Oct 20, 2016
Empyrion - Galactic Survival - EmpyrionGame
Hi Galactic Survivalists!

Many of you have already tipped your toes into the Experimental version of Empyrion Alpha 4.0 - so please, ladies and gentlemen, switch to the public version right now!

For everyone else, and because we added a ton of new stuff and a few game-changers, please read on below to get all the info!

We are looking forward to your feedback and, as always: thanks everyone in advance for helping to squash the remaining bugs! :D

Cheers,
Empyrion Dev Team

P.S. We recommend starting a new game in Alpha 4.0. Please note, however, that your old save games are technically compatible in Alpha 4.0 but the visuals (e.g. light intensity - especially during night) will be messed up due to the switch to linear space (see below).

Changelog: Alpha 4.0.0 (Build 658)

New Main Features:

1. Auto Mining Device:

- Added terrain-placeable auto-mining device with 3 Tiers
- Possibility to upgrade from T1 through T3
- Mining rate depends on the Tier and the Source Quality (dependent on the size of the deposit)


2. New HV Handling:
- With the new HV handling your HV will now adapt to the ground, i.e., it will no longer remain horizontal if you drive up a hill
- The new hover engines apply a local force below them (somehow like a virtual wheel). Thus, the position of hover engines and distribution of weight plays a big role now
- Added visual overlay for "Center of Mass" and "Center of Vessel" (Use building-helper menu to show; default button: N)
- Added artificial mass block that adds additional weight and can be used to balance the Center of Mass of the vessel for improved flight and hover behavior
- Added T1 and T2 hover engines with new 3d models
- Added Hover Booster device that allows HV to perform jumps (old Hover Engine Model)
- Changed HV starter block: no hover engine placed on starter block anymore
Note: HVs from blueprints and from the workshop need the new hover engines to be added. The old “Hover Engine model” now only adds the Hover Booster feature to your HV but it will not make it hover


3. Repair Block:
- Added "Repair Bay" block for CV and BA
Note: to activate auto repair just place a de-activated SV / HV / CV on top of repair block; Limit: max 1 Repair Block per CV/BA for now; CV Repair Bay can only repair SV and HV. BA Repair Bay can repair all vessels.


4. LCD Screens:
- Added re-writable LCD Screens
- Screen content saves with blueprint


5. Ship Registry:
- Structure overview window with “Waypoints” and “Show on Map” feature
- The registry list shows all your vessels and bases anywhere in the solar system
- If you are in the same playfield, possibility to access certain features of your vessels and bases via Control Panel remote access (e.g. turret settings, power up or down, etc)
- You can set a waypoint as a guide or show the position of the selected target on the map
- Structures that are chosen as waypoint, are now displayed in yellow on the map and have a yellow arrow and tag on the HUD (remove a waypoint by clicking on the waypoint button again; you can have more than one waypoint active at the same time)


6. Faction-based Discovery System:
- Added player-centered discovery for multiplayer (i.e., when a player discovers a POI / deposit this discovery is no longer visible for everybody on server; players in a faction share their discoveries)

7. Separation of Small and Large Blocks:
- Separated small and large blocks (hull, windows, truss blocks etc): please note that we had to re-balance the weight of many blocks; Small Blocks = SV,HV; Large Blocks = CV,BA
- The separation will allow us to make a much better balancing of hitpoints and weight
- CV and Bases got more hitpoints for their basic building blocks and windows (for example: Steel 500 HP, Hardened Steel 1000 HP, Combat Armor 2000 HP). As a result, they are now heavier and need more materials when crafted.
- All hull, window and truss blocks are automatically updated to the corresponding new block when spawning a pre-Alpha 4.0 BP. Please note: Pre-1.0 Alpha Blocks are not auto-updated. Blueprints that still have these blocks will be shown as RED in your blueprint library. You still need to swap them manually.

8. New Weapon Balancing (Step 1):
- Rebalanced all mounted weapons and turrets - let us know what you think
- Separated CV and BA turrets as preparation for upcoming CV-BA rebalancing (their stats are identical at the moment; subject to change!)
- Added homing missile to Turret Rocket (BA / CV): the homing missile will follow the attacked vessel during a certain time. These turrets will now be much more effective against fast moving targets.
- Added new Pulse Laser Turret (BA and CV)
- Added Flak Turret for CV
- Added Minigun Turret and Artillery Turret for BA
- Adapted ammo templates to new balancing
- Balancing Stage I: Added limit to number of mounted and turret weapons (performance and balancing reasons). "Max Count" indicates now how many weapons can be placed on a structure for Survival Games.
Please note: Blueprints that violate these limits will be shown as ORANGE in your Blueprint Library and can not be used in Survival mode. You can still spawn and change them in CREATIVE mode - or use them in multiplayer if the server admin decides to disable the Max Count.
- Added 'EnableMaxBlockCount' in dedicated.yaml (thus you can disable MaxCount on your dedicated server if you prefer)


9. Code Locks:
- Added code locks to several blocks (e.g. Doors, Hangar Doors, Cargo Boxes, Fridges, Constructors etc.)

10. ATM Machine:
- Added ATM block: With ATM machine you can transfer money from / to account (you now must use ATM to transfer money to your account; Open ATM GUI and add money by dropping gold coins and credit cards to the intake ; Remove money by creating a moneycard; It is not possible anymore to “consume” stacks of Gold Coins or Credit Cards for adding the value to your bank account!)
- Replaced credit card with a money card that can hold a flexible amount of money

11. Switch to Linear Space:
- Switched from gamma to linear space: this change had a major effect on the overall lightning in the game and how the physically-based rendering (PBR) works. If you want to read more about gamma vs linear color space, check this out:
https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/LinearLighting.html





It is hard to capture the effects of linear space in screenshots - just start the game and convince yourself of the new lightning and the different look & feel of linear space (btw: in the last screenshot you see the new Multitool T2)

12. Dynamic Character (UMA):

- Added fully dynamic character (so called UMA): for now you do not see any difference to the old model but with this new approach we will be able to easily change armor, jetpack, etc on the character. In addition, we will be able to integrate character customization (face, hair, beard, size, etc).

13. Separation of Client and Server:
- Client and server are now separated
- You can download “Empyrion - Galactic Survival Dedicated Server” from the Steam client via Library -> Tools
- If the Empyrion dedicated server does not show up under Tools in your Library, you can install it via SteamCMD as follows:
a. Install SteamCMD from https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/SteamCMD
b. Open console/command line prompt and navigate to the directory you installed SteamCMD (make sure SteamCMD is not running, otherwise exit it with "quit")
c. Enter the following command:
steamcmd +login anonymous +force_install_dir "../Empyrion - Dedicated Server" +app_update 530870 +quit

Following this procedure will install the Empyrion Dedicated Server in the folder “Empyrion – Dedicated Server” beside the folder where steamcmd is installed. If needed, you may change the folder name to your liking.


Other Changes / Improvements:

Blocks/Items/Building:
- Added color-able / texture-able wings for SV
- Added new doors that open vertically
- Added an additional console block
- Added new block groups: Landinggear Blocks SV and Landinggear Blocks Heavy SV (Added short versions of landinggear single and double)
- Added new block group: Landinggear Blocks CV (added more landinggear models for CV)
- Thrusters have now more consistent names (-> thruster S, M, L, XL etc). Temporarily removed atmo thruster

Multiplayer:
- Added "Faction Access" and "Show on Map" button to (Emergency) Oxygen / Hydrogen and Water Generators
- Allow faction visibility even when all players are offline + show new faction stats information
- Huge network optimization
- Motorbikes now gets removed with wipe time (problem before: on busy servers there are many abandoned motorbikes which reduces performance)

World:
- Added more fog / clouds when high up in air
- Clouds when high up in air are now stronger on several playfields (FogCloudIntensity)
- Added orange bush on Temperate2 a.k.a Oscutune
- "Crashed ship" on Moon and Lava planet is now less deep buried in ground

GUI/Management:
- Added overall health state of a structure to control panel
- Added more map icons (AMD, Water Generator, Oxygen Generators). Changed map icon for backpack, survival constructor and base
- Added Entity ID to vessel statistics window
- Using 'always visible' shader for axis of preview blocks (Axis is not hidden inside blocks anymore, but visible from the outside even if the block is large)
- Added Hangardoors, Shutterdoors, Ramps to Control Panel (+ added code locks)
- Reworked Scoreboard: using more vertical place in total, using less space per row
- Marketplace: For better quick comparison of prices, all prices are displayed with 2 decimals

Graphics/Visuals:
- Added new model for Multitool T1 + T2 (with particle effect + better sound)
- Tweaked model of Fillertool
- Updated radar block model
- Added better model for cockpit CV 2
- Replaced old shotgun T1 with better model
- Improved shader on turrets HV
- Tweaked material on scope of shotgun T2 (now it is not illuminated anymore when dark)
- Tweaked muzzle fire (now light is disabled much faster after shooting)
- Improved weapon hold animation on several weapons
- Improved hold animation and material on flashlight

Tweaks:
- Added buoyant uplift force in water and de-activated thrusters when they touch water (i.e., you cannot fly anymore under water as if water was not present). We will soon add special vessels that will have ability to go under water
- Tweaked size of open passenger seat (SV / HV) - now it is only 1 block wide
- Added dual light cookie to motorbike light and tweaked light intensity
- Tweaked TechTree: Open cockpit is now Tier 3
- Lights switch off in space now 3x later. Increased size of flares a bit
- Added more XP for higher levels (due to new blocks)
- Added better info to alien blocks (e.g. Ion Cannon, Alien Core, etc)
- Renamed Stock Blueprints: SV_Prefab_ instead of SV_Starter
- Improved Marketplace menu performance
- Temporarily disabled yaml checking in Resume Game menu for better performance
- "finishbp" console cmd now only needs 2sec (instead of 5sec)
- Console cmds: increased character limit from 50 to 150- Increased colliders view distance to 200m (south / north / east / west) -> before: 150m and 120m- Swapped TALOS with TITAN in the PDA Mission "custom tours" and set to "one part" (i.e., you need to find only 1 part to fulfill mission)
- HV turrets do not fire anymore if HV is docked

Bug Fixes:
- Fixed: Button-Click macro exploit to duplicate items
- Fixed: Rockets now don't explode any more if they hit their 'own' structure
- Fixed: Problem that Offline Protection did not activate for private faction (now you don’t need to create a 1-man faction anymore to use the offline protection)
- Fixed: PvP: Own faction base will shoot at spawned vessels of faction members
- Fixed: Constructor does sometimes eat up material but do not produce items (Constructors and Food Processors now use a special Output Inventory to store crafted items)
- Fixed: Turrets of CV set to Public does not engage enemies
- Fixed: Jumping of focus block. Now: interpolating focus block positions (+ we do not show block preview if block is not allowed to be placed)
- Fixed: Grass is overlapping mountains
- Fixed: Wrong weight count on blocks (now each block weights exactly amount that is shown in block info)
- Fixed: Upgrade Window: Tint reverts when upgraded
- Fixed: Checkbox of turret when deactivated and accessing it
- Fixed: Light bleeding when shadows are on (e.g. lights of bases do not shine through doors anymore)
- Fixed: Status effect notifications delay all other notifications
- Fixed: Player Status: Icons overlapping each other if more than one effect is in place
- Fixed: Wind animation on several trees / plants (e.g Omicron Alienpalmtree, Akua Umbrella tree etc)
- Fixed: Key for Flashlight: rename to LIGHT only
- Fixed: Water shader with errors (e.g. water shows mosaic texture in the night)
- Fixed: Potential error is in Peer2Peer another player connects while we are starting up
- Fixed: Problem that beam of texture tool was sometimes cut off
- Fixed: Lava emissive texture not working
- Fixed: Gaps on hull block HalfRound
- Fixed: Marketplace - wrong time sorting in the "Recent" list
- Fixed: Error when opening PDA in creative as a client
- Fixed: Strange Colouring when placing Walkway/Truss Blocks
- Fixed: Bike "slides" instead of driving - as observed by a 2nd player in MP
- Fixed: Problem with missing chunks on terrain
- Fixed: Durian Sprout only attributes a fraction of XP compared to all other sprouts
- Fixed: Thrusters firing with full force when CV/SV are hovering or landed
- Fixed: SV/HV thrusters still firing full throttle when docked
- Fixed: Hovering CV/SV is falling to the ground when pilot leaves the seat
- Fixed: CV and SV slowly sinking to the ground, despite hovering
- Fixed: RCS blocks show up on top of the water layer instead of diffuse underneath it.
- Fixed: Error if opening Texture Tool 2nd time via Player drone
Oct 20, 2016
Empyrion - Galactic Survival - EmpyrionGame
Hi Galactic Survivalists!

Many of you have already tipped your toes into the Experimental version of Empyrion Alpha 4.0 - so please, ladies and gentlemen, switch to the public version right now!

For everyone else, and because we added a ton of new stuff and a few game-changers, please read on below to get all the info!

We are looking forward to your feedback and, as always: thanks everyone in advance for helping to squash the remaining bugs! :D

Cheers,
Empyrion Dev Team

P.S. We recommend starting a new game in Alpha 4.0. Please note, however, that your old save games are technically compatible in Alpha 4.0 but the visuals (e.g. light intensity - especially during night) will be messed up due to the switch to linear space (see below).

Changelog: Alpha 4.0.0 (Build 658)

New Main Features:

1. Auto Mining Device:

- Added terrain-placeable auto-mining device with 3 Tiers
- Possibility to upgrade from T1 through T3
- Mining rate depends on the Tier and the Source Quality (dependent on the size of the deposit)


2. New HV Handling:
- With the new HV handling your HV will now adapt to the ground, i.e., it will no longer remain horizontal if you drive up a hill
- The new hover engines apply a local force below them (somehow like a virtual wheel). Thus, the position of hover engines and distribution of weight plays a big role now
- Added visual overlay for "Center of Mass" and "Center of Vessel" (Use building-helper menu to show; default button: N)
- Added artificial mass block that adds additional weight and can be used to balance the Center of Mass of the vessel for improved flight and hover behavior
- Added T1 and T2 hover engines with new 3d models
- Added Hover Booster device that allows HV to perform jumps (old Hover Engine Model)
- Changed HV starter block: no hover engine placed on starter block anymore
Note: HVs from blueprints and from the workshop need the new hover engines to be added. The old “Hover Engine model” now only adds the Hover Booster feature to your HV but it will not make it hover


3. Repair Block:
- Added "Repair Bay" block for CV and BA
Note: to activate auto repair just place a de-activated SV / HV / CV on top of repair block; Limit: max 1 Repair Block per CV/BA for now; CV Repair Bay can only repair SV and HV. BA Repair Bay can repair all vessels.


4. LCD Screens:
- Added re-writable LCD Screens
- Screen content saves with blueprint


5. Ship Registry:
- Structure overview window with “Waypoints” and “Show on Map” feature
- The registry list shows all your vessels and bases anywhere in the solar system
- If you are in the same playfield, possibility to access certain features of your vessels and bases via Control Panel remote access (e.g. turret settings, power up or down, etc)
- You can set a waypoint as a guide or show the position of the selected target on the map
- Structures that are chosen as waypoint, are now displayed in yellow on the map and have a yellow arrow and tag on the HUD (remove a waypoint by clicking on the waypoint button again; you can have more than one waypoint active at the same time)


6. Faction-based Discovery System:
- Added player-centered discovery for multiplayer (i.e., when a player discovers a POI / deposit this discovery is no longer visible for everybody on server; players in a faction share their discoveries)

7. Separation of Small and Large Blocks:
- Separated small and large blocks (hull, windows, truss blocks etc): please note that we had to re-balance the weight of many blocks; Small Blocks = SV,HV; Large Blocks = CV,BA
- The separation will allow us to make a much better balancing of hitpoints and weight
- CV and Bases got more hitpoints for their basic building blocks and windows (for example: Steel 500 HP, Hardened Steel 1000 HP, Combat Armor 2000 HP). As a result, they are now heavier and need more materials when crafted.
- All hull, window and truss blocks are automatically updated to the corresponding new block when spawning a pre-Alpha 4.0 BP. Please note: Pre-1.0 Alpha Blocks are not auto-updated. Blueprints that still have these blocks will be shown as RED in your blueprint library. You still need to swap them manually.

8. New Weapon Balancing (Step 1):
- Rebalanced all mounted weapons and turrets - let us know what you think
- Separated CV and BA turrets as preparation for upcoming CV-BA rebalancing (their stats are identical at the moment; subject to change!)
- Added homing missile to Turret Rocket (BA / CV): the homing missile will follow the attacked vessel during a certain time. These turrets will now be much more effective against fast moving targets.
- Added new Pulse Laser Turret (BA and CV)
- Added Flak Turret for CV
- Added Minigun Turret and Artillery Turret for BA
- Adapted ammo templates to new balancing
- Balancing Stage I: Added limit to number of mounted and turret weapons (performance and balancing reasons). "Max Count" indicates now how many weapons can be placed on a structure for Survival Games.
Please note: Blueprints that violate these limits will be shown as ORANGE in your Blueprint Library and can not be used in Survival mode. You can still spawn and change them in CREATIVE mode - or use them in multiplayer if the server admin decides to disable the Max Count.
- Added 'EnableMaxBlockCount' in dedicated.yaml (thus you can disable MaxCount on your dedicated server if you prefer)


9. Code Locks:
- Added code locks to several blocks (e.g. Doors, Hangar Doors, Cargo Boxes, Fridges, Constructors etc.)

10. ATM Machine:
- Added ATM block: With ATM machine you can transfer money from / to account (you now must use ATM to transfer money to your account; Open ATM GUI and add money by dropping gold coins and credit cards to the intake ; Remove money by creating a moneycard; It is not possible anymore to “consume” stacks of Gold Coins or Credit Cards for adding the value to your bank account!)
- Replaced credit card with a money card that can hold a flexible amount of money

11. Switch to Linear Space:
- Switched from gamma to linear space: this change had a major effect on the overall lightning in the game and how the physically-based rendering (PBR) works. If you want to read more about gamma vs linear color space, check this out:
https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/LinearLighting.html





It is hard to capture the effects of linear space in screenshots - just start the game and convince yourself of the new lightning and the different look & feel of linear space (btw: in the last screenshot you see the new Multitool T2)

12. Dynamic Character (UMA):

- Added fully dynamic character (so called UMA): for now you do not see any difference to the old model but with this new approach we will be able to easily change armor, jetpack, etc on the character. In addition, we will be able to integrate character customization (face, hair, beard, size, etc).

13. Separation of Client and Server:
- Client and server are now separated
- You can download “Empyrion - Galactic Survival Dedicated Server” from the Steam client via Library -> Tools
- If the Empyrion dedicated server does not show up under Tools in your Library, you can install it via SteamCMD as follows:
a. Install SteamCMD from https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/SteamCMD
b. Open console/command line prompt and navigate to the directory you installed SteamCMD (make sure SteamCMD is not running, otherwise exit it with "quit")
c. Enter the following command:
steamcmd +login anonymous +force_install_dir "../Empyrion - Dedicated Server" +app_update 530870 +quit

Following this procedure will install the Empyrion Dedicated Server in the folder “Empyrion – Dedicated Server” beside the folder where steamcmd is installed. If needed, you may change the folder name to your liking.


Other Changes / Improvements:

Blocks/Items/Building:
- Added color-able / texture-able wings for SV
- Added new doors that open vertically
- Added an additional console block
- Added new block groups: Landinggear Blocks SV and Landinggear Blocks Heavy SV (Added short versions of landinggear single and double)
- Added new block group: Landinggear Blocks CV (added more landinggear models for CV)
- Thrusters have now more consistent names (-> thruster S, M, L, XL etc). Temporarily removed atmo thruster

Multiplayer:
- Added "Faction Access" and "Show on Map" button to (Emergency) Oxygen / Hydrogen and Water Generators
- Allow faction visibility even when all players are offline + show new faction stats information
- Huge network optimization
- Motorbikes now gets removed with wipe time (problem before: on busy servers there are many abandoned motorbikes which reduces performance)

World:
- Added more fog / clouds when high up in air
- Clouds when high up in air are now stronger on several playfields (FogCloudIntensity)
- Added orange bush on Temperate2 a.k.a Oscutune
- "Crashed ship" on Moon and Lava planet is now less deep buried in ground

GUI/Management:
- Added overall health state of a structure to control panel
- Added more map icons (AMD, Water Generator, Oxygen Generators). Changed map icon for backpack, survival constructor and base
- Added Entity ID to vessel statistics window
- Using 'always visible' shader for axis of preview blocks (Axis is not hidden inside blocks anymore, but visible from the outside even if the block is large)
- Added Hangardoors, Shutterdoors, Ramps to Control Panel (+ added code locks)
- Reworked Scoreboard: using more vertical place in total, using less space per row
- Marketplace: For better quick comparison of prices, all prices are displayed with 2 decimals

Graphics/Visuals:
- Added new model for Multitool T1 + T2 (with particle effect + better sound)
- Tweaked model of Fillertool
- Updated radar block model
- Added better model for cockpit CV 2
- Replaced old shotgun T1 with better model
- Improved shader on turrets HV
- Tweaked material on scope of shotgun T2 (now it is not illuminated anymore when dark)
- Tweaked muzzle fire (now light is disabled much faster after shooting)
- Improved weapon hold animation on several weapons
- Improved hold animation and material on flashlight

Tweaks:
- Added buoyant uplift force in water and de-activated thrusters when they touch water (i.e., you cannot fly anymore under water as if water was not present). We will soon add special vessels that will have ability to go under water
- Tweaked size of open passenger seat (SV / HV) - now it is only 1 block wide
- Added dual light cookie to motorbike light and tweaked light intensity
- Tweaked TechTree: Open cockpit is now Tier 3
- Lights switch off in space now 3x later. Increased size of flares a bit
- Added more XP for higher levels (due to new blocks)
- Added better info to alien blocks (e.g. Ion Cannon, Alien Core, etc)
- Renamed Stock Blueprints: SV_Prefab_ instead of SV_Starter
- Improved Marketplace menu performance
- Temporarily disabled yaml checking in Resume Game menu for better performance
- "finishbp" console cmd now only needs 2sec (instead of 5sec)
- Console cmds: increased character limit from 50 to 150- Increased colliders view distance to 200m (south / north / east / west) -> before: 150m and 120m- Swapped TALOS with TITAN in the PDA Mission "custom tours" and set to "one part" (i.e., you need to find only 1 part to fulfill mission)
- HV turrets do not fire anymore if HV is docked

Bug Fixes:
- Fixed: Button-Click macro exploit to duplicate items
- Fixed: Rockets now don't explode any more if they hit their 'own' structure
- Fixed: Problem that Offline Protection did not activate for private faction (now you don’t need to create a 1-man faction anymore to use the offline protection)
- Fixed: PvP: Own faction base will shoot at spawned vessels of faction members
- Fixed: Constructor does sometimes eat up material but do not produce items (Constructors and Food Processors now use a special Output Inventory to store crafted items)
- Fixed: Turrets of CV set to Public does not engage enemies
- Fixed: Jumping of focus block. Now: interpolating focus block positions (+ we do not show block preview if block is not allowed to be placed)
- Fixed: Grass is overlapping mountains
- Fixed: Wrong weight count on blocks (now each block weights exactly amount that is shown in block info)
- Fixed: Upgrade Window: Tint reverts when upgraded
- Fixed: Checkbox of turret when deactivated and accessing it
- Fixed: Light bleeding when shadows are on (e.g. lights of bases do not shine through doors anymore)
- Fixed: Status effect notifications delay all other notifications
- Fixed: Player Status: Icons overlapping each other if more than one effect is in place
- Fixed: Wind animation on several trees / plants (e.g Omicron Alienpalmtree, Akua Umbrella tree etc)
- Fixed: Key for Flashlight: rename to LIGHT only
- Fixed: Water shader with errors (e.g. water shows mosaic texture in the night)
- Fixed: Potential error is in Peer2Peer another player connects while we are starting up
- Fixed: Problem that beam of texture tool was sometimes cut off
- Fixed: Lava emissive texture not working
- Fixed: Gaps on hull block HalfRound
- Fixed: Marketplace - wrong time sorting in the "Recent" list
- Fixed: Error when opening PDA in creative as a client
- Fixed: Strange Colouring when placing Walkway/Truss Blocks
- Fixed: Bike "slides" instead of driving - as observed by a 2nd player in MP
- Fixed: Problem with missing chunks on terrain
- Fixed: Durian Sprout only attributes a fraction of XP compared to all other sprouts
- Fixed: Thrusters firing with full force when CV/SV are hovering or landed
- Fixed: SV/HV thrusters still firing full throttle when docked
- Fixed: Hovering CV/SV is falling to the ground when pilot leaves the seat
- Fixed: CV and SV slowly sinking to the ground, despite hovering
- Fixed: RCS blocks show up on top of the water layer instead of diffuse underneath it.
- Fixed: Error if opening Texture Tool 2nd time via Player drone
Empyrion - Galactic Survival - contact@rockpapershotgun.com (Brendan Caldwell)

Every Monday we jettison Brendan into the uncharted quadrants of early access and demand constant progress reports. This week, he makes himself a new home in the tropical forests of Empyrion: Galactic Survival [official site].

There s something making noises out there. It s growling, or they re growling. I m not sure. It s pitch black in the jungle tonight and the noise is definitely not normal jungle noise. Not the same sounds that I heard during the daytime whoops and whistles and insect chatter. No, there s something else out there. And if it s dangerous, I need to kill it. Because I don t even have a shack to hide in. I m just camping here beneath the canopy, next to some crafting contraption I barely know how to u–

Shh! The growling, it s closer. They re here.

… [visit site to read more]

Empyrion - Galactic Survival - EmpyrionGame
Hi Galactic Survivalists,

We have fixed the severe lags on dedicated servers that occurred when opening containers and interacting with devices on busy playfields.

Changelog: Alpha 3.4.2 (Build 623)

Bug Fixes:
- Fixed: Severe server lags (opening containers, interacting with devices etc) on busy playfields
Empyrion - Galactic Survival - EmpyrionGame
Hi Galactic Survivalists,

We have fixed the severe lags on dedicated servers that occurred when opening containers and interacting with devices on busy playfields.

Changelog: Alpha 3.4.2 (Build 623)

Bug Fixes:
- Fixed: Severe server lags (opening containers, interacting with devices etc) on busy playfields
Empyrion - Galactic Survival - EmpyrionGame
Hi Galactic Survivalists,

We have just released our final round of bug fixes before the next major update of Empyrion.

Changelog: Alpha 3.4.2 (Build 620)

Bug Fixes:
- Fixed: Problem that tags of Bases, POI and Vessels did not vanish when Core was destroyed (structures with 0 blocks will now be removed completely and also their tags on map)
- Fixed: Duplicate exploit in MP related to containers when opening and closing very fast
- Fixed: Black screen problem with blood overlay/damage effect
- Fixed: Drone Base still spawns drones even if Alien Core destroyed
- Fixed: Resuming a game sometimes shows "congrats you have disabled the drone base, there will be no more drone attacks" message
- Fixed: Survival Constructor Item on all planets and orbits visible
- Fixed: Turrets on some bases (e.g. drone base Xenu P1 on Masperon) shooting through terrain in SP and MP
- Fixed: Vessels sometimes flip over when landed on a planet with thrusters still activated
- Fixed: Capital vessels lose steering ability sometimes (CV sometimes suddenly turn extremely slow when using mouse. They sometimes don't even react to using the arrow keys anymore. This can only be resolved by hitting Q/E and dragging the mouse simultaneously.)
- Fixed: HV issues: Shift-Space will get HV stuck in any material ceiling - if you accidentally or on purpose use the Shift-Space jump of a HV in a room with a ceiling that is too low, you will get stuck/glued to the blocks (either steel or terrain)
- Fixed: HV: Boost-Jump still available when Hover Engine removed
- Fixed: Console Spam with error message: "Attempting to update a disabled Reflection Probe. Action will be ignored."
- Fixed: Bottom of randomly placed POIs may have negative y coordinate, therefore teleporting player back to surface when accessing lower levels of POI
- Fixed: Drone bases sometimes spawn below / in a lake
- Fixed: Ships that were built into up direction, getting incorrectly teleported up
- Fixed: Jetpack Exploit: Permanent fly around on planet like a SV (MP/SP)
- Fixed: “SubjectKilled” does not trigger in SP
- Fixed: Mission “No Man on the moon” does not trigger / wrong check
- Fixed: Wrong Asset: Pyramid crystals on Aitis regrow as straight crystals

Changes / Improvements:
- Offline protection shield is now impermeable from both sides
- Player drone can now be spawned when flashlight is equipped
- Pressing horizontal alignment button "O" in space now allows alignment with default space plane
- Alien Humanoid Insect (Akua) is now in Predator faction


Last but not least, did you already read the awesome article that PC Gamer has published about Empyrion? http://www.pcgamer.com/no-mans-sky-alternative

Yours,

Empyrion Dev Team
Empyrion - Galactic Survival - EmpyrionGame
Hi Galactic Survivalists,

We have just released our final round of bug fixes before the next major update of Empyrion.

Changelog: Alpha 3.4.2 (Build 620)

Bug Fixes:
- Fixed: Problem that tags of Bases, POI and Vessels did not vanish when Core was destroyed (structures with 0 blocks will now be removed completely and also their tags on map)
- Fixed: Duplicate exploit in MP related to containers when opening and closing very fast
- Fixed: Black screen problem with blood overlay/damage effect
- Fixed: Drone Base still spawns drones even if Alien Core destroyed
- Fixed: Resuming a game sometimes shows "congrats you have disabled the drone base, there will be no more drone attacks" message
- Fixed: Survival Constructor Item on all planets and orbits visible
- Fixed: Turrets on some bases (e.g. drone base Xenu P1 on Masperon) shooting through terrain in SP and MP
- Fixed: Vessels sometimes flip over when landed on a planet with thrusters still activated
- Fixed: Capital vessels lose steering ability sometimes (CV sometimes suddenly turn extremely slow when using mouse. They sometimes don't even react to using the arrow keys anymore. This can only be resolved by hitting Q/E and dragging the mouse simultaneously.)
- Fixed: HV issues: Shift-Space will get HV stuck in any material ceiling - if you accidentally or on purpose use the Shift-Space jump of a HV in a room with a ceiling that is too low, you will get stuck/glued to the blocks (either steel or terrain)
- Fixed: HV: Boost-Jump still available when Hover Engine removed
- Fixed: Console Spam with error message: "Attempting to update a disabled Reflection Probe. Action will be ignored."
- Fixed: Bottom of randomly placed POIs may have negative y coordinate, therefore teleporting player back to surface when accessing lower levels of POI
- Fixed: Drone bases sometimes spawn below / in a lake
- Fixed: Ships that were built into up direction, getting incorrectly teleported up
- Fixed: Jetpack Exploit: Permanent fly around on planet like a SV (MP/SP)
- Fixed: “SubjectKilled” does not trigger in SP
- Fixed: Mission “No Man on the moon” does not trigger / wrong check
- Fixed: Wrong Asset: Pyramid crystals on Aitis regrow as straight crystals

Changes / Improvements:
- Offline protection shield is now impermeable from both sides
- Player drone can now be spawned when flashlight is equipped
- Pressing horizontal alignment button "O" in space now allows alignment with default space plane
- Alien Humanoid Insect (Akua) is now in Predator faction


Last but not least, did you already read the awesome article that PC Gamer has published about Empyrion? http://www.pcgamer.com/no-mans-sky-alternative

Yours,

Empyrion Dev Team
Empyrion - Galactic Survival

No Man's Sky wasn't the space exploration game I hoped it would be. Amid the supernova of negative backlash and disappointment, it's not surprising that so many feel frustrated that their journey to the stars was cut short by tedious inventory management and procedural generation that was pretty but boring. But some players are finding an unexpected discovery in the wake of No Man's Sky, and its name is Empyrion - Galactic Survival.

Take one look at Empyrion's Steam reviews page and you'll find an endless stream all summarized by its most rated review: "No Man's Sky with actual content." But can an Early Access game really deliver where Hello Games couldn't?

To its detriment, Empyrion starts out very much like other survival sandbox games: I punch things to get things to build things so I can punch things better. After doing this in so many games, I was a little underwhelmed, but after stumbling through the in-game guide (a wall of text) I assembled my first spacecraft, designing it from scratch where each module would impact the physics of how it handled and accelerated. I seamlessly took off from the planet's surface and found a whole solar system full of things to explore and build. What's better, unlike No Man's Sky, I can do all of this with friends or strangers in servers that hold up to a hundred players. Empyrion might not have 18 quintillion planets to explore, but after a few evenings of playing, I actually think that's a good thing.

The journey is the reward 

"A lot of features that are not found in No Man's Sky can be found in Empyrion," project lead Marcus Lucas says. Sandbox survival games are a dime a dozen these days, but Empyrion stands out with its blend of RPG progression systems, space sim elements, and voxel-based crafting all wrapped up in a procedurally generated solar system.

When No Man's Sky first released, I wrote about how I was disappointed with one of its fundamental flaws: The satisfaction of its exploration relied on the destination, not the story of how you discovered it. The problem being destinations in No Man's Sky are as exciting as a gas station on a road trip. Hello Games' take on exploration feels like walking through a house of mirrors at a carnival. Though at first I was awestruck by the infinite space before me, I quickly realized that it was all just a subtle distortion of the same thing the same planets and the same discoveries. That seemingly infinite space was just an illusion.

Our aim is to get it right in one solar system, and then we can expand the whole thing to an infinite number.

I ask Lucas and community manager Christoph Edelmann about what it takes to make exploration exciting: "Doing this right is a very difficult task," Edelmann responds. "No Man's Sky showed that it's not the sheer amount of planets you can put a number on them and say that's exploration, but planet-hopping isn't exploration. Exploration needs to be something that players can feel, they need to feel progress and that they have done something special, not just scanned the 270th life form on a planet. You can't only have a lot of a planets, biomes and interesting creatures, but the process of exploration needs to be interesting also."

Edelmann tells me that, for Eleon Game Studios, Empyrion's developer, their guiding philosophy has always been the German phrase "der weg ist das ziel" which roughly translates to "the journey is the reward." And for me, Empyrion has been quite a journey.

From the ground up 

Part of what makes Empyrion exciting is that, unlike No Man's Sky, there are complex and nuanced systems to play with that make any objective I achieve feel noteworthy. Instead of just starting on a planet and hastily repairing my ship before taking off onto the endless and simple treadmill of discovery like I did in No Man's Sky, I was excited to spend hours on my home planet. I had to learn how to build a proper base and assemble automated systems to aid in my survival. I had to cook food, filter water, and level up my character to access more advanced technologies and recipes.

Once I began work on my first spaceship, it's where that philosophy of "der weg ist das ziel" began to come alive. Ships in Empyrion are voxel-based, meaning you can customize nearly every aspect of them, and those decisions have an impact on how that ship will fly. Elements of physics, like drag and acceleration, come into effect and require intentional placement modules like engines. What amazes me is how that same system is blown completely out of proportion later in the game, with the ability to build massive capital ships that can house entire fleets of smaller vessels, or space stations that, on multiplayer servers, can act as hubs for everyone in the solar system. Steam Workshop integration also makes sharing the blueprints of these designs a snap. You can easily forgo designing your own ship in favor of someone else's. There's over 14,000 designs for bases, ships, and space stations, including everything from TIE fighters to the Winnebago from the movie Spaceballs.

From there, you can begin to explore the varied planets of each solar system which tend to follow basic archetypes like lush forest worlds or arid desert ones. Like No Man's Sky, these worlds feel diverse and alien, but they keep my interest far longer because they're actually meant to be lived on, not just visited. Elements like hostile creatures and environmental hazards feel more impactful because surviving them isn't as easy as finding a nearby resource and plugging it into my suit. That said, Empyrion is still rough and unfinished in many areas and that's a reason to be skeptical about whether Eleon Game Studios can tie it off into a complete package. While its potential has yet to be fully realized, it's how Empyrion is being developed that has me feeling optimistic.

"I don't want to criticize No Man's Sky, but it's not more fun for the player to discover other solar systems if it's not fun in one solar system. Quantity does not replace quality. Our aim is to get it right in one solar system, and then we can expand the whole thing to an infinite number."

Edelmann adds: "If we manage to make this game interesting with just 11 planets, it's a much easier task to expand on that because we already have the necessary techniques ready. We are building this from the ground up, we're not adding a billion planets and then asking 'how can we make this interesting?' We are trying to do this the other way around."

Contrasted with the way No Man's Sky seems to have been designed, Eleon Game Studios seems to have the right perspective. And though the scale is considerably reduced, Empyrion does have a sense of infinity comparable to No Man's Sky thanks to its open-ended design. Like in Minecraft, the solar system is created using a 'seed' that players can tailor to their liking, shaping it to create new and interesting sights. Where No Man's Sky's procedural generation is locked off and opaque, Empyrion opens up some of its inner clockwork for players to tinker with.

Shooting for the stars 

People know what they can expect from Empyrion, and they can see that the game develops according to the players.

Talking with Edelmann and Lucas, part of the reason they're convinced Empyrion is able to stand toe-to-toe with No Man's Sky is due to one thing: community involvement. They both tell me that, from day one, Empyrion benefitted from being a niche Early Access game because that allowed them to listen and respond to community feedback much quicker. They point me towards a survey they've been running to help determine which are the most important features to the community so they can prioritize them, but that involvement goes even deeper. When I first started playing, the blueprints I had for a basic starship and base were also plucked from community designs, and Lucas tells me they rotate those blueprints every few months to officially feature new creations. While Eleon Game Studios is building the framework, it's the players who get to fill the world with their creations.

Edelmann believes that, in a marketplace where Early Access games are being treated with increasing skepticism, it's why players are responding so positively to Empyrion. "This supportive community we have is because we don't make promises that we cannot deliver," he says. "We are not marketing one feature that is irrelevant for the game just because it sounds like a good thing. People know what they can expect from Empyrion, and they can see that the game develops according to the players."

From my own experience, Empyrion - Galactic Survival is quickly making me forget those No Man's Sky blues. Space feels like a frontier that developers are exploring with renewed interest some more successfully than others. But amid the Star Citizens and Dual Universes dotting the horizon, it's exciting to see that there's plenty of options, and Empyrion might just be my favorite right now. While there's still the long journey to release, it's good to know there's at least one exploration game that understands it's not just about where you're going, but how you get there.

Sep 23, 2016
Empyrion - Galactic Survival - EmpyrionGame
Hi Galactic Survivalists!

End of last month, we started our "Upcoming Feature Survey" (http://empyriononline.com/threads/gamescom-2016-recap-and-upcoming-features.7250) The participation was incredible - almost 10'000 surveys were submitted. Are you curious about the results? Here we go:





















As already mentioned when starting the survey, the results gives us very valuable feedback that will help us prioritizing the different features. Thanks to everyone who has participated in the survey!

So what's up next?
We are planning to release another small patch with bug fixes next week (keep an eye on the experimental branch where will release the new version this weekend). In parallel, we are working hard on the next big update which will include the following features:
- Mining improvements (auto-mining device)
- Better repair options for vessels
- Faction-based discovery of POI / ore deposits (e.g. if a player discovers an ore deposit it will not be visible for everyone anymore)
- Code locks for different blocks (doors, cargo box, fridge, constructor, passenger seats, etc.)
- LCD screens on which you can write your own text
- Light suit armor for player (we are currently laying the foundations for the customization of the player character)
- Ship and structure overview window
- Switch from gamma to linear color space for better visuals (for more information, see: https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/LinearLighting.html)
....and much more

Thanks for reading

Yours,

Empyrion Dev Team
Sep 23, 2016
Empyrion - Galactic Survival - EmpyrionGame
Hi Galactic Survivalists!

End of last month, we started our "Upcoming Feature Survey" (http://empyriononline.com/threads/gamescom-2016-recap-and-upcoming-features.7250) The participation was incredible - almost 10'000 surveys were submitted. Are you curious about the results? Here we go:





















As already mentioned when starting the survey, the results gives us very valuable feedback that will help us prioritizing the different features. Thanks to everyone who has participated in the survey!

So what's up next?
We are planning to release another small patch with bug fixes next week (keep an eye on the experimental branch where will release the new version this weekend). In parallel, we are working hard on the next big update which will include the following features:
- Mining improvements (auto-mining device)
- Better repair options for vessels
- Faction-based discovery of POI / ore deposits (e.g. if a player discovers an ore deposit it will not be visible for everyone anymore)
- Code locks for different blocks (doors, cargo box, fridge, constructor, passenger seats, etc.)
- LCD screens on which you can write your own text
- Light suit armor for player (we are currently laying the foundations for the customization of the player character)
- Ship and structure overview window
- Switch from gamma to linear color space for better visuals (for more information, see: https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/LinearLighting.html)
....and much more

Thanks for reading

Yours,

Empyrion Dev Team
...