Greetings Pilots! It’s been a while! Due to some hitches in development I decided to delay this update, so in terms of activity, march looked rather empty. I'm trying my best not to make a habit out of it.

Let me introduce you to prototype version 0.1.3. She has quite a few new and exciting (and experimental) modules enabled, which pack enough of a punch that I feel is worth releasing as a proper build of the game. I must point out that there are still a few things that need to be ironed out, so expect smaller updates very soon. The features are as follows:

Proper Controller support
Flight and combat is now fully functional with a controller! An optional auto-aim function has also been added to assist with landing easier shots. Currently alternate control layouts and UI integration are still a way off but are definitely coming in later updates.
The current layout:

You can consult the controller cheat sheet in-game by pressing the F1 key any time during flight.

An expanded world, now with usable jump nodes

You are no longer bound within the starting planet’s gravity well as you can now travel via jump nodes to other locations, specifically a nebula and another planet within the starting system.
Starting from now, selecting POI icons linked to jump nodes will also display the location they would lead you to.

To jump to a new location, you first need to reach the node, then activate jump while the "local destination" modifier is set to none. Normally you shouldn’t have a local destination selected unless you specifically clicked on a POI’s icon. In any case, you can deselect destinations with the B key on your keyboard at any time.

Refined mission rewards
No more picking the highest number - cash rewards depend on difficulty now. Furthermore, missions you accept around the starting location (Tena III) might require you to travel to another sector. Fortunately this requirement also offers you a bonus payout.

Tactical Map

If you played earlier versions, you might have noticed that the tactical map was rather lacking in many aspects. This has now been addressed to a certain extent:
The grid has been modified and a new element has been added which displays ship height relative to the player.
Control panel has been expanded, now allowing you to order wing leaders exactly where to position themselves and where to jump if need be (see image above). Do bear in mind that this feature currently does not allow you to send a wing to another sector just yet.
The purpose of these additions will be for an expanded command structure, so if they do seem disjointed with the rest of the game, they will make more sense in later versions.

So what's next?
Fixes to current issues present in 0.1.3 are top priority. During the last month I have also been prototyping several more modules I later plan on properly implementing into the game but I will need more time before showing anything. Currently these give me plenty to do under-the-hood, so expect new content to be light for the time being. Monthly updates seem to work quite well and like I said, I am trying to not make a habit of delaying often.
And finally, the changelog:

04.04.2018 - Prototype ver. 0.1.3:
Additions:

• Updated to Unity version 2018.1.0b13
• Expanded world: Starting map renamed to Tena III; added Tena II and Nebula sector
• Asteroid POIs now available around Tena II (very experimental)
• Mission rewards now scale with difficulty
• Missions are available around distant regions, offering bonus payout
• Minor refinements to ambient traffic - some ships will appear from varying distances
• Post-processing effects (AA/Bloom) can now be adjusted in main menu
• Added UI effects to taking damage
• AI Capital ship added to certain POI and mission tables
• Added Capital ship variant of the hunt freelance mission, adding a 100k bonus on completion
• Additional sound effects added
• Credits section in main menu added

Fixes/Corrections:

• Improved targeting elements - brackets now wrap around ships
• Engine audio in Tactical Map no longer gets stuck
• Refinements made to Tactical Map - new elements and less buggy in general
• Modifications made to fighter/bomber explosion effects

Have fun and thanks for reading!