In a Steam blog post titled ‘Combat System Preview #1 Intro & Background‘, the studio discusses the enemies that will be fought, as well as detailing how Dyson Sphere Program‘s combat will actually work.

In the blog post, the studio has provided a backstory for the enemies that will be fought in Dyson Sphere Program. Called Dark Fog, the antagonists in Dyson Sphere Program are essentially rogue AI modules that betrayed humanity’s central AI system. In fact, one of the primary goals of the in-universe Dyson Sphere Program is to defeat the Dark Fog.

When it comes to dealing with Dark Fog, players will race against their enemies, competing both in terms of industry, as well as energy gathering. Not wanting to change the core gameplay of “gather-transport-build”, the studio wanted to incorporate the core game loop that Dyson Sphere Program is popular for.

Players and Dark Fog will both compete for limited space and resources. Confrontation is inevitable, and thus, players will have to find the Dark Fog’s Central Core, and destroy its Tinder, rendering the entire headquarters inactive.

Dyson Sphere Program is available on Steam as an early access release.

Imagine Factorio but on an inter-planetary scale – that’s Youthcat Studio’s Dyson Sphere Program in a nutshell. The sandbox title recently launched in Steam Early Access and has already sold over 200,000 copies in four days. It currently has an “Overwhelmingly Positive” user review score on Steam and is also number one on Steam’s Top Sellers list.

The story sees the COSMO agency launching Icarus mechs to explore the universe and build a Dyson Sphere. This megastructure will harness the power of a star but requires setting up production lines on numerous planets, utilizing their resources and automating everything. The universe is procedurally generated with one playthrough estimated at 50 to 100 hours in its current stage.

Early access is currently planned to last for a year though the development team says this isn’t “written in stone.” “We will be open to our players’ feedback and ideas from the beginning, so that period can be expanded to meet their expectations until the game is ready for its full release.” Upcoming content includes new planet types, exploration events (like a black hole), designing one’s own mechs, monsters, additional construction types and much more. There will also be cutscenes and additional music tracks and sounds.

Stay tuned for more details on the Dyson Sphere Program in the coming months.