Roadmap
What is playable now, what is in active development, and what comes next. No dates, just priorities and steady progress.
Current build // Core loop functional
Already playable
The core game loop works. Full battles with fleets, structures, economy, and AI. Everything below is functional in development builds.
Visual polish and combat feel
Engine trails, Jump Drive effects (charging glow, departure flash, arrival shockwave), construction animations, post-processing, audio design.
Hardpoint setup pass
Weapon mounts and system hardpoints placed on every ship and structure model. Turret positions, shield generators, engine arrays - all verified against stats.
Camera and LOD system
Seamless zoom from tactical view (full 3D, particle effects) to strategic overview (Wells as icons, fleets as arrows). No loading screens between scales.
AI strategic layer
Teaching the AI to think across Gravity Wells. Expansion, force allocation, raiding parties, retreat decisions, scouting, and Mobile Shipyard protection.
Notifications and alerts
Toast alerts for hostiles jumping in, supply nodes destroyed, structures under attack. Click to snap the camera there. Audio stingers for critical events.
Ship experience and leveling
Ships gain combat experience. Veterancy levels 1-10 improve ability effectiveness. Veterans are worth protecting. The AI knows this too.
Capital ships
Dreadnoughts. The heaviest class. Built at Capital Shipyards only. A single one changes the balance of a Gravity Well.
Screenshot and cinematic mode
Free camera, slow motion, depth of field, super-resolution capture. For moments when a fleet jumps into a contested Well and you want a wallpaper.
End-game flow
Victory and defeat screens with detailed statistics, fleet strength graphs, time-based charts. Play again, rematch, or return to menu.
Balance pass
Comprehensive tuning of every ship, structure, ability, module, and AI behavior. Making every choice meaningful and every faction distinct.
Campaign & Global War
The meta-game. Strategic Campaign: fight a series of battles as a faction commander, your Mobile Shipyard persists between missions, the map evolves. Global War: a shared strategic map where every player's battles count. Seasonal campaigns. Three factions competing across fifteen sectors. Your rank grows. The war resets.
Steam Workshop
Share custom maps. The Map Editor already works. Workshop support lets the community build and share battlefields.
Tutorial and onboarding
Guided first missions, contextual tips, loading screen strategy advice. The game has depth. New players need a path into it.
Solo development // Steady progress
The Outer Line is built by a solo developer. Updates come when they are ready. The dispatches and devlogs on this site document the process in real time. No promises on dates, just consistent work toward the game described above.