We made a lot of progress since our last update in late August, and today we're very happy to release 'Space Station Designer' version 0.5.40. This update picks up where the previous one left off and allows you to open stations in higher orbits and even around the Moon, which we refer to as 'Phase III'.

In addition to this, this update includes our usual Quality of Life (QoL) improvements, bug fixes, data balancing, and new content. Please read on for the highlights and, if you're interested in the full changelog, you can review our live document here[docs.google.com].

New mechanics
If you played the previous version of the beta, you may recall that it ended right before the acquisition of the 'Expansion Beyond LEO' research technology.

After acquiring 'Expansion Beyond LEO', the game will now let you establish stations in Geosynchronous Orbit (GSO), Lagrange Point 2 (L2), and Lunar Orbit.
All these stations can accommodate astronauts and space tourists, and they all feature exclusive modules that open up a lot of possibilities, such as being able to manufacture new types of commercial goods, including 'Carbon Nanotubes', 'Organic Scintillators', and 'Refined He-3'. We've also implemented a new mechanic that gives you the option to 'transfer' resupply spacecraft between stations, which adds a whole new layer of planning and logistics.

Lastly, we've added a new type of currency named 'Industrial R&D Points'. These points are generated by specialized modules, and it comes in four flavours: 'Industrial R&D LEO', 'Industrial R&D GSO', 'Industrial R&D L2', and 'Industrial R&D Lunar Orbit'. These new currencies can be used towards acquiring 'Industrial R&D Technologies', which can be commercialized to private entities.

The 'Industrial R&D' tech tree is relatively small for now, but we're aiming to expand it in future updates. That being said, the options to commercialize technologies and improve their value by running marketing campaign are already in place.

New content
In addition to the mechanics listed earlier, we've also added four new space station modules: 'Space Telescope', 'Space Weather Forecaster Center', 'Quantum Communications Research Lab', and the 'Refueling Module', which is a requirement for transferring resupply spacecraft to other stations.

We have also included the new 'Union M' resupply spacecraft, which provides a cost-efficient way to transfer goods and astronauts between the LEO, GSO, and L2 stations.

Following the approach from previous updates, we've included more than fifteen new contracts, including 'Below, Around and Beyond the Moon', 'The King's Gambit', and 'Scientia Potentia Est'.

Quality of Life (QoL) improvements
'Space Station Designer' is certainly becoming a very complex game, and with so many menus, screens, and buttons, we are well aware that it is important to streamline the user experience accordingly. This update includes several welcomed improvements, such as:

• The ability to automate the launch of resupply spacecraft and skip straight to the outcome. The game also provides two options that let you decide whether you want to approach the automated launch using a 'bold' approach or a 'cautious' one.
  
• The ability to 'skip' the Debris Avoidance Maneuver (DAM) animation and see the results of the maneuver.
  
• An automatic system that returns astronauts to their original assignments once their temporary assignment to a module repair ends.
  
• A button in the 'Maintenance' screen that assigns all unassigned astronauts to maintenance duties. This is particularly useful in the late stages of the game, when the size of the crews become quite large).
  
• A mechanism that preserves the filter selection of the astronaut management and modules selection screens as part of the save game file. This helps reduce a lot of clicking when visiting these screens.

Gameplay and content improvements
We realized during testing that our astronaut hiring process had room for improvement, so as part of this update we revamped the whole system. Starting with this version, astronauts can now only be hired during specific months, which matches more closely with the way NASA conducts astronaut recruitment. The opening of the recruitment season is now communicated via the 'End of Year' report.

We also found out that the requirements and financial rewards in random events were completely unbalanced for the late stages of the game, so we've introduced some 'inflation adjustment' constants that affect currencies and goods and create a much more enjoyable gameplay experience (no more ridiculously low rewards in random events that come up while playing Phase III).

The research tech tree has also been revised, and we've not only added new technologies (e.g., 'Research Level IV' and 'Megaproject'), but also fixed existing dependencies to ensure that there's a better consistency with other parts of the tech tree.

Closing thoughts
As with previous updates, 'Space Station Designer' version 0.5.40 represents another big milestone for us. For the next update, we'll be focussing our effort on graphical improvements and the initial implementation of the 'megaproject'. If you have any questions or feedback about the game, please don’t hesitate to contact us via the forums or our Discord. And if you're interested in helping us improve it, please sign up for the beta[www.slitherine.com].

This will be our last update for 2024. Enjoy the Holiday Season, and see you again in 2025 🙂

-Ignacio, Mauricio, and Nicolas (Polar Motion)