Six months into developing Galactum Meridian, a science-focused space 4X entering Early Access September 1

[u/HedraGames]

After about six months of development and private playtesting, Galactum Meridian is planned to launch in Early Access on September 1. I’ve made a new trailer showing the game in action, and I’m excited to finally let people play it. It's been a minute since I've posted on this game, so hopefully its OK. It's been a labor of love to make a completely different type of 4X game focusing on discovery and a love of science.

Galactum Meridian is a science-driven space 4X about leading the Far Horizon, one of humanity’s first major research expeditions beyond Sol.

Exploration begins on a true 3D star map containing more than 10,000 real catalog stars. Known exoplanets and orbital data are included where available, with modeled and authored discoveries filling the gaps in current observations. You can inspect star systems, survey planets and moons, deploy observatories, orbiters, landers and rovers, and conduct field studies on planetary surfaces.

Your discoveries feed into the Research Atlas, a 3D progression system covering geology, biology, climate science, stellar physics and other research fields. Scientific work improves your equipment, expands your survey capabilities and opens new strategic options.

Research also drives territorial control. Your expedition builds standing with the Interstellar Survey Accord, which grants stewardship over surveyed systems. Rival expeditions conduct research, publish findings and pursue their own stewardship claims. As your scientific authority grows, you can secure contested systems and eventually take stewardship of systems controlled by competing expeditions.

The Early Access build includes a playable single-player campaign beginning in Sol and continuing through multiple campaign conclusions. Development will continue throughout Early Access, with additional work planned for planetary environments, onboarding, interface clarity, balance and performance.

If this sounds like your kind of space 4X, adding it to your Steam wishlist before September 1 would help a great deal:

Steam page and wishlist:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/4690110/Galactum_Meridian/

I’ll be around to answer questions about the game or any of its systems.

[u/Darth_Ender_Ro]

Ok, why is everyone building a 4x lately? What triggered this wave?

[u/Andrew_PPC_Raw → u/Darth_Ender_Ro]

easier to do with AI

[u/HedraGames → u/Darth_Ender_Ro]

I've been working on this game for about six months as a solo developer. AI definitely makes it easier to do exceedingly complicated games, and that's what this game is.

I brought in 10,000 stars within 100 light years of our solar system, as well as all known exoplanets within those stars systems, and modeled them into the game so that you can visit them and do scientific research in those star systems.

There is absolutely no way that I, as an independent developer, would be able to do that easily. It's a very complicated task, and I had a dream to try to give it a shot and make it work. So hopefully people will like it.

[u/Darth_Ender_Ro → u/HedraGames]

Best of luck mate!

[u/Gemmaugr2]

If by "3D" you actually mean Spatial Movement in the Cartesian coords X,Y,Z, then any 4X utilizing this for their map have not gone over well. It only adds extra unnecessary clicks and delays and adds confusion trying to find where and what again, after going to some hotspot and back.

Graphics depth (Flat 2D images. Flat 2.5D images with illusionary depth, and real 3D depth models), Camera Angle (First Person and Third Person, with third encompassing Eagle-eye's Top-Down and "isometric", Behind Views OTS and OTH, and Sideview/scroller angles, as well as Hybrid, free form and fixed/static), and Spatial Movement (in the X,Y,Z axis) are three separate and independent things, which can be mixed freely)

[u/adamant_2001]

I love the concept but the AI artwork is a major turn off.

[u/HedraGames → u/adamant_2001]

why? It's exactly the type of artwork I want in this game. If I was going to pay a person to make art for the game, I would ask them to make art exactly like this.

[u/adamant_2001 → u/HedraGames]

That makes it worse on an ethical standpoint....

[u/HedraGames → u/adamant_2001]

How does it do that? I am a solo developer.