Hi Galactic Survivalists!

Only 2 months ago we made our big step from Pre-Alpha to Alpha 1.0. Today, we are releasing Alpha 2.0 to the public, adding much asked features like Difficulty Settings for Single- and Multiplayer, a first set of Hangardoors, an Upgrade Tool and even a first draft of a Player-2-Player Marketplace (Player-2-NPC Trade will follow in future updates).

We also upgraded the Game Engine itself and moved to Unity 5.3, which we hope will lead to a more stable server environment and will resolve some persisting kinks and quirks, that were a direct result of the older Unity version.

Said that, please keep in mind that, although everyone on the internal QA team and the external public and experimental testers have done their best to track down bugs, this is still an ALPHA. Please keep on reporting bugs and issues to our forums and always be as detailed as possible and add any info you remember. Bugs that can be reproduced always have a good chance of getting fixed quickly

What about the promised roadmap?

Back when we released the Alpha 1.0, we promised you, that development of features will proceed and your feedback will be heard. We are collecting tons of feedback every day, so none of your suggestions is overlooked. In the meantime, we also started to offer you a way, to try out the new additions ahead of the public release and help shaping the game even more with the Experimental Branch version.

In the near future, we’ll go even further and issue a big ‘upcoming-features’ survey, which is not only a way for you to tell us what YOU want to see next in an upcoming big patch. The Survey is also a compendium of the features we have currently evaluated and which have a realistic chance of being implemented in the months to come.

This is not a fixed roadmap, because we do not want to promise fixed dates or sequences of features we might need to break sooner than later and make everybody unhappy. This is more like showing you a road atlas of the streets we want to take sooner or later - together with you!.

Tell us what you think about this approach - but first and foremost, enjoy the Alpha 2.0!



CHANGELOG: Alpha 2.0 (Build 479)

Main Features:

1. Difficulty Settings
You can now change several parameters of the game (e.g. Escape pod content, resource amount, enemy difficulty, crafting speed etc) in single player (via New Game menu) or multiplayer (via dedicated.yaml)



2. Marketplace:
The marketplace allows you to trade items / devices with other players on a dedicated server
- Added Gold Ore, Gold Ingots, Gold Coins and Credit Cards
- Added gold deposits (for now only lava planets)
- Added "Balance" display in player inventory to show amount of credits CR
- Added possibility to convert gold coins into credits. For now: Cold coins and credit cards can be converted into credits
- Trading via Marketplace can be enabled / disabled in dedicated.yaml
- Distributed credits: Credit cards and gold ingots via loot (rare + very rare alien containers) and some NPC drop credit cards



3. Upgrade Tool
You can now upgrade devices / blocks (e.g., constructor Tier 1 into Tier 2, hardened steel into combat steel etc.) by using Shift+RMB on the “Remove & Repair tool” (which is now called "Multi Tool")

https://youtu.be/1Uln5U4h9CY

4. Decoration Refactoring
- Better placement of grass and decorations. In particular, grass should be placed more reliably (no empty patches anymore)
- Tweaked deco on all playfields

5. Added Hangar Doors + Interior doors
- Added 3 hangar doors
- Added 2 interior doors (glass and plain door)
- Updated normal door with thin frame (armored door has thick frame)
- Door SV is now a manual door

https://youtu.be/Lr3pXCY_NXQ




6. Upgraded Game Engine to Unity 5.3
- Updated block textures for Unity 5.3
- Adapted light intensity on some playfields for Unity 5.3

Changes / Improvements:
- Added full set of armored windows (can be upgraded from basic windows)
- Offline protection (OP) is fully enabled with a delay of 1 minute after the last player was online (before: instant activation): player within the OP field receive 1 damage/s for the 1st minute
- OP Protection in control panel window now displays if OP is possible (PvP area, OP block, etc) and not only if OP block was set
- Increased gun elevation of Enemy Laser Turret to 80°
- Added "Rate of Fire" info to all weapons
- Enemy spawners now deactivate the particle effect if not active any more -> works only for new games (saved games -> entity spawner always show disabled but still work)
- O2 Emergency generator cannot be crafted anymore (only in Escape Pod equipment)
- Balancing: Adapted template O2 Bottle Large -> 2x O2 Bottle Small (instead of 1 -> 1)
- Balancing: Emergency O2 generator-> Reduced O2 bottle production time, extended operation time per fuel cell
- Map Window: Added Atmosphere O2 Content/Breathable label
- Adapted template for Armored and Combat Steel
- Adapted colors of Copper and Zascosium ingots to distinguish them better from each other
- Changed: terrain placeables cannot be colored anymore due to problems when resuming a game
- Added possibility to color Sentry Guns
- Tweaked PDA: Basic Crafting can now be manually completed- Slightly changed color of Sathium resource
- Tweaked screens on constructors to make them more crisp
- Talon now also drop sprouts
- Added shutter windows as a separate block group
- Adapted sitting position in cockpit 1
- Ammo Box is now green per default + updated texture
- Added better SI destroy sound for medium destruction
- Tweaked texture for terrain resources to make them more visible
- Changed quality preset to change on click instead of dropdown menu
- Fighter cockpit (cockpit 1) is now unlocked at level 7 (instead of 12)
- Tweaked textures on Sentry Guns, Cockpits and HV Turrets

Tweaks to Blueprints:
- Added new stock prefabs (i) Base (Tier 3) - thanks to Vexray and (ii) Small Vessel (Tier 1) - thanks to Mr. IceCat
- Replaced old CV Tier 1 - thanks to Mr.IceCat
- Updated stock prefabs CV Tier 2+3 - thanks to Mr. IceCat
- Added 2 new SV to Creative mode (Akua + Omicron Orbit) - thanks to Vexray
- Updated prefabs that are in-game (stock prefabs and prefabs in creative) with current auto-crafting blocks (constructor + food processor)
- Updated 2 POIs (orbital stations) with hangar doors - thanks to Dead8Eye



Bug Fixes:
- Fixed Exploit: Endless Ammo for handheld weapons
- Possible fix for picking up deco (e.g. crystals) infinitely
- Fixed: Survival Constructor Icon does not vanish when picked up
- Fixed: Map icon of Survival Constructor is not removed when destroyed
- Fixed: Letters are not properly centered on blocks
- Fixed: Turrets and other blocks can be used on vessels not providing those normally
- Fixed: FOV Resetting when Game is exited and restarted
- Fixed: The planet-bound drones did only attack players but not SV and HV anymore
- Fixed: Alien POI Turrets firing as long as no Player turrets are placed (PvP and PvE)
- Fixed: Duplication bug: Duplicate components with Large and Adv. Constructor
- Fixed: Player Turrets on POI did not work (SP/MP)


Save Game Compatibility:
Due to our new decoration placement algorithm, we recommend starting a new game in Alpha 2.0. However, you can continue your old save games but you might encounter strange deco placements (e.g. deco on the slopes of mountains etc). To ensure full compatibility you must copy all new playfield.yamls into your save game folder.

Step-by-step guide:
- Suppose your Save Game is called "New_Game"
- Go into the "Templates" folder of your save game, located here: C:\Program Files\Steam\SteamApps\common\Empyrion - Galactic Survival\Saves\Games\New_Game\Templates
- In this folder you will find the templates of all playfields you are currently using in your save game (Temperate, Desert etc). You have to update the playfield.yaml to the new version
- E.g., for the temperate planet Akua you have to replace the old playfield.yaml in Temperate folder with the new version. In particular, copy playfield.yaml from C:\Program Files\Steam\SteamApps\common\Empyrion - Galactic Survival\Content\Playfields\Temperate to C:\Program Files\Steam\SteamApps\common\Empyrion - Galactic Survival\Saves\Games\New_Game\Templates\Temperate


Thanks for reading

Yours,
Empyrion Dev Team

Hi Galactic Survivalists!

Only 2 months ago we made our big step from Pre-Alpha to Alpha 1.0. Today, we are releasing Alpha 2.0 to the public, adding much asked features like Difficulty Settings for Single- and Multiplayer, a first set of Hangardoors, an Upgrade Tool and even a first draft of a Player-2-Player Marketplace (Player-2-NPC Trade will follow in future updates).

We also upgraded the Game Engine itself and moved to Unity 5.3, which we hope will lead to a more stable server environment and will resolve some persisting kinks and quirks, that were a direct result of the older Unity version.

Said that, please keep in mind that, although everyone on the internal QA team and the external public and experimental testers have done their best to track down bugs, this is still an ALPHA. Please keep on reporting bugs and issues to our forums and always be as detailed as possible and add any info you remember. Bugs that can be reproduced always have a good chance of getting fixed quickly

What about the promised roadmap?

Back when we released the Alpha 1.0, we promised you, that development of features will proceed and your feedback will be heard. We are collecting tons of feedback every day, so none of your suggestions is overlooked. In the meantime, we also started to offer you a way, to try out the new additions ahead of the public release and help shaping the game even more with the Experimental Branch version.

In the near future, we’ll go even further and issue a big ‘upcoming-features’ survey, which is not only a way for you to tell us what YOU want to see next in an upcoming big patch. The Survey is also a compendium of the features we have currently evaluated and which have a realistic chance of being implemented in the months to come.

This is not a fixed roadmap, because we do not want to promise fixed dates or sequences of features we might need to break sooner than later and make everybody unhappy. This is more like showing you a road atlas of the streets we want to take sooner or later - together with you!.

Tell us what you think about this approach - but first and foremost, enjoy the Alpha 2.0!



CHANGELOG: Alpha 2.0 (Build 479)

Main Features:

1. Difficulty Settings
You can now change several parameters of the game (e.g. Escape pod content, resource amount, enemy difficulty, crafting speed etc) in single player (via New Game menu) or multiplayer (via dedicated.yaml)



2. Marketplace:
The marketplace allows you to trade items / devices with other players on a dedicated server
- Added Gold Ore, Gold Ingots, Gold Coins and Credit Cards
- Added gold deposits (for now only lava planets)
- Added "Balance" display in player inventory to show amount of credits CR
- Added possibility to convert gold coins into credits. For now: Cold coins and credit cards can be converted into credits
- Trading via Marketplace can be enabled / disabled in dedicated.yaml
- Distributed credits: Credit cards and gold ingots via loot (rare + very rare alien containers) and some NPC drop credit cards



3. Upgrade Tool
You can now upgrade devices / blocks (e.g., constructor Tier 1 into Tier 2, hardened steel into combat steel etc.) by using Shift+RMB on the “Remove & Repair tool” (which is now called "Multi Tool")

https://youtu.be/1Uln5U4h9CY

4. Decoration Refactoring
- Better placement of grass and decorations. In particular, grass should be placed more reliably (no empty patches anymore)
- Tweaked deco on all playfields

5. Added Hangar Doors + Interior doors
- Added 3 hangar doors
- Added 2 interior doors (glass and plain door)
- Updated normal door with thin frame (armored door has thick frame)
- Door SV is now a manual door

https://youtu.be/Lr3pXCY_NXQ




6. Upgraded Game Engine to Unity 5.3
- Updated block textures for Unity 5.3
- Adapted light intensity on some playfields for Unity 5.3

Changes / Improvements:
- Added full set of armored windows (can be upgraded from basic windows)
- Offline protection (OP) is fully enabled with a delay of 1 minute after the last player was online (before: instant activation): player within the OP field receive 1 damage/s for the 1st minute
- OP Protection in control panel window now displays if OP is possible (PvP area, OP block, etc) and not only if OP block was set
- Increased gun elevation of Enemy Laser Turret to 80°
- Added "Rate of Fire" info to all weapons
- Enemy spawners now deactivate the particle effect if not active any more -> works only for new games (saved games -> entity spawner always show disabled but still work)
- O2 Emergency generator cannot be crafted anymore (only in Escape Pod equipment)
- Balancing: Adapted template O2 Bottle Large -> 2x O2 Bottle Small (instead of 1 -> 1)
- Balancing: Emergency O2 generator-> Reduced O2 bottle production time, extended operation time per fuel cell
- Map Window: Added Atmosphere O2 Content/Breathable label
- Adapted template for Armored and Combat Steel
- Adapted colors of Copper and Zascosium ingots to distinguish them better from each other
- Changed: terrain placeables cannot be colored anymore due to problems when resuming a game
- Added possibility to color Sentry Guns
- Tweaked PDA: Basic Crafting can now be manually completed- Slightly changed color of Sathium resource
- Tweaked screens on constructors to make them more crisp
- Talon now also drop sprouts
- Added shutter windows as a separate block group
- Adapted sitting position in cockpit 1
- Ammo Box is now green per default + updated texture
- Added better SI destroy sound for medium destruction
- Tweaked texture for terrain resources to make them more visible
- Changed quality preset to change on click instead of dropdown menu
- Fighter cockpit (cockpit 1) is now unlocked at level 7 (instead of 12)
- Tweaked textures on Sentry Guns, Cockpits and HV Turrets

Tweaks to Blueprints:
- Added new stock prefabs (i) Base (Tier 3) - thanks to Vexray and (ii) Small Vessel (Tier 1) - thanks to Mr. IceCat
- Replaced old CV Tier 1 - thanks to Mr.IceCat
- Updated stock prefabs CV Tier 2+3 - thanks to Mr. IceCat
- Added 2 new SV to Creative mode (Akua + Omicron Orbit) - thanks to Vexray
- Updated prefabs that are in-game (stock prefabs and prefabs in creative) with current auto-crafting blocks (constructor + food processor)
- Updated 2 POIs (orbital stations) with hangar doors - thanks to Dead8Eye



Bug Fixes:
- Fixed Exploit: Endless Ammo for handheld weapons
- Possible fix for picking up deco (e.g. crystals) infinitely
- Fixed: Survival Constructor Icon does not vanish when picked up
- Fixed: Map icon of Survival Constructor is not removed when destroyed
- Fixed: Letters are not properly centered on blocks
- Fixed: Turrets and other blocks can be used on vessels not providing those normally
- Fixed: FOV Resetting when Game is exited and restarted
- Fixed: The planet-bound drones did only attack players but not SV and HV anymore
- Fixed: Alien POI Turrets firing as long as no Player turrets are placed (PvP and PvE)
- Fixed: Duplication bug: Duplicate components with Large and Adv. Constructor
- Fixed: Player Turrets on POI did not work (SP/MP)


Save Game Compatibility:
Due to our new decoration placement algorithm, we recommend starting a new game in Alpha 2.0. However, you can continue your old save games but you might encounter strange deco placements (e.g. deco on the slopes of mountains etc). To ensure full compatibility you must copy all new playfield.yamls into your save game folder.

Step-by-step guide:
- Suppose your Save Game is called "New_Game"
- Go into the "Templates" folder of your save game, located here: C:\Program Files\Steam\SteamApps\common\Empyrion - Galactic Survival\Saves\Games\New_Game\Templates
- In this folder you will find the templates of all playfields you are currently using in your save game (Temperate, Desert etc). You have to update the playfield.yaml to the new version
- E.g., for the temperate planet Akua you have to replace the old playfield.yaml in Temperate folder with the new version. In particular, copy playfield.yaml from C:\Program Files\Steam\SteamApps\common\Empyrion - Galactic Survival\Content\Playfields\Temperate to C:\Program Files\Steam\SteamApps\common\Empyrion - Galactic Survival\Saves\Games\New_Game\Templates\Temperate


Thanks for reading

Yours,
Empyrion Dev Team

Hi Galactic Survivalists!

The Alpha 2.0 release is getting closer and we want to give you some sneak previews on what you can expect from the upcoming big update of Empyrion.

The following main features will be added to Alpha 2.0:
1. Difficulty Settings for singleplayer and multiplayer games, including different Escape Pod loadouts.
2. Persistent Player-2-Player marketplace. Also adding gold as a new resource and ingame credits as a currency for trading.
3. Upgrade feature for building blocks and devices added to the Remove and Repair tool, now referred to as "Multitool".
4. First set of hangar doors for Bases and Capital Vessels, as well as new and reworked interior doors (e.g. glass door)

Enjoy these short teaser videos for a sneak preview:

New Hangar Doors:
https://youtu.be/Lr3pXCY_NXQ

Upgrade Tool:
https://youtu.be/1Uln5U4h9CY

Difficulty Settings:
https://youtu.be/IiHh4GkB2cY

Marketplace:
https://youtu.be/FQ7YbpgaU1k

Head over to our Alpha Experimental Branch forum for the full changelog of Alpha 2.0: http://empyriononline.com/threads/alpha-experimental-2-0-0-build-475.6515/

If you want to help testing Alpha 2.0 or just try the new features before they get released to the public, read on here: http://empyriononline.com/threads/new-experimental-branch-on-steam.6371/
and join our official "Eleon Studios - Experimental Branch Test Server".

Thanks in advance for your feedback and bug reports!

Empyrion Dev Crew

Hi Galactic Survivalists!

The Alpha 2.0 release is getting closer and we want to give you some sneak previews on what you can expect from the upcoming big update of Empyrion.

The following main features will be added to Alpha 2.0:
1. Difficulty Settings for singleplayer and multiplayer games, including different Escape Pod loadouts.
2. Persistent Player-2-Player marketplace. Also adding gold as a new resource and ingame credits as a currency for trading.
3. Upgrade feature for building blocks and devices added to the Remove and Repair tool, now referred to as "Multitool".
4. First set of hangar doors for Bases and Capital Vessels, as well as new and reworked interior doors (e.g. glass door)

Enjoy these short teaser videos for a sneak preview:

New Hangar Doors:
https://youtu.be/Lr3pXCY_NXQ

Upgrade Tool:
https://youtu.be/1Uln5U4h9CY

Difficulty Settings:
https://youtu.be/IiHh4GkB2cY

Marketplace:
https://youtu.be/FQ7YbpgaU1k

Head over to our Alpha Experimental Branch forum for the full changelog of Alpha 2.0: http://empyriononline.com/threads/alpha-experimental-2-0-0-build-475.6515/

If you want to help testing Alpha 2.0 or just try the new features before they get released to the public, read on here: http://empyriononline.com/threads/new-experimental-branch-on-steam.6371/
and join our official "Eleon Studios - Experimental Branch Test Server".

Thanks in advance for your feedback and bug reports!

Empyrion Dev Crew

EDIT: June 11, 2016
We just released another small patch:

CHANGELOG: Alpha 1.7.2 (Build 456)

Bug Fixes:
- Fixed problem that console cmd "replaceblocks" could be executed by everyone on a server. Now it can be executed only by admins (however, we do not recommend to use this command on a server)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Galactic Survivalists!

Today we are not only releasing a small Patch for some Alpha 1.7 issues, but we have also added a new (experimental) console command that needs a bit of explanation: REPLACEBLOCKS
We have introduced new steel blocks with the last update. Now, if you just have finished a blueprint with several thousand Steel or Hardened Steel blocks, you may have wondered if there is any possibility to upgrade or batch-change certain blocks. Until today, this was not possible and although we are planning to add something like a more sophisticated Block-Upgrade Tool for Survival, we are today adding a quick way for our workshop builders and blueprint creators to update their ships and bases, regarding the steel-based blocks.

1. A clear warning: NEVER ever use this command on ANY of your SERVERS but ONLY in Singleplayer! This command costs A LOT of performance and may crash your server.

2. Blocks that you can replace:
- Normal Steel: "HullFull, HullThin"
- Hardened Steel: "HullArmoredFull, HullArmoredThin"
- Combat Steel: "HullCombatFull, HullCombatThin"
Possible upgrade-downgrade route:
HullFull <-> HullArmoredFull <-> HullCombatFull (all the full block shapes such as Cube, Wedge, Cylinder etc)
HullThin <-> HullArmoredThin <-> HullCombatThin (all the thin block shapes such as Wall, Corner, etc)

3. How to use the command:
The syntax of the command is as follows: (you can see the syntax if you type in HELP REPLACEBLOCKS in the console!)
replaceblocks<entityid><source blockname><target blockname>

Example:
1. Open the console and type DI to activate the info-panel on top of the screen
2. Point at the Vessel or Base you want to work on. The DI-panel will show you its ID. Note it down! (We’ll use 1201 for this example)
3. Now find the name of the source and target blocks in the list attached to this post
4. If we want to change all Hardened Steel to Combat Armor, type in: "replaceblocks 1201 HullFull HullCombatFull" & "replaceblocks 1201 HullThin HullCombatThin"

The process will be started immediately and may take some time! Remember, this is an experimental feature - so expect some hiccups here and there. ;-)



CHANGELOG: Alpha 1.7.1 (Build 455)

Changes / Improvements:
- Added new console cmd "replaceblocks"
- Temporarily disabled Bloom Effect due to performance problems (FPS drops)

Bug Fixes:
- Fixed handling of quality presets (no they should save correctly)
- Fixed: HV can be glued to the ground when landed and cannot be moved anymore
- Fixed: Emergency O2 Generator not working in old multiplayer save games

EDIT: June 11, 2016
We just released another small patch:

CHANGELOG: Alpha 1.7.2 (Build 456)

Bug Fixes:
- Fixed problem that console cmd "replaceblocks" could be executed by everyone on a server. Now it can be executed only by admins (however, we do not recommend to use this command on a server)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Galactic Survivalists!

Today we are not only releasing a small Patch for some Alpha 1.7 issues, but we have also added a new (experimental) console command that needs a bit of explanation: REPLACEBLOCKS
We have introduced new steel blocks with the last update. Now, if you just have finished a blueprint with several thousand Steel or Hardened Steel blocks, you may have wondered if there is any possibility to upgrade or batch-change certain blocks. Until today, this was not possible and although we are planning to add something like a more sophisticated Block-Upgrade Tool for Survival, we are today adding a quick way for our workshop builders and blueprint creators to update their ships and bases, regarding the steel-based blocks.

1. A clear warning: NEVER ever use this command on ANY of your SERVERS but ONLY in Singleplayer! This command costs A LOT of performance and may crash your server.

2. Blocks that you can replace:
- Normal Steel: "HullFull, HullThin"
- Hardened Steel: "HullArmoredFull, HullArmoredThin"
- Combat Steel: "HullCombatFull, HullCombatThin"
Possible upgrade-downgrade route:
HullFull <-> HullArmoredFull <-> HullCombatFull (all the full block shapes such as Cube, Wedge, Cylinder etc)
HullThin <-> HullArmoredThin <-> HullCombatThin (all the thin block shapes such as Wall, Corner, etc)

3. How to use the command:
The syntax of the command is as follows: (you can see the syntax if you type in HELP REPLACEBLOCKS in the console!)
replaceblocks<entityid><source blockname><target blockname>

Example:
1. Open the console and type DI to activate the info-panel on top of the screen
2. Point at the Vessel or Base you want to work on. The DI-panel will show you its ID. Note it down! (We’ll use 1201 for this example)
3. Now find the name of the source and target blocks in the list attached to this post
4. If we want to change all Hardened Steel to Combat Armor, type in: "replaceblocks 1201 HullFull HullCombatFull" & "replaceblocks 1201 HullThin HullCombatThin"

The process will be started immediately and may take some time! Remember, this is an experimental feature - so expect some hiccups here and there. ;-)



CHANGELOG: Alpha 1.7.1 (Build 455)

Changes / Improvements:
- Added new console cmd "replaceblocks"
- Temporarily disabled Bloom Effect due to performance problems (FPS drops)

Bug Fixes:
- Fixed handling of quality presets (no they should save correctly)
- Fixed: HV can be glued to the ground when landed and cannot be moved anymore
- Fixed: Emergency O2 Generator not working in old multiplayer save games

Hi Galactic Survivalists!

This Monday we have opened up our Experimental Branch for everyone to try and test the upcoming features. Today, the former experimental version has moved over to all the public servers and single player games out there, adding Combat Armor, an Emergency O2 Generator, a new Tier 2 Remove and Repair Tool, Armored Windows and Doors and a lot of optimizations, balancing and bugfixes!

The Experimental Branch is still available and will be updated soon with new features! So keep an eye on the forum of our Alpha Experimental Branch right here: http://empyriononline.com/forums/#experimental-branch.33

We will stick to our new workflow: Adding features to a non-public internal version, then moving the build to the Experimental Branch for testing and refining with a larger audience, then adding the refined version as a Public Patch for everyone to play!

On behalf of the whole dev team, thanks a lot for reporting issues and bugs, either with the Experimental or the Public Version!

Stay tuned for more updates and blogs upcoming the next days!

CHANGELOG: Alpha 1.7.0 (Build 451)

New:
- Added combat steel blocks for BA + CV (handheld weapons cannot destroy combat steel blocks - except rocket launcher)
- Added first set of armored windows (not destructible by handheld weapons): added thick versions of vertical windows + old shutter windows are now armored windows (more window shapes in production)
- Added armored door (not destructible by handheld weapons)
- Added Emergency O2 Generator (needs Oxygen Atmosphere). Added "AtmosphereO2" parameter to playfield.yamls (for old single player save games: default of 0.1 is used, for old multiplayer save games: you need to start a new game to make use of this device or add AtmosphereO2 manually to the corresponding playfield.yamls)
- Added T2 Repairtool (slightly nerfed T1 Repairtool )

Graphics and Settings:
- Added new screen effects: Bloom, Image Processing Effect and SSAO (can be disabled in Settings)
- More individual Video Options for different quality settings
- Added PBR Shader for building blocks and terrain
- Increased Light Intensity on several playfields
- Added new start setting for Omicron Orbit (Creative Mode): new CV, SV, HV (thanks to Mr.IceCat and Piddlefoot)
- Updated model for Ammo Boxes
- Updated model for Oxygen/Hydrogen Generators
- Updated model for Gravity Generator
- Updated model for Power Generators

Improvements:
- Blueprint menu now checks for correct blueprint version (Blueprints from Experimental version are not available in Public version's BP Library)
- Better sorting in Server Browser: server name, players, ping
- Improved saving of intermediate game states which should significantly reduce the likelihood of losing structures due to crashes
- Holographic screens get now enabled/disabled with structure
- Showing text "No connection to playfield server" if a playfield server hangs
- Added better info to all consumables regarding their use (LMB or Shift+RMB)

Optimizations:
- Major performance optimizations for playfields with many turrets
- Internal optimization regarding large structures
- Performance optimization of constructors: data processing only done if data has actually changed
- Compressing deco/grass data transfer on first connect to a server

Balancing:
- Increased hitpoints of all turrets and SV+CV weapons
- Handheld weapons cannot destroy hardened steel anymore (except rocket launcher)
- Concrete: increased hitpoints from 15 to 40
- Hardened Steel: increased hitpoints from 100 to 200 (adapted template)

Bug Fixes:
- Fixed problem linked to spawning blueprints from Experimental version 1.7
- Fixed: Dying in a turret can lead to "turret occupied" in multiplayer games
- Fixed: SV/HV/CV parked on a slope are sliding away when not unpowered
- Fixed: Turrets don't shoot if spawned with blueprint which had its turrets set to ON when saved
- Fixed: Mirror Tool enables player to build 2 Warp Tanks / Warp Drives for a CV
- Fixed: All blocks but HV Hover Engines removed leads to HV falling through the ground a loop-respawn (MP)
- Fixed problem that when entering cockpit/passenger seat in a very big CV, the terrain did rebuild
- Fixed: CV sometimes shooting at Sathium Asteroid around the Alien Space Station
- Fixed: Offline Protection does not cover irregular/unsymmetrical large bases and CVs
- Fixed Offline Protection exploit: Weapons can pin through the Offline Protection Shield when used in 3rd Person
- Fixed: Possible to place a starter Block within a Offline Protection shield
- Fixed: Moving items from inventory to toolbar could result in an error and the item being deleted (MP only)
- Fixed possible exploit: Control Panel of other player does not close if base is set to faction/private
- Fixed error when client had Control Panel open and server exited
- Fixed: Starting a new game uses last used Save- or Server World Name

Hi Galactic Survivalists!

This Monday we have opened up our Experimental Branch for everyone to try and test the upcoming features. Today, the former experimental version has moved over to all the public servers and single player games out there, adding Combat Armor, an Emergency O2 Generator, a new Tier 2 Remove and Repair Tool, Armored Windows and Doors and a lot of optimizations, balancing and bugfixes!

The Experimental Branch is still available and will be updated soon with new features! So keep an eye on the forum of our Alpha Experimental Branch right here: http://empyriononline.com/forums/#experimental-branch.33

We will stick to our new workflow: Adding features to a non-public internal version, then moving the build to the Experimental Branch for testing and refining with a larger audience, then adding the refined version as a Public Patch for everyone to play!

On behalf of the whole dev team, thanks a lot for reporting issues and bugs, either with the Experimental or the Public Version!

Stay tuned for more updates and blogs upcoming the next days!

CHANGELOG: Alpha 1.7.0 (Build 451)

New:
- Added combat steel blocks for BA + CV (handheld weapons cannot destroy combat steel blocks - except rocket launcher)
- Added first set of armored windows (not destructible by handheld weapons): added thick versions of vertical windows + old shutter windows are now armored windows (more window shapes in production)
- Added armored door (not destructible by handheld weapons)
- Added Emergency O2 Generator (needs Oxygen Atmosphere). Added "AtmosphereO2" parameter to playfield.yamls (for old single player save games: default of 0.1 is used, for old multiplayer save games: you need to start a new game to make use of this device or add AtmosphereO2 manually to the corresponding playfield.yamls)
- Added T2 Repairtool (slightly nerfed T1 Repairtool )

Graphics and Settings:
- Added new screen effects: Bloom, Image Processing Effect and SSAO (can be disabled in Settings)
- More individual Video Options for different quality settings
- Added PBR Shader for building blocks and terrain
- Increased Light Intensity on several playfields
- Added new start setting for Omicron Orbit (Creative Mode): new CV, SV, HV (thanks to Mr.IceCat and Piddlefoot)
- Updated model for Ammo Boxes
- Updated model for Oxygen/Hydrogen Generators
- Updated model for Gravity Generator
- Updated model for Power Generators

Improvements:
- Blueprint menu now checks for correct blueprint version (Blueprints from Experimental version are not available in Public version's BP Library)
- Better sorting in Server Browser: server name, players, ping
- Improved saving of intermediate game states which should significantly reduce the likelihood of losing structures due to crashes
- Holographic screens get now enabled/disabled with structure
- Showing text "No connection to playfield server" if a playfield server hangs
- Added better info to all consumables regarding their use (LMB or Shift+RMB)

Optimizations:
- Major performance optimizations for playfields with many turrets
- Internal optimization regarding large structures
- Performance optimization of constructors: data processing only done if data has actually changed
- Compressing deco/grass data transfer on first connect to a server

Balancing:
- Increased hitpoints of all turrets and SV+CV weapons
- Handheld weapons cannot destroy hardened steel anymore (except rocket launcher)
- Concrete: increased hitpoints from 15 to 40
- Hardened Steel: increased hitpoints from 100 to 200 (adapted template)

Bug Fixes:
- Fixed problem linked to spawning blueprints from Experimental version 1.7
- Fixed: Dying in a turret can lead to "turret occupied" in multiplayer games
- Fixed: SV/HV/CV parked on a slope are sliding away when not unpowered
- Fixed: Turrets don't shoot if spawned with blueprint which had its turrets set to ON when saved
- Fixed: Mirror Tool enables player to build 2 Warp Tanks / Warp Drives for a CV
- Fixed: All blocks but HV Hover Engines removed leads to HV falling through the ground a loop-respawn (MP)
- Fixed problem that when entering cockpit/passenger seat in a very big CV, the terrain did rebuild
- Fixed: CV sometimes shooting at Sathium Asteroid around the Alien Space Station
- Fixed: Offline Protection does not cover irregular/unsymmetrical large bases and CVs
- Fixed Offline Protection exploit: Weapons can pin through the Offline Protection Shield when used in 3rd Person
- Fixed: Possible to place a starter Block within a Offline Protection shield
- Fixed: Moving items from inventory to toolbar could result in an error and the item being deleted (MP only)
- Fixed possible exploit: Control Panel of other player does not close if base is set to faction/private
- Fixed error when client had Control Panel open and server exited
- Fixed: Starting a new game uses last used Save- or Server World Name

Hi Galactic Survivalists!

You may have wondered why we have been relatively quiet in the past 2 weeks. For a reason…
We were working hard on a new version and we have decided to let you participate in the on-going development. Thus, we have added a separate Steam branch, which includes the in-development version of the game! This so called “Experimental Branch” will make our yet finished, internal prototype features available to the public for everyone to test and to contribute. This is kind of our shared public workbench where we aim to fix and improve the big features to come with your dedicated help.

HOW TO CHANGE to the Steam Experimental branch?
1. Open your Steam library
2. Right-Mouse Click on the Empyrion Entry and open the PROPERTIES
3. Head over to the BETAS tab
4. Select the ‘Experimental - Unstable Test Branch’ from the dropdown and wait for the download to be finished.
5. If Steam does not download the update, open the tab LOCAL FILES and verify your steam cache! This should kick off the download.
You’ll then notice a [experimental] tag added next to your steam library game entry!

Important Disclaimer: Please read before switching to the Experimental branch

- UNSTABLE: Although there is no NDA to be signed or any specific invitation necessary to access this branch, anyone playing on the Experimental Branch should expect bugs, technical issues, stability problems, frequent updates, lots of small and big changes and even temporary removal of features.

- COMPATIBILITY: Of course you can revert back to the public branch at any time – but there is a high chance, your experimental branch savegames are broken or at least not working when downgrading to the public version (Depending on how big the changes between both versions are at this point).

- DISCUSSIONS: Join and contribute to the new Alpha Experimental features by giving us your feedback here: http://empyriononline.com/forums/experimental-features-discussion.35

- UPDATES: We will announce every release of a new version (with the corresponding changelog) on the Experimental branch in this thread: http://empyriononline.com/forums/announcements.36
Suscribe to this thread if you want to get notified when a new update is released.

- BUG REPORTS: Have fun and do not forget to report bugs in the specific "Experimental Branch" bug section of the forum: http://empyriononline.com/forums/bugs.34



Changelog: Alpha Experimental 1.7 (Build 443)

We have launched the Experimental branch today. For now, you can already test our new Combat Armor for Capital Vessels and Bases (Stage I of Rebalancing), a new Emergency O2 Generator and a few improvements.

Changes / Improvements:
- Major performance optimization for playfields with lots of turrets
- Added combat steel blocks for BA + CV (handheld weapons cannot destroy combat steel blocks - except rocket launcher)
- Balancing:
* Increased hitpoints of all turrets and SV+CV weapons
* Handheld weapons cannot destroy hardened steel anymore (except rocket launcher)
* Concrete: increased HP from 15 to 40
* Hardened Steel: increased HP from 100 to 150 (adapted template)
- Added new screen effects: Bloom, Image Processing Effect and SSAO (can be disabled in Settings)
- Better Video Options window for different quality settings
- Increased Light Intensity on several playfields
- Other optimizations:
* Internal optimization regarding large structures
* Performance optimization of constructors: data processing only done if data has actually changed
* Compressing deco/grass data transfer on first connect to a server
- Holographic screens get now enabled/disabled with structure
- Replaced model for old Gravity Generator and Power Generators
- Added PBR Shader for building blocks
- Better sorting in Server Browser: server name, players, ping
- Added Emergency O2 Generator (needs AtmosphereO2). Added "AtmosphereO2" parameter to playfields (for old save games: default of 0.1 is used)
- Added better info to all consumables how to use them (LMB or Shift+RMB)

Bug Fixes:
- Fixed problem that when entering cockpit/passenger seat in a very big CV, the terrain did rebuild
- Fixed: CV sometimes shooting at Sathium Asteroid around the Alien Space Station
- Fixed: OP does not cover irregular/unsymmetrical large bases and CVs
- Fixed: OP Exploit: Weapons can pin through the OP Shield when used in 3rd Person
- Fixed: Possible to place a starter Block within a OP shield
- Fixed: Moving items from itemmenu to toolbar results in an error and the item being deleted (MP only)
- Fixed: Possible Exploit: Control Panel of other player does not close if base is set to faction/private
- Fixed error when client had CP open and server exited
- Fixed: Starting a new game uses last used Save- or Server World Name

Note: Your Alpha 1.6.2 save games should be compatible with Alpha 1.7.0. If you downgrade to the public version again, the Alpha 1.7 savegame will not work anymore in Alpha 1.6.2

NEXT STEPS:
Finally – what to expect from the upcoming weeks in June? While we are working on a more complete roadmap that will be announced soon, we’d like to uncover the three primary features of the upcoming "June Update":
1. Difficulty Levels and more Customization Options for the Survival Game start (Settings will be available for Server admins as well!)
2. A first iteration of an In-game Marketplace for Player 2 Player Trading (Trading Stage I) including a first draft of an ingame currency
3. A first set of fixed-size Hangar Doors (more versions and size-flexible force fields coming at a later stage!)

These features and more will be made available in the new Experimental branch over the next weeks.

Thanks for reading.

Emp Dev Crew

Hi Galactic Survivalists!

You may have wondered why we have been relatively quiet in the past 2 weeks. For a reason…
We were working hard on a new version and we have decided to let you participate in the on-going development. Thus, we have added a separate Steam branch, which includes the in-development version of the game! This so called “Experimental Branch” will make our yet finished, internal prototype features available to the public for everyone to test and to contribute. This is kind of our shared public workbench where we aim to fix and improve the big features to come with your dedicated help.

HOW TO CHANGE to the Steam Experimental branch?
1. Open your Steam library
2. Right-Mouse Click on the Empyrion Entry and open the PROPERTIES
3. Head over to the BETAS tab
4. Select the ‘Experimental - Unstable Test Branch’ from the dropdown and wait for the download to be finished.
5. If Steam does not download the update, open the tab LOCAL FILES and verify your steam cache! This should kick off the download.
You’ll then notice a [experimental] tag added next to your steam library game entry!

Important Disclaimer: Please read before switching to the Experimental branch

- UNSTABLE: Although there is no NDA to be signed or any specific invitation necessary to access this branch, anyone playing on the Experimental Branch should expect bugs, technical issues, stability problems, frequent updates, lots of small and big changes and even temporary removal of features.

- COMPATIBILITY: Of course you can revert back to the public branch at any time – but there is a high chance, your experimental branch savegames are broken or at least not working when downgrading to the public version (Depending on how big the changes between both versions are at this point).

- DISCUSSIONS: Join and contribute to the new Alpha Experimental features by giving us your feedback here: http://empyriononline.com/forums/experimental-features-discussion.35

- UPDATES: We will announce every release of a new version (with the corresponding changelog) on the Experimental branch in this thread: http://empyriononline.com/forums/announcements.36
Suscribe to this thread if you want to get notified when a new update is released.

- BUG REPORTS: Have fun and do not forget to report bugs in the specific "Experimental Branch" bug section of the forum: http://empyriononline.com/forums/bugs.34



Changelog: Alpha Experimental 1.7 (Build 443)

We have launched the Experimental branch today. For now, you can already test our new Combat Armor for Capital Vessels and Bases (Stage I of Rebalancing), a new Emergency O2 Generator and a few improvements.

Changes / Improvements:
- Major performance optimization for playfields with lots of turrets
- Added combat steel blocks for BA + CV (handheld weapons cannot destroy combat steel blocks - except rocket launcher)
- Balancing:
* Increased hitpoints of all turrets and SV+CV weapons
* Handheld weapons cannot destroy hardened steel anymore (except rocket launcher)
* Concrete: increased HP from 15 to 40
* Hardened Steel: increased HP from 100 to 150 (adapted template)
- Added new screen effects: Bloom, Image Processing Effect and SSAO (can be disabled in Settings)
- Better Video Options window for different quality settings
- Increased Light Intensity on several playfields
- Other optimizations:
* Internal optimization regarding large structures
* Performance optimization of constructors: data processing only done if data has actually changed
* Compressing deco/grass data transfer on first connect to a server
- Holographic screens get now enabled/disabled with structure
- Replaced model for old Gravity Generator and Power Generators
- Added PBR Shader for building blocks
- Better sorting in Server Browser: server name, players, ping
- Added Emergency O2 Generator (needs AtmosphereO2). Added "AtmosphereO2" parameter to playfields (for old save games: default of 0.1 is used)
- Added better info to all consumables how to use them (LMB or Shift+RMB)

Bug Fixes:
- Fixed problem that when entering cockpit/passenger seat in a very big CV, the terrain did rebuild
- Fixed: CV sometimes shooting at Sathium Asteroid around the Alien Space Station
- Fixed: OP does not cover irregular/unsymmetrical large bases and CVs
- Fixed: OP Exploit: Weapons can pin through the OP Shield when used in 3rd Person
- Fixed: Possible to place a starter Block within a OP shield
- Fixed: Moving items from itemmenu to toolbar results in an error and the item being deleted (MP only)
- Fixed: Possible Exploit: Control Panel of other player does not close if base is set to faction/private
- Fixed error when client had CP open and server exited
- Fixed: Starting a new game uses last used Save- or Server World Name

Note: Your Alpha 1.6.2 save games should be compatible with Alpha 1.7.0. If you downgrade to the public version again, the Alpha 1.7 savegame will not work anymore in Alpha 1.6.2

NEXT STEPS:
Finally – what to expect from the upcoming weeks in June? While we are working on a more complete roadmap that will be announced soon, we’d like to uncover the three primary features of the upcoming "June Update":
1. Difficulty Levels and more Customization Options for the Survival Game start (Settings will be available for Server admins as well!)
2. A first iteration of an In-game Marketplace for Player 2 Player Trading (Trading Stage I) including a first draft of an ingame currency
3. A first set of fixed-size Hangar Doors (more versions and size-flexible force fields coming at a later stage!)

These features and more will be made available in the new Experimental branch over the next weeks.

Thanks for reading.

Emp Dev Crew