We wanted to give an update on some of what we’ve been working on. We’re in the process of upgrading the version of Unity we use as well as many of the plugins and libraries used for development. This should set us up for better performance and compatibility as we get closer to release. We have also been working on a lot of new content, some of which will be part of Beta 26.
This update is taking longer than expected and it will still be a while longer before it’s ready for release, but we wanted to at least provide some info on what will likely be in Beta 26:
New ships and components! We are developing 3 new starting ships for Beta 26. This will include a civilian ship that could provide a fresh challenge for experienced crews. In addition, two artifact ships from the Old Wars will soon be uncovered! While these will be available to play upon release of Beta 26, later they may need to be unlocked in order to play them.
Beta 26 will include a core engine upgrade, we’re moving from Unity 2017.4 LTS to 2018.4 LTS. This brings us the latest bug fixes and features from Unity. We’re experimenting with some new rendering systems and scripting runtimes to improve performance and compatibility. In addition, we’ve updated and reconfigured plugins that needed the new version.
We’re working on some improvements to the VR experience. We’re updating to newer versions of the SteamVR and Oculus SDKs to better support newer hardware and VR features. We’re adding support for SteamVR Input to better support all types of controllers and easy rebinding through the Steam client. VR players with motion controllers will have overhauled menus that better utilize both hands and are more fun to use!
The voice chat system has been partially reworked to allow for more options. You’ll be able to select separate capture and playback devices just for voice chat. It will also remember the preferred devices more accurately than before.
Other improvements include a redesigned dialogue window for interacting with NPCs and an additional pass to update some planets and missions. This update will also fix a number of reported issues and introduce a few new quality of life additions.
We’ve also been working on the Academy (the game’s tutorial which goes over the basics of operating a ship and filling each class role) and the Lost Colony itself (which is the end-game scenario)! These won’t be ready for Beta 26, but they will very likely be appearing in the next couple updates.
Beta 25 is out now! This update focuses primarily on improving the planets currently in the game. We did this by adding additional details, more enemy variety, and more rewards for exploring. Some planets only needed a few touch ups while others have been heavily overhauled. Some planets and stations related to missions haven’t been changed yet, but we’ll be making a pass on them soon. Around 45 planets have been worked on for this update.
Part of the planet pass was adding additional rewards for exploring them, to do this we’ve added a few new pickup types that you can find planetside. We have Fuel - which adds 1 additional fuel capsule to your ship supply. We have Credsticks, which of course add credits to the ship account, we also have Experience pickups, which may be a little harder to find, these add 1 additional XP point to your crew experience!
This update also adds an additional method for acquiring a Lost Colony Data Fragment (reminder: the Lost Colony hasn’t been added yet). The new method involves exploring planets and discovering ancient Sylvassi structures known as “Cyphers”. Each of these ancient ruins contains a cryptic puzzle that the crew can work together to solve. We don’t want to give too many details away, but we tried to design a puzzle that could benefit from teamwork and communication while also being possible if you’re playing solo. The complexity of the puzzle increases based on the number of human players in the session.The Sylvassi Cypher Lab on your starmap is a great place to head to get started!
This update also contains unlockable uniforms! These new looks work the same way as the other cosmetic features but can help add a bit more character. Many of the uniforms allow color tweaks to further player customization!
Additionally, this update contains some changes to how starship turrets operate. They now use a heat-based system similar to how the hand-held weapons work. This allows crewmembers manning turrets to potentially fire their turrets faster than before, but with the added risk that if they fire too much too fast the turrets could overheat and be unusable for a short time. The turrets will cool faster if the engineer is using coolant. We believe this change allows for a bit more agency in the turret seat.
Additions - New Item Pickup Type: Fuel - Picking up this fuel capsule will add 1 to your ship’s fuel supply. - New Item Pickup Type: Experience - Picking this up will add 1 point to your crew’s experience. - New Item Pickup Type: Credstick - Picking this up will add a handful of credits to your ship account. - New Item Pickup Type: Credstick Pile - This pile of credsticks will add several hundred credits to your ship account. -New Cosmetic Item Type: Uniform - You can now switch which uniform you wear. Faction restrictions have been removed and several new options are available. Some uniforms allow players to modify up to two of the uniform’s colors. -New Uniform (Human Male and Female): C.U. Vice Admiral - Unlocked when 250 levels are earned playing as the Colonial Union faction. -New Uniform (Human Male and Female): W.D. Vice Admiral - Unlocked when 250 levels are earned playing as the W.D. Corp. -New Uniform (Human Male and Female): Lab Coat - Unlocked when 100 levels are earned playing as a Scientist. -New Uniform (Human Male and Female): Civilian Clothes (Striped) - Unlocked after 25 levels earned -New Uniform (Human Male and Female): Civilian Clothes (Solid Colors) - Unlocked after completing 60 Jumps. -New Uniform (Human Male and Female): Civilian Clothes (Variant) - Unlocked after 200 levels earned -New Uniform (Human Male and Female): Civilian Clothes with Robot Hand and Foot - Unlocked after 180 levels earned -New Uniform (Human Male): Civilian Clothes with Robot Arm - Unlocked after 125 Levels Earned -New Uniform (Human Male): Civilian Clothes with Robot Leg - Unlocked after 25 Crew Deaths -New Uniform (Human Female): Civilian Clothes with Robot Leg and Arm - Unlocked after earning 220 levels -New Uniform (Robot): Body Type 2 - Unlocked after earning 100 levels. -New Uniform (Sylvassi) Ancient Sylvassi Suit - Unlocked after completing the Sylvassi Cypher Lab Quest. -New Quest Item: Ancient Sylvassi Tablet -New Sector: Sylvassi Cypher Lab - Shown on the Starmap, this sector is the central research base in this galaxy for the study of Sylvassi Cyphers and ancient Sylvassi culture. -New Steam Achievement: Cypher Master - Gained from completing the Sylvassi Cypher Mission.
Changes -Ship turrets now generate heat when fired and can overheat. This works similarly to how guns work on foot. Using reactor coolant applies to all turrets onboard, causing them to cool down faster depending on the coolant pump speed. Turrets can overall fire faster than before but turret operators will need to consider the heat buildup over time. Turrets operating themselves will manage their heat automatically but won’t fire over 60% heat, limiting their usefulness compared to a manned turret’s damage potential. -Some of the turrets found in the game have had their stats adjusted to compensate for the change mentioned above. -Planet Pass - Many planets have undergone many changes, from optimizing the levels, adding additional details, new rewards, more enemy variety and more!
Fixes -Fixed a collision issue found inside KOW’Z Retreat -Fixed a visual issue found within KOW’Z Retreat -Fixed a few texture seam issues found on the Forsaken Flagship and a toxic planet -Fixed an exception found in the racing sectors -Ships can no longer warp to invisible sectors (sectors that haven’t been unlocked yet) -Fixed a bug regarding armor for the Destroyer, armor flaw and shutdown defense -Fixed an issue with non-Captain players potentially having a minor performance issue due to the AI priorities system -Fixed a syncing issue related to the Sandshark -Fixed an issue regarding ship fires not spawning correctly
Beta 25.1 Release Notes
Beta 25.1 is out now! This hotfix is focused on fixing some of the issues that have been reported and also helps provide a few more options to help turret cooling. We’ll likely be looking at adding or tweaking talents to help crews cool their turrets in a later update.
Additions - The W.D. Cruiser now has an additional ship attribute: +15% Turret Cooling
Changes - The BKP-WPN-POWER ship processor also now also affects the cooling rate of the turrets - The Barrage ship program now also affects the cooling rate of turrets
Fixes -Fixed a bug that would kill players upon immediately entering one of the Sylvassi Cyphers -Fixed a bug that would incorrectly respawn enemies in the abandoned station mission -Fixed a bug that would incorrectly respawn enemies on the planet crash 2 mission -Fixed a collision issue found in one of the apartment areas in the Colonial Union Hub -Fixed an issue that would incorrectly unlock the Ancient Sylvassi Suit based on the completion of an earlier mission instead of the intended one -Fixed an issue that could show a third robot body type as unlocked, despite there being no option -Fixed a bug where the control tips were not showing correctly. If you want those tips turned off you can uncheck “Show Controls” in the Game Settings
Beta 25.2 Release Notes
Beta 25.2 is out now! It contains changes and fixes based on player feedback. It also contains updates to a few planets. Thanks for all the feedback and bug reports!
Additions -4 NPCs and mission added to snow planet
Changes -Changed item levels and rarities on several items across several planets -Ship turrets cool 15% faster overall -Galaxy faction spread on is now more deterministic / repeatable
Fixes -Fixed placement of a teleporter screen found on a mission planet (kiln seed request) -Fixed issue with nukes that caused them to not apply their range stat properly. Certain nukes now have much larger ranges so keep that in mind! -Fixed issue with Infected spreading through the galaxy that could cause the faction to not control much of the galaxy by Chaos Level 6. This will only apply to galaxies going forward (no forced reset) -Fixed game loading issue that could cause saves to not load properly when the galaxy needs to be recreated in cases where the saved current sector no longer exists -Fixed issue with cloaking systems in cargo causing a ship’s cloaking system to incorrectly shut itself down even when fully powered -System power conduits can incorrectly factor components in cargo into the power levels displayed and could affect power distribution. This should be fixed.
Beta 25.3 Release Notes
Hey everyone!
Beta 25.3 is out now! It should address the component loading / saving issue reported since Beta 25.2. Thanks to everyone who reported the issue, it was very helpful in figuring out the problem.
We think, in many cases, Beta 25.3 should be able to load saves with the missing components as long as they weren’t re-saved (or auto-saved) after a component was lost.
Fixes -Fixed loading / saving issue with ship components introduced in Beta 25.2
Sorry for the inconvenience and thanks for your time!
Beta 24 is now out! The main focus for this update is Steam integration and some ship combat variety!
To start off, the game now supports new features when playing on Steam.
We’ve added support for Steam friends including the ability to directly join a friend’s game and invite other players into your crew through Steam. You can also see information about a friend (role and crew level) in the Steam friends list while they are playing.
When logged into Steam, the host can now optionally start a Secured Game, which offers some additional account-based features for crews. This allows in-game kicks to be more permanent, and the game lobby shows you games where your friends are playing as well as games where people who you have blocked or previously kicked are playing. You can now also add your crewmates as Steam friends via the Tab menu.
Steam achievements can now be earned. Some of these may be immediately achieved based on your previous statistics, but others will not. We’re starting with 26 achievements and we’ll likely be adding more as we continue to develop the remaining parts of the game.
Steam Cloud Support allows saves, progress data, AI priorities and input bindings information to be saved on the cloud so they can be accessed on a different computer.
As for ship combat variety, we have added quite a few more enemy ship modifiers for unmanned drones. The modifiers change various aspects of the enemy ships and stats. For example, ships with the “irradiated” modifier can impart radiation into your ship when they deal hull damage, and ships with the “corrupted” modifier continually broadcast the corruption virus and can attack ships of the same faction. Some of the other new modifiers are negative modifiers that weaken enemy stats, which we hope adds another layer of decision making to the fight.
The negative modifiers are more likely to exist near the lower chaos levels to help keep the difficulty curve from being too harsh. We’ve also taken the time to rename the drones in the game. While the previous names were practical, we thought there was additional room for variation. Additionally, faction-specific drones have slight differences between them.
We will be working on an issue with bot pathfinding for a hotfix in the near future. A content / polish pass of planets is planned for Beta 25.
Additions - Steam Friends: You can now join games from the friends list. As host, you can invite friends to your crew from the friends list, and you can add friends in-game through the Tab menu. Additionally, friends of the host do not need to type in the correct password to join their private game. - Secured Games: Hosts can pick the secured game option when starting or loading a game. Secured games enable Steam account-based online features like friends, persistent kicks as well as viewing which games in the lobby have friends or people you have kicked previously. Secured games require players to be playing through Steam in order to join.
NOTE 1: Secured games are also susceptible to Steam activity (if it goes down for maintenance, then secured games will too).The normal game mode is still available for those not playing on Steam, and Steam players can join normal games.
NOTE 2: Kicking a player in a secured group will block them from all future games you host. If you wish to undo this you must find their steam ID and remove it from the “Blocked ID’s section of your settings.xml file. Alternatively you can just delete the entire settings file and it will reset all blocked Steam IDs.
- Steam Cloud Support: Support for saves, progress data, AI priorities, and bindings files - New Drone Class: Drone Overseer - This drone can coordinate field repairs to other drones in the sector mid-fight. The other ships will need to lower their shields for a brief period of time in order to receive the repair, which opens up a window for your crew to deal some direct hull damage! - New Drone Modifier: Corrupted - Continuously broadcasts the Corruption virus. It also attacks any ship it detects regardless of faction. It is also flagged so no reputation loss with occur if you defend yourself. - New Drone Modifier: Irradiated - When a ship with this modifier deals hull damage to your ship, it imparts radiation inside your ship. - New Drone Modifier: Legendary - This ship is a better version of the “Elite” modifier. Its ship components are better and finely tuned. Be careful when choosing to fight a ship with this modifier. - New Drone Modifier: Secure - A ship with this modifier has a much higher cyberdefense and can resist being infected with viruses very well. - New Drone Modifier: Vulnerable - This ship has armor and shield weaknesses, both are reduced by 50% - New Drone Modifier: Neglected - A ship with this modifier hasn’t been maintained in a while and it’s starting to show. Turret damage and charge speeds are reduced by 50%. - New Drone Modifier: Brutal - A ship with this modifier is finely tuned to deal as much damage as possible. - New Drone Modifier: Frozen - surrounded by cooling gas which helps manage its heat, if you fly very close you might also benefit from the effect. - New NPC: The Sylvassi Skiah has a structure set up in Cornelia Station in the hopes of getting daring crews to take out some Sector Commanders. - New Mission: “Defeat 3 Sector Commanders” - Assigned by Skiah in Cornelia Station. This offers a few rewards, one of which will be a Lost Colony Data Fragment when implemented.
Steam Achievements - Steam Achievements: Now possible to unlock. The game has 26 achievements listed below: - Veteran Crew: Reach Crew Level 25 - Galaxy In Chaos: Reach Chaos Level 6 - The Wasted Wing: Complete the Colonial Union faction mission line - Call of The Void: Defeat the V’uurog - The Swarm: Defeat the Swarm - Researcher: Research 10 talents - Pacifist: Reach crew level 10 without dealing any damage - The Madman’s Mansion: Complete the Alliance of Gentlemen faction mission line - Dice Champion: Win a game of Liar’s Dice - Hold Still: Heal 5,000 hit points on your allies - The Grim Cutlass: Defeat the Grim Cutlass - The Great Biscuit Race: Win the Fluffy Biscuit sales competition - The Forsaken Flagship: Complete the W.D. Corporation faction mission line - The Ancient Sentry: Defeat the Ancient Sentry - Extortionist: As captain, extort 25 ships - Explorer: Make 150 jumps - Diplomat: As captain, pacify 25 hostile ships - Seeking Death: Defeat a deathseeker - The Caustic Corsair: Defeat the Caustic Corsair - Leap of Faith: Blind jump 5 times in a single game - Biscuit Madness: secret - Master Chef: Perfectly cook 5 biscuits in a row - Big Spender: Spend 100,000 credits in a single game - Sandscarred: Win the Sandscar Arena - No Questions Asked: Complete Rumibard Warger’s artifact collection missions - First Place: Win the Ion Races
Changes - Renamed common drone ships in galaxy based on faction owner: - C.U. Scout Drone >>> C.U. Ranger - C.U. Security Drone >>> C.U. Guardian - C.U. Tactical Drone >>> C.U. Arbiter - W.D. Scout Drone >>> W.D. Scout - W.D. Security Drone >>> W.D. Warrior - W.D. Tactical Drone >>> W.D. Vindicator - Bandit Scout Drone >>> Bandit Clunker - Bandit Security Drone >>> Bandit Ripper - Bandit Tactical Drone >>> Bandit Marauder - C.U. Ranger, W.D. Scout and the Bandit Clunker have a chance to have obsolete hulls, making them easier to defeat. - Bandit specific drones will generally have stronger sensors, be harder to detect, and move slightly faster. - CU specific drones will generally have 15% faster charging shields. - WD specific drones will generally have stronger weapons with 15% more damage. - Research materials from probes can now be any type. - Other ships you encounter can now be damaged when you first encounter them. - UI tweaks - Enemy health bars should be easier to differentiate from allies. - The above-player crew health bars have been removed, although you can see information about their health if you have a hand-held scanner equipped. - Load game UI has been tweaked - Drone modifiers are much more likely to appear - Significant tweaks to how enemy ship components are leveled up as chaos increases, the result should be certain ship components spike up in level more often while the average component level is the same
Fixes - Spreadshot turret should be firing in a proper spread now - Sensor screen tweaks to help prevent incorrect order of UI elements especially when scanning for components - Heal grenade launcher model updated - Fixed an issue regarding autosaves - Fixed an issue that caused Fluffy Biscuit mission “Deliver Biscuits to Restricted CU Site 881” to fail upon start - Fixed a collision issue found in the Caretaker’s room on the Estate. - Fixed a collision issue found on the abandoned robot factory planet - Fixed a texture error found on the abandoned robot factory planet -The “Compare Ship Components” shop menu now correctly shows a decrease in min shield integrity as a positive and an increase in Min for QT shields as a negative.
Beta 24.1 Release Notes
Beta 24.1 is now out! This addresses some of the early feedback and reports we received so far from Beta 24. As always, thanks for your feedback and suggestions!
Changes - You can now change your in-game online player name when logged into Steam. In the game options you can type whatever name you want to appear in game and it should work in secured games. If you want to use your steam handle you can leave the field blank.
Fixes - Destroying unclaimed ships now doesn’t cause reputation loss - Hunt The Resolution mission should no longer cause rep loss
Beta 24.2 Release Notes
Beta 24.2 is now out! It contains a handful of tweaks and fixes based on the feedback and reports we’ve gotten!
Changes - For those who want to keep their privacy, there is a new option to play secured games more anonymously. You can toggle the “Allow Crewmates To View Steam Profile” in the game options to control the ability of fellow crewmates to view your profile or request to add you as a friend while playing in secured games. -Tweaked the material properties for some planet creatures
Fixes - Unsecured games should no longer have Steam profile / friend options in the TAB menu - Shield generator tooltip now shows correct shield recharge rate
Beta 24.3 Release Notes
Beta 24.3 is now out! This one is focused on improving AI navigation on foot.
Changes - Updated default AI priorities for PiBot to disable Align Ship To Sector when the Captain hasn’t set a waypoint - Bot pathfinding / jetpack use tweaked to help avoid some situational issues we found - Crew bots movement and animation speed tweaked to be a little slower
Fixes - Certain achievements related to completing missions were not triggering properly. This should be fixed now for the Wasted Wing, Forsaken Flagship and other achievements.
Beta 23 is now live! It’s mainly focused on adding end game content for the Alliance of Gentlemen faction. In these new missions, your crew will be stealing cargo from a W.D. transport ship, breaking a prisoner out of a secure prison, and gathering equipment in order to pull off a heist in the mansion of the notorious businessman Torsten Rowe.
In addition to the new content, we also added penalties and bonuses to player death. Your maximum health will now degrade each time you respawn. Conversely, each jump you make will increase your maximum health and can even surpass what you started with.
We made an additional pass on a few of the currently implemented Sector Commanders. The two that received the biggest changes were the Grim Cutlass and the Ancient Sentry. You can read more about the changes below!
This update concludes the faction-specific end game content that we have planned. There will be a handful of other non-faction related ways in which you’ll be able to gain Lost Colony Data fragments, which we’ll be adding in the near future. We’re excited to hear feedback on the new content as well as the other additions. Thank you for any reports!
Faction Specific Additions (potential spoiler warning!) -New Sector: WD Transport - A W.D. ship holding cargo and flanked by armored security drones -New Sector: Hollow Rock - Secret CU prison sector for especially dangerous prisoners -New Sector: Old Factory - Abandoned robot factory -New Sector: Torsten Rowe’s Estate - The Madman’s Mansion -New Area: The Captain’s Quarters on the Estate -New Planetside Enemy: Downed Protector - A massive creation, luckily it’s already defeated... -New Planetside Enemy: Guard Drone - Teleporters guards to its location if it spots intruders -New Planetside Enemy: Assassin Bot - This entity can be slowed, but not stopped entirely. -New Item: The P.U.N.T. Chip - A missioned related item -New Item: Estate Access Card - Grants access to the Captain’s Quarters on the Estate -New Mission: “Open Call” - Given through long range comms (requires AOG faction, crew level 3 minimum) -New Mission: “Break Out Conrad” - Given by NPC the Caretaker in the Captain’s Quarters of the Estate (requires mission “Open Call” completed and related quest component in cargo) -New Mission: “Investigate Prison Cell” - Given by NPC Saliki in the Captain’s Quarters of the Estate (requires mission “Break Out Conrad” to be in progress) -New Mission: “Retrieve Robot Head” - Given by NPC Conrad in the Captain’s Quarters of the Estate (requires mission “Break Out Conrad” completed) -New Mission: “The Madman’s Mansion” - Given by the Caretaker in the Captain’s Quarters of the Estate (requires mission “Retrieve Robot Head” completed) -Added 4 New Mission NPCs
Additions -New System: Fluctuating Health - Each time your character dies, their maximum health decreases. If you character does not die in the current sector, their maximum health can increase in small increments upon warping. -New System: Pin Screens - Screens near security checkpoints. These screens require the correct pin to be entered before they can be unlocked. The pin numbers can be found somewhere within the sector on data pads or memos. -New System: Limited Teleportation Dock - You can teleport into certain restricted stations only if your ship is located within a specific area. -New System: Mission Status Toggle - Allows us to show or hide different elements in a level based on the status of a specific mission -New Item: Revitalizing Syringe - Using this consumable item will not only fully heal you, but will also increase your maximum HP to its highest possible state. -New Sound Effects: Robot and Sylvassi will sound appropriate when damaged -Captains can now target destroyable space objects. They appear on the top-right corner as condensed versions of normal ship targets. -New Ship Component: CU Long Range (tweaked) - The Grim Cutlass has modified this main turret.
Changes -Captains can move cargo to other cargo slots (including hidden cargo slots) without having to be near a repair depot. -Enemy AI Aiming has been tweaked. They are slightly less accurate and sometimes take longer before shooting / in between shots. -Enemy AI weapon distribution has been altered. They are less likely to be equipped with the really powerful weapon varieties. -AI behavior for Repel Invaders and Defend Self (Ship) has been improved. AI will now begin to search for potential intruders. -Enemy AI crews will now have talents randomly applied to them. -AI movement has been tweaked -Updated default AI priorities regarding the Defend Self (Ship) behavior. This is a slight tweak and won’t give a prompt to players to reset to default AI priorities. -The Grim Cutlass now has improved shields and upgraded cyberdefense. Its crew has also been given upgrades. -The Grim Cutlass’s crew now starts with better weapons. -The Caustic Corsair has had its toxic interior effect removed. -The Ancient Sentry’s EMP ability has been replaced with an overcharge generator in its core. -The Ancient Sentry now has two destroyable systems embedded in its hull. The first system allows the Ancient Sentry to repair itself over time. The second system allows it to fire missiles. Destroying each system will prevent the Ancient Sentry from performing that specific ability. -The jump count restriction for the W.D. mission “Weapon Demonstration” has been removed. This allows crews to leave and revisit once they are a higher level / better equipped without the mission failing. -Targeting drop-down option in the TAB menu for captains has been changed to two options: Auto-target and clear target. You can still click on the ships directly in the upper right to target them individually. -Tweaked the current ship target visuals -Decreased likelihood of cargo inspections. They should no longer be assigned until chaos level 3, and they should also be rarer. -Heavy Pistol has been tweaked, it fires slower and does a bit less damage -Elite versions of humanoid enemies have had a few tweaks
Fixes -Fixed an issue with extracting special components, now preventing them from also dropping when the same ship is destroyed -Fixed a naming issue with the I.M.P.A.C.T. prototype. -Fixed a few issues occuring on BSOs (boardable space objects - stations with windows) -Improved the networking on missiles exploding in space -Fixed animation issue that could result in characters repeatedly playing the death animation based on where they died. -The language filter should produce fewer false positives. -Improved visuals for Burst Rifle -Automated Trading Station shopkeepers should now be easier to talk to in certain situations -Fixed a lighting issue on the W.D. Cruiser -Fixed crew bot issue that broke their ability to navigate the ship after they play Liar’s Dice -Fixed a sound issue on the Ant Colony Planet
Beta 23.1 Release Notes
Beta 23.1 is now out! It should hopefully help with alleviate a crash issue that was introduced in Beta 23. Thanks for sending in those reports!
Additions -Piloting and Captain’s Chair UI for enemy ships now shows when shields are fully offline by hiding the shield integrity bar.
Fixes -Fixed an issue that could cause a crash on certain computers -Fixed a networking/timing issue found on the Downed Protector in one of the new AOG missions
Beta 22 is now available! It focuses on creating end-game content for the W.D. Corporation Faction. The update includes multiple missions leading up to the climactic “Forsaken Flagship” mission.
Besides that, we’ve done a lot of work related to hand-held weapons. The weapons should feel nicer when looking around. We’ve also worked on the heavily requested feature of two-handed weapons. All grenade launchers should now come as two-handed weapons, as well as the Burst Pistol (now called the Burst Rifle) and the Hand Cannon (now called the Splitshot).
We’ve also reworked weapon ammo by adding an additional feature. You can now reload weapons anywhere as long as you have an ammo clip in your inventory. Holding R will reload the gun you currently have equipped.
An ammo clip will spawn in the ammo crate each time a fuel capsule is consumed (either via jumping or recharging programs). The crate won’t store more than one ammo clip so remember to pick them up! This new ammo system has allowed us to rework some of the existing ammo amounts certain guns have, so be on the lookout for those changes as well.
We’ve also added the ability to send items directly to other crewmembers. Captains can use this system to better equip their AI bots, and players can use it to send items or resources quickly to one another.
Beta 22 also includes various additions, improvements and fixes!
WD Content (potential spoiler warning!)
-New Mission Sector: WD Weapons Demonstration Area -New Mission Planet: AOG Secret Hideout -New Area: WD Control Room (located within WD HQ). Requires special security clearance to access. -New Mission Sector: The Forsaken Flagship -New WD Mission: Track Down Security Drone (acquired through long range comms, requires WD rep 5 minimum, crew level 3 minimum, near WD sectors) -New WD Mission: Weapon Demonstration (acquired through long range comms, requires WD rep 6 minimum, crew level 5 minimum, near WD sectors, mission ‘Track Down Security Drone’ completed) -New WD Mission: Planet Bombardment (acquired through long range comms, requires WD rep 7 minimum, crew level 7 minimum, mission ‘Weapon Demonstration’ completed) -New WD Mission: Report to Sullivan Vorcolp / The Forsaken Flagship (acquired through long range comms / NPC ‘Sullivan Vorcolp’ in the WD Headquarters Control Room, requires WD rep 10 minimum, mission ‘Planet Bombardment’ completed) -New WD Mission: Additional Tasks (acquired through NPC ‘Oskal Shardes’ in the WD Headquarters Control Room, requires mission ‘The Forsaken Flagship’ to be in progress) -New Weapon Type: Unstable - This weapon’s upgrade bonus will degrade every few jumps, these normally start at +5 and crews will need to occasional upgrade them if they want to keep that +5 bonus. -New Weapon (unstable): The W.D. Heavy - Held with two hands. Capable of firing powerful shots at long ranges. If the projectile doesn’t kill on impact, the force alone will likely push the target back. -New Weapon (unstable): The S.P.I.K.E.R. Prototype (Sporadic Point Industrial Kinetic Energy Reducer) - Held with two hands. Creates a field of ice when fired. The ice deals damage to enemies traversing through it, and it also slows them down. -New Weapon (unstable): The I.M.P.A.C.T Prototype ( Internal Manifold Projection Arc / Combatant Thrower ) Generates a powerful force effect to keep enemies from approaching you. -New Creature Variant: Adamantine Drones - These creatures have been genetically modified to withstand incredible amounts of damage. -New Creature Variant: Waste Wasps and Crawlers - These creatures have also been genetically modified to grow bigger and more dangerous. -New Creature: The Impossibility - A sphere of mysterious force that seems to feed on the bodies of its foes. If an Impossibility kills a crewmember, it will regain some of its health. -New Creature: Large Infected Crawler - A larger, more imposing version of the Infected Crawler. -New Creature: Infected WD Crewmembers (Male and Female) - These individuals are lost to the Infected and will attack anyone on sight. -New Creature: Mindslaver - This large Infected organism instinctually cultivates infections. -New Creature: Heart of the Ship - This parasite uses a ship’s own energy source as fuel to grow and spread. -New Enemy: Bandit - Can be any faction or race -New Enemy: Elite Bandit - A stronger version of the Bandit. -New Ship enemy: Infected Drone - A security drone that has been corrupted and controlled by the Infected. -New Ship Enemy: Infected Fighter - A fully formed Infected Fighter grown from the chassis of an infected drone. It is capable of launching spore pods. -New Ship Enemy: Infected Grappler - An orgasim that will defend a newly forming infected ship. -New enemy spawning system - Will occasionally spawn enemies out of sight, which then attack the players. Used on the Forsaken Flagship Mission Scenario. -Improved Infected Spore Pods - Better about tracking and connecting to ships -Improved Infected Crawlers - Much better about boarding ships. They also have a proper death animation now. -9 new NPCs for Weapon Demonstration mission -6 new NPCs for Planet Bombardment mission -11 new NPCs for Forsaken Flagship mission -3 readable logs in AOG Secret Hideout (Planet Bombardment) mission location -4 readable logs in Forsaken Flagship mission location -New dialog for some NPCs at W.D. Headquarters in reaction to certain mission completions
Additions
-Two handed weapons have been added. They function similarly to pistols. -New Ammo System: Guns can now be reloaded on the fly. Pressing and holding [R] will start the reloading process. You must have an ammo clip in your inventory to reload. The ammo clip will be consumed during the process. This only reloads the gun you currently have equipped. -New Kickback System - will slightly move your aim upwards when firing certain weapons. -New Item: Ammo Clip - used to reload weapons -Ammo Clip configured to randomly appear in general stores -Some Ammo Clips have been added to the Wasted Wing Scenario -New Ship System: Ammo Drop - By expending a fuel capsule (during a jump or program recharge) an ammo clip will be formed in the ammo crate. Pressing [R] will pick it up. -New System: Send Item - Players can now send items to other crew members. Sent items will appear in their inventories. Players can send any item they currently have in their inventory. Players can also send items to Bots. The captain can also use this system for bots (you can have a bot send you an item it is currently holding). -New Notification: You will be notified if an item has been sent to you. -New Notification: You will be notified when a weapon in your inventory degrades (for unstable weapons) -New AI Behavior - AI will prioritize the weapons they use in combat based on the numbering in the equip slots (AI will tend to favor a weapon in slot 2 over slot 4). -New AI behavior - AI will attempt to get better positions during combat
-New sound effects have been added for the new content -New networking implementation for flight packs. Players in flight should look much smoother and less laggy. -New additions to internal campaign editor -Added a visual indicator for voice chat above characters in the world -New Character Visuals: Male and Female WD Executive Uniform -New Character Visuals: Male Commander Uniform -More variation in space backgrounds -Added a system for the Teleport Screen to display when teleportation locations are obstructed -New Talents: Quick Reload I & II: General talent to reduce reload time
Changes
-The Heal, Mini, Fire-Killer, Pulse, Repair and Stun Grenade launchers have updated art assets, they are now two-handed weapons. -First person weapon visuals have been improved, with less movement and wonkiness when looking around. -First person scanner has also been improved. -Some weapons can now hold more ammo. -Pulse Grenade Launcher damage has been reduced -The Hand Cannon has been changed to the ‘Split-Shot’ and is now two handed. -The Burst Pistol has been changed to the ‘Burst Rifle’ and is now two handed. -Slightly changed end credits sequence -Edited dialog of NPC ‘Remhan Zesho’ at W.D. Headquarters -WD Hub NPCs should have different dialog if you are not aligned with the WD faction -Added some more props to the Captain’s Quarters section of the Estate -The Burrow, Cornelia Station, Ant Colony, Artifact Planet 4, Bandit Base, Bandit Caves, FB Delivery Mission 2, Cave Planets 1, 2 and 3, Lava Planet 1, Mining Station Planet, and Toxic 3 have gotten some improved textures. -Some tweaks to Infected Carriers -Made some tweaks to AI navigation which should help them from getting stuck in certain types of environments -Tweaked the inventory object system to help show larger items in the display -Manually charging programs will now also refill ammo supply
Fixes
-Fixed a UI issue related to abandoning missions -Fixed an issue on the Roland related to equipping auto-turrets from the expanded ship component menu -Fixed an issue with a WD mission giving Fluffy Biscuit Co. reputation -Fixed a root motion issue with an NPC in the W.D. hub -Fixed animation on NPC ‘Bolgath’ at the Burrow -Added a credit reward to WD mission “Remove Obstructions” -Fixed a collision issue found on the WD Annihilator -Fixed a lighting issue on the snow observatory planet -Fixed a bug with dropping and picking up items on ships -Fixed an issue with a mesh on lava planet 1 -Removed seasonal props from the Roland-Class starship -Fixed a visual issue when interacting with the Barber station at the WD Hub.
Looking ahead, Beta 23 will include end-game content for the Alliance of Gentlemen Faction, nicknamed “The Madman’s Mansion”!
Beta 22.1 Release Notes
Beta 22.1 should be out now! It mainly focuses on some bug fixes that have been reported. We also made some slight tweaks to gun combat based on the feedback we got on our last update.
We’ve also taken some time to update our trailer since our last one was filmed with version Beta 1. We hope you like it!
Changes -Slightly tweaked how damage works for players and crew bots -Tweaked space background at Outpost 448 (Sector 0)
Fixes -Ammo clips should no longer be seen as equippable or upgradeable items -CU stop asteroid mission should work better in regards to the destructible columns objective -Fixed an issue with the Twister enemy type
Beta 21.6 is now available! We’ve added a few new systems focused on getting us to be more informed as developers. We’ve added in an optional analytics system to help us start getting a clearer picture about how the game is played and what we might need to work on more.
We’ve also added an in-game bug reporting system which may make the reporting process easier for some. We have a field to include an email address if you’d like the possibility of us contacting you with potential workarounds or further questions. Just know that if you don’t include an appropriate way for us to respond we may not be able to tell you of known ways to resolve common issues quickly.
Additions -Added optional analytics to help us be more informed, especially when making balancing decisions -Added in-game bug reporting via the main menu or escape menu -Added an option to use a virtual cursor instead of the default hardware option, this is primarily for those having cursor issues like the ones reported on many Linux machines. -Added an option to abandon missions -Added a hardware incompatibility menu that can detect a common video card issue and inform the player automatically of a possible workaround
Changes -Keeper Beam overall damage reduced -Starmap now shows filled diamonds for visited sectors and unfilled diamonds for unvisited sectors in the galaxy -Oculus plugin updated for better compatibility with newest versions of Oculus software
Fixes -Fixed a collision issue found on the WD Cruiser -Fixed a culling issue found on the WD Cruiser -Fixed collision and potential root motion issue on storm planet -Fixed rotated chair on Roland -Fixed an issue with radiation areas that could cause them to work improperly
Beta 21.7 Release Notes
Beta 21.7 is now available! This fixes a pretty serious bot issue that managed to make it into the previous build. Thanks to those who’ve been sending in reports!
Fixes -AI crew bots should no longer start falling and dying when they go out of sight -Bug reporting menu now should always unlock the cursor so you can use and close it
Beta 21.8 Release Notes
Beta 21.8 is now available! It contains some fixes based on user reports. Thanks everyone who is sending in reports and feedback!
Beta 21.8 also includes a possible fix for an issue that caused the game to not start on certain hardware. It seems so far the first-gen Intel Core processors are the most commonly affected but any processor without the AVX instruction set could have been affected. Let us know if anyone who had game startup issues after Beta 21.5 is still experiencing the problem on this build. We are unable to fully verify the fix since we don’t have the appropriate hardware on hand and we thank you for your patience in getting this sorted out.
Fixes -Possible fix for issue with Oculus integration on certain older hardware without AVX support that caused the game to not start -Fixed bug in the intruder alert system that caused it to report false positives in certain situations (Fluffy Biscuit crews, investigator drone from cargo inspection) -Fixes to AI targeting for the fight with The Source in the Wasted Wing -Possible fix for rendering / game issue on artifact planet 1
Beta 21.5 is now available! It’s an update focused on fixes and some changes based on player feedback. Thanks for the reports and suggestions!
Changes -AI Priorities menu has been tweaked to make it easier to edit/update bot behaviors when they might be changing quickly. Priorities now sort themselves on a fixed timer to allow for easier selection -Grim Cutlass will be more deadly and overall tougher at higher chaos levels -Caustic Corsair will be more deadly at higher chaos levels -Scanner Mode: Research Materials talent is now unlocked by default and no longer needs to be researched -Ship log should now contain the reason your ship was flagged in cases where it may be unclear -Autosaves should no longer be created while in a race -Look at IK tweaked for players sitting in the captain’s chair
Fixes -Sylvassi stats tweaked to have slightly less starting armor (12 to 10) -Internal/hidden missions were incorrectly showing messages and announcements -Fixed issue with SteamVR input processing that made it impossible to process scrap while using SteamVR controls -Fixed voice chat / microphone not working on newer versions of macOS -Fixed visual issue with your arms and hands disappearing if you were pointed up -Look at IK is now disabled for yourself to help prevent animation issues
Additions -New Sector Type: Scrapyard - This station sells unprocessed scrap. Some pieces of scrap are more expensive than others to capitalize on more desperate crews. The more expensive scrap components don’t come with any additional benefits. These sectors also include a repair depot.
Changes -Seasonal props have been removed from the game
Fixes -Fixed an issue relating to certain items when dropped onboard ships -Ion Storm visual on starmap should work better when loading from a save -Removed the delay on the Asteroid mission, this should help prevent crews from warping prematurely and allow them to be brought to the CU supply station for a new reactor core -Players are invulnerable for a short period after teleporting -Fixed a few minor issues found on Mueva 7 -Fixed an internal error that could occur when starting a new galaxy -Fixed a networking issue that would sometimes not display unlocked teleporter locations to clients after loading a save
Beta 21 is now available! This update adds new end-game content for the Colonial Union faction. The next big updates after this one will be adding end-game content for the W.D. Corporation and Alliance of Gentlemen factions.
To see the new content, you’ll need to be playing on a Colonial Union crew with a fairly high CU reputation (more details discussed in the devlog). The chain of events start with a special assignment to stop an asteroid from colliding with a planet. Successfully completing this mission and keeping a high reputation will allow your crew the chance to be given a special assignment by the commander of Outpost 448!
We’re very excited to add more end-game content to the galaxy. This update has been in the works for a while, but we’ve managed to solve a lot of interesting problems and build a nice set of tools to help us make content like this faster. We’d love to get your thoughts on the new content and let us know if it’s appropriately challenging!
If you’d like to experience the new content without any spoilers we recommend not reading any further.
Additions -New Weapon: Held Beam Rifle - Similar to the healing beam. This weapon focuses on higher damage output and forgoes healing effects. -New Weapon: Stun Grenade Launcher - Explosion can stun most enemies, stopping them in their tracks for a short time. -New system for planetside fires - these do not spread and cannot be extinguished. -New door type: Seamless Security Door - Opens when the crew is in possession of required item (such as a keycard). -New door type: Quarantine Door - Door remains closed until all enemies within a given space are defeated. -New system for spawning enemies - Enemies can now spawn when a player enters a specific area. -New system for respawning enemies - Certain enemies can now respawn on their own. -New slider for camera shake - From 0-200% camera shake intensity, you can find the slider in the game settings. -New system for in-game cutscenes - Used sparingly for the occasional cinematic moment. -New system to illustrate mission difficulty - If a mission has a suggested crew level and your crew level is lower, it will first appear red, then turn to yellow and finally look normal when you’ve reached the specific level. This is to illustrate when a mission may be especially difficult. This is will mostly be used for the end-game content but will likely be used with other missions over development. -New system for automatically jumping ships to specified sectors, used primarily for unique story moments. -New system for timed mission objectives - Used to add some tension to important moments or fights. -New threat system for special enemies that track damage over time by certain players, and can target the individual currently dealing the most damage
-New Content: The Commander Center of Outpost 448 - Located on the second tier of the station. Inaccessible until ‘Report to the Commander’ CU mission has been accepted. -New Content: Sylvassi Research lab - Located in the Sylvassi Quarter of Outpost 448 -New Content: Asteroid Level -New Content: The Wasted Wing
-New CU Mission: Stop Asteroid Crash (assigned via long range comms at CU rep 7 by CU sectors) -New CU Mission: Report to the Commander (assigned via long range comms at CU rep 9) -New CU Mission: The Wasted Wing (assigned by NPC Commander Darine Hatham in Command Center) -New CU Mission: Retrieve Data Pad (assigned by NPC Alarick Soun in Command Center) -New CU Mission: Eliminate Stalker (assigned by log in Wasted Wing) -New CU Mission: Eliminate Infected Scientists (assigned by NPC Mat Kornoan in Wasted Wing) -New CU Mission: Retrieve Medicine for Vilvard (assigned by NPC Noemi Prast in Wasted Wing)
-15 readable plaques and logs in Wasted Wing -22 NPCs added for CU Wasted Wing mission -2 NPCs who discuss Sylvassi lore added to research lab in Sylvassi Quarters of Outpost 448 -New NPC Uniform: Colonial Union Commander
Changes -PiBot should be better at entering repair depots -Ground combat internal values tweaked, players now take less damage overall -Enemy humans / bandits aiming routines tweaked, this should make them slightly less accurate overall -Garlic Biscuit should now have correct inventory visual -NPCs will now look at the player whose turn it is in Liar’s Dice -Crew AI will now look at players -A few security additions have been added to the game -During a disconnect, host will try to autosave game -Talents have now been grouped into class specific and general, locked talents are displayed at the bottom of the list -Crew allowance should be faster to set for captains -Default Camera shake has been adjusted / strengthened -Player armor has been slightly reduced overall -The Wasted Wing station has been moved to a seperate close range sector- it’s still visible from Sector 0 but you’ll need to perform a jump in order to reach it. The sector will be jumpable when you have ‘The Wasted Wing’ mission active. -Changes/Additions have been made to dialog of the following Outpost 448 NPCs in reaction to the Wasted Wing: Jin Saineg, Remi Hocklan, Ranchelle Fieaque, Yondia Dremera, Vera Scems, Lesia Driay, Bain, Viar Tothim, Ide Fellus, Ena Sekra, Safia Neyonus, Weise Quel, Iresa Youls, Daza Susarin, Degoh Gervam -Changed dialog of Outpost 448 NPCs Remian Folstera and Gusiva -The new stalker creature has been added to the crashed Roland mission. -Food items and research materials should weigh less in your inventory, allowing players to hold more of them. -Gun cooling talent strength has been reduced -Replaced dead body meshes on Tall Rock planet and Ant Colony planet -Changed some visuals on the Ant Colony planet -Further reduced angular drag on Roland-class ship -The system for choosing Long range mission assignments have been tweaked -Internal AI system that can allows bots to adjust flight distance based a specific creature. -Tweaks to how bots use jetpacks. They now only use them when targeting a location on a different nav mesh ( i.e unreachable by foot or very uneven surfaces )
Fixes -Backup CPU scaling is fixed and is no longer overpowered due to a double scaling math bug -Fixed a collision issue found in the Outrider -Fixed an issue that wouldn’t fully display longer lists of inventory items -Potentially fixed an error that occasionally killed bots after teleporting -Fixed a bug that prevented talents from fully syncing / unlocking -Fixed a bug with the Intrepid item upgrader -Bots should appropriately target ground turrets -Turrets should be able to damage and kill enemies in Sand Scar Arena after players lose -Fixed an issue that would break lighting inside of room interiors when resuscitated as a human -Fixed a visual issue found in the captain’s quarters on the Fluffy One -Fixed a visual issue with the ExoSuit helmet exterior and interior and supply tank on human characters -Fixed an issue with ‘Investigate Unmanned W.D. Unit’ mission not giving rewards for completion -Fixed a root motion issue with NPC Ide Fellus in Outpost 448 -Fixed an error that allowed non-captains to edit bot inventories -Fixed a bug that did not properly show class preview in VR -Fixed a bug that had AI try to heal crewmembers with the incorrect tool -Fixed an issue found on the Outrider that would limit music played to ambient only -Two sectors were being spawned in the base galaxy that should have been restricted to specific missions. -Waste planet 2 (radioactive one) has been reworked and now has static radiation scrubbers instead of patrolling NPCs -The Grim Cutlass / Intrepid Night Variant is no longer preventing players from using their flightpacks -Further removed possibilities for fires to appear in strange places on the ship. As there are quite a few ways fires can spawn on ships, we’ve applied additional checks to all of them to hopefully ensure fires don’t appear in strange places. -Jumbo Biscuit now has better visual and description. -Boarding bots should now be less memory intensive -More checks in-place to prevent AI from using locked teleporters on planets
Thanks for your time! If all goes well, the next main update will be focusing on the end-game content for the W.D. Corporation faction and its climactic mission titled “The Forsaken Flagship”.
Beta 21.1 Release Notes
Beta 21.1 is now available! The Wasted Wing should properly load and the Sylvassi biology lab should render correctly.
We occasionally have content that only shows up in internal builds, which allows us to make public builds quickly without having to manually remove parts of the game that aren’t ready yet. The Wasted Wing sector was listed to only show up in internal builds and when we did our tests with the public version we were loading saves made on the internal version, so we didn’t catch the issue.
This should now be resolved, and people loading their saves with the Wasted Wing mission active should now see a sector to jump to. Thanks for bearing with us!
Fixes -Wasted Wing sector should properly load when the mission is active -Sylvassi biology lab should render correctly now
Beta 21.2 Release Notes
Beta 21.2 is now available! We fixed an issue with the Wasted Wing not spawning when loaded from a pre-21.1 save. Sorry for the trouble!
Changes -Loosened the timing restrictions for processing scrap, the timing window is about 30% bigger.
Fixes -Wasted Wing sector should properly load when the mission is active when loaded from a pre-21.1 save -Fixed a timing exploit possibility with the item and component upgraders
Beta 21.3 Release Notes
Beta 21.3 is now available! We have worked on a fix for missions improperly failing after loading a save. This caused any non-CU missions to fail upon load among other potential issues.
Fixes -Missions should no longer improperly fail after being loaded from a save in certain conditions
Beta 20.3 is now available! It contains some fixes for reported issues and some balance changes to ship combat. Enjoy the seasonal decorations on the ships and at some of the major hubs!
Additions -Tweaked some internal values to help slow down ship fights a little and make them slightly more survivable -Space mines will occasionally be found around some asteroids -Seasonal decorations have been added to various ships, planets and stations
Changes - Asteroids should generally be closer to ships after exiting warp, giving pilots better options for cover during fights -Inertia Thrusters now provide more rotational thrust overall, which should help make piloting more responsive. We increased the angular drag on the Intrepid and Fluffy One class vessels since they didn’t need to rotate any faster. -Crew bots AI / navigation when selling biscuits on planets and transitioning between planet interiors has been improved -The Burrow is now presented at night! After the holidays are over it’ll be random.
Fixes - Artifact Mission III should now properly display a sector on the starmap (will require a new galaxy / game to take effect) -Both rat creatures and spiders have had their attack range reduced -Piloting area mesh seam has been fixed on the Annihilator-class starship -Fixed a navmesh issue on the Annihilator-class starship that may have prevented AI from moving well -Crew bots will no longer target friendly turrets in some situations (like the Sand Scar Arena) -Layered hull armor boost now properly scales when upgraded -Fixed an issue with the Atrium on the Destroyer-class starship that would heal and respawn players at the incorrect location -Fixed a small visual issue in the Destroyer lounge -Fixed a comms screen bug that would sometimes duplicate options
Thanks for your time! Progress on Beta 21 is coming along, and barring any major issues with this update, should be the next thing we release!