Take your time, I think you should wait until the 1.5 version comes out. I'm working on some truly awesome new things for that version.
I decided to give the player an option in the BlueSunMod.ini file regarding Skyrider, there is the favor system I mentioned earlier and there's also the "pay for distance" option. With the latter the player can travel to any known sector without worrying about bandits, but it costs a lot.
I've also added an Interest option in BlueSunMod.ini, the player can set the interest percentage for the bank account.
I've changed the Headphone hearing increase issue, it now increases hearing 3x instead of a fixed number(250)
The mechanic at the base accepts weapon manuals and upgrades a few weapons, as in BE5.
I've cleaned up the code, the game runs a bit smoother.
I'm currently working on a new Merc hiring system, I think I'll do a similar system as Speck in JA2. I will remove the mercs from the maps, they will come when you order them. There will be an on/off switch in BlueSunMod.ini in case you wanna play with vanilla settings.
There will be a few new weapons, I think the count is now up to 95 new ones. there might be a few more added before the release as well
theBrain is working on a new set of weapon statistics, it'll be more realistic than the ones I've made. Hopefully it'll be ready before the next release, but it's a major task and will take time.
I think I'll release the next version on Christmas eve, but don't hold me to that date, it might get postponed down the line.