Blastronaut
Patch 0.5.2
Fixes:
1. Crash caused by swarms fixed
2. Crash when setting home on antenna fixed
3. Swarm performance improved
4. Swarm despawns after 2 minutes when farther away from the player
5. Drill not crafting fixed
6. Module slots remaining open after construction mode is closed fixed
7. Random explosions fixed
8. Alien biome mines fixed
BLASTRONAUT Update 4 - Swarm
Here is a summary of what has been added:
Swarm of ravagers have arrived, demolishing bases and keeping the player on its toes. At the beginning of the game, the swarm is asleep, but once it awakens, it will spice up the mid- and late-game. An additional mission is added that introduces the new swarm mechanics to the player
Luckily, the player can also build Turrets to protect his bases. The turret has various weapon types and more ammo crafting for the player.
The player's inventory can now be scrolled in the map view, and more important resources can be pinned such that they are always shown on the top.
Many more minor balancing changes were made; for example, the player movement should not feel so slippery anymore. Balancing is an ongoing process, and we will have to make more changes before we are pleased. All suggestions about balancing are welcome, so please let us know in Discord if something seems off or if you have some suggestions.
List of new features:
1. Enemy swarms
2. Machine health - if destroyed, they will become broken
3. Ravager enemy and hatching pods
4. Wave-based enemy attacking
5. Inventory scrolling and favourite pinning
6. Turrets - attacking nearby enemies, consuming ammo
7. „Strange encounter“ mission - after the „Water operation“
8. New ammo resources
9. Improved main menu
List of changes:
1. Adjusted spaceport tasks
2. Adjusted faction tasks, five more minor tasks added to the game
3. Crafting and selling rates adjusted
4. Menu scrolling removed
Fixed bugs:
1. Player „slidy“ movement fix (capsule collider replaced with a rectangle)
2. Controller left stick jumping over multiple achievements cards fixed
3. Player state resetting after loading a multiplayer game in single-player and vice versa
Thank you for supporting the game. There are still many features that we have planned to implement during the Early Access. The first year of updates is done; time to start with the second one!
Patch 0.4.2
New features:
1. Research completes when the player is farther from the research station.
2. Notification of research complete.
3. Minor booth tasks added to the quest panel so players can switch between them.
4. Research displaying module stats.
Changes:
1. The quests are set active after they are accepted in the booth; opening the quest tree is no longer necessary. (This does not apply to the satellite repair quest that teaches the player how to navigate to the quest tree).
Fixes:
1. Dropped resources sometimes disappear.
2. Crash on starting a task with a radius area.
3. Inventory slots display the wrong tool.
4. Quest gets stuck when the antenna is activated beforehand.
5. Research not unlocking after it is finished (further testing is required to confirm that the bug is fixed in all situations).
The deadline for the next major update is also drifting closer, so see you again soon!
Content update 0.4.1
So here is the summary of new exciting content that has been added to the game.
The beginning of the game got overhauled and now has three new missions. Each comes with a little storyline, shows different game areas and unlocks new mechanics. These missions also introduce new items and locations to the game world, providing resources for different unlocks even after completing the story mission. These will not remain the only ones as, for future updates, we have already planned more.
The missions and achievements are now tied to a unified quest tree. This should help to provide direction in case you don't know what to do next. As for the missions, we also plan to expand the tree as the game develops.
The water biome got new plants, and a new fish-type enemy called Sparky. It is not the most hostile enemy but lays floating mines that might surprise you if not being careful. It also drops new resource that is needed for many recipes. Also, the player's movement in the water was improved as well.
In addition to these main features, there were also many other improvements and fixes that we hope you will enjoy.
List of new features:
1. Quest tree view
2. Water biome tileset and new enemy Sparky
3. Water-splashing particles
4. Scenario locations added to the world generation
5. 3 new questlines (crash site, jungle temple, broken pump)
7. Quest rewards and unlocks
8. New world templates
9. Faction dialogue displays during quests
10. New quest item
List of changes:
1. Equipment slots are locked at the beginning of the game
2. One more health for the new beginning and custom game scenarios
3. Equipment, construction and research trade prices changed to use biome-unique resources
4. Slot and resistance upgrades require unique items
Fixed bugs:
1. Drones duplicating themselves after loading a game
2. Drones not working after loading a game
3, Drones delivery tick sound played globally
4. Destroying the research machine, crashing the game
5. Buildings too close together, not opening HUD
6. Jetpack water physics bad
7. Module information crowded and overlapping UI elements
8. Drill machine drones not working when reloading the game
9. Home beacon is not working when reloading the game
10. The drill machine fuel module is not working properly
11. Quest resetting after the player rejoins a multiplayer game
12. Rare crashes in multiplayer
13. Water pump not queuing water on holding F
14. Steam repair-related achievements not triggering
Known bugs:
1. Research sometimes not unlocking the resource in multiplayer games (needs more testing)
2. Inventory growing outside the screen
3. Enemies pushing player inside blocks
4. Liquid is not saved and sometimes gets stuck
Thank you for providing valuable feedback under Steam Discussions or on our Discord server. We still want to improve many game areas, but some (e.g., player movement changes) require more analysis and design.
Thanks again for your patience and support. See you soon!
BLASTRONAUT Update 3 - Aqueous
Here is a summary of what has been added:
Liquid simulation adds more character to the world. Although it is not yet final and will receive additional improvements in the upcoming patches, we have put much effort into optimization, ensuring it will run well even on the Steam Deck.
Drill and pump machines
New large-scale machines allow producing the fuel and minerals on an industrial scale. However, they can not be built anywhere; instead, the player still needs to do some exploration.
Drone automatization
The modules introduced in the last patch can now be attached to all the crafting stations as well. This includes the drone modules that can now carry resources between the storage containers, furnaces and even sell stations. New types of drones also allow to specify where the resources will be delivered.
Mobile construction
One of the most requested features has always been the ability to build structures outside the range of the main building. And now, it is possible to use the new mobile construction tools that can be purchased from some of the vending machines on the ground.
Other construction improvements
There are also several smaller improvements to the construction system in general. For example, moving the camera in construction mode is now possible. Also, the deletion is now behind the dedicated selection, which should give more control and reduce the likelihood of accidental deletion.
List of new features:
1. Liquid simulation
2. Submerged biome
2. Drill machine - converts fuel to resources
3. Pump machine - converts water to fuel
4. Automation with 3 transport drones (storage, crafting, selling)
5. Mobile construction mode with 3 construction tools
6. Displaying stats under storage and crafting machines
7. Modules can be added to crafting machines
8. More info about module benefits in the construction view
9. Ability to destroy modules
10. New showcase scenario for the added construction features
List of changes:
1. More building space for the main construction station (almost 10x increase)
2. Inputs changed for construction and equipment switching
3. Deletion system uses special construction cards
4. Weapon and jetpack module upgrades changed
5. Tile order changed for liquid (entities, including enemies) are be placed behind foreground tiles
6. Adjusted machine colliders and snapping distances
Fixed bugs:
1. Spikes not doing damage in the crimson biome
2. Rare crash that occurred when objects were loaded in the wrong order
3. Construction exiting getting stuck when using a controller
4. Module snapping incorrectly on close range
Known bugs:
1. Two achievements are not triggering
2. Liquid is not saved but will simulate again when reloaded
3. Transportation drones not visible in multiplayer games
4. Enemies can push players inside blocks
The old save games should still be working; however, due to the world generation changes, some things might be generated on a different location or previously discovered bases are covered with blocks.
The main goal of this update was to set a foundation for the new gameplay loops that will arrive in the next update (Q3). We will also start putting more effort into balancing, but it is important to establish all core systems first. For this reason, we are eager to hear your feedback!
Please consider trying the new showcase level; it has a new tutorial section and teaches all the new features mentioned above. At the end of the showcase, there is a feedback button that you can use to let us know about your experience - we will appreciate it a lot.
Thank you so much for supporting the game. We are eager to start working on the next major update that will hopefully expand the universe of BLASTRONAUT quite a lot.
We are at GDC 2023
It will be there today (Thursday) from 10AM - 12PM and 14PM-16PM local time.
And also tomorrow (Friday) from 10AM - 12AM.
See you soon!
Patch 0.3.2
New features:
1. Info panels for equipment and resources that machines are producing.
2. Confirmation dialogue on building deletion,
3. New sounds added for machine deletion, exiting build mode and debris falling on the ground.
Fixes:
1. Ongoing research got stuck when the machine was destroyed,
2. Crafting resources were lost when the machine was destroyed,
3. Bombs and rockets did not collide with enemies,
4. Crash after loading controls after they were reset.
Changes:
1. Floater core bomb explosion radius decreased - due to being overpowered.
2. Jetpack fuel consumption increased between 50% and 80% - because the passive fuel leak was removed in the last update, it should balance out the fuel consumption and not let the game become boring.
The info panels are still in the works. We would like to hear your thoughts about them and improve the system in future updates.
We will start working on the next major update; hopefully, it will be awesome.
Hotfix 0.3.1
1. Bugfix: some enemies not dying after loading a previous save
2. Bugfix: weapon colour and beam effect getting stuck when switching weapons
3. Unstuck: buttons for respawning (killing the player) and restoring the default weapon and jetpack added to the settings menu
I have received feedback that the jetpack and weapon might be missing after loading a game. It is not normal behaviour and should not happen to most players. I assume it might be caused by loading a game with a different set of mods enabled compared to when the save was made. If the related equipment is not found in the data, it can't be added to the player. If you encounter this issue, please use the "restore equipment" button in the settings menu.
BLASTRONAUT Companion Update
Here is a quick overview of things that have been added.
Toolbar allows carrying three different tools at the same time.
Equipment stations are player-built machines that provide quick access to any unlocked jetpack and tool. These can be fitted with multiple modules that give different benefits.
Any building can be marked for deletion. If something gets misplaced, try again.
All the resources are now persistent, which means they do not disappear when the player goes away. The resource pickup radius has been decreased, but the player can now acquire drones (through modules) that will collect the resources themselves.
The nearby players will also share the resources. If a player picks something up, everyone will get it; no more stealing. This should encourage cooperation between players.
The jetpacks have been improved and will come in multiple varieties. Some jetpacks allow dashing sideways (by double pressing the movement key). Some apply extra force to the movement direction, and one allows to hover in the air and move in any direction.
The sound system has been improved, bringing directional audio and reverb. Now all the creatures have their own sounds too. Headphones are recommended.
There are also other minor fixes and improvements.
List of new features:
1. Toobar added
2. Armor storage station
3. Tool storage station
4. Equipment stores (vending machines)
5. Module building (4 different modules)
6. Building deconstruction
7. Personal drones added
8. New jetpack types and behaviours
9. Persistent debris
10. Resource sharing between nearby players (double the resources)
11. Directional audio and reverb added
12. New enemy sounds
13. Menu option for changing camera follow speed
New features for user-generated content
1. Blocks spawning enemies
2. Biome end distance
3. 2x2 resource block type
List of changes:
1. Jetpack fuel leak removed
2. Eplosion distortion effect improved
3. Resource pull distance decreased
4. New building preview materials
5. Falling resource performance increased
Fixed bugs:
1. Previously explored map did not recalculate after load (it might still take a bit of time)
2. Beams did not destroy blocks in some angles
3. Resources were disappearing when they collided with platforms
Known bugs:
1. Two achievements are not triggering
2. Weapon cooldown colour sticks after switching weapons (only cosmetic)
This time the previous save games should keep working, and you can continue playing your previous save. Most of the added content is for mid to late game, so it would take some time to unlock all the modules.
We still wanted to add some additional features in this update but did not manage. Most importantly, the ability to see and compare equipment stats and other necessary data. Therefore you can expect a few minor updates before we move on to the next milestone.
There are still a few days of Steam Base Builder Fest left. After the discount is over, we will apply the regional price correction based on the Steam renewed recommendations. This means that the price might increase in some regions.
Thank you all for supporting the game by buying, playing, leaving feedback or saying a kind word. Together we will make this game awesome!
Upcoming Companion Update & Base Builder Fest
The Companion update will land this Friday - 27th of January 2023. It will focus on improving the usability of many equipment-related systems to provide a more fun experience overall. Here is a short overview of what is coming.
Update 2 - Companion
Finally, the buildings can be removed in construction mode. However, they are not deleted instantly but marked for deletion and destroyed once the user exits the construction mode. This method should decrease the likelihood of accidental destruction.
Another often-requested feature is the ability to carry multiple tools, and I'm happy to say it is now ready. There are also new buildings for storing and quickly accessing the purchased equipment. And the reworked jetpacks will provide new means of mobility.
The cover feature of this update is undoubtedly the new companion drones. But they are just a part of a more significant change. First, the resource pull radius is significantly reduced, meaning that the player has to get close to the resources to collect them. This will add a bit more legwork in the early game, but in the mid-game, the drones will take over this job.
But it also allows for improving the cooperation between the players. The new companion mechanic automatically shares the resources between players close to each other (shown with blue lines). And by sharing, I mean double the ores, no more stealing. Hopefully, the benefits of helping each other will overcome the added danger of getting accidentally fried by the friendly mining beam.
Finally, the sound system has been improved too. The caves have some atmospheric reverb, and all the environmental sounds are directional. So headphones are recommended to pinpoint the exact location of a lurking worm. All the other creatures will have their unique sounds too.
That was my brief overview of the upcoming changes. I hope they will make the game more fun and less frustrating and pave the way for even more exciting content updates in the future.
PS! Blastronaut is also in the current Base Builder Fest with a little discount. The competition is strong but let's hope it helps to bring some eyes to the game and grow the community.