FEATURE-5 · Cargo weight and escape choices
Trade cargo for speed during a chase. Add deliberate ejection with bounded pickup rules, accurate cargo accounting and protection against immediate self-recapture.
Feature · 0 blitzers supportedOpen itemROADMAP · THE WORK BEHIND THE RIFT
Roadmap
See what is next, what is flying, and what your feedback changed. Optimism now comes with a status column.
CURRENT DEVELOPMENT SLICE
First complete expedition
A Blitzer receives a diegetic adventure transmission, flies through a portal into an authored destination, recovers valuables and returns home with clear outcomes. Build reusable adventures and believable travel, then verify the first complete expedition for a small Steam playtest.
5 shipped · 1 in development · 1 planned
Development notes
October 2 correction requested by Mike: the latest adventure requests are committed to this slice, not deferred for weekend readiness. Development order: TASK-25 separate gate suspension from death; TASK-26 authored adventure definitions and shared lifecycle; TASK-27 replace the rejected modal briefing with short replayable visor transmissions; TASK-28 integrate animated portal entry/loop/exit and combined journey acceptance. TASK-22/23/24 provide the first-expedition reliability, readability and handoff acceptance pass. Detailed criteria: tasks/prd-adventure-modules-and-presentation.md; design/sector-admission.md; design/pilot-information.md. Mike supplies portal artwork and reviews rendered visual studies; a placeholder can exercise the adapter first. Steam 52.230 remains the published baseline; local source travel is not hosted readiness. No hidden roster, persistent flight paragraphs, invented guardian/deadline knowledge or automatic acceptance from test results. Timed closure/loss requires durable recovery; hosted provisioning and release activation remain subsequent explicitly authorized work. Record verified progress today; the calendar does not establish readiness.
Changes to this slice
Started with 3 work items. 4 added since the start; 0 currently removed.
TASK-25 · Gate travel is not ship destruction — Added after the start
TASK-26 · Modular authored adventures and shared lifecycle — Added after the start
TASK-27 · Replace adventure briefing card with visor transmissions — Added after the start
TASK-28 · Animated portal passage and combined journey acceptance — Added after the start
Changes are recorded in each work item's activity.
Ideas here are under review and are not delivery commitments.
FEATURE-17 · Active directional siphoning
Lower priority per owner: defer active directional siphoning until the hunting/discovery and typed-cargo loop is defined. Deliberate forward-facing collection may be evaluated later, but is not a prerequisite for artifacts or specialist buyers. Avoid adding collection friction merely to deepen fill-and-dump mining. If pursued, validate facing, receipt and capacity on the server and preserve cockpit readability.
Feature · 0 blitzers supportedOpen itemFEATURE-20 · Targeting and docking guidance
Explore useful targeting or docking assistance while protecting cockpit visibility and keeping instruments visible. Refine target assessment into confirmed-hit feedback versus observable enemy condition. Start with readable damage states or bounded target status; exact enemy health bars and numerical probability-of-kill displays remain design choices, not commitments. Test whether blitzers recognize successful hits and assess damaged targets without clutter. Link FEATURE-7 and FEATURE-49; FEATURE-47 owns future spatial navigation exploration. Preserve smooth docking.
Feature · 0 blitzers supportedOpen itemFEATURE-18 · Longer-lived sectors
Review reset and session timing only after independent recovery from frozen remote ships is verified. Preserve the option for future wormhole transfers.
Feature · 0 blitzers supportedOpen itemFEATURE-7 · Shields and hull recovery
Approved separate shield layer remains future work: weapon damage overflow to hull, delayed slow regeneration and deliberate capped shield-cell use; capacity, timing, environmental damage routing and balance still need decisions and playtesting. Hull recovery is already locally implemented: deliberate hull packs restore a provisional 25% maximum hull, capped, and own-syndicate port full repair costs a provisional 150 CR. No passive hull regeneration. Shield packs are unavailable until shields exist. Sources: design/consumables-and-missiles.md and docs/plans/port-shop.md. FEATURE-49 subsystem damage remains separate. Preserve authoritative consumption, readable recovery feedback and live/controller acceptance requirements.
Feature · 0 blitzers supportedOpen itemFEATURE-25 · Syndicate sigils and customization-safe ship markings
Carry recognizable syndicate sigils onto ships and reserve affiliation markings within future customization. Cosmetics should preserve clear ally/enemy recognition without relying on hull color alone.
Feature · 0 blitzers supportedOpen itemFEATURE-26 · Blitzer callsigns and length limits
Give blitzers a manageable in-game callsign. Proposed starting limit: 3–16 visible characters, with consistent validation and readable display across game interfaces. Final naming rules and limit need acceptance testing.
Feature · 0 blitzers supportedOpen itemFEATURE-24 · Callsign markings on ship hulls
Explore placing a blitzer’s callsign on a reserved hull nameplate or marking area. Validate visibility and appearance on the actual ship models before committing to a rendering approach.
Feature · 0 blitzers supportedOpen itemFEATURE-6 · Wormhole evacuation between sectors
Let friends reach an evacuation wormhole to continue together. Blitzers who miss it return to the menu. Deferred until the supporting systems are ready.
Feature · 0 blitzers supportedOpen itemFEATURE-41 · Syndicate contracts and optional recurring goals
Playtester feedback/design candidate: give blitzers a desired outcome without prescribing rote actions. Begin with handcrafted optional goals tied to discoveries or meaningful recoveries; daily/weekly schedules and seasonal standings are later options, not commitments. Keep account career separate from each syndicate's advancement; switching must not erase account discoveries or credits. Ask what motivates another flight: a collection, syndicate standing, an earned cosmetic, or a shared event. Avoid obligations/streak pressure and spawn-kill incentives. Depends on reliable career/recovery events; related Ranks and achievements.
Feature · 0 blitzers supportedOpen itemFEATURE-42 · Evolving Rift events and shared campaign progression
Long-term design/playtester feedback: changing Hive pressure, anomalies and shared objectives can give flights context. First evaluate a bounded event within a sector session, reusing existing Hive/Queen/Rift work. Persistent multi-day campaign state is separate from disposable server sessions and needs authoritative contribution, lifecycle and reset rules; do not assume existing sectors last days. Specific Queen emergence, nest exposure, collapsing Rift and contaminated materials are examples to evaluate, not approved mechanics. Related Hive defenders, Queen raid, Rift spectacle, longer-lived sectors and wormhole evacuation. Ask whether changing shared conditions produce voluntary return visits and interesting cooperation/conflict.
Feature · 0 blitzers supportedOpen itemFEATURE-44 · Reverse thrust for combat maneuvering
Prototype candidate. Current throttle is forward-only; slowing throttle is not reverse thrust. Define reverse speed/acceleration, braking interaction and keyboard/controller bindings. Preserve smooth default mouse handling. Evaluate precision maneuvering and combat balance with players; validate authoritative simulation and compatibility when implemented.
Feature · 0 blitzers supportedOpen itemFEATURE-45 · Flight-assist override for momentum-preserving drift
Prototype candidate: temporarily disengage lateral drift assistance so a blitzer can retain travel momentum while rotating to aim. Current assist removes sideways velocity. Keep existing smooth assisted handling as default. Define hold/toggle, restoration, braking/throttle interactions and controller mapping. Test pursuit/escape balance and network consistency; no free instant velocity reversal.
Feature · 0 blitzers supportedOpen itemFEATURE-46 · Boost thrust with a ship-system tradeoff
Backlog design candidate. Explore afterburner-like acceleration/speed at one understandable cost, such as heat, energy or temporary weapon availability. Choose resource, recovery, duration and cargo interactions through playtesting. No specific system cost is approved yet. Related FEATURE-5 cargo escape choices; preserve authoritative limits.
Feature · 0 blitzers supportedOpen itemFEATURE-47 · Holographic in-flight navigation exploration
Later player-evaluated prototype. Explore spatial/3D instrument presentation for bearing, elevation, distance and threats. Define navigation tasks and compare recognition time/readability with current radar before choosing visual treatment. Preserve cockpit/chase visibility and low clutter; visual spectacle alone is not acceptance. Related FEATURE-20 and TASK-4. Distinct from FEATURE-27 deployment galaxy map. Avionics/movie references are visual inspiration, not validated technical requirements.
Feature · 0 blitzers supportedOpen itemFEATURE-49 · Ship subsystem damage and readable diagnostics
Longer-term design. Explore damage to ship systems with clear health/status and actionable consequences, linked to FEATURE-7 hull/shield recovery. Define effects and recovery before implementation; avoid opaque or uncontrollable failures. Diagnostics mini-games remain an optional experiment, not required damage handling. Keep equipment progression separate. Evaluate skill, readability and authoritative multiplayer behavior.
Feature · 0 blitzers supportedOpen itemFEATURE-50 · Ship equipment and customization progression
Longer-term design. Explore meaningful ship equipment/loadout choices and upgrades as a progression path. Related FEATURE-13 services/cosmetics, FEATURE-21 supplies and account progression. Separate cosmetic identity, equipment choices and permanent combat power. Evaluate newcomer competitiveness, readable tradeoffs, loadout rules and server validation before implementation. No permanent combat advantage model is approved.
Feature · 0 blitzers supportedOpen itemFEATURE-52 · First-deployment launch presentation
Later polish. Explore a brief, skippable launch sequence/fanfare for initial player or team entry. Fit active-sector joining and cancellation/recovery; do not force ceremony on every resource unloading departure. Do not delay control or expose an uncontrollable ship to unfair attack. Carrier/Last Starfighter references are inspiration, not a requirement to reproduce them. Related music/ambience work.
Feature · 0 blitzers supportedOpen itemFEATURE-53 · Cargo-funded ship and station investment economy
Design before implementation. Explore spending proceeds on ship or shared station improvements that support meaningful objectives. Decide whether each purchase lasts a sortie, a sector or the account, and define win-condition relevance. Credits remain Steam-account-owned across syndicates. Separate temporary supplies, equipment choices, permanent power and communal contributions; assess newcomer disadvantage, farming, refunds/reset behavior and authoritative accounting. Related FEATURE-4, 13, 21 and 42; no win condition or power curve is approved.
Feature · 0 blitzers supportedOpen itemRecent activity
Completed slices
Raid the Hive together
5 shipped · 5 at start · 1 added · 1 deferred
Development: discover, carry and trade with clear pilot information
0 shipped · 5 at start · 0 added · 4 deferred
Development: usability and mining
1 shipped · 5 at start · 0 added · 4 deferred