Looking back at 2025

 

Another year is over, which seems like a perfect time to reflect on my modding work!

Whoniverse Galaxy Mod

This year, development of the mod was definitely slower - I had much less free time due to work and family commitments. But I certainly didn’t give up! Let's take a look at the year that was.

January: The 0.8 "Martha Jones" patch was released, adding the Silurians as a playable empire, the Dalek Ascendancy tradition tree, and Martha Jones as a recruitable leader through an event chain.

February: Versions 0.81, 0.82 and 0.83 added shipsets and animated portraits by VelociRandom and Wise - something I absolutely love! Another smaller addition was the Cult of Skaro event chain.

April: The 0.9 "Donna Noble" patch added Sontarans as a forced-spawn playable empire (along with the Rutan Host as their nemesis) and Donna Noble as a recruitable leader.

May: The 0.92 patch updated the mod to Stellaris 4.0. This proved to be the biggest setback of the year, draining my modding energy for several months.

July: The 1.0 "Gallifrey" patch added the Eleventh Doctor, The Master and the Time Lords, as both a playable empire and an NPC faction entering the game through a midgame event. Other additions included collectibleSpecimens (such as sonic screwdrivers) and the Metaltron event chain.

December: The 1.1 "Ood" patch introduced the Ood as a minor race through the Planet of the Ood event chain, as well as the Saxon Master Resurrected as a recruitable leader for players with The Master perk.

Now, at the beginning of 2026, the faction roaster looks like this:

 

One year ago, I set several development goals for myself - let's see how that turned out.

  • Fully implemented: Silurian Empire, Sontaran Empire, Time Lord Empire, The Master, Dalek Tradition Tree

  • Partially implemented: The Doctor's Regenerations and Companions (only one more added of each)

  • Not Implemented: Ice Warrior Empire, Technologies, Endgame Crisis

Ice Warriors were ultimately not implemented as a playable faction, as I came to the conclusion that they are better suited for an archaeological dig site or an event chain. Their homeworld being Mars also presents some complications.

As for the Endgame Crisis, this is unfortunately far beyond my current modding capabilities.

With that out of the way, let's set some realistic goals for 2026:

  • Amy and Rory: We already have the Eleventh Doctor implemented, but he is missing his beloved companions! Adding Amy and Rory with an appropriate event chain is my main goal for the first half of the year.

  • Clara Oswald: Another classic Companion who could come with her own event chain.

  • Human Factor Daleks: One request I've noticed is for the "humanized" Daleks from The Evil of the Daleks. This could work both as a new Civic and as an archaeology dig site.

  • Cybermen Ascendancy tradition tree: This would add more depth to Cybermen playthroughs and introduce more lore-friendly mechanics. Let's see if I can pull this off.

  • Twelfth Doctor / Missy: Some of my favorite characters - hopefully something for the second half of the year.

  • And of course: more events, systems, mini-factions, dig sites, and specimens.

Ascendancy Redux

In November, I released another Stellaris mod called Ascendancy Redux. This mod recreates factions from the 1990s 4X game Ascendancy, one of the inspirations behind Stellaris, although largely forgotten today.

The mod includes 21 factions with unique (upscaled) graphics, sounds, and flag symbols, giving the resulting galaxy a very distinctive - and nostalgic - atmosphere.

Whoniverse Galaxy Music Companion

In December, I released a small music add-on for Whoniverse Galaxy Mod. It includes selected tracks from Seasons 1–5.

This was originally something I created for personal use (especially since there are already great music mods available, such as GuZLO's DOCTOR WHO MUSIC), but I decided to share it with the public anyway.

Naturally, the included tracks - which are publicly available on YouTube - are intended for personal use only.

Plasma Caves (rotary08ql)

 

Many years ago I created maps for the classic arena FPS Quake III Arena. To celebrate a family event, I recently updated one of my maps - Plasma Caves - for Quake Live.

The update includes improved balance, better item placement, and a complete rework of several areas of the arena. The Quake Live version is available on Steam Workshop.

And that's all for this year's recap. Thanks to everyone who continues to play my mods and share feedback — see you in the next update!

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