TLF Version 1.005 Beta Released (Holy Smokes It's Big )

Version 1.005 Beta is now out, and is monstrously, wonderfully huge.  This one changes so many things that we're releasing it only as a beta version (which you can optionally download inside the game itself from the updater) rather than as a full version that everyone gets automatically updated to.  So you can update or not for this one, at your discretion.  When it's fully tested out, we'll push it out in the normal way.

This version has auto-resolve for battles, as described a couple of days ago.  However, it is hot off the presses and I have not yet had a chance to do much testing with it in enough varied situations, so that's a big part of why this is a beta build.

Other notable stuff:

* The least-popular mission types have all been heavily revised in ways we think you'll like.

* Solar map performance is vastly better in the late game.

* There is a new "Federation Points" system, which again I've not had sufficient time to test the balance or clarity of, because auto-resolve was taking so long.  This new feature is huge, and helps to give games a more natural arc.  Federation Points basically keep track of how much a race likes the idea of the federation.

* There are also some important bugfixes.

All through next week we will continue releasing at least one new free feature every day of the work week, thanks to the overwhelming support this game has had (tonight there's a bunch of stuff at once in one day because several of the features were THAT large, but normally that won't be the case).  This is far and away our best launch ever, and that gap keeps widening by surprising degrees.  We're extremely grateful to our ever-growing community for their support, as well as to the press for taking the time out to look at our stuff.  You guys are all awesome!

After next week, we'll continue putting out at least one new free feature every week for at least a few months, if not longer.  A quest, a new weapon or ability, a new ship, a new action... something.  We'll vary it up, and make it fun.  I'm really excited about expanding the game even further, as large as it already is.  Right now we're doing that very fast in response to all the huge numbers of new players and all the things that a larger audience is bound to dig up in a game of this scope and complexity; once that settles down, we'll make it less intensive but still ongoing.

More to come soon.  Enjoy!

This is a beta update that you can optionally download through the in-game updater.  Steam will not automatically update it for you yet, as we don't think everyone wants that inflicted on them. ;)