
u/sidius-king

Distant Worlds 2: Shadows Rising RELEASES TOMORROW OCT-7TH
Key Features
- Play as a Lone Pirate and begin with a single ship and rise toward pirate infamy to become a Legendary Lone Pirate or grow into a Pirate Faction.
- Periodically jump into your ship’s new cockpit or bridge view to experience the action from a unique first-person perspective.
- Play as a fully space-based Pirate Faction with much more control over a new economy based around mining and trade, smuggling, raiding, privateering, espionage, influence and corruption and contracts of all kinds from different sources.
- Grow strong enough and you may transition from a fully space-based Pirate faction into a new Pirate Empire with its own unique government type — or remain space-based and become a Legendary Pirate Faction.
- Experience the new “Age of Shadows” starting era, where pirates must survive against increased threats from the Hive and build up as independent colonies look to become the first full space-faring empires that will challenge your dominance of the galaxy.
- Four distinct playstyles are available: the jack-of-all trades Pirate, the chaotic and aggressive Raider, the trading-focused Smuggler, or the combat and privateering-focused Mercenary.
- Complete contracts, raid planets or guard planets to fight off rival pirate factions to make sure your influence spreads unabated. Influence creates corruption and will covertly siphon off income and expand black market resource offerings for smuggling.
- Establish Hidden Pirate Bases and Pirate Fortresses to solidify your presence on key worlds. Upgrade a fortress into a Criminal Network to lay the foundation for your Pirate Empire or build the Legendary Anarchopolis.
- Undertake and compete for contracts across the galaxy that include resource deliveries, espionage missions including artifact theft and ransoming characters, and destroying assigned targets or fighting on the side of another faction.
- The powerful Shadowports act as neutral pirate-aligned hubs where pirate factions trade ships, technology, and rare equipment. They also offer contracts to support pirate efforts, especially to keep Independent worlds and planetary Empires under control and to counter the Hive.
- A new smuggling system allows contraband resources to be transported to buy and sell at premium prices. There is risk involved, however, as smuggling operations may be discovered, which could result in the destruction of your ships and reduce your reputation with your trade partners.
- Discover expanded Independent Worlds with unique bonuses, artifacts, defenses, and which can now evolve into powerful new empires.
- Faction behavior can be customized with expanded pirate policy systems governing contracts, smuggling, influence, and fleet operations.
- As an Empire, experience new interactions and challenges with the fully developed Lone Pirates, Pirate Factions and Shadowports that now populate the galaxy. Pirates can be opposed or hired through the new Contract system for Resources and Privateering which allows you to hire Pirates to fight your enemies for you.
The Galaxy lives on
Recommendations: Most complex Wargames available ?
Sometimes I like to see the world burn .. what’s some of the most complex wargames available to play right now. Feel free to include games that you can’t buy on steam etc..
Ridiculous Space Battles - Spiritual Successor to Gratuitous Space Battles!
RIDICULOUS SPACE BATTLES is the spiritual successor to the first ever autobattler game: Gratuitous Space Battles! After a fifteen year wait, the ridiculously over-the-top and completely unjustified battles in space ARE BACK.
More info here : https://store.steampowered.com/app/3607230/Ridiculous\_Space\_Battles/
OFFICIAL Space4X Steam Community Group !
Hello Commanders!
Finally the day has come. We now have the official Steam Community group for Space4X !
Feel free to join and lets have some fun!
Space Station Designer - Dev Diary #17: The Lunar Space Elevator: Logistics
store.steampowered.comCapital Command - Release Date Update!
store.steampowered.comDune: The Known Universe – A Total Conversion Mod for Crusader Kings III - IN ACTIVE DEVELOPMENT!
Note from developer:
Greetings everyone,
I wanted to share a project that is currently in active development: Dune: The Known Universe, a full-scale total conversion of Crusader Kings III set within Frank Herbert's Dune universe.
The goal of the project is not simply to place Dune-themed characters onto a CK3 map, but to recreate the political, economic, and dynastic structures of the Imperium using Crusader Kings III's systems as a foundation.
Current design work includes:
- A complete census of known Great Houses and Minor Houses from canon and expanded Dune sources.
- A custom planetary and interstellar map representing the Known Universe.
- A Landsraad political system built around competing House blocs and Imperial legitimacy.
- CHOAM economic mechanics designed to replace traditional CK3 feudal wealth systems.
- Spacing Guild influence, travel, and strategic transit systems.
- Bene Gesserit breeding program mechanics, genetics, and prescient bloodlines.
- House management, succession, alliances, vendettas, and kanly.
- In-depth Fremen playthrough on Arrakis.
- Multiple bookmarks, including a sandbox era and a canon-era bookmark leading into the events surrounding Arrakis and House Atreides.
The project draws inspiration from major CK3 total conversions such as A Game of Thrones, Elder Kings II, and Princes of Darkness, while seeking to create gameplay that feels uniquely Dune. This won't be a game of claiming and expanding territory and gaining higher titles. It will be more story driven and politically dynamic.
Development has already progressed through much of the foundational design and worldbuilding phase. Core frameworks for governments, economics, politics, cultures, Houses, and planetary administration have been drafted and are currently moving toward implementation.
At this stage I am primarily focused on establishing the core systems and ensuring a stable playable foundation before expanding into large-scale content and visual polish.
In the future I may be looking for collaborators in areas such as:
- 3D modelling
- Character clothing and armor assets
- Portrait assets
- UI artwork
- Event illustration
- Historical and lore research
- CK3 scripting and implementation
I am not actively recruiting yet, but if you have experience in any of these areas and would be interested in following the project's progress, I would be happy to hear from you.
The long-term vision is to create a Dune experience that captures the politics, intrigue, economics, religion, and dynastic drama of the Imperium while taking full advantage of Crusader Kings III's strengths.
More updates will follow as development continues.
The spice must flow.
Check out the paradox forum post here !
[MOD] Dune: The Known Universe Alpha Development | Paradox Interactive Forums
And the First look here : https://youtu.be/IwognSnJR50?si=dkOoZ1wgeOmsFDyG
DasTactic - Distant Worlds 2 - Shadows Rising - FIRST look!
youtube.comStellaris 4.5.1 released (checksum 358e)
store.steampowered.comVoid War - Patch #23: The Oblivion Update
store.steampowered.comDROP COMMAND - Build a MECH Empire Across The Stars In This 4X RTT epic! OUT TODAY On Steam!
'90s Mech combat at a grand scale! Build an empire across the stars. Pilot Mechs, Tanks, Infantry and Aircraft in combined arms combat on many worlds across the star cluster. Rise to command entire battalions throughout a sandbox campaign'
Here's a play through with DasTactic !
ZeroSpace - Update #14 Minor Bug Fixes & Small Balance Patch - September 22nd 2026
store.steampowered.comSteve has confirmed background changes will be possible in Aurora 3.0 ! Time to get busy!
Background and backdrops for the galactic map will be easy to do in 3.0.. I will begin making them. Steve has also mentioned in the forum that he will implement them in the game himself for testing so I plan on doing that. Backdrops paired with dark colours will be perfect ! 👌
Here is his post :
https://aurora4x.com/t/with-steves-blessing-i-could-make-this-theme/1118/9
Things to consider :
All in game text and icons must be readable over the BG
Backgrounds need to be scalable
Get in touch if you have more ideas.
I’m thinking svg Vector or a small helper that generates unique backdrops for every game.
Here’s my original post !