ZERO-G FLIGHT LOG #8 Alpha 5.1.0 — The Refining System is Live

Alpha 5.0.0 is live. Here's what changed.

Ciao Pilots,
Two weeks ago we launched the Auction House and told you the industrial age had begun. Today it gets real.
Alpha 5.1.0 delivers the Refining System — the first fully playable pillar of the four-pillar Crafting architecture. Raw elements are no longer just things to sell. They are now the foundation of everything that comes next.

⚙️ THE REFINING SYSTEM IS LIVE
The Periodic Table of Elements is now a gameplay mechanic.
Zero-G's refining system is built around the 11 subcategories of the real Periodic Table:

🎓 11 NEW PILOT SKILLS
One skill per element subcategory, available at the Vatican Academy:

Arc Smelter — Transition Metal
Chemical Processor — Polyatomic non-metal
Cryogenist — Noble Gas
Electrolytic Refiner — Alkali Earth Metal
Electrolytic Separator — Diatomic non-metal
Isotope Engineer — Actinide
Molten Salt Chemist — Alkali Metal
Particle Stabilizer — Radioactive unstable
Rare Earth Fractionator — Lanthanide
Thermal Reducer — Post-trans metal
Zone Melter — Metalloid
Skills scale in difficulty — a Level 1 pilot can become a Cryogenist. Becoming a Particle Stabilizer requires Level 9 with high Intelligence and Perception attributes. Choose your specialisation wisely.

🔄 HOW REFINING WORKS

Train your pilot at the Vatican Academy in the relevant skill
Load raw materials into your ship's cargo
Fly to the location hosting the appropriate refinery plant
Start refining jobs — parallel jobs scale with your pilot's ability level
Pay taxes, wait for completion, collect refined materials
Sell on the Auction House at significantly higher value

The Crafting Monitor under the Assets menu lets you track all ongoing and completed jobs across every location in real time — no more flying blind.

🗺️ INTERACTIVE TERRAIN MAP
The HQ home page now displays a detailed interactive terrain map showing the real HQ layout. Pan, zoom, and click directly on services to open them. All future industrial modules will be implemented as graphical interactive entities.

🛡️ THE SCUTUM ALPHA IS DEPLOYED

In other news — the first dedicated combat cruiser in Zero-G history is now on patrol around Mars.
The Scutum Alpha. Five cannons. 90 rounds per minute. 250km engagement range. 7G acceleration. It fights alien Jump Drive fleets automatically while pilots sleep.
The community on r/humansarespaceorcs wrote 26 comments and generated 96 upvotes discussing why the humans named their warship after a shield. The aliens, reportedly, have no answer either.

📋 ALSO IN 5.1.0
Starbase docking significantly easier
Ventures can set custom tax levels for industrial services
Ship detail cards improved with richer information
HQ stores now support fractional quantities and subcategory filters
Context-sensitive help expanded for all industrial services
Performance improvements and reduced memory leaks

🔭 COMING NEXT
Crafting Phase 2 — Component Assembly
Refined materials become components. Components become ships and technologies.
Auction House expansion to additional HQs
Ship modification system — individual ship stat customisation
Unique missions with exclusive loot
The chain from asteroid to finished ship is being built one link at a time.

We are now at 1,287 registered pilots. Every one of you who has been here since January is building something that will matter when the universe fills up.
Fly fast. Mine deep. Trade well.
Giuseppe & the Zero-G Team
👉 Return to the Shard: https://space.zerog.live
📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Zero-GProject
👾 Discord: https://discord.gg/C9dWFP2jJt
FLY FAST PILOTS!

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