Version 0.43 released

Fourth update since E.A. has started. This version contains many small but very nice interface improvements, the premise being “less clicking”. Hotkeys were redesigned and assigned to the most frequently used actions. The reports auto zoom on a planet which is being reported (can be toggled on/off) and other small improvements. In addition strategic interstellar missiles were implemented and space exploration rebalanced.

– [feature] Interstellar strategic missiles (like strategic bombs but without the need for the orbit control, requires an imperial starbase in range).
– [feature] Strategic weapons production changed. You can produce as many strategic weapons as you want, but the price increases each time you purchase one (the counter resets upon Council gathering (each season)). Also, the base price increases a bit each season.
– [feature] Upkeep for starbases/fortresses/comm towers implemented (for now the cost is very low).

– [remove] Removed happiness reduction over time (too confusing and growing decadence of the Empire can be portrayed by other means anyway).
– [remove] Temporarily removed biological bombs (those will be back later).

– [misc] Overmind is killed when a civilized race takes over a planet.
– [misc] Custom options have been reset due to storage change (just recheck those as you wish and those will save properly).

– [balance] Requirements for planet ‘s loyalty glorious achievement reduced.
– [balance] Crime reduced (possibly the whole crime mechanic might be removed later, we will see).
– [balance] The number of exploration attempts each turn is now affected by the galaxy size.

– [content] Adventurer on audience event for additional exploration attempts. He will show up at later stages of the game (with a very low chance at the early stage) also the chance of showing up depends on the ratio of unexplored planets to the galaxy size.

– [interface] Finances tax tab beautified.
– [interface] Reports: auto find target planet on a report change (can be toggled on/off).
– [interface] Beautified right side report buttons and added “All” folder. Also tooltips on reports buttons listing hotkeys.
– [interface] “Find” planet button now has [f] hotkey (and a tooltip listing the hotkey).
– [interface] Removed several less used hotkeys (e/r/t) to free those for other uses (beside, those were assigned to not so often used actions anyway).
– [interface] Hotkeys redone: Now [q] is used for a “quick” access to the most used/logical action in the current context (for example on planets without any owner it would be “Establish outpost”, on alien planets “Conquest” on unexplored “Priority exploration”). Basically it means that you can click on a planet and then press ‘q’ and in like 80% of cases it will be exactly what you wanted to do. Also it’s used to cancel to just selected quick action. All [q] hotkeys are listed in the appropriate tooltips.
– [interface] Hotkeys [r] to open/close reports.
– [interface] Establish outpost and exploration priority displays on the starmap as orders (so you can see those on a glance and it’s more logical/consistent). Also added shades of the order marker so you can spot a difference between the outposts that can be established now and those that are not neighboring the imperial borders yet.

– [fix] Glorious achievement “All techs of level 10+” was not triggering.
– [fix] Other small fixes.

Compatibility note: NO CHANGE, this version works with v0.40+ savefiles (note that each time a savefile compatibility is broken a new Beta branch with the old version is created so you can always finish your game in progress).