in progress)

; Other [[ships]] in the world
You will now encounter more ships in your travels, performing jobs such as mining and scavenging, and coming and going from [[trade]] posts
* Mining vessels in [[asteroid]] belts
* Scavengers near [[Derelict Ship|derilicts]]
* Trade ships near [[Colony|colonies]] and shipyards
* Evacuation ships near colonies in danger


'''<u>SMALL CHANGES</u>'''

* New gfx for Spacesuits / [[Crew Member|Crew]] / [[Civilian]]s, lots of equipment
* Tooltips added to all 'Processing' machines to show recipe
* [[Logistics Drone|Drones]] will now find a new [[Drone Bay]] if their home drone bay is destroyed or dismantled
* Lots of new sound effects for UI and equipment, and Music added to early game
* If the [[Docking Port|docking port]] delivery zone becomes blocked, a message is shown to encourage creation of storage zones
* If a player has far too many jobs and far too few crew, the game will give them a warning "Crew shortage"

'''<u>BUG FIXES</u>'''

* Fixed : You can no longer accept missions and accidentally assign them to ships you don't own (eg if you have another ship selected)
* Fixed : Bug that stopped the science mission sensors from being delivered
* Fixed : Neutral and hostile drones no longer count towards your 'Drones Deployed' value in the FTL window
* Fixed : Hyperspace effects did not scale correctly when fully zoomed out
* Fixed : Mining missions can be accepted when all your drones are deployed

== Update2.rc3 ==
The second update to the playtest was released on {{#formatdate:29 July 2022|dmy}}, only a few hours after Update 2.rc1. The build is dated {{#formatdate:29 July 2022|dmy}}. It is unclear what was changed in this build as the only file changed was the game executable.

== Update2.rc1 ==
The first update to the playtest was [https://steamcommunity.com/ogg/1857080/announcements/detail/3388414055893834257 released] on {{#formatdate:29 July 2022|dmy}} following the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UAIWNZW12Y Update 2 video]. The build is dated {{#formatdate:28 July 2022|dmy}}. This update is the first available to Mac OS X players.

'''<u>NEW CONTENT</u>'''

;[[Ice Comet]]s / [[Ice Grinder]]
:Ice comets occur randomly and travel through a system. Mine them for [[Ice]].
:The Ice Grinder is a new piece of [[:Category:Equipment|equipment]] to grind and melt ice into [[Waste Water|dirty water]].

;[[Spacesuit Pod]]
:Replenishes the oxygen on any [[Spacesuit]].

;[[Ratings]] - Combat / Industry / Humanitarian / Logistics
:You will gain XP as you perform these activities and your rating will slowly increase.
:Many missions now require a minimum rating to be accepted.

;Parallel [[pipe]]s
:Pipes can now be constructed next to other pipes without automatic (unwanted) connection

;Tooltips
:Plus a whole raft of usability improvements to help new players
:Including text descriptions of almost all equipment

;[[Star System|Star system]] save persistence
:You can now revisit star systems and they will reload as you left them

;Tweet my [[Ship|Starship]]
:Click this from the [[Main Menu]]. A picture of your starship is copied to the clipboard.
:Paste it into your tweet to show the world your brilliance!

;Playtest [[sector]] limit increased to 5

'''<u>PERFORMANCE</u>'''

* Render performance improved

'''<u>SMALL CHANGES</u>'''

* It now costs money to hire [[Crew Member|crew]]
* Crew will no longer disembark the delivery shuttle if there is no [[atmosphere]], and a warning message is shown
* [[Smelter]]s can now refine [[Ore#Tilium Ore|Tilium]] into [[Metal#Refined Tilium|Refined Tilium]] (which you can sell)
* The initial [[Contract#Make your new ship ready for flight|ship-readiness mission]] is automatically accepted at the start of a new game
* All starting ships now have some [[Habitation Deck|cabin space]]
* You can now press the HOME key to re-center the view on the current ship
* There will always be at least one [[shipyard]] in the starting sector
* [[CO2 Scrubber|CO2 scrubbers]] are now twice as fast at extracting [[CO2]] from the atmosphere
* Scientists have determined the [[void]] is now expanding slower than before
* Pipe and port graphics have been changed to give better hints when things are wrong
* Hostile ships will no longer randomly camp the sector exit system (permitting a peaceful playthrough if desired)
* Updated graphics for CO2 Scrubber, [[Tank#Small Tank|Small Tank]], [[Docking Port]], Box, [[Smelter]], [[Spacesuit]]
* You can now click on a Smelter to cycle its recipe setting
* ESC now closes any currently open window, before it will open the main menu
* Hull Damage is now shown in the top status bar
* The [[Contract]]s list will now highlight any contract that occurs in a system you are already due to visit with a blue diamond


'''<u>BUG FIXES</u>'''

* Mission descriptions now correctly show the ship name they are assigned to, instead of the layer number
* Broken floor tiles are now straightened after [[Logistics Drone|Drone]] or Ship Yard repair.
* The game world will no longer receive keyboard and mouse input when the Main Menu is open
* Objects that extend off the gridmap can now be placed.
* Properly restore the view on game load.
* You can now sell materials even when your stacks aren't 100% full
* Docking Port sound effects would play continuously after loading a save game sometimes
* Crew can now install/dismantle/repair equipment that is entirely inside a wall, so long as they can access a neighbouring square
* Fixed navigation bugs that meant crew and passengers would sometimes get stuck on corners
* Crew would sometimes put suits on before attempting jobs in a wall

== Update1.rc2 ==
The initial build was [https://steamcommunity.com/games/1857080/announcements/detail/3362516632916821830 released] to [[playtest]]ers on {{#formatdate:11 July 2022|dmy}} following the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRRo9zig9VY Update 1 video]. The build is dated {{#formatdate:8 July 2022|dmy}}.

[[Category:The Last Starship]]