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Stellar Tactics

For discussing role-playing video games, you know, the ones with combat.
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Stellar Tactics

Post by Acrux »

This is the game you disappointed Starfield dupes wanted to play all along.

The solo dev has released his roadmap to release, early 2024.



https://store.steampowered.com/news/?em ... 9380579755
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Well, Fall is here in the Northern hemisphere and I'm excited to post the remaining development tasks for Stellar Tactics over the next few months. There has been an absolute flurry of activity here on my part preparing content for Chapter 3, delivering on promises I made for a crew mission system and a bunch of QOL adjustments based on player feedback.

Stellar Tactics has been in EA for a long time. I realize for some, this has been annoying. People want to play a final game - right? Others don't mind contributing to the game with ideas, feedback and bug reports. I have a lot to be thankful for in that the community has been incredibly helpful in so many ways.

However, I need to be realistic. By that I mean, development needs a clear and final end point. There are so many great ideas from players and of course I have ideas myself. Unfortunately, not all of these can be realized or I would spend the rest of my life in Early Access. Up to this point, I've been very clear about what I wanted to accomplish, I've had fixed goals, an end point in mind and we are closing in on that vision - finally.

What does this mean? It means I'm going to be focused on the last chapter of the game, final features, a lot of cleanup, stability, tuning and various other bits that should polish the game up nicely in coming months. Here is the roadmap:

As you can see, I have a patch coming in October with a few new features, quality of life improvements and a good number of bug fixes.

The mining system update changes the mining system from a passive to an active process. A few notes and of course more details will come when the patch is release

--You manage the energy of each turret to keep the asteroids temperature in a "sweet spot"
--This "sweet spot" is initially small and expands as you gain levels in the mining skill.
--Below the ideal temperature, you mine less ore.
--Above the ideal temperature, you mine less ore and the asteroid is depleted much faster.
--Asteroids at an ideal mining temperature provide bonus ore.
--Your perks will work as they always have.
--Asteroids can only be targeted by a single turret. You can target multiple turrets to separate asteroids.
--Salvaging derelict ships works as it always has - you can target all turrets at one time

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The crew mission system will allow players to assign inactive crew members (crew members not assigned to ground crew or ship stations) to various mission types. Crew members will always receive EXP even if they fail the mission, however, failed missions will reward fewer credits and less experience. An example would be to send a inactive crew member on a rescue mission where they have a chance to gain combat experience in the weapon types they currently have equipped. Over time, crew members rank up and harder missions become available that reward better rewards.

I think the "Advanced settings" will be a welcome addition. Players will be able to tweak many things in their game, including the cost of ships, how much experience you gain for various activities, combat difficulty, and much more. In a sandbox, I believe there is no perfect default setting for everyone. More options are always better. You will be able to reset to defaults at any time.

Fast travel - Really, for me, it cannot be space if there is no time spent...well...traveling. However, so many players have commented that it takes too long to travel in FTL space. So, I've added a way to target a star system, within a certain range of course, and immediately travel to that location. This can only be done in FTL space from point to point. Notice the new icon below the Star System info screen in the upper left. Whether or not you use it is up to you.

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That's all I have for now. I'll keep you posted as I get closer to releasing the October update.
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Post by Goth-Girl-Supremacy »

EA since 2016 lmao
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Post by Emphyrio »

>mining system

Stopped reading there
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Post by Acrux »

This got a Splattercat review, which I'm guessing means the next big release is coming soon. That will be the final one introducing Act 3 content before the polishing release for 1.0.



Emphyrio wrote: September 28th, 2023, 04:44
>mining system

Stopped reading there
It can be completely ignored.
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Post by rusty_shackleford »

I bought this game in 2017 and all I remember is the tutorial kept using the word 'inseminate' incorrectly. Like someone looked up a cognate in a dictionary and didn't quite understand its implications.
Last edited by rusty_shackleford on March 26th, 2024, 10:45, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Rand »

rusty_shackleford wrote: March 26th, 2024, 10:44
I bought this game in 2017 and all I remember is the tutorial kept using the word 'inseminate' incorrectly. Like someone looked up a cognate in a dictionary and didn't quite understand its implications.
Oh, like how some ******** ****** wanted an antonym for "*****", looked in a dictionary or thesaurus and found "cis", not understanding that it's a positional prefix related to *****it and not *****form?
Last edited by Rand on March 26th, 2024, 15:00, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Xenich »

Game development is hurd! You don't understand!
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Post by Acrux »

It's a solo dev who has a real job and a family and only works on this in his spare time and also stopped working on it for a while when his dad died.

You ******* need to save this kind of condemnation for the people who actually deserve it.
Last edited by Acrux on March 26th, 2024, 15:12, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by Acrux »

Well, I bet all of you who have been criticizing him feel pretty ****** now. :smug:
First the facts since I’ve seen a few comments:

This game is not abandoned! It will never be abandoned.
I’m running late with chapter 3 and all milestones I’ve set following that.
The last patch was 2/9/24 – a hotfix. I generally do not post minor patch updates on the main Steam page.

You can always find the latest patch notes here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/465490/d ... 753661833/

I’ve struggled a bit with whether I should share this as I generally do not talk about my family. I do think it’s important to be transparent, so here it is.

My wife was diagnosed with breast cancer in January. I’m sure some of you know how this goes. Endless tests, MRI, PET scan, samples, and doctors office visits. She is half way through the first cycle of chemo and doing well. We were lucky that we found it early as the prognosis is excellent. My heart goes out to anyone who has or has had this disease and their loved ones – or any form of cancer for that matter. It’s terrifying!

My time has been very limited since February, and I have not been making the progress I expected. I am working on the game. However, my wife takes priority, and it’s been a bit difficult staying focused. Around the middle of April, I started working at nearly my normal pace. All of the locations, enemies, enemy ships, modeling and other assets for chapter 3 are complete now. I’ve finished about 1/3 of the dialog, and when that’s done I’ll start integrating everything.

Right now I’m considering just finishing everything on my list and releasing chapter 3 and all other planned content/features in one major patch as a full BETA, rather than mini-releases over the coming months. It will save time and I won’t need to pause for bug fixes between updates. As I do this work, I’ll try to post progress updates more often. I get it, if you don’t hear from me on a regular basis – some might assume I’ve abandoned my game. Not going to happen…

I'm not posting this looking for well wishes or sympathy. Really, I'm convinced she will be fine. It's a difficult treatment though, and I need to be present and supportive. I am asking you to be patient with me as I work through the rest of this content. It will get done - I'm on it.

Thanks as always for your support and have a great weekend!
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Post by asf »

is it good yet, last time i played it was really bad
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Post by rusty_shackleford »

Is 'RELEASE' one of those weird euro dating systems?
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Post by J1M »

Great title for a game. Why oh why is the tactics part on foot instead of for the ships! :mad:
Last edited by J1M on December 27th, 2024, 06:08, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Acrux »

Possibly, but he's been making incremental updates every two weeks or so lately now that his wife is doing better.
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Post by Acrux »

J1M wrote: December 27th, 2024, 06:08
Great title for a game. Why oh why is the tactics part on foot instead of for the ships! :mad:
There are tactical space battles, too.
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Post by Acrux »

Chapter 3 comes out on Friday. Dev says the game is feature and content complete, he now needs to refine the balance.

I hope that doesn't mean another year of balance tweaks. :cry:
Hi all! I thought I would post a quick update to let you know that Chapter 3 will be released this coming Friday, 10/3. Between now and then, I have a lot of work to do.


With the upcoming Chapter 3 release, Stellar Tactics will finally be feature and content complete - technically a full BETA. By that I mean, all story content, core game systems and main features will be in the game. I've really been looking forward to this moment because it finally frees up my time to refine the game. There are a lot of things I would like to address, some small and others larger based on player feedback.


It's also going to be a great time to focus on balance, tweaks and polish. Beyond that, i have a list of players requests that I'll be looking into as well as some smaller features and adjustments that are still hanging around on the roadmap.


As usual, you can continue playing where you left off - no save wipes.


Thank you all for your patience and your support! I hope you enjoy the final chapter of Stellar Tactics when it's released!
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Post by J1M »

Acrux wrote: December 27th, 2024, 06:09
J1M wrote: December 27th, 2024, 06:08
Great title for a game. Why oh why is the tactics part on foot instead of for the ships! :mad:
There are tactical space battles, too.
Any videos of this?
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Post by Acrux »

I haven't played this in a while, and I know he made a lot of updates to the systems. I found a couple of recent videos.

This one is very chaotic, honestly. But it looks like the player outfitted this ship with everything maxed out. Most of them aren't so unwieldy.


There's another video by the same person that explains ship systems and how space battles work.


There are different types of ships (scouting, mining, combat, etc.) best at different purposes, and different types of weapons to load on ships. You can also capture other ships and sell them or add them to your fleet, or scuttle them for parts.
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Post by J1M »

Does the environment or positioning play any part? Seems like those ships can shoot from any direction and it plays like a blobber?
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Post by Acrux »

It's been a long time since I played, and he's made a lot of updates. I don't know.
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Post by Acrux »

Official release :toot:
Today is the day. Nearly 10 years have been dedicated to this project, and I hope you enjoy the game. v1.0 is now live on Steam!

Stellar Tactics has a large universe with many interconnected systems. In general, it does not hold your hand much or force any particular style of play. Starting on the Dauntless provides background for the game story, some nice equipment and tutorials that will help familiarize you with the basic game systems. From there, you will work toward getting your first ship and then an FTL drive.

After that, it’s up to you. Follow the main story to expand your arsenal of options with Psionics and Azimuth, build your trading empire, become a pirate and board ships for loot and profit, or explore and take missions from various factions, building your crew into a formidable force.

If I can offer one piece of advice, take the time to read the tips that pop up on the screen. They are important because there are so many different systems in the game that it can be overwhelming at times. And certainly, rushing into space combat without understanding how it works will get your crew killed. The in-game guide covers all topics in detail and is available at any time in the game by pressing [H].

If you find the game too difficult, or too easy, open the Options->Gameplay panel and adjust the the many options to your own preference.

I’m providing links below to various resources that have been compiled to make your journey a pleasant experience.


SUPPORT GUIDE – This guide contains everything I know about various support issues. If you experience any technical issues with the game, a solution will be found in the guide:

https://steamcommunity.com/app/465490/d ... 929507123/


FAQ – I’ve compiled an extensive FAQ to cover all commonly asked questions about the game. If you have a question, it is likely answered here. Of course, you can also post on the forums, and people will usually help.

https://steamcommunity.com/app/465490/d ... 210399401/


WIKI – The Stellar Tactics wiki is a great resource for information on the game. Check it out:

https://stellartactics.fandom.com/wiki/ ... ctics_Wiki


Good luck, and enjoy your journey into the Void!
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Post by asf »

last i played years ago it was pretty ******, has it improved
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Post by Rienen »

Back in 2024, I picked up the game on a discount, but only got 30mins in before I decided to uninstall and let it cook. I don't remember much aside from it being very clunky. I guess I'll need to install it and see if the 1.0 release actually improved things.
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Post by gastovski »

10 years such a joke
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Post by Rienen »

I won't/can't go into too much depth, because frankly, I haven't gotten too far into the game. Nor have I researched the game's systems. I've only put about 3.5 hrs into it, so this is just an initial impression.

The extended tutorial scenario, meant to introduce the story and the game's mechanics, was more than enough to get me interested. With that said, the literal next story beat after leaving frustrated me. Not enough to quit, but from a writer's perspective, it just undercut so much of the setup and could've been done so much better.
Character building seems pretty straightforward. That said, I see almost no reason to put any points into Charisma since I'm guessing the game is going to end up being almost all ground combat.
UI, at least to me, is done well enough to balance between form and function.
Ground combat is still stiff, but serviceable. It's still early, so I expect things to open up. I've yet to try out Psionics, but I'm guessing it functions similarly to how general ranged combat works.
I've only just gotten my ship, but flying feels... fine. A bit of a convoluted control scheme, but I'm sure I'll get used to it.
The dialogue system hints at occasional choices being made, but there's not much in terms of roleplaying your responses in most general conversations.

I'm literal **** when it comes to sticking with most games til the end credits, but I can see this keeping my attention for a dozen hours or so.

Edit: I don't know how to forum. I'll learn how to list things, one day.
Last edited by Rienen on April 2nd, 2026, 12:45, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by Acrux »

Rienen wrote: April 2nd, 2026, 12:43
I'm guessing the game is going to end up being almost all ground combat.
I'll just say this - there's a lot of space combat as well.
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Post by maidenhaver »

Reviews are saying low enemy variety, and the maps have little tactical challenge.
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Post by rusty_shackleford »

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