The Farming & Harming update is here! This update contains improved crop management, random events, new recipes, new research and more.
New Crop Mechanics
Crops now require seeds in order to be planted. Harvested crops will generate a seed, with a chance of additional seeds according to a colonist’s botanist level. POI locations to unlock crop discoveries will also provide the relevant seed for that crop.
The new Fertilizer Station is required to craft fertilizer. A new recipe for crafting bio-waste is also available.
The crop management interface has had a face lift and a new crop management section has been added to the in-game guide.
The crop bin is a new way to store seeds/produce.
Fish Management
The simple blue fish has been renamed and its artwork updated to better fit with the environment. The aquarium and fish tank have also been improved visually.
Fish now require fish food which can be crafted at the food processor. Fish food will be delivered by a biologist when the food amount runs low. If fish are left too long without food they will die.
Water Trap
Added a water trap that can slowly gather resources over time. The water trap requires bait and must be placed on water. Its speed is determined by the number of adjacent water tiles.
Events
An event system has been added which will trigger events such as cave-ins and crop disease as the game progresses.
Cave-ins will occur on tiles that are not in range of a structure support object such as a constructed or natural wall. Cave-ins can injure and possibly kill colonists.
Crop disease can occur on any crop field. Diseased crops should be cleared immediately to keep the disease from spreading to other nearby crop fields.
Additional Changes
Some crafting recipes now have configurable ingredients. New recipes for fish food, for example, can use any plant or protein items.
Notifications now appear in different colors to denote their severity. Critical notices will no longer automatically disappear and must be clicked with the right mouse button to be dismissed.
Decor from objects will no longer go through walls.
There are many features in the Farming & Harming update. Be sure to check the release notes below for the full list of additions, changes and fixes.
Added new random event system and various positive/negative events that can occur
Cave-ins can occur in open areas that are not within 5 tiles of a structural support. Natural and constructed walls provide structural support.
Crop disease can now occur on growing crops. Crop disease can spread to other adjacent crops. Diseased crops must be manually cleared.
Crops
Added Fertilizer Station and associated research
Added recipe for Bio-Waste at Fertilizer Station
Added crop harvest visual effect
Added Crop Bin storage object for storing seeds/crops
Added Crop Management section to game guide
Updated look of crop management interface
Crops now require seeds in order to be planted
Crop output now gains a +5% bonus per colonist level
Crop output now uses a loot table instead of a fixed inventory of output items
Harvested crops now provide a single crop seed with a chance of additional seeds based on colonist botanist level.
Fish
Updated look of Aquarium and Fish Tank
Updated look of fish management interface
Updated hover icon for Aquarium when no fish is selected
Blue fish has been renamed and artwork updated
Fish now require eggs to be added to the aquarium
Fish now require food. Food level appears on the aquarium info panel.
Fish will become hungry and eventually die if not fed.
Added fish flakes recipe to Food Processor
Fish food is delivered by a biologist when food level is low.
Fish output now gains a +5% bonus per colonist level
Fish output now uses a loot table instead of a fixed inventory of output items
Harvested fish will provide a single egg item with a chance of additional eggs based on colonist biologist level.
Misc
Added Water Trap object which can gather items from water. It’s effectiveness is based on the number of adjacent water tiles.
Added Bait item/recipe
Reduced storage amount in batteries
Reduced power output of coal generator
Certain craft recipes now have configurable ingredients when added/updated from the craft queue. Example: Steel can now use iron ingots or hematite
Due to recipe changes all crafting stations will have their craft queue cleared when loading a save game from update 23.
Added key bindings for activating and toggling build categories. Default key: ‘b’
Added key bindings for activating and toggling deconstruct mode. Default key: ‘,’
Added key bindings for activating and toggling harvest mode. Default key: ‘.’
Deconstruct and Harvest mode button windows now close when escape key is pressed
Job section in colonist info window now has a help button link to the jobs section of the guide
Job button tool-tip now always shows primary, secondary, tertiary text instead of only showing this when job slot is unassigned
Job Role selection window now applies job role when clicking the job instead of having to additionally click the apply button
Materials delivered to the surface can now be delivered via the elevator or shipping container. Colonists should use the closest available.
Construction Queue can now be closed by pressing escape key
Flora/Fauna expeditions now reward the relevant crop seed/egg
Objects in research description now have a more detailed tooltip
Item tooltips now show craft station it can be crafted at if there is a recipe for that item
Decor now affected by line of sight and won’t spread through walls
Minor change to the getting started guide verbiage
Various changes to research tree
Minor changes to how loot table results are calculated
Notices at top right now appear in different colors to denote Info, Warning, Positive and Critical.
Critical notices will not automatically disappear and must be manually dismissed by right clicking on it
Fixes
Fixed: Quitting to the main menu and then loading/starting a game causes various errors such as duplicate colonists.
Fixed: Several issues related to placing objects/selecting tiles near the edge of the map that could result in the game becoming unresponsive in some cases
Fixed: Drag selection/drag placement disappears when dragging past the edge of the map
Fixed: Robots not using closest available charge pad to recharge
Fixed: Some visual effects not being removed properly. This caused performance issues over extended play time.
Fixed: Missing language strings
Fixed: Colonist roster not working correctly on crop field, aeroponics, aquarium and algae farm
Fixed: Saved camera position not loading
Fixed: Coal generator not saving/loading refuel percent and disable refuel settings
Fixed: Vehicle Bay progress percent not showing correctly until progress updates
Fixed: Vehicle Auto Explore action stops near planet map edges
Fixed: Inventory math that could cause more items to be returned then expected from loot tables in some instances
Fixed: Biome scans not generating correct results in some cases
Fixed: Objects updating their visuals more than they needed to. Performance increase.
Update 24 Now Available On Test Build Branch
Howdy folks!
A huge thank you for all the feedback and bug reports on Update 24 Experimental branch. Update 24 is switching over to the Test Build branch for final testing and feedback before release.
Certainly let me know your thoughts on the additions/changes.
View the Steam Forum Discussion for more information/release notes: https://steamcommunity.com/app/704510/discussions/3/2265815747956512670/
About Test Build Branch
The optional Test Build branch is for testing the latest features before they go live to everyone. As it is a testing version there can be more bugs/issues than in the normal version. If using the Test Build branch, please report any issues you encounter or any feedback on new game play mechanics. Your feedback and/or reports will help to ensure the final version is the best it can be.
Experimental Branch Players
The experimental branch will continue to be updated to match the content on the Test Build branch. This means you don't have to switch from the experimental beta branch in order to check out the Test Build content.
The Farming & Harming update is now available on the Experimental Branch. If you're interested in helping to test and provide feedback on the latest content then be sure to check it out!
Changes are coming to the content release process. The Test Build branch will continue, but a new Experimental branch will be added.
About The Test Build Branch
Before a major content update is pushed out on the main branch for everyone, it is released on the Test Build branch for final testing. The Test Build branch generally includes the majority of content that will be included in the final update. This content has been relatively finalized and internally tested, but is at a stage suitable for public testing to work out any major issues.
Experimental Branch
I will be setting up an experimental branch similar to other early access games . This branch, when available, will contain an upcoming content/patch release that is in an earlier stage of development. The experimental branch will be updated as content is added to the game. This version is intended for players that want to be part of the development process and want to provide feedback as content is added/changed during development.
A content update in development will be released to the experimental branch for feedback/testing as it continues to develop. Once the majority of content is ready, it will shift over to the Test Build branch for final testing. Once the update is considered stable it will be released to the main branch for everyone.
The experimental branch will generally have far more bugs, glitches and issues than the Test Build branch. Artwork and content may not be final. The experimental branch will continue to be updated as well to match the Test Build version.
Development Process
Internal Development (No public content available at this stage)
Experimental Branch (Public early testing/feedback stage)
Test Build Branch (Public testing of final content)
Update Release To Everyone
These changes are currently scheduled to be implemented next week including an experimental version release. More information and a new Steam Forum section will be available at that time.
Additionally I hope everyone is staying safe out/in there during what is certainly a crazy time to be alive. Wishing everyone well.
A huge thanks for all the great feedback on Update 23. It’s great to hear what you enjoy and what you don’t. I’ve been hard at work tweaking some existing content, and creating the next content update, called the Farming & Harming update.
Farming
The crop management interface is getting a face-lift. The new design should make managing crops easier and more clear.
Crops will now require seeds in order to be planted. Seeds can be acquired from harvesting wild plants and planted crops. POI locations will now offer a plant discovery as well as some seeds so that you can start planting those new crops.
Crop yield is now affected by colonist botanist level. A higher level botanist is able to gather more out of the grown plant than an inexperienced botanist. While harvested crops guarantee that seed is returned, a higher level botanist will have a higher chance of getting multiple seeds that are needed to expand farms.
Crop growth speed is affected by fertilizer, delivered and applied by a botanist after a crop is planted. Fertilizer can be set after a crop is selected, and is consumed per growth cycle.
Additional objects/machines are being designed for fertilizer crafting and new storage options for seeds and crop items.
Crop withering and crop disease mechanics are also in development.
Harming
A feature that has been long requested and on my to-do list for even longer is finally coming. Random events, that are both positive and negative, are under development.
Some of the random events currently being developed for inclusion are cave ins, crop disease, colonist mood changes and more.
Cave ins can occur in areas that are not near structural support such as walls, natural walls or flooring. Flooring is currently considered structural to avoid cave-ins within your facility area. This may, however, change.
Colonists may be affected at random with either mood boosts or depression based on various factors.
Each type of random event requires several conditions in order for it to occur. Some events won’t start until a preset amount of days have passed. Events also have a reset time so that they don’t occur too often. I’ll be looking for feedback during the Test Build phase to help balance the frequency of these events.
Additional events will be added in future updates.
Balancing
Various tweaks to resources and production are in development to improve game progression.
The updated power system that was added in Update 23 is being tweaked so that batteries and coal generators are a bit less overpowered.
Thanks again for all the great feedback. Let me know what you think of the content in development.
Patch Update 23.3
Howdy Folks!
Update 23.3 is a small patch update to address a couple of issues and add some minor additions. I've started development on the next content update and more information is coming in the next developer log. Thanks for all the great feedback!
Fixed: Doors facing the wrong direction after loading a saved game when doors are placed close together.
Fixed: Storage container pickup/drop off audio heard while loading save game
Fixed: Game unresponsive after loading saved game in certain situations
Update 23.2 Hot Fix
Howdy Folks!
An update 23.2 Hot Fix has just been released to resolve a rather critical issue with not being able to load saved games. Whoops. Thanks for the reports and my apologies for the inconvenience.
It’s patch time again. Patch update 23.2 includes a few fixes and some improvements. Thanks for the great feedback on Update 23. It’s always good to hear what you like and what you don’t. Development has started on the next content update and more information will be available in the next Developer Log.
Added Cancel All button to bottom of construction queue
Added action information to object info windows. Action information will show if a colonist is coming to perform or currently performing an action on this object.
Vehicle auto explore will now actively find and go to un-scanned tiles in it’s vision range
Improved vehicle auto explore behavior. Auto exploration will now check several unexplored bordering tiles closest to the vehicle and go to a close tile that is also closest to the primary facility. This should reduce aimless wandering.
Fixed: Incorrect description on Fridge
Fixed: Job level does not increment in colonist info window when gaining enough experience for a new level without closing and reopening to the info window
Fixed: Game becomes unresponsive if selecting an object while it’s being deconstructed in certain situations
Fixed: Enable/Disable button showing on harvest-able crops
Fixed: Missing language strings
Patch Update 23.1
Howdy Folks!
Thanks for the amazing feedback on the New Beginnings Update. More content in development, but wanted to address a few reported issues.
Expedition story positive/negative success chance based on attribute/job level is now capped to 25%
Expedition story success chance now gains a +5% bonus if colonist stress is %5 or less
Lowered athletics attribute requirement for a certain POI expedition
Expeditions in expedition list now show action description when moving
Improved vehicle auto explore logic. Auto exploration will now prefer exploring tiles closer to the facility first. Further improvements to this logic are being worked on.
Fixed: Research Points total not showing correctly on research screen after loading a save game in certain situations
Fixed: Expedition story actions success chance showing less than 1% chance if less than 10% chance
Fixed: Robot out of power icon shows near elevator when robot is on an expedition
New Beginnings
Howdy Folks!
I’m extremely excited to announce that Update 23 is now live! Update 23 brings many new changes and additions, such as an updated power system, new world generation, starting conditions and even brand new colonist models.
Colonists
Colonists have had a face, and body, lift: the update includes new colonist models, outfits and animations.
Colonist stress has been reworked and is now only affected by attribute effects instead of gradually increasing or decreasing based on decor. New stress attribute effects have been added that reflect the colonists current environment. More stress-related attribute effects will be added in future updates.
Colonists will now use benches and chairs when they have nothing else to do instead of only when their stress is high.
Starting Conditions
Some radical changes have been added to world generation which affect early game progression. When you start a new game (highly recommended), you will start with just stasis capsules, a robot and starting supply chest. The Getting Started tutorial has been updated to guide new and existing players.
Power Generation
The power system has been completely rewritten from the ground up to improve power delivery time and performance and to offer new mechanics. A solar panel is now available on the surface side facility which can be connected to via the elevator.
Batteries can now be constructed to store additional power.
The new power system was built to provide the foundation for more surface side content in future.
And More…
New naturally spawning plants have been added that can be harvested using the new harvest mechanic.
There have been many tweaks to gathered resource amounts, construction costs, research costs and more.
Check out the release notes below for the full list of additions, changes and fixes.
New world generation which changes starting conditions
Ore distribution is now more dense near starting location
Added naturally spawning underground plants which can be harvested using the new harvest plant action. Naturally spawning plants will spread slowly over time.
Mineral compound no longer acquired from mining dirt
Added stone which can be mined for mineral compound
New Starting Conditions
New game now starts with only stasis capsules and starting supply chest
Initial power generation comes from the surface side facility. Building an elevator will allow access to solar power.
Updated starting tutorial tasks
Starting supply chest contents changed
Colonists
Replaced male and female colonist models
Updated look of colonist outfit
Added new hair style for male and female colonists
Minor change to colonist skin colors
Female and male colonists now have separate animations
Updated existing colonist animations
New animation and particle effect for plant crop action
Robots now show out of power hover icon when needing to recharge
Colonists stress is now only the result of static effects applied to it instead of slowly going up/down based on decor + static effects. Expect more stress effects in future.
Added attribute effects that apply to stress based on decor around colonist. Attribute effects can be seen under the colonists stats tab
Colonists will no longer go sit down only when stressed out, but now have a random chance to go sit down if they don’t have anything else to do. Sitting down provides a new attribute effect that decreases stress for a bit.
Power System
Complete rewrite of the electric power system
Machines no longer consume power unless they are in operation
Surface side facility now generates power from built in solar panels. Surface power generation can be used in the facility via the elevator.
Added Small and Large Batteries for storing power
Added Battery Booster equipment, recipe, research and discovery
Added new research projects related to power generation and storage
Updated power generation section in game guide
Misc Changes
Surface Map now visible after constructing elevator
Map Table now only required to perform expeditions
Added keybinds for tilt camera up/down. Defaults to page up/page down.
Mine button renamed to Gather. Icon also changed
Damaged walls are now deconstructed and not mined
Added Harvest Plant selection under new Gather section
Assignable beds was accidentally added in a previous update without being fully integrated. Colonists will now sleep in an assigned bed and ignore a bed if it’s assigned to someone else. Colonists will sleep in an unassigned bed if they don’t have one assigned.
Raw storage container can now store fuel items
Starting tutorial tasks now show tooltip on hover instead of sliding open the task description
Reduced amount of resources acquired from some mineable objects
Updated various object descriptions
Updated some object construction requirements
Increased various research costs
Reduced button hover sound effect volume
Various code changes to support future content still in development
Fixes
Fixed: Object/Colonist portrait image showing outside icon area
Fixed: Constructed doors rotated the wrong way
Fixed: Load crash if robot assembly station is currently constructing a robot
Fixed: Light color picker clipped off screen
Fixed: Main menu not functional if unable to load mod config file
Fixed: Robot using recharge station before it’s finished being built
Fixed: Time of day resets to the beginning of the day when loading a saved game
Fixed: Expedition showing multiple times on expedition list after loading a saved game
Fixed: Colonist stuck on an expedition that doesn’t exist anymore in some instances
Fixed: Colonist info panel not showing when clicking a colonist portrait when the colonist is on an expedition
