-added 24 tech upgrades and added new GUI elements for researching and displaying techs, abilities, buffs, and debuffs

-added 2 new frigate unit abilities (EMP Missile and Smash)

-added a new panel in the units selection bar which shows all current upgrades and buffs/debuffs for the selected units

-persistent tech upgrades can now be unlocked in the rogue fleet campaign through the new "Techs" tab

-added campaign meta-progression where completing zones increases the number of starting techs for the next playthrough

-the player can now select enemy units to see their unit type/health/short description as well as any upgrades or buffs/debuffs they have

-added a new variation of the miner hunt scenario

-added faction effect and increased the time between waves on the miners hunt campaign scenario

-added area markers to the asteroid belt in the miners hunt campaign scenario

-the Robotic Mining Corp faction boss is now also available in the Arcade Boss Rush mode

-Rockets will now correctly track "drive by targets" (note: this is an existing feature which means when a unit is given a regular move order then a queued (shift) attack order afterwards - it will prioritize attacking the targeted unit if it is in range while moving to its primary destination)

-group object icons are now more accurately drawn over the unit's center (for selection and targeting purposes)

-improved enemy AI in maps with multiple unconnected map grids

-queue move formation orders can now be accurately given even without use of the formation hotkey

-fixed issue where rotation orders were inappropriately being removed for non-player units (when assigned by triggers in the campaign)

-fixed issue where rotation orders were being cleared when the game was paused then unpaused

-fixed bug where cruiser "sell module" buttons could be clicked when invisible

-fixed rare bug where units could become invisible

-fixed bug where flagship refineries would collect resources too slowly during high game speed/low framerate

-fixed bug where the next zone wouldn't start if the player used the number keys to select the last dialogue option after defeating a campaign boss

-added additional check to prevent the game window from starting partially off-screen when launching in fullscreen mode

-fixed issue where some units could continue firing at captured units that have recently changed owners

-fixed issue where the FTL missile would activate at inconsistent distances

-FTL missile trail particles are now always visible regardless of view distance

-units will can no longer be accidentally selected by left clicking while targeting abilities are being issued

-fixed issue where the mouse's scroll wheel and the up and down arrow buttons for scroll panels wouldn't work when the game was paused

Additional Notes:

Tech upgrades are one of the features I've been planning for a long time and I've finally added in the new systems in this update. Like most of the recent updates, the tech system was heavily influenced by the design needs of the campaign. In the campaign screen, in addition to having a fleet of units and flagship modules, the player can also gain persistent techs during the course of the campaign that will make their fleet more powerful.

In keeping with the convention of faction differences, the Imperial and Union factions also have different types of basic upgrades. The Union's basic damage upgrades are differentiated by unit class (fighter, frigate, cruiser) while the Empire's basic damage upgrades are separated into 3 main weapon types. In addition to providing a different kind of strategic decision for each faction, this allows us to simply double up damage upgrades in the campaign. (Normally, a Union player cannot research Imperial tech and vice versa, but in the rogue fleet campaign, the player can be granted Imperial techs as a possible reward for defeating bosses.)

There is also now a form of meta-progression to the campaign. Each time the player starts a new campaign, they will have additional bonus starting techs based on the number of zones cleared in the previous campaign. I am wary of adding too much meta-progression, but the extra bonus techs are meant to be a nice consolation prize for an unsuccessful play through. The campaign is still designed to be something that can be completed on the first run with good play.

Ability Upgrades are another related feature that I added in this update. So far, there are 7 already implemented abilities (not counting those granted by flagship abilities.) Part of the work behind the scenes for this update involved re organizing the ability related code to make it easier to add new abilities in the next patches. In addition to adding new abilities to the Imperial units and some more of the higher tech Union units, I'll be bringing in some campaign specific abilities that are much more powerful (and probably more fun) than those available in standard skirmish mode.  These techs will be unlocked by completing special missions and will generally be limited to a single unit in the player's fleet, making it very much overpowered compared to regular units.

Lastly, I'd like to note the new interface (the new button next to the health bars on the bottom bar switches between "unit info view" and "upgrades/buffs view") that allows the player to see the currently equipped tech upgrades and buffs or debuffs for all selected units. The current list of buffs/debuffs hasn't changed much in this patch, but the player can now see whether their units (or enemy units) have a speed buff or debuff or an armor buff or whether they have been weakened by tractor beams.

This is the last of the big new feature additions, for real this time. The remaining work is mostly adding content (more campaign missions, boss fights, and new techs/abilities) and polishing what's already there. I'm getting close to setting a final release date - it hasn't been decided yet, (it's hard to estimate these things, and the timing of the summer sale will probably have an effect on it) but for now the next few patches should start to come out with greater frequency.