Solar Lander cover
Solar Lander screenshot
Linux PC Mac Steam
Genre: Simulator, Indie

Solar Lander

v0.2.8 - Bug Fix
Change Log:

  • Patched-in a workaround for the input handler not fetching the planet's radius at the beginning of a level, which caused the new zoom-out feature to not work properly.

v0.2.7 - Update SteamAPI Version plus Bug Fixes
Change Log:

  • Updated Steamworks.NET version.
  • Fixed potential issue initializing the SteamAPI.
  • Fixed potential issue of running SteamAPI callbacks twice per frame (only supposed to be once per frame).

v0.2.6 - Fixing Some Mistakes
I made a couple of mistakes when implementing the suggestions in v0.2.5.

Mistakes Fixed:

  • The maximum possible zoom is now based on the planet's diameter instead of the planet's radius.

Other Changes:

  • Adjusted the queue boxes to guarantee that they are rendered on top of everything
  • except* UI elements.

v0.2.5 - Convenience Tweaks
Recently, I have received some suggestions from a player on how to improve this game. While I can't implement all of them in a Physics Update patch, I can implement some of them. In this case, there are three that I could put in a patch to the Physics Update. Most (if not all) of the rest will be implemented in future updates, such as the Modding Update. Also, this game has it's own YouTube channel and Discord server. See the Links section below.

Game Updates



  1. A queue box has been added to the ascent stage and the command module, which will appear when the camera is zoomed out too far to be able to easily see them. The box is always aligned with the camera regardless of craft rotation.
  2. The camera will now be able to zoom out to see the entire planet, plus 50% (based on planet's radius). This is to implement the suggestion to allow the player to always be able to zoom out enough to see the command module.
  3. You can now adjust your settings from the escape screen. This is to allow the player to change control assignments mid-game. Note that controls are the only thing about this feature that has undergone any testing. Changing other settings mid-game may break something or just not have any effect.

Links


Here are the links to Solar Lander's Discord server and YouTube channel.

New Home Page
Solar Lander's home page has moved to a new location on the TChapman500 Gaming Website. It is no longer in "/Projects/Software/Solar Lander". It is now in "/Solar Lander". The website's main page now directly links to Solar Lander's home page under "My Games". This new home page for Solar Lander has all of the information you need about the game and its updates all in one place. There's also a section for in-game screenshots. More information will be placed there in the near future (eg: what my plans are for the upcoming v0.3 Modding Update).

v0.2.4 - Cosmetic Tweaks
This is perhaps the last update for the v0.2 Physics Update as I want to now focus on the v0.3 Modding Update. In v0.2.4 (which also updates the demo), the following items have been changed.

  • Added Solar Lander logo to splash sequence
  • Added Solar Lander logo to main menu header
  • Added exhaust particle texture from pre-0.2 builds
  • Added old sprite exhaust texture to game (not usable right now, but needed for the next major update).

In addition to the v0.2.4 update, the store page has also been changing. I've updated some of the store-related graphics as well as the library graphics. The vehicles displayed in those graphics now perfectly resemble the in-game vehicles. Updates to achievement icons are next, and maybe the addition of some new achievements.

v0.2.3 - Progress Saving/Loading
Saving/Loading your progress in Progression has been added to the game, but is quite limited at the moment. After you complete the first level, you will be able to go into the escape menu and click "Save". The game will then save what level you are on, your score, the number of attempts you have left, and how many times you have upgraded each item. You can then quit the game and reload at a later time.

When you want to reload, start a new progression game, go into the escape menu and click "Load". You will then start at the level you left off as if you had clicked "Start Level" on the upgrades screen.

Limitations:

  • Once you load a saved game, the save file is deleted. You can work around this by simply saving again.
  • Once you score points from landing, you will be unable to save until you start the next level.
  • Terrain generation data is not saved.
  • Progress within a level is not saved.
  • If save file corruption is detected, the game will immediately end and the save file will be deleted.

v0.2.2 - Bug Fixes
The 0.2.1 update introduced a bug that caused the axis controls to be unresponsive (sorry about that). This update, which was supposed to introduce progression saving and loading, fixes this bug. Time acceleration now disables the axis controls, but allows for control when no time acceleration is applied.

v0.2.1 - Upgrade Balance Tweaks
A small update to the Physics Update is now available which should now make the game winnable.

Change Log



  • Added game version number to main menu (0.2.x is the Physics Update).
  • Undocking will now fire retrograde thrusters for just two seconds instead of indefinitely.
  • Adjusted fuel and thrust upgrades to be roughly linear in terms of how much extra fuel and thrust you get with each upgrade. Cost increase is unchanged.
  • Adjusted min throttle and ISP upgrades to "max-out" relatively quickly.

Physics Update is Here
Solar Lander's Physics Update is now available on the main branch. There are many changes, improvements, and bug fixes with this update, with the main highlight being the physics updates.

Changes



  • Superstructures are now treated as a single body, greatly improving the physics (and controllability) of the lander, especially around large planets.
  • Axis assignments are now done in-game instead of in a dialog box that comes up before the game starts.
  • Staging before landing in Progression now resets the current level instead of skipping to the next level.
  • Free Roam now gives you a lot more freedom to play around with.
  • Upgrades Screen gives you more information about your ships capabilities vs what is needed to complete the level (and how much each individual upgrade will contribute).
  • Terrain generation is now based off of this YouTube video, making it look more natural.
  • Fuel indicators have been made to look more like the rest of the HUD.
  • The trail renderer has been replaced with a display of what your orbit looks like (disappears when on ejection orbit).
  • Terrain colliders are generated in chunks to improve performance (adjustable in settings).
  • Made some adjustments to the game over, pause, credits, and help screens.


Additions



  • Added the ability to adjust input response in the settings screen.
  • Buttons on some controls can be made to gradually go from full-off to full-on.
  • Added leaderboards for highest landing score and highest docking score.


Bug Fixes



  • (Hopefully) Fixed a bug that would sometimes cause steam stats to not get saved properly.
  • Fixed a bug where the engines and RCS thrusters would produce more thrust than they should be capable of.


EDIT: The game was supposed to go on sale right before this post was made, but I accidentally scheduled the sale to start June 7th.
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