Asynchronous PvP & Persistent Progress Update

Hello Everyone!

I’m excited to share some big updates that have been three weeks in the making! I’ve implemented asynchronous PvP, a persistent inventory and save system, and several other major features that will take your gameplay to the next level. Here’s everything you need to know:

🚀 New Mechanics

1. Asynchronous PvP
   • You now have five slots to save your fleets of ships. When you queue for battle, one of these fleets will be loaded as your opponent, even if that player isn’t online. The AI will control both your ship and your opponent’s, making battles more accessible.
   • After each match, your fleet’s ranking will be updated using a basic ELO system. You can track your win/loss ratio and see your rank on the new global leaderboards.
2. Persistent Inventory & Upgrades
   • Your resources and inventory items are now stored securely using Unity Cloud Save, meaning your progress will be preserved between sessions.
   • To make things more balanced, resources are slightly harder to come by. However, rest assured that your items will always be waiting for you.
   • Tech Points: You can now craft Tech Points (replacing circuits from leveling up) to unlock and upgrade blocks and weapons. They’re expensive, but upgrades are persistent and independent of fleet save slots.
3. Leaderboards & Bots
   • Competing in asynchronous multiplayer will list your fleet on the global leaderboard, with ranks determined by your ELO score.
   • To seed the initial ship pool, I’ve added four AI-controlled bot players (names beginning with “BOT_”), but I hope players will soon fill these slots!

🎨 Visual Enhancements

• Enhanced bloom effects and more vibrant colors. Feedback is welcome—I'm not an artist, and your input will help!
• Redesigned lighting and shadows for a more realistic and subtle effect, reducing overly bright areas.
• Applied bump mapping to most blocks and weapons for added texture detail.
• Improved resolution of all parallax backgrounds and added a subtle vignette for visual depth.

🖥️ User Interface Upgrades

• Fixed numerous bugs with overlapping UI elements, ensuring better responsiveness.
• Refined the color scheme with softer tones and added partial transparency for a cleaner look.
• Updated and polished icon art for a more cohesive design.

🛠️ Bug Fixes

• Mauler: Fixed the bug where bullets would be absorbed incorrectly.
• Laser & Nano Laser: No longer hit invisible blocks.
• Removed a recursive function that caused slow ship generation and destruction—performance is now significantly improved.
• Fixed issues with the inventory being inaccessible when creating a new account.
• Numerous performance optimizations for a smoother experience.

⚖️ Balance Changes

• Machine Gun:
  • Range reduced from 150 to 100.
  • Damage reduced from 8 to 6.
• Rocket Launcher: Damage increased from 3 to 4.
• Missile Launcher: Damage per missile increased from 2 to 3.
• Nano Laser: Healing increased from 2/sec to 4/sec.

🔍 Known Bugs & Unexpected Behaviors

• Editing a ship will highlight your save slots with a yellow outline, indicating the active ship being modified. These changes are saved instantly to the cloud, so double-check that you're editing the correct slot!

💬 Community & Feedback

I’ve been a solo developer on this project for nearly four years, and your feedback is invaluable. Please report any bugs or lost items on the Stargrid Community Forums. Join us to show off your fleets, share strategies, or discuss game balance.

Be among the first to share your ideas, and who knows—they might become part of the game!

Happy fleet building and battling! Thanks for your support and for being part of the Stargrid universe.