The complete update notes will be posted around the same time.
Above Earth
Version 1.2.3 Coming Soon - Will Obsolete Old Saves
The complete update notes will be posted around the same time.
Game runs in windowed mode by default now. Toggle full screen in settings.
Version 1.2.2 Is Coming Soon
New Station Menu
The 'Station Menu' provides a way to visualize the condition of the entire station including all of its modules and equipment. The following video showcases some of its functionality:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhVjVtpocZ0
[previewyoutube="nhVjVtpocZ0;full"]
Some News:
Above Earth development continues. The next priority is going to be either the breathing steam/fog effect or the 'Survival Menu'. The 'Survival Menu' will have miscellaneous functions that will make survival more intuitive.
The save version has been updated.
The Trello board will be updated when this build is made public:
https://trello.com/b/ewpYkK9i/above-earth-development
Gameplay Changes:
Station doors now require no power to operate/pressurize. In past builds they required 1 power in reserve to open/close or pressurize. This resulted in having to go in and out of their menus frequently to turn them on and off. They can still be turned on and off, however this will have no effect on station power. It will ease up the difficulty generally.
Graphics Improvements:
Lighting on the Earth has been improved a bit more. Fixed an issue where the Sun could load improperly from a save game.
Other Changes:
- Fixed an issue where sleeping in a sleeping pod could result in some jittering while sleeping.
- Fixed an issue where affliction descriptions could display incorrectly.
- Lower condition items will now be prioritized as crafting ingredients.
Version 1.2.1 Is Coming Soon
Summary:
1.2.1 includes a variety of fixes which are the result of a recent uptick in feedback by players.
Some News:
Above Earth development continues. The priority now is something called the "Schematics Menu" which will provide a birds-eye view of the space station and hopefully will make a variety of information in the game much more intuitive. It is not included in this update as it is still a work in progress. It will be coming in a future update.
In the future the number of save-breaking updates should be more infrequent. There is an experimental build of the game that you can opt into through Steam that will more regularly receive save-breaking updates.
Changelist:
- -BUG FIX: Inventory icons were not showing up correctly in some menus.
- -BUG FIX: Parts of the Starship could potentially load out of wack on some players' systems.
- -BUG FIX: Door sound effects were being played by a ladder which you would not expect coming from a ladder.
- -BUG FIX: A Glow pod could flash on for a frame even if it was out of power.
- -BUG FIX: Inventory sorting was not updating correctly on some menus.
- -BUG FIX: Removed an unnecessary warning message when interacting with EVA ports during EVA.
- -CHANGE: The EVA suit head light will now default to being off when initiating an EVA.
- -CHANGE: Inventory menus now include a "No Sort" button option that will disable sorting on that menu.
- -CHANGE: Exterior EVA containers now have a special symbol on the HUD to emphasize their priority.
- -CHANGE: Exterior EVA items will have a minimized description on the HUD if they are empty/exhausted.
- -CHANGE: The HUD cursor now includes a black outline so it will be more easily visible in more situations.
- -CHANGE: Low condition screen blurring will now only start to occur when reaching 70% condition.
1.2.0 Update Notes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GURr6hQqync
[previewyoutube="GURr6hQqync;full"]
Some News:
Above Earth development continues.
The Trello board has been updated:
https://trello.com/b/ewpYkK9i/above-earth-development
Game Updates:
- -New Content: The starship. It will be docked with station on "Astronaut" and "Legend" difficulty.
- -New Equipment: The starship is powered by a new piece of equipment called the "Reactor Core". The reactor core has a specific role in the game that can be discovered by the player.
- -New Equipment: The starship contains a cargo hold that can be stocked by the player for a purpose discoverable by the player.
- -New Item: Reactor Fuel
- -New Cinematics: The cinematics for the alpha starship and reentry capsule are available in this update.
- -Graphical improvements: The lighting of the Earth will now be much more accurate. Various lighting artifacts have been fixed.
Version 1.1.5 Update Notes
Some News:
Above Earth has been submitted to the Independent Games Festival(IGF).
The Trello board has been updated:
https://trello.com/b/ewpYkK9i/above-earth-development
Game Updates:
New Features:
- -Food Recyclers can now be fertilized to provide a temporary increase to food production.
Usability Improvements:
- -Affliction descriptions on the character menu now contain a recommended course of action for how to fix/remove them.
- -Positive conditions will now display appropriate symbols on the player status info.
Balancing Changes:
- -Injuries are now not possible when crafting quick items.
- -Slightly increased the time it takes to recycle fuel/air tanks.
- -Slightly increased the recycling amounts on tools but also slightly increased the time it takes to recycle them.
Version 1.1.4 Update Notes
Some News:
There is now a Trello board for Above Earth. Ideas for future development of the game will be listed there:
https://trello.com/b/ewpYkK9i/above-earth-development
There is also now an IndieDB page for Above Earth. IndieDB is a public database of indie games:
https://www.indiedb.com/games/above-earth
Game Update Notes:
Bug Fixes:
- -Fixed a bug where a salvage tool breaking could interrupt salvaging. Now it will not interrupt and will continue salvaging without the bonus of the tool when it breaks.
Visual Improvements:
- -Mitigated an issue introduced in the new engine version that causes shadow flickering on surfaces at a distance.
Usability Improvements:
- -There are now progress bars on the food and water recyclers that indicate how long until the next food/water item will be produced.
- -There is now a small note on repair menus displaying the description of what each piece of equipment does.
Balancing Changes:
- -Crafting requirements significantly reduced for 'Vibro Hammer' and slightly reduced for 'Salvage Tool' and 'Crank'.
- -Slightly reduced the water recycler production down to 3.0 water per a day.
- -On Trainee: A few chemicals and some cloth will now be guaranteed to spawn next to the first 'Oxygen Scrubber'.
- -On Trainee: Random condition of the first 'Oxygen Scrubber' is also increased.
Misc Improvements:
- -A warning will now show up on the 'Initiate EVA' button when survival status is not optimal: "Warning: It is recommended you are well rested, nourished and hydrated before initiating EVA."
- -Improved collision on EVA port door.
Version 1.1.3 Update Notes
Performance Improvement:
- -The intro cinematic is very performance intensive due to all the nuclear explosions. It should now be a little better. Maybe 5-10 frames on the average system.
Usability Improvements:
- -The Solar Panel Menu now makes it more clear that it needs to be turned on to start generating solar power.
- -The EVA Suit Menu now specifically mentions fuel/oxygen 'tanks' as requisite fuel/oxygen sources. Some people were confused whether Oxygen Candles were an oxygen source for the EVA suit. They are not.
Balancing Changes:
- -Water usage is now 15% less
- -Random severe injuries from repairing equipment(such as lacerations and burns) will not occur during the first few days so people can get a good head start without having to worry about acquiring medical items.
Version 1.1.2 Update Notes
[previewyoutube="-zFiEMparHA;full"]
It will be docked with stations and can be entered. There is a text dialogue if you initiate the reentry sequence but other than that it doesn't do much else right now.
I do have a plan for what role it will have in the game but I would be interested to hear ideas for it.
Thanks for playing and I hope you enjoy it.
Above Earth is now a streamable category on Twitch.
This will help to provide publicity for the game.
Click 'Follow' on the Twitch category here to get notified when people stream the game:
https://www.twitch.tv/directory/game/Above%20Earth