Howdy Folks!

Hope everyone had a great Halloween and a lovely week. As you may know, the Surface Control update has been on the experimental branch for a couple of weeks now and I wanted to thank everyone for the great feedback, suggestions and bug reports. For those not actively fiddling about in the experimental branch, I wanted to go over some of the cool new things that are coming in the Surface Control Update.


I’ve added a queue system to the vehicle bay. Now you can queue up to 3 vehicles to get constructed.

Craft-able equipment items can be installed on surface buildings to improve their power output, power consumption, efficiency and more. Points of interest have been added for tier II building equipment blueprints.

Vehicle construction materials has been reduced across the board to better ease the player into the surface side expansion. Tier II vehicles now require aluminium instead of steel for construction.

There are whole lot more tweaks, changes and fixes coming in the Surface Control update. The content update should be releasing on the main branch sometime next week.

Thanks everyone and have a great weekend! Be sure to follow and/or support Mercury Fallen development below.

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Howdy Folks!

Hope everyone is have a great start to their week. I’m super excited to announce that the Surface Control update is now on the experimental branch. There is still some more development to be done, but it’s ready for your feedback and, of course, bug reports.



The Surface Control update makes a bunch of tweaks and changes to surface visuals and mechanics.

Check out the experimental branch if you would like to help provide feedback and bug reports on the latest content.

Surface Control Experimental Info & Patch Notes | What is the Experimental Branch and how do I access it?

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Howdy Folks!

Last time I talked a bit about the roadmap and the path to the final release of Mercury Fallen. There is still a lot to do and the next update will be focusing on various changes to surface side mechanics.



After reviewing the surface content, a few changes are coming, some of which deviate from what I had originally intended. The most obvious new change is that surface resources are being updated with some shiny new visuals.

In order to better balance surface resources, I’ve decided to simplify resources into only having surface and sub-surface resources. Mining vehicles will now only be capable of mining surface resources and a mining platform will be required for sub-surface resources.

There are some changes to world generation that will be coming as well. There will be fewer overall surface side resources locations, but each one will provide, on average, far more resources. This will help to reduce surface side micromanagement. Mining speeds for mining vehicles and platforms will also have some adjustments.

There are quite few additional tweaks and changes coming. Keep an eye out for more developer logs. I’m hoping to bring this version to the experimental branch within the next week or two so keep an eye out for that as well.

Thanks for all the great feedback, suggestions and reports. Let me know what you think of some of the changes in development.

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Howdy Folks!

1.0? Wait… what? Version 1.0 is coming, but not just yet. There are a few more major updates planned to lead to 1.0. So what does it mean to be approaching 1.0, what will 1.0 include, and is this the end of the road for Mercury Fallen? Find out next time on- I mean find out right now!


There are three major content updates planned before the final 1.0 content update. While these updates have a primary focus, there will be additional content included in these updates that isn’t specifically listed in the roadmap. This is generally the case with most of my updates. Additionally there will be bug fix and tweak updates in-between the major content updates.

The 1.0 update means Mercury Fallen leaving Early Access. Leaving Early Access, however, does not mean that there won’t be further updates to the game. I will continue to add new content and fix any issues that arise. Content updates may be a bit slower once the game has left Early Access as I do have plans for future projects after Mercury Fallen.

The version 1.0 update will finalize the story campaign missions with a final goal. While the campaign will have an “ending”, this won’t mean you can’t keep playing after you’ve accomplished the final goal.

The surface content has been through quite a few revisions since it was first added to the game. Based on your feedback, this content needs some further tweaks to reduce the amount of micro-management and make it feel like less of a chore.

The Surface Control update aims to streamline how vehicles are interacted with. This should provide more autonomy to vehicles and less micro-management. In an upcoming developer log, I’ll cover this in more detail.

I recently updated the trailer for Mercury Fallen. Figured it was about time. 🙂


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Thanks everyone for the amazing feedback and support. Let me know what you think about the roadmap.

Howdy Folks!

I’m back from vacation and feeling a whole lot better. Thanks for all the support and feedback. I hit the ground running yesterday and finished up a small patch update with a few tweaks and a few fixes.


In this patch update, I’ve updated the look of the planet map hover info panel. By default hovering over objects will now show the name as well as the description of an object. Some objects will show additional information such as resources showing resource amounts and vehicles showing their current action.

Moving forward I’ll be shifting gears to focus on the next larger content update. This will focus on further improvements and additions to planet side content. I’ll be covering this in more detail in the next developer log. Be sure to keep an eye out as I’ll also be covering some big news regarding the Mercury Fallen roadmap.

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Thanks, everyone for the amazing support. Certainly, let me know what you think of the new content. Check the release notes below for all the details.


Changes

• Updated the look of hover info on planet map. Planet entities now show name and description by default.
  
• Vehicles now show current action in hover info
  
• Surface resources now show resource quantities in hover info
  
• Updated look of surface resource info
  
• Updated description of mining platform
  
• Uploading a Mod no longer includes a tag for the game version

Fixes

• Fixed: Object build category not showing correct items after unlocking new items via research in some instances
  
• Fixed: Objects modified or added via a mod not appearing in a category if missing a sub-category
  
• Fixed: Models in custom artwork mods not loading correctly if there was a space in the asset path
  
• Fixed: Objects showing unreachable hover icon if all colonists are sleeping

Howdy Folks!

Thanks for all the great feedback and support. I hope everyone has had a great week and an even better weekend. I had hoped to release a smaller patch update and a developer log this week, but unfortunately, I’ve not been feeling too well.

I have some sort of cold/flu, that is not COVID, which has resulted in conjunctivitis and sinus pressure that caused fluid in both of my ears. So it hasn’t been a fun week, but I’m doing my best to recover as I’m going to be on vacation next week.

I’ll be in San Diego next week visiting some friends. While I’m away, I’ll still be checking in on the forums, discord and social media.

I’m looking forward to feeling better, some relaxation and completing more work when I return. Thanks again everyone and have a great weekend!


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Patch Update 33.6 has a few fixes and a big change to the object build menu.


I say this a lot these days, but this one has been on my to-do list for a long time. I’ve reworked the object build menu items slightly and added sub-categories. This should help to organize the objects better and help you more quickly find what you’re looking for.

The storage category has been removed. Storage items are now in sub-categories that are more relevant to what the storage container is used for.

The latest feedback survey is now available. If you have a moment, certainly let me know what you think. It really helps to know what you like and what you don’t. Thanks for all the great feedback so far!

Feedback Survey

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Changes

• Updated day/time text on the planet map to use improved text rendering like other ui elements
  
• Updated the look of items in the build object menu
  
• Build object menu broken down into sub-categories
  
• Some objects in the build menu are now in a different category
  
• Removed storage build category
  
• Object build info on planet map no longer shows size info as it’s not relevant
  
• Water traps are no longer required to be placed at the edge of water tiles.
  
• Colonists will now avoid standing in the same tile as another colonist in some instances

Fixes

• Fixed: Incorrect audio for remove button on new game colonist section
  
• Fixed: Shortcut for mining/deconstructing toggling visibility of mining/deconstruction filters instead of changing mining/deconstruction mode
  
• Fixed: Pressing the shortcut for mining/deconstruct with planet map open makes keyboard movement stop working for planet map.
  
• Fixed: Aquarium food level text doesn’t update color when receiving food while info panel is open

Howdy Folks!

The recent summer sale has brought in a whole bunch of new players and I want to relay a huge thanks for all the great feedback I’ve received. It’s awesome to hear what you like and what you don’t so I can continue to make Mercury Fallen the best it can be.

As mentioned in the previous update I’m currently focusing on a series of smaller patch updates to add some “smaller” features, changes and fixes. Patch update 33.5 isn’t quite the laundry list the last patch was, but it has some fun new additions and important fixes.


Squirrelled away in a new tab of the planet map interface lies the map filters. These filters allow you to toggle the visibility of various planet map features such as resources, POIs and buildings. This can be helpful to declutter the map if you’re looking for a specific thing.

The eye dropper tool now works on the planet map. Shift clicking an existing building will put you into build mode so you can quickly build more.


I’ve added a duplicate button to colonist schedules. This allows you to duplicate any existing schedule instead of only being able to create a new, default, schedule.

There are a couple more changes and some important fixes. Check out the release notes below for the full list. Thanks everyone and certainly let me know what you think of the new changes as well as what you would like to see in Mercury Fallen.

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• Added planet map filters that are available in the new options tab. Planet map filters allow you to quickly toggle the visibility of different entities.
  
• Updated the look of item tooltips
  
• Eye dropper (shift+lmb) now works for surface structures
  
• Added arrows to new game section buttons
  
• Can now duplicate existing colonist schedules by pressing the duplicate button on a schedule
  
• Fixed: Construction queue not showing correct order if using the High Priority button for surface structures
  
• Fixed: Shift Clicking on the surface map causes object construction info to appear in some instances
  
• Fixed: Shift-clicking on the surface map while in vehicle move mode causes the vehicle to teleport to the bottom left corner of the map
  
• Fixed: Mining selection audio becoming increasingly louder in some instances
  
• Fixed: Background of lower hud bar now blocking mouse clicks

Howdy Folks!

A huge thanks for all the feedback and support. Great to see all of the new and existing players enjoying Mercury Fallen. Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been working on tweaking and fixing a whole bunch of things. There are still more tweaks and fixes in development, but I wanted to get a bunch of them out the door now.

There are more tweaks and fixes coming, but keep an eye out for the next Developer Log where I’ll cover some of the larger changes and additions in development. Thanks everyone and have fun out there!

Check out the release notes below.

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Changes

• Replaced mining selection audio effect
  
• Updated or added UI audio effects to provide better consistency
  
• Color picker will now close if clicking the color button again or selecting a color
  
• Botanists harvesting wild crops will now drop the crop on the ground instead of putting it in their inventory. This allows them to move on to gathering more crops instead of bringing the items back immediately.
  
• Solid fuel generator will no longer consume fuel if not connected to a power network
  
• Solid fuel generator will no longer consume fuel if there are no active consumers on it’s power network
  
• Aquarium now shows the Drop Harvest On Ground toggle when waiting for egg delivery. This matches the behavior seen in algae farm, crop field and aeroponics farm.
  
• Added Drop Harvest On Ground toggle to water trap
  
• Decreased base efficiency of water trap.
  
• Robot equipment items now have a separate item category called robot equipment
  
• Robots now have their own selection sound effect
  
• Secret audio effects that occur on specific dates

Fixes :: Language Strings

• Fixed: Missions header language string not working
  
• Fixed: Missing language string for Disable All Mods button. Added language string: modmgr.disableallmods.btn
  
• Fixed: Missing language string for new save game button in save game list. Added language string: savegame.createnewsave.label
  
• Fixed: Missing language string for track/untrack button tooltip. Added language strings: uiwinmissions.trackmission.tt, uiwinmissions.untrackmission.tt
  
• Fixed: Missing language string for randomize button on new game interface. Added language string: uigen.randomize
  
• Fixed: Attributes and quirks headers in new game interface not using existing language string data

Fixes :: Audio

• Fixed: Toggle buttons playing click effect audio multiple times when clicked or being played when toggle is being initialized
  
• Fixed: Incorrect audio effect for key remap buttons
  
• Fixed: Incorrect audio effects for load game list items
  
• Fixed: Incorrect audio effects for save game list items
  
• Fixed: Incorrect audio effect for game menu button click
  
• Fixed: Missing UI audio effects for various UI controls

Fixes :: Misc

• Fixed: Mining selection mode not properly disabled if switching to build mode via the eye dropper function
  
• Fixed: Newly spawned robot not auto selected when activating inactive robot
  
• Fixed: Water Trap bait bonus applied even when no bait is provided
  
• Fixed: Water Trap bait tooltip says bait is required when it is not. Tooltip updated.
  
• Fixed: Assigned colonist as trainer for Memory Transfer Station preferring to use other training equipment when they should be training.
  
• Fixed: Custom scenario missing iron ingots in default supplies
  
• Fixed: Several formatting mistakes in story dialogs
  
• Fixed: Last column of color picker cut off by scroll bar
  
• Fixed: No Water hover icon appearing over objects that aren’t constructed yet
  
• Fixed: Colonist action planning and state data not properly cleaned up. This caused memory/performance issues over longer play times.

Howdy Folks!

Hope everyone applicable had a happy and healthy 4th of July. I moved to a new apartment a couple months ago and now have a great view of the fireworks. One of the many benefits. 🙂

In other news, patch update 33.3 adds a new notification and fixes up some issues. Read the release notes below for all the changes and fixes.

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• Added notification for when a surface resource has been depleted
  
• Removed notification for vehicle mining completion
  
• Minor visual change to how patch notes are displayed
  
• Fixed: Incorrect button click audio for colonist and schedules tab buttons
  
• Fixed: Missing language strings for next/previous buttons in new game window. New Language Strings: newgame.footer.settings.btn, newgame.footer.crew.btn, newgame.footer.scenario.btn
  
• Fixed: Missing language strings for Contact & Follow and patch notes button on main menu. New Language Strings: mainmenu.patchnotes.btn, mainmenu.contact.header
  
• Fixed: Missing language string for global resource header. New Language String: uihudinv.header
  
• Fixed: Mission language string for Tracked Missions header. New Language String: uihudtrackedmissions.header.label