Dear Stormworkers,

This week we release the AI planes minor update! This new update brings new aircraft that roam the sky in Stormworks. To access this new content, simply select the "AI Aircraft" add-on when starting a new game!

AI characters now pilot several different planes, and will fly their own missions across a 14,000 sq km area. This update brings further life to the world of Stormworks, which is a frequently requested topic of improvement.



This update has been tested on experimental with the help of many players! Thanks to all who gave feedback on this feature.

In todays release, beyond what you may have seen on experimental, we have updated the fleet of plane types that you may find in the sky, as well as made updates to the script logic, particularly to improve issues that players reported with regard to the previous AI helicopters minor update. A limited number of players experienced slow downs and crowding of AI helicopters, and these issues should now be resolved.



We are considering further improvements to the AI systems, so please let us know if you would like to see more AI based minor updates, and what you specifically think we should add next!

We have also been making general fixes and improvements. Please see the patch notes below for the full list of changes.



We continue to work on more improvements and fixes, as well as the upcoming major updates discussed last week. We can't wait to share more, and will aim to share more info in the coming weeks!

Much love <3,

The Stormworks Developers



Patch Notes

v1.1.13

Feature - AI planes - New AI and vehicle type to allow planes to roam the world of Stormworks. Addition of planes for a total of 21 plane and helicopter types.
Rework - Minor improvements to LUA help page formatting
Fix - Avoid helicopters grouping up at helipads
Fix - Avoid helicopters and aircraft getting stuck on specific tasks
Fix - Corrected move speed of aircraft when not in load range
Fix - Reordered multiplayer data so most important vehicle information is sent first
Fix - Fixed crash caused when vehicles occasionally fail to load
Fix - Rotors now repair correctly when destroyed
Fix - No longer reset AI state after loading scripts

Dear Stormworkers,

With this weeks patch, we have rebalanced modular engines to make them easier to cool, run at higher RPS, and effectively produce more power. These changes are in response to player feedback and have been tested on experimental branch for the last few weeks.

If you have already made modular engines on the main branch, and want to re-tune your engine, increase your target RPS, or increase your throttle.

Modular engines now produce less heat, and cooling systems are more efficient. Radiators hold more water, cool more effectively, and we have also made a series of changes to the fluid system so that water flows more easily through the system. We have also updated tooltips to give more info and make it easier to understand coolant systems.

We have fixed a bug where installing multiple fuel and air manifolds caused the engine to behave as it it was a much larger engine. Please keep in mind that you can no longer balance a fuel-air mix by placing a specific number of fuel or air manifolds.



We have been trialling a change to wheels on experimental branch, involving bringing wheels more in line and equivalent to the energy conservation of propellers and rotors. However, this change has been unpopular and so is shelved, while we consider how best to improve wheels in a way that most benefits players.

Many players have been disappointed with some parts of the modular engines major update, and we have been very focused on resolving this for players (and hopefully this weeks update does this!). The major update release was tough because there was a lot of feedback to process (and I am happy to hold my hands up and admit I make mistakes and should have managed the release better).

Thank you to all the players who have given constructive feedback on the experimental branch. It's encouraged to let us know what you think - good or bad! We want to hear it all, and often the toughest criticism gives us the broader perspective on the game and helps the most.



We have been very focused on making the necessary changes and getting feedback from players. We have been using #experimental channel for this, as well as other sources such as issues board, steam forums, etc. The moderation team have been concerned that a small number of community members have been attacking others for having a different point of view, and trying to derail community feedback, perhaps to drag out the drama of modular engines further.

We are doing our best to moderate the community to allow all players to have a voice, and protect our players from discrimination, abuse, and anti-social behaviour. Please consider that some rumours may not be accurate.

Our focus is to just get players the changes to the game that they need, and make the game as good as it can be.

We are planning another Q&A session! Thank you for your questions.

As always, we look forward to all your thoughts and feedback!

Much love <3,

The Stormworks Developers

Patch Notes

v1.1.7-12

Rework - Modular engine coolant capacity now smaller / more rational
Rework - Modular engine throttle sensitivity scaled down by 75%
Rework - Modular engine fuel and air manifolds no longer have multiplicative effect when many installed
Rework - Increased modular engine power production x3
Rework - Wheels can now be scaled up as well as down by slider
Rework - Salt water scaling of modular engines now has a greater effect
Rework - Reduced modular engine heat production 25%
Rework - Heat exchangers fluid capacity now based on size
Rework - Thumbnails for Add-ons now says "ADD ON" rather than "MISSION"
Rework - Doubled energy capacity of batteries
Rework - Radiators now passively cooled by air flow and wind
Fix - Added descriptions to catalytic converter
Fix - Modular engine tooltips reformatted

Dear Stormworkers,

AI helicopters are here! In this weeks update, AI piloted helicopters will take off from helipads, navigate their patrol route or fly to their destination, and land again! To check out these new helicopters, start a game with the AI aircraft add-on enabled.

This new AI is similar to AI ships, and you will now encounter the occasional NPC helicopter that is going about it's business in the world of Stormworks.



This new AI code means that characters now have the ability to pilot a helicopter, and we have added the new AI helicopter type to vehicle seats. We have more plans to add new vehicle types and new AI for driving different types of vehicles and different functions. Critically, the new AI can operate in a fast cruising mode or a high precision mode to allow for landing and take off.



Thanks to all the players in the community who contributed vehicles towards the new AI script. Players can easily add their own helicopters by following the control scheme, and tags, and creating their own mission. We will go over the details in a future announcement!

Following from last weeks post, we thank all the players who have been providing valuable feedback on modular engines. We are continuing to improve this feature and are working with players on the experimental branch. If you want to get involved, you can check out the experimental changes and let us know your thoughts and feedback!



As always, we continue to work hard on improvements and fixes to the game. See the change log for this weeks updates. We also plan to release fixes that we have been working on throughout next week.

We have more very exciting minor and major updates on the way and look forward to sharing more info in the coming weeks!

Much love <3,

The Stormworks Developers



Patch Notes

v1.1.4-6

Feature - added AI helicopters add-on
Fix - reduced exhaust production on modular engines
Fix - improved modular engine passive cooling
Fix - rendering modular engine starter belts
Fix - updated fluid gantries
Fix - increased air scoop pressure
Fix - renamed torque tooltip to RPS

Dear Stormworkers,

Many thanks to all those players who have given us clear feedback to the latest update! With your help we have been working hard making several improvements! If you have feedback, let us know in a clear way with reproducible steps on the issues board.

Some of you have been asking us questions throughout the week and we will share the answers here:

Should modular engines and other Stormworks features reflect real life units, and values?



No. In Stormworks, we model lots of systems and mechanics to work in a real time game simulation, While the systems are based on reality, it's impossible to accurately model everything as if it was real life, in a video game. We balance systems to reflect real life, with simplifications, and balanced to work as a game.

Should modular engines overheat?



Yes. Overheating is a feature of classic and modular engines (unless you turn it off in the creative menu!). In modular engines, heat generation is directly proportional to fuel combusted. Engines under load and at high RPS will burn a lot of fuel and so heat up quickly. Manage the rate of fuel burn to manage the engine temperature. Check out the examples in the presets section for examples including coolant systems.

Overheating can be avoided by combusting less fuel, and circulating more cool water through the coolant manifolds.

What is next?



Thank you for asking because we are really excited to tell you! We are working on loads of the top features from the most recent poll, including AI ships and aircraft, nuclear reactors, steam engines, and weapons! We are really excited about all of it, and will be releasing these updates throughout this year. It is a really exciting set of features that were highly voted for by players (at least 2,500 votes each!) in the most recent poll.

A few weeks ago we released the 2021 roadmap and that still stands, although the order of updates could change if you want them to. Now is the time to let us know your thoughts and feedback about what you want to see in the upcoming updates, how you want the mechanics to work, There is still plenty of time for us to integrate community feedback so we would love to know what you think.



As always, we continue to work hard on fixing issues and making improvements to existing features. Please see below for the latest patch notes.

Much love <3,

The Stormworks Developers



Patch Notes

v1.1.4

Feature - Updates to fluid gantries
Feature - Added exhaust tooltip to cylinders
Balance - Reduced exhaust production
Balance - Increase intake scoop pressure
Balance - Increased passive cooling rate
Fix - Engines now passively cool when holding no coolant
Fix - Modular engine belt rendering when mirrored
Fix - Renamed torque node labels from Power to RPS

Dear Stormworkers,

The modular engines major update is now live!

Thank you to all the players who helped shape this update with their thoughts and feedback, and those who helped test on the experimental branch of the game. Thank you also to all those players who voted for this update on the issues board and the Discord polls!



Modular engines are a series of new Stormworks blocks that allow you to design and build your engine the way you want. You place crankshaft blocks, pistons, air, fuel, exhaust, and cooling manifolds. There are also clutches, flywheels, power manifolds, starters, alternators, pumps, gearboxes, new radiators and heat exchangers. You can arrange these components how you wish, to design your own combustion engine.

You will need to consider fuel and air mixture ratios to control the power and efficiency of your engine. You will need to consider engine cooling so that your engine does not overheat. Engine size, flywheels, and RPS affect the torque and power output. You can boost engine performance using a supercharger or air scoop to pressurize the air entering the engine.



We hope you enjoy all the new components and systems, and we can't wait to hear your thoughts and feedback and see what engines you create!

Much love <3,

The Stormworks Developers



Patch Notes

v1.1.2

Feature - Modular Engine Parts!
Parts include:
Crankshafts
Pistons
Engine Manifolds
Air Intake Manifold
Fuel Intake Manifold
Exhaust Manifolds
Coolant Manifolds
Drive Belts
Clutches
Flywheels
Starter
Alternator
Fluid Pump
New Gearboxes
Electric Radiators
Air-Air Heat Exchangers
Air-Liquid Heat Exchangers
Liquid-Liquid Heat Exchangers
and more!

An example modular engine has been included in presets.

Dear Stormworkers,

The modular engines major update will release in less than a week, on Thursday the 18th February 2021 at 17:00 UTC!

This long-awaited and most requested new feature brings the ability to design and build your own engines, from modular parts.

Over the last weeks and months, we have been developing this new major update and sharing our progress live on the experimental branch of the game. We want to thank the many players who have given their thoughts and feedback and helped shape this update.



The new modular engines give players the ability to build smaller and larger engines than ever before, arrange, shape and fit their engines to the form of their vehicle, and tune the behaviour and performance of their engines with the various new modules. While these engines may be more complex to design and build, they can be more powerful and efficient.

The old engines will remain unchanged in the game, for simpler and quicker building where required.

We can't wait to share this major release.



We are also releasing a hotfix addressing several issues and making several improvements. Please see below for the full patch notes.

What is next?

We are already working on the 2 most popular items on the most recent features poll, with over 3,000 votes each, nuclear reactors and modular weapons. We have been releasing the 5th most popular item (AI ships, planes, helicopters) as minor updates, and have other big features planned for this year.



Join us on the official Discord for the big major update launch on Thursday!

Much love <3,

The Stormworks Developers

v1.0.34

Fix - Character teleportation bug (Causing twilight zoning)
Fix - Secondary physics transforms after teleporting a vehicles
Hanging seat, Ski, and all wheels
Fix - Scripts ticking while simulation is paused
Fix - Rotor blade mesh issues
Fix - Rotor blade angle when mirrored
Fix - Rotor definition force, mass and cost
Fix - Rotor counter-torque not scaling with blade count
Fix - Phantom force after all rotors are destroyed
Fix - Added rotors to tech tree
Fix - Explosion fuse ignoring random time component
Fix - Scene ticking using camera transform in place of player transform
Fix - Custom vehicle tooltips only appearing on non-editable vehicles

Lua Api:
Added x, y, z = getAITarget(character_id)
added setVehicleShowOnMap(vehicle_id, is_show)

Dear Stormworkers,

This week we bring coaxial and advanced rotor mechanics to the main branch of the game!

Over the last week we have been hard at work, listening to your ideas and feedback, improving, extending, and updating the new coaxial rotors!

We have added a full set of rotors, from small size to large, light and heavy versions, as a similar set to the old rotors.



Some of the new rotors have cylinder and cone versions, so they can be arranged cosmetically as well, with cones stacking neatly on the top of the intermediate cylinders.

In response to player feedback on the experimental branch, we have addressed the balance of yaw force so that rotors drag enough to put a helicopter into a spin, in a similar way to that of a real helicopter with failed tail rotor.

The rotor size slider has been added to allow fine adjustment of your rotor blades, to achieve the exact size and look that you are looking for with your rotary wing aircraft.

All the new features discussed last week are included in this new release including power transmission so rotors can be stacked, coaxial rotors, yaw force and rotor drag, and more.



We can't wait to see the new creations you make with these new parts, and the old aircraft you upgrade and improve with these new parts!

As always, we continue to work hard improving the quality of the game with bug fixes and improvements. Please see the patch notes below.

Stay tuned for future posts on the upcoming modular engines, modular weapons, and other big updates that we are working on!

Much love <3,

The Stormworks Developers



v1.0.33

Feature - New Advanced/Coaxial Rotors
An update to the Stormworks rotors with sleeker designs, anti-torque force, blade size adjustment, stackability, and better support for intermeshing!

Rework - Added mission and Env-Mod as optional tags when uploading addon to workshop (defaults to Env-Mod if neither selected)
Rework - Relocatted Edit Playlist Lua button to the top toolbar, which now stays active while editing

Fix - Radar detection for rotated bodies
Fix - setVehiclePos zero-ing out rotation
Fix - Crash when returning a burning vehicle to workbench
Fix - Worldpsace ui popups always being visible
Fix - Editor warnings breaking when editing a connected microprocessor

Lua Api
========

Added server.save([savename]) function
An issue with the function has already been reported by #experimental Stormworkers and the Devs are working on a fix.

Dear Stormworkers,

Many of you have been asking for better rotor mechanics with rotor drag, more compact rotor assemblies, variable blade length, and torque pass-through to be able to build coaxial rotors. Many of you have even been creating incredible coaxial helicopters despite needing awkward pipes feeding the upper rotors.

We are currently working on all of these new features, and are sharing early versions of the new advanced rotors on experimental branch.

Existing helicopters and the existing rotors will continue to work in the same way as before.



The new, advanced rotors create rotary drag, causing a yaw force. The rotors spinning drag on the air as they rotate. This drag depends on the size of the rotor, and the angle at which it is slicing through the air. Without a tail or other force to counteract this drag, the helicopter would go into a spin. Tail rotors will now be mechanically essential to conventional helicopter designs to balance this force, and damaging a tail rotor will cause the helicopter to enter a spin in a similar way to a real helicopter.

The new rotors remove the blocks at their base, instead connecting the rotor axis directly to a torque pipe. This gives more power and flexibility to vehicle designers, reclaiming vital blocks at a critical area of the helicopter. This will make it easier to fit in other components and produce more compact helicopter designs.



Tweaking the size of your rotors is frequently requested, and an important feature for getting the right scale and feel for your rotors. Blades will be able to tweak their scale in a similar way to changing the size of wheels, where you can adjust the size, perhaps +/- 20% per rotor type.

Coaxial rotors will now be possible by simply stacking rotors on top of each other. Power can be passed through lower rotors to the upper ones, and the lack of block base and new meshes make these new rotors a lot more in-fitting and visually appropriate. Coaxial rotors can spin in opposite directions, creating drag that counteracts each other. They can be yawed by increasing the collective on one rotor set while decreasing on the other to imbalance the drag.



We look forward to your thoughts and feedback on the new advanced rotors! We will continue to test this new feature, as well as others on experimental and look forward to bringing it to the main branch of the game soon.

In case you missed it, a few weeks ago we announced that we are working with Microprose on the sequel to Carrier Command. If you are interested in game design and development, we have a series of posts discussing calling in fire support, the helm, remote vehicle control, inventory, manufacturing, logisitics, and more.

Meanwhile, we continue to work on modular engines, modular weapons, as well as a broad range of fixes and other improvements to the game.

Much love <3,

The Stormworks Developers

Dear Stormworkers,

This week, we are adding new tools for optimizing the physics performance of your vehicles!

Performance optimization tools are something that have been frequently requested, and we have been listening carefully! Thanks to all players who let us know they were looking for better optimization!

Read more about optimizing your vehicles in Stormworks.

F2 Physics Tool

The F2 physics visualization tool is back! This is a developer tool, but we have re-added this as it can be useful to players. When pressing F2, your vehicles will render in physics display mode. Each physics shape is shown in a different color, so you can easily see how Stormworks is building the physics representation of your vehicle.



How Does Stormworks Build The Physics Shapes?

Stormworks uses our own, internally developed technology to turn hundreds of thousands of voxels into a much smaller number of convex physics shapes. This process is lossless, so the physics representation is still fully detailed and accurate.

The algorithm is sensitive to how you have built up the shapes in your vehicle, and some arrangements of blocks are much easier to simplify than others.



Physics Flooding Block

We have added a new block that will flood internal compartments within your vehicles with physics - without adding weight. This is extremely useful for flooding internal areas of your vehicles such as inaccessible areas of your ships hull. Filling these zones makes it much easier for the physics system to optimize your shapes!

Using the block is simple. Simply place the new physics flood block within the enclosed compartment, and make sure there are no wedges or pyramids within the inside of this compartment. The physics system will now have a much easier time creating simpler, faster physics for your vehicle!

Our own testing has shown that just a few minutes placing these blocks can improve physics on most vehicles by at least 20%.



We can't wait to hear what players think of these new tools and what performance gains you can find!

We are also planning another Question and Answer session! Please submit your constructive and short questions here thank you for submitting your questions! We have now recorded the video.

Please see the changelog for the usual list of fixes and improvements.

Much love <3,

The Stormworks Developers

v1.0.29

Feature - Physics Flooder Optimisation Block
Feature - Fluid Spawner spawn level property
Feature - F2 Physics Debug Mode

Rework - Scripts are now initialized before Env Mod creation rather than during
Rework - Tutorial Starter Boat Optimisation
Rework - Editor Warnings Speed Optimisation

Fix - Added a heat zone to the Beginner Island House
Fix - Editor Warnings Undo/Redo issues
Fix - Editor Warnings reloading issues
Fix - Mutex issue that possibly caused blackscreen on world load
Fix - Vehicles Twilight zoning due to secondary physics after teleporting
Fix - Crash when object is spawned without its secondary physics
Fix - Solid Rocket Nozzles and Jet Engines often failing to destroy their ghost physics fully (Occasional Crash/Lag)
Fix - Fractional component masses showing as rounded numbers in the component inventory
Fix - Removed Empty option on fluid spawners
Fix - Crash when a vehicle's ghost objects are destroyed in the Addon Editor
Fix - Intermittent crash when disconnecting a rope and despawning the vehicle
Fix - Vastly improved network efficiency for setVehicleButton and setVehicleDial

Addon Lua API Update Changes:

Functions that were directly updated and need replacing in scripts
===
spawnVehicle -> spawnAddonVehicle
spawnVehicleAppData -> spawnVehicle
getLocationIndexByName -> getLocationIndex
onSpawnMissionComponent -> onSpawnAddonComponent

Functions that were combined and may need replacing in scripts
===
getPlaylistIndexCurrent() / getPlaylistIndexByName(name) -> getAddonIndex([name])

Functions that updated but still retain their previous form as an alias
===
getPlaylistPath -> getAddonPath
spawnMissionLocation -> spawnAddonLocation
spawnThisPlaylistMissionLocation -> spawnThisAddonLocation
spawnMissionComponent -> spawnAddonComponent
getPlaylistCount -> getAddonCount
getPlaylistData -> getAddonData

New Functions
===
getVehicleData(vehicle_id)

Dear Stormworkers,

Stormworks is a featured Weekend Deal on Steam with 20% off!

This is the first Steam discount ever for Stormworks, after over 3 years on Steam. We have held off doing discounts and promotions until now, but Valve recently reached out to us, suggesting we be one of the Weekend Deals. This is a great opportunity to get on the front page and let more players know about Stormworks!

If you or your friends have not got Stormworks yet, this weekend is a great opportunity to get it, as we can't say when the next discount will be. Buy now at the discounted price!



Thank you to all the players who have supported the game and made Stormworks what it is. There are over 90,000 creations on the workshop, with many creations having over 20,000 subscribers! The average player has over 75 hours of playtime, which is incredibly high on Steam, and as we all know, many players have several thousand hours.

Your creativity and skill is what makes Stormworks special. Thank you.



We will continue to develop the fixes, improvements, and new features to make Stormworks as great as we can. We are really excited to see what player creations the future brings.

Much love <3,

The Stormworks Developers