devlog 3 — the game actually has an ending now

a lot happened. here’s the short version.

the campaign is real

12 missions now, split into a lunar program and a mars program. not all of them are launches. some are planning phases, like calculating your transfer orbit or sourcing hardware, they just run on a timer and unlock the next step. after you finish sample return, mars opens up. mars missions are brutal, incident rates are 2-3x higher and the missions take way longer. you need to actually prepare.

something is out there

two new incident types: unexplained signals and trajectory deviations with no thruster activity. crew dialogue doesn’t explain them. one just says “something pushed us. i don’t know what else to call it.”

there’s also a new UNKNOWN PHENOMENON hypothesis in every investigation. diagnosing it correctly pays more rep than a normal case.

three mystery cases land on your desk automatically as the game progresses, no mission failure needed. a lunar probe that physically moves with no command. a deep space relay that picks up a prime number signal on the hydrogen frequency. a survey satellite that detects a 240,000 ton unregistered object in a perfect retrograde orbit. writing those was the most fun part of this update.

you can get fired

reputation drops below 8 and you’re done. your career title is in the top bar now, goes from PROBATIONARY up to CHIEF INVESTIGATOR.

other stuff

trajectory selection when launching: conservative route reduces risk but costs more and takes longer, fast burn is cheaper and faster but incident probability goes way up. pick wrong and you’ll feel it.

investigation files are partially corrupted until you research the right equipment. the worst sensors are always the ones you can’t read. you unlock the equipment by solving supernatural cases, so there’s a loop there.

next

want to eventually make the whole thing investigation-only. cases come to your desk, no launches. the supernatural stuff escalates. also want a soundtrack someday.