May 3^rd, 2005 (9:27am) - Matrix Games and Destroyed Studious have made available today a new free update for the space combat simulation, Starshatter, which will vastly improve space and terrain graphics as well as adding other enhancements.

The 4.5.0 update to Starshatter includes an all new rendering engine based on DirectX 9, a new user-interface, a new terrain engine and improvements to shading, textures, and graphical effects such as bump and specular maps. Additional improvements include increased missile payload for ships, minor bug fixes with flight patterns, and more responsive controls. This major update requires Starshatter v4.0.3 to be installer before updating. The update can be downloaded from www.matrixgames.com in the Games section for Starshatter.

Existing players should note that the system requirements have increased due to the more advanced graphics engine in Starshatter v4.5.0. In order to use the new graphics engine, you must have a 3D card with support for hardware transformation and lighting. Software rendering is no longer supported in v4.5.0 and owners who require this should stay with v4.0.3.

Starshatter extends the game concepts of the classic space simulations by combining fighter and starship combat in a single game. You begin the game as either a fighter pilot or the commander of a small starship. As you progress through the game, you can earn promotions and awards until you are commanding a massive fleet carrier with three wings of fighters and a complete escort of warships. Starshatter also boasts one of the best mod communities for space fighting simulations