Aug. 10, 2025 Update for Emperor of the Fading Suns Enhanced on Steam and and GOG

Thanks to everyone for your continuing feedback on the Emperor of the Fading Suns Enhanced! Remember that you can get the game on Steam, GOG and Zoom Platform, and join the EFS Discord HERE.

This update prioritizes three areas:

  1. Quality-of-life fixes you have told us will make a big difference for you;
  2. Bug fixes (thankful to say that while there are a number of these, none were especially big); and
  3. Improvements for the map editor and modding.

Quality-of-Life Improvements

Okay, you were right. These REALLY speed up gameplay – just watch our most recent streams!

New Message Window

This was easily one of the most-requested QoL changes. At the start of your turn you will see a new Messages dialog, with all the messages on one screen, You can exit out of these and never have to respond to most of them. 

This means that you no longer receive a lot of building prompts at the start of a turn. Instead, you get a list and can resolve each city at your convenience, either through this new message screen or by visiting the city itself. Cities default to “No Production” if you do not give them anything new to produce.

Note that while you still need to respond to diplomatic entreaties (especially threats of war), we added a setting to the EFS.ini file so you can turn this feature off for most diplomatic requests.

We are aware of a graphic glitch that puts lines under the message (and other text) when you play at 1366 x 768 resolution. We hope you do not find this a problem, but we are looking into it.

No More Build Confirmation

This in itself shaves a lot of time off turns, especially later in the game. EFSe no longer asks for confirmation when starting unit production, or when building nothing. The prompt still appears if you change production from one unit to another to ensure you do not inadvertently waste resources.

More QoL

  • Added support for razing roads – the Build Road command now razes instead if a road is already there. Neither costs movement
  • Added health penalty tooltips
  • Transports can now also be loaded by dragging the unit to another unit already in the transport and not requiring you take the unit off the transport first
  • Fixed some inconsistencies with unloading transports
  • Fixed “Select All” functionality when the current selection is sentried,
  • Added clergy counts to cathedral descriptions
  • The AI now correctly follows the 20 unit stack limitation

Bug Fixes

What bugs? We are just changing unintended functionality to intended 😉 Okay, I admit … they were bugs

Ministry Unit Confusion

This update addresses a few cases of the player’s own units intermingling with ministry units under player control (a so-called mixed stack), which caused a number of issues both technical and design-wise:

  • Fixed a bug where units captured using ministry units would be assigned to the player’s House.
  • Fixed a bug where claiming the reward from a cleared ruin using ministry units would create a mixed stack. The reward is assigned to the player’s own House. The ministry unit used to claim it remains outside. An exception to this is when defending spaceships capitulate in the ruin tile. To avoid a mixed stack situation, moving a ministry unit in to claim the reward will also place it under ministry control. Move ministry units out first to keep it for yourself!
  • Fixed buying from an Agora could place House resources among ministry units. Purchased resources will be given to the player’s House if there is room to do so without creating a mixed stack. Purchased resources will be placed under the control of the player’s ministry if only ministry cities and units have room. These resources can be used to produce either house or ministry units, but will be lost if the ministry changes owners!
  • Fixed Naval Transports not understanding House and ministry boundaries when loading and unloading units.
  • Fixed ministry cities overflowing their production into a tile occupied by units from the player’s house.
  • Fixed some problems with assigning ministries
  • Fixed all ministries having to share the same 20 units limit in space. Now each ministry can now bring a full 20 units without hindering the others.


Lab/Research Fixes

  • Fixed research progression loss when assigning an additional lab.
  • Fixed lost lab research overflow after selecting ‘Nothing’.
  • Fixed out of control inactive labs count in the research window.
  • Fixed some problems with research point calculations

General Bug Fixes

  • Fixed crashes when disbanding units from the Group Finder
  • Fixed a rare crash when embarking unit into adjacent transports could crash the game
  • Fixed a hung game if a minister’s House is eliminated in the same turn the Ministry is assigned.
  • Fixed a bug where interrupting a unit’s movement with the spacebar would teleport the next unit moved.
  • Fixed when Space, Jump or Lander move types couldn’t exit a transport on a river tile.
  • Fixed Zero-movement units being able to board transports
  • New units are no longer built on top of ruins if there’s no free space in the actual city
  • Fixed problems with splitting some cargo types
  • Fixed a rare issue that was causing some units to be invisible and unselectable
  • AI bombardment now always respects movement point count
  • Plague no longer infects ruins
  • Fixed a regression causing empty cities to not build units correctly
  • Fixed some issues with ship movement in coastal cities
  • Removed some ruins that were hidden under cities on the standard map
  • Fixed a problem with transports being disbandable while loaded
  • Fixed other very rare crashes

Modding/Map Editor

  • Improved map editor import – added an Update All Planets option
  • Added functionality to the map editor – randomize and clear planets
  • Improved randomization in the map editor
  • Fixed naval transports that do not have Naval move type (only happens in mods)
  • Added ability to mod some Byzantium Secundus behavior, especially in how AI builds and uses units
  • Map editor CSV import improvements – Fixed special characters in mass save
  • Fixed some map editor crashes,
  • Added an efs.ini setting to auto-reject unresolved treaties – prompt_treaties_end_turn. Even on auto-reject, treaties threatening war must be replied to

Emperor of the Fading Suns Enhanced Updated on Steam and and GOG April 27, 2025

Thanks to all the players who have been giving us input on changes and modifications they would like to see. We were glad to be able to introduce the following updates April 27, 2025:

  • You can now use Ctrl+P while on a planet map to toggle on and off what is being built in each city, as well as how long it has left;
  • We have added a variety of tooltips on the unit dialogue screen, providing more information on attack types, movement types and more. Please let us know what others you would like to see;
  • You can now use CTRL+T on the planet map to toggle on and off both the type of resource (e.g., Gems) and city types (e.g., Fusorium);
  • You can now use CTRL+G on the planet map to toggle on and off the underlying hex grid;
  • The Esc key now allows you to exit the unit view, build and message dialogs;
  • We adjusted the unexplored terrain colors for visibility;
  • We fixed a bug that could cause the production timer to go negative; and
  • We fixed a crash in the mapper CSV import.

Thanks also for telling your friends about EFSe. It is great to see so many multiplayer games getting underway.

Emperor of the Fading Suns Enhanced Now Available on Steam, GOG, and Zoom-Platform
Experience the epic reimagining of the 4X strategy classic

[Atlanta, GA – April 4, 2025] – Reach for the stars and prepare for intergalactic dominance as sci-fi 4X strategy classic Emperor of the Fading Suns Enhanced launches on Steam for PC and Linux. The enhanced edition offers both longtime fans and new players the chance to experience the legendary 4X strategy game like never before!

Check out the trailer HERE

In Emperor of the Fading Suns Enhanced, you take command of one of five Royal Houses vying for power in a universe on the brink of collapse. The stakes couldn’t be higher as you lead your house through battles on land, sea, air, and the vast reaches of space. The enhanced edition introduces new features, modernized gameplay, and immersive visuals designed to expand on the already treasured strategy title. With over 28 years of dedicated mod support, the Enhanced Edition marks a thrilling milestone for the strategy game community and a signal of many years of intergalactic conquests yet to come.

Plot your betrayal from the shadows of space and prepare for victory as Emperor of the Fading Suns Enhanced is available now on Steam for PC and Linux for $9.99! Celebrate launch with the Fading Suns book series from Ulisses on sale now. Keep up to date on the latest news from throughout the galaxy by joining the Discord and visiting the official website

Key Features:

  • Master Your Domain: Reach for the stars and fight for intergalactic dominance on land, air, sea, and space. Battle for control of humanity’s known worlds as one of five Royal Houses.
  • Think Strategically: Utilize combined arms tactics to overcome enemy positions and use a robust diplomacy engine to trade technologies, political offices, threats, favors, and even votes for the imperial crown.
  • Manage a Thriving Economy: Enjoy a powerful economic engine that allows you to trade any of the dozens of resources you develop. Engage in diplomacy with the Church, Merchant League, and alien races to expand your reach across the known worlds.
  • Navigate Political Turmoil: Betrayal, corruption, and shifting alliances await as you navigate the volatile political landscape of a galaxy teetering on the verge of collapse. Watch for the treacherous influence of the Church and the wrath of alien races—your path to power is fraught with uncertainty.
  • Unleash Powerful Legions: Recruit and command powerful forces, including theurgists, psychics, warbeasts, mutant soldiers and more.
  • Join a Passionate and Dedicated Community: Help evolve the known worlds of Emperor of the Fading Suns as a part of the modding community.

[Press Kit]


About Holistic Design, Inc.

HDI (Holistic Design, Inc.) is a multimedia company that has produced computer games, roleplaying games, fiction books, and miniatures games. Holistic Design is best known for their work on Fading Suns, a science-fiction universe featured in many different games and stories. The Fading Suns tabletop roleplaying game is available from Ulisses Spiele.
About V Publishing

Spawned from video game marketing firm Vicarious PR in 2018. V Publishing is a games label dedicated to Strategy, Simulation, and RPG’s for PC and consoles. Please visit V Publishing for more information.

EFS 25-year Anniversary Patch Released!

We have finished our 25-year anniversary patch for Emperor of the Fading Suns, now available as EFS Enhanced on GOG! HDI has been working with a small group of dedicated fans to bring this about, and we are very happy with the results. Check it out here, and if you already bought EFS on GOG, you also get this edition free. https://www.gog.com/game/emperor_of_the_fading_suns

HERE is our FAQ for EFSe

Interested in the hundreds of changes we made for this patch? See them HERE

Battles of Destiny Map Editor Available on GOG

The Battles of Destiny Map Editor is now available via GOG! The map editor actually shipped with the game, but was not accessible via the DOS Box. GOG has fixed this, and you can now make your own maps! Instruction for using the Map Editor start on p. 61 of the manual, and we plan to livestream some examples of how to use it.

There is an image attached showing the new startup screen. If you do not get this option, uninstall Battles of Destiny (you will be able to keep your saved games) and reinstall it.

You can get Battles of Destiny here https://www.gog.com/game/battles_of_destiny

To see our livestream of how to play Battles of Destiny, go HERE

Hammer of the Gods Now Available on GOG

Hammer of the Gods puts you in the role of one of Odin’s chosen, leading Vikings, trolls, elves and dwarves in a war across Europe or a fantasy world of your own creation. A classic 4x strategy game, Hammer of the Gods introduced the combat system later popularized by Heroes of Might and Magic. During play you explore, create new colonies, raid and plunder, and fulfill rewarding quests for the gods of Norse mythology.

Hammer of the Gods has not been commercially available since New World Computing lost the rights in 1995. Now you can get it at https://www.gog.com/game/hammer_of_the_gods and it is discounted for its launch week.

See livestreams of Hammer of the Gods at https://youtu.be/xEvqG8b-1a8 and https://youtu.be/U2z64qdmma4

If you are interested in modding and optimal play for EFS, check out this video from Xenotrenium: https://youtu.be/Xb2Wn0RofH4

Hammer of the Gods review from Computer Gaming World Issue 127:
… if you are looking to pass a few hours with friends having fun, then hop into a boat, slap your horns on your head and leave your civilized conscience behind. The Gods are waiting and they have TOYS!!!”

(FYI, we really miss CGW. If you want to reminisce some more, check out the full issue: https://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_127.pdf)