A second scale of space

Strategic sectors now open into a local tactical canvas. Fleets and individual ships can persist at free positions beneath the strategic map instead of being forced onto another oversized hex grid.

This is an important architectural split: the galaxy map can remain readable while tactical sectors carry the stations, ships, and local movement that need finer control.

The tactical position is saved as game state rather than treated as a temporary animation. Leaving and returning to the sector should reveal the same local arrangement, which is essential before placement, visibility, or combat can carry lasting consequences.

Command tools arrive

Selection, movement, zoom, marker differentiation, split and merge actions, and solo-ship launch controls now support the first tactical operations. Movement interpolation and snapback fixes make the layer feel more stable during repeated commands.

Repeated commands are the real test. A tactical layer can look convincing in one screenshot and still fail if selecting another fleet, changing zoom, or issuing a second destination causes markers to jump or lose their state. The current pass focuses on those ordinary interactions.

  • Fleet and solo-ship markers with clearer selection states.
  • Persistent tactical travel positions and movement guards.
  • Tactical side-panel scrolling for smaller displays.

The first stations

Construction-capable ships can validate and place tactical stations. Those stations remain immobile, progress through timed construction, and refresh into their completed state when the game clock resolves the job.

Immobility is part of their strategic role. A station represents committed infrastructure in a specific local space, not another ship that can leave when conditions change. Placement validation and persistent completion state establish that commitment before station functions become deeper.

Next signal

The immediate goal is not to rush combat. It is to make entering, navigating, building, and leaving a tactical sector coherent enough that later conflict can rely on solid foundations.

The next work will continue improving tactical context and the first-playable expedition. Combat will remain a later milestone until movement, ownership, construction, and service validation can support it without special-case shortcuts.