The levels are being recalibrated. In our computer-vs-computer tests Easy and Normal now beat Hard about 5 times in 10, so the three levels are much closer than their names say. Easy still leaves your home alone until 12:00 and attacks less often; how much weaker each level plays is the next thing we fix. Tell us how your level felt.
It needs many bombers to take a planet. Since a colony must be bombed to zero before it can be settled, the Brain gathers bombers before it attacks and often turns back or loses the fight while it does. Matches between computer players now often run to 30:00.
§ 02
Gameplay
The trading network delivers less per hop for now. Since links go hop by hop, minerals travelling far pass through several links and arrive more slowly (about a third less reaches a distant colony in our tests). Hub upgrades that raise a hop's bandwidth are planned. Until then, a colony far from your hubs builds slowly.
Minerals are per planet until a Trading Hub links them. A colony can be short while the top bar's total looks large. The planet view shows where the minerals are: Here (this planet), System and Network; Here turns amber or red when the next build costs more than the planet holds.
A colony sees only a small circle around itself. Every populated planet scans a short distance and shows enemy ships there as blobs, not ship types. Further out, or to tell a frigate from a colonizer, you still need a scout, a scanner, a frigate or a starbase.
To take an enemy colony you must bomb it to zero first. A colonizer sent to a planet with people on it is refused ("Enemy colony: bomb it first").
No early warning for domination. The red "Enemy holds 60% of the stars" banner appears only once the 2:00 hold has started.
The numbered colony targets only know what you have seen. A planet you never scouted is not suggested, and a "safe" target can still have enemies you have not spotted.
An idle miner starts mining by itself after 10 seconds in a system with a free planet. To park one, use "Return to orbit" (fleet view) or give it an orbit order.
§ 03
Multiplayer
Multiplayer has no computer players. Two players only; the difficulty choice is for single player.
Joining a match late and reconnecting after a drop are not checked yet. A full two-player match over a simulated network was played for this version (the build grid, fleet groups, bookmarks, inspecting, reinforcing, attacking a hub, the refused colonizer order, your planets' scan, and now the attacker, the bombing notice and the miner marker on the joining side), but not a player who joins after the start or drops and comes back. LAN discovery was not part of that test either.
§ 04
Tutorials
"Needs you", the star badges, the crossed swords and the jump keys (F1 / Home, Backspace, ".", ",", N, Ctrl+Left / Right) only appear in a real match, not in the tutorials. The Basics tutorial describes them.
The Strategy tutorial isn't there yet; the four in the picker cover the basics, movement, combat and the economy.
In the Combat tutorial's real fight, send the cruisers. A fleet without cruisers cannot break the starbase: that is the lesson, not a bug.
Some tutorial pictures and texts may still show an older screen in places. The tutorials can be finished; tell us where a step no longer matches what you see.
§ 05
Screens
Zoomed far out, a click on a star can pick its starbase or Trading Hub when that icon sits over the star; you then see the structure's details instead of the star. Click beside the icon, or press F1 / Home for your home star.
H (Controls & HUD) works during a match only, not in the main menu.
At UI scale 250% the empire overview runs a little under the bottom panel, and the statistics panel header takes a lot of room; scroll for the charts.
The statistics panel's supply chart says "cap 120" even after you bought supply.
§ 06
Replays
Old replays may play differently. Replays from another version play with a warning and can drift from what happened (0.74.0 changed the trading links, the computer opponent and what a frigate sees).
A multiplayer guest who disconnects before the end keeps no replay.
The bottom panel can't be used in a replay but does not say so.
§ 07
Performance
Very large late-game battles (200+ ships) can slow a mid-range PC. Tell us your CPU and graphics card if it stutters.