Short status dispatch between alpha rounds. Round one taught me where the economy rabbit hole is fair and where it still feels like unpaid logistics work. I kept shipping through the reset window - blueprint mission execution, colony ops boards, phase converters, and a pile of mobile fixes you asked for in Command relay. Round two is dated now. Here is what landed, what is next, and how to grab one of ten open commander slots.
Less micromanagement when building ships
Blueprint missions are the main answer to "why am I still clicking every factory hop by hand?" Pick a ship schematic on the colony command board and the planner sequences component builds, launchpad batches, and orbital assembly where dependencies allow. You still choose the plan; the colony executes the queue.
- Blueprint missions reduce click-by-click ship production - fewer manual hops between factory, launchpad, and hangar when a schematic is queued.
- Parallel steps when stock and slots allow - multiple builds or launches can advance without you babysitting every transfer.
- Mission overview with step status, wait hints, and recovery when the sim catches up after a race.
- Ongoing quality passes on colony commands, phase converters, and ops filters from round-one feedback.
Mobile UI and accessibility
Round one made it obvious: several of you play from the couch, not the desk. I am not claiming mobile is finished - but the gap is shrinking on purpose:
- Colony ops board and HUD detail sheets redesigned for small screens - less cramped switching between fleet focus and planet focus.
- Tap-first flows where drag never belonged - launchpads, factories, hangar fuel, and map chrome.
- Readability and thumb reach treated as requirements, not stretch goals - contrast, spacing, and condensed colony HUD on phones.
- More passes queued before 25 July; file Command relay with device + screenshot when something still fights you.
Early indications for round two
This is direction, not a finished patch notes list. I am building the next alpha around making the map and other commanders matter - not just your homeworld spreadsheet:
- Star map, ships, and fleets with focus on planets - unique differentiation, deposit bonuses, and race bonuses so where you settle and what you scan should read differently.
- First steps toward more advanced hull roles: colonisation and system flagging/claiming - scouts and small ships stop being tourists.
- Early interaction with other players in the universe - system domination mode, deploying scout-like hulls to occupy and contest space.
- Universe reset before round two; user-scoped account achievements on your login carry over, including Early Alpha Tester if you earned it in round one.
Second alpha opens 25 July - pre-registration Sunday 11 July
The second early-alpha cohort opens on 25 July 2026. I will accept ten additional commanders via pre-registration on the site - first come, first served, no lottery.
- Pre-registration signup opens Sunday, 11 July 2026 at 14:00 CEST on xwars.net.
- Ten commander slots for round two - once they are claimed, signup closes until the next wave.
- Round opens 25 July 2026; expect a fresh universe with the systems above worth breaking again.
- Returning accounts keep user-scoped achievements; galaxy progress resets as before.
Thank you for the debrief answers, the blunt Command relay threads, and the patience while I convert feedback into queues instead of promises. If pre-registration is full before you land a slot, watch the blog - I will say when the next wave opens.
Sebastian "Degola" Lagemann