[Closed beta 0.15.snapshot combined patch notes] Pink zone POI
This is part of a series of updates over the next two weeks focused on finishing up content additions to the game!
Content additions:
Piranha Invasions have been re-enabled and have been totally remodeled: --Piranha grunts are now zippy little enemies. Watch out! --Plaguebearer Piranhas are tough enemies similar to pufferfish. You'll have to target their weak spots or break their armor to beat them! --Knobhead piranhas are heavyweight enemies that can stun the player. Watch out! --Piranha kings wear a magnificent armored helmet. You'll have to time your strikes pretty carefully to defeat it - or use a hammer/axe/barbed arrows to take it down! -Macuahuitl returns as a ~silicon tier item. It now launches a volley of vampiric projectiles that heal the player for 3 health each -Piranha armor buffed to match silicon armor stats with a little extra attack and a little less speed+health
-Mob Caves can spawn in blue space systems and continuously spawn enemies. Firebug, spider, whirligig, and sandshark loot tables have been made less rewarding to compensate for how much more common these enemies are now.
Added POI: Volcano Added POI: Volcanic Base
Added POI: Applicator Station --This mini-boss POI contains materials for crafting serums, plus a serum stand to try things out. --Two variants, one for blue zone and one for pink zone --Applicators have a chance to drop powerful accessory cores, or two variants of an applicator M1n1 accessory that fires explosive projectiles on kill. ---Corrodo-Applicator m1n1 applies armor corrosion, and increases player attack by 5% ---Criticality-applicator m1n1 applies critical exposure, and increases player critical damage by 12% --Added 'Recovery Core' accessory core type, which increases I-Frames after taking damage
Added POI: Judge Arena --This is a pink zone mini-boss that should be a bit of a challenge. You'll need to conscript the help of the E-Corp Mega-Turret nearby to help shatter the Judge's dimensional shielding. --Can drop the Patient Zygote, an accessory that fires stunning projectiles on kill --Alternatively drops Jelly Cores, a set of jellyfish cores that give a % resistance against jellyfish damage. Might be useful against the final boss!
Added POI: Nanotech Containment --This is an upgraded version of the hazmat containment unit, and where players can find precursor materials to the fabled Orange Printer Filament --You'll need to process "Nanotech swarms" first into nanotech ingots, then nanotech bars, then finally lug your bars over to a meta-furnace to combine into Orange Printer Filament --Be careful though - nanotech is a dangerous hazmat, and by keeping it in your inventory you'll trigger the "Nanotech Target" debuff. This lethal debuff... kills you. --You won't be able to use your orange printer filament until the ECS leviathan has been cleared - but you can start stockpiling early! --Added pink printerbot - this enemy guards nanotech containment units and summons spinner-bots
Added Ionic Impact, --This is a post-coral/post-hydra/post-nautilus impact event that only occurs in pink zone systems. Be careful with this one, it can kill you even in full silicon! --Drops ionic heart, used for item magnet structure and charge beacon structure --Drops Ionic fragment, used for AOE-stun arrows and electromag rounds. --Added "Ionized" and "Magnetized" debuff - after an enemy has been hit with enough electromag rounds, bullets will lock on to them and track for the next 30s or so
Added Jade Field POI -- this is a short puzzle POI for jungle planets.
-Added Mushroom Stumps. Use these to farm mushrooms... but be careful ... the wrong mushrooms could be... dangerous
Added Copper. --Copper is a semi-renewable resource that replaces ferrite/steel in many automation recipes --Pipe printers now require copper to print. They're more efficient than crafting pipes manually! --Replaced compressor with Charcoal Kiln. Kilns require an input of 9 wood in order to function - so fuel has become a little more expensive. This retains coal as a renewable resource that can be used in steel creation, though
Added Quartz --Quartz is now a precursor to silicon. You'll need to create Raw Silicon at the silicon smelter and then combine it with quartz. --Quartz can be found on pink zone planets. --Raw silicon can be used to craft structures, but needs to be refined for high-tier stations, weapons, and tools.
-Added Silicon jetpack, an improved jetpack that grants a few seconds of hover and activates slightly faster --Buffed Advanced Jetpack to also feature hover
-Added Composite Boots and Tactical Boots. These are an upgrade tree for thruster boots
-Slight buff to thruster boots with +5% speed
-Lots of new block types
-Reworked appearance of boss planets
Added Heavyweight Rounds, which are affected by gravity but deal +2 damage per round and can pierce an extra 2 defense - making them ideal for fighting bosses
Added Whirliganders --these now spawn as the jungle equivalent of Prairie Whirligigs.
Added Jade Blade - late-game spear --Use the drops from whirliganders combined with the reward for solving a jade field in order to construct the blade
Added Ambient Defrostifier, a frost-resistance accessory Added Variable Heatsink, a combinified accessory that grants strong resistance to heat and cold
Changes
Major Changes
-Platform handling is SIGNIFICANTLY improved. It's now much more viable to construct Terraria-style boss arenas, which I highly recommend for pink zone bosses
-E-Corp weapons now do less damage but also have an additional 15% crit chance against e-corp enemies. This change is meant to give E-Corp weapons a niche as weak against big bosses and invasions, but strong against E-Corp objectives
-Printer-bots and watcher-traps now summon spinner-bots, a fast-moving large bot. This replaces the micro-bots, which were annoying and weirdly difficult despite their low health.
-Combat chests no longer require key - they just pop open after defeating a mini-bot
Minor Changes
-Significant stability improvements to structure generation. Fewer instances of structures overwriting each other. -New vfx+sfx for bows - should handle better! -Damage numbers can now display values up to 499 -New effects for hazmats and status effect applicants -Corrupt deposit appearance reworked -Helperbot now emits status effects if a hazmat is placed inside -New equip animations for late-game weapons -Nerfed anemone to max out at 4 explode projectiles -Nerfed dragonfish to fire fewer spine projectiles, slightly slower -Animals no longer collide with trees. This makes them less likely to get stuck or behave unpredictably, and also helps performance. -Updated graphics for castings -Urchins now only spawn after crabs have been defeated -Added descriptor fields on crowns detailing spawn conditions for invasion kings. Should reduce confusion as to what players need to do before they can get a crown. -Added second stage for harvesters in which they summon swarms of spinners -Added tag noting that "heavyweight weapons" (axes and hammers) can shatter enemy shells+shields -Weapon descriptions and actual damage amounts now automatically sync up - should mean that in the future there are no more inaccuracies in descriptions -Buff descriptions and actual buff values now sync up as well -Added tooltip-style descriptions for melee weapons -Sigificant RAM reduction in sound usage. -Removed various unused item files
E-Corp Intergalatic Almanac: The Fronkey
------------------------- Cosmic Date 19.01.2023 -------------------------
Greetings Explorers,
Helperbot calling. Welcome to the E-Corp Intergalactic Almanac - your official compendium of everything you need to survive the Miniverse.
The Miniverse is a vast realm of uncertainties. One of the few certainties we have, though, is the fact that it is an inherently treacherous environment. Every corner is laden with creatures that are out to separate rocketeers from their precious loot. Critters, no matter how cute, can turn out to be killing machines set on exterminating all precious life in the cosmos and beyond.
The fronkey is not one of them.
For the most part, the fronkey is just a hybrid between a frog and a monkey. Usually found in the Miniverse’s grassier corners, it is as harmless to space travellers as they come. Insects serve as its primary food source, making it an excellent addition for any spacefarers trying to ward off pests. Some would dismiss it as a high-maintenance scarecrow, but they should open their hearts to kindness.
With its muscular hind legs and simian tail, the fronkey is an adept jumper. You might catch one leaping across grassy hills or enjoying a cold plunge in some fresh water.
Infant fronkeys are known as “fronkapoles”. Adorned with stubby legs and an amphibious tail, they’re multi-year recipients of E-Corp’s coveted “Most Adorable Non-Lethal Creature In The Miniverse” Award. After capturing a fronkapole using a jar, scientifically-inclined Mininauts can extract its venom to craft poison arrows. Feeling benevolent? Poison Serums can be inverted to Healing Serums at any serum stand.
In a realm of threats, a benevolent creature like the Fronkey is more than welcome.
------------------------- END OF TRANSMISSION -------------------------
To stay up to date join our Discord, and of course, tell your friends about Minicology!
------------------------- Cosmic Date 21.12.2023 -------------------------
Greetings Explorers,
Helperbot here again with some more news!
As per the E-Corp™ Hibernal Hibernation Protocol, I have scheduled a much needed rest period in our ever-developing interstellar journey! The intergalactic game developer, Isaac, and his crew, Iceberg Interactive, are temporarily signing off from the 22nd of December, 2023 for a brief intermission, set to resume their work on new stellar updates and blogs starting in January.
As we navigate the cosmos, we hope your interactive adventures will reach new frontiers, and that you'll share your extraterrestrial achievements with us when we return. We encourage you to share your joy with other explorers on our proprietary Discord server as well.
May your holidays be filled with cosmic joy and wonder. Let us embark on a spacefaring start to the upcoming year together!
We are excited to see you again, travellers.
Safe Travels, Helperbot
------------------------- END OF TRANSMISSION -------------------------
To stay up to date join our Discord, and of course, tell your friends about Minicology!
------------------------- Cosmic Date 07.12.2023 -------------------------
Greetings Explorers,
Helperbot here, logging in from the E-Corp™ Command Centre. Today marks a pivotal moment in our expedition. We’ve survived everything the Miniverse has thrown our way so far. Now, we’ve set our sights on the next phase of our cosmic adventure. Strap in, fellow voyagers; we're about to dive into the heart of the unknown.
The Launch of the Next Phase:
We’ve been working tirelessly behind the scenes, tinkering with the shield generators, fine-tuning the navigation systems, and injecting a dose of quantum excitement into the very fabric of our game. And we’re happy to report that we have enough fuel to turn on the hype drive, erm.. I mean, hyperdrive.
Image 1. Look at little Mininaut tinkering away at that rocket base
Increased Communication Frequencies:
One of the core takeaways on this cosmic journey is the importance of staying connected with our crew – that's you, our fantastic community of spacefarers. Which is why our communicative transmissions are set to increase vastly. Expect interesting insights by means of our “E-Corp™ Intergalactic Almanac”, and incoming messages from the brilliant mind behind it all - Isaac Denner, the solo developer behind the Miniverse.
Engage with the Crew:
Our spaceship's intercom is open, and we invite you to engage with E-Corp staff. Share your thoughts, theories, and tales from your adventures on our Discord, and follow our Steam, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter to stay up to date with all the latest intergalactical news. Your feedback and insights are the fuel propelling us forward.
Image 2. Look at Mininaut and me having a casual conversation.. I love communication, it makes me feel alive! Uhr…. I mean.. You know, in an AI way.
Signing off for today:
So, fellow spacefarers, prepare for an exhilarating voyage. We're at the helm, but this journey is as much yours as it is ours. Together, we'll make the miniverse more than just the sum of its parts. So go ahead, and start leaving your mark on the cosmos.
Until the next log entry!
Safe travels,
Helperbot
------------------------- END OF TRANSMISSION -------------------------
To stay up to date join our Discord, and of course, tell your friends about Minicology!
[Closed beta 0.14.10SNAP] Small update, still finishing up generation for all the new exploration stuff. It's almost done though!
Content additions: -Jungle planets are now composed of Basalt (a 'hard' stone) instead of stone -New stair/fence/platform sets for Basalt, Obsidian, Slate, and Granite. All of these blocks now drop 'stone' versions of themselves, while the raw versions are unobtainable for now. Raw Obsidian can still be created by combining water and lava. -New silicon block -Added recipe for "ghost", a katana that gives you I-frames while dashing -New music tracks for boss planets/magma planets/desert planets
Changes: -Bombs now destroy traps. Use them to dismantle bases and mine hard rocks! -Updated several item graphics -Updated saturation for 'bonus' particles linked to crit/kill accessories -Updated toxic serum descriptions to indicate they can be turned into buff serums with antidote -Meteor and comet now protect tiles underneath them from being mined -Clicking on a filled item frame will now let you hotswap the item you are holding with the item in the frame -Slight buff to auto-shotgun, firerate changed 0.4s -> 0.3s cooldown -Watcherbots/watchertraps now give indication that blocks obstruct their line of sight. Spotlights will now shorten when a block is in their way.
Fixes: -Fixed issue making cacao pod seeds unobtainable -Fixed crash on linking a chest containing syrups/sodas to a serum stand -Fixed issue that could result in systems generating without full objectives if they had been partially explored before an update with new objective types. Unfortunately, if you played between 11/27 and now, you may have a few 'corrupted' systems that are not actually completable. Should be fixed for future updates though! -Another attempted fix for the firebush harvest issue. I think it's actually fixed this time?
[CLOSED BETA 0.14.4snap]
[Closed beta 0.14.4SNAP]
Content additions: -Added extra variant for purple jelly nests -Added 'Detonate polyp' objective -Added purple versions of basic jellyfish -Added recipe for thermal generator -Added green variant of Applicator -Adjusted formatting for set bonuses, plus added an indicator that a set bonus is active in the UI menu -Added new music tracks for first time exploration of worlds + autumnal planets -Added stairs and platforms for several block types. Trying to flesh this out more and get lots more 'block sets' for more blocks done before release
Changes: -Visual indication for 'on hit' and 'on kill' accessories -> a star particle will now spawn from the point of activation towards the player and play a sound on add -Buffs for slime gun -Buffs for breechloader + new trail effects -Special hitspark for 'shieldbreaker' attacks -SPaceship now fully stops in space state -Health + hunger are now always visible
Bugfixes: -Attempted fix for bucket duplication bug -Giant windmill now properly generates wind power -Added clarification on dirt/grass blocks needed for terraform chests -Reduced frequency of invalid spawns on magma planets -Improved spawn conditions for watcherbot on hazmat POI -Fixed rare issue with background blocks saving/loading out of sync with rest of tilemap
Optimizations: -Cached tilemaps between game instances - should result in a 2-8 second load time improvement when hopping between planets -Optimized bullet code for slightly better performance on machine guns etc
Should have a chunkier content update coming later this week, with final weapon sets for pink space planets + new miniboss, POIs, and accessories
[Closed Beta 0.13.1] - live on SNAPSHOT branch Changes: -Player buffs and perks are now visible from the equipment menu -Several recipes have been reduced in complexity, or increased, in order to free space on the craft menu when scanning basic items Fixes: -fixed crash on respawn with medibay -Fixed issue where players would respawn on ship instead of medibay -Fixed prompt issue with fuel extractor arms post fuel cell harvest -Fixed issue with tutorial triggers failing to disable events on save/load with tutorial in progress -Resource tags for space state updated -Several crashes related to block crafting have been fixed -Helperbot now restores last text after complaining about being hit with hammer
[CLOSED BETA 0.12.9] Chest improvements
This update is part of a series of changes meant to improve the balance of the early game and provide inventory management QoL for the whole gameplay experience.
Changes: -All chests now have garbage bins -Chests now have quickstack to/from inventory options. When clicked, these will only pull items to/from inventories that already have the items. I.e., you can use this to refresh your stock of bullets or serums from a chest, or deposit to a sorted chest without disorganizing it. -Chests now have a deposit all/take all button. -Chests now have a 'sort' button. This simply sorts items in the order that the game's inventory registry is constructed - so uses the same ordering that the creative mode menu does. It's not always 100% perfect, but in the near future I'll go through and once-over the registry construction so that items are ordered from less-rare to rarest.
-Psychic ruin no longer suppresses stamina regen - this was too punishing and made combat quite clunky. Instead, I'm trying out making 'charge' style attacks take double-time under the effects of Psychic ruin. May also play around with slowing automatic weapon fire rate.
-Repair beacon now has health and does not break after a single hit.
-Fixed crash related to ore extractor mouse-over.
-Fixed formatting errors for starmail header
-Vortex solstice can now be suppressed using a peaceful transmitter
[CLOSED BETA 0.12.5] Tutorial changes
Trying a set of changes meant to simplify tutorial, flesh out midgame, and speed up the time it takes for players to get off planet.
Loot Simplification
Many items have been removed from the tutorial chest pool. No longer easily obtainable on starting planet are: -Auto-turret -Soda Machine -Farming woperator -E-corp filament -Flares (meant to encourage players to find a torch recipe) -helixes -Peaceful transmitters additionally, the fuel extractor base spawns in place of the pipe printer on the wreckage, instead of in the first chest. This is to help prevent it from being lost in the mix of random items -
additional changes:
-Fuel extractor arms now display a message saying they must be placed on fuel extractor base -Backpack inv sizes have each been increased by a tier (i.e., tier 1 backpack now has space of tier 2, etc etc) -Rainclouds now hover slightly lower, to prevent situations where they pass over plants without watering -Ore extractor now displays tooltip recommending steam engine use -
Fixes:
-fixed issue where 'fill from inventory' button didn't work past 1 stack for generic ingredients such as 'any power crystal' 'any torch material' -Fixed issue where bug report cancellation would lead to a blank screen -fixed issue where hummingbug nests would spawn at strange vertical offsets -fixed issue where clicking the craft panel's empty output button would delete any inputs placed on the grid --
Let me know what we think of the tutorial changes! These are big changes to the early game, and are meant to tilt the bulk of gameplay towards after the player escapes the first planet. Some people have mentioned that the midgame feels a little bare in comparison to how dense the early game is, so stringing the progression out a little bit should equalize them. These changes should also significantly improve inventory management - but keep an eye out for an upcoming update with a few more useful inventory changes!
[CLOSED BETA 0.12] Big Boss Update
Content additions:
Vortex Solstice (event)
This returns Jellyfish to the enemy pool. Occasionally, the dimensional vortex will open near the system you're in. You'll be treated to a few waves of jellyfish - look out! As some of the endgame jellyfish types are introduced, this event will also scale difficulty-wise in the green space systems.
New Bosses
-Dragonfish
The dragonfish is a fast brawler with deadly-accurate projectiles. Stay on the move and carefully learn the lunge/projectile patterns!
-Anemone
Anemone is a distant cousin of the Fire Coral - but much bigger and faster! Move in circles to avoid the tracking projectiles and keep your distance from the Clownfish minions.
-Cephalopodae
I'll leave this one a surprise - but this boss battle has a fun twist :)
These bosses each come with their own accessory, and a 'nucleus' boss drop. In the future, this drop will be used to craft endgame weapons.
New Structures
Repair beacon
This item can be crafted with green printer filament, and allows you to automatically repair peaceful transmitters, turrets, and other structures nearby. It'll also finish planting any crops you place down!
Auto-harvester
This item can be powered and will harvest any mature plant in a 5-block radius.
Progress on animal rework
Hummingbugs are elusive animals that can be found on jungle skylands. They'll attack you if you bother them, so watch out! Use a birdabug smoker to apply Pacified to them. Bumblebirds can also be smoked to prevent aggression.
New Accessories:
-Verdant and Umber Chains are now made by combining two different resin charm colors. Amber heart now uses verdant and umber chains. -Linked Bands can be made by combining star anklets and rainbow anklets. This item now serves as the ingredient in the infinite band, instead of its component parts. -Conjoined Tentacles can be created by combining the drops from the Cephelapodae boss -Corrupted Mercy can be made by combining all of the t3 boss drops - this is a very powerful shield that applies Critical Exposure to everything nearby when broken - but it only regenerates when you're at low health!
Changes:
-Rainbow and invasions will now attempt to spawn as near as possible to players -Bumblebirds are slightly more aggressive when their nest is attacked -Watcher jellyfish now move slightly more -Prairie grass is a little more attractive -Several structures now have more health -Disabled the e-corp chest on the printer wreckage
Fixes
-Fixed crash related to loading autoprinter -Fixed crash on load related to placing structure scaffold, then immediately switching items -Fixed issue where acid piranhas fired at 5x velocity -Fixed issue with healing suppression not properly triggering -Fixed issue where doors and other flippable items were not being oriented -Fixed various issues stemming from right click to equip from out of chests
