We’re back!
Hello everyone! Sorry for prolonged silence! We’ve been busy working on the game and wanted to make sure that when we come with some news, we’ll be able to keep it going until release, with regular posts, videos and more! That time is now. Today marks the return of monthly Dev Diaries. Dev Diary 3 will focus on the subject of Construction in Starminer. From now on, each Dev Diary will also be accompanied by a cool trailer focused on the subject and a written deep dive with some new screenshots for you to pick apart! We’d also like to encourage you to subscribe and follow our two new channels: On both these channels we’ll release a few shorts and videos every month, giving you more insights into whatever subject the last Dev Diary was about. It means that this month’s focus will be construction and building in Starminer. And probably whatever weird stuff pops up in our Community Manager’s head! For now though, have a look at the Starminer Building trailer and enjoy reading the Dev Diary! [previewyoutube=VHDCRvKaG9E;full][/previewyoutube]Dev Diary 3: Construction
After your storages are full of freshly mined asteroid ore, it is time to refine this ore into metals usable for construction. There are six different types of resources players can mine and refine. These are Iron (Fe), Silicon (Si), Cobalt (Co), Thorium (Th), Water (H20) and Eonite (Eo) - a rare element with a potential to unlock space travel. Resources are also used for repair, upkeep of your colonists (H2O), manufacture of products at factories (nuclear fuel, ordnance, plasma cells) and as a means to earn some credits by trading them at specified locations.
When raw ore mined from asteroids is delivered into refineries, it is then processed into metals to be used as a construction material for creating a plethora of different station modules.
The backbone of every station is the "Hulk Node" - a modular structure with eight Tier 1 and six Tier 2 expansion slots in a basic, but sturdy package, optionally equipped with retro thrusters for basic navigation. Meanwhile, Tier 1 and Tier 2 Solar Panels provide a cheap and reliable source of energy. From here, players are free to mix and match various modules to create a rig for any task - be it cargo transport, mining, habitation, defense, construction, scouting or assault.
Your Constructors, small engineering vessels that work on the construction site, play a key role here. They deliver resources and assemble modules on the site. Numbers matter here, as more Constructors will complete the job much faster. A sizable fleet of Constructors supported with full storage of construction materials will offer a satisfying pace of expansion and enable players to create stations of any size and shape or just experiment with various creations. From agile fighters and bustling mining outposts to expansive colonies and towering space-mechs with articulated limbs, there's truly nothing hindering you from constructing the space fleet you've always envisioned!
To complete constructions with more efficiency and take on larger projects like stargates, players can build task specific rigs with construction towers - these are powerful Tier 2 tools which improve the allocation of resources to the construction site. Assist friendly stations with repairs or constructions to complete various mission types and build up your fleet. But remember - efficient logistics are crucial to keep your operation running like a well-oiled machine and front lines supplied - even in the face of the most formidable threat humanity has ever encountered.
