Hey explorers! We’re so happy to be sharing our latest Experimental Branch build with you today, comprising an enormous amount of new features and overall clean up. Our goal on this has been to clarify the game modes, shape the new Story Mode, and clean up the thousands of little things that go into making an fun experience.
Story Campaign - First Pass
Continuing from our opening cinematic:
We now start the action here:
We invite you to check out the new Story Campaign mode. This mode features refined missions and level layout. Note this is a work in progress and there’s more we have planned, but this is a step in that direction.
Crafting abilities unlock through a progression in this mode, and you are rewarded with new crafting abilities as you traverse through the adventure.
Your System Computer narrates missions and provides tips and explanations for you as you go.
Survival Challenge
A mode we’ve had planned internally for a long time, essentially a “Naked and Afraid” style mode where you choose a planet and starting gear and see how long you can last. Again, this is a first pass and we’ll likely add a leaderboard and permadeath to this mode - maybe even some fun contests!
As in Story Mode, crafting abilities are unlocked through mission completions and discoveries.
Creative Mode
The creative character selection now gets its own mode and now has the ability to choose a starting planet!
Main Menu Overhaul
Single Player mode selection.
Multiplayer mode selection.
Inching ever closer to our final Main Menu, this update features our new mode selection panels and improved character selection, management, and creation tools. We’re also inching closer to having each class more meaningful, which will continue to get refined as we go.
Starting Worlds for Public Servers
Now each server will have its own starting world, giving more variety and challenge.
Terrain Deformation
Large structure building has never been better with simple but powerful terrain deformation. Finally, you can build a sprawling base without the worry of hills and inclines stunting your build plans. Note this only applies to large structures - many smaller utilities and huts will just sit on top of terrain.
First Person Animations
This was a ton of work, but we now have some nice animations and FX in first person. Patching your suite has never looked better or been more immersive.
Third Person Animations
Building, crafting, eating, healing, even gathering liquid are now fully displayed through beautiful animations and sound FX.
Water Interaction
Step through and splash in the bodies of liquid. Creatures act in the liquid too!
Plant Interaction
Walking through plants now has animation and sound giving more immersion to the experience.
More Map Features
Back by popular demand we added in the filtering feature to allow for searching for minerals by type. Also, type is now listed by hardness instead of density for to better align with your gear capabilities.
Geysers and Liquids have also been added to the Map features.
Sound Mastering
A lot of time went into cleaning up all the beeps and chimes in the UI, making the sound more balanced and focusing on real world sounds for immersion as opposed to sci fi beeps and buzzes.
System Computer Voice
Speaking of sound, we have our final System Computer voice implemented and she sounds great! Missions are also given through the System voice.
Build Goal Management
A hotly requested feature, now you can add to your build goal to create an overall shopping list.
Thousands of Minor Tweaks
Too much to list, but we’re sure you’ll notice as you play through the experience. Just hundreds and hundreds of tiny adjustments to dial in the final polish.
Known Issues and To Do’s
From here on out, we’ll be listing what is left to do and what we know still needs to be addressed. This will hopefully minimize the feedback loop and let you know what is coming and what may need fixing:
- Creatures and Drones updates were left out of this update and will be the primary focus after this branch goes to Main. Crab Larvae (Snubs) has gotten the most attention and is the leading quality bar for the other creatures.
- Space travel and the Spaceship will be getting another pass soon. Currently, the spaceship ramp needs sounds and FX and the spaceship control and landing gear will be improved.
- Most of the balancing and level design has gone to the Proteus worlds. Aziel, Lutari and Zer will be getting more attention in the next round.
- Power Distributor is not yet saving connections.
- Mid and Late game tools, weapons, and structures will be getting the same round of polish as the early game objects received for the next update.
- Build Goal is not yet incrementing by type. We almost got this solved but ran out of time.
- Suit Upgrades need work and will be addressed for the next release.
- Radar maps will be getting final backgrounds soon and are currently not accurate.
- Localization is untested in this build and is possibly a mess. We’ll do a full and clean localization pass prior to Early Access release.
Change List
Added - missions in all modes except Creative
Added - Crab larvae sound
Added - Sound pass on Utilities
Added - Sound pass on Airlock
Added - Terrain Deformation
Added - Sound pass on Player movement
Added - Sound pass on Player voice sounds
Added - Sound pass on in game UI
Added - Sound pass on Main Menu UI
Added - Additive Build Goal
Added - third person animations
Added - first person animations
Added - Water interaction
Added - mission to get oxygen from pod
Added - system Computer voice to missions
Added - Plant interaction
Added - Gasses and liquids added to map
Added - Map filters by hardness
Added - Mouse over map icons shows type
Added - Dust storm damage logic added to not damage interior structures or objects behind terrain
Added - Progressive unlock system in Story mode of all crafting abilities and recipes
Added - Save Option from menu in Story and Creative mode
Added - Combat balance pass for early game weapons and creatures
Added - Sounds for drinking and eating
Added - Geyser sounds
Added - Giant worm has been added to some craters - mwa ha ha!
Added - Crafting Table UI expanded
Added - Skills and Stats are now on the same screen
Added - Patch Tape screen FX
Added - Sound and FX added to dismantle action
Added - Save game image added to confirm quit screens
Added - ground vignette in Main Menu for each world
Added - Saving and autosaving by mode
Added - Progressive crafting unlocks by mode
Added - Crafting Table progressive unlocks by mode
Added - opening shot in Story mode
Changed - Improved lighting and rendering in Proteus levels
Changed - Improved Proteus mine art
Changed - Cleaned up liquid gathering
Changed - Updated missions
Changed - Crash site is now spawned and harvestable in Challenge and Multiplayer modes
Changed - Highlighter clean up
Changed - HUD interaction UI clean up
Changed - Faster tool harvesting and repairing
Changed - Overhauled repair system to be more detailed and responsive
Changed - Improve UI alert placement and auto shadow when over other UI
Changed - Map feature overhaul
Changed - 3rd person hit detection clean up
Changed - Updated starting mission in Story Mode
Changed - Time to use bed has been reduced
Changed - Save game and auto save game clean up
Changed - Crafting button clean up throughout
Changed - Characters now have starting stats auto applied
Changed - Fuel amounts have been balanced by giving more fuel to objects
Changed - Upgrade utilities have been cleaned up
Changed - All in game UI panels have been updated
Changed - Crafting is faster throughout
Changed - Repairing is faster throughout
Changed - Improved repair and tool sounds and FX
Changed - Game options have been cleaned up
Changed - Logic added for interior helmet
Changed - Interior helmet graphics and lighting pass
Changed - Improved sound and atmosphere in Proteus mines
Changed - Cleaned up loading into levels
Changed - Load screen now shows images based on world being loaded
Changed - Improved movement and speed in low atmosphere or gravity worlds
Changed - Characters in Main Menu are now sorted by date properly
Fixed - Repair persistence
Fixed - crafting table recipe taking bug
Fixed - space travel save bug
Fixed - transparent FX sorting with atmosphere
Fixed - Melee stance when right clicking in 3rd person
Fixed - Weapon idle animation cleaned up
Fixed - Player IK clean up
Fixed - repairing objects with recipes
Fixed - Picking up Inflatable Domes
Fixed - Crafting table buttons now refresh properly
Fixed - Minerals and plants anchored in Proteus levels
Fixed - wrong attachments showing in Main Menu
Fixed - Reflection graphics overhaul and fixes
Fixed - weather and rain no longer enter structures on Proteus 2 B
Fixed - Audio Mixing of outdoor sounds
Removed - establishing shot in multiplayer modes
Removed - Cinematic in all modes except Story mode
Removed - solar panels showing range - no longer needed
OK! We'll be back with the rest of the Story mode shortly along with a focus on the items in the To Do list above. Thank you for sticking with us during this crazy long Early Access process and we very much appreciate your support. In the meantime be sure to join our Official Discord Server .
-Brian
"Ray, when someone asks you if you're a god you say yes!"
