After six weeks of intense Experimental updates, we are almost there!
While we are working hard on the next Release Candidate, we are very excited to reveal the planned date for the upcoming public release of Alpha 8.0:
June 12, 2018
Thank you so much for all the valuable feedback and bug reports during this Experimental phase. Alpha 8.0 would not have been possible without you!
For the remaining days until June 12, we will continue to work on polishing features and squashing more bugs. As indicated above, and depending on how fast we progress, there will be at least one more Release Candidate, which is planned to hit mid of next week, incorporating your latest bug reports and feature feedback.
Please check back and have a look by then!
Empyrion Dev Team
PS: A Hotfix that addresses several issues in the current RC1 (like not being able to select different starter planets in Multiplayer), will be released soon - latest tomorrow. PPS: As a side note for those who asked concerning the upcoming public version update: we will keep Alpha 7 AND Alpha 6 available in the Steam library!
As of todays release of ‘Release Candidate 1’ (RC1) - bugfixes and polishing aside - no big changes will be made to the game as it stands now. Larger feature additions and changes will be a topic in the post-public release phase.
For the upcoming Release Candidates, testing, searching and hunting down major bugs and issues is now getting even more important. So every time you run into an issue, make a note and report it right away. Also retest older issues again.
For a proper testing procedure and bug reporting, we recommend the following preparations and workflows:
1. Go to your steam library and VERIFY your game files! Steam > Library > Right-click Empyrion in the list > Properties > Local Files > Verify Locale Data
2. Make sure you are NOT using a custom config! Go to this folder and check if only three files are there: Config_Example.ecf, EGroupsConfig.ecf and TraderNPCConfig.ecf: ..Empyrion - Galactic Survival\Content\Configuration Remove or delete any other file as long as testing with the release candidates!
3. Avoid resuming any pre-Release Candidate savegame! There is a chance that changes we made do not translate to older savegames. Especially for bugs concerning terrain, loot and other playfield configs. Best practice: if you run into an issue with a savegame that was started BEFORE a RC has been released, please re-test the issue in a fresh new RC savegame again!
4. Additional Routine: Delete the GAME CACHE when trying to reproduce a bug! The game cache saves some presets and may be source of a false positive reports or even be part of the problem. To make sure we have all the infos, please check the following folder when trying to reproduce a but and make a note in your report if the bug still happens AFTER clearing the cache: ..\Empyrion - Galactic Survival\Saves\Cache
5. When running into a ‘Continue or Quit’ (CoQ) message, 5a. Please go to the LOGS folder ( ...\Empyrion - Galactic Survival\Logs ) , then find the folder with the HIGHEST number, pick the most recent .log file and attach the logs to your report! 5b. Add a description of what you did the last minute BEFORE the CoQ happens. Sometimes a Screenshot sent in with the CoQ is helpful as well! 5c. If you are playing on a server, do the same, but we might also need the full LOG files form the server.
Thanks a lot to everyone providing tons and tons of feedback on all the new features, helping to shape Alpha 8.0 and making it an even better game experience than before!
On behalf of the whole team: YOU ARE AWESOME!!
Now please enjoy RC1! :) Empyrion Dev Team
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CHANGELOG: Alpha Experimental 8.0.5 (Build 1666)
Gameplay: - When sleeping also the ticks are now advanced, resulting in regrowing of plants and constructors continuing working - Added transparent FoW when planet has been entered from space (otherwise keep current opaque FoW) - Supporting now gameoptions.yaml value FOWTransparency with values 0 (fully opaque) to 100 (fully transparent, FOW switched off) - Allow to randomly place POIs (and resources) also under water or on water - on water only for POIs (floating bases) (under water POIs)
(floating POIs on water) - Added FridgeBlocks to Portable Constructor - Added emergency booster to all HV if they are stuck in water
Planet Update: - Added MoonLava and MoonLava2 (Activated all new moons in random presets and also in Akua-Omicron scenario) - Starter Planet: Added some crashed ships under water + added floating alien artifacts on water - Major update of Alien planet: NPC spawning, terrain, stamps biomes, textures, lightning etc - Updated MoonIce, Snow, Barren, Temperate and Lava Planets - AkuaOmicron scenario: updated starter planet - Updated snow planet: NPC spawning update, removed unnecessary biomes - Added safe zones around Trading Stations - Increased PlanetAxis for several playfields
Additions / Model Updates: - Integrated new XL+XXL jet thrusters (set is now complete) - Tweaked jet thrusters: V2 versions have now ring - Updated model for Cloning station HV + medic station HV
Visuals: - Exchanged model for Detector: now using an antenna (size: 1x3x1) - Shortened S thruster nozzle to fit within 1 block space - Increased size of Palm tree - Reduced transparency of blood effect - More accurate underground digout box for POIs - Updated several thruster preview icons - Texture Update to New Standard: warp drive, water generator, Dining bench, bathroom vanity, kitchen counter, rounded table, Turret robot, windows thick, RepairBay, BunkBed2 and Solar Panels, Elevator, Stairs, Shutter Windows, Railing Blocks, holographic screens, Antennas, Capacitor, SpyingTurret and ConsoleMS01 + removed weathering from Cockpit05 window frames to get rid of splotches
POI Update: - Separated alien artifacts group into floating/non-floating. - Updated Junk & Ruins POI: Removed personal cargo boxes as those are not used for those POI group anymore (and are not defined in .yaml so they cannot be opened) - Updated AlienWatchTower: Added windows so player is not targeted
PDA Update: Story Mission - Fixed Lever positions in Radar Station Main to prevent accidental destruction in combat - Made Log Download position in Mainframe a bit more obvious - Added more tasks for the final phase of the Radar Station / Mainframe storyline to allow a better progression
PDA Update: Knowledgebase - Added first iteration of EXPLORERS JOURNAL to "Knowledgebase" PDA chapter, containing all creatures and some very rough information. Task Pictures not yet updated. - Added DOCTORS JOURNAL to "Knowledgebase" PDA chapter, containing all Status Effects and their cures/remedies - Added first iteration of BIOLOGISTS GUIDE, adding info of ingredients and drops + tips for farming and more. No Pictures added yet
Status Effect Update: - Energy Drink, Energy Pills, Adrenaline Shot and Natural Stimulant now removes "Stunned" effect - Vegetable Juice removes Hangover
Optimizations: - Optimized deco system - Optimized AI Spawner performance - Optimized for Recursive Constructor bulk crafting: please test extensively How to test Recursive Constructor bulk crafting: - put only a known number of ores in the constructor and queue up a larger number of items (maybe in the range 20..200) that need to be recursively crafted - for the first time stay at the constructor and let it craft "normally", i.e. item by item incl. sub-queue crafting - write down (or better: make a screenshot) of how many ores were used and what left over items (from sub-crafting) are new in the input grid - remove all produced items, left over items and restore the ore counts - to restart the test with same conditions - start crafting again but now quickly go far away so that the constructor is internally set in kind of an "offline" mode (or sleep during night) - after some time go back and see if crafting continued as expected and if ore consumption and left over items are the same - if not all is crafted yet you may wait for the rest at the constructor or go away again for some time Other Changes: - Major update of deco system - On loading a progress is shown now - Updated Jet Thruster tech levels and added templates for V2 versions - Set playfield seeds to 0 in Creative mode + added base back to Creative start on Akua - Added console cmd to get drone wave state: use "aim wavestate" or "aim ws" command to have a feedback - AI Vessel: move controller add new system of destination reached detection - AI Space Vessel: Yaml max speed "FixedMaxSpeed" is now taken correctly into account - AI Drone: add the new rotation controller on planet - Added new red gas emitter for lava planet - Enhanced console command 'deco' with parameter 'debug' to toggle 'debug boxes' to show deco removal areas - RepairBay Console + Block now have 500 HP - Add “Wait” timer before scanning lockout when adding Ingots to R2T Window - Removed obsolete NPCs from spawners and spawn menu - Improved 'stats' command: some reformatting and added global playtime - Updated stock HV with new HV constructor (replaced old one) - Old constructor is now marked as obsolete - Improved: FPS drops in deep forest. - Added better error outputs in repair bay
Sector Map Update: - Improved sector selection frames. - Simplified map sprites. Reset 'Iso' text to 'XYZ'. - Adjust sector map views to frame only visible sectors - Increase size of station collider to make selection easier in map. - Sector map warpline tweaks.
Controller Update: - Changed default belt slot buttons to d-pad left and right to avoid conflict with rolling - Fixed rolling not working in spacesuit flight - Fixed controller menu shortkeys not working in cursor mode
Bug Fixes: - Fixed: Problem that repair bay did not drop content in MP when destroyed + problem that it could not be opened by another player in MP - Fixed: FoW discovery progress is not saved in backups - Fixed: Exploit that R2T protector can be abused as a shield: all damage to the repair shield is now forwarded to the repair bay - Fixed: A vessel docked to a CV causes the message 'Required repair area for this template is blocked' when trying to use the repair bay - Fixed: Problem that AI Planet vessel did not attack reliable and had sometimes wrong altitude - Fixed: Problem that AI planet vessel sometimes felt on the ground bug - Fixed: AI planet vessel sometimes stopped moving when it is visible to the player. - Fixed: Fog surrounding planets can disappear & reappear. - Fixed: Problem that extended resource + POI radar was not indicating over the planet green wall. - Fixed: Exception in edit/creative when teleporting in 3d map - Fixed: Promethium node spawned empty - Fixed: Possible to duplicate multiple motorbikes after opening & closing the player inventory - Fixed: BA attack drones are not spawning or not approaching any bases. - Fixed: Non-stackable items cannot be stacked even in Creative mode - Fixed: NightTemperature was used wrong on MoonIce and Alien planet - Fixed: Plants pickup: possible improvement for problem that plants did not regrow sometimes. - Fixed: Troop Transport does not/cannot land + behavior improvement - Fixed: Wrong display name of some copper asteroids in space (read "iron", should be "copper") - Fixed: Wrong savegame gameoptions.yaml file created in local coop mode - Fixed: Chapter description does not scroll on first load - Fixed: Problem that FOW were showing lava emission under FOW tiles - Fixed: Random POIs and resources count is doubled on size class 2 planets - Fixed: Last character getting cut off in console window when horizontal scrolling is needed. - Fixed: Constructor SV is obtained when "retrieving" constructor HV with multitool - Fixed: Problem that FixedPlayerStart was not considered correctly in MP Creative games. - Fixed: Problem that Starter planets were not correctly filtered via Creative/Survival in MP games. - Fixed: R2T: Ship Type Cannot be repaired (player base) - Fixed: Issue where input device tabs in control options screen would frequently not appear until scrolling. - Fixed: Console spam with "entity spawner" ID not found (renamed several AI back to old names) - Fixed: One of the POI JunkT1 was not buried enough in ground - Fixed: Resources showing double on New Game window
Updated EAH Tool: Patch notes - 1.41.0.5 - Added: CB:FW Whisper to faction - Added: Eventmanager: First testable version (for more infos see full patch notes) - Added: Gameoptions.yaml changes - Added: Dedicated.yaml changes - Added: Player file changes - Fixed: Playfield Orbit set as Planet and vice versa - Fix Dedicated.yaml GameSubMode empty https://empyriononline.com/threads/tool-emp-admin-helper-eah-free-v1-41-05.5771/page-42#post-244716
Thanks a lot for your feedback about the Fog-of-War (FoW). Regarding the opacity of the FoW, it seems that a part of you favors the current approach with a semi-transparent FoW, while the other part would prefer a fully opaque FoW.
The pro "semi-transparent FoW" group argues that it is more realistic to see the shape of the planetary terrain since the escape pod has dropped from space and thus the player should have a basic understanding of the terrain. The pro "opaque FoW" group argues that the "mystery of exploration" is lost with a transparent FoW since you already know more-or-less how the whole planet looks like. We understand the arguments of both groups.
In this test update, we want to give the group who favors a fully opaque FoW the possibility to experience this "mystery of exploration" on a planet where you do not know what lies ahead:
Let us know what you think in the comments below
We could also combine both approaches: when you approach a planet from space and then land on it, the FoW can be semi-transparent, while the FoW is fully opaque on the starter planet and planets you reached via teleportation.
Finally, we adapted the reveal distance of FoW based on your feedback. It is now fixed to 500m, which is equal to the discovery distance of deposits/POIs.
We are looking forward to your feedback.
Yours, Empyrion Dev Team
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CHANGELOG: Alpha Experimental 8.0.4 (Build 1649)
Changes: - Tweaked Fog-of-War shader: fully opaque, added gridlines - Fog-of-War reveal distance is now always 500m independent of detector range
We just wanted to clarify our below statement regarding the A8 release: we are planning to announce the Release Date of Alpha 8 next week - we are not planning to release Alpha 8 next week! :)
We have read your feedback about the Fog-of-War with a lot of interest - especially your comments regarding a completely opaque Fog-of-War (to keep the mystery for exploration). We might give it a try in the next update to get your feedback (actually we already had a complete opaque Fog-of-War in the first place).
Thanks a lot for all your feedback!
CHANGELOG: Alpha Experimental 8.0.4 (Build 1648)
Bug Fixes: - Fixed: Existing mobile constructors (in spawned HV's and SV's) are not accessible. Unfortunately, save games loaded with EXP 8 - Part VI cannot be fixed, you have to remove and replace the constructor - Fixed: Problem that Laser Drill Module CV did not work
Changes: - Removed Wing Blocks from HV Constructor - Added alternative crafting recipes for biochemical compounds: ConfettiMossScrapings, FiremossScrapings, AlienParts01-03, AlienThorn > What do you think?
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Hi Galactic Survivalists,
Public release is coming closer! Before we start the Release Candidate phase, we are releasing a final Experimental version today.
All base features for Alpha 8.0 are now implemented, although some will see future refinements in the Release Candidates and beyond.
The latest major feature we added is a Fog-of-War (FoW). The goal is to allow you to track ‘where you have already been’ - which is quite helpful as we think. While the Detector (added in Phase V) gives you a rough direction, the Fog-of-War, or better: the removal of the ‘fogged’ areas, will add an indicator where you should go next or have already looked for POIs or deposits. We are looking for your feedback right here: https://empyriononline.com/threads/alpha-8-0-exp-fog-of-war.37875/
We also made some changes on the playfield threat layout. While Phase 5 added the possibility to let any spawnable NPC patrol around a POI or deposits, we iterated on this new feature a bit more. So expect more troops of the glory Zirax Empire strolling around their bases ;)
Beyond FoW and threat updates, we of course added a ton of other additions, balances and bugfixes. Please find all the changes listed in the changelog below!
One last question to answer: when will Alpha 8.0 hit the public branch?
Answer: This is now more an announcement of an announcement, but depending on how the last Experimental update performs, we plan to announce the release of Alpha 8.0 anytime next week.
Now, enjoy the new features of Phase 6 - and as always: First Play. Then Feedback!
Note: If you are NEW to Alpha 8.0 please read the individual feedback thread starters as they contain valuable information of the new gameplay mechanics! Please report all bugs over here:
Fog-Of-War: - Added Fog-of-War (FoW) In the current implementation, the goal is to allow you to track ‘where you have already been’ and consequently, the shape of the terrain of the not yet visited area is still slightly visible. Would you prefer that the terrain of the not yet visited area is not visible at all (ie the greyed out area is completely opaque)?
Additions: - Added Zirax Patrols - Added mixed groups with eg Zirax Laser and Mechanoids (or Zirax and Crawlers etc): - Added Zirax Sniper - Added/updated SV thrusters (some large jet thrusters are not yet final) - Added Medic Station (no re-spawning just healing) and Clone Chamber to HV - placeholder models - Added Drill Laser Module for CV - Added new Group: FridgeBlocks (TechTree Level 0) + added large Fridge Box from LabDeco to new Fridge Group (incl. Cooling feature) - Activated TurretRobotV2 (note: you cannot use TurretRobotNew anymore, it is now called TurretRobotV2) - Added HoverEngine as deco blocks for POIs (under alien devices) - Added RadarSuitDebug with 2500m range
Planet Update: - Added Ice Moon (WIP)
- Updated desert planet + stamps
- Updated snow planet + stamps (WIP)
Updated Starter Planet: - Starter planet is now a bit warmer and height has less impact on temperature - Tweaked weather on starter planet: in the beginning much longer nice weather - Added Zirax Patrols around some Xenu POIs - Added more NPC groups - see playfield_static.yaml of Starter Planet - Increased amount of Firemoss und Confetimoss drops on starter planet - Added AlienBugs04 to Savanna/Sand on starter planet - Slightly tweaked colors of terrain textures on starter planet
Balancing: - Reduced amount of spider spawns around Promethium Deposits - MedicStation BA and CV now heal 500 HP at once (MedicStation HV heals 250 HP at once) - Changed range in which plants grow outdoor from 20-30°C to 15-35°C - Increased HP of TroopTransport to 14000 - Reduced impact of temperature for several weather types - Moved FoodProcessor To Level 3
Separated Templates of SV and HV Mobile Constructors: - Adapted several templates (eg Wings only craftable in SV, Hover Engines only in HV etc) - Removed from HoverConstructor (HV) : CrystalWarp - Added to HoverConstructor (HV): Bases Starter - Removed from SmallConstructor (SV): Cement, ConcreteBlocks, WoodBlocks, LandinggearBlocksHeavySV
Gameplay: - AI Creatures: new target selection mechanics - based on threat level, parasaur animation desynch - less robotic look - First version of recursive Constructor / Food Processor that doesn't stop crafting when far away, added bulk crafting of sub-queue items - More consistent faction assignment for enemy NPC creatures (eg Crawlers, Overseer, TotalHorror are now in Alien faction) - No respawn of ZiraxPatrols and other NPCs for SpawnZones, exclude Mountain Biomes for spawning - Ignore PvP playfield.yaml parameter in SP > in SP always set PvP: True - Updated size of RadarVesselT1 to 2x1x2 (instead of 3x2x3) - Updated freighter with drone spawn points - Updated loot: Slight adjustments on Alien Container loot to improve diversity of items - Hot Beverage removes Hangover & Bad Trip
POI Update: - JunkT1 update: Removed non-intentional personal cargo box and added standard cargo container instead - Xenu Mainframe update: Build was not saved with damaged effect - Added Epsilon OPV (model: A Big Bag of Earwax, modified by fFractalite) - Added Xenu OPV (model: Zerbarus, modified by Fractalite) - Added Ghost Rider OPV (by rainyday) - Tribal Villages: Updated Alien Loot Containers - Graveyard: Added CV_Destroyed5 (by Runningwithhamster) - Freighter: Some of the freighters did not have their turrets activated when spawned - Crusald Orbital: some smaller detail updates (thx to Pantera) - Updated wreckage POIs T2: now they cutoutlevel the ground so that the personal container is never underground - Added POI Unknown Floating Artifact (thanks to jmcburn) - Added POI Unknown Armed Artifact (model: Faith, modified by Fractalite) - Added Talon Temple (Dungeon by Ramachandra) - not yet activated in scenario
Playfield.yaml / Sectors.yaml Update: - Added new dynamic yaml parameters: WaterProb and PvPProb. Adapted these parameters for all playfields - Allow for designation of starter playfields by game mode (Survival/Creative) in sectors.yaml - Correct setup of space graveyard in space_dynamic.yaml - For now only 1 moon for each planet in RandomDefault scenario - Updated Akua-Omicron sectors so that planets are on a disc/plane
Visuals / GUI: - Only show max 5 elements in pickup window - Added Info message to show Resources cannot be added while scanning or repairing (R2T Window) - Sector Map: Ignore several entries of same resource - Tweaked Map Windows: Ensure Orbit playfields are sorted before main sector playfields, Disabled "PvP" Labels in SP, Disabled Difficulty Labels - Adjusted sector map labels to be better positioned above objects. Make locked selection reticle orange (from red) - Tweak to prevent 3d sector map zooming when scrolling through planet list - Disabled "Reduced Time" message in Repair Bay - Separate string of Status Effects - Sorted randomly generated sector file playfields to match new sorting requirement. Minor 3d map refactoring. - Repair protection shield is now green - Extended far clipping plane for sector map camera to allow for visibility of larger (distance-wise) systems - Tweak orbit map hover label so not obstructed by cursor and dimmed 3d sector map light by ~30%
Texture Update to New Format: - The following blocks/devices have been updated: Fridge, Fuel tank, Generator, Gravity generator, Landing gear, ArmorLocker small, WarpDriveTank, Core Block, Cargo Box, Constructor, HoverBooster, HoverEngine, GeneratorSV, emergency oxygen generator, Food processor, Forcefield emitter, Consoles, Ventilator, Landing gear light/heavy Medical/Clone stations, Oxygen station, mobile air con, Oxygen tank, Passenger seat SV, RCS, repair station, Saw attachment, drill attachment, Sentry gun, sentry gun alien, solar capacitor, Spotlights
SSG Update: - Eliminated possibility of dead-end sectors due to path intersection with sun. - Better checks and warnings when users move/delete content directories between sessions - Allow for randomly assigning asteroid fields to moons. Remove roman numeral from moon names when only 1 moon present.
PDA Update: - For NearUnit Guiding the visible distance of the marker can be configured (also to be not visible at all) - Added new game event "PlayfieldTypeEntered" aside from "PlayfieldEntered" to also allow PDA missions to use this information (and to not change the meaning of an existing event)
Changes: - Added Creative setting for Akua Orbit and added orbital base - thanks to Tamarak7777: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1201183357 - Implemented Lockout Timer check in R2T Window and moved "Repair in Progress" to status info label - Adapted exit transforms on all SV/HV cockpits + passenger seats > please re-test - Removed "BaseItem" tag from several ore types in Templates - Loca update: "Pickup blocks" now 'Retrieve Blocks' - Stack size increased from 5 to 6 (for better use with symmetry plane) - Added TurretEnemyRocket and TurretEnemyArtilery to Alien Devices - If structure contains no blocks any more, it will be now removed within a few seconds - Do not export ZiraxMale to Config.ecf anymore - Cleanup of playfields (removed test moons: +DesertMoon, +TemperateMoon) - Console Command: added new sub command 'addtrooptransport' or 'att' to command 'aimanager' to spawn a troop transport in new frame work - Console Command: added new command "aim tttoggleforcedetection" or "tttfd" to force the troop transport to target the player. - Avoiding CoQ and adding error message when a spawner spawns an entity that is not in the config file any more. - Controller Update: Made analog slider control less choppy (still needs a bit of tweaking) - RepairBay block cannot be rotated anymore (to prevent misuse) - Renamed MarkerBlock into DroneSpawner and changed model (it is now placed flat on a block). - DroneSpawner blocks now appear in Control Panel so "Show on HUD" can be activated - Renamed "Carrier" into "OrbitalPatrolVessel" OPV > please adapt your custom playfields
Bug Fixes: - Fixed: Memory Leak - Fixed: RadarSuitT1 not working in toolbar - Fixed: Do random distribution of POIs / resources depending on playfield seed if given (before: all POIs/resources were distributed almost equally based on main seed) - Fixed: R2T console is accepting any item put into it (Now only accepts "Base Items" like Ingots, Plastic Material etc) - Fixed: R2T: Repair Blocks breaks Repair bay progress and info and does not finish repair - Fixed: R2T: Repairbay gets stuck in 'Receiving Repair Data' - Fixed: R2T: Ship is pushed UP when repair is ready - Fixed: R2T: Vessel is being placed inside of the BA after R2T is finished. - Fixed: R2T: Iron ingots duplicated and vanish when repairing in repairbay - Fixed: R2T: CoQ when placing Ores that do not have a Template into R2T Window - Fixed: After moving far away from a vessel & returning to it you can no longer open the CP when standing by it & aiming at it. - Fixed: Instability of recursive constructor's crafting algorithm after having been far away for a while (sometimes left extra items in inventory) - Fixed: Troop Transport stuck at dronebase - Fixed: Waypoints on the other side of green wall are not shown correctly on RADAR map - Fixed: Dropdown menus to close with 'UICancel' (Escape or B on controller) without closing the menu. - Fixed: HV: Medbay is not added to STATISTICS page - Fixed: Some line drawing problems in TechTress by re-arranging some devices - Fixed: Text under “Upgrade” should be in white font - Fixed: Temperature info and position differs between planet and sector view - Fixed: Exception when approaching carriers - Fixed: Carriers are not spawning any space drones - Fixed: Ships don't have repair shield sometimes - Fixed: Closing trapdoors did not work anymore in PDA Mission - Fixed: Survival constructor can be made to not use ingredients from the quick access bar - Fixed: SV landing gear (docking pad) does not give components after salvage - Fixed: Closed cockpit and passenger seats have wrong exit points (stuck in vessel) > we fixed more use cases - Fixed: Warp: Lock Target button and Warplines Toggle inconsistencies; Add view buttons to sector map; other tweaks - Fixed: Multi tool 'Salvage' mode returns too much items in certain cases - Fixed: Water Generator puts out heat when unpowered (removed heat from several terrain placeables) - Fixed: Exception when going to orbit in DefaultRandom Scenario - Fixed: Broken display of clone chamber and medic station - Fixed: Problem that Entity Spawner was spawning "ZiraxMale" per default (Note: renamed ZiraxMale into ZiraxMinigun) - Fixed: LOD issues with several grow-able plants (disappeared too early) - Fixed: 'Jump' in the sky & nebula when moving fast on terrain and in orbit - Fixed: Terrain Editor TE window: when using “Reset” the DominantLayer property is removed - Fixed: HUD name tag of structure still on screen after being disassembled & is being repositioned constantly. - Fixed: Admin/Alien Admin Stations: Ship Type Cannot be repaired - Fixed exception in debug mode (load pf from main menu) when opening CP - Fixed: Sound when consuming Energy Drink (now Drinking instead of eating) - Fixed: Missing grass in Oasis biome on Desert planet - Fixed bug SSG orbit map when no moon in orbit in certain cases. - Fixed: ESC menu can get stuck on screen - Fixed: Problem that RadarVesselT1 did not show up in Constructor - Fixed: Mouse cursor jumps to screen center when joystick is plugged in - Fixed: Double radiation info given for player armor - Fixed: InputContextManager messages.
Bug Fixes: - Fixed: Problem that RadarVesselT1 did not show up in Constructor - Fixed: Portable Constructor could be sometimes stuck in crafting an ingot - Fixed: Removed hotspot spawn zone around Junk T2 - Fixed: When exiting from open SV cockpit\passenger seat the player can get stuck in the ship - Fixed: Exit points of Open Cockpit show strange requirement for free block spaces - Fixed: Random exception when moving on terrain (Support Email: #EE8C4)
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Hi Galactic Survivalists!
Alpha Experimental 8.0 is progressing nicely thanks to your dedicated and wholehearted feedback!
In Phase 5 we not only squashed more bugs, but also added a first iteration what will address one remaining challenge that came with the up to 64x increased playfield sizes: How do you find a Ore deposit or a POI with so much space in between? With a Radar!
The Radar that will be available with this update is pretty much NOT a device that will pinpoint the exact location. It is also not a ‘track-all-your-foes-in-a-distance’ device - it is explicitly only tracking ore deposits (SSOR and Voxel) and POI. The current T1 Radar will give you an approximate direction and a hint how many contacts you can expect when walking into this direction, serving as the most-requested helper for ‘getting a direction where you could run into something interesting’.
Beyond that, we again added new POIs, new game parameters, made a lot of fine tuning, for example on the new status effect system and the occasions where you can run into those, loot tables, weapon and NPC balancing, as well as on smaller and larger changes on planets, playfields and other major features like Repair-2-Template and AI.
Check out all the changes and additions below and please make sure that you are using the available discussion threads for the main topics and contribute your feedback!
Note: If you are NEW to Alpha 8.0 please read the individual feedback thread starters as they contain valuable information of the new gameplay mechanics!
Added Directional Radar: - First draft of resource/POI directional radar on planets - Added RadarVesselT1 for HVs (2500m range) and handheld device RadarSuitT1 (1000m range) - must be in toolbar or player inventory In the above screenshot, you should go into southern direction, where you can expect to find several POIs and/or resource deposits.
The OUTER segment is showing you WHERE to go. The radar has 4 segments, one in each direction. The INNER sub-segments (when highlighted!) will tell you, how many contacts you can expect when going into this direction. Any main directional segment has up to 4 sub-segments: ]
Gameplay: - Added possibility for generating and placing compound POIs via space_dynamic.yaml files For an example of a space graveyard, see starter orbit in Random Scenario (Thanks to the creators who provided us with the prefabs: rainyday, Runningwithhamster) - Re-enabled possibility to have large stacks in Creative mode (eg 999 Generators) - Updated POI distribution on desert, alien, snow, lava planets - Added ability to define SpawnZones and SpawnRateZones, example in TemperateStarter/playfield_static.yaml - First implementation of penalty for entering wrong code to all lock codes (wait timeout of 1 minute after third wrong entry, 2 minutes after fourth) - Added new SpiderBAI01 to some PDA missions (should now trigger either for the old and the new Spider01) - RespiratorCharge can also now be used to fill O2 tanks - Removed Small Oxygen Bottle as reference from Missions (swapped with Respirator Charge instead)
Starter Planet Update: - Increased NPC spawning - Better stamp for radiated biomes - Deco update - Xenu Mainframe is now spawned above Radiated Biome (removed Trading Station) - Added Xenu Shrine - floating (thanks to Fractalite) - Updated Xenu Supply Station (thanks to Kieve) - New group names for Xenu POIs and better distribution on starter planet > see playfield_static of TemperateStarter - More plants on starter planet are now harvestable - Starter planet: Configured SpawnRateZones and SpawnZones to create hotspots (around promethium deposits and Large Junk POI) and safe zones (around start position)
AI Update: - AI reacts to SH, HV etc. - noise generation by turrets, visibility includes vehicles - Triceratops and Parasaur have new sounds for special occasions (eg roaring before attacking etc) - AI Planet vessel: you dont need a planet vessel base anymore, ie vessel base is optional (we removed PlanetVesselBase from several playfields)
Repair-2-Template Update: - New layout for R2T Window - Several fixes and improvements - Only take away resources when repair was successful - Only show Lock Code Dialog in CP while in MP Game - RepairBay now uses a protection field around repaired vehicle - Integrated Lock Code check in R2T Window - Integrated Lock Code Save in CP (Save BP)
Visuals: - Updated model for Mobile AirCon device - Updated texture and color masks for SV cockpits - Updated / reverted some preview icons (based on EXP feedback) - Added proper harvest stages for several plants (eg BigFlower, PulpitFungus etc) - Updated Rainforest tree (it is now symmetrical) - Texture update to new values: Furnace + Ammo/Harvest crates + some normal map issue fixes. - Texture update: Ammo/Harvest containers - Texture update/fix: WindowSet, WindowSetThick compressed, removed weathering effects; WindowSet_n increased res/compression settings to get rid of artifacts on the model.
NPC Status Effects + Loot Update: - Added Poison Bite and Stunned to Spider02 and Spider03 melee attack - Alien01 (Grasshopper): Increased chance of getting stunned - Alien02,03,04: Added chance to get Dermal Parasite and Infected Wound from melee attack - Spider03: Added Stunned as additional distant weapon effect - Alien03/04 distant weapon effect: Swapped PoisnBit with high chance of Dermal Burn and a low chance of Radiation Burn - Added StatusEffect 'IncreaseRadiation' to be used for triggering Radiation Status Effects. - Slime,SlimeWhite,MeleeCaveWormWhite: added high chance of Frostbite and low chance of Dermal Parasite - Crawler: reactivated PoisonBit,OpenWound,DermalParasite - AlienAssassinGrey: changed melee effects to DermalParasite,EndoParasite,AlienParasite - Overseer: changed melee effects to IncreaseRadiation (RadiationBurn)IncreaseRadiation,EndoParasite,AlienParasite - Caveworm Grey: reactivated PoisonBit,OpenWound,DermalParasite - Golems: added chance of FractureClosed,FractureOpen,Mutilation for melee attack - Desert Worm: added PoisonBit,OpenWound,DermalParasite - Otyugh: Added PoisonBit,FractureOpen,EndoParasite - Desert Worm large: Added PoisonBit,FractureOpen,DermalParasite - Total Horror: Added FractureOpen,AlienParasite - Adjusted Loot lists to make sure each NPC having certain melee/weapon status effects have at least a chance to also drop non-common ingredients for its cure >> Please (possibly spawn with debug menu and ) check if effects are to strong / drops are appropriate
Other Balancing Updates: - Increased amount of meat drop for large NPCs (Triceratops, LizardMule) - Adjusted template for Emergency Rations to match food value again. - Reduced Bullet Spread for Shotgun, ShotgunT2 and Shotgun Enhanced >> Please test if the handling and efficiency on close quarters feels improved and is not too strong (too precise on distance) compared to other weapons now.
Status Effects Update: - Adjusted Radiation Burn and Radiation Poisoning: far less increase of body rad vs. time (Matching the duration of each effect better) - Removed Radiation Cascade. Radiation Poisoning now removes Radiation Burn. Radiation Sickness removes both. - Added missing Status Effect Icons
Loot Container Update: - Updated White,Yellow,Red and Purple Alien Loot Containers with new content - Added possible Gold Ingot drop to RED and PURPLE Alien Container - Increased drop range for RED Alien container to 3-5 - Added +1 slot for additional drop chance for Purple Alien Container >> Please test if the loot feels more appropriate now!
Template Availability / Consistency Update: - Mobile Constructor * Added back some CV/BA devices so you can kick-start a broken CV or Base: Core, Small Generator, Small Fuel Tank, Large Constructor, Solar Capacitor, Solar Panels (small) * Added Player Bike + Player Bike Kit * Core block can now be crafted in Mobile Constructor * Added Cobalt, Neodymium and Sathium Ingot crafting * Added L-Size building blocks: Steel, Concrete, Wood, Truss * Added Window L-Blocks * Added Automated Door L-Blocks * Added Hardened Steel Plates (Component) * Removed Armored Windows S - Large Constructor * Added Capacitor (Component) * Added Erestrum, Zascosium and Zascosium Alloy crafting * Added PowerCoil Notes: 1. This is a temporary change for Alpha 8.0, as our agenda, we want to follow, is that you should be able to craft any device inside the constructor from the ground up (ore level). Excluded from this agenda are Weapon Kits, Autominer Cores (and anything that is per default not craftable by a player) as well as some "biological and farming items" like the growing plots, as there is currently no good way to share those templates between food processor and constructors (will be subject to change in the future). 2. With Alpha 9 bigger changes in crafting and material-crafting progression might happen. 3. As soon as the game can offer some sort of Automatization in the future, the agenda of having a "all in one crafting device" might be revised due to an updated gameplay approach.
Improved Constructor / Food Processor Templates UI: - only shown locked templates up to the next unlock level - show currently unlockable (but still locked) items with a different color and sort accordingly - show not craftable items more colorful - shrinked and moved padlock icon to bottom left corner - changed BG colors to allow distinguishing between focused and not focused item
Updated Prefabs and POIs: - Renamed POI group names of several blueprints - Added Xenu Mainframe (floating) to Radar Station Compound - BA Prefab T1a > now airtight - Deep Space Radar Station (thanks to Kaeser) - Updated Derelict Mining Ship (thanks to rainyday) - Updated Alien Towers - Removed old, not needed prefabs
Other Changes: - Exporting all weapon related stats for Blocks again in Config.ecf - Update of desert planet: POI, NPCs, biome distribution - Removed regeneration on mid-part of crashed ship on snow planet - Only show XP gains of 100 or greater in XP/Pickup window (instead of 50 XP before) - Updated 'EnableTrading' settings: The use of 'GlobalVirtual' is deprecated but accepted as 'All' (which enables all forms of trading as it has been actually used like this), player to NPC trading can now be disabled - Multitool Update: "Deconstruct" is now called "Salvage", "Disassemble" is now called "Pick up blocks" - Ammo for new enemy POI turrets does not appear in creative menu anymore - Added missing icons for Status Effects - Added missing preview icons - Updated Localization.csv: Updated GER, JPN, RU, CHS, FR and GREEK (Thanks to our translators!) - Added all block shapes for Explosive Blocks - Added in game message 'No core present' when trying to open CP but no core is at the current structure - Temporarily removed Tutorial scenario - Removed grown plants from stock prefabs - Updated PDA: adapted to new names
Controller Update: - Controller mappings now display rows for full and partial axes to support a wider variety of controls (also fixes rolling appearing unbound for controller).
Optimizations: - Optimized deco on starter planet to improve performance
PDA Update: - Extended Radar Station Mission (Now ends in the Mainframe building) - Slightly adjusted defenses and setup of Radar Station (Main) and Mainframe - Typos and text adjustments
SSG Update: - Added stamp usage count to info list - Added possibility to randomly generate sectors with multiple planetary bodies. - Adjusting sector information for multiple moons per sector. - Orbit visualizer now shows all moons.
Sectors.yaml Changes: We had to change the ordering of the fixed Sectors.yaml. In order to correctly determine the size classes of the planets and moons within a sector, we need to impose the following ordering: <planet, moon...moon, orbit>
You can still have as many planets or moons in a sector as you want. However, the orbit must be defined last and the main planet first in the list. Please update your Sectors.yaml accordingly. Sorry for the inconveniences.
Bug Fixes: - Fixed: Repair Cycle exploit for Repair-2-Template - Fixed: Problem that some sub-components were not craftable in certain constructors - Fixed: Several status effects did not work as expected - Fixed: Config.ecf not accepting modified stack sizes & components - Fixed: Config.ecf: Adding new ingredients to a template is not possible anymore - Fixed: You can spawn a BP with plants for "free" and level up fast at the game start > please remove grow and harvest stages from BPs since we marked all grow stages as forbidden in BPs - Fixed: Some keys no longer working & also some keys aren't recognized when trying to set key binds - Fixed: Cant lock the warp target in sector map by mouse click. numerous other detail fixes in 3d sector map. - Fixed: After cutting a vessel then pasting it back into the selection area the client will crash - Fixed: New Medical Block group does not give back correct items when dismantled - Fixed: Ammo dupe using the force disconnect (MP) - Fixed: Asteroids, Freighters & Trade stations are being positioned too close to the planet they are orbiting. - Fixed: Offline Protection: Do not activate OP if Allied Members are still online - Fixed: MP/COOP: Invisible vessel when player returns after moving far away from other - Fixed: Land Claim device works in terrain - Fixed: Upgrading Large to Advanced Constructor leads to AdvC being unaccessible - Fixed: Upgrading Large to Advanced Constructor leads to CoQ - Fixed: After cutting a vessel then pasting it back into the selection area the client will crash. - Fixed: Player report: Rebinding the pickup action is not working. - Fixed: Zascosium rock resource was green instead of orange - Fixed: 'No empty space to place block' appearing on bases when a certain time is reached. - Fixed: PDA: Signal check does not work (Signal not delivered) when you are NOT in god mode invisible - Fixed: CoQ with Food Processor inventory loss - Fixed: PDA description not showing on first click - Fixed: View Distance for Gold nuggets extremely short - Fixed: Inventory overlay broken when using the X button for closing the console - Fixed: Normal map on terrain texture RockGrey08 - Fixed: Replacing a Core with a different type breaks NPC Spawner config - Fixed: Spawned player blueprints sometimes have random loot in boxes - Fixed: Class 5 Planet has wrong underground layer - Fixed: Config.ecf: MaxCount setting not changeable anymore (needs to be set at correct place) - Fixed: New Game: Difficulty settings were not copied to savegame's gameoptions.yaml - Fixed: AI planet vessel: PV ignoring player - Fixed: Problem that alien plant worm did not change model when being harvested - Fixed: Cockpit 2 window reflection issue. - Fixed: Bomber in MP throw CoQ instead of Bombs - Fixed: [R2TP] Random CoQ when clicking back and forth between check boxes in Repair Console - Fixed: Missing color-icon of Survival Constructor for Techtree - Fixed: Repair Button sometimes active in Repair Blocks mode while scanning - Fixed: Gameoptions.yaml: Parameters missing -> Grief/Landclaim still active
Updated EAH Tool 1.41.0.4 - Added: Player-Information-Request Client logs: Client logs can now be received again (when player is online) - Added: Player-Edit Player InGame: You can now edit the remaining time for the blueprint - Added: Player-Edit Information: You can now change the playhours - Added: Changing of player values does not overwrite other values anymore - Added: Name of the server is now shown in the tool title. Makes it easier if you run multiple tools on your server - Added: Deposits: Shows all deposits again. The amount (if not 100%) is not yet correct though - Added: CB:Yes/No replaced by Messagebox - Added: ItemExchange has now 49 slots - Added: Config: Activate Events - Added: Eventmanager: Further progress. (Not yet working) - Added: Chatbot "EV:?" for Eventmanager - Added: Deposits: No accurate value anymore + only mined ore amount - Added: Playfield: PVE automatically loaded via Playfield.yaml - Added: Alpha 8 change: Playfield.yaml now with new folder name - Added: Alpha 8 change: API changes - Added: Alpha 8 change: New Items
Mod API Changes: (Please update your MOD's since the DLL and the Requests changed) - Request_ShowDialog_SinglePlayer has now a new Parameter (DialogBoxData). With it you can send a normal message box as before, but you can also send a message box with 2 buttons. The game sends the clicked button back in the "Event_DialogButtonIndex" with the Parameter "IntValue". - EntitySpawnInfo has a new property "entityTypeName". PLEASE set it to null to keep the spawning of structures working as usual. - GlobalStructureInfo: If some data (blocks/lights/devices/triangles/coreType) can't be,loaded (like shortly after a playfield gets loaded) the data will be set to -1 . This way you know the value is not correct/usable yet. - PlayerInfoSet for Request_Player_SetPlayerInfo: You can now edit the factionRole (Founder = 0, Admin = 1, Member = 2, NotSet = 3), setLastNLogs (Amount of latest client logs that should be send to the server) and bpRemainingTime (in ms). - PlayerInfoSet for Request_Player_SetPlayerInfo: You can now set only one value by setting all others to null. - PdaStateInfo now contains the PlayerID - Request_Player_ItemExchange now contains 49 slots instead of 35 (not tested yet) - Re-enabled Event_Player_ItemExchange answer to dedi (disabled for testing and accidentally committed) - Request_ShowDialog_SinglePlayer: allow Enter or Esc to be pressed as an equivalent to clicking the respective buttons
Starter Planet (Temperate) Update: - Reduced tree density in forest biomes to improve FPS - Removed strong temperature reduction for several biomes (Forest, DeepForest, Marsh) - Replaced some 3d models with grass meshes to reduce draw calls and improve FPS
Bug Fixes: - Fixed: 'Shadow jumping' every 10 game minutes - Fixed: FPS drop in dense vegetation during dusk and dawn (ie sun is flat) - Fixed: Several internal exception found in output logs
============
Hello Galactic Survivalists!
Welcome to Alpha Experimental 8.0 - Part 4! We are making good progress and are getting close to the final polishing and bug fixing phase.
Important: - Please start a new save game in EXP 4 since we changed the naming of some yaml parameters (you can load old save games but the terrain might have changed) - Please also make sure you do NOT use custom config.ecf when playing the Experimental version, as this can cause issues when items or their composition or template is changed. To ensure that, go to ..\Empyrion - Galactic Survival\Content\Configuration and rename or remove any config.ecf file (You can keep the Config_Example.ecf). - Survival Constructor is now ‘Portable Constructor’ and former Suit Constructor is now ‘Survival Constructor’!
Phase 4 has again added a few more gameplay elements, like the Mobile Heater/Cooler that can directly be crafted from the Survival Constructor. This should further resolve issues with temperature - of course at the cost that you need to stay close to it.
Apart from changes to the Repair-System, we added a few more features that you will see growing in the next updates, like POI are now allowed to float, several updates on gameplay mechanics, visuals and loads of other changes and improvements!
Note: If you are NEW to Alpha 8.0 please read the individual feedback thread starters as they contain valuable information of the new gameplay mechanics! Please report all bugs over here:
Mobile Heater/Cooler: - Added “Mobile Air Con” terrain placeable (3d model is placeholder and will be replaced soon) - Added Mobile AirCon to templates (SuitConstr), Techtree and start equipment (easy and medium difficulty) Temperature: 25 # Target temperature that device tries to attain TemperatureGain: 30 # Max temperature that device is able to cool down or heat up (can be changed in Config.ecf)
Floating Bases on Planets: - Added possibility to switch off Structural Integrity via yaml: You can now create floating bases by adding a new parameter to the PROPERTIES section of a POI. Have a look into the playfield_static.yaml in this folder for the full syntax: ..\Empyrion - Galactic Survival\Content\Playfields\TemperateStarter - We added a floating Trading Station as an example on starter planet. Please note that this is just to showcase the new feature - we might replace it with a story POI anytime soon. - We will allow to use random placement of flying bases in the next update (current only fixed placement)
Starter Planet Update: We did a major rework of the starter planet: it has now a higher diversity (thanks to Needleship) - Starter biome is now less elevated to avoid too low temperatures - Added more variation to trees - Added new POI (Xenu Mainframe) to orbit - thanks to Ramachandra - Updated POI distribution to avoid spawning of alien towers in radiated biome - Added promethium and pentaxid to radiated biome - Added BrainFungus to deco system > it will now spawn in Forest biome
Repair-to-Template and Repair Blocks Update: - Destroyed repair bays drop only 60% of its ingots now to avoid exploits - Repairing now costs 1 Iron Ingot per 200 HP (before 100 HP) - When changing input/status, show "Scanning..." status until next feedback change - Immediately update Start/Stop repair Button - Block input grid while repair is in progress - Better contrast on input field + add border - Moved "Info" label to separate panel in Repair Bay section - Force recheck of scanning to ensure no locked state - Disable Item Drop input when Scanning or Repairing states are active
Template Update: - Added to Large Constructor: RCS T1 (CV), Landinggear Blocks (CV), Gravity Generator, Flak Shell (CV) - Portable Constructor: Added Plastic Raw Material
Balancing: - Reduced energy consumption of O2 Stations to 5kW - Increased HP of containers from 50 to 100
Constructor Progression & Consistency Changes: In the upcoming updates (probably starting with late 8.x or 9.0), we plan to change where certain devices can be crafted in context to the specialization for a given structure/vessel.
As this needs more planning and might also need a full new concept of a material-crafting progression, we only removed BA/CV devices from Mobile Constructor (HV/SV) for now, as, after the recent addition of the Survival Constructor (Formerly known as “SuitConstructor”) and the addition of various devices that could not be crafted before, there are now better and alternative ways, which allow us to already add a better fit for a consistent crafting-progression and device specialization to some extend right now.
All those devices listed in the ‘Removal List’ below, can be produced with the Portable Constructor (Which can be produce with the Survival Constructor in a case of an emergency) or in a Base. We also removed some devices, which do not fit the Mobile Constructors assignment, being a device to fix up your small and hover vessel until you get back to Base or CV for full repairs/upgrades. An additional goal is to reduce amount of template clutter as well (As long as other alternatives to craft the removed item are available).
Please note that some of the new or old devices and weapons might still need components that cannot be crafted in the constructor from ores directly. Although this might become intentional for some devices, this will be one of the areas the planned material- and crafting progression will change on a global level in the future.
a) Removal List: FuelTankMSSmall (Small Fuel Tank), FridgeMS (Fridge T1), WaterGenerator, SolarGenerator (Solar Capacitor), GeneratorBA (Small Generator), FoodProcessorV2 (Food Processor), ConstructorT1V2 (Large Constructor), ArmorLocker, Core, PlayerBike, PlayerBikeKitDoorBlocks (Automatic Doors), LightLargeBlocks (Lights CVBA), LightWork, LightWork02, OxygenTankSmallMS (Small Oxygen Tank), CloneChamber, ContainerAmmoLarge (Large Ammo Box), TrussLargeBlocks, StairsBlocksWood, WoodBlocks, BA and HV Starter blocks, ConcreteBlocks, StairsBlocksConcrete, HullLargeBlocks, HullArmoredSmallBlocks (Advanced block for vessels, not fitting to mobile constructor template progression)
b) Added to Mobile Constructor to enable building all templates available there: EnergyMatrix, CobaltAlloy, MagnesiumPowder, FluxCoil, Oscillator
Visuals and UI: - Added veins to resource rock textures - Copper color tweaks > it has now the expected color of copper again - Updated visuals and behavior of pickup messages (large panels and icons, only show XP Gains of 500 or greater in XP/Pickup window, etc) - Terrain "Relief" is now only active in the distance (used for mountains) - Updated some Control Panel icons - Improvements to the 3D sector map. Small optimization to map planet loading materials (wait until the planet is visited first) - Renamed info window when using Survival Tool on deco stones in “Rock Drill” mode
Update of Preview Icons: We updated a lot of preview icons (especially ore resources + ingots, food items etc) to make them more distinguishable. Please let us know what you think
Gameplay: - Player bike can now be spawned on the poles and near the former green wall - Added Nutrient Solution to Portable Constructor (now in Food category) - Triceratops is now classified as Prey again - Adapted size class distribution of planets (class 2 and 5 have lower probability) - Grouped MedicBay + all Medical Scanners in one Group - Loot update: swapped Grilled Vegetables with Fried Vegetables - Add possibility to set a Special Biome with random location (see starter planet) - Added new parameter 'BiomesExcluded' to random POI and Resource data in playfield.yaml - use to exclude biomes for random placement. If both 'Biome' and 'BiomesExcluded' are specified, the new one has priority: Added example for BiomesExcluded to starter planet - Removed movement collider for several plants - Added Regenerate properties to all POIs and asteroid resources (active if regenerate is enabled in gameoptions) - Small console is now displayed in the control panel and can be grouped
Updated POIs: - AI Planetary Patrol Craft - Set updates (thanks to rainyday)
- Xenu Large Power Station + Listening Post (thanks to Dead8Eye & Fractalite) - Updated Epsilon Radar Station Set (thanks to Captain Jack II, LiftPizzas & Fractalite) - Added Deep Space Radar Station Set (thanks to Kaeser) - Added new Tier 1 Stock Base: Thanks to Jenniphurr https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1382220863 - Added 3 new Epsilon POIs (thanks to Fractalite) - Updated Trading Stations - POI Talos Back update: put core into a more logical place - Updated XENU faction POIs > Large Power Station, Advanced Vehicle Port, Advanced Spaceport (thx to Dead8Eye and Fractalite) - Updated BAO_CrusaldOrbital (thx to Pantera)
POI Radar Station Update + PDA Update: - Added dedicated Control Room for the last Story Mission (Thx to Ramachandra) - Fixed Problem when using secret route - Added Radar-Station internal one-way quick teleport back (convenience; Teleporter needs to be found, though)
Derelict Mining Ship POI update (thanks for your feedback): - Made the entrance bit more visible, easier to spot where you should start - Added couple lights to steer you into right direction once inside - Opened all the hatches and lattices so that you don't have to destroy a single block in order to go thru this dungeon (also makes the 'correct' path bit easier to spot) - Minor tweaks here and there - playfield_static.yaml: Added group name "DungeonSpace" for BP Group
Akua-Omicron Scenario Update: - Added Orbital Trading Station to starter orbit in Akua-Omicron scenario - Updated POI distribution on Akua - Activated base in creative mode
Changed Naming of some Devices: - Changed "Survival Constructor" to "Portable Constructor" - Changed "Suit Constructor" to "Survival Constructor" - "Cold effect" is now “Hypothermia” - "Blackout Cold" (Collapse) is now “Freezing”
Other Changes: - Deleting Cache on startup of game if the Build number has changed - Temperature and Radiation is now displayed in BlockInfo - Repair Console is now exported to Config.ecf - Weather has less impact on night light intensity - AI drone: jet fly controller update - Improved AI drone bomber drone behavior + added new console command to generate base and drone waves - Underground resource: added console command for voxel to deplete resource (dres) around player (adl). cmd = "dres apl" - Added new Seaweed05 - Temporarily deactivated startup info - Tweak orbit map planet model scaling to look a bit better. - Activate “RegeneratePOIs” from gameoptions.yaml - Updated Localization - Mod changes: 3a,b + 5a,b,c,d,e - Implemented: ModAPI: Player ID missing in Event_PdaStateChange - Enhanced: ModAPI function for dialog box with up to two buttons and return which button was pressed
Terrain Texture Update: - All "AlienGreen" textures - AlienBlack01, GrassBrown, Grass01Brown, Grass06 - Terrain texture fix: RockGrey02 vertical line removed
Controller Update: - Cursor mode now auto-activates when using the controller while in a menu without full focus-jump/controller support. - Cursor mode will activate/deactivate when switching devices. - Reapplied sensitivity curve to controller movement. - Added full support for picking up objects with controller (Left Shoulder + Y by default). - Added default controller mappings for SwitchView (click in right stick), main power switch (d-pad up), and rolling (shoulder buttons). - Applied sensitivity curve to soft cursor. - Radial window selector menu is now togglable with 'Back' on controller. - Removed inactive state from radial window selector menu when navigating via controller. - Added support for controller look sensitivity + inversion. - Improved input mapping interface a bit to make controller selection more obvious. - Fixed input device tab scroll restrictions.
Planet Generation Update: - Supporting now 1. missing SelectionCriteria, 2. SelectionCriteria with first item 'true', 'false' to be either always true or always false - Added BiomeStampTries to yaml - AvoidDistance now uses [min, max] (instead of x,z distances) - Added StampForcesBiomeType: OverlapAll, OverlapOwn, OverlapOther, OverlapOff - With all StampForcesBiomeType that allow overlap, an overlap of 20% is allowed - Renamed "StampsForceBiome" to "StampForcesBiome" Important: all playfield creators need to update their yamls and rename this property. Sorry for the inconveniences
SSG Update: - Adjusted light to show contrast a bit better (maybe 3d terrain is slightly darker now) - Stop process when dynamic template may have errors.
Bug Fixes: - Fixed: Duplicating Survival Constructor - Fixed: Hotbar items duplicating from the survival constructor - Fixed: Hotbar items disappearing - Fixed: Problem that player was sliding on terrain > can you pls verify if it behaves again like before EXP - Part III release - Fixed: Item dupe - Fixed: Dropped items from repair bay not properly stacked - Fixed: Waypoints do not show the shortest route if the waypoint is on the other side of the former green wall - Fixed: Space AIPV not taking damage from player weapons. - Fixed: Vessels taking no damage from AI Turrets. - Fixed: When cutting down a tree with a HV not all of the wood given goes into the Harvest box. - Fixed: Teleporters on stock POI's target locations are causing players to get stuck in the loading screen. - Fixed: Voxel Ore Deposits not entirely emptying. - Fixed: Severe SI issues with POI placements - Fixed: Lever state is not respecting the saved status - Fixed: Terrain collectible plants becoming uncollectible. - Fixed: When resuming a game, a harvested plant cannot be destroyed anymore - Fixed: Repair bay T1 and T2 does not work anymore - Fixed: OUTPUT queue of Food Processor does not stop perish timer - Fixed: Possible to place a T1 RepairBay when having a T2 already - Fixed: XP and Unlock Points indicators disappear when switching between Suit Constructor and Stats in Player Window - Fixed: After placing a prefab BA the Solar panels are not turning on in the daytime. - Fixed: Heavy Window Blocks do not mirror correctly - Fixed: Problem that the marker after depleting a voxel resource deposit was not removed - Fixed: AI Drone bomber - wave of bombers doesn't attack the base when far away - Fixed: Problem that Dimple Dome Plant harvest stage was completely white - Fixed: Texture stretching on poles seen on planet map - Fixed: When the HUD timer goes past 00:00 the timer is not displaying correctly. - Fixed: Random POIs and resources may have been placed too near the former "green wall" or pole area - Fixed: Waypoint marker when edited will be positioned high above or below where it should be. - Fixed: Wrong offset of certain stamps - Fixed: Trading Station with active teleporter spawned in Akua-Omicron setting - Fixed: Problem that lava texture had inconsistent temperatures - Fixed: Copy & paste selection area can only be moved 1 block space at a time. - Fixed: Exception triggered after deconstructing blocks - Fixed: Repair Bay T2 cannot be upgraded but Multitool plays upgrade sound - Fixed: Exception when loading into a scenario. - Fixed: Controller sensitivity setting not working and improved range. - Fixed: Q&M error after placing the new heavy windows blocks again - Fixed: Random CoQ when approaching Radar Station in Godmode - Fixed: Exception whilst mining. - Fixed: Wrong HP display of Heavy Windows - Fixed: ModAPI: Extend amount of slots to 49 in ItemExchange window - Fixed: Stamp output info scroll not working in SSG. - Fixed: Adding and removing Heavy Window blocks leads to error - Fixed: Wrong sound when selecting main menu "Player Setup" - Fixed: Double sound when entering Resume Game window - Fixed: MaxHealth problem
EAH - Update: Hot Fix 1.41.0.2 (Only for A8.0) Please make sure to change the Version to Alpha 8 in the Config - Added: Dedicated.yaml legacy fix - Added: Gameoptions.yaml RegeneratePOIs
While Experimental Phase 2 addressed most of the Survival Start issues, Phase 3 will concentrate on some of the other features - but of course add more refinements to the Game Start! For example the Stamina-rebuild, reducing your food points is now tied to the difficulty setting (See details below). We also increased the output for the crushed-stones-to-ore reprocessing.
Repair-2-Template has seen a few changes as well and, beyond that, we changed the way how repairs are handled in general. Up to now, repairing a damaged block was for free - this has changed. Repairing a damaged block now uses Iron Ingots as a resource (100 HP demand 1 iron ingot). To make this work with the new Repair-2-Template method and to avoid having to manage different devices for the same tasks, we further unified the two features of the repair feature (Repair blocks + Repair-2-template) so you can always use it from one console.
Beyond these two topics, nearly every feature, from AI to Planets to Zirax Weapon balancing, got additions and refinements as well. So please check out the full changelog below for all the updates and, as always, please report your feedback directly to our dedicated feedback threads:
Note: If you are NEW to Alpha 8.0 please read the individual feedback thread starters as they contain valuable information of the new gameplay mechanics!
Repair-2-Template Update: a. New Setup: - Requirements: 1 Repair Console + Repair Bay T1 (Repair Blocks only) or Repair Bay T2 (Repair Blocks and Repair-2-Template) - You now require also a repair console for "Repair Blocks" with Repair Bay T1 block - If you upgrade Repair Bay T1 to T2, you will be able to use Repair-2-Template - Repair Blocks now also costs resources: 100 Hitpoints = 1 Iron Ingot (first balancing test) > basics are working but UI still needs adjustments (so overall this new setup is WIP)
b. General Changes: - Repair bays drop their content when destroyed, keeps its content when upgraded - Repair-2-Template is now also working for CVs (added Repair Bay T2 block for CV) - RepairBay T1 can now be upgraded to T2 - Repair Console is now lower in Techtree - Added better collider for Repair Console (screen)
Updated Starter Planet and Orbit: - Added Radiated biome... ...and a very rare Forest Oasis biome:
- Reduced impact of night temperature on temperate starter planet - Added Talon village to starter planet - Added Creatures to Radiated biome - Added 1-2 Xenu POIs Tier III on starter planet - Updated Xenu POIs > changed red color to be consistent with Radar Stations - Added creatures to PolarSnow area on temperate planets - No laser space drones in Starter Orbit playfield (only plasma space drones) - Added Derelict Mining Ship POI to starter orbit (thanks to rainydays) What might have happened with this ship? > Please give us feedback if we should add more of these "Space Dungeons" type of POIs
Additions: - Added Heavy Windows The hull parts will be texturable (probably Alpha 8.X) - the same applies for the hull parts of the new thrusters - Added Template for Heavy Window Blocks (500kg, 1500HP, only Advanced Constructor, Steel/Glass/Plates 10/15/8) - Updated Tier 1 Stock Bases: thanks to Kieve, Runningwithhamster and Brimstone > we are still looking for more low-tier Blueprints (Creator: Runningwithhamster) (Creator: Kieve) (Creator: Brimstone)
PDA/POI Update: - Updated Radar Station ComArray and RadarDish POIs (Added a better visible main entrance) - Radar Station Main: Added Medic Station main level - Radar Station Main: Swapped Zirax Rocket trooper spawns to other troop types (Laser, Shotgun, Minigun) - Radar Station Main: Improved lighting situation in upper levels and in some lower level rooms - Alien Tower Damaged: Now flattening terrain when placed - Updated PDA mission "Revelations" mission text to hint that there is at least 2 ways to sneak into the main based - Crashed Titan parts are slightly more damaged (thanks to Dinkelsen)
Zirax Weapon Rebalancing: - Zirax Shotgun: Strong increase of Bullet Spread - Zirax Minigun: Added Bullet spread, Increased RoF - Zirax Laser: Reduced Range, Added small Bullet spread - Zirax Rocket: Added small Bullet spread >> WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Template Changes: - Iron/Copper/Silicon reprocessing templates: half the amount of input is needed for the same output in ingots - Added Growing Plot (Concrete) back to Large Constructor - Added Growing Plot (Wood) also to Survival Constructor (As you can basically set up a farm without a growing light outside a base on temperate planets if temperatures are in the acceptable zone > Check the global notes over here: https://empyriononline.com/threads/read-first-gameplay-faq.10344/) - Gatling Gun (HV/SV) + 15mm Bullets can now be crafted in Mobile Constructor - Removed Concrete Destroyed Blocks from constructors. - Slightly increased crafting times for all Windows L sizes (standard, armored, heavy) - Removed Survival Constructor and Survival Tent from all Constructors except Suit Constructor - LandClaimDevice can now be crafted in AdvConstructor only
Hand Weapon Crafting Location Change (incl. Ammo): - Mobile Constructor (SV/HV): Only Basic Weapons (T1) [Excluded: Plasma Cannon, Laser Rifle] - Large Constructor: All T1+T2 versions of hand weapons - Advanced Constructor: All T1+T2+Enhanced version of hand weapons >> WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Status Effects Update: - Reduced Stamina drain from Low Food and No Food Status (Created a strong negative feedback loop with rebuilding stamina-method ) - OpenWound and PoisonBit now generate a low amount of Stamina 10 per second (instead of loosing stamina = like an Adrenaline Effect) >> WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Visuals: - Added possibility to have dirt or other textures around POIs (can be configured in TE editor -> we re-enabled UnderTerrainID for POI Placement) - Re-added Alpha 7 SV thruster model (we accidentally enabled the Alpha 4 SV thrusters) - Updated several resource textures - Color tweaks to resource, terrain and asteroid textures: now each resource has consistent coloring - Reflect planet axis rotation in orbit and sector maps. - Sector and orbit map: Added clouds to planets and display correct polar caps. - Updated lava and alien planets - Better texturing on snow playfield - Door/antenna fixes to restore A7 coloring
Gameplay: - LandClaimZones are now also active in space/orbit playfields - Allow ingredients to be detected by the suit constructor when in the toolbar - Allow blueprints to be spawned on Adm faction bases - Added pickup to toolbar to more devices: Work Light, Tent, Water Generator, O2 Generator, AutoMiningDevice >> WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Updated Akua-Omicron Scenario: Tweaked Akua-Omicron scenario so it is adapted to Multiplayer - Increased amount of resource deposits - Removed the story POIs from the starter planet - Player now wears Light Armor - Added Drill, Bio Fuel, Ore Scanner and Survival Constructor to start equipment - Starter planet and orbit are now PvE playfields The setting is still WIP and we are considering to let the player start in a base and remove the Light Armor again in the next update. The light armor removes the survival experience in the beginning but is necessary for the escape pod start since the drop zone of the escape pod drop varies in MP and is not always in the starter biome.
Rebalancing: - Food reduction due to Stamina rebuild now depends on Difficulty Setting: To fill up 500 of stamina points.... * 7 units from food bar will be consumed (Easy) * 15 units from food bar will be consumed (Medium) * 30 units from food bar will be consumed (Hard) - Added +5 food for Buds - Rebalanced enemy turrets: Artillery and Rocket are now a bit weaker
Changes: - Increased Scenario upload size limit from 10 to 100 MB - New setting for pole biomes in playfield.yaml > see how "Biome: Pole" is now defined for eg TemperateStarter - Adapted Planet Axis in dynamic.yaml for all playfields > now between -20 and 20 - Improved: FPS drop at dusk & dawn in Oasis on desert planet > pls send us save games if you find areas with heavy FPS drops - Deactivated teleporters on all stock trading stations and added to generic groups: TS_Planet and TS_Orbit > please adapt your playfields accordingly - Resume game window allows double click on game to load it - Do not display mass for devices where weight has no impact yet (Terrain Placeables) - "UpgradeTo" is now displayed in Block Info - Updated POI distribution on all playfields (take into account size scaling) - Reduced range of humming sound for WarpDrive (CV = 10m, SV = 5m) - Orbit map asteroid fields are now better displayed - When deleting a local savegame in the Resume Game menu, the corresponding Cache folder is also deleted - Changed how Biome name is displayed: removed "bm" prefix if Biome is not localized - SSG: allow user to change template directories when moving install locations. Use build number in version number.
AI Update: - Animals react to player in water - special behavior for triceratops and spider: they will do some random movement and angry noises, when you are in water. When you go out of water, they will continue the attack if they are still alerted. - AI parasaur alert balancing - Improved AI bomber firing accuracy.
Controller Update: - Added support for cycling between belt slots with bumpers on controller. - First pass at sensitivity curve to improve controller movement/looking around - Fixed 'Left Stick X' not appearing in control options UI. - New system to manage input contexts, and three contexts for normal gameplay, in a menu, and in a menu in cursor mode. - UI-specific controls are no longer active in-game and vice versa.
POI Naming Update: - Renamed DroneBase group: now DroneBaseT1, DroneBaseT2 and DroneBaseT3 instead of DroneBaseAkua, DroneBaseOmicron etc - Renamed Military POIs: now T1, T2, T3 instead of TierI, TierII, TierIII > eg XenuT3 > Playfield creators have to take this renaming into account
Bug Fixes: - Fixed: Personal drone won't deploy in random locations. - Fixed: Playfields sometimes being randomly regenerated on each load (ie terrain could change after resume game) - Fixed problem that dropped items and backpacks fell through bases when dropped on them and game was reloaded/server got restarted - Fixed: Exception after entering Moons. - Fixed: Moon Starter was composed out of Cobalt and Silicon - Fixed: Teleporters on stock POI's target locations are causing players to get stuck in the loading screen. - Fixed: Not possible to cross the South Pole c2 and c3 - Fixed: Spiders sometimes not inflicting any damage to the player when being hit by them. - Fixed: Asteroid fields sometimes disappear from orbit map when teleporting. - Fixed: Problem that AI Space Drones were not spawned in orbit playfields - Fixed: R2BP can be used to get a plants and tomatoes (any growing things) from a CV - Fixed: Drones did not react to player in some use cases - Fixed: Problems with AI bomber launching and docking to base - Fixed: Problem that remaining ore for voxel resources was not saved correctly - Fixed: Hazardous sign for weather is showing wrong - Fixed: Ore deposit tags are not updating after being emptied by AMD's (Note: Voxel resources are currently not depleted by AutoMiners) - Fixed: Teleporting to previously marked position did not work anymore - Fixed: R2BP: After-BPsave placed blocks overlapping to-be-repaired blocks lead to un-removable ghost blocks after R2BP - Fixed: Spiders were rotating after death + spiders did not run away always when afraid + spider navigation - Fixed: “Playfield” cmd was not working for playfield_debug.yaml - Fixed: Random exception when attacking a POI - Fixed: Random placement on size 5 planets didn't use 25% of the planet surface - Fixed: Problem that unexpected asteroid resources were spawning - Fixed: Exception triggered after exiting to the main menu from a new game - Fixed: Menu shortkeys not closing their respective windows. - Fixed: Console not opening in title menu or in-game without a different menu being open.
New yaml parameters “IsScalingCount” and “IsImportant”: Added playfield yaml random POI and resource parameters "IsScalingCount" and "IsImportant" to flag if CountMinMax should be scaled with the planet surface and if the random placer should try more to place the respective POI / Resource
"IsImportant" can be used for certain POIs to increase the probability that it is placed (normally 100 trials are made to find a suitable location for a POI, if IsImportant=True, we use 1000 trials)
"IsScalingCount" can be used for Resource Deposits and POIs - scales the Count according to the planet size: Class 2 = x1, Class 3 = x2, Class 4 = x4, Class 5 = x8 - if IsScalingCount=True, CountMinMax is given for a Class 2 planet and is scaled for larger planets - deposit size is not affected
Example: - Name: IronResource IsScalingCount: True CountMinMax: [ 3, 4 ] - on class 2 planet 3-4 deposits will spawn - on class 3 planet 6-8 deposits will spawn - on class 4 planet 12-16 deposits will spawn - on class 5 planet 24-32 deposits will spawn
Updated EAH Tool: Patch notes - 1.41.0.1 (Please make sure to change the version to Alpha 8 in the config) - Added: Further Eventmanager integration (does not work yet) - Added: Request Structure Update on Server Stop to have latest information - Added: Implemented first draft of Chatbot-low level Admin options (not available yet) - Added: Gameoptions.yaml integration - Added: Fresh Start: Origin cleaned - Added: Sector.yaml changes - Added: CB:? in Messagebox - Removed: CB:Heal - Fixed: Planet Height in pole control now 1100 meters - Fixed: Inventory problem setting one to many slots - Fixed: Gameoptions.yaml: Anti grief bug - Fixed: CSW Exploit. No chatbot possible on invalid server anymore. You can reset it with Player-Edit Information - Fixed: Pole Control message
Changes: - Animals do not follow player into water anymore - Repair Console can now also be placed on a CV - Re-arranged Repair Bay / Console in TechTree - Now using sectors.yaml to determine default starter planets for Creative Mode - Updated textures for Land Claim Device - Added possibility to teleport using sector map (shift-right click when hovering over sector body) - Added missing loca text for igmNoRepairBay - Land Claim Device is now in "Equipment" group in Control Panel
Bug Fixes: - Fixed: Invisible SV/HV thrusters - Fixed: Drones sometimes not reacting to the players presence - especially in MP - Fixed: Drone from a wave when close to a base sometimes did not attack base but instead was diving on the ground and did nothing (you need to start a new game to ensure that the fix works)
========
Hello Galactic Survivalists!
First of all: thanks for the overwhelming amount of feedback and responses to our first iteration of Alpha EXPERIMENTAL 8.0! :)
Although the Experimental Phase I was possibly a bit rough at some edges and a lot has changed compared to all the versions before, we’ve seen lots and lots of positive feedback on the now more survival-focused and possibly “harder” game start.
As promised, we picked up a lot of your feedback on that topic - and all others - and made some first improvements, like adding back more POIs to discover (Please tell us what you think of the amount and types!) and, of course, tried improving the Temperature-Food-Stamina topic, that possibly made even the Easy game start a bit too harsh at times (depending on the seed).
Check the changelog below for all the updates and, as always, please report your feedback directly to our main dedicated feedback threads:
Note: If you are NEW to Alpha 8.0 please read the individual feedback thread starters as they contain valuable information of the new gameplay mechanics! Please report all bugs over here:
Gameplay: - Reduced overall basic food consumption rate> food bar now drops slower - Reduced impact of Temperature/Radiation on player > you can now stay longer in cold/hot environments / body slower adapts to changing temperatures - Increased size of rock resource models to better see them - POI: Added military Xenu POIs + Drone Base > ~ 6 km away from starter biome) - POI: Added Artifacts POI group - Rebalanced amount of ore deposits on Starter Planet: now roughly double amount of deposits but same total yield - Slightly reduced stamina reduction of Survival Tool - Survival tent is now placed better on the terrain instead of removing terrain. Removes more grass around - Removed T2 weapons from Survival Constructor - Added Emergency O2 generator to Suit Constructor (1 Iron, 3 Copper; Should allow to create purified water bottles, as soon as you found an energy source. For use when missing a water source) - Removed water bottle requirement from beverages (the watered part is delivered by the ingredient itself) - Added Energy Drink to Gamestart equipment (1 for Easy) - AI Drone waves : Waves are trigger now only if the player is 50m around his base + Drone wave patrol radius around the base is increase form 200m to 600m.
Balancing: - Increase building time for Survival Constructor by 50% - Removed "Emergency O2 bottle" free item from Suit Constructor - Added Energy Bars to Gamestart layout: Easy:2, Medium: 1 - Doubled perish timer of Energy Bar - Doubled crafting time of Energy Bar - Energy Bar: reduces Plant Protein requirement from 3 to 2 - Removed food point values from juices (has been an artifact from recalculations; not intentional; juices should server as cooldown and early health item) - Adjusted Food Points for Cheese, Meat Burger, Pizza - Aloe Vera swapped with Herbal Leaves drop (As Aloe Vera is currently not used AND this way you can basically self-grow the basic ingredient for most of the medical items!) - Changed Aloe Vera trader/loot drops to Herbal leaves - Corrected wrong value of vegetables (perish timer too high) - Increased body temp drop for all juices to -3 - Lowered required items for all juices from 3 to 2
New Behavior of Triceratops: The Triceratops is a herbivore animal, which can be startled by the player, but it has no fear and will not flee like the Parasaur. It will stand its ground! If you tickle it with your guns, be ready for its rage. - when calm, the Triceratops roams around - when it sees / hears the player, it will get protective and threaten the player (small roars, walking towards) - If the player does not attack, the Triceratops will also not attack - If the player attacks, the Triceratops becomes furious and attacks the player: when the player is close, it will use close range attack, when the player is further away, it will charge him with a roar
Updated AntiGriefZone system: We are now using the term "LandClaim" instead of "AntiGrief". Some cool things are planned for Alpha 9 (not Alpha 8) with land claims :) - Added "IsIgnoreLC" to devices (also in Config.ecf). We tagged all devices that are in "Essential Category" (thruster, cockpit, core, fuel tank etc) to be placeable in LandClaim zones > now you will be able to add eg a cockpit or core to your destroyed vessel - Added "LandClaimZone (Off, Default, Device)" to playfield.yaml > now you can decide per playfield which LandClaim mode you prefer - Added new block: LandClaimDevice for Bases
Visuals: - Updated XL Thrusters for CV > now you can play around with them (preview icons not yet updated) - Updated textures on CV Thrusters S, M and L - Improved smoothing of the cutout area around POIs - Add nebula to orbit map - Add asteroid fields and align to planets in orbit map > still wip - Improved snow and temperate planet texturing - Updated Barren planet - Added underground layers to Moon playfields - Better underground layers for Snow and Desert planets - First version of new Messages Window (XP/Pickup/etc) - Sector map orbit lines no longer pierce planets; scale some UI elements according to distance.
SSG Update: - Size moon according to class in Spacefield preview. - SSG: don't overwrite existing gameoptions when exporting scenario. - Adjust warp lines; scale labels with distance; fix light; add clouds to map planets. - Copy gameoptions.yaml when exporting a scenario; no longer overwrite scenario when using Go to Planet
Terrain Texture Update: - Terrain texture update: Cliff, Cliff2, Cliff3, CliffBrown, SandBrown03, RockGrey, RockRed, RockRed02, SandMars, SandYellow02, SandYellow03, SandYellow04, Stone, RockBlack04 In the above screenshot, you can see the updated glacier ice texture (RockGrey) - Updated several resource textures - Added Snow05 - Removed some leaves from GoodDirt since this texture is also used as underground layer
Changes: - Added Playfield.yaml setting for BA/CV/HV/SV blueprints to be allowed or disallowed to be spawned - Changed name of game version into "Experimental" - Renamed Power Bar into Energy Bar - Origin 0 is now available to limit teleporter/portal. - Extended console cmd "statuseffectremove" ("ser"): "ser all" = remove all status effects - Added loca for Survival Tent variants (standard, desert camo, woodland camo) - Updated radial menu info of Survival Tool Defense mode "Can also harvest wood" - Updated POI group XENU > re-arranged groups - Renamed group for DroneBaseOmicron into XenuDroneBase - Updated PDA: DeliciousEating Akua + Omicron + Dinner for Two missions: internally changed old items to current item requirements. Loca not updated (HUD using original names of drops) - Updated Localization.csv
Controller Support Update: - Left analog stick can now be used to control highlight in radial menus, 'A' to select the highlighted item. - Bumped input config version so the placeholder mappings for the toggle run and open radial menu inputs get picked up. - Added loc key for radial menu input.
Bug Fixes: - Fixed: AMD's do not work on Voxel ore resource deposits - Fixed: Factions were reset after server restart - Fixed: SP New Game's gameoptions did not contain difficulty data set by player in UI - Fixed: Mushroom model glitching (gigantic size) after being picked up. - Fixed: Spiders sometimes not inflicting any damage to the player when being hit by them (partial fix, when you encounter another situation with spiders not attacking, pls send us the save game) - Fixed: Problem with portals that Origin 0 was treated special - Fixed: LoD on a freshly planted Ahax Plant is too short. The plant vanishes when the player is about five blocks away. - Fixed: Flour was not appearing in FoodProc anymore - Fixed: Sometimes underground layers were not displayed correctly - Fixed: Several exceptions reported by players and found in output logs - Fixed: Exception when opening inventory of Escape Pod after Fresh Start - Fixed: RepairBayT2 appeared in TT even though it is not yet functional - Fixed: Survival tool defence mode had same icon as Rock Drilling mode - Fixed: Support ‘Origin Restriction' for normal teleporters / Stargates - Fixed: AI space drone : take off in the sky and fly like balloons instead of attacking - Fixed: Wrong planet/moon sizes in space map - Fixed: Wrong size display for solar panels - Fixed: Hint text missing why a Blueprint is not allowed to be spawned in a playfield - Fixed: 'statuseffect' console command: mistyping leads to CoQ - Fixed: Request_Player_ItemExchange: Move all items buttons and shift left mouse button don't work
Today, we are very excited to announce the release of the first EXPERIMENTAL version of Alpha 8!
You’ve been patiently waiting for this day, following nearly half a dozen dev blogs and various teasers about the new features coming with Alpha 8.0. Now it is your turn to play and give us feedback! :) Be aware that this is still a very rough version - so expect bugs and unpolished features. We wanted to release Alpha EXP 8.0 as early as possible to get your feedback!
CHANGELOG: Alpha Experimental 8.0.0 (Build 1591)
MAIN FEATURES:
Instead of detailing all the features, we just highlight the main Alpha 8 features and recommend reading the feedback threads below for more details.
1. Larger Planets: Increased size from the current 8x4km (32km²) up to 64x32km (2048km²) playfields, i.e. the planets in Alpha 8 will be up to 64x larger than in Alpha 7!
We would like to give you an idea of how big these planets are. Do you see the spire base on the other side?
It looks quite far away - right? However, if you look at the map, it seems to be just in front of you: - Actual size of a planet will also be reflected in the orbit - Tilted planet axis so that the day/night ratio depends where you are on the planet (eg longer days and shorter nights on the northern hemisphere and vice versa on the southern hemisphere) - Improved outside view of the planets in the orbit
2. Random Generation of Solar System: - Each time you start a new game, a new solar system is generated with a different amount of planets and POIs - You can control the generation process via a configuration file (number and type of planets, POIs, extension of solar system etc) The above screenshot shows the new 3d sector map of a random solar system
3. Procedural Terrain Generation: Procedural terrain generation is back - no fixed heightmap planets anymore
4. More Diverse Biomes: Realistic biome distribution based on humidity and temperature:
By changing Temperature, Humidity and the Seed, we obtain a very varied biome distribution:
5. Underground Layers and Voxel Mining: - The 'underground layers' are back. You will have the possibility to set up to 7 different consecutive layers for your planetary playfields - In addition, the old Voxel mining is back as well (depending on the resource, a playfield creator can decide whether to use the Alpha 7-style sub-surface rocks or the pre-Alpha 7 Voxel spheres)
6. Removal of Red and Green Wall: We finally removed the red pole colliders and the green wall so that you can now cross the poles and you do not have to be afraid when you cross the green wall (the current version is still WIP and will be further improved during the EXP phase) In the above screenshot, we are in the far north (actually the sun never sets here) beyond the former red wall and we are looking north. Pre-Alpha 8, this area was blocked. If you continue in this direction you will actually cross the north pole.
7. Updated Terrain Textures: We improved the visuals on a planet by replacing almost all terrain textures
8. New Decoration Placement and Rendering System: We integrated a new system for the placement and rendering of the decoration objects on a planet which allows for a dense vegetation that is rendered very far with little performance impact 9. Own Editor to Generate your Planets and Solar System: - We developed our own Solar System Generator (SSG) to generate your planetary terrain and whole solar system - The SSG editor will be distributed with the game on Steam
The editor features a full preview for planets, orbits and the solar system
For example, you will be able to preview the POI and resource distribution in the SSG as well as the NPC spawn points: Note: You will now also have the possibility to place POIs and Ore Deposits by BIOME 10. New Suit and Survival Mechanics: - We tried to have a more survival-style game start by giving the player only very basic equipment - We integrated a very limited "Suit Constructor" (slow, can craft only very basic items like a food item, bandages etc) and a Survival Tent - Added new Survival Tool for basic defense, rock drilling and deconstruction - Sleeping in Escape Pod, Survival Tent and Beds in Single Player
11. Improved AI Behavior: - More realistic behavior of the ground AI (vision sensor, noise system, alert level, fear sensor)
- Added AI bomber drone (it is part of the AI drone waves > currently used on Desert planet) - New controller for AI Planet Vessel - it now more like a large and heavy ship - New controller for space drones
12. Repair-to-Template: Restore your ship to a previously saved Repair Template (feature is still WIP and will be refined during EXP)
13. New Status Effects / Diseases: Fully revamped Status Effects, medicals and diseases mechanic
14. New Food and Food-item Drop System: Fully revamped Food templates and Ingredients drop mechanic
15. Updated Models and Consistent Texturing of Old Models We updated the textures on almost all 3d models to a new unified coloring and metallic workflow in order to have a more consistent look. In addition, we replaced some models such as the thrusters for CV. Here is the M Thruster CV:
... and as a teaser, here is a preview of the XL Thruster CV:
DISCLAIMER: When you play Alpha 8.0 the first time, please note that it is now a quite DIFFERENT experience in many game-start related aspects, compared to version 7.6! The distances are bigger, the drops are different, the mechanics got changed, new possibilities added and a lot of stuff got moved around.
This is also relevant for all our server owners and scenario builders: the changes to the planets resulted in a new file structure and a few new definitions, so that most of the playfields you have set up and are using right now, might not work with Alpha 8.0 without making the necessary changes. Please check the SSG Documentation for more details!
Said that, as always with an EXP version, we do NOT recommend to start building scenarios or playfields based on the new version right away, but possibly wait until Phase 2 or 3 when most initial feedback changes might have been integrated. If you want to set up a new savegame for your server for the duration of EXP, we strongly recommend using the Default MP scenarios - as this would also help us to get the maximum feedback out of the new settings.
As a PLAYER, we absolutely RECOMMEND to first read through ALL of the feedback threads posted below to get yourself up to date on the new and changed game mechanics BEFORE starting any new game!
This is true for the new game start in particular, as, due to all the changes on planets, playfields and features, we are basically back at the drawing board in terms of game start balance. Alpha 8.0 is literally throwing a lot (not all!) of the old methods, that worked the same and were never really changed since approx version 2.0 (or even v1.0) and a few things you might have gotten accustomed to, in terms of what happens when and what you get for game start, out of the window in favor of the game now living up to the "Survival" tag in its name a little bit more again.
Changing the game start and trying to give it a improved "Survival Experience" in that early game stage actually IS intentional!
Said that, this will possibly make or let some game elements feel harder in this first Experimental version, until they are fully balanced out and all new features are polished again!
We will do this together in the coming weeks of Empyrion Alpha 8.0 Experimental and, as always, iterate on your feedback for the upcoming 8.x updates!
Both, as a player, creator or server owner, please keep the aforementioned in mind when playing AND while giving feedback. :)
Thanks in advance for your dedicated help, improving Empyrion Galactic Survival! :)
Let’s roll! Empyrion Dev Team
P.S. Please note that we do not support DX9 anymore with the release of Alpha EXP 8. However, we will leave the last Alpha 7.6 on a separate Steam branch when we officially release Alpha 8.
P.P.S If you are using a custom config.yaml, we recommend removing it before you start Alpha EXP 8.0
The Experimental version is nearly around the corner! We have already started to refine some of the features that should be playable in the first iteration of the Alpha 8.0 public testing version. In addition, we are currently fixing the remaining major bugs to get the Experimental version ready for release.
1. Planet Update In the current public version, when you dig into the ground, the textures do not change a lot. This was one of the downsides of the fixed heightmaps as the terrain shader was not very flexible with respect to textures.
In Alpha 8, the 'underground layers' are coming back. Creators will have the possibility to set up to 7 different consecutive layers for their planetary playfields.
2. AI Behavior Update
For the upcoming Experimental phase, we are developing a new AI technology, which will be used mainly for the AI of animals on the planets. We will be primarily using it on few animals on the starter planet.
2.1. Technology We will be using a new Behaviour Tree technology for the animals. It is a visual tool, in which we can design the behaviour from small AI modules. This helps us to easily create prototypes and reuse the modules between animals.
To make the animal behaviour more natural we are using some new tools. - Vision sensor - it will simulate vision of the animal. If you get in range and field of view, it will inform other systems of your presence - Noise system - similar to vision sensor. This system is gathering some of the noises in game and feeding them in to the AI - Alert level - If the animal can hear or see you, it can get alerted - it can be just a slight disturbance or a strong rage, depends on the alert source strength, was it just a rustle, or a shot in the back? You can now try to go stealthy, slowly and not using items. You can see the animals react by changing their behaviour. Learn to read the posture ;-)
- Fear sensor - similar to alert level, animal has also a fear level. The fear is increased with noises or damage, and decreased by time (as time heals everything) and friends. So if you see aggressive creature in big group, be careful!
2.2. New behaviours
Friendly herbivore: A friendly herbivore will be eating grass (or maybe rocks, depends on their taste) and roam around the world peacefully. But if it is alerted, it will get cautions and eventually try to run to safety
Hungry predator: This predator will roam the land, and when it sees a potential prey, it will attack! But if you scare it, it will run to his friends. Beware, it will come back for another bite! And possibly bringing that friends to the party! If it scares you, maybe you can get out of his vision...(sensor).
Curios fellow: When you come close, it will be interested in you. As you are not on his daily menu, it will just watch, not bite. If you scare him, he will probably just run away... probably!
All behaviours are work-in-progress and more mechanics will follow...
3. New Game Start In the current public version you can decide if you play the "Robinson Protocol" at a new game start, which is a strictly guided mini-tutorial that should get you started.
For Alpha 8, given the new possibilities we have, we have chosen to get rid of the 'tutorialesque' elements for a new game start. Instead you can choose to follow the "Story path" or not. The story missions themselves will not ask you to do this or that, but give you the general direction and add a few suggestions what to do or not. Simplified example: The task does not say "build a Hover Vessel and go there", but "Go there. Maybe consider building a Hover Vessel first".
As in Alpha 8 you might need to cross longer distances, you can now craft a Survival Tent in your Suit Constructor, which you can use to sleep at night.
The tent might be useful when the nights get too cold while exploring the planet - or when being away from any station with a bed (!) or the Escape Pod.
5. Art Department Although a deeper integration of NPC is not part of Alpha 8, our Art and Design team is also working on improving the models. The female commanding officer model is one of the first that got their WIP status approved.
Also here are some pictures of the new thrusters:
Enjoy your day!
Empyrion dev team
PS: As Zirax police files indicate, a Small Vessel has been caught with a maximum speed of 50m/s on Akua :)