Dear pilot,

I have a lot to share with you today!

First, I’m thrilled to unveil the first public screenshots of the Earth Alliance’s inaugural vessel: the L-1550 Rapier. This light fighter offers an exciting glimpse into the Earth Alliance’s distinctive design language and unique ship-building philosophy. BoxWeld has done a phenomenal job crafting an identity for the Earth Alliance that feels fresh while perfectly complementing the existing United Colony designs within the Hunternet universe.

[www.picdrop.com]In our last update, I discussed the new aerodynamic flight model and how pleased I was with the results. At the time, I didn’t have any good footage to share, but I’ve since uploaded a video that showcases the new atmospheric combat on our official YouTube channel. I think you’ll enjoy seeing it in action.

Since then, I’ve been working closely with our talented team and community to bring our vision of hazardous asteroid mining to life. In Hunternet, asteroids aren’t just static objects. They’re dangerous, dynamic threats that careen through space and collide with each other, creating thrilling spaces in which to mine resources. They are central to the mine → build → conquer gameplay loop we are building for our persistent universe, and the civil war between the Earth Alliance and the United Colonies.

Our first asteroid mining update video includes the initial version of Ivan’s new asteroid destruction visual effects and materials. It also features a squadron battle that I highly recommend watching. It’s a strong showcase of the current state of space combat and demonstrates how dynamic asteroid fields can offer interesting tactical options, including the use of stealth and maneuvering advantages.

In the upcoming playtests, I’ll be iterating with our community on the mining mechanics. The focus will be on rewarding skilled flying and intelligent use of explosives. Highly capable miners will be crucial to faction logistics and will be valuable targets to defend or eliminate in the ongoing war.

On a personal note, I had to make an emergency trip this month to visit my family. My father, who is 94, has been going through a difficult time. Fortunately, he’s been improving, and I’m very grateful to be here to support him and my family during his recovery. Thank you to everyone who reached out with well wishes. It means a lot to me.

That’s it for this update. I’m more excited than ever to be building Hunternet. I feel fortunate to have this opportunity to be working on it with our community. The focus on low-level technical foundations in previous updates is paying off, and I can’t wait to dive into the next major game mechanic after mining.

Thanks again for your continued support,
Fernando Z