I have been working for way too long on this crazy game, but things are finally starting to come together. The Black Beyond is a sci-fi building game. With a fleet of worker drones, the player exploits nearby asteroids and an endless stream of independent traders to create a thriving city in space.

I have recently revamped the game to embrace a more cyberpunk-style, to use a new UI, and to introduce more complex economic concepts. For example, kelp can be grown and is harvested by worker drones.  

I also recently revamped the UI. I still have a ways to go to make this cleaner, especially selecting buildings and showing the player exactly which building is currently selected. I also need to do a better job of auto-rotating buildings to "snap" easier and to make it more clear how buildings connect. 

I am currently working on a new trade system. This isn't in the game yet, but will allow the player to set thresholds for any good. If their stores fall too low, it will automatically be purchased from random traders. Or set a 'sell' value to automatically sell off goods after enough are stockpiled. 

Overall, I'm happy with how the core of my game is coming along...there have been a lot of twists and turns as I've refined this concept. I've had a lot of failed projects as I learned game dev over the past 3 years, and there remains a lot to fix and expand. 

I'm so extremely grateful for anyone that takes the time to play and provide feedback, even if it's pointing out glaring bugs or telling me that I'm ugly. Thank you! 

Haha, yeah I feel you bro :D

An updated version will be posted today. Among a slew of visual tweaks and updates, the trade system is now functional! 

Trade

The UI needs some love, but trade is now functional. Independent freighters automatically dock with applicable space ports. Click on any trader to see exactly what good they are carrying (selling) and which good they are interested in buying. Need more trade? Build more space ports to handle more traffic. 

Trade is controlled by a simple slider -- buy goods if your inventory falls below the 'buy' threshold, and sell goods if it rises above the 'sell' threshold. A few more UI improvements will help make this more clear.

Unlocks / Research

There are still many more buildings to create. New structures will be unlocked by purchasing contracts from three different corporate entities. Each corporation has a general specialty, so players can choose to specialize their cities if they desire. 

Visuals, Balance, & Next Updates

I am continuing to improve and revamp The Black Beyond's visual style and am slowly iterating on gameplay balance as structures become more finalized. 

Next, I will be working on a few UI controls for better managing the worker drone fleet. I want to add a "stats" panel that provides detailed info on population growth, goods/trade income, and industry. I will be investing a lot of time to revamp & smooth out the persistence engine (e.g. autosaves and better UI) and to test/optimize with huge bases. 

I will be adding additional structures and environments as well. I have been pouring some insane hours into this, and I hope next week's updates shows this even more.

Thanks and have a good day! :)