Combat has always been Deep Space Directives’s ugly stepchild that has largely been ignored beyond the initial prototyping. So no surprise it has been in desperate need of some love and polish. The latest version (0.039) brings two major additions to the combat system.

You’ll now have access to upgradeable space lasers, and who doesn’t love space lasers? Use them to soften up the enemy swarm before it gets to your defenses or take out a swarm targeting an unprepared branch of your colony.



Frontline units such as the infantry, laser towers and collection towers now have upgradable shields to help dull that initial attack and make your colony more sustainable as swarms grow larger. Shields recharge at the start of each day.



Combat is not the main focus of Deep Space Directive, but these 2 new mechanics plus other smaller improvements aim to add some juice, polish and most importantly player control when fighting off attackers

In other news, all progress on Deep Space Directive is directed towards a Steam release of a demo! With a likely release date sometime in August. The demo will be an open beta to gather feedback and improvements before Steam Next Fest in October.