Editing Version History (section)

== Alpha 17 ==
{{Infobox release
| name = Alpha 17
| release_news = https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1857080/view/515222130291376723
| release_date = 26 September 2025
| video = OP1oFZLee3c
| github_milestone = [https://github.com/Introversion-Software/LastStarshipIssues/milestone/14 Milestone 14]
}}

Survival Mode can now be completed — or continued forever — alongside late-stage Stargate Project phases, improved automation tools, and a huge number of fixes and improvements.

'''<u>Survival Mode – Completion Event</u>'''

It is now (finally!) possible to complete Survival Mode, by taking your fleet through the Stargate in Sector 12.

If you wish to continue surviving forever in a kind of hellish endless mode, you are free to travel past the Stargate and on to Sector 13 onward.

* Sector 12 now has an escape route, through the Stargate
* Your ships and crew must survive the long journey in intergalactic hyperspace
* Ship maximum occupancy limits enforced in Trade Screen, based on interior size
* NPC Ship density increases up to sector 12, then drops back to normal
* You can now 'sack' civilians to get them off your ship, from the Trade Window
: Trade window improved with respect to sacking crew, and taking on civilians
* Credits & end sequence now shows during the final jump
* Your final score for Survival Mode is shown at the end

'''<u>Stargate Project</u>'''

* Stargate phases 8 and 9 are now available for research and production
* One new product – "Charged Crystals" – must be produced in a new '''Laser Infuser'''
* Laser Infusers release radiation into the cabin, poisoning any crew not wearing spacesuits
* Radiation can be blocked using the new '''Radiation Blocker''' wall segments
* '''Brave New Sector''' – a new three-part storyline covering the later stages of the Stargate Project
* Added a button in the sector map to switch between the Stargate sector and the Undiscovered sector

'''<u>Industry / Automation Improvements</u>'''

* A new '''Recipes window''' shows the required ingredients to manufacture any part
* Asteroids that are fully mined out will now list their internal mineral composition, making it easier to know which asteroids to crack open with Cannon fire
* New research: '''Mining Laser Precision II''' – triples the minerals released from each mining laser hit
* Assembly tables use pipe inputs for recipes where they previously required containers
* New type of track: '''Splitter''' – splits input items evenly between its output tracks (as best as it can)
* New research: '''Advanced Tracks''' – adds ability to convert tracks into splitters (and vice versa)
* Tracks are now more fair when merging
* Loaders can now have their resource type set manually (default behaviour "auto")
* Improved equipment panel for all Factory equipment, making it clearer which items are loaded and which are still needed

'''<u>Sector Scanning</u>'''

You can now scan a sector to reveal new locations.
Scanning can be done by any ship with a Hyperspace Sensor, and reveals any nearby anomalies.
Those anomalies must then be surveyed by a ship with at least one Super Computer.

* Sector scans reveal lost derelict ships, where pilots can find a '''Research Credit'''. These new items unlock late-game research projects that further increase ship efficiency. These projects can be repeated endlessly; each one requires a Research Credit to begin.
* In Industry Mode, sector scans must be done in the Undiscovered Sector (after Stargate Phase 5). Scans in Industry Mode reveal:
** Gas Nebulas
** Storms with huge gas clouds
** Asteroid Belts
* Storms are incredibly dangerous, but can be mitigated with new '''Lightning Rod''' equipment

'''<u>Ship Editor</u>'''

* '''Equipment Planning Mode''' – rapidly design ships and place equipment, even if you don’t have it in stock
: Auto-buy any equipment placed this way as soon as it becomes available
: Enables easy queueing for installation and purchasing of required parts
* New '''Oval brush shape'''
* The Alt Tool key (previously the Eyedropper key) can make the Box Tool into a square or the Oval Tool into a circle
* Export ships and palettes to the Steam Cloud
* You can now paint the interior floors of your ship
* You can also paint the walls of your ship

'''<u>Translation Work</u>'''

* New translations:
** Chinese (Traditional)
** Chinese (Simplified)
** Korean
** Japanese
* A translation editing tool can now be accessed while Translator Assist is enabled, allowing in-game translation fixes

'''<u>Small Changes</u>'''

* All crew now have surnames and a basic rank, shown in their tooltip
: Crew are '''Ens''', Weapons Officers are '''Lt''', Science Officers are '''Dr'''
* You can no longer place furniture outside the ship on scaffold or in walls
* Equipment is no longer deleted just for being outside the gridmap
: (If the ports are outside it will still get deleted, but you can’t place them that way anymore)
* Modified Powergrid window – more consistent layout with other windows
* Removed "Tweet My Starship" feature (wasn’t used)
* Lowered trade value of Precious Ore and Precious Metals (new money sources exist)
* Sector Map now shows all your ships as small green triangles and displays names when highlighted
* Uploading ships to the Steam Workshop now uploads screenshots of the ship’s exterior, interior, and schematic

'''<u>Bug Fixes</u>'''

* Reworded stable isotopes collection dialogue in DSI Part 2
* Fix Translator Assist not working for communicator messages
* Fix fortress systems sometimes spawning on top of existing systems
* Fix assembly table phantom sprites still showing when item is fabricated
* Fix assembly table showing a phantom of itself when stopped with an item in output slot
* Fix DSI 2 Gas Collector sometimes spawning in Wolf systems
* Fixed bug in Survival Mode that could cause the Jumpgate to be blocked even without activation mission
* Fix auto-trades triggering in systems with no colony or shipyard
* Fix drones returning home to a layer in another system
* Fix user ships being used as shipyards and stations
* Fix drones stuck outside ship when drone bay dismantles mid-operation
* Fix tactical mode selection persisting when switching layers
* {{Issue|517|pre=Issue}}: Shuttle docks at different distances depending on docking port orientation
* {{Issue|520|pre=Issue}}: Jumpgate damaged but unrepairable – no external tiles available
* {{Issue|525|pre=Issue}}: Text too long on mission goal
* {{Issue|532|pre=Issue}}: Drone Bay deleted when saving/loading
* {{Issue|533|pre=Issue}}: CMDR Harken used as a mission destination
* {{Issue|536|pre=Issue}}: Crash on launch related to bad .ship file
* {{Issue|514|pre=Issue}}, {{Issue|539|pre=Issue}}: Storage crates ending unrelated jobs when changing options
* {{Issue|540|pre=Issue}}: File extensions removed twice on ship files
* {{Issue|541|pre=Issue}}: Shuttle gets stuck if civilians were moved before handing in passenger mission
* {{Issue|542|pre=Issue}}: Assembly Tables to have pipe input (thanks TomYeltz for suggested fix)
* {{Issue|543|pre=Issue}}: Sector Map shows jump transits from both sectors
* {{Issue|544|pre=Issue}}: Weppos have circles under their feet after being ejected into space