After several weeks of works, our large July update is here!
This update takes Stars End to a much more polished level when it comes to performance and bugs. We have reworked most of the core system, database structures and so on.
There are over 150 bugs and additions as part of this update, from small improvements to long term fixes that has been plaguing the game since EA launch.
You will also notice that the old outdated Prologue has been removed – it`s missions can still be accessed from Tigon Orbital station though.
We also have a new brief intro sequence and that`s also activated when you die - and have your clone drop to the planet in an escape pod.
Keep in mind that with update of this magnitude, we might have introduced some new issues, but these would be quick to fix, and we expect next update by Monday next week that will polish up this update with last fixed.
After this major update we are back to weekly and bi-weekly updates, with big projects out of the way, we can finally work on smaller fixed, balancing, polish and new content.
Here`s the main patch notes from this udpate, though we are keeping this short not to have a 4 pages long patch notes listing all the fixes. And so - let`s take a look at Update 34:
Major Changes
Over 100 bug fixes across the board
Removed old Prologue
New player spawn sequence with escape capsule drop
New game sequence with escape capsule drop
Old prologue mission is available from Tigon Orbital station
Major visual improvements to terrain on Beta Prairie
Major visual improvements to how planets look in space
Major visual improvement on exiting and entering atmosphere
All NPCs now can be killed
Fixes and Additions
Can now remove any vehicle from the world in the Tab
New controller and key mapping setup
Controller mapping greatly improvement
Added Brightness to the options
Added mouse sensitive to the options
Improved orbital mining with nav points and asteroid improvements
Added Mechs to Orbital Stations
When crafting it now auto sets max possible amount
Mining beam can now be installed on any space ship and used to mine
Horse can now only jump once every few seconds
Fixed all issues of falling through the ground bug
Fixed all issues with controller
Fixed various chat issues like not seeing chat
Fixed major startup issue with spinning camera
Update 33 -Major Improvements
Hey Everyone,
We have a major update today. With this update we have resolved majority of the new bugs and issues after the big move to mySQL. And we can finally say the game world is in a good place now.
This update also completes the big balancing change that removed all the grinding from the game. We take it further this time, with mining and gathering made a lot easier, and refunds added to crafting – like empty water bottle refunds when using water or oil in crafting.
This updates also lays foundation for the in-game music. This will be expanded and updated with more unique tracks based on the planet and environments that player is in.
We expect next update by Wednesday next week that will include the fixes for last rare issues, at which point we will be able to switch to mostly work on new content.
And so presenting Update 33
New features and fixes
New Ambient Music system. The game plays random ambient music except when in areas with music
Completed balance changes - mining rocks gives a lot more stone, one per hit, and more resources in bushes
Empty water bottles are now refunded when crafting with them - including them filled with oil or water
Fixed various bugs with AI sometimes disappearing after getting off horse or other vehicle
Game world is now a lot brighter during night time
Fixed player spawning sideway inside nova, and at the wrong location
Fixed building bases while self hosting
Vehicle new player planet respawn not working when moving between planets
Nearly completed work on new player admin console (to be enabled end of June)
Fixed art for vehicle wreck having dozen of tires in place
Fixed various issues with melee weapons not properly damaging Oraphant
Oraphant is now significantly tougher
Fixed odd rotation of passengers when leaving vehicles
Fixed various bugs with crafting in space
Fixed dropping item or death loot not always working
When mining in space player now sees waypoitns to asteroids and space derbies
Improved the visual FX when mining in space
Various fixes for Ferry not working right
Fixed Ammo bug bundle exploit
Grazer now repairs your own claim components, and damaged other player bases
Update 33 Preview - ETA Friday June 12th
Hey Everyone,
Apologize for a small delay with this update, we are rewriting several systems in order to fix most of the remaining bugs. Upcoming update brings dozens of fixes and improvements, and takes care of some exploits, as well as late game balancing (like requirement water bottles for oil e.t.c). In addition, we are included some new features like updated music direction with new music that players on random during gameplay.
We expect next update by Wednesday next week. Sorry for the delay guys. And here`s a preview of what we have completed so far, for this update. I`ll update this post as more of the update is done:
Thanks for your continuous support.
Update 33 Preview:
New features and fixes
New Ambient Music system. The game plays random ambient music except when in areas with music
Various fixes for Ferry not working right
Fixed Ammo bug bundle exploit
NOVA mining effect greatly improved
Grazer now repairs your own claim components, and damaged other player bases
Fixed player spawning sideway inside nova, and at the wrong location
When mining in space player now sees waypoitns to asteroids and space debree
Fixed building bases while self hosting
Vehicle new player planet respawn not working when moving between planets
Nearly completed work on new player admin console (to be enabled end of June)
Fixed art for vehicle wreck having dozen of tires in place
Fixed various issues with melee weapons not properly damaging Oraphant
Oraphant is now significantly tougher
Fixed odd rotation of passengers when leaving vehicles
Update 32 - Even More Fixes
Hey Everyone,
Welcome to part two of our less grind update. You will find last of resources gathering has been reworked, with practically all grindy gathering gameplay eliminated.
We also continue to fix bug leftover from the major database update last week. Of note we have fixed issues stopping players riding horse on Solo, and solo crew issues. In addition, we fixed various items, dupes, and allowed relogging back inside the vehicle.
We`ll continue with another update later tomorrow or on Wednesday.
Thanks for your continuous support
And so - lets take a look at Update 31:
New features and fixes
Fixed major issue with Solo - being unable to use Crews properly
Fixed major issue with Solo - not being able to ride horse and other vehicles
Relogging when inside a vehicle now puts player back at the helm, or mounts the vehicle
Winter quest is back to the Orbital station
Fixed major issue with base components showing random damage
Force field base layer around orbital station works and looks a lot better now
A lot of fixes for vehicles going missing under different circumstances
Fixed items duping or going missing in some situations
Fixed being unable to drop items on the ground
Fixed major exploit with unlimited parts taken from Vehicles
Fixed vibrating saddle on horses in claims
AA and VSync off by default - improving performance on lower end systems
Ferry navpoint marked as important - now new players will know where to find Ferries
Fixed claim component exploit of two crew members picking up the same component.
Added new loading sequence as the game connects on startup
Game will warn player about firewall or other startup issues
Moderators can now permanently mute players from chat
Balancing Changes
Grinder collects resources 30% slower in general, but faster on metal ruins
Reworked amount of wood sticks and fiber that collecting bushes gives (in general more now)
Update 31 - Less Grind & More Fixes
Hey Everyone,
The team continues with non-stop work, and we are very grateful to see more positive feedback and reviews in the past week. Also it`s great to see Stars End attracting more players, and that players are playing in the game for longer. Thanks for all the support!
We have another update today that does a great deal for removing grinding from resources collection. Right now most of the resources collection activities are nearly twice as fast - from asteroid mining, to mining with pick axe or sawing logs. More improvements are on the way.
Today`s update also fixes good number of remaining bugs after changing to new MMO servers. We have resolved issues with vehicle duping, trees, item duping and more. In addition Oraphant is back in game with improved AI. We also included new options for AA and Vsync.
We`ll continue with another update no Tuesday with a good number of fixes and additions, as well as more work on making Stars End resources collecting be a lot less grindy.
And so - lets take a look at Update 31:
New features and fixes
Fixing all issues with bases getting raided, or items stolen on Solo
Various fixes for invisible player interaction on Solo
A lot of improvements to the new Orbital Space stations - bigger platforms
Added force field to Orbital Space Stations allowing oxygen on the landing pads
Fixed major duping issue with vehicle multiplying on player claims
Fixed issues with items disappearing from storage boxes
Fixed issues with Trees remaining standing after getting cut down
Fixed renaming claims not always working
No longer can place vehicle inside the Orbital Space station
Players now have 90 minutes to fix a broken claimed vehicles
Various fixes for broken vehicle spots being spawns together with Oil Tanks
Fixed issues with Bear going through walls
Animals now play groan sounds when taking damage
Fixed animals not showing blood when being hit by melee weapons
Oraphant is added to the game, with a lot of areas populated around Clayton
Fixed dropping items on the ground not working
Balancing Changes
Mining Scrap Metal from ruins now gives twice as much Scrap Metal in half the time
Mining from rocks now twice as fast
Mining from Asteroids is now twice as fast
Sawing logs now generated double the amount of Wood Logs, in 30% less time
Grazer now mines twice as fast from all sources
Update 30 - Solo without mySQL
Hey Everyone,
We are continuing with constant updates, and today we are happy to bring you new singleplayer mode, that does not require mySQL. Keep in mind that internet connection is required, and there are still some minor glitches we are working on in singleplayer – meanwhile you might be able to see a ghost vehicle or claim of other players, but experience is fully singleplayer, and this will be resolved in a day or two.
This update also fixes the few leftover bugs from last night`s update. Please keep in mind that there are still a few known issues and we are working around the clock to bring you another solid update later this week.
Our plan is to continue fixing the last bugs for the next couple of weeks, as well as to add stand alone app to host dedicated server. After this we`ll continue with adding new content.
And so - lets take a look at Update 30:
New features and fixes
Added solo mode - with one click singleplayer game start
Solo mode doesn`t require mySQL to play
Fixed major issue where players completing prologue would be re-spawned at Tigon instead of Beta Prairie
Fixed major issue with space ship disappearing after arriving to the new planet
All spaceships that disappeared before will not reappear and be usable again
Fixed rare instanced of vehicles duping
Fix for claim name not showing
Fix for being unable to rename the claim name
Fixed some issues with refinery not working
Refinery now shows a second navigation points and highlights so player clearly see it
Fixed ambient sounds not stopping when leaving a planet.
Update 29 - Full Redesign - is Live!
Hey Everyone,
After several months of work, we are finally ready to bring you Update 29.
This update is a full redesign of Stars End. Starting from switching from server based game to SQL powered MMO, and ending with full visual rework of the main playable area.
The work continues full speed as we plan to release several more updates in June.
And so - introducing Update 29:
The change-log comes with couple of thousands changes, so bellow is the summary and not the actual detailed patch notes.
SWITCH TO MMO AND SQL
Bellow changes required a full progress wipe
MMO switch – changed from two official servers to two main MMO servers
New SQL database features make sure there`s no need for progress wipes in the future
Completely new database powered by MySQL capable of supporting very large playerbase on one server
Hosting Dedicated servers redesigned, and requires to install SQL
Solo player is still possible, but first my host the server after install SQL
Solo Play and Dedicated Hosting process is to be simplified in the near future
New database eradicates majority of bugs effecting Stars End over the past few months
New database cuts loading time from up to 3 minutes to as low as 20 seconds
MAJOR VISUAL UPDATE
Started work on the major visual updated effecting every area of the game
Beta Prairie planet is the first to get completely redesigned
New grass, new trees and plants, new rocks, higher resolution textures
Planet now has defined bi-oms with different plants, trees, and animals
Orbital space station completely redesigned
Started on Nox moon redesign
FPS camera reworked
TPS camera improved with lowest point and transparent grass
MAJOR NEW FEATURES
Added voice chat with proximity chat
Initial gamepad support implements – still needs a bit of work
Private property implemented, with loot and containers in some locations being private
Implemented stealing and outlaw system for being caught stealing
Outlaw Deed and Shady merchants available at Orbital stations to help get rid of Outlaw status
Various resources are now available on the ground to pick up – rocks, sticks, fiber e.t.c
Animal AI redesigned – fixing number of issues and making Bears, Thrawlers, Oraphangs much smarter
Enabled sneaking around Ais or animals field of vision
Email signup added to the main menu, with reward item for signing up with valid email
BUG FIXES AND MINOR ADDITIONS
Over 200 bug fixes and minor additions across the board
Update 29th - Coming to Live on Thursday
Hey Everyone,
We are putting finishing touches on the major 29th update that everyone has been waiting for a very long time now. And we are glad to say that after a number of delays this update is finally coming Live this Thursday.
We are down to two last issues to fix - passengers in vehicles, and a bug with new AI, making it turn sideways.
And please accept our apology for all the delays - and keeping it in beta for such a long time. But having worked on this update for so long, we fear we might get very bad feedback if this update is anything less than perfect.
We are almost there, and next update on Thursday will not go to beta, but straight to live. I would love to promise it today or tomorrow, but to be safe - we`ll only launch this on Thursday afternoon.
Thanks for your patience and understanding.
Update 29 - Full Redesign - enters Beta testing
Hey Everyone,
After several months of work, we are finally here - ready to start beta testing the massive update 29. Update is now available in Beta on Steam. We plan to bring the update live after about 1 week in beta.
This update is a full redesign of Stars End. Starting from switching from server based game to SQL powered MMO, and ending with full visual rework of the main playable area.
Please keep in mind - that this update does come with a full progress wipe, that was unavoidable with the change to new database and MMO approach. However, now we have everything in place to avoid progress wipes in the future.
Also please keep in mind - that the process of hosting and solo play is a temporary solution, that requires some work on your part. Installing SQL and creating a login for it. All the instructions are linked from the Host section in the main menu. We apologize for the inconvenience. This process will be streamlined and simplified in the future.
How to Play To enable Beta version of Stars End, please follow the following steps: -Right clicking on Stars End in the Steam library -Select Properties, and then Beta tab. -On that screen Opt-in to participate in the beta. Beta has it`s own MMO PvPvE server that keeps all the progress and will not be reset. Once this update goes live, you can switch to official MMO servers and make a new character, or continue to pay on beta.
And so - introducing update 29 - beta 1:
The change-log comes with couple of thousands changes, so bellow is the summary and not the actual detailed patch notes.
SWITCH TO MMO AND SQL
Bellow changes required a full progress wipe
MMO switch – changed from two official servers to two main MMO servers
New SQL database features make sure there`s no need for progress wipes in the future
Completely new database powered by MySQL capable of supporting very large playerbase on one server
Hosting Dedicated servers redesigned, and requires payer to install SQL
Solo Play is still possible, but requires hosting new server, after installing SQL
Solo Play and Dedicated Hosting process is to be simplified in the near future
New database eradicates majority of bugs effecting Stars End over the past few months
New database cuts loading time from up to 3 minutes to as low as 20 seconds
MAJOR VISUAL UPDATE
Started work on the major visual updated effecting every area of the game
Beta Prairie planet is the first to get completely redesigned
New grass, new trees and plants, new rocks, higher resolution textures
Planet now has defined bi-oms with different plants, trees, and animals
FPS camera reworked
TPS camera improved with lowest point and transparent grass
MAJOR NEW FEATURES
Added voice chat with proximity chat
Initial gamepad support implements – still needs a bit of work
Private property implemented, with loot and containers in some locations being private
Implemented stealing and outlaw system for being caught stealing
Outlaw Deed and Shady merchants available at Orbital stations to help get rid of Outlaw status
Various resources are now available on the ground to pick up – rocks, sticks, fiber e.t.c
Animal AI redesigned – fixing number of issues and making Bears, Thrawlers, Oraphangs much smarter
Enabled sneaking around Ais or animals field of vision
Email signup added to the main menu, with reward item for signing up with valid email
BUG FIXES AND MINOR ADDITIONS
Over 200 bug fixes and minor additions across the board
Upcoming Update 29
Hey Everyone,
As you might have heard we are working on a huge update 29 that brings brand new MMO like database. So we wanted to give you some updates on our progress and ETA.
First of all - we are a bit behind here. This update took us extra couple of weeks to complete, but we are finally getting close. As soon as this Friday, or latest mid of next week this update will go into open Beta. With full launch to live few days later.
On a bright side - with this delay we managed to compete a lot of other side projects while the lead and server programmer were finishing up. So this update comes with major fixes like reworked AI behavior, to new features like private property and stealing , as well as new feature support like voice chat, controller support, preparation for dedicated hosting utlity, and a lot of other good stuff.
To recap - the main part of this update is a switch to a brand new SQL MMO database. This move finally allows us to fix all issues with missing items, vehicles e.t.c. It also opens up possibility of MMO like super high population limits in the future.
Unfortunately, this update will come with a full progress wipe on all servers. This will be a necessary wipe as we are switching to a completely new database. However - this is a "wipe to end all wipes" and in the future we`ll have a lot of database porting options, so we probably won`t need to do another wipe again.
Once again we wanted to apologize for the delay, but we are almost there.
Thanks for your support, and we can`t wait to share this awesome update with you.
