The 0.53a version of Starfarer is now out! This update is focused on fleshing out the combat gameplay, and future releases will focus on campaign features. That’s not to say that combat won’t receive any more attention – but this release does wrap up all of the major planned combat features.

What’s new:

• Ship systems – each ship gets an active ability – flares, burn drive, a combat teleporter – and many more
• Phase cloaking – three new ships that use the cloak as a primary defensive system
• New mission featuring phase ships
• Tons of AI improvements, new modding features, and bugfixes

You can see the full patch notes here.

Download the new version using the buttons below – you’ll need to reinstall the game, but shouldn’t have to enter the activation code again.

If you’re using OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion) and are having trouble running the game, use this version instead.