Hello Settlers!

We are excited to ship our last regular weekly update before the Early Access 48 hours later. We will send in another silent update which would probably do some last-minute bug fixes, other than that, thank you for sticking out for 6 whole months, and supporting us with your engagement in our project.

I want to share that we reached 30,000 wishlists as I write these patch notes, and we are on the Popular Upcoming tab on the homepage of Steam for over 72 hours before release, which is a great visibility boost for Stellar Settlers.

We also have a new trailer up on our Steam page, would love to hear your thoughts on it!



Let's get into the latest updates in this patch;

Patch Notes - Version 0.5.5

New Features:
- Added animation for terra miner.
- Implemented a new "Now Playing" widget.
- Enhanced avalanche and blizzard animations for better visual effects.
- Introduced lore artifact options for deeper story engagement.
- Added a settler selection page with improved usability.
- Implemented a new research material selection panel.
- Added a fully functional flight panel with launch progress bar and launching canvas.
- Introduced new structures: Lounge, Quarters, and Toxic Pool.
- Added an alien mech for increased diversity in gameplay.

Gameplay Improvements:
- Fixed issues with scriptable objects to ensure smoother gameplay.
- Improved building materials flow for a more realistic construction experience.
- Settlers now gain morale with proper sickness control.
- Enhanced event sounds for a more immersive environment.
- Improved ore placement on islands for better resource distribution.
- Increased storage capacity bonus for more efficient resource management.

UI/UX Enhancements:
- Tweaked settler selection page for better user experience.
- Updated the research station panel to enable material buttons.
- Added a launch panel with localized text for a clearer user interface.
- Improved the structure info panel for cryogenic pods.

Bug Fixes:
- Fixed various issues related to loading and saving game states, including structure states, lore materials, and spaceship parts.
- Addressed problems with settler assignment and cloning to ensure proper gameplay progression.
- Resolved issues with the miner and hauler logic on lava planets.
- Fixed negative cost display and removed the nose cone from the spaceship assembly.

Localization:
- Synchronized translations for a more consistent and understandable game experience across different languages.
- Localized control schemes and settlement stats for better accessibility.

Performance and Optimization:
- Removed unnecessary debug logs for a cleaner codebase.
- Cleaned up code to improve overall game performance.

Miscellaneous:
- Added a failsafe panel fade animation for smoother transitions.
- Enhanced main menu level updater for a better user experience.
- Implemented logic to never show the "just researched" indicator for spaceship parts.

Bonus Content

We released 3 singles from Stellar Settlers Official Soundtrack on Youtube.

🎼Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlistStellarSettlersOST

When we do a full release, you will be able to purchase these amazing soundtracks and others, totaling over 20 tracks.