More tactical combat, nested tooltips, upgraded graphics

Astroprotocol is a fast-paced space 4X where each run takes just 1 to 2 hours. This devlog highlights the key improvements we’ve made over the past two weeks of development.

Passive Ship Abilities

Each ship class now features a unique passive ability, giving it a more distinct tactical role and encouraging creative positioning:

• Corvette: Gains +1 movement after destroying an enemy ship. Ideal for hit-and-run strikes and flanking weakened targets.

• Battleship: Prevents enemies from counter-attacking any allied ship. Acts as a frontline protector for your entire fleet.

• Bulwark: When attacked, counter-attacks the attacker first. Designed to hold ground and deter close-range focus fire.

• Vanguard: Colonizing a planet does not use or require movement points. Perfect for rapid expansion and deep colonization.

• Carrier: Deals damage to enemy units adjacent to the target when attacking. Great for softening up tightly packed enemy fleets.

• Oracle: Grants +10 shield to all adjacent friendly units. A strong support ship that enhances nearby defenses.

These abilities enhance strategic planning and deepen the tactical combat.

Nested Tooltips

You can now hover over abilities, ship stats, technologies, upgrades, and even gameplay terms to get contextual explanations, and hover again to dive deeper. This is especially useful for understanding the new ship passives. The actual tooltip contents are still being improved and expanded.

Ship Visual Upgrades

We’ve enhanced ship visuals to better communicate function and faction identity:

• Visible weapon mounts, lights, and sensors

• Faction emblems

• Engine trail particles for movement effects

The map grid has also been improved to make key details more readable at a glance. These changes help differentiate ship types and improve visual clarity in larger battles.

Selected Ship Panel Overhaul

The ship info panel has been completely redesigned, now featuring new icons for actions, stats, and passives. This makes it easier to quickly assess each unit’s capabilities and plan your next move.

Map Generation Improvements

We now guarantee at least 6 empty hexes around each starting planet. This guarantees players consistent early-game room to expand and build orbitals without immediate congestion.

AI Enhancements

AI opponents are smarter about resource conservation and technology research:

• They will delay low-value actions in order to save up for high-impact upgrades.

• AIs will make smarter decisions when choosing the tech to research

Which ship passive is your favourite? Do you think some are even too powerful?