This new v1.0.4 update includes over thirty bug fixes as well as more than forty improvements to the game balance, interface and usability. For the best play experience, Matrix Games strongly recommends that all owners of Distant Worlds upgrade to v1.0.4. While 1.0.4 will work fine with older saved games, we also strongly recommend starting new games with 1.0.4 as some of the bug fixes and many of the balance changes will not work with saved games from older versions.



Among the major improvements is a rebalancing of economy, diplomacy and research to better balance the early, middle and late games and this includes much smarter private sector automation that should keep your empire running better during times of war or other disruptions. Fleet management has been greatly improved, with new support for auto-engage, auto-refuel and auto-repair as well as system patrolling. Ship Design and retrofitting have seen many improvements as well, making manual ship design and upgrading easier, as well as allowing you to mass retrofit any or all of your existing ships from the ships and bases screen. The displayed “cash flow” has also been improved to be a more accurate indicator of how your economy is doing, and queuing up colonization or construction projects from the expansion planner now distributes them more efficiently among your existing colonies and construction ships.