Open Beta Patch v1.27a (18 june 2025)

[Bellrock]

First, Thank you for the updates, really enjoying the gameplay, and loving the changes.

Question regarding patch notes (v1.2k):

Most of the notes in the Patch Notes for 1.2k end with an asterisk '*' symbol, and I'm not finding in the notes, a note, as to what this '*' means. I vaguely recall in earlier patches that the '*' was meant to indicate a game restart was required for that particular note to be effective. Looking through prior Patch Notes most do not mention the definition of the '*' either, however there are few that indicate that '*' means a restart required. So my question what does the '*' mean for this Patch Note?

Suggestion: if the '*' means a restart required, and is common thru all the patch notes, please consider placing this statement definition at, or near the top of the page. It will keep you from typing the same thing over and over again, and be a convenient place for folks to look up.

Thank you

[Soar_Slitherine]

Yes, the * has always meant that the change is only effective on newly generated planets.

[zgrssd]

It is not there consistently, but

*=Requires new game start to show up

[Vic]

bump! tiny hotfix fixing 2 crashes.

[Haplo]

Something wrong happens with the last update on Steam. The game request an "username" and a "password" (???).

[JohnRa]

I second that, game won't start without user credentials, which I don't have.

[Disturbance20]

me too, and multiple people reporting in our discord too

[Xebec]

1.21k2
Fixed users being able to play the game



(Love all of the updates Vic! Unfortunate this one is preventing access..)

[Vic]

my bad. apologies. no more calling patches hotfixes i guess.

updating the build now.

[Disturbance20]

my bad. apologies. no more calling patches hotfixes i guess.

updating the build now.

thanks for fixing that so quick, Vic! We thought you went on vacation already and feared a 2 week pause in our games!

[Don_Kiyote]

... improving projectile based weapons on low Air Pressure Planets

Tres cool; a pet fave this^. I so want to see super-artillery perform in thin air. Enjoy the seaside, Cap'n.

[Vic]

Bump. Fixed 2 more quite serious bugs, recently introduced.

[Vic]

my bad. apologies. no more calling patches hotfixes i guess.

updating the build now.

thanks for fixing that so quick, Vic! We thought you went on vacation already and feared a 2 week pause in our games!

your welcome

[Thrake]

Thanks a lot for the quick fixes!

[eddieballgame]

You the man, Vic.

[Nagabaron]

Thanks Vic, loving your game and got the physical copy too.

Hope you use my suggestion idea! Lol!

[Disturbance20]

On my first time using the organic furnace:

The notes say level 2 can use forests 2 hexes out, I had a savanna left and a forest on a mountain left within one tile. There are forests two tiles out.
On the very turn the furnace would have completed the upgrade, the savanna was used up and the furnace deleted itself.
1) I had already paid all the costs for the upgrade and now it just disappeared, costing me all those resources for nothing.
2) Why isn't it using the mountain forest.
3) If the furnace can be upgraded to use forests farther out, it should not get auto deleted without the option to upgrade.

[Vic]

Bump! Further finetuning upon the previous few patches. And a crash fix too.

[Elver]

On my first time using the organic furnace:

The notes say level 2 can use forests 2 hexes out, I had a savanna left and a forest on a mountain left within one tile. There are forests two tiles out.
On the very turn the furnace would have completed the upgrade, the savanna was used up and the furnace deleted itself.
1) I had already paid all the costs for the upgrade and now it just disappeared, costing me all those resources for nothing.
2) Why isn't it using the mountain forest.
3) If the furnace can be upgraded to use forests farther out, it should not get auto deleted without the option to upgrade.

This is more of a general note, but the way depletable assets vanish when they run out encourages a certain amount of micromanaging if the asset has been upgraded a few times. If there's been a substantial investment, the amount of resources you can get out of downgrading a resource has lead me more than once to reduce production levels to a minimum to get as close to 0 w/o depleting as possible, then shutting down and downgrading the asset out of existence (or at least to lvl 1) rather than letting it fully deplete. In the interest of avoiding micromanaging, making assets either not vanish or stop at 1 point left would be nice, especially since we now have "dig deeper" stratagems.

[Mechasaurian]

Hi, Vic. Hope this message finds you well.

I've been enjoying the latest beta versions of Shadow Empire. The AI has gotten a nice glow up, even if it's not quite on the same level as humans, and I've enjoyed the challenge of the additional logistical strain. I also like the push to make soil demetalization less essential.


So there are two unit types I think it's worth talking about.

The first is the Quad Machine Gun (QMG).The infantry variant, not the mechanized kind.

• It doesn't make much sense, flavour wise. The image of the QMG is of a big, static gun emplacement, similar to a WW2 anti-air gun. But somehow, someway, soldiers can carry them like they're just another rifle?

• They are too powerful. They fill the same basic role as normal MGs, except for being Just Better at the same job. This compounds with the issue where...

• ...they are extremely inconvenient to use, in an unfun, gamey way, by virtue of being impossible to upgrade like other infantry models.

In singleplayer, I usually don't use QMGs because they're just too much of a hassle, and I can get away with it against the AI. Against other human players however, where you have to scrabble for every advantage you can get, you unfortunately cannot manage without them. Or maybe you can, but you are putting yourself at a disadvantage compared to a human opponent who does.

It's also worth noting that the exact role of the QMG seems to have been somewhat confused over the lifetime of Shadow Empire. It is my understanding that QMGs used to be the most cost effective pre-SAM anti-air defense you could get on top of everything else (at least against low flying aircraft). Then that was nerfed.

I have two proposed solutions.

• Just remove QMGs from the game entirely.

• Rework the QMG as a static emplacement - a powerful but immobile defense. Essentially a manned precursor to the Automated Turret units.

I'd be fine with either of the two, though I think I prefer the latter - it would give the QMG its own tactical niche instead of just being "MG but better."

The second unit I want to talk about is the Ornithopter, and its relationship with other aircraft in the game, particularly helicopters. I'll come back and write more later.