Grand Wonders of New Day (17.04.2026)

Note before you start reading this, I really recommend you had read previous all 3 dev diaries, regarding Theory of Toolbox module.

Hello everyone. This is the last dev diary before the major update, which includes the release of Seats of Power 3.1, Vaults of Knowledge 5.0, and a new module: Theory of Toolbox, which will serve as a dependency for these two modules. Today we are going to talk about changes in these modules, as well as the future of AoTD and one of its modules.

Adjustment to New Economy Changes: VoK and SoP

Thanks to the new economy, I was able to re-implement most of the systems introduced by Vaults of Knowledge. It took a lot of effort, since 40% of the Vaults of Knowledge codebase was removed and rewritten from the ground up.

Basically everything has changed, with the exception of the research tree — from custom production to megastructures. Let's go through the changes.

Custom Production — Revamp of UI and Mechanics

The custom production UI was one of the oldest pieces of code left in AoTD, from a time when I had very little experience. It was the kind of code you never want to touch. However, since I needed to replace a lot of it, I decided to rework and optimize it.

UI as well as mechanic revamped a bit.

One of the first things you will notice is the lack of pages. One thing I am really proud of is creating a special plugin that can handle hundreds of components without causing any lag.

But what else has changed? Remember the Trade Contract mechanic? (Read previous dev diaries if you need context.) Now custom production orders also use this system, meaning you need actual net positive resource production to produce items for yourself. Additionally, costs are no longer deducted instantly, but only when you receive either the full order or part of it.

You can check ongoing orders and modify them in the Current Orders subsection.

Ongoing orders

You can also adjust your order if you decide you no longer need something to be produced.

Change your order here.

Due to how contracts have been redesigned internally, they should no longer cause lag spikes, even when handling multiple orders.

You can track the amount of resources being consumed in the Trade Contract section.

Here you can find details about the contract.

Black Site Projects — Minor Adjustments

Nothing major has changed for special projects in terms of UI or mechanics. Resources are now also procured via trade contracts, but otherwise there are no significant changes.

Black site contract

So far so good, but you may notice that one tab is missing — the megastructure tab. This is because, due to the new economy overhaul, I can now properly integrate them into the economy, allowing them to be managed directly from industries instead.

New UI?

Megastructures — Overhaul of Restoration Progress and UI

I was inspired by the Black Site Project UI and decided to create something similar for megastructures.

Pluto Mining Station

Restoration and other processes are now handled via trade contracts. I also adjusted costs — payment is now made together with resources. For example, if restoration costs 2.5 million, it will always total 2.5 million, as that represents the cost of procuring all required materials.

No one said it's an easy challenge

A lot of contracts, right?

Due to the lack of a dedicated UI tab, the Bifrost Network is now managed from a new special structure.

Bifrost Control Center

Manage new network!

As for Hypershunt... we are moving toward its first implementation.

Hypershunt as colony?

Grand Wonders — New Mechanic for VoK and SoP

This is a new mechanic within Theory of Toolbox. It is designed for very special structures or industries — marvels of engineering that provide bonuses, new abilities, and act as milestones for your faction. Think of them like wonders from Civilization. Both Seats of Power and Vaults of Knowledge share some of these wonders, which can be unlocked throughout the game.

New stat

Build site?

Once you set up a construction site for a Grand Wonder, you can choose which one to build on that market from the available options.

Even capital ones?

With this system, structures like Hexagon and Nova Exploraria no longer need to be built on the capital world. However, a capital must still exist to unlock them, along with meeting faction goal requirements.

Once construction begins, you can check progress by hovering over the construction site tooltip. Like other systems, this also uses trade contracts.

Consuming even more resources

These are not all the wonders in the mod — I have hidden some for you to discover.

Starsector 0.98.5 Version

A new version is rapidly approaching, and with it I will release all the content described in this and the three previous dev diaries. After that, I plan to take a break. Creating a completely new economy system that minimizes conflicts with other mods was truly a major challenge.

Not to mention that many early iterations were simply not fun — either too complicated or causing colony profitability issues.

As mentioned before, for version 0.98 I will keep legacy versions of all modules as a sort of "wayback machine." Nearly all modules will be updated to 0.98.5, except one.

Question of Loyalty

No need to worry — this module is not being abandoned. However, it would require massive changes to work with the new economy system. I also want to fully revamp it, as many of its ideas have not aged well. First, I will take a break, and after that I will move on to Seats of Power 4.0.

After releasing all major updates, likely 2–4 weeks after the new Starsector patch, I will focus on balancing the new economy and fixing bugs. After that, I will take a well-deserved long break.

This will also be the last dev diary for a few months. Don't worry — I will return with new content sooner or later.

In the meantime, I encourage you to support me on Patreon. It really helps and supports further mod development.