Mr. Phil Games’ Blog

Stellar Throne Devlog: Ground Combat, Ship Upgrades & First Contact 🚀

This week’s update brings major advancements to Stellar Throne's core gameplay systems — from planetary invasions to first contact diplomacy. Let’s dive into the highlights:

🚀 New Features

Ground Combat System

  • Planetary Invasions: Launch full-scale tactical assaults on enemy planets.

  • AI Ground Combat: Smarter computer opponents now conduct complex ground operations.

  • Ground Combat UI: Redesigned interface for unit positioning, stats, and dynamic battle updates.

  • Invasion Button: Streamlined interaction for initiating planetary ground attacks.

Ship Systems & Fleet Management

  • Ship Retrofit System: Overhaul and upgrade existing ships instead of scrapping them.

  • Fleet Positioning: Better control and organization of ships around star systems.

  • Ship Construction Pipeline: Enhanced feedback during shipbuilding and deployment.

Combat & Warfare

  • Planetary Bombardment: Orbital strikes can now devastate enemy worlds.

  • Combat UI Polish: Sharper visual feedback and improved text during space battles.

Exploration & Discovery

  • First Contact System: New diplomacy mechanics for meeting alien civilizations.

  • Camera Centering: Automatic focus during significant events like first contact.

  • Sensor Borders: Smoothed and more organic sensor range visuals.

Economic Systems

  • Trade & Supply Lines: Full implementation of interstellar logistics and supply chains.

  • Economic Balance: Adjusted resource flow for more strategic economic planning.

🛠️ Improvements & Fixes

UI/UX Enhancements

  • Significantly better text rendering in combat and invasion UIs.

  • Smoother sensor border visualization.

  • Cleaner fleet indicators on the galaxy map.

Performance & Stability

  • Resolved several memory leaks across core systems.

  • Over 540 passing tests ensure strong stability coverage.

  • Optimized code for combat and fleet systems.

Quality of Life

  • All new features fully support save/load functionality.

  • Ground combat AI feels smarter and more reactive.

  • Better coordination across interconnected systems like combat, economy, and diplomacy.

🎯 What This Means for Players

  • Deeper Combat Strategy: With ground invasions in play, planetary conquest now requires planning and coordination — not just orbital dominance.

  • Strategic Fleet Retrofitting: Upgrade and reuse older ships instead of building from scratch, adding new layers to fleet management.

  • Richer Exploration: First contact moments now feel dramatic and meaningful, visually and mechanically.

  • Smoother Gameplay: This patch introduces vital improvements in responsiveness, visuals, and AI behavior.

With this release, Stellar Throne moves closer to delivering its vision of large-scale 4X strategy — tactical, rich, and rewarding at every layer of play.