I promised another dispatch once the first early-alpha invitations went out. That was two days ago - and the first commanders are already in, building, refining, and breaking things in exactly the ways I hoped. Thank you. Seriously. Every hour you spend in this rough build, every bug report, every confused note about a button - it all lands on my desk and helps me make the resurrection stronger. I am moving as fast as I responsibly can to stabilise the foundation while you play.
Your feedback is landing
I read every Command relay thread myself. Malfunctions, balance feels, UX friction, fleet wishes - all of it. Early-alpha bugs you surface often turn into same-day or next-day fixes. That rhythm only works because you take the time to write things down instead of silently quitting. Please keep going.
What I have been shipping
Since the June 21 dispatch, a steady stream of player-visible fixes and improvements went live. Nothing here is final design - it is me clearing the path so you can keep testing:
- Mobile star map overlays and colony HUD - easier to check a planet or queue a build from your phone.
- Commander onboarding and sector map overview - a clearer first hour when you land on the map.
- Per-resource raw storage caps - pig iron, crystal, gold, and the rest no longer share one generic overflow limit.
- Scrap confirmation dialog - fewer accidental demolitions when you tap too fast.
- Achievement toasts - medals show up immediately when you earn them, without hunting menus.
- Opt-in PWA push notifications - a ping when timers or events finish while the browser tab is closed.
- Support upgrades - video attachments in Command relay and email relay for longer threads.
- Production hardening - health probes, worker fixes, and infrastructure tweaks for a more stable stack.
Solid refinement rebalance
Several of you flagged that solid refineries were producing too much waste too early. I listened. Solid refinement - pig iron, crystal, and gold - now generates significantly less waste per cycle. Your waste depots should fill much more slowly in the opening hours.
The tradeoff is deliberate: refineries also produce less refined solid per batch than before. Upgrading refinery level still improves speed and yield, but you will never convert mass one-for-one on the ladder - early refinement is meant to feel costly, and waste pressure belongs in mid-game, not minute ten. If you already stockpiled tier-1 solids under the old curve, you are not penalised - this only affects new refinement cycles going forward. Tell me if the new pacing feels too tight or too generous.
Thank you for showing up
This alpha only works because you showed up. Whether you filed a detailed malfunction report or sent a one-line note about something that felt wrong - I am grateful. The next dispatch will share more of what I learn as the week continues. Until then: break things loudly, and keep the signals coming through Command relay.
Sebastian "Degola" Lagemann