Hello everyone!

Recently, I got a Steam Deck as a gift, and of course, the first thing that came to mind was: "My game has to run on this!" I naively thought two short weeks would be enough: one for controls, another for testing. Spoiler alert: I was way too optimistic! 😅

After more than a month of work, I'm super happy to announce that I finally have a playable demo on the Steam Deck! But let me tell you a bit about what went on behind the scenes of this adventure...

At first, I wanted to use all of the Steam Deck's options: trackpads, joysticks, buttons... I thought it was awesome to exploit every possibility. Except, when playing, I quickly realized it was anything but pleasant. My "lazy" side took over, and I got tired of juggling between trackpads and joysticks. So I radically simplified: goodbye trackpads! I streamlined the controls to use only the bare minimum, making the experience much smoother and more intuitive.

Once the controls were set, I hit the performance wall head-on. I knew my game wasn't an optimization champion, but on the Steam Deck, it was a disaster! I spent a good week tracking every millisecond, juggling parameters to find the right balance between fluidity and visual quality, and most importantly, to avoid draining the battery in less than 30 minutes. A real headache!

Valve has very strict guidelines for the "Verified" badge. I had to face two big challenges: making all text readable from 30 cm away (you almost needed a magnifying glass before!) and removing all mentions of a mouse or keyboard. That meant redoing all the in-game videos and explanations so they were perfectly adapted to the Steam Deck. A huge amount of work!

More than a month after receiving my Steam Deck, I'm incredibly proud to have managed to solve all the issues. It's immense satisfaction to see Space Drilling Station come to life on this machine.

I sincerely hope you'll enjoy playing it as much as I enjoyed making it compatible. Please don't hesitate to give me your feedback; it's essential for continuing to improve the game!

• Manufacturing and Logistics: No more daily adjustments! For manufacturing, you now indicate the desired quantity in stock. Logistics adopts the same logic: you define the desired quantity (or unlimited) to be deposited in storage blocks, replacing the old "collection point" approach.
  
  
• Overall Balancing: The balancing has been thoroughly overhauled for a much more satisfying result. Expect more measured production – goodbye hordes of handlers! The economy is also more demanding, which I hope will make the game more captivating. Contracts have been optimized for more transparency: you can now set your purchase price, thus influencing acceptance by other stations.
  
  
• Planetary Development: The planetary aspect is significantly expanding with new buildings. Pipes are making an appearance, allowing raw products to be transported through various separators and filters, optimizing refining within the station. Additionally, tanker drones will only be able to dock at storage buildings.
  
  
• Planetary Mechanics: The planet is now composed of tiles. Building infrastructure on one of them grants you its control; of course, other stations can do the same. Resources are becoming scarcer, making control of certain territories crucial.