What is this
Every Thursday, I will share a dev diary about what we’ve been working on over the past few weeks. I’ll focus on the interesting challenges and solutions that I encountered. I won’t be able to cover everything, but I’ll share what caught my interest.
Why am I doing it
I want to bring our community along on this journey, and I simply love writing about things I’m passionate about! This is my unfiltered dev journal, so please keep in mind that what I write here are my thoughts and will be outdated by the time you read this, as so many things change quickly. Any plans I mention aren’t set in stone and everything is subject to change. Also, if you don’t like spoilers, then don’t read this.
Space Engineers 1
Space Engineers is growing again!
Since the Apex Survival Update, player numbers have been rising – a rare sight for a game over 10 years old.
Big thanks to the SE1 team for making it happen!
With Apex Survival released, the survival gameplay in Space Engineers has completely changed. Systems like food, farming, hazards, and meaningful death mean survival is no longer just about oxygen and hydrogen.
I want to thank our community for already putting together amazing tutorials. It is always impressive how fast you explore, explain, and share your knowledge with others.
These guides will help countless players get into the new systems more smoothly than we could ever manage on our own.
Space Engineers 2
Sounds of Next Frontier
We are excited to announce another music competition, this time as “Sounds of Next Frontier” for Space Engineers 2!
Our past two Music Competitions were some of the most memorable experiences for us, and we can’t wait to hear the musical masterpieces you create this time. Good luck!
Full Details: https://2.spaceengineersgame.com/sounds-of-next-frontier-space-engineers-2-music-competition/
Colonization & Map Design
I talked about the colonization meta loop in my previous blog posts, but here is a quick summary:
The heart of Space Engineers 2’s gameplay is the colonization of the Almagest System. The system is divided into regions, each with its own resources, challenges, and opportunities. By completing missions and building infrastructure, you raise your colonization index – a measure of humanity’s foothold in this new star system.
Every project matters: a power station, a mining outpost, even defending against threats. Everything contributes to colonization.
We call this “The New Space Race” – a clear and visible progression path, while still keeping the sandbox freedom that defines Space Engineers.
The story layer will be optional. If you want, you can take missions from NPCs or the Contract Block and push the narrative forward. Or you can ignore it all and just play pure sandbox.
Colonization simply provides a purpose and a sense of progress for those who want it.
Ok, we have the design – so what now?
Now comes the tedious, patient, meticulous programming work needed to make all of this real.
We’re implementing the progression system and the sector map:
Making GPS markers searchable and intuitive:
And building the foundation for planet placement and discoveries:
Once this layer is complete, we’ll make it pretty and have the structure in place to grow and expand colonization into the core experience of Space Engineers 2.
I can’t wait to test this in a real game loop!
Planets Verdure & Kemik
By now you have seen a lot of planet Verdure:
But you probably haven’t seen Vallation Station above it:
And here is Kemik – a desolate, Mars-like planet
Can’t wait to share more next week!
Share your thoughts in the comments below – I read them all, and they’re one of my favorite parts of making SE2.
