Well, I just updated the In Progress page, as some may have noted. As you can see, a lot of work has been completed, but there's still some major things left to accomplish. The "ship modularity" and "Improved AI" are the two biggest things remaining, and are currently in development. These are both pretty big changes to the game, and neither were slated for the original "3.2" planned for release back in December. 3.2.0 has become kind of a juggernaut, since it represents our attempt to bring the game to a state more amenable to a larger userbase. It'll be the biggest change since 3.0 (which added the current Universe, Nations, CTF, trading and a lot of other concepts), and we'll be very happy to have it finished. In a lot of respects, it won't even exploit a lot of the work that we've done, but it will put us in a position where we can more easily do so. For instance, the background renderer was developed to permit us to easily create a lot of nice-looking, varied sector backgrounds from a fixed pool of artwork (greatly reducing the potential game download size and improving flexibility). Although 3.2.0 will expand the universe, it won't push it nearly as far as it could be pushed, since a truely large-scale universe realistically requires the development of the "Navigational" system and some other concepts.

I had hoped we would have 3.2.0 out by the end of this month. This is no longer looking realistic, but I don't anticipate it will be much longer than that. A week or two at most. The game may yet be feature-complete, but unstable and unready for release, by the end of the month. Interim releases (3.1.x) are, from this point, unlikely. Although if a major bug crops up it will be addressed.

Between 3.2.0 and mid-May we will be breaking from our roadmap a little, and doing some specialized development for E3. Hopefully this will help us find a publisher. Many of you may find the specialized work more exciting than the ground-laying work we've been doing, however :). That feature list will be finalized after the release of 3.2, and posted at that time.

3.2.0 is the jumping-off point from which we will be able to more realistically begin building the MMO. Major features from this point will include such concepts as a "Mission System" and other big gameplay fundamentals.

Everyone (including us) have been waiting a long time for this, I hope people will be happy with the result. Again, I apologize for, and personally dislike, the lack of fixed release dates for 3.2. We were pretty good about making our public release milestones previously, but this version has gotten a little out of hand. Then again, it includes a lot of major behind-the-scenes types of changes, so the time has been well spent.

Modular configurability!!! W00t w00ty w00ty!!! /me hugs the devs... Ooo... E3... I wanna go...

well pyro.. being as i wont be able to go clean their carpets to get in, you can take over that position

After 3.2.0 and after some of the MMO aspects have been added, will it remain a free public beta? Or will there be an early release of the final product that constantly gets updated with patches etc.?

As a developer, I understand quite well what kind of problems you can have trying to release something on time. And all I HAVE to deal with is the internet. At least I don't have to worry about multiple OS's. :)

Hmmm... Just out of curiousity, does [in progress] mean that you're working on it now and [incomplete] mean that you haven't even started it yet? Or did I completely mix that up?

You guys are doing a fine job.

Good luck at E3. Hopefully, some U.S. publisher will see in this an excellent chance for this to be what Earth & Beyond wasn't, and to provide strong competition for that similar European title whose date keeps slipping and slipping. I know they are bound to see a game with more gameplay than any other current sci-fi MMORPG out there. I just hope they see your potential.

I second that. If they let me attend E3 this year I'll come visit you guys.

E3?

it's kinda a PC-happening in germany

Normally I should have gone there along with my fellow industrial engineers, but because I am making my master abroad, I'm pardonned for not attaining it :D

In my opinion you shouldn't have to pay to get inside the E3, it's for god sake good commercial for the company who attains such a happening.

for instance: AMD,nvidia,ati and some of the other mayor company's propose their newest discovery's to the crowd.

It's rather boring, but you will come in contact with the newest technologys on this face of the earth :D "at least the non-military ones ;)"

cheers

What the? Not open to the general public??? /me cries... I didn't see Guild Software on the list of current attending companies, by the way...

Lol, "the non-military ones" Who will make cloaking devices? The military, who will make spacial sheilding? The military. Grrr the military should join E3 =P on the other hand...
General bob: Where is our Hellstrike intercepter?
Commander george: no vlue
General bob: WTF?!?!? THAT THING HAS SPACIAL SHEILDING, CLOAKING, PLANET TO PLANET MISSLES, SUBATOMIC LASERS!! HOW COULD YOU LOSE IT!!!
**Air raid siren activates**
Hellstrike intercepter: KATHWAK ZZZAP ZZZZAP BOOOM BOOM
**hellstrike disappears**
--The next day--
--In china---
KA THWAP KATHWAP BOOM

=D

Renegade, I think you're thinking of a different E3. The one we're attending is held in Los Angeles in may. It's a giant video game expo, and anything BUT "rather boring". And while it's not open to the public, it IS open to any member of the video game industry.

http://www.e3expo.com/

Can you kidnap me and bring me along?

OOO!!! Do they need volunteers for communications and stuff? I have a ham radio license... Or you could kidnap me too... :P

yep it's something else

you lucky guys, playing the best games

/me goes over to his corner and starts crying

"sob" cheers "sob"

Haha... You Europeans and your crummy games... :P Actually, Soldner looks really good... /me hugs his copy of PC Gamer...

/me is happy, at least I can play this game

/me just noticed, that he hasn't got a PC to play it

/me starts crying again :D

cheers

Hmm... Can I make a request for you guys for E3? Take a digital camera with you and take a bunch of pics to stick on the website, please... Pretty please? With multicolored vultures on top? :P

Ooh. I'm excited now. =D Now, so we don't have to wait for 3.2, you can all go out and buy my time machine. Just go to any 7/11 and pick up a few bottles of Jimmy Bean, drink, pass out, and repeat as needed until 3.2 arrives.
Also, take lots of E3 pictures for the site.