The first Major update "Architecture & Design" just went live! You can download it from Steam. To celebrate this moment with you, Astro Colony is starting a discount week (-25%).
With many new architecture blocks and 3d models, it's now possible to design a space station of any kind and shape. Combining them will allow creating also round shapes like a tunnel.
Walls & Floors have many different shapes you can pick from. Some of them are combining two themes, so it's finally possible to match different looks.
In addition, there is a section of big sides with unique appearance.
Blueprint Designer
It's a powerful tool to experiment and design different station layouts and to place them in the world. I encourage you to experiment with:
automation - inventing the most efficient setups for your catchers/smelters/conveyor belts etc.
design and decoration - creating blocks/walls/devices with different attachments on them
complex architectural structure to build your colony
Themes
Attachments & Decals
In addition to systems mentioned before, there are also new decorations which can be directly attached to any surface (device, block, floor, wall, etc). It will be treated as part of it. Each attachment will be rotated/removed together with the device.
Attachment and decals are not following a grid, so you can place them anywhere.
Selection Tool
There is a new way of selecting grid objects in the 3D space. The selection tool creates a volume that can be easily controlled with arrows or specifying dimension directly. It can also filter item types (ex. wall, floor, block).
There are still more things coming to the update later this week:
sharing blueprint and copying them
multiplayer Blueprint support
system to rotate/scale every attachment
more attachments
I hope you will have a lot of fun playing Astro Colony! Please share your creations - and soon blueprints - with the Astro Colony community: https://discord.com/invite/EFzAA3w
If you want to see this update in action, you can join my stream on Wednesday and Saturday 20CET.
Thank you for all suggestions which made this update possible! Tefel (Terad Games)
Major update will be available in 4 days!
Hey Astro Colonists!
After a very long waiting and preparation, finally there is the date of the update! Architecture Major update will be available on Monday 5th June 18:00 CET. The game will also get a discount for about a week to celebrate the new version released!
If you don't know what to expect, here is a small sneak peek of upcoming features:
Blueprint Designer
A huge part of the update is a quick way to design parts of the station - combining walls, floors, architecture blocks and devices together.
Then with a simple click, the blueprint can be constructed.
Each blueprint can also be part of the hotbar, which makes it easy to use.
Architecture
There are many architecture shapes and design elements which can nicely fit into a grid system. As you may know, previously all Astronauts ignored walls and doors. This is now going to change, so please be sure that your creations are respecting new rules ;)
Themes
There is a new theme system implemented which allows assigning many different looks to any object in the game. In addition, each theme can be customized with colors of your preference.
This creates endless ways of designing your Astro Colony!
Attachments
In addition to systems mentioned before there are also new decorations which can be directly attached to any surface (device, block, floor, wall, etc). It will be treated as part of it. Each attachment will be rotated/removed together with the device.
Right now, more than ever, the game needs your support. If you believe in the project, please don't forget to leave a review, share suggestions and obviously test the new version!
Thanks guys for being with me so long! Tefel (Terad Games)
Stability update - improved performance, pathfinding and multiplayer sync
Hey Astro Colonists!
In preparation of a major content update, I want to improve overall performance and stability for both single and multiplayer.
Knowing how much you struggled with AI disobedience, I finally managed to improve them.
Pathfinding
As you can see, with the new pathfinding astronauts and bots are finding the shortest path. It checks all possible ways to reach buildings and picks the best result. This also prevents from having invalid paths - showing the red line.
Previously, bots only checked the closest point, which could create a problem when it wasn't really reachable by any path.
In the new solution, multiple points path is checked, so it's finding the best match.
Game performance
I managed to improve performance of giant stations, which now scale way better and let you enjoy the game in high framerate practically indefinitely.
The station before the update had some optimization issues, but with a few tricks - more LODS, better CPU calculations or disabling distant particles - it now runs at 60+ fps.
Expect more optimization improvements in the future, especially one improving movement of a space stations.
Multiplayer
After many reports regarding sync issues, I took time to look into all of them and ensures that savegames can now sync without issues when starting a multiplayer game from a savegame.
Bug fixes & improvements
fixed an issue with upgrading devices not having a correct state (showing red)
fixed an issue where gates couldn't animate when resource moved through
fixed an issue where max request resources stopped at 100
fixed an issue where more transport bots were assigned than specified
fixed a multiplayer issue where asteroid catcher would block another player when possessed by 2 players
fixed a multiplayer issue where starting players would force gravity mode
new auto-generated names for game lobbies
Please don't forget to leave a review if you played a game and enjoyed it, so it can be supported for years to come!
Thanks guys so much for support! Tefel (Terad Games)
Astro Colony - Steam Workshop, Pax East update
Hey Colonizers!
It was a very busy week! Astro Colony traveled with me to America for the Pax East in Boston. It was a great experience seeing players trying out Astro Colony for the first time! The game has been presented on a Steam Deck which worked very smoothly.
Steam Workshop
As you may know, the last few updates were dedicated to the Mod system. There was still one thing missing which was highly requested: sharing mods via Steam Workshop! Now this is finally possible! You can simply upload a mod using a new version of a Modkit.
Even if this decision in the future may make some mods less accessible for other platform users like GOG and Epic Store I decided to make it possible.
To make your creation more accessible and popular, consider publishing it to both Workshop and Curseforge.
Standalone MOD Uploader
Modkit has a new standalone app which is authenticating Steam login for you! You just need to make sure that your Steam launcher is running in the background. This will ensure that your profile is linked and you can preview your Mods and be able to add new!
You can easily upload new mods to selected platform:
Steam Workshop
Curseforge
Pax East
Pax East is a one of the biggest events, so I was extremely happy to be able to showcase the game at that time. I met many other game developers and publishers. It was a very important experience for me, seeing many players trying Astro Colony for the first time.
Thanks to feedback and interaction I will be able to improve the game in the future.
Steam Deck compatibility
During the event I've been able to test how the game is performing on a Steam Deck. There were a few minor issues like a guidebook videos not playing, that have now been resolved.
What's next?
A major update is around the corner, so please be supporting and stay tuned!
See You soon in the next update!
Astro Colony - Spring Sale + cloud savegames
Hey Astro Colonizers!
It's time for a small update and an announcement!
Steam Cloud
In the new version there is a Cloud savegame system which makes easier switching from one device to another, for example Steam Deck.
After closing the game, your savegames will get automatically uploaded to the cloud and imported to the new device on launch.
Spring Sale
The game is currently participating in the Steam Spring Sale until March 23! If you still have the game on your wishlist, now is a perfect moment to grab it with a discount.
Recently, I've been updating the game and fixing some mods issues. Steam Workshop support is coming soon and a next big content update somewhere in April about the architecture, so if you have any suggestions, feel free to share it with me.
Thanks guys so much for support! Tefel (Terad Games)
Astro Colony - MODKIT update
Hey Astro Modders! In this update, modkit is getting big improvements. There is a new version ready to download!
First thing what you will notice is a way cleaner UI with only necessary buttons remaining.
Controlling MOD Flow
With a new FLOW asset now is possible to handle Init, BeginPlay and EndPlay.
Modders are finally able to control a game in the most important moments:
INIT - is perfect to configure game values, adding new recipes
BEGIN PLAY - is great to interact with all game actors, spawning new actors
END PLAY - can be used to clean the game state when map finishes
Mods assets can now be discovered
Previously to add new game items (like walls, floors, devices, blocks) modders had to place every new asset in the original directory Game/Items. Right now, each asset will be automatically picked up, as long as it is part of the Mod directory.
There is a new example showing how a new smelter is added to the game just by creating a config and placing a new asset in the MOD directory.
MODS can now be uploaded from Editor
In the modkit there are now 3 possible actions (buttons) located in the toolbar menu:
Create MOD
Package MOD - creates zip which can be tested and uploaded
Upload MOD (new) - uses Steam authentication to upload mods to CurseForge
Uploading mods becomes extremely easy. It only requires running Steam in the background, which will let you send mods directly to your CF library, at the same time sharing them with Astro Colony community!
Steam authentication is a big step towards having Steam Workshop integrated. Soon, it will also be possible to upload your mods directly to the Steam.
Check documentation since there are more ways to control and modify mods, new utility functions.
All you need for modding is Unreal Engine 4.27 downloaded from Epic Games: https://www.epicgames.com/
and on the same hard drive the AstroColonyMOD project, which you can download here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_a7RrhsYSqnMV-JhTC6RtUcS5hPwbkI9/
Please join Discord modding channel where you can share your thoughts and get modding advises. Expect more announcements soon regarding modding contests.
Lumencraft released
Our friends just released their game Lumencraft. It has a bundle right now with Astro Colony, so please tell your friends!
The official MODKIT is finally OUT! Prepare yourself to unleash your creative side!
Gettings Started
All you need for modding is Unreal Engine 4.27 downloaded from Epic Games: https://www.epicgames.com/
and on the same hard drive the AstroColonyMOD project, which you can download here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_a7RrhsYSqnMV-JhTC6RtUcS5hPwbkI9/
There are already three MOD examples:
Racing
Menu Music
Cheat Console
and more examples will come soon!
Documentation
I have prepared a very detailed documentation that shows step by step how to create a mod for the game, zip it and then share it with the community https://bit.ly/AstroColonyDoc
I am also working on a series of tutorials that will illustrate the process in a few minutes.
Soon the modkit will support Steam Workshop and allow uploading them directly from editor. To interact directly in the game, use MOD HUB [H]
Modkit has 100% functionality of the game, so you can do crazy stuff with it, like:
designing new voxel planets
creating space stations
defining new recipes
adding new devices
overriding game rules
Please join Discord modding channel where you can share your thoughts and get modding advises. Expect more announcements soon regarding modding contests.
I cannot wait to see your creations! See you soon Colonizers!
Astro Colony - Mods HUB
Hey Colonizers!
New improved mods are coming to the game. It's now possible to download, install and uninstall mods directly in the game!
MODKIT will be shared in the upcoming week. It has 100% functionality of the game, so you can do crazy stuff with it!
For example:
designing new voxel planets
creating space stations
defining new recipes
adding new devices
overriding game rules
You can already check a new MOD HUB by pressing H in the game!
Please let me know what you think about mods and how important Modding community is for you! Currently CourseForge is the only mod provider, but I am considering adding also a Steam Workshop.
I am working on tutorials and documentation, so that anyone can easily start modifying the game. See you soon where I will share a Modkit with you!
Astro Colony BASE BUILDER FEST - Dev Broadcast #4 + changes
Hey Astro Colonists! It's time for the last Developer stream during Steam Base Builder Fest. Thank you everyone who joined me in the last few days! That was a great pleasure to play the game with you!
Some recent changes to the new version posted right now:
BUGFIXES
Horizontal inverted mode fixed
Fixed an issue where typing in the middle of a textbook would move cursor to the end
Fixed an issue where landing spacecraft directly on a planet wasn't possible
Fixed an issue where upgraded asteroid catcher wouldn't show asteroid inside
Fixed an issue where removing conveyor belt wouldn't pick a resource
Upgrading conveyor belt no longer removes a resource
New beam effect for extraction asteroids - fixes glitches while moving
QOL / BALANCE
Increased number of max delivered resources to 9999999 :)
Tech tree can now remember (save and recover) previously opened state
Increased number of Quartz contained in rocks
While moving tree shaking effect less noticeable
Dust effect less noticeable
If you haven't checked the Demo yet, do it before the end of the festival.
Tonight I will start stream at 9PM CET. If you cannot watch on Steam check my Twitch channel: https://www.twitch.tv/Tefel
Thanks guys so much for support! Tefel (Terad Games)
Astro Colony BASE BUILDER FEST - Dev Broadcast #3
Hey Astro Colonists! Today is another day of celebrating Base Builder Festival on Steam. The new Demo 2.0 is available on the website, so don't forget to check it out.
