oh nice anytime sir 
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And the menu screen is back!
Job screen is done for now:
And the soundtrack is now back in the game!
The Alpha test team has the latest build, and they’re helping catch any big bugs that I missed - hopefully there will be a version up on itch by tomorrow!
A huge thank you to the alpha team testers for helping me catch bugs!
@stenpett, @Supherbyus, @L1L_F3LL4, @SnakeEyes319, @edallical, @Derby, @HourADayGamer, @Mytho you folks have really helped with your gamepad feedback, your bug reports and your help!
The first Alpha build is now on Itch!
BIG NOTE: make sure to uninstall/reinstall if using the Itch launcher to make sure it launches the game properly! Otherwise it will keep the old version around for some reason 
Known bugs:
- Rescaling the planet and moon caused some issues with the delivery range, they’re a bit too large now. That’s ok, it’ll be fixed shortly.
- I thought I fixed an issue with the visuals on the right side engine, but somehow it didn’t get into the release.
- There’s still some screen transition flickering - that should also be addressed soon.
- You can’t click on the info for the jobs once they’re already taken - that’s fixed in the patch I’m working on now.
Feedback thread: Alpha 0 Feedback Thread
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A few things from my experience with it:
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The keyboard map/control map is there for 30 seconds, and that’s simply not long enough for me to get to know the controls. A step-by-step movement tutorial would be nice, OR keep the control map there until I touch the station OR until after I complete my first tutorial mission OR maybe leave a little “Press this button to reopen the command map”. I know I’m slow on the uptake, and other players may find it annoying and vote down what I’d like to see, but . . . well, I’m slow on the uptake. I’ll press ESC and fall out of a game.
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My gamepad did not work as intended on my system. The right stick was a mess. The controls are, strangely, too responsive. Further testing showed the XBox controller worked just fine on another system. Not sure why it would do it.
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60+ FPS consistently on my oldish NVidia (or the onboard video card?). Looks good. Noice.
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When I extracted the .ZIP on *Nix, it opened to a tarball (TAR.GZ). I extracted that to get the final product. Just an FYI for the *Nix distro.
I personally had trouble maneuvering the ship in the alpha. However, I 100% appreciated that arrow keys were on (as a leftie), so I could do the WASD comfortably. A lot of games don’t innately turn on the arrow keys along with WASD, and it’s a big pain.
I’ll try again soon, see if a reboot changes how the gamepad reacts on my computer.
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Thanks!
I’ll dig into the gamepad issue esp on Linux.
The handling be too fast with keyboard esp is also on the list, thank you!
I also addressed the bit about the tarball in the zip (?) that itch is providing by reuploading the binary and not the tarball.
Good to know on the FPS!
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Based on a Backer Poll, the next thing I’m working on (possibly in time for the next patch - maybe?) is the station landing/running around.
I have about 150 hours of blender modeling work before that’s complete, but I might be able to get a shortcut version (with a quick fade in/fade out to skip the incomplete sections) into this week’s patch.
Other things fixed in the coming patch:
- Collision issue causing jobs to autocomplete
- I’ve added the destination highlight requested by @Mytho
- I fixed the “job info” screen stealing controls away
I’ll be aiming to push this probably Thursday, or maybe sooner if I give up on trying to get the station interior ready in time.
One of the most important parts of the Station, “Bad Luck” Bart’s Bar is starting to take shape:
I’d say it’s about 60% there, and I should have it done here tomorrow.
Working hard to import animations and get things ready for running around in here, and it’s kicking my butt.
It’s interesting to me that a lot of things that were ‘big hard’ for me on Unreal are very smooth and easy for me on Godot…
But some things that I was able to breeze through in Unreal are huge stumbling blocks for me in Godot.
Animations is a huge example of this. I’m having a heck of a time with Godot 4.0’s new skeletal and animation system, and I realize it’s really good for a .0 release, but it’s a long ways from being something I’m good at.
Monthly story chapter AND wallpaper are up on the patreon:
Go hop on over for the high-res versions, as always 
ALPHA 0 GDPatch 0b:
Small bugfix patch for the 0.0 release.
I wasn’t able to get a grip on character animation in Godot 4 in time to add the interior of the station to the gameplay yet, however this release does add all the important meshes and materials to the binary.
Fixes and improvements in this bugfix :
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R3 now functions like the right-click on the mouse to toggle between UI modes
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Added a large red “destination zone” to show where deliveries go - the size is dependent on the destination zone, so small will be much smaller than others.
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Added an offset to the location indicator to move it from the center of the destination to the edge - I’m not sure I love it, so make sure to voice your opinion!
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Fixed job overlap bug that was causing some deliveries to instantly complete when you were far away.
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Added “destination” to the job info to make it clearer where you are going.
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Reloading will keep the jobs you were working on, and the destination indicator should update accordingly.
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Quitting a job and taking a new one now properly removes the destination indicator for the old job.
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Fixed numerous small bugs in the Ship Shopper.
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As always feedback on the forum is appreciated, you can go here: https://forum.longplay.games/t/alpha-0-feedback-thread/224/9 and drop bugs, opinions, and feedback. We really appreciate it!
This build has some pretty mammoth bugs still, and as long-time watchers know quite a few features haven’t made it to the Godot version quite yet. They are coming! We’re not planning to remove any features yet, some are just a bit delayed as I learn.
Coming Next: Station landings and running around
Coming Soon: Cockpit views
I’ve gotten an interior with a really basic character ready for the next patch.
It will take a little bit to bring out the next patch and run around inside the first area on the Station Alpha 1.
The prior popup menu has been implemented:
But honestly - I’m finding it’s really just a pain to use. I’m going to go with something simpler. This is way too slow and awkward. It was a bit weird on UE4, and it’s still weird.
Here’s what I’ve come up with instead:
No need to switch mouse modes, and “B” for interaction will fit nicely on PC keyboard or on xbox (it’ll be A or square on other controllers - the right-side gamepad face button)
For those who would like to park and head into the station, I now have a nice little visible parking zone
Blue may not end up being the best possible color, but that can be changed.
ALPHA 0 GD Patch 1:
First interior of station piece.
You can now land at the station, check out “Bad Luck” Bart’s, pick up a job at the task board, and go back out there and do it.
Fixes and improvements in this patch :
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The shell of “Bad Luck” Bart’s bar is now there! Sadly, everyone is missing - but they’ll come.
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First person mode now has the ‘interact’ option to open things, though it’s still very WIP.
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Selection sobel effect in FP mode, let me know if it’s too excessive.
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Lots of tweaks to the job workflow, hopefully nothing really obvious but it should work a bit more like you’d expect.
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Graphics tweaks to hopefully reduce some of the weird screen effects when changing levels.
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You can now land at the yellow sphere on the station module and it will put you inside, then run down the hallway to the Hangar Bay and it will put you back in the ship. It’s a start, anyhow - this is not the final process.
Known Bugs:
- For some reason if you click the green check as soon as the ship builder starts instead of going through to paint , it can crash. Still working on that one.
As always feedback on the forum is appreciated, you can go here: https://forum.longplay.games/t/alpha-0-feedback-thread/224/10 and drop bugs, opinions, and feedback. We really appreciate it!
This build has some pretty mammoth bugs still, and as long-time watchers know quite a few features haven’t made it to the Godot version quite yet. They are coming! We’re not planning to remove any features yet, some are just a bit delayed as I learn.
Coming Next: Cockpit views
Coming Soon: The hangar bay itself
Patch Stream: Smugglers of Cygnus Alpha 0 Patch 1 Godot update - YouTube
