Thank y’all for keepin' us posted on them bugs in the Frontier! We've wrangled up a whole mess of 'em with this patch. Best news of all: Ulf is back, asking for your resources at the Radio Tower!
Changes
Removed Zappertwigs from Steel Electronics' crafting recipe
Further optimizations to harvesting and use of the Vacuum Harvester
Improved the way objects get sucked in by the Vacuum Harvester
Reduced the range of the Vacuum Harvester slightly (base value and upgraded value)
Added SFX to Trade and Customization menus
Removed numpad keybindings for emotes (These were not supposed to be in the game)
Bug fixes
Fixed issue where you'd never get any requests from Ulf in the Radio tower (You might need to sleep one night before you get them)
Fixed issue where Radio Tower would sometimes show you merged visuals from multiple characters
(Xbox) Fixed an issue where signs got censored while playing offline
Fixed issue where emotes in Photo Mode would look incorrect while holding a tool
Fixed issue where the foundation under constructs would sometimes disappear, causing them to float in the air. (You will need to rebuild them to fix any existing floating constructs)
Fixed Silo accepting multiple item stacks if added via physical contact with a pickup
Fixed issue where the sorting menu opened automatically when opening the Silo menu
Fixed issue regarding recipes pinned in the Advanced Furnace not displaying titles correctly
Eliminated distant visual artifacts that could appear when looking towards the dam
Updated one of the grass meshes so it floats less above the ground in most cases
We’re mighty thrilled to have y’all with us on this journey, and we hope you’re having a blast in the Frontier! Mosey on over to our Discord server and share your best moments with us.
Happy farmin’!
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To celebrate the release of the Making it Home update – bringing y’all plenty of new decorations to cozy up your homesteads and a heap of new Photo Mode features to help y’all take the perfect shot – we’re excited to announce a Community Photo Challenge!
Theme: Making it Home
The theme for this challenge is all about creating and capturing the most inviting homestead you can. We wanna see how y’all transform your space into a true home on the Frontier. Use the new items, play around with the in-game camera settings, and let your creativity run as wild as a Swiftplume!
How to Participate
Create Your Homestead:
Decorate your homestead using the new items from the Making it Home update. Make it as cozy and inviting as possible – think lights, plants, wall decorations, and anything else that hollers “home” to you!
Capture the Moment:
Use the in-game Photo Mode to take stunning screenshots of your homestead. Experiment with angles, lighting, and framings to show off your creativity!
Share Your Masterpiece:
Post your best screenshot on social media or on our Discord server using the hashtag #LYFMakingItHome. Make sure to tag us @PlayLightyear on socials so we can see your mighty fine creations!
Join the Fun on Discord:
Share your screenshots in the dedicated Photo Challenge channel on our Discord server. Engage with and get inspired by your fellow exofarmers!
Deadline & Winners:
We can’t wait to see how y’all are making it home on the Frontier! We’ll be picking our favorite entries and sharing them in a dedicated post on our platforms, including a blog post on the Lightyear Frontier website and here on Steam!
Make sure to submit your entries by July 17th for a chance to get featured.
Happy decoratin’ and snappin’, exofarmers!
In case y’all missed it: Our artists Christina and Jonas have a good ol’ chat about the new wall decorations here, while our Lead Technical UI Designer Cornelis breaks down all the new Photo Mode features here.
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We’ve got some mighty fine news for y’all! Lightyear Frontier is now 25% off during the Steam Summer Sale!
Thank y’all for the support!
Since we started this journey, we’ve been overwhelmed by the love and support from our amazing community. Y’all’s excitement and enthusiasm drive us forward. From building your dream farms to exploring the vast Frontier, it’s been a joy to see y’all dive into the game and share your adventures!
Dig into our first update
Our recent Making it Home update has brought a heap of new features and QoL improvements, and we’re thrilled to see how much y’all are loving it! From better storage management to new decorative items, your creativity and excitement have been a sight to behold. We can’t thank y’all enough for your feedback and suggestions – they truly help us shape the game for the better.
Something Great is Cookin'
But hold your stalktails, there’s more! We’ve got suuuper exciting things cooking up for after the summer. We can’t spill the beans just yet, but trust us, it’s gonna be worth the wait. We’re hard at work behind the scenes, and we’d love to have as many of y’all with us as possible to help tune and refine these new features when we’re back from our well-earned summer break.
So, what are y’all waiting for? Grab Lightyear Frontier at 25% off. Join our growing community of exofarmers, enjoy the new update, and get ready for what’s next. We can’t wait to share more with y’all!
See y’all in the Frontier!
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We’re over-the-moon excited seeing y’all enjoy the Making it Home update! As always, we’ve been listening to your feedback and thanks to y’all, we’ve been able to locate and squash a couple of bugs with this patch.
Changes
Updated the Merchant's license plate
Swiftplumes have a new idle animation
Reduced performance impact of harvesting lots of plants at once with the Vacuum Harvester
Added new interact animation for when the Exofarmer is not holding any tools
Increased drop rate of Hardwood from trees and reduced Hardwood's weight
Bug fixes
Fixed keyboard and mouse button icons being used on Xbox in many places, even when using a gamepad
Fixed issue where the Laugh emote wouldn't hide your equipped tool in Photo Mode and when seen by others
Fixed multiplayer issue where trees, rocks and other destructible objects could desynchronize between players
Fixed the "Time of Day" Photo Mode setting not working
Improved collision on Barn, fixing issue where posters could not be built on certain walls
Fixed Woven Garden Wall and Boarded Garden Wall not being saved
Fixed P.I.C.K.-Axe VFX sometimes continuing to play after entering the mech
Fixed issue where Morning Drapes could dive straight into the ground, instead of just while over the water
Added geometry to the backside of the fuse slots inside a late game area
Fixed plants dropping extra harvest upon withering
Potentially fixed issue where you could sometimes get stuck in the Upgrade Depot
Fixed issue where animals could walk up to the Merchant Landing Pad and block Merchant from spawning
Fixed several issues related to the alteration of landscape materials and grass (paths, constructs, fields, etc.), especially in multiplayer
Fixed issue where Pondpitcher Sprouts could not be put into any storage building
Fixed issue where certain text elements in the Tractor Mode menu were not center-aligned
Fixed issue where the Medium option for UI Text Size setting was not showing the correct font style format
Fixed issue where holding the interact button while opening storage would also immediately open the sorting menu
Fixed Mech Modules not showing “P.I.C.K.-Axe required” prompt when looking at them with a different tool equipped
Steer your mech on over to our Discord server and let us know if we missed any bugs, or report them using the in-game feedback tool. Together we make the Frontier the best it can be!
Happy farmin’ and explorin’!
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The team has been hard at work, grindin’ out lots of excitin’ changes and new items for our first update, and it’s finally here for y’all to dig your P.I.C.K. Axes into! We’re incredibly grateful for all of your feedback and suggestions – and with the Making it Home update, we’ve tackled some of your most requested features!
Emotes
Added Emotes to both the Exofarmer and the Mech
Photo Mode
Added 8 new settings
Added 18 new stamp options and more positions
Changed the "Cinematic Mode" setting to "Frame" and added 4 additional options
And more!
Now pauses time if playing in single-player
Quality of Life
Added ability to quick deposit items into storage constructs
Added ability to relocate existing constructs and holograms, accessible via the recycling mode
Added ability to sort items in storages and player inventory
Added auto-run feature
Added ability to place stamps in the Map Menu
Added information on the map what tool upgrades are needed for progression
Added inventory weight indicator to the HUD
You can now put items into holograms and storage constructs by picking them up and physically moving them there with the P.I.C.K-Axe
Added "Hands" option to the Exofarmer Tool Wheel
Made it clearer when new findings are found while exploring ruins
Added a tutorials section to the Database menu
Increased Lola's visiting hours
Settings
Added accessibility settings for "Single-stick Camera" and "Swap Sticks"
Separated "Ambience" and "UI" into their own volume settings (Were previously affected by "SFX")
Made controller vibration adjustable in a range instead of a simple toggle
[PC] Added support for AMD FidelityFX™ Super Resolution 2 (FSR 2)
[PC] Added support for Intel® Xe Super Sampling (XeSS). Only available when using DX12
These settings didn't do anything since Unreal Engine 4 doesn’t support dynamic resolution on PC
[PC] Adjusted anti-aliasing settings
"Medium" is now fast TAA (temporal anti-aliasing)
"High" is now high quality TAA with reduced ghosting
"Frame Breaking" is now very high quality TAA with significantly reduced ghosting and massively improved image quality with reduced resolution scales, but a sizable performance impact
Decorating
Added wall-mounted decorations
New decorations and mech parts can be found at Lola’s shop
Bush Sprouts are available at Lola’s shop
New decorations can be found by discovering items
The Gnome is now paintable
Visual polish
Added Exofarmer animations when moving in the Mech
Fuel and speed gauges on the Mech are now animated
The moon is now a unique model instead of a white dot
The mech will now lean slightly in its turn direction when running
Constructs built on flat surfaces will no longer have a foundation
Holograms and Storage constructs now play an animation when items are added to them
Updated the textures for the Clothesline and made it paintable
Updated clover visuals
Updated the landscape grass texture
Tweaked physics of loose items to be somewhat less bouncy
Performance
Significantly optimized shaking of destructible objects being damaged. Could previously cause severe performance drops on certain systems, e.g. Steam Deck
Various changes
Made daytime longer
Looking at objects requiring a tool now reveals the required upgrade
Wildlife now goes to sleep later
The Egg treasure model has been replaced with a Pinecorn
Removed the ability for Storage buildings to provide Coziness
Hid clock HUD element while in a late-game area
Bug fixes
Fixed the "PIP-3R Ambient Dialogue" setting not being saved between play sessions
Added even more measures to resolve upgrades not being applied for clients
Made the DLC entitlement check more reliable on Xbox and Windows Store
Fixed bug where Wingleaf Palm didn't drop sprouts
Fixed issue where Mission objectives weren't sorted correctly
Fixed bug where the merchant wares were unlocking faster than the intended design
Fixed issue where AI navigation would sometimes choose very strange paths
The Ranch Arch construct now correctly contributes to Coziness
Fixed clients being able to shoot more seeds than they have in their inventory if doing so rapidly
Clients can no longer join sessions where the host has not finished loading the game world
In-world location indicators are now more responsive
Constructs being interacted with can no longer be recycled
Added missing physical material to all types of foliage
Fixed performance dropping significantly when moving the mouse and changing a photo mode setting simultaneously
Fixed several minor issues regarding loading, saving and adjustment of game settings
Fixed actions not working when being rebound to certain keys
Fixed Fractalite deposits not shaking when damaged
Fixed depth of field, vignette and film grain effects not working in photo mode when using lower post-processing settings
Fixed issue where the Exofarmer's head rotation could not be seen by clients
Fixed construct menus not closing if their associated construct was destroyed
Fixed recycling mode UI not displaying all available actions
Fixed items sometimes spawning beneath the ground when recycling a construct
Fixed issue where the Exofarmer's upper body animations would be missing when not holding a tool
Reduced hitching when opening construct selection menu
Fixed some construct holograms appearing as partially filled before being placed
Fixed multiple issues with rain not falling properly or at all
Fixed menus closing when the merchant departs if the merchant had been interacted with that day
Fixed construct holograms accepting contributions even before being placed. These items would disappear if the placement was cancelled
Fixed fences reverting to their default paint after having been targeted for recycling
Improved collision on multiple constructs
Players can no longer interact with objects that are behind solid geometry
Fixed construct recycling conditions not appearing to update properly sometimes, e.g. when a player stops interacting with a construct
Fixed the crafting time of the first Grinder recipe crafted on a given day not being correctly affected by wind speed
Fixed mech engine sounds and exhaust effects often not triggering properly
We hope y’all are gonna love this update as much as we do! Steer your mech on over to our Discord server and let us know what y’all think. If you run into any troubles, be sure to holler using the in-game feedback tool – it really helps us out!
See y’all in the Frontier!
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Howdy, exofarmers! Can y’all believe the Making it Home update drops tomorrow?! We’re practically jumping outta our boots with excitement!
New Additions to Photo Mode
Today, for our final devlog before the update, we’re sitting down to chat with Cornelis – Lead Technical UI Designer, Writer, and Co-Founder – about the new features coming to the in-game Photo Mode.
Howdy, Cornelis! What kinda things have you been wrangling with on this project?
I’ve been taking the lead on the design and development of the new updates and additions to Photo Mode! This involves figuring out what settings and features could add the most value, before prototyping these and testing them internally. After seeing what works (and what doesn’t…), I begin the final implementation and involve artists and programmers where needed.
Tell us about all the new updates to Photo Mode, will ya?
Nine new updates and additions are coming to Photo Mode with the Making it Home Update:
Stamps: We've upped the ante from just two stamps to a whopping 20!
Stamp Position: Choose from nine different spots on the screen to place one of those new stamps.
Frame: What was once "Cinematic Mode" is now "Frame" – with four extra options added. More ways to frame your epic shots!
Player Signature: Give yourself some well-deserved credit by adding your Player ID to your screenshots.
Composition Grid: Easily line up those perfect shots with a handy 3x3 grid overlay!
Camera Path: Save up to 15 camera positions and create a smooth sequence by pressing play. Perfect for capturing the action!
Mech/Exofarmer Emotes: Strike a pose! Use the new Emotes Feature to activate emotes in Photo Mode and pose your character just right.
Mech/Exofarmer Emote Position: Emote animations are frozen in Photo Mode to make it easier to get the desired shots. Now you can position them exactly where you want!
Time Freeze: When entering Photo Mode in single-player – time stands still! Characters and effects freeze in place, making it easier to capture dynamic shots.
Wow, that's a lot of new features! Wrangling those into shape must've been quite the task. What's been the biggest challenge?
One of our main goals with the Photo Mode – and also its greatest challenge – is to keep the experience as approachable as possible. Virtual photography can quite easily get convoluted and complicated due to the endless possibilities in the form of ratios, alignments, lights, values… to only name a few. We don’t want to scare any curious newcomers away with too many options! But we also want to give our community as many fun and interesting settings as possible, to allow them to take the most expressive shots! This balancing act is, and will probably continue to be, the biggest challenge to overcome.
Now, how are you hoping to see our community use these new features?
Aside from new cool photos, I’m hoping to see a lot of interesting videos and GIFs due to the new Camera Path and Time Freeze features! I think there are a lot of opportunities here to make really dynamic-looking content in poses and positions we haven’t seen before.
To wrap this up, what can we hope to see in Photo Mode in the future?
There has been some testing on having the exofarmer character’s head follow the camera position, allowing more selfie-style photos – which I think could be very cool! So here’s hoping we get around to it in the near future!
What features are y'all most excited about? Hop on our Discord channel and let us know! And for the love of mechs, do NOT forget to tune in for the new update tomorrow, ya hear?!
Happy farming!
TL;DR
Nine new features are being added to the in-game Photo Mode with the upcoming update, including more stamps and stamp positions, frames, the ability to add your Player ID, composition gridlines, camera path ability with up to 15 camera positions, mech and farmer emotes with emote positioning, and time freeze upon entering Photo Mode.
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We’ve got BIG NEWS for y’all. We’ll be Making it Home by June 26th!
That’s right! Our first big update, previously known as Mini Update 1, is landing on your edge of the planet in just 2 days! This update comes with some of YOUR most requested Quality of Life improvements – and a heap of new decorative items to discover and build!
Get excited for:
Better storage and inventory management
Map markers
Farmer and mech emotes
Plantable bush sprouts
New mech sets
Wall-mounted decorations
And more surprises!
We’re also squashing bugs and tweaking some features, including daylight time and Lola’s visiting hours.
Now, mark your calendars and set your alarms. Steer your mech over to our Discord server and let us know which new features you’re most excited about! We can’t wait to see what y’all create with this update.
See you in the Frontier!
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Will this update add story progression?
A: While we are hard at work continuing the story and bringing y’all more regions to explore, this update is focused on adding QoL improvements and new items.
Q: Will you add interiors to the game?
A: We hear y’all, and we know this has become a popular request! It’s something we’ve definitely been considering. However, due to the complexity in the way we’ve originally designed our game, we’ve decided to prioritize other features for now.
Q: Will the in-game days be longer?
A: We’ve tweaked the settings to extend daylight time and shorten the nights, giving y’all more time to get your daily tasks done before the dark settles. The overall real-time duration of an in-game day remains unchanged. While we’re exploring the possibility of lengthening the day, we first want to hear what y’all think of this new adjustment. We’re listening to your feedback!
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Y’all, we can hardly believe it – we’ve hit the mighty milestone of over one million unique players! That’s a whole lot of exofarmers roaming the Frontier! From the bottom of our rusty ol’ hearts, THANK YOU for playing, sharing, and enjoying Lightyear Frontier!
We’re over the moon excited to continue the journey to full release together with y’all. Stay tuned for more news about our first update, landing on your edge of the planet really soon!
Happy farmin’!
Important Update on Mech Sets and Upcoming Improvements
Howdy, exofarmers! As we continue our journey and approach our first major update, we want to address some of your feedback and concerns. Today, our CEO, Joakim Kopriva Hedström, is here to update y’all about our monthly mech sets.
Available For All, Forever
“As of today, we are making the May mech set retroactively available for anyone logging into the game. In addition, we will make both the May and June mech sets available forever going forward.
We hear your feedback loud and clear, and I want to personally apologize for missing the mark with the monthly skins.
Our intent had been to give you a reason to pick up and play the game between our content releases, but instead it had the opposite effect, making people feel discouraged if they missed the first one and anxious about missing future sets even if they had claimed it. I'm truly sorry for creating this negative experience.
Going forward, any future mech sets we had planned for monthly releases will instead be baked into regular game updates. We might still utilize the mailbox functionality to unlock new rewards in the future (like seasonal mech sets and decorations) but they would then be permanently available from that point on.
Thank you to everyone who shared their feedback on the monthly skins. Throughout Early Access we will continue to strive towards the goal of making Lightyear Frontier the best it can be, and that is only possible thanks to the vocal passion of you, the player.
Our next step in improving the game comes with the Making it Home update, which is now in its final stages. We can't share a release date until the build has completed certification, but we are aiming to have it out before the end of June.
Thank you for being ever so patient with us and continue to give us your feedback, we appreciate every word!
Joakim Kopriva Hedström - CEO"
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Howdy, exofarmers! We reckon y'all have been eagerly awaiting us to share more details about the Making it Home update, heading your way soon! Well, today's the day, 'cause we're fixing to do just that with a brand spanking new devlog!
New Decorations for Your Farm
We had the pleasure of chatting with our artists Christina and Jonas about some of the most exciting new content coming with the update – new decorations!
Howdy, Christina and Jonas! Who are y’all, and what do you do?
C: Hellooo, I’m Christina! I'm a combination of a 3D and 2D artist. I primarily make props, but sometimes I get the chance to work on some concept art.
J: Heyo, Jonas here. I'm a bit of a 3D generalist, but most of my time right now is spent making constructs, mech parts, or various shaders (basically materials with nice effects).
We’re throwing in a whopping 57 new decorations to the game, and we're fixing to introduce a whole new category for Wall-Mounted Decorations! What's been your role in bringing these to life?
C: My biggest responsibility has been to create some walls to allow for hanging decorations to be placed and to section off parts of the player's farm if needed. Once I got some basic walls done, I helped make some of the decorations themselves!
J: I've pretty much just pumped out as many decorations as possible within the allotted time frame. I've mostly focused on more techy stuff just to keep the sci-fi element of our game present, but I've also done some more traditionally farmy stuff!
Do y’all have a personal favorite among all these new decorations?
C: I love the aesthetic of the dartboard that Jonas made! I guess they're kind of nostalgic and remind me of summers spent with my family, so I have a soft spot for them. As for one that I made myself, I think it's the set of posters. They're silly and hand-drawn!
J: I think the Fire Extinguisher is my favorite. Can't quite put my finger on why. It looks cute, I guess! Maybe it reminds me a bit of F.L.U.D.D. from Super Mario Sunshine.
Lastly, are there any decorations y’all are hoping to add in the future?
C: Personally, I'm very excited for neon signs. I think they would take our players' farms to the next level!
J: While not a top priority right now (things can change in the future), I hope we can get house interiors into the game at some point. That would open the door (pun intended) for a lot of fun, new decorations!
We’re excited to see what y’all are gonna create with these new decorations! Those farms are gonna look downright dandy. Swing your mech on over to our Discord server and let us know what decorations y’all are most excited about!
Happy decorating, exofarmers!
TL;DR
A total of 57 new decorations are being added with the new update
Wall-mounted decorations will be a new item category
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