Six weeks ago we published a development update touching on changes we were planning to make to Master of Orion based on your feedback. Some of those changes started making their way into the game with In Development 2, while others followed in In Development 3.

We’ve seen requests for a status update on these changes, so we’ve put that together below. This is not every change we’re planning, but instead a recap of what we’ve done so far and what we have planned for the next major update. You can expect these status updates to come more frequently in the future.

Completed as of In Development 3:
The following changes were completed in either the second or third phase of In Development. We’re still following feedback on this list, so please don’t take “complete” as a sign that we won’t make additional changes if necessary.

Balance/AI
- We adjusted research pacing to smooth it out and make unlocking technologies feel more meaningful
- We made adjustments to races with perks that were weaker in multiplayer
- Miniaturization was introduced, allowing older weapon systems to get smaller over time and become cheaper to produce
- Diplomacy AI was improved to allow more positive interaction with races
- BC income was adjusted so that late-game was not trivialized by easily rushing production every turn

Tactical Battles
- Tactical battles now start paused by default, allowing you to get a feel for the battlefield before the action begins
- Formation bonuses were introduced
- Civilian ships were added to the battlefield
- A retreat option was introduced
- Additional special systems were added to provide more variety in ship design options

Ship Design
- The ship design interface was updated
- Ship designs and ships already built are no longer linked, meaning when you delete a design it no longer scraps the ship's
- Default AI behaviors have been added for range, aggression, focus, etc.

Diplomacy
- AI was improved to propose more intelligent exchanges, such as tech for tech
- Disposition impact was adjusted for many diplomatic actions to reduce the overall negative effects most actions had on long term relations
- Emperor personalities were improved and default disposition was implemented so that some races already have disposition levels with others from the beginning of the game

Colony Screen
- A scrollable structure list was introduced in addition to the planet view
Build Screen
- Command Point and Upkeep costs now update to reflect the number of ships being produced
- Civilian transports were made cheaper

Research Screen
- Weapon tooltips have been improved to provide more clarity on effectiveness
- Weapon Mods were added to the tech tree
- Jump Gates were moved to an earlier location in the tech tree

Game Settings / Setup
- The galaxy seed is now randomized by default each time you start setting up a new game, rather than starting at 0
- It is now possible to disable GNN while still getting important updates
- It is now possible to mute advisors while still retaining other VO

Miscellaneous
- A turn timer has been implemented for multiplayer
- The UI lock once you’ve ended your turn in multiplayer has been removed

In progress as of In Development 3:
The following are either ongoing or partially implemented as of the start of In Development 3. Most of this list will be considered complete in the next major game update.

Balance/AI
- Late-game pacing is still a work in progress, but we’ve made changes to food structure progression
- Our first pass of pirates is complete; we’ve improved their AI and adjusted their strength early on
- We will continue to assess racial perks and make changes where necessary to improve distinction between the races
- Biome and other planet adjustments started with the increased population caps; we will continue to iterate on this

Usability/Interface
- We continue to add and improve tooltips throughout the game

Planned for the next major update:
Below are the items we haven’t implemented in an In Development build yet but expect to be implemented in the next major update. We will also iterate on the items above that are listed as in progress.

Ship Design
- The character limit for ship names will be increased

Diplomacy
- We will make more diplomacy info available while holding an audience with a leader

Build Screen
- Detailed combat stats will be displayed for ships on this screen

Empire Screen
- A heading for Morale and a Pollution column will be added
- Production buyout buttons will be added for each colony
- The flag feature will be expanded

Galaxy Screen
- More than two wormholes will be possible during galaxy generation
- Additional icons will be added to make it more clear when planets are working on certain projects (i.e. pollution / trade goods)
- Population display will be changed to show current and maximum

Game Settings / Set Up
- Additional “game speed” options will be added, similar to the Research speed option introduced in In Development 3

Miscellaneous
- When the Galactic Council is formed, an explanation of what it is will display
- Special resources will be better explained

As you can see, there is still more work to be done, but we have quite a few changes planned for the next major update, and anticipate additional changes in the future.