- Steam Programming Fest Event - 10 September 2026
Steam Programming Fest starts September 10 at 10:00am PDT and will run until September 14. This is a very unique fest all things considered - the one that fits NebuLeet 100%. To make this game more accessible to the players that are interested in the genre, an extreme discount will be arranged (you can wishlist right now to get a notification as soon as it happens!) I am also carrying some ideas for the upcoming patch and this fest is a great opportunity for me to collect some feedback. If you want to share your thoughts, there are several ways to do so: There is an in-game anonymous form that can fit a couple of sentences if you have something brief. You can join the Steam community game discussion. It's the best option for the historical data, like a forum. Or you can join the game's Discord server for an active discussion. In case you're planning to stream the game, there is a pressk…
- New Game+ update - 6 June 2026
This update brings new features, content, balance tweaks, and some fixes. New Game+ The biggest new feature is a New Game Plus options. These options allow a more customizable campaign experience. Most of them have cons and pros, so it's not an "easy mode" toggle - they are supposed to adjust the balance, not break it. You do not need to complete the campaign to unlock these options. It is still recommended to play the campaign at least once without those. Press on NG+ options button to adjust the settings. Hover over the options to learn more about them. Here is a short list of options available at this moment: Organization origins Starting planet count Starting tech level Permadeath Ignore reports Smart pilots Mega fleets Boss rush Salvaging mode Age of drones Increased ammo Expensive equipment Greedy research Faster leveling Fresh recruits Quick start Planet shuffle If you want to pr…
- Update 45 - 28 April 2026
An update with some content additions and some balance tweaks. Campaign: added a new hidden anomaly marker, treat it as a hard-to-detect treasure spot Campaign: added a new black hole marker - a challenging combat with artifacts and items reward Campaign: added a new option to Conflict/Peace envoy: you can now manipulate their outcome Campaign: increased war declaration chance for -5 -5 relationships Campaign: added more variance to the pilot levels available for hire at planets Campaign: Prodigy trait improves pilot's behavior in addition to INT Campaign: the first non-protagonist pilot will always have Prodigy trait Campaign: many NPC fleet captains will have a Prodigy trait Visuals: improved Overloader shader Equipment: added a new artifact Equipment: added 2 new engines Balance: Photon Bolter nerf -10% fuel, -10% damage vs drones Balance: Plasmaflare boost -1 battery cost/use, recoi…
- Update 44 - 16 March 2026
This update brings incremental improvements to the game. Some new content, some balance tweaks based on more playtesting. The campaign changes may seem minor, but they do improve the Ensis campaign route feel. Content: new music track in space Content: new weapon (Magenta) Content: new pilot haircut Content: new trait (+5 mine spawner ammo) Content: new politic option Content: +4 Cult scout vessel designs Campaign: dominions stop getting power increase when they don't have any planets Campaign: Cult will prioritize dominions that actually have planets UX: can lock individual pilot avatar elements when editing the appearance UX: re-exporting campaign vessels now work properly Misc: can now browse the total game stats (via a journal screen - look for a new button) Misc: show game difficulty % in total game stats Balance: regenerators (healing weapons) battery consumption per shot is decre…
- RPG protagonist update (v1.0.43) - 10 March 2026
This update brings more RPG elements to the game! There is a new starting mode that allows you to create a custom starting pilot: This allows you to customize the appearance and type of your first pilot (mercenary or android): But that's not all, this pilot will start with two unique traits: versatile and loyal. The versatile trait decreases the traits reroll cost significantly, meaning you can grow your protagonist in a way you like the most (that trait can also be rolled for some other pilots, but it is guaranteed for your avatar). The loyal trait means no mission fees for this pilot. In fact, the character editor can be used at any moment, for any pilot. You can customize to look like a team! Dress them in the uniform of your choice: Another big RPG-related system is pilot specializations. Upon reaching level 10, the pilot can learn a special specialization trait. Those traits grant…
- The demo is out! - 13 February 2026
The demo is finally back! It is very close to the full version of the game, with only few limitations: The max day is 350, meaning you can mostly play early-mid game content in campaign No MacOS support (only Linux + Windows) No Steam achievements No Steam workshop integration Both last points are more like a technical limitation of Steam API - demo and the game itself considered to be different apps, so it is almost impossible to make those two features work seamlessly. Other than that, it's a large enough game chunk that can give you a good estimation whether this game is for you or not. Depending on your play style and whether you are rushing or not, it can take 4-10 hours to "beat" the demo (because you might want to do several runs anyway, tinker with the programming aspect of the game, etc.) The demo is a bit rough around the edges. For instance, your demo saves will not be transf…
- Update 42 - 10 February 2026
The next update is being deployed! A new weapon family is available: repair weapons. Those require a very skilled pilot to be used correctly, or a carefully crafted program of course. The mercenary pilots will use it sparingly, and usually to repair a leader exclusively, so keep that in mind. The repair has doubled effect on droids, repairing more HP per shot. I am planning to add repair drones in the future in addition to this kit. The first circular wave weapon was added: the Stunner. It creates a growing wave around the vessel, damaging everyone (including allies) around. It has a stun-like effect that disables the damaged vessel electronics on impact, making them effectively stunned. That stun effect lasts much longer against the drones. A new programming bundle is available for you to unlock: Leader operations bundle. It includes new commands related to leader election during comba…
- Indie Snowball is here! - 31 January 2026
Indie Snowball event is on! NebuLeet is going to have a discount during this event. Make sure to check out other indie games from this sale if you are into indie games. And by the way, the next patch is almost ready. I will need some extra time to test it, but otherwise a new weapon pack is almost ready to be deployed.
- Update 41 - 24 January 2026
This update brings some new weapons and artifacts, some of which unlock a new depth that will be explored further in the updates yet to come. > Make sure to update your game to v1.0.41 Changelog: * Difficulty level now affects allied and enemy pilot INT-related behavior ("smartness") * Added Mendokusa-II weapon * Added Wraith Gun weapon * Added 3 new artifacts (keeping those in secret) * Added 1 new government quest * Added a new map marker type (mid-late game skirmish kind with multiple choices) * Balance: Splitter weapon damage is increased * Balance: Cyclone weapon gets extra damage against drones, but its cost goes up * Balance: Brain Snipe artifact effects are increased * Made music player much less likely to play the same song twice in a row * Fixed a bundle availability bug (reported by Útost Alronbem) * Fixed mineling pod missing translation key * Fixed a negative fuel issue - n…
- Live Music Coding update - 7 January 2026
Build 40 is here! Playing sounds from the code As some of you might know, the game uses a custom modular music player. It plays music directly from XM files. Apart from saving a significant amount of disc space (e.g. 200kb vs 4-5mb per track), it also has synthesizer potential. This update elaborates on that potential by introducing a way to use that modular music player from your in-game programs! You might be wondering what you could do with that. Well, there are several ways to use it: As a debug tool to signal a rare branch execution As a notification system for a hybrid/manual vessel (e.g. "danger" or "low fuel" sound) As a time-based notification (e.g. "30 seconds have passed") As a feedback system that can improve the clarity of what's happening (e.g. an error sound when firing while out-of-ammo) And of course you can compose your music with it You can treat it as an extra sandbo…
- A New Year's special: MacOS support - 23 December 2025
This update brings experimental MacOS support! But wait, there is more! I added a new secret (and optional) boss to the campaign. In order to fight it, a couple of preparations must be made by the player - and it's up to you to solve that mystery. In addition to a great in-session rewards for that fight, you also get a 100% sandbox items unlock, meaning it is the best way to fill the missing item slots. This boss is intended to be quite hard and difficult to find during your first playthrough (although it is still possible to do it if you know where to look). Added a new mission - hireable mercenaries. This mission adds an extra opportunity to hire player-made vessels (aka visitors). Every planet now has a New Year status effect. Some planets have unique New Year effects and celebration traditions, and you also need to pay attention to their year cycles as planets have a very different…
- Mad weapons pack update - 19 December 2025
If you enjoy using and/or programming a non-trivial weapon, you're going to like the new toys. Content: * Added Plasmaflare weapon - a dangerous engine that leaves a deadly trail, also allows strafing * Added Plasmaflare drone launcher weapon * Added Minecaster and Mega Minecaster weapons * Added Minecaster drone launcher weapon * Added 3 new body parts * Added 1 new wing parts * Added 2 new Cult bosses * Added 2 new music tracks (remixes done over the existing ones) Campaign: * Added a science funding mechanic - it is now possible to research things faster if you have enough credits * Added extra difficulty options (available through the custom difficulty option) * Added a cult fleet power value for corrupted planets (hover over a planet to see it) * Cult will now be much tamer when they are left with 0 planets * Cerebra now has an extra mission that will grant and Android prototype fo…
- An in-game manual + better difficulty progression? - 12 December 2025
Hello, fellow commanders! These few days were dedicated to the most common feedback points so far: difficulty and lack of a comprehensive tutorial. Game Difficulty Here is how the difficulties were affected: 1. The first ("normal") difficulty got significantly easier 2. The second ("hard") difficulty is now slightly easier 3. The third difficulty is more or less the same Also keep in mind that you can always set your custom difficulty by adjusting the individual settings - different people enjoy different challenges. I, for one, enjoy a slower pace game (world progression), but also a very hard economy setting so it is harder to get stronger for me too. It is not only about adjusting the individual settings, but also about introducing new mechanics into the game. For example, the Cult got a new ability to replace an outdated planetary guard with a new squad, but it will also cost it mor…
- The patches are flowing in! - 8 December 2025
The latest version is 1.0.13, make sure to update Just letting you know that I'm receiving the crash report sent by you from the game. I usually address them in a few hours (some time to notice it, fix it, and then upload the fix). I am also trying to address the lack of tutorials and onboarding issues. It's not a simple process as I don't want to make the game insisting too much on teaching you. Perhaps a third kind of tutorial is needed: 1. no tutorial (already exists) 2. context-sensitive hints once in 20-40 days depending on what you do (already exists) 3. a more traditional "let me tell you about XYZ" kind of tutorial The 3rd option needs some extra care as it can easily be too detailed in some aspects while missing out on some other ones. As a temporary band-aid, a game guide will be published here on Steam - it's not a solution, but a way for players to have more chances with the…
- Game is released! - 5 December 2025
I didn't have enough time to make an announcement before or right after the release, so I guess it's better to do it now than never :D I read all the reviews, discussions, and some private messages from the players - the stuff I heard about is partially fixed, partially scheduled for the future. Some updates after v1.0: * The windowed mode is now much more usable, with scaling and all * Fixed multiple puzzles in software bundles * Added some extra hints in some puzzle descriptions * Made "no" decision in accessible puzzle solutions reversible (see a new gameplay option) * Added combat popup that describes the bare minimum a new player should know (1-time only) * Fixed some awkward audio bug - some players had audio turned off by default * Made "rectangle contains" command description easier to understand * Fixed some typos (there are still more out there) The macos support was requested…
- Devlog 6: operation pre-release - 1 December 2025
This is the last devlog before the release. It will be less detailed, but I will try to highlight the main changes happened since the previous devlog. Campaign: Fenero is now a full faction, participating in wars, etc. Added starting vessel metaprogression (can use previously unlocked parts) Added "Cult Resistance" mission as another way to counter the cult influence Added a couple of new quests that interact with cult influence mechanic Added a unique extra plot mission to every starting faction (Radix, Ensis, Cerebra) The Cult can now have a sticky long-term tactics that influence their actions Visitors (player-made vessels) can become AUX units now Added and reworked several missions to include visitors as either allies or enemies Fenero uses visitors for their military fleets Mercenary pilots behavior is now more sticky (unless their skills change) Builtin vessels are now unlockable…
- Devlog: roadmap status update 5 - 23 November 2025
The release is getting closer! I am planning to ship the v1.0 version of the game on 3rd of December. It's not going to be a GOTY-level edition for sure, but I will follow it up by updates to make it real good. Programming Reworked vessel-vs-drone handling in several commands. Instead of having a kludge YES/NO parameter in some and special mode in others, a new FILTER prefixing command can be used now. Added a line drawing primitive for debugging. Also added multi-color support for other drawing primitives (numbers, circle). Color-based commands are now have their color components in 0...255 range instead of 0...1. Added a new command that allows cross-vessel communication using LED colors. Software bundles now have an information window listing every command it unlocks, along with documentation. Implemented some debug simulation options. Equipment Weapon - Charge Gun - the first charge…
- Devlog: roadmap status update 4 - 9 November 2025
This is a status update for the public roadmap. (I may get tired from this mantra eventually) This devlog was a tough one. For starters, I had to decide whether to go with IIII or a proper IV. You know it takes time to edit those post templates, right? With the hardest part behind, let's proceed to the changes made during these two weeks. Steam Workshop: you can send your sandbox vessels to the Steam Workshop right through the game! The item will be published for others to see and rate. If you subscribe to a workshop item with a "Vessel" tag, it will be accessible from the game using the "installed from Steam" filter in your sandbox. Workshop-augmented campaign: It is possible to meet player-made vessels in your single-player campaign! (You will need to have an internet to download them at the start of the campaign though.) Attack them, or maybe try to recruit them! UI/UX: added an equi…
- Devlog: roadmap status update 3 - 24 October 2025
This is a status update for the public roadmap. Please keep in mind that I haven't updated the demo. These devlogs are a way to fill the gap between the demo and the game that is about to be released in a month or two. I may update the demo if there is enough spare time after the main release is done. Equipment: added 4 more weapons. Hydra: a split-missile launcher. Fan cannon: a direct upgrade for Trident weapon, firing 9 projectiles in a wide arc. Vessel buster: a space sniper rifle with high damage and range, but slow rate of fire. Ion sprayer: a fast-firing short-range forward ion cannon, it has remarkable DPS and also burns batteries in seconds. Also added 6 new artifacts, 5 engines, and added tracker to the shop lists. Flagship: reworked trading module (it can now track all resources instead of just 1 per module). Added radar III module. Avatars: added some new pilot avatar elemen…
- Devlog: roadmap status update 2 - 11 October 2025
This is a status update for the public roadmap. Content: added new weapon with unique mechanics "guided", more weapons with this mechanic will come. New campaign missions and interactions. Factions: added a Faction starting option. Play as Radix, Ensis or Cerebra hired mercenary. They have different end-game goals, starting bonuses, and gameplay-affecting effects (like different period scoring rules). Diplomacy: observe the wars between the dominions, or participate in them! The wars have goods and bads: they allow you to earn extra money, but they can shift the dominion power balance too much, and they generally make the dominions weaker. The Cult will use this opening. Politics: strongly connected to diplomacy, politics feature allows the player to directly influence the way dominions might interact. Make them love or hate each other, plot against a single dominion or make everyone yo…
