“So what’s a light-year?”“Well, same as the regular year, just with less calories!” - ElPablo

Greetings colonists,

We all emerged from cryosleep 71 days ago and have been trying to survive in the Hellion system since then (some have told us that they are still trying to dock their modules). From that day forward, our goal has been to connect players and developers and foster a culture of continuous learning, sharing and exchange of ideas, and to be as transparent as we can, regarding the development process. By now an enthusiastic, creative and helpful community is emerging, and that is something that we wanted to see in Hellion. With each new character creation, a new story begins. A story written and told by players themselves.

Thus, today we are starting a new community series - Community Spotlight! A lot of very interesting things have come our way, and it’s worth showing if off; you have shown us unexpected ways to play Hellion, and we couldn’t be more excited. So, from now on we’ll feature the faculae of the Hellion star: being videos,screenshots, activities,etc.


Base building has been a focus for many people over the past two months, but so far player Comatose/ Harley fugate definitely takes the 1st place with his ring shaped station:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YxHTDc9sKQ
(P.S. – We’ll fix the docking ports so it truly is a ring :D)


Since launch, Hellion communities have popped up around the world and we had received word from player groups in France, Italy, UK, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Russia. All of them are coming up with interesting ways to enjoying Hellion’s Early Access experience. This time we’ll feature what the Russian player base came up with - contest for the best story log.

"Imagine a situation where you and your team are facing imminent disaster in the cruel world of Hellion. What message do you have left in the logbook?"

Here is the winning log by Vitaly Eraz:

..static...
Day 37 after waking up. Two survivors. Iren, Bonzo… To anyone, who finds this. This is Iren. 48 hours ago, on an asteroid, coordinates: 120.46700.340, during mining operation to replenish our oxygen supply, a brown crystal formation was found. In the atmosphere of our airlock, the crystal evaporated within seconds, and was then absorbed by the air filters. We heard a depressurization siren after approximately 15 minutes. Looks like airtight seals can`t maintain normal pressure anymore. I have no idea, what`s happened.. Neither I nor Bonzo, our geologist, had ever seen that kind of material before. The pressure in the habitation module dropped to half atmo. We have only one EVA suit. We draw straws.
...static...


...static...
Day 38. Bonzo, no! I drew the short straw! I have to.. Why are you...[crying]
...static…


...static...
Day 39. This is Iren, sole survivor. Bonzo surprised me. He locked himself in the airlock, and then pulled the emergency lever. Oxygen in my suit might be enough for 15 minutes... I still can’t believe it.
...static...


Hellion might still be in early alpha, but that didn’t stop players from enjoying its scenery. Here are several user made screenshots uploaded to a forum thread “Beautiful Hellion”.


- by Spinfx

- by Yama

- by ElPablo

- by THOR_AGENA

How do you turn this on?

Finally here’s this week’s featured guide, with a basic introduction to Newtonian Physics by BiGEdge

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=878190730


And that’s it for this edition of community spotlight, we thank all survivors for their awesome contributions! If you’d like to get involved join the community on Blog, Forum, Reddit, Facebook or Twitter.

Until the next transmission, fly safe and have fun!
Zero Gravity Team

Hello colonists,

It’s been a little over two months since Hellion’s Early Access launch, so we wanted to do a short recap of our space journey so far. We have worked hard to try and create an exceptional and unique feeling of space. And you all, who are fighting hard to survive in the unforgiving black, you recognized the full potential of Hellion. It is with great satisfaction that we read through the many reports detailing your adventures in the world of Hellion. Thank you so much for the amazing support!

Nevertheless, we are fully aware that some problems are still preventing a lot of players from enjoying the game. Those problems can be categorized as bugs, lag, framerate and server issues. Up until now our team was mostly focused on bug fixing and small gameplay improvements. Moving forward, we will shift our attention towards optimizing and improving server stability. The idea is to build a stable base which is needed for the planned EA content updates.

That’s why today we want to share with you the steps we are taking in order to optimize the game and allow everyone to enjoy the thrilling experience that Hellion can offer.

Hellion’s optimization will occur in two phases.


Main Server Stability

As many of you have noticed, our main server grew somewhat unstable over the last few weeks and, as we had mentioned in one of our previous posts, we had taken steps to deal with this problem permanently and prevent these issues from happening in the future. In order to achieve this, we are preparing a migration to a much more stable infrastructure. This goes hand in hand with new monitoring and measuring tools which will shorten our response time and allow us to identify potential problems before they happen. The final step in increasing stability is the introduction of a backup server that will take over in case of emergency and eliminate downtime while our team fixes the problem.

Server clutter cleanup

Our main goal here is to address lag spikes and massive FPS drops that occur as a result of clutter accumulating on servers. Implementation of proper cleaning procedures is expected to provide an immediate boost in server performance.

Starting Scene Cleanup

Implementing a system for deleting unused starting scenes will further reduce stress on our servers and improve their performance.


Ship Movement Rework

It is another burning issue that we are aware of. The main objective here is to reduce “input lag” and make ship/module movements more responsive, without adding strain on the server, or causing rubber banding and “bumping”.

Occlusion culling

Finally we want to talk about “occlusion culling”, a technique that avoids rendering objects occluded by other objects or those not in player’s FOV. Due to the orbital mechanics in Hellion, that causes all scenes to constantly move in relation to each other, all objects are regarded as dynamic, preventing the game from using Unity’s built in optimization systems.

Most of the optimization that Hellion uses at the moment relies heavily on the manual work by our level designers, who need to manually set optimization conditions for each scene. As an example, while a player is inside the ship a condition is set to prevent the game from rendering the ship’s hull. However when a player is inside a room with a window (like the bridge) at least part of the hull needs to remain visible. This had forced us to work around these issues and develop new optimization techniques from scratch.

That’s all for today survivors. Until next time, fly safe and stay tuned for more information and content updates.

See you in Hellion,
Zero Gravity Team

Hellion patch 0.1.12 will be released on April 27. Servers will be down from 10:00 UTC until 11:00 UTC. Servers will be wiped to ensure proper patch deployment.

For private servers:
- update your server and game client
- delete server save files


• Undocking rework – Players can now detach grappled modules directly by only using the cockpit lever. When undocking ship from the station airlock only one lever needs to be pulled (either from the station airlock or ship airlock). Modules attached to the station still require pulling both levers.

• Ship HUD rework – completely reworked the ship’s HUD.
1. Crosshair will now change color depending on your actions:

• approaching an object - blue
  
• moving away from object – red
  
• matched speed to object – green.

2. Lateral speed indicator color changed to red, the indicator also updates much faster and should better track your actions
3. Added ETA bar indicator – ETA bar should help players better judge their approach speed.

• ETA timer automatically changes estimated arrival time between 3 presets (100m to 1km – 30s, 1km – 10km 100s, 10km to 100km – 300s)
  
• Bracket indicators dynamically change based on relative speed and distance to target to show optimal approach speed.

• ENV monitor improvements – Pressure and air quality indicators will turn red when air is unbreathable.

• NAV map unknown objects – Objects that are close enough for scan to show orbit but too far to show proper ID will be marked as unknown on the NAV map. They will remain labeled as unknown until players approach them and scan for proper ID.

• Throw strength indicator - Moved to the left side of the screen


Fixed: Pressure loss when undocking
Fixed: Air Quality dropping in both ship and station when docked
Fixed: HUD not correctly showing position for objects 10km away
Fixed: Object naming quick fix
Fixed: Players not dying when helmet is lowered and jet pack oxygen drops to 1%
Fixed: Parts in suit falling out after respawning and causing inventory problems


https://www.playhellion.com/forum/discussion/33/known-bugs#latest

What’s up space survivors? It’s Tuesday and most of ZG is still working on improvements, optimization and getting ready for Thursday patch deployment. Still we’ve managed to find time to share a bit more info about the 0.2 content update. Some of you may have noticed that we’ve mentioned some customization options in our last blog about the Crew Quarters module. What we did not say is what those options exactly are, or what players can expect. So today we will be talking about customization and security improvements.

Let’s start off with security and personalization. With 0.2 players can expect some additional options for restricting access to their outposts or ships. The new security interface will allow you to claim abandoned ships and outpost as your own and authorize other players as crew members. Only the ship’s captain has full security clearance and can set authorization level for others and only authorized personnel can open locked doors and access locked systems aboard the ship. Should players happen to come across a ship or outpost belonging to others, they will need to hack their way in (better bring a few hacking tools) to remove authorization if they plan to successfully take over.



Still no security system would be complete without some personalization, so in addition to setting authorization levels, captains will also have the option to rename their ship/station. The new name will be shown on the contact list along with the ship’s original system ID. In case players try to rename their ship to evade pursuers, the system ID will still give them away as it is unique for each ship.

Of course once you have claimed something for yourself it is time to give it that “unique” look. Most customization options that we’ve mentioned in our Crew Quarters post also extend to ships and stations. While exploring the world of Hellion players will be able to find various customization items that can be placed inside ships and modules. Some of these include posters, pictures, emblems, logos, etc. In addition to premade items, players will also have the option of placing written messages. Just pick one of the fonts, type your text and place it on the wall. Oh and did we forget to mention that you can customize both interior and exterior?



Well that’s all for Tuesday! Fly safe and make sure to come back tomorrow and check the new patch notes.

Zero Gravity Team

Greetings survivors and welcome back to another 0.2 content preview. This time we’re going to talk about the Crew Quarters module, a place where your character can relax and take a break from the many hardships of space.

As the name states the crew quarters module is exactly what you might expect it to be. Whatever your needs are Altair Corporation’s got you covered. Want an extra cryopod? Check. Want additional storage space? You got it. A bed to lie down after a hard day’s work? Yup. A hidden stash where you can store your valuables and precious loot? Sure why not! And no crew quarters would be complete without some customization options. After all, what good is a private space if you can’t pin a poster on the wall, add some trinkets or maybe even a full blown painting if that’s your thing?



We really wanted to give players a number of options when it comes to customizing their havens and let them create a truly unique environment that stands out compared to the rest of the base. So, when several people are working together, each player can have their own personalized area.



With the rework of the spawning mechanics coming with the 0.2 update, finding these modules will require some extra effort and might not be without dangers. Additionally, abandoned crew quarter sections may also contain hints and clues that will reveal bits and pieces of the background story and lore, allowing players to start unraveling the mystery behind the disaster of the colonization effort.

That's all for today folks. Fly safe and keep an eye out for more information regarding updates and 0.2 content,
Zero Gravity Team

Hello space survivors. Here’s another quick announcement regarding Hellion’s update schedule. As many of you know we’ve been updating the game at least once a week with new patches and bugfixes. Now we’ve come to a point where updating the game once a week is becoming difficult. So starting this week we will move Hellion’s update schedule to a two week timer. Expect a new update next week, rather than tomorrow.

One of the main reasons for this change is that some of the fixes and improvements that we are working on at the moment, like optimization, UI improvements and balancing are complex enough to demand more time for fine tuning and testing before they are implemented.

That’s all for today! Fly safe and stay tuned for more information regarding Hellion’s upcoming 0.2 content update!

Zero Gravity Team

Hellion patch 0.1.11 will be released on April 13. Servers will be down from 10:00 UTC until 11:00 UTC. Servers will be wiped to ensure proper patch deployment.

For private servers:
- update your server and game client
- delete server save files





• Docking interface rework – Completely overhauled the docking UI. Radar was added to help with orientation. Added visual (bar) and numerical indicators for rotation angle, directional speed and lateral speed (vertical and horizontal). Overall with the new system docking should be much more user friendly, as there is no longer any “eyeballing” of speed and offset.
• Ship spawn ant outpost tweak – New ships at random outposts are now called by activating outpost’s distress signal function. ENV monitors will show “rescue ship inbound” with a proper timer once distress call is activated. Default timer is set to 30min from activating a distress call. Keep in mind that a new ship will not spawn if there already is a ship near the outpost.

For private servers – added option to manually adjust ship arrival timer in server config by using:
Command for private servers
arena_ship_respawn_timer=1800
Note: Time is in seconds, default time is 30min.

• EVA helmet tweak – EVA helmet can be taken off and placed inside a secondary slot on the suit
• Windowed mode tweak – Added option to resize the window when playing in windowed mode
• Looting dead characters - pressing L when looking at a dead character will bring up a menu with lootable items
• Changed dead character despawning mechanics and timers – when a dead character despawns all items are removed with the body. Despawn timers are as follows:
- when all items have been looted from the body – 5min
- when inside the random outpost - 30min
- when outside of ship/module – 3h
- when inside ship/module – 24h

• Added airlock function to ship’s cargo hold – It is now possible to pressurize/depressurize the ship’s cargo bay
• Mining canisters now show proper notification when full -
• Helmet UI improvements - helmet HUD automatically hides when interacting with a panel. It will only show low oxygen warning as necessary


Fixed: Optimized FPS when docking multiple modules. Overall, players should experience little or no FPS loss after docking one or more modules.
Fixed: Removing suit with items in pockets
Fixed: Picking up suit with items in it
Fixed: Undocking ship from other ship (Airlock to Airlock) ship HUD disappears
Fixed: Directional and Lateral Speed – Correction when multiple objects in range
Fixed: Radar / Dir, Lat and position not showing after relog in space
Fixed: Sound / Missing LS node sound on ship
Fixed: Match target velocity / 2x ships
Fixed: Module / PSM not showing correct name on DS list
Fixed: Cargo interface / Air Generator Oxygen Tank rename
Fixed: Missing ship registration number on radar
Fixed: Choose spawn point bug


https://www.playhellion.com/forum/discussion/33/known-bugs#latest

Today we are going to discuss various ship systems, the parts they use as well as resources that you are constantly running out of. More specifically, we are going to talk about what we plan to do with them in preparation for the new content update.

Functional systems are essential for surviving in the world of Hellion, as without them you will inevitably die of asphyxiation and other things, but mostly from asphyxiation. As such, maintaining them represents an important part of the core gameplay experience and should be one of the main reasons that drives players to explore and raid others. This is one of the main reasons why we want to do a full systems rebalance prior to releasing 0.2 content update.

One of the problems at the moment is that most systems are something that you just switch on and then forget about, with the exception of Life Support. Once your power supply is working, capacitor is charging and the FTL drive is online, there is little or no need to ever check back on them. We aim to change this in a meaningful way. We want players to feel the difference between a ‘fully working’ and a ‘barely operational’ system, as well as how multiple systems function together and how problems with one system can cause a cascade that affects multiple parts of the ships and stations. To do this we plan to rebalance their resource consumption and the speed of part degradation (along with degradation conditions). Idea is to make them more dynamic without turning maintenance into a chore. By doing this the resources that these systems rely on for proper operation become more important, as damaged systems tend to consume resources rather inefficiently, adding to the value of those resources and parts. So based on the state of ship’s systems some players may find deuterium more valuable than oxygen.


The second on the list are changes to the current spawning mechanics. Having some random stuff is cool, but having too much randomness can hinder gameplay. Our goal here is to make certain regions more appealing based on what you are currently looking for. Rifles and ammo won’t spawn randomly any more. The same goes for hacking tools, mining equipment and system parts. We want players to have a general idea where they should be looking for specific parts and equipment, rather than just relying on “blind chance”. This is also true for resources. All of them will no longer be readily available at your nearest space rock, but will actually require some effort on the player’s side.

The third step is rebalancing station modules. As several players have noticed expanding your base doesn’t really bring many benefits aside from added spawn points. The changes that are in store will make each and every module feel important. Having a Power Supply or Command module attached to your base will expand its functionality with options that you otherwise wouldn’t have. The same goes for Cargo bay and Life Support. This means that some functions currently found aboard the lifeboat and starting ship will be transferred over to specific modules.

Final part of this process is reworking the UI according to the above changes so it can show all the relevant information to the players and alert them when a malfunction is imminent.

Fly safe,
Zero Gravity team

It’s been a few very busy weeks for everyone at the office and judging by the “to do list”, it doesn’t look like we will be catching a break any time soon. Our “War on Bugs” campaign is continuing and it looks like our team is finally getting the upper hand in this uphill battle. While most of our guys are busy pushing back the onslaught of various digital insects a small detachment is preparing a counteroffensive for when the tide of battle finally turns.

Now let’s take a look at what that small team is actually planning for the 0.2 content update. Some of the features you can expect are mostly cosmetic in nature, while others bring improvements and new gameplay mechanics. One of the new features are large derelict stations, that we fondly call “doomed outposts”. Why “doomed” you ask? Well how else would you call a station that is about to crash headfirst (bridge first?) into a gas giant ;)



These ruined stations, roughly the size of your regular arena, will require some skill and gear in order to explore as they are entirely in zero-g. However, keep in mind that exploring them won’t be without dangers. After all, you and your ship will be in the same decaying orbit while exploring. So you can imagine what happens if you are not fast enough, or if you run into some unexpected trouble, like a hostile player or something else… Still we don’t want you to get the impression that these “world events” are all pain and no gain. These outposts will contain some rather rare and interesting loot that will be well worth the risk.



So what’s in store for next week? Well, while many of you have been wondering about the new content, others have been more concerned with balancing and various gameplay issues. These will be addressed in our next post that will go in detail about rebalancing some of the existing features and game mechanics such as systems, sub-systems, parts, resources and spawn mechanics.

That’s all for today folks. Fly safe and stay tuned for more updates coming on Monday.

Zero Gravity team

Due to today's issue with build 0.1.10 deployment, we will be deploying a hotfix tomorrow, April 7. Servers will be down from 10:00 UTC until 11:00 UTC. Additionally, servers will be wiped to ensure proper patch deployment.

For private dedicated servers:

- update your server and game client
- delete server save files