Hey everyone!

Beta 15.1 is now out!

It contains various fixes and changes. In addition, enemy ship crews will now board and attempt to take over your ship during ship-to-ship combat more effectively than before. This means that a once rare type of game-over condition is now more likely to happen. If your crew loses control of your ship, you’ll need to retake an Atrium before you’ll be able to respawn. You can either retake your ship or take theirs! Your AI crew should also be more effective at seeking and capturing ship screens.

Fixes
-Light flares should now be working properly (not in VR yet)
-Enemy crew appearance should now be properly randomized
-Fixed error with reclaiming a stolen player ship
-Fixed issue with dead enemy crewmen using their jetpack
-Teleport screen won’t show the player ship as blocked when you can teleport to it
-Enemy crew captain bots now have much improved priority set that better matches rest of crew
-Fixed camera issue when a player died on enemy ship
-Fixed a material error found during one of the phases of the Sand Scar Arena
-Fixed timing issue when players joined during a warp jump that could cause warp to be unskippable until the player leaves the game
-Improved timing systems when creating a new game that could cause long timeouts and errors

Changes
-Crew AI boarding logic overhauled
-”Kowz Retreat” and “Grenades!” signs now spin counterclockwise
-Prize money for the Sand Scar Arena has been increased to 50,000
-Load game menu now shows when the save was created and sorts the list by most recent
-Can see ship system UI’s on enemy ships but can’t modify them. You’ll now be able to see enemy ship system health while attacking them directly
-After death menu can now show some limited info about who killed you
-Enemy bots on Alliance of Gentlemen ships will be much more likely to board and takeover player ships
-Enemy crewmen base armor levels increased
-Bots are more adept at finding and taking ship screens on enemy ships
-Exotic shops: Gruff’s Stuff, ???, and Corbin’s Emporium now sell a selection of grenade launchers (you can also buy them at The Burrow)
-One of the Lava Planets has received another detail pass


Thank you for your time!

Best,
The Leafy Games Team

Hey everyone!

Beta 15.1 is now out!

It contains various fixes and changes. In addition, enemy ship crews will now board and attempt to take over your ship during ship-to-ship combat more effectively than before. This means that a once rare type of game-over condition is now more likely to happen. If your crew loses control of your ship, you’ll need to retake an Atrium before you’ll be able to respawn. You can either retake your ship or take theirs! Your AI crew should also be more effective at seeking and capturing ship screens.

Fixes
-Light flares should now be working properly (not in VR yet)
-Enemy crew appearance should now be properly randomized
-Fixed error with reclaiming a stolen player ship
-Fixed issue with dead enemy crewmen using their jetpack
-Teleport screen won’t show the player ship as blocked when you can teleport to it
-Enemy crew captain bots now have much improved priority set that better matches rest of crew
-Fixed camera issue when a player died on enemy ship
-Fixed a material error found during one of the phases of the Sand Scar Arena
-Fixed timing issue when players joined during a warp jump that could cause warp to be unskippable until the player leaves the game
-Improved timing systems when creating a new game that could cause long timeouts and errors

Changes
-Crew AI boarding logic overhauled
-”Kowz Retreat” and “Grenades!” signs now spin counterclockwise
-Prize money for the Sand Scar Arena has been increased to 50,000
-Load game menu now shows when the save was created and sorts the list by most recent
-Can see ship system UI’s on enemy ships but can’t modify them. You’ll now be able to see enemy ship system health while attacking them directly
-After death menu can now show some limited info about who killed you
-Enemy bots on Alliance of Gentlemen ships will be much more likely to board and takeover player ships
-Enemy crewmen base armor levels increased
-Bots are more adept at finding and taking ship screens on enemy ships
-Exotic shops: Gruff’s Stuff, ???, and Corbin’s Emporium now sell a selection of grenade launchers (you can also buy them at The Burrow)
-One of the Lava Planets has received another detail pass


Thank you for your time!

Best,
The Leafy Games Team

Hey everyone!

Beta 15 is now out!

Devlog #71: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmHVPkBhM3E

As we mentioned in Beta 14.9, this is sort of the second half of what we originally planned for Beta 15. It features new grenade-based weapons and tools with networked physics, a new hub called the ‘Burrow’, and a gladiator-style pit called the ‘Sand Scar Arena’. During the rest of the Beta 15 release cycle we’re looking to add creatures and take another look at AI boarding behavior.

Additions
-New Hub: The Burrow - A planetside hub built into a rocky outcrop on an arid desert planet.
-30 new NPCs have been added
-New Mission: Find the Strange Creature (offers reward for finding V’uurog)
-Burrow NPC ‘Kavin Arent’ sells a limited stock of research materials
-The Sand Scar Arena - Found in the Burrow, this arena pits players against numerous waves of deadly foes in a dynamic arena landscape. Crews who survive all rounds will win 10,000 credits!
-Ammo reservoirs can now be found on all ships
-Reloading system: Some weapons now require ammo to function, you can reload these weapons at an ammo reservoir usually found in the armor of each ship. The reservoir replenishes after every jump.
-New Enemy: Jet Bandit
-New Enemy: Armored Mega Ant
-New Weapon: Pulse Grenade Launcher
-New Weapon: Mini Grenade Launcher
-New Tool: Fire Killer Grenade
-New Tool: System Repair Grenade
-New Tool: Healing Grenade


Changes
-Quick respawn talent reduced from 20% per rank to 12%
-Player characters now have some intrinsic damage reduction to help them survive longer during fights
-Base fire extinguisher is slightly less effective
-Removed green reticle on players. This system would prevent players from shooting one another and hampered combat.
-Beam pistols now use ammo
-Colonial Union outpost 448 (Sector 0) has had its exterior mesh tweaked and optimized
-Base stamina for players has been doubled


Fixes
-Changed some mouse behavior to improve experience on some linux setups
-Fixed some rendering issues that prevented detail normals from working
-New save file system should help prevent saves from becoming corrupted if game is closed in unexpected ways

Thank you for your time!

Best,
The Leafy Games Team

Hey everyone!

Beta 15 is now out!

Devlog #71: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmHVPkBhM3E

As we mentioned in Beta 14.9, this is sort of the second half of what we originally planned for Beta 15. It features new grenade-based weapons and tools with networked physics, a new hub called the ‘Burrow’, and a gladiator-style pit called the ‘Sand Scar Arena’. During the rest of the Beta 15 release cycle we’re looking to add creatures and take another look at AI boarding behavior.

Additions
-New Hub: The Burrow - A planetside hub built into a rocky outcrop on an arid desert planet.
-30 new NPCs have been added
-New Mission: Find the Strange Creature (offers reward for finding V’uurog)
-Burrow NPC ‘Kavin Arent’ sells a limited stock of research materials
-The Sand Scar Arena - Found in the Burrow, this arena pits players against numerous waves of deadly foes in a dynamic arena landscape. Crews who survive all rounds will win 10,000 credits!
-Ammo reservoirs can now be found on all ships
-Reloading system: Some weapons now require ammo to function, you can reload these weapons at an ammo reservoir usually found in the armor of each ship. The reservoir replenishes after every jump.
-New Enemy: Jet Bandit
-New Enemy: Armored Mega Ant
-New Weapon: Pulse Grenade Launcher
-New Weapon: Mini Grenade Launcher
-New Tool: Fire Killer Grenade
-New Tool: System Repair Grenade
-New Tool: Healing Grenade


Changes
-Quick respawn talent reduced from 20% per rank to 12%
-Player characters now have some intrinsic damage reduction to help them survive longer during fights
-Base fire extinguisher is slightly less effective
-Removed green reticle on players. This system would prevent players from shooting one another and hampered combat.
-Beam pistols now use ammo
-Colonial Union outpost 448 (Sector 0) has had its exterior mesh tweaked and optimized
-Base stamina for players has been doubled


Fixes
-Changed some mouse behavior to improve experience on some linux setups
-Fixed some rendering issues that prevented detail normals from working
-New save file system should help prevent saves from becoming corrupted if game is closed in unexpected ways

Thank you for your time!

Best,
The Leafy Games Team

Hey everyone!

Beta 14.9 is now out!

This update contains a lot of things we intended for Beta 15, but we decided to push it out earlier when we figured out a work around for the VR issues. It contains gunplay changes, a new camera mode after pawn death, and VR rendering fixes.

One of the aspects we looked at improving was how weapons and heat worked, after building and testing some possible solutions we arrived at the over-heating system that’s now in the game. It essentially allows you to fire your weapons as fast as you can click, with the penalty that your gun builds up heat with every shot and becomes inactive for a short time if it reaches its maximum heat threshold.

We’ve also begun to look into better feedback for when your character dies. You’ll now see them fall to the ground instead of having a harsh cut to the bridge camera like before!

There are quite a few things we’ve made that aren’t ready just yet, but you can expect new updates soon that introduce more weapons and tools. We’re also planning to focus more on content updates during the Beta 15 cycle.

Changes
-Changed the weapon firing system to allow for quicker firing (can fire as fast as you can click)
-Weapon heat system changed, instead of slower fire rate with more heat, it will overheat when heat is too high and you can’t fire for a short time
-Tweaked pawn health / O2 UI
-Death cam added

Fixes
-Grim Cutlass collision issue near the bridge railings should be fixed
-Fixed a few issues that would result in unreachable scanner data on certain Cave planets
-Ship fires should be more predictable and not spawn outside of reachable areas
-Updated to Unity 5.6.2
-Updated Unity 5.6 rendering system handles VR multi-cam systems much more predictably
-Updated SteamVR and Oculus libraries
-Fixed some internal systems that weren’t properly adjusting for quality levels. Now works properly for the lower quality levels
-Fixed issue that could cause other players to not be visible until a teleport
-Rendering fixes to external pawn camera system (death cam, customizable appearance menu)

Known Issues
-A rendering bug in the latest version of Unity causes some materials to not appear correctly. We are working on a solution

UPDATE: Beta 14.9.1 is now available. A micro-update fixing the death cam.

Beta 15 is coming soon with new content and weapons!

Thank you for your time!

Best,
The Leafy Games Team

Hey everyone!

Beta 14.9 is now out!

This update contains a lot of things we intended for Beta 15, but we decided to push it out earlier when we figured out a work around for the VR issues. It contains gunplay changes, a new camera mode after pawn death, and VR rendering fixes.

One of the aspects we looked at improving was how weapons and heat worked, after building and testing some possible solutions we arrived at the over-heating system that’s now in the game. It essentially allows you to fire your weapons as fast as you can click, with the penalty that your gun builds up heat with every shot and becomes inactive for a short time if it reaches its maximum heat threshold.

We’ve also begun to look into better feedback for when your character dies. You’ll now see them fall to the ground instead of having a harsh cut to the bridge camera like before!

There are quite a few things we’ve made that aren’t ready just yet, but you can expect new updates soon that introduce more weapons and tools. We’re also planning to focus more on content updates during the Beta 15 cycle.

Changes
-Changed the weapon firing system to allow for quicker firing (can fire as fast as you can click)
-Weapon heat system changed, instead of slower fire rate with more heat, it will overheat when heat is too high and you can’t fire for a short time
-Tweaked pawn health / O2 UI
-Death cam added

Fixes
-Grim Cutlass collision issue near the bridge railings should be fixed
-Fixed a few issues that would result in unreachable scanner data on certain Cave planets
-Ship fires should be more predictable and not spawn outside of reachable areas
-Updated to Unity 5.6.2
-Updated Unity 5.6 rendering system handles VR multi-cam systems much more predictably
-Updated SteamVR and Oculus libraries
-Fixed some internal systems that weren’t properly adjusting for quality levels. Now works properly for the lower quality levels
-Fixed issue that could cause other players to not be visible until a teleport
-Rendering fixes to external pawn camera system (death cam, customizable appearance menu)

Known Issues
-A rendering bug in the latest version of Unity causes some materials to not appear correctly. We are working on a solution

UPDATE: Beta 14.9.1 is now available. A micro-update fixing the death cam.

Beta 15 is coming soon with new content and weapons!

Thank you for your time!

Best,
The Leafy Games Team

Hey everyone!

Beta 14.8 is now out! It is a small update focused on fixing a few reported bugs.

Changes
-Added a jump computer to the default loadout of the Caustic Corsair

Fixes
-Metal Bandits should now attack players as they should
-When reloading a game playing as the Caustic Corsair it should now reload the correct components
-Creature attack ranges tweaked, should be working properly now

Known Issues
-Certain VR setups have rendering bugs at certain head rotations/positions. Unity is aware and it appears to be fixed in Unity 5.6. More info below.


We are looking into Unity 5.6 which adds Vulkan support. It also seems to fix the VR issue mentioned above in our testing. Unfortunately it also has a few changes / bugs that are preventing us from moving to it as of this moment. They are aware of the bugs and should have the fix out shortly.

Vulkan is definitely something we will be experimenting with. If it’s a good fit and improves performance for PULSAR then we’d like to offer it as an option to players. It might take a little while before we know how well it’s going to work for PULSAR though.


Thank you for your time!

Best,
The Leafy Games Team

Hey everyone!

Beta 14.8 is now out! It is a small update focused on fixing a few reported bugs.

Changes
-Added a jump computer to the default loadout of the Caustic Corsair

Fixes
-Metal Bandits should now attack players as they should
-When reloading a game playing as the Caustic Corsair it should now reload the correct components
-Creature attack ranges tweaked, should be working properly now

Known Issues
-Certain VR setups have rendering bugs at certain head rotations/positions. Unity is aware and it appears to be fixed in Unity 5.6. More info below.


We are looking into Unity 5.6 which adds Vulkan support. It also seems to fix the VR issue mentioned above in our testing. Unfortunately it also has a few changes / bugs that are preventing us from moving to it as of this moment. They are aware of the bugs and should have the fix out shortly.

Vulkan is definitely something we will be experimenting with. If it’s a good fit and improves performance for PULSAR then we’d like to offer it as an option to players. It might take a little while before we know how well it’s going to work for PULSAR though.


Thank you for your time!

Best,
The Leafy Games Team

Hey everyone!

Beta 14.7 is now out!



This update focuses on new content and fixes!

We’ve added a new sector commander. An individual known only as “The Alchemist” captains the “Caustic Corsair” a heavily modified Carrier-class starship. The ship is continuously filled with toxic chemicals to making boarding the ship more hazardous than normal. Because of this, the entire crew wears ExoSuits. This sector commander opens up a new ship variant that you can board and capture!

This update also includes an optional mission line centered around a bounty hunting organization named the Grey Huntsmen. There is a chance they will ask you to join from long range comms, but you can also sign up by talking to “Ivok Milligan” (a new NPC in the Harbor) or “Baris” (a robot found in one of the lower levels of Cornelia Station).

Additions
-5 New Missions: Grey Huntsmen bounty hunting mission line, specializing in taking out dangerous outlaws (three found frequently in neutral space, one near long range warp stations, and one near CU space)
-New Sector Commander: Caustic Corsair
-New Carrier Variant: Alchemist
-New Tracker Missile: Acid Missile

Changes
-Internal network security improvements to blind jump networking
-Galaxy generator tweaks that should put more variety in the average run
-Can now access Escape menu while selecting a class
-Enemy CaptainBot AI is much more robust than before (won’t get stuck as often and has more behaviors)
-Bots can now automatically put on ExoSuits when ship air is toxic
-Research upgrades involving the scanner are no longer restricted to the Scientist class
-Carrier starting EM sensors upgraded one level
-Ships now drift much less after exiting warp

Fixes
-Fixed an issue that would occasionally show a pink asteroid (no material)
-Fixed a UI scaling issue that could cause some item stats to be unreadable
-Join Private Game menu now properly shows game name
-Changed how the trading system assigns shop IDs over the network to help reduce syncing errors
-Fixed an issue with an internal system that caused ships to sometimes spawn with incorrect components
-AI bots a little smarter about equipping items, will use better items if they have access to them

Known Issues
-Certain VR setups have rendering bugs at certain head rotations/positions. Restarting the game / VR runtime will sometimes fix it temporarily. We are working on a fix.

Thank you for your time!

Best,
The Leafy Games Team

Hey everyone!

Beta 14.7 is now out!



This update focuses on new content and fixes!

We’ve added a new sector commander. An individual known only as “The Alchemist” captains the “Caustic Corsair” a heavily modified Carrier-class starship. The ship is continuously filled with toxic chemicals to making boarding the ship more hazardous than normal. Because of this, the entire crew wears ExoSuits. This sector commander opens up a new ship variant that you can board and capture!

This update also includes an optional mission line centered around a bounty hunting organization named the Grey Huntsmen. There is a chance they will ask you to join from long range comms, but you can also sign up by talking to “Ivok Milligan” (a new NPC in the Harbor) or “Baris” (a robot found in one of the lower levels of Cornelia Station).

Additions
-5 New Missions: Grey Huntsmen bounty hunting mission line, specializing in taking out dangerous outlaws (three found frequently in neutral space, one near long range warp stations, and one near CU space)
-New Sector Commander: Caustic Corsair
-New Carrier Variant: Alchemist
-New Tracker Missile: Acid Missile

Changes
-Internal network security improvements to blind jump networking
-Galaxy generator tweaks that should put more variety in the average run
-Can now access Escape menu while selecting a class
-Enemy CaptainBot AI is much more robust than before (won’t get stuck as often and has more behaviors)
-Bots can now automatically put on ExoSuits when ship air is toxic
-Research upgrades involving the scanner are no longer restricted to the Scientist class
-Carrier starting EM sensors upgraded one level
-Ships now drift much less after exiting warp

Fixes
-Fixed an issue that would occasionally show a pink asteroid (no material)
-Fixed a UI scaling issue that could cause some item stats to be unreadable
-Join Private Game menu now properly shows game name
-Changed how the trading system assigns shop IDs over the network to help reduce syncing errors
-Fixed an issue with an internal system that caused ships to sometimes spawn with incorrect components
-AI bots a little smarter about equipping items, will use better items if they have access to them

Known Issues
-Certain VR setups have rendering bugs at certain head rotations/positions. Restarting the game / VR runtime will sometimes fix it temporarily. We are working on a fix.

Thank you for your time!

Best,
The Leafy Games Team