The combat demo for Free Stars: Children of Infinity is out, and it's free. While returning ships from UQM have their flight and weapon characteristics lovingly re-created in Fred Ford's new SIMPLE game engine, there are key differences. Ships now turn much more naturally than in the 1990s. UQM melee pros will find their skills translate well but will need some brushing up. In the older game, melee was accessible and fun, hooking players like the author and his brother in mortal space combat.

There's much more to discuss beyond the combat demo, but that will wait. Children of Infinity has had a tortured path to release, nearing completion. The author has written about 100,000 words of NPC dialog for seven alien species over five years. He worked with Paul Reiche III on story ideas, who left in summer 2023 but remained in contact for input.