Steam 'Early Access' players will receive this update today, June 14th, 2018.
Update 0.8.0 contains a new tutorial, the beginnings of a complete overhaul to the game UI, and a completely new element in the Research system, Harvestables!
UPDATES
You can find these updates in 0.8.0.0, the current build of the game.
The game has an all-new Tutorial experience that is accessible from a new drop pod in the Main Menu! The goal of the new Tutorial is to introduce the basic concepts of Terrain deformation, Oxygen / Power management, Research, Exploration, and Basebuilding in a more streamlined way to new players. We hope that this tutorial will be good for new players to Astroneer, but also to players who haven't played the game in a while but are coming back!
When launching Astroneer 0.8.0.0 for the first time, new and returning players will be prompted to try the new Tutorial. Returning players can skip the Tutorial and it will be available to replay at any time from the Main Menu.
In order to match the unlock progression of the Tutorial, new games will now begin with the Canister, Tethers, Small Generator, and Open 1-Seat unlocked, in addition to the modules and platforms already available by default.
Even if you’re already familiar with the game, we encourage you to play through the new Tutorial. We will continue iterating on the experience over the coming months so please be sure to share your feedback with us in the forums!
The game has been updated with a "v1" of an overhaul to all of Astroneer’s in-game text UI. Instead of persistent floating text, almost all interactive items, modules, chassis, and resources, have been updated with a "UI card" visual design.
All modules and resources now have an icon associated with them.
Hovering over holographic input indicators will now tell you the resource required for module, printer, and fabricator recipes.
Proximity-based tooltips have been added to all embedded Resources.
Position indicators have been removed from vehicles, so be sure to print Beacons and slot them on your Vehicles if you intend to walk very far away!
Some areas like: main menu UI, spaceflight UI, Backpack UI, as well as UI for the Trade Module and Mineral Extractor will be updated in a future release.
There are now special plant and mineral formations on Terran, Barren, Arid, and Exotic planets that spawn unique objects you can instantly research for a variable amount of Bytes. These Harvestables will respawn their research items over time, and also have a chance to spawn a large, single-use Research Item at their root. Be warned, though: uprooting the plant or mineral will prevent it from respawning their instant-use research items. So weigh your options carefully between single use and respawning values - and be careful where you dig! The goal of the Harvestables system is to smooth out the starting gameplay experience by offering small, renewable sources of Bytes in areas that might have a low density of Research Chests, and to provide interesting points of interaction across the surface of planets.
Your Backpack inventory and location are now preserved between multiplayer game sessions! When returning to your friend’s saved games or rejoining after a lost connection, your Astroneer will load in the last location you left them. Also, in order to fix a number of bugs that could occur if clients joined before the host deployed the shelter, multiplayer is now unavailable until the host has landed on the starting planet and deployed the shelter.
BUGS
[AS-2855] -- Fixed an issue where storms were appearing pixelated for players on the Xbox One
[AS-2890] - Fixed a bug with Generators so they once again pull available organic from backpack slots
[AS-2894] - Fixed a bug where Terrain Analyzer color meters changed to black upon exiting game and reloading the saved game.
[AS-2917] - Audio should now reset properly after Astroneer death.
[AS-2935] - Player backpack oxygen tank should once again pull oxygen from connected tanks or filters.
KNOWN ISSUES In a higher latency situation, rejoining players may appear at first where they last were in a Multiplayer game, but due to latency, input is still bound to the EXO satellite and on pressing 'A' they get relaunched from the station.
1.0 RELEASE DATE NEWS
Also, just in case you missed it, we were at E3 and announced some big news! Astroneer is now slated to go into full 1.0 in December 2018! We will be updating the roadmap to reflect the rest of our plans during Early Access, but rest assured, we will continue updating and adding to the game in order to make 1.0 a huge advancement of Astroneer!
Click here if you want to hear more about what we revealed at E3, including news about cross-play between Steam and Xbox via dedicated servers, increased multiplayer counts, and more.
When you are done with that watch the E3 trailer below!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxBdmIzYhuI
The Rover Update is Live!
Rovers are now more configurable than ever! The Rover Update contains a new vehicle, updated driving controls, new methods to use rovers in fun ways, and a ton of performance upgrades!
https://youtu.be/2VtWC38nWOY
UPDATES
VEHICLES
The Small Rover has been added to the game. It is available in the Catalog for 1000 Bytes and prints from the Vehicle Bay for 2 Compound.
Absolute Steering has been implemented for vehicles. Vehicles are now controlled by the movement keys regardless of camera position! (WASD by default on keyboards, and RT / LT and the left thumbstick on controllers). Absolute Steering is enabled by default as of this update, but players may change back to the original camera-directed steering mode by disabling Absolute Steering in the options menu.
The physics model for Rovers has been overhauled.
Lateral friction has been added to wheels to prevent rampant sliding.
Drag force has been added to Rover acceleration for a more natural velocity cap and more natural steering at high speeds.
Acceleration forces now take contact normals into consideration to allow wheels to “roll” over smaller obstacles instead of plowing into them.
Contextual Button activation have been implemented for vehicles. Certain items attached to the Auxiliary Slots on vehicles can now be activated by pressing the Contextual Buttons (Z / X or RB / LB by default). More items, such as the Drill and Winch, will become usable in this way in future updates.
The Thruster has been revised to work better with Rovers.
Can now be toggled using the above Contextual Buttons when attached to the Vehicle Auxiliary Slots.
Applies a more balanced force for better in-air stability.
Can now accelerate Rovers above their max drive speeds.
The research cost and recipe of the Medium Rover has been adjusted. Its cost is now 3000 Bytes (up from 2000 Bytes) and requires 2 Compound and 2 Aluminum to print.
The built-in batteries on the Medium and Large Rover have been tuned to require more active power sources. The primary reason for the power and recipe changes is to further differentiate the roles of the Medium and Large Rovers from the Small Rover. The Small Rover is intended to be used a light exploration vehicle, while the Medium and Large Rover are meant to serve as heavier haulers and mobile bases.
PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENTS
We have made a number of improvements to performance on both PC and Xbox, particularly targeting very large save files and multiplayer games. Specific areas of focus include infrastructure refactors and fixes, removing unnecessary animation overhead, reducing the processing cost of deformation, and optimizing older assets that have not been updated in quite some time. This is an ongoing effort that will continue throughout Early Access, but this latest effort should be noticeable for players on the Xbox in particular. Xbox One now utilizes DirectX 12, further improving rendering efficiency on Xbox One and will allow for future rendering quality improvements.
HDR Xbox One X and Xbox One S consoles can now play the game in HDR. Please calibrate your monitor using the default Xbox One calibration screen prior to launching the game.
OTHER IMPROVEMENTS
The ‘Flatten Mode’ on the Terrain Tool has been adjusted to provide more consistent results at any angle.
Reward tables of Discoveries have been updated with new items.
Additional Quick Help screens have been added to the game to help you after the initial Tutorial experience. Press F1 on your keyboard or the Menu button on your gamepad to check them out!
Reduced overall game package size (reduced download sizes and load times)
Upgraded game engine to Unreal 4.18.
BUGFIXES
Fixed a number of issues with wheel collision which were causing Vehicle wheels to stretch in strange ways. These fixes should greatly reduce the number instances of stretchy wheels.
[AS-2597] - Fixed a bug where some Fabricators displayed nonfunctional contextual verbs.
[AS-2599] - Fixed an issue where the 'Use' and 'Examine' inputs prompts did not properly respond to input
[AS-2622] - Fixed an interaction bug where the 'Exit' prompt displays instead of 'Enter' when one or two seats of a 3-Seat attachment are occupied.
[AS-2630] - Fixed a bug where a on-functional 'Place’ verb appeared when interacting with another player’s Habitat
[AS-2637] - Fixed a bug where a player could not operate Winch if another player occupied vehicle it was attached to.
[AS-2647] - Fixed an intermittent bug where the Client players model did not appear to animate to the Host player while using the Terrain Tool.
[AS-2675] - Fixed an issue where Vehicles became embedded in certain kinds of terrain when printed from the Vehicle Bay.
[AS-2689] - The Habitat side slots can once again hold resources and other 1-slot items.
[AS-2690] - Fixed an annoying bug where the Vehicle Bay became inoperable for the Client player if the Host was using the control panel while the Client was joining the game.
[AS-2691] - Fixed a bug where a non-functional ‘Enter’ command appeared when hovering over another player’s Drop Pod in Multiplayer.
[AS-2695] - power cells look like holograms on clients
[AS-2736] - Fixed a graphical corruption in the power conduit material.
[AS-2754] - Fixed a minor issue with Research rates showing decimal places off-screen on the control panel.
[AS-2844] - Fixed an issue where players could infinitely replicate smelted items. Sorry, not sorry.
Fixed a number of localization bugs in the “Learn More” help screens.
KNOWN ISSUES
Storm textures showing up as pixelated on the Xbox One
Audio might become muffled after an Astroneer dies. We are working to resolve this issue.
The game sometimes looses audio when settings are changed. This can be fixed by deleting your game usersettings.ini
Thanks for reading! Hope everyone has fun driving the new rover! We will talk again around E3 ;)
-jt
SES Vlog 029 - GDC, Performance Upgrades & Steering
This week's vlog covers our trip to GDC, the work being done to improve performance, and upgrades to rover steering! Also, a rodeo llama.
As part of the work needed to move forward in development, the team is going to take some time during the time allotted for the next update to focus on performance! In the vlog, Brendan walks us though our reasoning for spending some time to do this now, as well as some of the performance benchmarks we are trying to hit! Click below to watch the vlog.
https://youtu.be/ClztWMZeANk
Andrew has also been working on a directional steering control scheme to offer as an option to the current camera based one, and Veronica shares some of her early impressions of how that was feeling, while also testing the new rover we showed off during our April Fool's joke.
Steam 'Early Access' users will receive this update today, Thursday March 15th, 2018.
This update is another foundational change, with an overhaul to rover visuals and functionality! Now Astroneers can operate new rovers with updated visuals, storage and suspension, as well as the ability to create mobile bases by unpacking base modules on the rover chassis. Also included in this update are splitters, a tool to direct power flow, and a plethora of new base platforms so players can create even more custom base configurations.
----------UPDATES---------
You can find these updates in 0.6.5.0, the current build of the game.
VEHICLES
The Medium Rover and Large Rover have received a visual update. This includes new front and back slots which provide extra storage. These slots will only be active if the power line below them is unconnected. Once the power line is connected to another Rover or Platform base, the slots will fold down and drop any items attached to them. Old rovers should transfer over seamlessly.
The visual representation for Rover batteries has been changed. But their discharge and capacity is unchanged.
Rovers have received an update to their suspension. Handling should be much better. Also, gravity on vehicle chassis has been adjusted so Mobile bases should be more stable.
The power connection between Rovers and Platforms has been changed to directional. Now, you can very easily tell if your rover is consuming or providing power from your base. You can use this directional line to prevent the rover from mistaken power draw or discharge.
Research unlock costs relating to Vehicles have been reduced.This change has been made to encourage acquiring Rovers earlier in progression. Specifically:
The Vehicle Bay cost has been reduced from 1000 Bytes to 250 Bytes
The Medium Rover cost has been reduced from 2400 Bytes to 2000 Bytes
The Large Rover cost has been reduced from 8000 Bytes to 6000 Bytes
The Open 1-Seat cost has been reduced from 600 Bytes to 300 Bytes
POWER
A three port Splitter object has been added to the game. The Splitter takes in a power line and creates up to two adjustable directed streams. It is available in the Catalog for 1000 Bytes and prints from the Small Fabricator for 1 Copper.
Directional power visualization has been updated for clarity. The previous version was just placeholder art. The marching chevrons should now be much more readable at a glance.
Power Cells behavior has been changed. They now act as an on demand, single use battery which will only discharge when power is needed by the item they are attached to. Oh, they also no longer provide infinite power.
BASEBUILDING
Modules can now be unpacked on top of Rover bases enabling a kind of Mobile base.
You will still need immense amounts of power to operate a base on wheels, but this should allow for our nomadic players to continue base operations on the go. Also, be aware that once unpacked, base modules on rovers are linked forever. <3
Added new Platform and Storage variants to the game! (KNOWN ISSUE: OLD FABRICATORS WILL NOT UPDATE TO INCLUDE THE NEW PLATFORMS. UNTIL WE ISSUE A FIX, PRINT A NEW FABRICATOR TO SEE THE ENTIRE LIST OF PRINTABLE PLATFORMS.)
Medium Platform B - More compact version of the Medium Platform, costs 250 Bytes to research and 1 Resin to print.
Large Platform B - More compact version of the Large Platform, costs 500 Bytes to research and 2 Resin to print.
Large Platform C - Winged version of the Large Platform which swaps the Tier 2 side slots for 20 Tier 1 slots, costs 2000 Bytes to unlock and 2 Aluminum to print.
Large Platform D - Two-tiered platform with 10 Tier 2 storage slots, costs 2000 Bytes to unlock and 2 Aluminum to print.
Extra Large Platform - An octagonal platform with a single Tier 4 slot, and eight cable sockets, costs 3000 Bytes to unlock and 2 Aluminum to print.
Extra Large Storage - A domed Tier 4 storage platform that prints on top of a Large Rover, or an XL Platform. It contains 31 Tier 1 storage slots, costs 3000 Bytes to unlock, and 2 Compound and 2 Aluminum to print.
The Vehicle Bay can now be operated by a Control Panel.
Module Control Panels have received a lighting pass
INTERACTION
A large number of the orange floating UI buttons have been removed from the game and replaced with interaction verbs. Your bases should look a bit less like a Las Vegas light show.
The default Use verb has been replaced with contextual interaction verbs. For instance the Work Light now uses the verbs “Turn On” and “Turn Off,” while Drop Pods, Habitats, and Seats now use “Enter” and “Exit.”
AUDIO UPDATES
Update Smelter Audio, better end loops. Less Abrupt.
Added variations for Base Building.
Hazard Plant SFX
OTHER UPDATES
Items in the Catalog have been slightly reorganized.
---------BUG FIXES---------
[AS-1831] - Fixed a longstanding bug where Tether lines did not go dark in Multiplayer games when disconnected from an Oxygen source.
[AS-2237] - Fixed a bug where the Astroneer’s headlamp would turn off while dying inside a Drop Pod
[AS-2545] - Fixed an issue with cables twisting in strange ways in relation to the planet center.
[AS-2546] - Fixed an issue with power sockets on platforms twisting cables in strange ways in relation to the planet center.
Due to the physics constraints of the world, vehicle chains have once again been limited to a maximum of 4 Rover bases.
[AS-2567] - Power Nuggets once again charge batteries. Cave spelunkers, rejoice!
[AS-2570] - Drop Pods should no longer launch into space when invoking the Use command.
[AS-2572] - Large Solar arrays can once again be moved by the Winch!
[AS-2574] - Mineral Extractor and Smelter should once again auto-pull from and auto-deposit into connected storage.
Fixed several recurring crashes on PC and Xbox One which should increase general stability.
We will be updating our roadmap a little later today. And don't forget, we are on sale for another 24 hours, so tell a friend! Thanks for reading and enjoy!
-jt
Steam Sale and Update Preview!
Hello Astroneers! This week has been rather busy, so I wanted to take a moment to consolidate all of the exciting news!
SALE!
Thats right, we are on sale, offering 20% off of Astroneer for a limited time. This is most likely the lowest price Astroneer will go during Early Access, and possibly the last time we go on sale before 1.0. If you have been on the fence, there has been no better time to pick up the game. We just updated last month with our biggest update ever, and as mentioned in our stream, will be adding more items in an update next week!
NEW STUFF & UPDATE NEXT WEEK!
If you missed our Steam stream today, we revealed that we are going to update the game again next week. We will have an official date soon, but in our vlog we showed off some of the new items you can expect to see, including a new power management tool and new rovers! Click below to watch the full vlog on Youtube.
https://youtu.be/sIMXrYqS2HM
Stay tuned to our social media channels this weekend and early next week for more info on the full list of fixes, features, and items that we will be adding in our next update.
Steam 'Early Access' users will receive this update today, Wednesday February 28th, 2018.
This patch addresses some issues introduced during the Basebuilding Update, as well as a quality of life addition fix for Large Storage!
UPDATES
You can find these updates in 0.6.2.0, the current build of the game. We issued hotfix 0.6.1 to Steam last week to address some of these issues, but are squeezing in a bit more, as well as issuing all of the fixes for Xbox Play Anywhere!
Large Storage on a Rover or on a Large Platform will now pass-through power! We are extremely excited that players are finding all new ways to plug different base and vehicle modules together, and realized we needed to add some functionality to large storage to account for that. Now generators, wind vanes, and solar panels connected to Large Storage will pass power through to the platform or vehicle they are printed on. Additionally, we are working on new platforms, storage units and more to keep expanding on the variety of configurations for bases. Details soon.
BUG FIXES
Fixed missing sounds that were not loading for fireworks and other items
Fixed an interaction but that resulted in players being unable to use the terrain tool after sitting in a 3-seat on a Shuttle or Large Rover
Fixed a bug where users were able to unpack base modules that were not on a Large Platform.
Fixed a bug where a battery that was plugged into a power pool would constantly tell the player it was full
Fixed a bug where running platforms that got disconnected would then gain infinite power
Fixed a bug that would result in "wireless power" for disconnected platforms
Fixed a bug that caused a full sediment processor to turn into Barad-dûr, resulting in the Eye of Sauron's gaze to follow your every move in your solar system.
CRASH FIXES
Fixed and added guards against crashes resulting from the array of connections while regenerating and merging Tether networks
Fixed and added guards against crashes resulting from the unpack animation failing to play
KNOWN ISSUES
We are aware of the following issues, but they didn't make this patch. Thanks to the users who have reported these, we will address them in our next content update, coming in March.
Corpses in the habitat from disconnected players trap players in the Habitat. Until we a get a fix in, make sure players do not disconnect while sitting in the Habitat! You can almost always jump your way out, or examine the corpse to start the despawn timer.
Rovers sometimes become stuck in terrain on save/load.
Power nuggets no longer charge batteries. They do however, still power rovers and other battery based items one their batteries have been depleted.
Clients in multiplayer sometimes cannot see holograms on modules or in the Catalog.
Invoking the use action on a printable Habitat sometimes causes the player to simultaneously grab it, causing them to rocket into space.
The burn-off particle effect shoots across the entire screen.
Large platforms are intended to create oxygen in this build. We plan on changing this behavior in an upcoming update.
Extractors no longer autofeed from connected storage
Solar Array crashes are no longer moveable via the winch.
Thanks to everyone for the feedback regarding the Basebuilding Update! Looking forward to sharing details very soon about content in our update in a few weeks.
-jt
Basebuilding Update!
Steam 'Early Access' users will receive this update today, Thursday February 22nd, 2018.
The Basebuilding update is Astroneer's biggest update to date. Whether underground, on a mountaintop, or on far away planets, the all new Basebuilding and Power systems will allow you to create efficient bases that are all your own. This update includes 20+ new art pieces, which includes new platforms, modules, items to print, and much more. With that being said, this update is only the beginning for Basebuilding as a system. We have already begun development on more features and content to continue growing the already robust foundation. Check out the basebuilding trailer below!
https://youtu.be/GCA80QgMTNU
UPDATES
You will find these updates in 0.6.0.0, the current build of the game.
Introduction of the Basebuilding System
Creating bases has changed fundamentally at its core. Now Astroneers can create bases however they like with a variety of new movable platforms and new ways to connect those platforms together.
We have introduced free standing movable base platforms. Three all new Platforms have been added. Two versions of the Medium Platform, and a platform for base modules, the Large Platform. These objects can now be placed and rotated individually, allowing for greater flexibility in base configurations. Lock platforms into place by connecting them to power. If you want to move them again, just disconnect all power lines.
Introducing: Fabricators. Fabricators are portable printers that allow you to make bases. Pop up the new control panel, pick what you want to fabricate, and in the end you will have a crate you can unpack immediately or bring with you anywhere you go. The Small Fabricator allows you to bootstrap an entire base from your Backpack and is used to print Medium Platforms and Medium Fabricators. The Medium Fabricator is for printing Large Platforms and Base Modules. Medium Printers and Vehicle Bays remain unchanged for now.
The starting Habitat module has received a visual update. Complete with a built in Oxygenator, Power Generation System, nighttime running lights, and 4 power connectors, the new Habitat is top of the line Exo Dynamics technology.
All printed base Modules and Platforms now come in the form of packaged crates. This allows them them to be moved or stored before deploying. Hovering over a crate on the ground or a Module on a Platform will show a hologram preview of its orientation. Base module crates can only be unpacked while on top of a platform, so keep that in mind when planning your base.
Added a new Landing Pad which automatically deploys next to a new Habitat. The Landing Pad is used to call in your first packaged items, and as zone for other players who join your session to land. Be aware that calling in new packages to the landing pad will destroy the extant ones. We plan on adding more functionality to the landing pad in the future. For now, shuttles will still land in the area in front of a vehicle bay.
Bases created in previous builds will automatically migrate to the new Basebuilding system. When loading into an old save, Platforms and Modules will be converted to their movable, packaged form. We tried to support old saves as best we could so there was no loss of items, but terrain might not always generate properly. As always though, use old saves at your own risk.
All holograms have received a visual update. They should now be much more readable at all times of day.
The introductory landing sequence has been updated. We will continue to improve on the introductory sequence in future updates.
Implemented an all new Power System
Changed the Power System over to a system that uses streaming shared power pools. That means items that need power pull from available power generators on a connected network. All Modules, Rovers, and crashed solar arrays have been migrated to use this new power system. To see how a network is doing, check out the new power indicators on platforms.
Cable and Cable Connector Art has been updated. Cables and their Connectors are now indicators for how much power is running through a network. When the indicator is red, the network needs power and all Modules connected to it will not run at optimal efficiency. As you add more power, the indicator will begin to expand, and connected Modules will run faster.
Added a new directional power tool, Extenders. Extenders are printable in bundles of six from your backpack. Extenders provide directed power flow, which redirects excess power from one pool to another. Drag a cable from the extender to indicate the direction of power and where you would like it to flow. Power flow is indicated by the large chevron on the cable.
Added small standalone platforms for small power items. When placed on the ground, Small Solar Panels, Small Generators, Small Wind Vanes. and Worklights will now deploy standalone bases with two Power Connectors on them. Use these to add power to your network, power bespoke standalone platforms, or as extenders that also add power. Small worklight bases also contain spikes can now stick to any terrain surface regardless of orientation.
Interaction Updates
A new interaction verb “Use” has been added to the game. Holding Use (by default E on keyboard and X on the Gamepad) triggers using an object. It is also used to get in and out of vehicles and the Habitat.
A new interaction verb “Examine” has been added to the game. Holding Examine (by default Q on keyboard and Y on the Gamepad) triggers examining an object or its control panel.
Holding Q on keyboard or Y on Gamepad will now open the Catalog whether or not the Backpack is open. This is a change from the double-Q / double-Y interaction from previous releases.
Shoulder buttons can now toggle items in the Backpack Auxiliary slots on and off.
Interactions that need to be held rather than tapped, like Use and Examine, now have a visual indicator ring around them.
Platforms and Modules can be rotated using Z / X keyboard and RB / LB on Gamepad by default.
When standing close enough to power slots, Gamepad users will auto-select slots that can pull connections.
The Backpack printer can now be used with the directional pad and A button, rather than having to use the Gamepad cursor.
Other Updates
Small Generators now auto-pull nearby Organic resources when actively generating power.
Small Generators will now automatically turn on when an Organic resource is added.
Firework rocket has been added to the Catalog as an unlockable object. Happy Lunar New Year!
Control Panel buttons, including the Research Platform, have been updated to change color and icon depending on whether pressing it will start, stop, or cancel a process, or if there is insufficient power.
Tutorial help menu carousel has been updated to include Basebuilding, Power, and Interaction changes.
Informational widgets that appear at the bottom of the screen have received updated visuals.
Optimized rendering of hovering info text that appears over holograms, along with other minor framerate optimizations.
Made several changes to the gravity system to improve stability of Rovers.
Medium Generators now provide about 30% more power
If you want to see the other stuff that happened this month that didn't make it, check out our vlogs for weekly insight to what the team is doing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8P1IZkCB0zo&t=25s
BUG FIXES
Fixed several issues causing Rovers to float when outside of physics range. There should now be fewer instances of Rovers going on a beautiful journey into space.
Unified the simulation of the vehicle chain. This should mean many less vehicle physics freakouts going forward.
Fixed an Xbox One crash that sometimes occurred when players were transitioning into Multiplayer games, improving overall stability.
Fixed a PC crash that sometimes occurred when players were transitioning into Multiplayer games, improving overall stability.
Fixed a minor issue where large rocks would not despawn when dislodged, causing untidy bases.
Fixed an occasional bug where the mouselook camera would do a single wild 360 degree swing.
Fixed an issue where players were sometimes able to pick up things inappropriately while seated.
ROADMAP HIGHLIGHT
The following major features are continuing during development, but are not included in this release. Now that we are in Alpha, you can expect to see all of these items implemented during the first half of 2018. Click here to see the full roadmap.
Dedicated Servers - (Q2 2018) We now have our final plan for implementation and player workflow when it comes to dedicated servers and have begun implementation. The rollout plan is to have servers provided through a 3rd party during Early Access for stress testing, and then DIY hosted servers at a later date.
Basebuilding - Implemented & In Progress Its finally out! As mentioned above, we still have plenty more we want to add to this system. We would love your feedback once you get your hands on it.
Research 2.1* - Implemented & In Progress The next steps include working on items that instantly grant you research points, and unlockable blueprints that can only be found out in the world and never be unlocked via the catalog. Expect this to keep getting more content for our next few updates.
Weather and Hazards - (Q2 2018) As a part of Terrain 2.0 we will also be introducing an entirely new weather and hazard system to challenge players. First on the list is fixing the wind system so it is more predictable and players can rely on it as a source of power generation.
Terrain 2.0 - (Q2 2018) Not much has changed here. The terrain system is now stood up, and final tools are being implemented to account for item placement in the world. Adam has begun generation of terrain and exploration of new planets and biomes.
Thanks for reading all of this! Really excited to get these sweeping changes into the hands of players.
-joe
Patch 0.5.1 Live!
Steam 'Early Access' users will receive this update today, Wednesday January 17th, 2018.
This update is a followup to the Research Update! The team took some much needed time off for the holidays and were going to hold off on updating till February, but decided to keep to the "update every month" schedule to spend time fixing some bigger crash bugs and add another feature to the Research system!
Updates
You can find these updates in 0.5.1.0, the current build of the game.
Research System now uses Multi-Phase rates This release we've made a big update to the research system that debuted in our last update. Now every research subject contains multiple phases with different Byte values. Some items have their most valuable phase early, some much later, and some in between. So if you really want to maximize your research operations, you have lots of new decisions to make about what to research, when, and for how long. To help you make these decisions and figure out how much you want to min-max as a player, the Control Panel on the Research Chamber now shows a timeline of all the current item's phases.
If your current research subject has moved into a lower-rate phase, and want to replace it something that's higher value, you can stop the current research operation and and load in the new subject right away. But be careful, stopping a research operation early means sacrificing any uncollected points! So don't be reckless, okay?
Update to the lighting system has been implemented In this patch we included an overhaul to the lighting system. The main goal was to get the game running using the ACES tone mapper, so we could then get the game running in HDR in a future update. That meant spending lots of time recreating the look of Astroneer in a completely new system. We aren't completely done tweaking this, but overall this approach is a huge step in the right direction.
If you want to see the other stuff that happened this month, check out our vlogs for weekly insight to what the team is doing. The most recent one shows off the new Basebuilding system:
https://youtu.be/W78XPyYHneo
FIXES
BUGS
[AS-1522] - Fixed a number of issues that were causing save files to be deleted when the game crashed or the application was closed. In the most common case, this occurred when very large saves took enough time to write out that the user had time to close the window before the file finished.
[AS-1958] - Fixed an issue causing inconsistent playback of Gas Hazard audio
[AS-2097] - Fixed a minor issue where the Astroneer could still walk around when scrolling through the pages of the Help screen.
[AS-2104] - Fixed an annoying Multiplayer bug which prevented the Client player from exiting a flipped vehicle in Multiplayer games.
[AS-2113] - By adjusting a few things in the engineering team’s favorite part of the code, local wind effects should now only spawn for the relevant player rather than all players in a Multiplayer game.
[AS-2158] - Fixed a bug where the Research platform remained in the "completed" state if it lost power while in that state.
[AS-2172] - Base platforms no longer have "ghost" slots on the front that store only Compound. Goodbye, secret Compound storage.
CRASHES With automated crash reporting coming online last month, during this release cycle we focused on fixing some of our most common crashes. There are a dozen or so more, but are pretty technical so I tried to summarize them here.
[AS-2148] - Fixed a crash that occurred when entering the pause menu
[AS-2150] - Fixed a crash that occurred while printing an item
[AS-2153] - Fixed a crash that occurred while opening your backpack in certain situations
[AS-2155] - Fixed a crash that occurred while loading a save game
ROADMAP HIGHLIGHT
We just completed a comprehensive overhaul to the roadmap! Now you can see projected time frames for upcoming content, as well as our ideas for free post launch content. The following major features are continuing during development, but are not included in this release.
Dedicated Servers We currently have a dedicated server running with a third party that we can connect to. There are plenty of bugs still yet to deal with, but we are getting closer and closer to public launch.
Basebuilding We have already completed a couple of playtests, but this is feeling really great right now. If you watched the above vlog, you can catch some glimpses of basebuilding in action, but here is an image that Spencer made during one of our recent playtests that sums up a lot:
(none of the above art is final*)
Research - Implemented & In Progress
We just keep going! This update As with all of the new systems we are shipping, these are just base implementations that we will now work on expanding. Multi Phase items are now in, and the next steps include working on items that instantly grant you research points, and unlockable blueprints that can only be found out in the world and never be unlocked via the catalog. Expect this to keep getting more content for our next few updates.
Terrain 2.0, Weather, and Hazards
This is still in a similar place as last update. Zabir is working hard on ironing out some of the last authoring tools that the art team will use to create planets, biomes, and weather. The next step here will be generating one of the existing playable planets with the new system for testing!
Also, the first versions of aggressive flora were shown off in the last vlog. We are now working on making variations that utilize some of the cool behaviors Andrew created.
Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for details of our next update, which will probably be our biggest one to date!
-joe
Research Update Live!
Steam 'Early Access' users will receive this update Monday, December 18th, 2017.
The Research Update is an entirely new way to play Astroneer. As part of our Alpha launch, we wanted to lay a solid foundation by updating our core game loop. Now, using the new Catalog and Research Chamber, players can use Bytes to unlock the blueprints they want. This update also includes our first module that uses "streaming power", as well as changes to research colors and some under the hood performance changes while we continue our ongoing effort to improve game stability. Also, as mentioned earlier, we are moving into the Alpha phase of development, which means that going forward, we will be adding content and changes to the game with every update until we reach Beta. For a list of upcoming features and expected launch windows, check the roadmap update below!
UPDATES
You can find these updates in 0.5.0.0, the current build of the game.
Complete Overhaul of the Research System
The research system has been completely changed from the ground up. This will allow us to add new items to the game on a consistent basis, while giving players direct ways to unlock the items they want. Here's how it works:
We have introduced a concept called Bytes. Bytes are the way Astroneers will unlock items in the new research system.
Getting Bytes requires researching items at the new Research Chamber. Items that are researchable include: Research Chests found in the world, and resources like Compound, Resin, etc. We will be expanding the list of researchable items in the future.
Use the backpack Catalog to unlock blueprints. After you have accumulated enough bytes to unlock the items you want, open up your Catalog in your backpack to send data to Exo Dynamics in exchange for the blueprint to create said item.
There are a few general tips for this new system. Research Chambers require a constant flow of power to continue gathering Bytes. That means power infrastructure like Batteries, Generators, Solar panels, and Wind generators will become extremely important. You can Overclock your platforms to produce more bytes by increasing the amount of power the platforms receive.
Added the new and improved Research Chamber
The new Research Chamber is our first platform using "streaming" power, a system we are going to move to completely in the future. Now, rather than placing a research chest on the platform and getting a random item, you research objects to accumulate data, which you can then use to unlock whatever items you would like from your backpack. These platforms all stack, so the more powered platforms with research you have going, the more Bytes you will accumulate!
You can also Overclock your Research Chamber to accumulate Bytes faster. Examine the module connected to the platform to see the rate of Bytes, and also check if you are operating at maximum efficiency.
Players should also be aware that after you add a researchable item to the Chamber, you cannot stop the process without destroying the contents. Cancelling for any reason means you lose the Bytes left in that subject!
Added the new backpack Catalog Module
The Catalog is your central hub for unlocking printable blueprints for items. Once you have enough Bytes, open the catalog using the backpack key while the backpack is open, or just click on it when your backpack is stowed. On the top if it's screen you will see the rate of Bytes Per Minute (BPM) as well as your total accumulated Bytes, and on the bottom, you can scroll through researchable items and unlock them by clicking on the green button. To cycle through the categories of research, press the buttons with the icons above the main window.
First Implementation of the new "streaming" power system
As the first step in getting basebuilding online, the Research Chamber uses the new streaming power system to operate. That means rather than having base modules use a power bar that has to continue refilling, modules using the new mechanic search the network for sources of power and then stay connected to them as long as the power keeps coming in.
Implemented new resource colors
Keeping with our ideal to try and base items in our game on actual science, we worked on updating resource colors. Items like malachite should now better reflect their real world counterparts. These are still a work in progress.
UI updates
The game now has a few usability and informational tweaks. The first is a prompt to let players know that an old save is most likely unsupported and buggy. Upon loading the older save, the game will warn you about the potential for bugs and less than ideal performance. We also added a new message of the day area on the home screen, with a link to patch notes so you can check them out anytime.
Added a new in-game tutorial
Players will now have an on-screen prompt upon starting new saves that explains updated mechanics and content! Press F1 on your keyboard or the "View" button on your controller to pull up these tutorials at any time.
Automatic Crash Reporting Implemented
Now, if you crash as a result of a bug, the game will automatically send a report to us for triage. We might still ask for crashdumps from time to time, but this will help us better track crashes and how many players they effect.
New Soundtrack Music now added to the existing soundtrack songs
Purchasers of the Astroneer soundtrack will get the new Soundtrack Volume 2 by Rutger Zuydervelt for free! If you want to purchase a physical copy, head over here! Riley also added new sounds for the Research Chamber and Catalog.
If you want to see the other stuff that happened this month that didn't make it, check out our vlogs for weekly insight to what the team is doing. This month the team showed off some new hazard behaviors that you should be seeing in game really soon.
[AS-1308] - The game now auto-saves appropriately when force quitting via the window “x” in the top right corner or by pressing ALT+F4.
[AS-1713] - Fixed a visual issue where Client player’s dropship had no thrusters in Multiplayer games.
[AS-1762] - Players can no longer hold objects after death or during the re-launch animation from orbit.
[AS-1816] - Fixed a few issues with quick stowing of items not interacting well with the backpack printer.
[AS-1829] - Fixed the Terrain Brush color ring to reflect the player color in the 'tool disabled' state (it’s no longer fuschia).
[AS-1832] - Fixed a few other instances of Client players getting stuck in a wheelie while driving a Rover in Multiplayer games.
[AS-1834] - Fixed an issue in Multiplayer games where the soil burn-off effect on the drill did not display for Client players
[AS-1876] - Fixed a bug in Multiplayer games on Xbox One where the 'No Power' text and symbol were not visible on Modules to Client players
ROADMAP HIGHLIGHT
The following major features are continuing during development, but are not included in this release. Now that we are in Alpha, you can expect to see all of these items implemented during the first half of 2018.
Dedicated Servers - (Q2 2018)
We are currently working diligently with a 3rd party to start standing up the dedicated server experience. There are unanswered questions regarding ownership & persistence, but we expect to be shipping our first dedicated server experience during Q2 of 2018.
Basebuilding - (Q1 2018)
Right now the team is working on some elements that will will completely change how you build your bases, and creating "tiers" of base modules that will scale up as your Astroneer starts to master the solar system. We want there to be a sense of progression when creating bases, so that your initial base looks way different than a base belonging to a seasoned Astro. That doesn't just mean bigger, that means more complex, but also more rewarding. Right now you could technically burn organic on 30 small generators to power a big base, but what if you could just upgrade your base with more powerful and automated power sources to replace them all? The initial version of basebuilding will be shipping some time in Q1 2018.
Research 2.1* - Implemented & In Progress
The first version of this is out, but that doesn't mean we are done. As with all of the new systems we are shipping, these are just base implementations that we will now work on expanding. The next steps include working on items that instantly grant you research points, and unlockable blueprints that can only be found out in the world and never be unlocked via the catalog. Expect this to keep getting more content for our next few updates.
Weather and Hazards - (Q1 2018)
As a part of Terrain 2.0 we will also be introducing an entirely new weather and hazard system to challenge players. You should have gotten a taste of this in last weeks vlog. Rather than just being challenged by gas bags and dust storms, we are going to implement different kinds of weather effects, and aggressive flora that will challenge your exploration of the solar system.
Terrain 2.0 - (Q2 2018)
I will save you the technical talk and just say that creating new planets, biomes and caves has begun. There is still a long process to tweak the procedural system, but T2.0 is slowly being turned over from engineering to the art team so they can begin making much more complex planets with unique challenges to face.
Wow this was a long one. Thanks to everyone who has been sharing, reporting bugs, and providing feedback on the current state of Astroneer. Keep it coming! The team is excited to continue updating the game on a regular basis.
-joe
"Patch 221" Live!
Astroneer's Pre-Alpha Early Access will be updated to version 0.4.10221.0
Update 221 is a followup to the Excavation update, including an update to rover connections, some quality of life changes, and bugfixes/multiplayer fixes. While we continue work on a major December milestone and large content update, we wanted to still ship a patch on our monthly cadence.
UPDATES
You can find these updates in 0.4.101221.0, the current build of the game.
Added rigid joints between rovers
The old rover joints created all sorts of physics issues caused by the individual rover bodies flipping over, colliding with other rovers in the train, and generally just being extremely wonky. The new joints are much more rigid, allowing for more stable rover trains overall. As always, rovers are still a work in progress, and we hope to have a complete overhaul of their physics, maneuverability, and controls when we get closer to our 1.0 launch.
Patch Notes now on the home screen
Both Steam and Xbox "Play Anywhere" users should now see a "Patch Notes" button on the home screen of their game. This first iteration will point to Excavation Update changes, but in the future this link will change dynamically and have "message of the day" type information.
Contextual Quick Stow enabled
This feature is a small but extremely helpful one. Currently Astroneers have three kinds of storage. Backpack space, Aux Slots (top of the backpack), and the terrain tool slots. Things like augments are useful on the terrain tool or stored in the backpack, while solar panels and small wind vanes want to be on the top of your backpack to be useful. With this new behavior, while quick stowing items, (Shift + Mouse 1) on PC (Right Trigger + X) on Xbox items will naturally try and slot to the place that makes the most sense. This should also work with items currently in your inventory, so swapping a solar panel to your aux slots should be a bit easier now!
Oxygen/Power/Resource Plinths removed from planets
The "infinite" power and oxygen towers in the game have been removed. They were first implemented as a "fix" for players that got lost, but their frequency changed the exploration experience in a bad way. Exploring far away from your base should be viewed as a trek that requires planning and preparation. You can still find oxygen and power on cave walls, but otherwise, plan ahead or bring a vehicle or meet almost certain death.
If you want to see the other stuff that happened this month that didn't make it, check out our vlogs for weekly insight to what the team is doing. Of particular interest is Spencer's work on basebuilding, which caused him to visually explore what monster truck rovers might look like:
https://youtu.be/yMbaXLwTIN0
BUGFIXES
[AS-1752] - Hydrazine Catalyzer now shows the name of the resource (Ammonium) required to make Hydrazine.
[AS-1779] - Fixed an issue where the Fuel Condenser wouldn’t fill an entire canister with fuel in five battery cycles.
[AS-1802] - Fixed several Multiplayer issues causing Canisters holograms to frequently not appearing for the Client player.
[AS-1803] - Fixed an issue where empty canisters some times display as full on Client
[AS-1805] - Fixed a Multiplayer issue where the Mineral Extractor module would become temporarily invisible for the Client player.
[AS-1806] - Fixed an issue where the ‘'Enclosed 1-Seat' would be un-selectable in Vehicle Bay after the player cycled away from printing it.
[AS-1815] - Player can no longer jump infinitely off of items on the deform tool with the backpack open.
[AS-1817] - Fixed issues with inconsistent power usage by Augments.
[AS-1818] - Objects dropped from backpack upon death are no longer buried when the player returns, instead items that were slotted into the Deform Tool are now found on a Deform Tool near the body.
[AS-1819] - Fixed some awkwardness for players getting out of vehicles while they were upside down.
[AS-1830] - Fixed a major Multiplayer issue which prevented players from rejoining a game after they quit to the Main Menu.
[AS-1831] - Fixed a Multiplayer issue where Tether lines would not go dark for Client players when they were disconnected from an oxygen source
[AS-1835] - Fixed a visual-only bug in Multiplayer games where the Mineral Extractor canisters looked full for Client players
[AS-1856] - Crane controls once again work for gamepads!
[AS-1868] - Fixed a crash in Multiplayer games that occurred when Client players left the game while seated in the respawn Habitat.
[AS-1906] - Instances of the hilarious, yet annoying Rover Rodeo have been reduced, but may still occur in extraordinarily laggy network situations.
Thanks to the community for reporting, documenting and triage-ing bugs for us to smash!
ROADMAP HIGHLIGHT
The following major features are continuing during development, but are not included in this release. This month we spent a ton of time working on "spec" documents for future features like weather/climate, hazardous discoveries, new UI and more. View our full roadmap here. https://trello.com/b/UoZgKrd3/astroneer-development-roadmap
Dedicated Servers
We now have a fully operating dedicated server running in house! Brendan tweeted last week:
"Just brought online our first always-on @astroneergame headless dedicated server in the studio. It gets automatic updates from daily builds." "Still a ways from a public roll-out, but a big step closer."
Carl has continued work on dedicated servers, and we are moving towards the goal of having them roll out to the larger community!
Terrain 2.0
Terrain 2.0 tech is moving along well! We now have the new tech in-engine and work has begun on authoring tools, which will allow us to start crafting new biomes, caves, & planets! There has also been a ton of work to figure out what weather (& weather related dynamic events like lightning, sandstorms, radiation, heat & cold) might look like in an updated planet in Astroneer.
Modularity
The power system and basebuilding system is making lots of progress. As mentioned above, basebuilding had some unanswered questions around moving base modules, which spawned visual explorations for xl rovers that can house and move base modules.
Research 2.1*
We have internally playtested, revised, and subsequently playtested another version of the new research 2.1* gameplay loop. We are now balancing and tweaking it for a larger rollout.
Next month's CU is going to be a big one, as we are celebrating our one year anniversary of launching into early access, and are looking forward to announcing a major milestone in Astroneer's development! Thanks to everyone who has been sharing, reporting bugs, and providing feedback on the current state of Astroneer! I am looking forward to sharing our plans for December soon :).
