Hellion
Exposure update 0.4.2 deployment
Exposure 0.4.2 Patch notes
With mandatory announcements out of the way let’s go over what you can expect from the update and why it took so long to deploy. As you know Exposure update eliminated the old degradation system and introduced the new radiation damage mechanic. This in turn brought to light several issues from older updates that have so far managed to slip through mostly undetected. So we had to do a lot of testing in order to isolate and remove various glitches that caused some of the more pressing matters, disappearing stations being the most notable one. We also took time to address some of the issues that arose from various tweaks to the security system, ultimately forcing us to make a full overhaul. Below is the full list of changes.
Security System Changes
For the most part, security system works as before as most of the changes went into the code behind it. Now the system recognizes only two potential states when determining what a player can or cannot do. These are No Authorization and No Security System present.
No Security System present means that there is no Command Module attached to the station. In this case the following is true for ALL PLAYERS:
- Docking access granted - players can dock ships or modules to the station
- Docking leavers unlocked - players can add or remove station modules
- Security door controls unlocked - players can lock or unlock security doors.
- Full airlock access - players can open/close doors and use
- pressurize/depressurize
- System access granted - players can access all systems and transfer cargo
- IFF system disabled - Turrets are locked in place and hostile to all players
No Authorization means that there is a Command Module attached to the station and player is not on the list. All ships have security by default. In this case the following is true for ALL UNAUTHORIZED PLAYERS:
- Docking access denied - players cannot dock ships or modules to the station
- Docking leavers locked - players cannot add or remove station modules
- Security door controls locked - players cannot unlock doors without a hacking tool
- Limited Airlock access - players cannot open/close “locked doors” or use pressurize/depressurize
- System access denied - players cannot access any systems or cargo
- IFF system active - Turrets are locked in place and hostile to unauthorized players
In this scenario unauthorized players need to “break into the station or ship” by using hacking tools to open locked doors and make their way to the security console on the upper deck of the Command module or the ship’s bridge. In case of the locked airlock doors invaders must first hack the locked door and then use the airlock panel to “override” door controls, venting any air in case of pressure difference. Turrets can only be stolen if first disabled by an EMP grenade.
Keep in mind that this system is true for “all stations” in the Hellion system regardless of whether or not they are claimed by players. Since Hellion is in its current state of disrepair, old security codes no longer work and many stations and ships were reset to their default values, meaning that players do not have to hack a security console, only claim it. However, there are ships and stations that still retain their old authorization codes and will be hostile no matter what you do, until you manage to hack a security console and claim them.
Glossary Improvements
We’ve also remade Glossary from scratch. Glossary can now be accessed directly from the character screen by clicking on the glossary icon in the top left corner. It has been updated with new information for all ships, systems, modules, resources and equipment. So in case you want to make sure that that Tier 4 part you were planning on getting is really worth the effort, head over to the glossary and check its bonuses before hand.
Premade and Quest station improvements
We took another look at various junkyards and stations found within them. There was a bit of confusion regarding various stations and whether they could be dismantled and if they were claimable or not. To address this problem we have updated the docking lever model for all disabled levers with some broken glass to better indicate that the docking controls are in fact damaged and inoperable. In addition, most of these stations have had a security panel removed from the Command Module and they cannot be claimed by the players. As a rule of thumb, if the docking levers are damaged the security panel is also missing. This is only the case on several quest stations and various doomed outposts.
We’ve also looked into the Arges issue. As some of you know, Arges was only obtainable by following the storyline, but this did not sit well with many of the experienced players and it caused people to “camp” its spawn point. The ship can now be found within the junkyard as part of a ruined station, but in order to keep it somewhat rare it is only present in one junkyard.
Official server number decrease
With this update, we will also decrease the number of Official servers. However, it doesn't mean we are decreasing the number of physical servers we are only decreasing the number of game server instances. The reason why we are doing so is that it appears that on all locations, third and fourth servers have very low populations. So we had decided to lower the number of game server instances in order to bring players together and to also free extra server resources and improve server performance. We will monitor the servers and we are of course able to bring more of them up at any time should the need arise.
Bug fixes
The primary purpose of this update. As there are quite a few of them we will not go over each and every one of them in detail, but will instead describe the most difficult ones and show others as a simple list. We also want to thank the members of the Testing Squad and everyone who helped us out by sending detailed bug reports and save files.
Disappearing station bug - this one was probably the most annoying one and it proved very hard to catch, as it could be caused by several different issues, all resulting in a similar outcome. With the 0.4.2 player stations no longer disappear under mysterious circumstances and can only be destroyed due to radiation, collisions or deliberate self-destruct sequence.
Items falling out of their attach points - another very problematic issue. We’ve tracked down most if not all causes of this bug but if you encounter it again (we haven’t managed to reproduce it even once after the fix) make sure to report it and we will look into it asap. Also know that this only a client issue, as all items are still located in their proper places server side and a relog fixes the problem immediately. In case of nanite cores since all damage is calculated server side, your base will not take any damage even if the bug occurs.
Inconsistent radiation damage - this was the primary cause of modules taking damage even with the proper tier nanite cores equipped. It happened due to the way server calculated radiation damage, as it would in the case of occasional lag, just add up all damage from the last few seconds and apply it instantly. This is no longer the case and “unexpected solar flares” as the more severe case of this bug was nicknamed will no longer happen. “Intentional solar flares” on the other hand might happen in the future :D
Item stuck in cargo slot during Safe Haven quest - an old issue from the Rude Awakening update. We had to redo the scripting behind it and players are now able to place and remove items freely during and after the quest.
Other Bug Fixes
- Server error that caused a server to get stuck (Client stuck on loading while connecting to server)
- Helmet and Jetpack disappears from player sometimes
- Module teleport/desync when undocking in some cases
- Unable to hack doors on Steropes ship
- Items fall out of attachment points when the player approaches his base or predefined stations
- Warp sometimes does not end where warp course was set
- Unable to crafting higher tier hacking tools
- Fried Electronics does not fit in Transport Box
- Loot doesn't spawn in and outside of doomed outposts around Nimath
- Sons of Earth Mk9 Suite does not fit in dedicated suite storage slots
- Aegis assault rifle unable to be placed in rifle storage slots
- Asteroids on unstable orbits around Sinha spawn too close to collision
- Fabricator UI some item resource requirement row half visible
- Decorative items missing in blueprint list
- Fried Electronics does not fit on medium slots
- Drill bit not losing HP when mining
- Security not working as intended, players were allowed to use unauthorized systems
- Client exception: NullReferenceException in SpaceObjectVessel.set_Forward
- Client exception: 'NullReferenceException' in PortableTurret.get_BaseVesselSystem()
- LSM Air Generator resource Injector incorrect scale when placed into slot
- Weapon shots going through the glass
- Arges / Mule No Warp and Airlock air cycle sound
- Military Nanite core wrong health after the server restart
- Arges Nanites core incorrect information on the Life Support panel
- Carbon filters with 0% health continue to work
- Value for mining drill is incorrect (Speed, Battery Consumption)
- Echoes from the past Asteroid transmitter quest not being triggered on player approach
- Fabricator standard docking port name incorrect
- Player station doesn't show as one structure on Navmap it shows as multiple modules
- Station disappears after attaching modules from Junkyards and warping from them
- Mouse-over pop-up always shows full O2/NOx white bars on the Jetpack
- Station not being named correctly on radar/map when command module is present
- On save file name of the module is from scene name not ingame name
- Server undocking exception (player unable to go back to the game after relog)
General Improvements
- Default resources tweaked for all modules
- New icon added for the transport box
- Increased resources on asteroids
- Tiers added for Air-Filter
- Research and Recycle icons on attach points
- Removed unused Asteroid.json file
- Recourse consumption information on Life Support System UI
- Remove server restart and ship damage notification from the chat
Exposure - 0.4.2 update, in testing
Update 0.4.2 Delayed again
This is because we’ve implemented a number of fixes that would be near impossible to deploy without a full server wipe. In a nutshell if we deploy the hotfix without a wipe, many of the fixes won’t work.
As you know we have so far aimed at delivering fixes that did not require a wipe, meaning some of the more difficult ones have been left for later updates. Since we will have to wipe the servers anyway we had decided to add them into the mix and provide you all with a full package of Exposure fixes and tweaks. And as you mgiht expect, it will take a bit more time to deliver.
Some the improvements you can expect include:
- Glossary improvements.
- Security improvements
- UI improvements
- Resource balance tweaks
- Balance tweaks to parts and systems
Bugs that have been fixed and are now in testing:
- Damage to modules even with the correct tier nanite cores
- Helmet and jetpack disappearing in some cases
- A module in the wrong position after undocking
- Warp exit point or warp interrupt is not where it should be
- Crafting Higher Tier Hacking tools has the same resources
- Fried Electronics do not fit in Transport Box
- No loot spawning in and outside of doomed outposts around Nimath
- Asteroids on unstable orbits around Sinha spawn too close to collision
- Fabricator item resource requirements half visible
- Decorative items missing from the blueprint list
- A wrong GameName for AltcorpCorridor45TurnRightModule
- Son of Earth Mk9 Suite does not fit in storage slots
- Aegis assault rifle cannot be placed in rifle storage slots
- Asteroids on unstable orbit around Sinha spawn too close to collision
- Fabricator new row invisible/half visible
- Fried Electronics do not fit in medium slots
- Drill bit not losing HP when mining
- Security not working as intended, players were allowed to use unauthorized systems
- Client exception: NullReferenceException in SpaceObjectVessel.set_Forward
- Client exception: 'NullReferenceException' in PortableTurret.get_BaseVesselSystem()
- LSM Air Generator - Resource Injector poking out
- Shooting with weapons through glass
- Military Nanite cores reverting to 9k after server restart
Bugs being worked on:
- Modules not visible on approach
- Nanite cores falling out of diffuser slots
- Ship pushing in the opposite direction when latency is high
- Server stuck on loading
- Cargo panel stuck by a quest with the welder
- Item desync when multiple players around
- Disappearing base on Navigation map
That's all for today folks. Untill next week, fly safe!
Zero Gravity Team
Exposure patch 0.4.2 delayed for next week
Although we have fixed a number of very serious issues already, we will be delaying the update until we are certain that a few more problems have been properly resolved and fully tested. Most notably the falling out nanite cores bug and the core HP loss. In addition to bug fixing we are also improving the way glossary works and the amount of information displayed in both glossary and item descriptions.
Here’s the current progress on various issues:
Fixed and being tested - Damage to modules even with the correct tier nanite cores
Fixed and being tested - Helmet and jetpack disappearing in some cases
Fixed and being tested - Module in wrong position after undocking
Fixed and being tested - Warp exit point or warp interrupt is not where it should be
Fixed and being tested - Crafting Higher Tier Hacking tools has the same resources
Fixed and being tested - Fried Electronics do not fit in Transport Box
Fixed and being tested - No loot spawning in and outside of doomed outposts around Nimath
Fixed and being tested - Asteroids on unstable orbits around Sinha spawn too close to collision
Fixed and being tested - Fabricator item resource requirements half visible
Fixed and being tested - Decorative items missing from the blueprint list
Being worked on - Module not visible on approach
Being worked on - The higher tier of Air filters not craftable
Being worked on - Nanite cores falling out of diffuser slots
Being worked on - Ship pushing in the opposite direction when latency is high
Exposure 0.4.1 hotfix
Fixes:
- Newly crafted Military Nanite Cores now have proper HP values per tier
- Adjusted Debris Field damage around Iblith to have values appropriate for the region
- Reduced very loud Turret sounds
- Blueprints are now properly awarded to the player researching the item
- Removed obsolete modules from derelict clusters around Nimath
- Weapons not damaging players properly in some instances
That is all for today!
Exposure update 0.4.1 is now live
Zero Gravity Team
Exposure update 0.4.1 deployment
As announced we will be wiping the blueprints for all servers. Singleplayer blueprints will not be affected.
Zero Gravity Team
Exposure 0.4.1 Patch Notes
We’ve gathered quite a bit of feedback and are implementing some balance changes as well as addressing some of the worst bugs reported, most notably Nanite Core HP glitch and cores falling out of Nanite Diffuser slots. Also keep in mind that we will be wiping the blueprints, so have those replacement parts ready for research.
Here are the full patch notes for this update:
Balancing
Debris Field Damage Reduction around Bethyr and its moons - Initial values were a tad bit too high which made recovering from even the small mistakes extremely difficult. Our goal here is to keep the game hard, but fair.
Spawn Rules Loot increase - we have found that the frequency at which players would obtain new items and crafting materials was too low considering the risks involved.
- Increased the number of items that spawn around the starting region
- Greatly increased the number of scrap items that spawn throughout the entire system
Military Nanite Core HP Increase - base HP increased from 22.000 to 30.000
- this change will affect only the the cores that are crafted or spawned after the update
Bugfixes
- Destroyed Steropes base armor tweak
- Headlights from Arges showing on planets
- Higher tier Hacking tools totally consumed by one use (Double use on door trigger)
- Nanite cores losing current hp as well as max hp changing at server restart.
- Loot spawning incorrectly across junkyards, resulting in empty stations
- Nanite cores falling out of diffuser slots
- Stuck hand animation after using the hacking tool
- Researched blueprints from other players showing up for new players
- Recall_Coordinates quest missing
- Arges engine not able to start
- Players getting thrown off when trying to grab onto a rotating module
That's all for the this update. Stay tuned for future changes and updates.
Until next time, fly safe!
Zero Gravity Team
Post Exposure Support
Bugfixes and balancing
Bugfixing is now our number one priority and we are working on addressing some of the most pressing issues. Second on our to-do list is balancing values (damage, debris, items, resources) across the board.
At the moment we are collecting all the feedback we’ve received regarding item values, debris fields, mining and salvaging. Balancing updates will come later once everything had been properly analyzed. Your feedback and ideas are invaluable here, so let us know what you think of both old and new systems, as well as any suggestions you might have.
Patch frequency
We are also returning to the old, two-week patch frequency. Expect the first wave of bugfixes to land in 14 days. Here’s a list of the most pressing issues our team is currently working on:
- Welder stuck on cargo panel during safe haven quest
- Nanite cores losing current hp as well as max hp changing at server restart
- Loot spawning incorrectly across junkyards, resulting in empty stations
- Nanite cores falling out of diffuser attach points
- New players receiving researched blueprints from other players
- Server stuck on loading
- Direction change when entering room trigger (Bouncing off when trying to approach rotating asteroids)
- Teleportation after undocking
- Ship and/or station position change after server restart
- Ship moving in the opposite direction when latency is high
- Module teleport when detaching derelicts with ship anchored to it
- Stuck hand animation after using a hacking tool
- Higher tier Hacking tools totally consumed after one use (Double use on door trigger)
- and more...
Also regarding the “blueprint issue”, as fixing it might require a “blueprint wipe” (not server wipe, just blueprints), we recommend fabricating a copy of these items so you can research them again afterward.
Another thing to note is that we are working on delivering these upcoming updates without a full server wipe.
That’s all for this post, time to dive back into those debris fields!
Zero Gravity Team