Colony Ship: A Post-Earth Role-playing Game New Location – Shuttle Bay

The latest early access update for Iron Tower Studio’s Colony Ship RPG introduces the Shuttle Bay, the 6th out of the game’s eventual 12 locations. With that done, the developers are now looking to put together the next area and add some difficulty options. The Shuttle Bay is accompanied by a series of fixes and improvements, with the patch notes hiding over here.

And here’s a quick overview of the new location:

This update adds another location – the Shuttle Bay. Now you can explore 6 locations out of 12, roughly 40% of the game. The next stop is the Habitat, the home of the three main factions and a major quest hub. It will require twice as much work as any other location and won’t be released until Feb. In the meantime we’ll focus on the systems and balance, a tutorial, and difficulty modes, so if you find the default mode too overwhelming, wait another month.

The Shuttle Bay survived the Mutiny intact but like everything else it’s been looted in the interim, the life support systems and emergency supplies stripped, and the shuttle interiors used by generations of squatters.

Moses Jackson’s Riflemen, a small mercenary outfit, claimed the Shuttle Bay a few years ago, cleaning up and doing their best to make it a permanent home. Their efforts quickly drew the attention of discontented folks from the Habitat, and even the Pit. Soon, scores of people were heading for this small island of safety and stability. The Habitat’s higher-ups look less favorably on the Shuttle Bay’s new status, and have been eyeing the growing numbers on their border with great concern.

Notable characters[…]

You also get the first glimpse of the Habitat in this update, the rooftop level[…]

Before the Mutiny, the rooftops of the Habitat’s four mega-structures supported a sprawling amusement park. There, the people of the Ship could experience at least a few of the novelties they would never enjoy on Earth or Proxima: walk barefoot on real green grass –courtesy of Hydroponics– or soft, red-tinted ‘Proxima’ sand; sit under tall, artificial trees; and watch the sunrise on gigantic screens suspended all around. This last was said to be indistinguishable from the real thing, not that anyone aboard had ever seen it.

Nowadays, the three remaining rooftops are heavily fortified platforms, patrolled by armed guards. The sky-screens went dark long ago, a frivolous luxury in a decaying world. The grass underfoot and simulations of golden fields have likewise vanished, replaced by watchtowers and checkpoints. With enemies on all sides, cheap entertainment is a useless distraction from reality and its harsh demands.