StellarDrive (alpha)
A downloadable game for Windows and Linux
Gather materials, build a spaceship and explore procedural worlds. This is an early alpha of my game with the following features:
- Spaceship-building system using panels, cables & levers
- Realistic gravity simulation and planetary rotations
- 2 planets, a moon and a ring system to explore
- 1-4 players online co-op
- Beautiful programmer art
- Many bugs that I'm aware of and probably many more that I'm not
My goal is to create a seamless spaceship-building game where you manage fuel, oxygen, and warp capabilities to travel across the vast distances of a galaxy. If you want to follow along with the game's development, you can check out my social media:
- Discord: https://discord.gg/adA8nqqJ49
- Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/curiousowldev.bsky.social
- Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/curiousowl
- Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/a-curious-owl/
Requirements
GTX 1050 or higher
Laptops with integrated graphics will have a hard time with this game. Intel iGPUs are not supported.
Installation
Download the zip file, extract and launch StellarDrive.exe
Controls
While walking
- TAB: Open inventory
- 12345: Select tool
- L. Click: Use tool
- R. Click: With the build tool selected, opens the build menu
- F: Interact with ship part
While piloting
- Mouse: Change direction
- Q: Roll left
- E: Roll right
- Middle Mouse Click: Toggle free-look mode
While in EVA (outside in space)
- WASD: Horizontal controls
- Space: Move up
- Ctrl: Move down
Frequently Asked Questions
I can't see the planet or the trees. What's going on?
If you're running the game on a laptop, this is probably due to a bug with Intel iGPUs. There's nothing you can do right now, unfortunately.
Can I play creative?
Yes. Enable the dev tools in the options menus. After that, press F1 for fly mode and F2 for free resources. You can adjust the fly speed with the scroll wheel.
Where are my saved files located?
C:\Users\(YOUR_USER)\AppData\LocalLow\CuriousOwlGames\StellarDrive\saves
Is there a roadmap?
No, but you can check the Discord server for frequent updates on the game.
Download
Development log
- Version 0.6.4 and 0.6.5Dec 13, 2024
- Version 0.6.3Nov 04, 2024
- Version 0.6.2Oct 12, 2024
- Version 0.6.1Sep 20, 2024
- Version 0.6.0 DockingSep 17, 2024
- Version 0.5.7Jul 02, 2024
- Version 0.5.6Jun 13, 2024
- Version 0.5.5Apr 29, 2024
Comments
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love this game, do you think you'll be able to place the docking doors on the bottom or top at some point?
i cant see my saves and it gives an error pastebin
The game is very finicky with the files in the save directory. You can try backing them up, moving them elsewhere, and bringing them back one by one. See if that helps.
love your game just wondering how much it will be on steam
im thinking somewhere around 25usd thats how much i would pay or more
and add some more dev logs i love hearing your progress
I don't have a price yet for the game.
Glad you like the progress updates :) I'll keep posting more as I work on the game.
Hello Curious Owl, I've posted a video on YouTube, and I want to reiterate that I really wanted to support your game.
LINK:
Hope you keep the rings and atmospheric effects!
Me and my siblings spent 30mins just taking cool screenshots, We'd only ask for more things that focus multiplayer, cus by the end of this version 1 person can do everything themselves in a ship so we were left standing around a lot
Maybe something like fuel or thrust being more efficient when manually tweaked so neither single or multiplayer suffer, or a seperate game mode that does it?
Thank you for your comment! I'll keep co-op in mind as I keep working on the game :)
can you add some type of stationary structure for making bases on planets
Thanks for the suggestion!
Will the game's optimization be improved in the next update, as I'm currently facing a battle for FPS?
I plan to add settings for lower end PCs, but I wouldn't expect a big fps boost.
Is the game running slowly for you all the time or is it only in specific areas or when building a large ship?
Hello Curious Owl, can I make a video about your game where I describe the gameplay?
Of course! Feel free to share it here or on our Discord afterward :)
Thank you!
I want to support you. Your idea of the game is very interesting.
i thought this game gonna be like space engineers. Unfortunately its far from space engineers, but its still good, awesome even(counting the optimization of it :D).
i made some small ship with all basic needs - oxygen, storage, respawn, research table, tried putting few more thrusters while trying to reach space and boom! i lost the ship, got into dev mode and looked for it - and never found it again.
even tho i lost probably hour or so while building ship, i flew away when i lost it and saw that planet is massive, sadly i didnt found any other planets - which is actually was scary! alone planet and sun, particles imitating distant stars(?) and finally one galaxy. while flying even farther i lost the only galaxy and flew into void until screen turned black :P
cool game, cool experience
game was running with GT 750M in 1600x resolution of screen at stable 60 fps
When the update comes out in this masterpiece, I don't know what to do with 0.6.5.
Dude... Ive been playing this game every day for the past week and words genuinely cant describe how great this game is. Its simplicity, its design, its concept.. Its just incredible! This game is genuinely everything to me and it would SUCK if something happened to it. Dont give up and here are some suggestions! Obviously I know its your game so dont think you have to add these things because you dont lol.
1. Day Counter (maybe a clock? Craftable or built in?)
2. Bigger Chests
3. Maps for what planet you are on (Craftable or built in?)
4. More planets!!
5. More tools (maybe update the UI's as well? maybe change the models?)
6. Sprinting and Crouching
Thats all I got at the moment lol. Your game is amazing and its bound to take off at some point, DONT GIVE UP!! <3
Thank you <3 I took note of your suggestions, and some of them I've implemented already! For example, here's a new model I made for the mining laser: https://bsky.app/profile/curiousowldev.bsky.social/post/3lm33f33csk2p
I'm glad to see you joined the Discord, too :)
I have a idea, you should add a camera to the docking port, that way if it's behind the ship or out of view, you won't need to constantly get out to check or just guess where it i
Another thing you should add for the cockpit is a thing that says if your in orbit or not, or something to say that your in orbit so it's a little more easier to tell
Thank you for the suggestions!
Played with my friends for 3 hours and had a blast! Such an unique game, loved it
Thank you <3
Hey Curious Owl, love your game to bits.
My feedback is that the strongest parts of your game are the cute aesthetics (icons in the inventory) and the simplicity of understanding. Similar games like space engineers on steam or adronium suffer from creating wayyy too many systems and bloating the game. Your game is simple and charming unlike the others! Please don't burn out and take your time to finish your game!
Thank you so much! Making the game simple and easy to get into was a big goal I had, and I'm always happy to see when people notice.
Thanks for the encouragement, and I hope you tag along for the rest of development.
Came across your game so me and my brother gave it a try. Safe to say we got lost in it for HOURS. I need you to finish this game PLEASE.
Thanks <3 I'm glad you both enjoyed it!
This looks really cool (havent played yet). def will buy it if its not like 30 bucks.
Thank you! Did you end up playing it?
Yes and its amazing. tried to visit the ring; went past it a bit. 'oh that's fine', i foolishly thought. when i looked back i was WAY out XD luckily i had enough fuel to get back and ended up mining some stuff and getting enough exotic matter for a star chart and warp drive :)
Ey quick question, do I need to use the tracker or can I just fly into the distance and perchance find another planet?....cuz I may just be flying into deep space rn LOL
There is only one other planet, so the chances you'll stumble upon it are extremely low hahaha
You can use the tracking computer, star map, or simply look for a little orange dot in the night sky.
okay I had a lil feeling that was going to happen. thats good to know hahaha, great game btw been enjoying it
how much will it cost when it comes to steam?
I don't know yet.
Just in case anyone is wondering and hasn't /can't check the dev's socials; progress is happening even though there have been no updates here (cf bluesky) - a lot of it seems to be graphical (a shame for us since we've older machines that won't like that and content is what we're lacking! ;) But then again this isn't an abandoned project unlike most on itch.io!
Thank you for your continued work Curious Owl! <3 :)
So glad to hear and leaves me even more excited! (hope to God this doesn't become paid even though dev deserves it ToT)
Edit: just found out itll be a paid game. But still totally buying >:3
Thanks for clarifying that! I should do announcements on Itch too to keep you guys in the loop.
The new version will be more demanding on your PC for sure. I'll see if I can add graphical settings to keep it playable for everyone.
Is there any reasearches to unlock besides the ones given to you from the start? And are there other systems if you go into outer space?
Also I cannot wait for more content in this game!
If only you knew how much I loved these type of space exploration games! I thank you so much for such an awesome game!
I wanted to suggest maybe a spacesuit of different tiers for longer times without the ship's oxygen source or even a tube that you can connect to the ship so you can be a certain distance from your ship also allowing us to pull ourselves back to the ship using it or a seperate item that we can use to pull us back to the ship.
Hi! Thanks for your comment <3
I don't plan to update this alpha for the time being, as I'm focused on a Steam page + demo. You can look forward to the demo for different content & visual improvements!
I took note of your suggestion on your other comment for spacesuits/tubes when you're outside in space. Thanks.
Will there be keybinds and HOTAS/controller compatability?
I plan to do customizable keybinds. Controllers or hotas might come later, but they're not my focus right now.
hi i was wondering can you add a mod feature and where are my save games stored?
Hello! Thanks for the modding suggestion. You can find your save files here:
C:\Users\(YOUR_USER)\AppData\LocalLow\CuriousOwlGames\StellarDrive\saves
Add a late game craftable item that allows you to pick up ships and rotate them, because i flip my rover over and now i cant flip it back
also add a rope that you can attach to the outside of the ship in space to do repairs and fuel without drifting away
another suggestion, with the targeting computer make it a thing with pages and arrows you click, or a scroll list
i have a suggestion from my friend, and it was to add a friend system to join people, with a simple 4 digit passcode
also on itch there should be a planning board so we can see what all you are planning
and maybe also add some item giving commands and attach a pdf on itch and bluesky that has command syntax :)
Hi :) Thank you for your suggestions! I took note of them.
For giving an item, you can either use the free build cheat with F2 (you have to enable dev tools in the options menu first) or you can edit your save file located in "C:\Users\(YOUR_USER)\AppData\LocalLow\CuriousOwlGames\StellarDrive\saves"
how do i stack items?
You can't manually stack items right now. You could drop your item in a chest and then shift + click it to retrieve it. It will automatically try to stack if iirc.
Can you add 10 player multiplayer pls
Thanks for the suggestion! The game won't prevent you from having 10 players, but it is not very optimized for that. You might encounter issues like high bandwidth usage and lag.
That's why I recommend sticking to 4 players for now, even if the game has no hard limit.
Will there be a Mac version?
Mac support is not planned at the moment.
You misunderstood me, I hope you translate it correctly. ( Будет ли когда-то Mac версия? )
Am I the only person who thinks this is a ripoff of Space engineers? I'm not saying it is, I'm just saying it looks a lot like it
its free, and this is an alpha version, so you have no clue what is in stock for us in the future
This game is insane ! Im surely gonna buy the full version on steam when it come out
Thank you <3
It's going to be soooo atmospheric and authentic in VR!
I hope we will live not only to see the release of the game, but also to fully support VR.
Thank you for your comment! I'm not prioritizing VR right now, but it might be a possibility in the future. I'll keep that in mind.
can we expect further updates in the future?
I'm currently focused on a Steam version and its demo. You can look forward to those for new content :)
im looking forward to new stuff
When are you expecting to release this game
I don't know yet, but you can check my Discord or bluesky for development progress :)
Can't wait for more content and/or planets (even if the ground generation is a bit sparse and the ring belt a little too busy! ;)
how much do you think you will make this game when it releases?
I don't know yet.
if this becomes a steam game, i am 100% buying it on release day, pre-ordering it if possible
Thanks! That means a lot <3
Hello, Damn it, this was the coolest game I've ever seen on ITCH.IO, I wish you success in the development of the project! Hello from Russia!
Thank you!
would the steam version be free?
I intend on making it paid, but you'll be able to keep playing this version for free :)
I want to release a demo too at some point. It will be similar to this, but with improved visuals.
Played this game like forever ago, and though there hasn't been updates lately, glad to see you're still active in responding to questions and such!
I've got a couple of questions to ask myself
1. Is it possible to implement a VR mode to the game? Would make for an incredibly surreal experience!
2.
Unless you're on hiatus,(lol, my bad, didn't even check bluesky till now) when do you expect the next update to be released?Hi. Thanks for checking out the game. You can check the Discord too for development progress.
1. VR might be possible, although it's not something I'm planning at the moment.
2. I'm currently focusing on polishing and setting up a Steam page for the game. The next playable version will probably be a demo once that is done.
please add auto saves i worked on a map for 3 hours and the power went out and when it came back it was all gone 😞
Noted :)
thank you a head of time