- The Re-Release is Here - 1 June 2022
It's time. Destination Ares is re-releasing imminently and will be available for purchase soon. The game is also being permanently reduced in price! $19.99 / £19.99 / €19.99 -> $9.99 / £7.99 / €8.99 I will also be doing fewer sales these days, so I hope the reduced price makes up for that. Note that it might take a bit of time for the reduced price to propagate, but it should be there soon! If you already own the game, you can get access to v1.1.0 now. The New Destination Ares This update, v1.1.0, is significant in some fundamental parts of the code. It will break any in-progress runs. Difficulty Options, for the less masochistic (Note: you still qualify for achievements while using these) Resource Drain - High (default), Low Crew Skill - Untrained (default), Skilled, Expert Luck - Even (default), Improved Minigame Toggle (hotly demanded!) System Construction & Salvage Build makeshift s…
- Destination Ares will be Re-Releasing - 25 February 2022
In 2020, I removed Destination Ares from all stores, including Steam. A few months ago, I quit my job as a tech lead at a game company to start a new studio. While I'm waiting on admin stuff to go through, I've been touching up Destination Ares. And so, I'm happy to announce: Destination Ares will be re-releasing this Spring. This game had burnt me out. I haven't updated it since 2017, shortly after launch. It's both incredibly flawed, and incredibly niche. It never has and never will make me enough money to be worth spending any time on. However, one of the game's fans reached out privately awhile ago, hoping I'd come back to DA one day. And, like all things that you hurt yourself loving, this game means too much to me to let it die so quietly. Indeed, over the years I had occasionally come back to it when I felt a burst of inspiration. Much of that work never went anywhere and remains…
- Temporarily Not for Sale - 1 June 2020
Dear players, Destination Ares is temporarily disabled for new purchases, effective immediately. The ongoing situation in the US has become critical, and while self-care and relief from that pain is important, it is the opinion of this American developer & publisher that this game can exacerbate a person's stress, considering current events. It's not the time for a stressful story about fleeing oppressive regimes and questioning the nature of humanity. Instead, putting resources and time into changing our broken systems, caring for ourselves and others in what's to come, and enabling others to do the same is paramount right now. Thank you for understanding. Black Lives Matter.
- #LOVEINDIES Week Sale and Competition - 13 July 2018
https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F26835721%2F97a2f3bebf33625d233174eef6235ceb9bd198e0.gif On Monday, #LoveIndies week starts! --> What is #loveindies week? Destination Ares will be 29% off here on Steam! (wtf, why 29%?) I'm also running a bit of a competition for part of the week, and winners can get swag (stickers!) for themselves and keys to give to their friends. Find out more about the competition in this blog post. https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F26835721%2F66beda8a0bbbf4503fc5e0a73ec5873157f1511a.png
- PAX East - 2 April 2018
This week, I'll be taking Destination Ares to Boston for PAX East! I scored a sweet opportunity with the Indie MEGABOOTH folks and will have a little station Thursday and Friday (April 5th and 6th), section 17070. If you're going to be at PAX, come on by and meet me! I'll have stickers to give out, and you can show off your ridiculous and sadistic ship design skills. :kitchen: Hope I get to meet some of you. -Pat https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F26835721%2F66beda8a0bbbf4503fc5e0a73ec5873157f1511a.png
- PAX East - 2 April 2018
This week, I'll be taking Destination Ares to Boston for PAX East! I scored a sweet opportunity with the Indie MEGABOOTH folks and will have a little station Thursday and Friday (April 5th and 6th), section 17070. If you're going to be at PAX, come on by and meet me! I'll have stickers to give out, and you can show off your ridiculous and sadistic ship design skills. ːkitchenː Hope I get to meet some of you. -Pat https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F26835721%2F66beda8a0bbbf4503fc5e0a73ec5873157f1511a.png
- Sales Pricing Structure - 14 March 2018
You may have noticed that Destination Ares has had suppressed sales prices on Steam. This was an intentional experiment. ːredscientistː From launch onwards, every sale was 10% off, plus 1% per sale before it. So, the second sale was 11% and the sixth was 15%. My goal was to build a sense of consistency and transparency with my sales pricing structure. Of course, there were two issues with this method. First, I didn't tell anyone that I was doing this. ːevafacepalmː Whoops, there goes the transparency part. Second, 1% per sale is too slow for a game of this scale, if we consider how many Steam sales can be squeezed in a year. My rough estimate based on previous data is 12 sales per year (5 or 6 weeklongs + 4 seasonals + 2 or 3 randoms ). If Valve ː2017meatballː ever reaches out to do a special promotion, this could go up slightly. Still, that's only 22% off, max, by the game's launch ann…
- Sales Pricing Structure - 14 March 2018
You may have noticed that Destination Ares has had suppressed sales prices on Steam. This was an intentional experiment. :redscientist: From launch onwards, every sale was 10% off, plus 1% per sale before it. So, the second sale was 11% and the sixth was 15%. My goal was to build a sense of consistency and transparency with my sales pricing structure. Of course, there were two issues with this method. First, I didn't tell anyone that I was doing this. :evafacepalm: Whoops, there goes the transparency part. Second, 1% per sale is too slow for a game of this scale, if we consider how many Steam sales can be squeezed in a year. My rough estimate based on previous data is 12 sales per year (5 or 6 weeklongs + 4 seasonals + 2 or 3 randoms ). If Valve :2017meatball: ever reaches out to do a special promotion, this could go up slightly. Still, that's only 22% off, max, by the game's launch ann…
- Happy Launch! Here's a quick patch :) - 13 October 2017
This update is mostly Quality of Life, bringing in a bunch of fixes and improvements to clean up the experience. ːredscientistː Notably, crew will do off-task work more often. This should make the game demonstrably easier for less attentive AIs. (You still won't win. Git gud) Patch: Improvements Shortened how long it takes before the minigame tutorial turns on Slowed minigame tutorial down Clarified wording in minigame tutorial Improved clickability of minigame's "Return to Ship" button Destroyed systems are now more recognizable in their tooltips Increased how often crew will do off-task work. Should see more idle usage and repairs, especially with jobless crew Fixed Fixed some special loss events getting ignored if the player resumes a run after exiting the game Fixed a couple achievement toggles (incl The Arean Trail. Grats if you got it free), though I suspect there's something else…
- Happy Launch! Here's a quick patch :) - 13 October 2017
This update is mostly Quality of Life, bringing in a bunch of fixes and improvements to clean up the experience. :redscientist: Notably, crew will do off-task work more often. This should make the game demonstrably easier for less attentive AIs. (You still won't win. Git gud) Patch: Improvements Shortened how long it takes before the minigame tutorial turns on Slowed minigame tutorial down Clarified wording in minigame tutorial Improved clickability of minigame's "Return to Ship" button Destroyed systems are now more recognizable in their tooltips Increased how often crew will do off-task work. Should see more idle usage and repairs, especially with jobless crew Fixed Fixed some special loss events getting ignored if the player resumes a run after exiting the game Fixed a couple achievement toggles (incl The Arean Trail. Grats if you got it free), though I suspect there's something else…
- Unknown Pleasures: the best new little-known Steam games this week - 29 September 2017
Welcome back to Unknown Pleasures , our weekly round-up of the most excellent hidden gems we dug up from the past week of new releases on Steam. This week: endless runners remixed, spaceship life simulation and Dark Souls vs Ico. (more…)
- Now Available on Steam - Destination Ares, 10% off! - 22 September 2017
Destination Ares is Now Available on Steam and is 10% off!* You're the AI of a rickety colony ship, bound for the red planet. You have limited resources, a desperate crew, and an unknown fate awaiting you. Can you survive the journey across the Big Black? *Offer ends September 29 at 10AM Pacific Time
- LAUNCH - 22 September 2017
Today we leave Early Access. Welcome players, new and old! I think you'll like what you find in Destination Ares. By the way, Steam cards are here in time for launch! https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F26835721%2F66beda8a0bbbf4503fc5e0a73ec5873157f1511a.png Version 1.0.0 Patch Notes: New Events (Helpful) Critical Systems Repair: a chance to fix something destroyed or broken that you absolutely need to succeed (Helpful) Gained Experience: a chance to level up the crew or systems A Dark Truth: a shift in priorities (Standard) Hungry Crew (Standard) Electrical Surge New Secret Achievements "A Dark Truth" "Rigged and Armed" "Glitched Understanding" Polish Added custom victory results other than "Reached Destination" More fading, always more fading Balance Changes Reduced how quickly crew pass out from exhaustion, and how that affects their stress levels Also re…
- LAUNCH - 22 September 2017
Today we leave Early Access. Welcome players, new and old! I think you'll like what you find in Destination Ares. By the way, Steam cards are here in time for launch! https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F26835721%2F66beda8a0bbbf4503fc5e0a73ec5873157f1511a.png Version 1.0.0 Patch Notes: New Events (Helpful) Critical Systems Repair: a chance to fix something destroyed or broken that you absolutely need to succeed (Helpful) Gained Experience: a chance to level up the crew or systems A Dark Truth: a shift in priorities (Standard) Hungry Crew (Standard) Electrical Surge New Secret Achievements "A Dark Truth" "Rigged and Armed" "Glitched Understanding" Polish Added custom victory results other than "Reached Destination" More fading, always more fading Balance Changes Reduced how quickly crew pass out from exhaustion, and how that affects their stress levels Also re…
- Incoming: v0.9.0 - 10 September 2017
This is the last planned update before release on September 22nd! Version 0.9.0 brings a bunch of polish to the table. Most of the focus is on a revamp of the new player experience, as well as improvements to the Game Over presentation. There's also a small bit of new content. Tons more content coming for the launch! v 0.9.0 Notes: Beginner Experience Overhaul Introducing your new frenemy: Guide Bot! Ripped out the old tutorial Fused together a second beginner ship: the Gerridae Crafted a better (and more visible) explanation of the minigame New Content Fuel Line Pressure event "Viking Funeral" Achievement Game Over events Polish Slight gradient overlay Ship naming input now has a red backdrop to match other UI elements Talking happens in words and chunks, rather than each letter Prettified the Game Over screen Balance Changes Radar now spends twice as much energy over time (doubled cha…
- Incoming: v0.9.0 - 10 September 2017
This is the last planned update before release on September 22nd! Version 0.9.0 brings a bunch of polish to the table. Most of the focus is on a revamp of the new player experience, as well as improvements to the Game Over presentation. There's also a small bit of new content. Tons more content coming for the launch! v 0.9.0 Notes: Beginner Experience Overhaul Introducing your new frenemy: Guide Bot! Ripped out the old tutorial Fused together a second beginner ship: the Gerridae Crafted a better (and more visible) explanation of the minigame New Content Fuel Line Pressure event "Viking Funeral" Achievement Game Over events Polish Slight gradient overlay Ship naming input now has a red backdrop to match other UI elements Talking happens in words and chunks, rather than each letter Prettified the Game Over screen Balance Changes Radar now spends twice as much energy over time (doubled cha…
- I hope you like big, surprise updates... v0.8.0 - 21 August 2017
This has been a whirlwind to make. The imminent update brings a ton of overhauls and metagame progression, in addition to new content. Expect a tutorial revamp and even more content in the next updates. Until then, enjoy! Side note: Destination Ares' price will now be rising to it's release level, in anticipation of the upcoming launch. :) Metagame Progression Unlock content by spending advancement points Gain advancement points from achievements Gain advancement points from completed runs New Ships Caelifera, a tiny new starter ship for beginner players to learn the ropes Mantodea, a difficult but powerful ship for veterans New Roles Electrician — +2 Mechanical when repairing systems that consume energy Maimed — Reduced movement speed Athlete — Increased movement speed, less likely to get maimed Military — increased priority when tasking (currently locked) Balance Changes HUD Warnings…
- I hope you like big, surprise updates... v0.8.0 - 21 August 2017
This has been a whirlwind to make. The imminent update brings a ton of overhauls and metagame progression, in addition to new content. Expect a tutorial revamp and even more content in the next updates. Until then, enjoy! Side note: Destination Ares' price will now be rising to it's release level, in anticipation of the upcoming launch. :) Metagame Progression Unlock content by spending advancement points Gain advancement points from achievements Gain advancement points from completed runs New Ships Caelifera, a tiny new starter ship for beginner players to learn the ropes Mantodea, a difficult but powerful ship for veterans New Roles Electrician — +2 Mechanical when repairing systems that consume energy Maimed — Reduced movement speed Athlete — Increased movement speed, less likely to get maimed Military — increased priority when tasking (currently locked) Balance Changes HUD Warnings…
- Massive Overhaul (v0.7.0) - 3 August 2017
This is a huge patch. It also breaks saves. Aaaand, it also increases the game's difficulty by a fair margin. Good luck. I probably forgot to log a ton of things. Here's what I remembered to tell you about: Additions Crew chat when you click on them Systems turn on/ off when you click on them Symbols and sounds when you can't turn systems on and off Reverse pings Tooltip for event type Symbol next to systems to show disabled/ enabled more clearly HUD warnings when you're at imminent risk Loneliness stress (constant stress over time, increases as crew die, and if a crewmember is left alone - mitigated by having other crew around) Added death by loneliness (and an achievement for it!) Hermit role: ignores loneliness Replaced Interpersonal skill with Command. Command (currently) increases time available in minigame and allows occasional ignoring of AI energy costs Added ~150 new crew spee…
- Massive Overhaul (v0.7.0) - 3 August 2017
This is a huge patch. It also breaks saves. Aaaand, it also increases the game's difficulty by a fair margin. Good luck. I probably forgot to log a ton of things. Here's what I remembered to tell you about: Additions Crew chat when you click on them Systems turn on/ off when you click on them Symbols and sounds when you can't turn systems on and off Reverse pings Tooltip for event type Symbol next to systems to show disabled/ enabled more clearly HUD warnings when you're at imminent risk Loneliness stress (constant stress over time, increases as crew die, and if a crewmember is left alone - mitigated by having other crew around) Added death by loneliness (and an achievement for it!) Hermit role: ignores loneliness Replaced Interpersonal skill with Command. Command (currently) increases time available in minigame and allows occasional ignoring of AI energy costs Added ~150 new crew spee…
