v1.7 - Active NPC Empires And Alliance Invitations

This update makes the galaxy feel more alive. NPC empires now behave more like real competitors, and alliance founders can recruit directly with invitations instead of waiting for public applications alone.

Highlights

Active NPC empires now fleetsave, scout, raid, retaliate, and cooperate more like real rivals.
NPC activity follows more human-like sleep and session windows instead of round-the-clock grinding.
NPC development now reacts more to nearby player tech, fleet, and expansion pressure.
Alliance founders can now invite specific players directly.
Players can accept or deny alliance invitations from the alliance screen.
Players can now explicitly choose a research specialization on the research screen, and admin metrics track those real selections.

Living Universe

NPC empires now protect exposed fleets and resources before longer offline periods.
Fresh probe reports matter more because active empires may move fleets, harvest debris, or answer aggression quickly.
NPC alliances and rivalries now feel more persistent over time.

Alliance Recruiting

Founders can send direct alliance invitations by username.
Accepting an invitation joins the alliance immediately.
Accepting an invitation closes your other pending invitations and unanswered alliance applications.

Strategy Impact

Fleetsaving discipline matters more because active empires punish predictable return windows more reliably.
Quiet-looking systems are less likely to stay quiet if nearby NPC empires are scouting or coordinating.
Direct invitations make it easier to turn proven raid partners or defenders into formal alliance members.

Bug Fixes

Mobile launch and overview navigation now preserve signed galaxy and system coordinates instead of stripping the negative direction marker.
Space-dock-side factory progression now includes nanite factory availability alongside robotics factory support.