I just released a new patch where I have updated the Unity rendering engine version from the previous 2021 LTS (Long Term Support) version to the latest released 2022 LTS that was recently released. This update also includes patch fixes.

Note: If you are experiencing issues with this build you can roll back to the previous using the Steam Betas Tab accessible from the Steam client (games properties). The previous version can be found under the Reentry Version 0.99.RC10 branch.

Versioning
The current version of the game (0.9999.EA - zero point niner niner niner niner point echo alpha) has mostly been a joke with the community. However, I'm happy to announce that this is the final version of the game that will be using this versioning system. The next patch will roll out a new system that will follow a MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH.REL pattern, for example 0.99.1234.EA

Major Rendering Engine Update: 2021.3 to 2022.3

This is a major update as the main version of the Unity rendering engine used in the game is updated. Testing has been good so far but due to the big change, undetected issues might arise. I have spend a lot of time testing the sim, and it has been public on the alpha floor branch for the last two weeks. However, this is a massive project so please let me know if you experience something strange that used to work but no longer does.

Blocking fixes:
Some of you have reported issues with the game not launching. The update to the latest LTS version of Unity might fix this for some, but I made some good progress on finding the source based on a couple of the logs I have received. This has been related to corrupt or blank game storage files. I wrote a fix and hopefully it will fix the launch issues that some of you are experiencing.

This patch also fixes an issue where players are unable to complete the CSM Optics Academy lesson due to a problematic switch after the change of the Optics panels in the Lower Equipment Bay (LEB). This has been fixed.

Patch Notes

• Major unity rendering engine update: 2021.3 to 2022.3
  
• MOCR: SPS burn planner shows plan with nmi alt
  
• Reentry crashing on start (CTD when launching from Steam) fixes
  
• Apollo CMC Optics lesson fixes
  
• Apollo CMC Optics panel updates
  
• Gemini 220 rigid cmd fixes
  
• Gemini undocking improvements

This minor patch will correct the following issues:

• MOCR: Added RTC Operations program
  -> Commands to reset CSM and LM look angle data
  
• MOCR: Corrected the issue preventing the Status Lights to illuminate
  
• Gemini: Cockpit view delay fix

I'm back from the summer holiday and will start to correct and fix issues reported over the summer.

This minor patch will correct the following issues:

• Updated the Unity engine from 2021.3.24 -> 2021.3.26
  
• Corrected the LM Jukebox labeled COUNTDOWN HOLD
  
• Wired the warning lights on the Optics Bay DSKY
  
• Updated the Optics Bay logic and textures
  
• Removed the slight lag/delay between CSM interior camera and outside view
  
• Fixed bugs on the Gemini Career tree
  
• Made the stars more visible in Gemini
  
• Made the stars available during Gemini EVAs
  
• Corrections to AGC alarm code system
  
• Apollo CSM EMS 0.05g sensed before the Entry mode scrolls the mylar
  
• Issues with completing Gemini Campaign missions for some, added more logging to see why. If you have this issue, please share the log with me.

Again, thank you all for the quick feedback and reports! :)

On June 18th I will have a presentation where I will talk about the future of Reentry - An Orbital Simulator. I will talk about the current state of the game and what to expect for version 1.0, and announce some new features coming to the game as part of the journey to version 2.0.

Reentry has been patched to version 0.9995.EA. The Unity rendering engine has been updated to version 2021.3.24, and multiple issues has been fixed.

Patch notes:

• Unity Game Engine upgrade (2021.3.16 -> 2021.3.24)
  
• Big updates to the TEI tool
  
• ARM/SAFE logic fixes to Gemini retro jettison squibs
  
• Time scaling in VR
  
• Radio comms toggle in VR
  
• Logic corrections when trying to call lunar rendezvous and ascent tools in LEO
  
• Mission Completion logic corrections when the mission scripts completes the mission without a splashdown
  
• Text-to-speech logic updates
  
• Updates some procedures in the Gemini Pre-Launch Academy lesson
  
• Fixes to issues related to interacting with the Mercury "Jukebox"
  
• Fixed: if Gemini loses all power and power is then turned back on, the cabin lights stay dark until the switch is flicked again
  
• Log file updates

The 0.999 update is one of the last updates before the 1.0 milestone, and contains some bug fixes and a big update to the game manual.

Note: If you are experiencing issues with this update, you can always revert to an earlier build using the Steam Betas Tab.

Reentry Game Manual
The Reentry Game Manual has been updated and is accessible from the Main Menu -> Academy, or from the web site. This is the first iteration and it will be updated with fixes and new content along with game updates.


Virtual Reality - Pre-Testing 2
First of all I want to thank you for giving the new VR direction a test, even with its limited support for interactions. As mentioned before, the first iteration of VR (Pre-Testing 1) was all about device detection and HMD rendering. Testing so far has been positive and I'm happy to share that the next phase of VR has rolled out with this update - containing most of the basic systems to complete a Mercury mission (You will still need to press C to toggle the function bubbles and use keyboard to maneuver the ship etc).


Pre-Testing 2 will continue to test what Pre-Testing 1 (PT-1) had as its goal, but also adds support for interacting with a Mission Pad, reading/running checklists, controller bindings and mission commands. Keep in mind that this is still at a very basic level (as with the entire Pre-Testing phase) for Mercury only. This is because I want to limit the scope of testing to the most important matters.

The first main thing is binding support. The new VR implementation is based on the new Unity Input Actions system. So far I have added 4 bindable actions as a test to the Virtual Reality section of Main Menu -> Settings.

When rebinding, make sure you firmly execute the rebind as some controllers will also react on the "touched" event for some buttons. I have yet to filter this out for the various controllers out there, so if the binder triggers on the "touched" event, try to redo the binding until you get the button you want.

If anyone knows how to avoid this, please reach out to me on the #vr-development channel on Discord.

Note: You can also bind these events to the keyboard and other devices as well.

A dedicated mission pad for VR has been added and functions similarly to the old implementation. It can be toggled by using the left hands secondary button (can be rebound to for example the thumbstick button as in the screenshot above). You interact with it using the right hand laser pointer + trigger (same as interacting with the function bubbles). It will follow your left hand. You can run checklists from this pad, but some features are yet to be added such as the map.


Mission Commands will show as a wrist UI where you can use the RadioCommandProceed action to press "roger", or the laser pointer.


The next steps will be to also add a bindable key for toggling the function bubbles and tools to perform timescaling etc using the Mission Pad. This will be added as a minor patch very soon.


Fixes:

• Multiple fixes to the Career path nodes
  
• Corrected issues related to the FLIGHT and CAPCOM level-ups in Apollo MOCR
  
• Apollo CM comm button overlap
  
• Added OMNI D to the OMNI antenna sw
  
• UP TLM CMD switch RSET position set to momentary
  
• Removed middle pos for LM VHF receivers
  
• TEI and TLI tool corrections
  
• Profile->Capsule name line 1 and 2 fixes
  
• Mercury RCS strength corrections
  
• Mercury RCS logic corrections

Thanks to the Test Pilots, the community and to you for playing Reentry!

I will very soon start to talk about the next steps of Reentry - An Orbital Simulator, as we are crossing the 1.0 milestone - marking the beginning of a long journey towards 2.0.

This minor patch will correct the following issues:

• Overexposure in Mercury for some (minor thing that was introduced in the previous update)
  
• HTC Vive controllers can now move hands (no input binding yet)
  
• UMA Rebuild to render the character in the Character Editor

Again, thank you all for the quick feedback and reports! :)

I just rolled out a minor patch to correct the blocking issue where the function bubbles in the Mercury cockpit stops reacting to mouse input.

In addition, I started creating some new logic that will be used to handle states between non-VR sessions and VR sessions (such as hiding the gloves etc).

Again, thank you all for the quick feedback and reports! :)

The 0.998 update is mainly about fixing issues and continuing to iterate the game towards its first major milestone, the 1.0 update. It will mainly fix some blocking issues and critical issues reported lately.

Note: If you are experiencing issues with this update, you can always revert to an earlier build using the Steam Betas Tab.

A word about VR
A few patches ago the old Virtual Reality (VR) implementation was moved to a dedicated branch as Unity deprecated the VR API that my old VR implementation was based on (preventing me to update the game to the latest and most modern version of Unity). While VR as a main focus is still a post 1.0 feature, I wanted to take this opportunity to speak more about its future in Reentry.

The plan for VR is to start testing the basics of a new VR rendering framework, and iterate on it as I get feedback from the community. I want to first of all test the core logic such as device recognition, rendering and basic interactions. I will do this in the Mercury program, and use this as the playground to learn as much as possible about device detection and basic rendering using the new API.

I'm happy to share that this approach starts today with this update. The beginning of the new VR-implementation has now become an alpha-feature that you can toggle on from Main Menu -> Settings -> Alpha Features.

The primary goal of this first iteration is to get feedback of device support, and I wish to limit it to this. For those who wish to join me in this development journey with regards to suggestions and feedback are welcome to join the official #vr-development channel found under the Alpha section on our Discord server,

With this first implementation you will be able to start a mission in the Mercury Program. I have implemented a very simple interaction model for now where you can use the controllers to control a laser pointer (on the right controller) that should be able to interact with all switches onboard. Using the A and B button, you can move switches and selectors to configure the panels.

For those familiar with VR development, the current implementation will try to initially only use the new OpenXR API built into Unity, with the VR Interaction Framework as its core.

Once I start to get feedback on device support, I will iterate on this implementation to add support for the mission pad so you can interact with to execute checklists and so on, and then move into a more sophisticated interaction model where you can use the controllers directly on switches instead of using a laser pointer. When this is done, you will have basic VR support that will let you complete any mission in Project Mercury!

If you wish to test this, enable VR from the alpha feature to toggle the VR section in Settings. From here, you can enable VR. The moon landscape will then render in the VR headset. The Main Menu will render on your monitor and you will need to configure settings and select missions from here. Once you start a mission, the game will start to render Mercury in the HMD.

I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for the suggestions and feedback during the old technical preview phase of VR, I learned a lot from this, and I'm very excited to start this new phase of VR support in Reentry.

A big shoutout to all the Test Pilots, the Community and those who help new players there, and for helping me shape this game into what it is today.


0.998 release notes:

• Blocking issues fixed: Unable to launch the Gemini Campaing Mission 1
  
• Fixes to blocking MOCR session logic bugs
  
• Many fixes to the new Career path/tech tree feature
  
• Updates to save states
  
• Multiple fixes on mission scripts and typos
  
• Multiple fixes on checklists and the checklist guidance system
  
• Starting the new Mercury VR implementation
  
• Fixed: Gemini Lock On light can occasionally get stuck in the lock on state.
  
• Fixed: Gemini Encoder stopped working when docked
  
• Corrected UI scaling issues related to the Mercury Failure Toggle window
  
• Corrected km to nmi conversion in TEI academy lesson
  
• Mercury and Gemini ascent guidance updates
  
• Fixed: In the Apollo academy mission #10 Transposition and Docking, RCS thrusters A1, C1, and A2 are turned off at the beginning of the mission and there is no prompt to turn them on. They are needed to complete the docking.

The 0.997 patch is mainly about correcting and tuning systems. It addresses some major issues around Gemini ascent. The patch also introduces a new system designed to help you navigate all the content of the game.

Note: If you are experiencing issues with this update, you can always revert to an earlier build using the Steam Betas Tab.


Career path node view
The "CAREER" view accessible from the Main Menu is designed to help new players navigate the content of the game and will try to guide you to learning a specific space craft. This is the first iteration of this and will continue to evolve going forward.

The first thing you need to do is to select the active space craft (this can be changed at any time). The career window will then show you how far you have progressed through the content specific for the selected space craft.


This screen will show you how far you have progressed on the various space crafts, your awards and various ranks tied to that craft (like your astronaut rank, mission controller rank, capcom rank and flight director rank).

Once you select a space craft (click on it), you will find a node based path where you can see how to receive awards and progress through learning a craft and playing it in the game.


Your current level and xp needed to reach the next level is visible on the Profile page. I have added the capcom and flight levels to this screen as well.


Note: You don't need to unlock the flight and capcom paths to join a mission control session as capcom of flight, but it will help you learn the needed knowledge to become a better capcom/flight.


Gemini Ascent fixes
One of the major issues is around Gemini ascent. This version seems to be correcting the ascent for many, but more testing and fixes are needed to make it stable.
If you are having issues with Gemini ascent, it would be great if you can reach out so I can get more data as I'm unfortunately unable to reproduce the issues on the test-computers I have available.

A dedicated thread on the Discord server has been set up for those who might still face these issues. Use this thread to report issues and discuss.
You can find the thread here: https://discord.com/channels/510845247404769331/1090688922767589457

Note: If you are not on Discord, feel free to use the Steam Community forum for this.



Gemini Campaign fixes
Multiple fixes are applied to the Gemini ascent, both mission sequences, instructions and fixes around completing issues.
If you complete a Gemini campaign mission using this build, and the campaign mission selector still don't show this, let me know and please supply the log-file so I can analyze.

If you are still facing issues related to this, you can use the following thread on Discord:
https://discord.com/channels/510845247404769331/1090688922767589457

Note: Again, if you are not on Discord, feel free to use the Steam Community forum for this.


Command Module entry guidance tuning
The recommended entry method is still to use manual control. However, I have made the 2nd iteration to make automatic entry guidance and RCS usage more stable. The guidance should now be much smoother and better on RCS usage.

Illustration: NASA

Mission Control Module entering alpha 2
With this update I will start the 2nd alpha round for the Mission Control multiplayer modules. A critical issue has been fixed that made MOCR crash after about 10 minutes of gameplay due to the major engine update that was rolled out a few patches ago.

Multiplayer modes are mainly are scheduled for version 1.2 -> 2.0 but will required significant testing, hence these early alpha testing rounds.

We will now get back into organizing official mission control sessions that you can join to learn all about being a Mission Controller and test if the new Mission Control nodes in the Career Path works.

Once the full development starts on Mission Control (1.2 -> ), the ranks you have earned will be visible on the joined player lists.



Thanks to the Test Pilots, Alpha Floor testers, and the community for helping me create this game!

Patch notes:

• Career path node view
  
• Fixed various MOCR crash to desktop issues
  
• Campaigns achievements unlocks
  
• Entry CM stability
  
• Entry RCS forces and logic
  
• Entry RCS jittering and oscillation tuning
  
• CM entry guidance iterations
  
• CM SCS rate switch rewiring to correct issue where it also affected the FDAI rate bands.
  
• Profile: Save player and capsule name issue corrected
  
• Gemini ascent
  
• Another iteration of km -> nmi in Gemini Campaign missions
  
• Gemini campaign 2 updates
  
• RCS -> OAMS fix in Gemini Burns lesson
  
• Campaign Save State fixes related to loading and completing missions when loading from state
  
• Changed initial retro time on Gemini campaign missions
  
• Increased the view range of the Lunar EVA astro and LRV cameras
  
• Fix for camera teleport issue during Lunar EVA if pressing F5->F11
  
• Fixes for the Gemini campaign completion issue