Weeks 06–07 — A Place to Dock

The Space Liner now docks at a spaceport between trips, giving every chaotic journey a proper beginning and end.

What changed

• A new spaceport scene now welcomes the ship between trips. Instead of floating through an endless sequence of journeys, the liner finally has a visible place to stop, prepare, and set off again.
• The camera was adjusted to stay within the playable area, keeping the ship and its surroundings framed correctly while moving around.
• The captain’s current challenge is now displayed during trips. Objectives such as cleaning the ship remain visible, making it easier to remember that there is more at stake than simply surviving until arrival.
• Passenger food preferences became more distinct. Barrba gets more satisfaction from a roast, while Paul Tergeist is considerably harder to impress at mealtime.
• The airlock received a visual update to better match the rest of the ship.
• Work began on a dedicated passenger-capacity upgrade. The planned progression will let captains spend credits—and eventually require enough likes—to carry additional travelers. The interface and supporting systems are still in progress.

I took things a little slower during the first of these two weeks and gave myself some time to rest. Development picked up again afterward, with most of the larger additions arriving during the second week.

Best moment

The new spaceport makes finishing a trip feel much more satisfying. After keeping the ship running, feeding a picky crew, and trying to complete the captain’s challenge, the stars give way to a blinking station outside the windows. It is a small change, but it makes docking feel like reaching a real destination—and offers a welcome moment of calm before the next group of passengers brings fresh trouble aboard.

Behind the scenes

Passenger capacity is becoming a risk-and-reward choice rather than a simple automatic upgrade. More passengers can mean more income, but they also bring more hunger, mess, equipment wear, and competing needs.

The upgrade is being separated from the existing service menu so that this important decision has a clearer place during trip preparation. Some of the interface is already working, but the full purchase flow still needs to be completed.

Next week

• Finish the passenger-capacity upgrade and connect its costs and requirements.
• Add passenger wishes to the likes and challenges system.