You may have noticed a slower pace of updates for the game lately, so we wanted to share some news from the team and provide an update on the development of The Pioneers.
As we’ve mentioned before, our team’s situation is challenging. Despite the moderate success we enjoyed on Steam when we launched in Early Access last year, we’ve struggled to secure enough financial resources to hire the full team necessary to develop a game as ambitious as The Pioneers. Nonetheless, we’ve chosen to keep going, driven by hard work and determination. This decision, however, means we’re working with a small team and juggling multiple activities both within and outside the gaming industry—simply to make ends meet. We hope that one day we’ll be able to dedicate ourselves 100% to our passion, and we’re not giving up! But for now, we must accept that the game’s development is progressing more slowly than we had hoped. We sincerely thank those of you who have supported us by purchasing the game; your trust helps bring our vision to life.
We’re also aware of the design issues present in the current state of the game: core systems that are still too unstable, lack of content and replayability, and insufficient guidance for new players. We have a comprehensive plan to overhaul these aspects, rethinking them from the ground up. Creating a game as complex as The Pioneers is no easy task, and we’re still not entirely sure that the path we’re currently on is the best one. But we believe in it and are pouring all our energy into making it happen.
The next update is taking longer to arrive because it involves a deep rework of some core aspects of the game and how you’ll experience The Pioneers: the structure of the game, its pace and progression, management and micro-management, tutorialization... and all of this is being developed under particularly challenging conditions. We’re passionate gamers ourselves and often find ourselves in your shoes. So, we fully understand and share your impatience. Rest assured, we’re doing our best, and we have no intention of abandoning the creation we’ve already invested the last five years of our lives into.
Thank you for your continued support and understanding.
In celebration of our participation in the Steam Endless Replayability Fest, we are happy to release a new regular update.
Here's what you can look forward to in Version 0.52. Have a nice fest!
LOCALIZATION
To enhance the accessibility of our game for our international audience, we have decided to implement 23 new localizations, in addition to the 8 already available.
These new languages are generated using "LocalAIze," our in-house tool built on a Large Language Model (LLM) architecture. As such, these translations may be imperfect. If you prefer to avoid encountering errors in the game's text, we recommend using English or one of the other seven languages directly managed by our development team.
While not flawless, our automated translation tool is considered over 95% reliable and allows us significant development agility during this early access phase. If you have suggestions for improving any translations, please do not hesitate to let us know, as we can incorporate your suggested corrections.
GAMEPLAY
Various terrain objects such as ore veins and quicksand are now generated in clusters, providing more consistently distributed resource zones and obstacles.
GRAPHICS
Added a new shader for calderas.
Improved alignment of characters and objects to better match certain actions and animations.
Enhanced and fixed several animations including crafting, running on the treadmill, and walking cycles.
USABILITY
The options menu now closes with the ESC key, and settings are applied automatically.
Redesigned several event tooltips for enhanced clarity.
Adjusted menu alignments for improved clarity.
Increased the size of tutorial videos.
BUG FIXES
Fixed a bug that prevented the use of elevators and the EVA module when a character had a fracture.
Resolved multiple issues related to the "carry a teammate" action.
Fixed a bug concerning the "share oxygen" action.
Addressed an issue with the medikit usage.
Corrected a graphical bug related to chromatic aberration.
Fixed a drilling event that could block the character.
Restored missing buff icons.
Resolved minor graphical bugs (such as floating elements and artifacts on selection outlines).
Fixed a rare global bug that occasionally prevented certain actions from initializing.
Added the version number to the main game menu.
Addressed various bugs related to translation and save reliability.
Before we delve into more details about the upcoming roadmap and the major updates the game will receive before it exits early access, we continue our commitment to enhancing the overall gaming experience. In this update and subsequent ones, you will primarily find bug fixes, visual enhancements, usability improvements, and quality of life features. Stay tuned for more!
Here are the patch notes for 0.51
GAMEPLAY
Added functionality for pioneers carrying an unconscious teammate on their back. It is now possible to reload their oxygen or remove their suit in the EVA cabin.
Enhanced rover handling, which can now safely navigate more pathways.
GAME DATA RECORDING
We have implemented a game session recorder to assist in game improvement and balancing. This tracker does not transmit any data without your consent; instead, it saves certain data locally in a small file. To aid in game development, especially when sharing your experiences with us on Discord, you can attach this file to help us analyze your gameplay. These recordings are available on your computer in this folder: %localappdata%\..\LocalLow\Supercube\The pioneers
GRAPHICS
Added multiple missing animations.
Introduced a default animation for still missing animations.
Added faces textures and rigs for characters as part of a broader initiative to enhance character quality during our early access.
Improved the compute shader that calculates heat surfaces.
Enhanced the visual impact of meteorite strikes.
Added a light signal for setting explosives in sulfur pits.
Enhanced the visual outline around characters.
OPTIMIZATION
Removed several unused textures and compressed some textures to boost game performance.
Adjusted materials to enhance both visual rendering and game performance.
BUG FIXES
Fixed a major bug where characters died if their morale gauge hit zero instead of becoming depressed.
Fixed a pathfinding bug that sometimes prevented characters from entering the control room.
Fixed a bug that occurred when upgrading the treadmill while it was in use; characters now exit the machine properly.
Fixed a bug that sometimes prevented the crane from detecting the rover under the hangar.
Fixed a bug that occasionally hindered sulfur extraction even though the well was active.
Fixed a bug related to oxygen exchange between characters.
Fixed a display bug in the VFX of chimney explosions.
Fixed several bugs related to recent events added (text or appearance probabilities).
Fixed a bug in accounting for the "free diver" trait.
Fixed a bug related to the drill positioning during a "drilling" action.
Corrected several incorrect tooltips.
Removed some "floating" assets above the terrain.
Fixed a graphical bug that occasionally caused characters' eyes and skin to appear purple.
Fixed a bug with the placement of the XP multiplier button on 32:9 resolutions.
Addressed various bugs related to translation and save reliability.
Thank you all for the warm reception of our latest major update, "Decisions." Your feedback suggests that we are continuing in the right direction and that our efforts are starting to pay off.
Following this update, here's a set of fixes addressing the latest features or minor issues that existed prior to "Decisions".
Fixed several non-functional buffs and events.
Fixed some pathing issues related to the rover.
Improved inventory management to make double-clicks more reliable.
Fixed a bug in the magnetic storm loading gauge.
Fixed several loading bugs in the new station module.
Fixed a bug preventing some machines from being recycled properly.
Fixed a bug that made some equipment crates invisible.
Corrected the display of certain fonts (type and size).
Fixed issues related to daily meetings events.
Fixed several missing or incorrect translations.
Improved the readability of the construction panel.
Adjusted the colors indicating the character's skill level in event-related buttons.
Added prerequisite information to notify players when they lack sufficient resources for building a block.
Fixed the size of minimum inputs for saves.
Fixed a display bug that incorrectly highlighted the VFX of magnetic rocks.
Corrected the daily events panel to prevent information from showing on hover over elements below it.
Fixed minor issues related to using the rover's cannon.
Fixed a bug in the hangar crane.
Moved some ship element spawn points so they are not buried too deep.
Fixed a display bug preventing sulfur lakes from showing on certain setups.
Enhanced the temperature management system to provide more accurate data to the player.
Fixed holes that appeared in the terrain.
MAJOR UPDATE #3 | DECISIONS
Dear Pioneers,
The entire team is incredibly proud of the work done on "Decisions," the 3rd major update for TPSD. You can check out all the update notes here, and please see the end of the post for a more personal and heartfelt message.
GAMEPLAY
This 3rd major update brings tons of new gameplay features. As outlined in the roadmap, it focuses on decision-making: choose one type of victory over another, establish the strategy of the day and forego certain bonuses, make the best choice when an event occurs... Whether strategic or tactical, we hope all these decisions will make your games more intense and more unique.
Main additions:
Introduced a new character, Dinesh Khan, the Life Support Engineer.
Added a new skill, "Telecommunication," strongly tied to machine use in the command center. This skill reflects your pioneers' proficiency with remote communication tools.
Added a new station module: the Command Center. Use it to contact Earth for assistance, plan your EVA (Extravehicular Activity) excursions, support your team remotely, and foresee threats with the weather station.
New victory condition: Rescue. OCTAL has you covered, dispatching a rescue shuttle after approximately 30 days. The question is, can you hold out until then?
New feature: Pioneers' Field of View. Terrain features become visible within a short range around your characters during EVA excursions.
New feature: Antennas. Most machines in the command center link to an antenna on the roof, which may fail during storms. This failure renders the connected machine inoperative, necessitating repairs.
New feature: Start Randomization. The initial pioneer can now emerge from any capsule, with the other two survivors placed randomly in other capsules. Initial loot is always positioned in front of the station to diversify the game's beginning.
Events system:
Daily meetings: At each day's start, crew members gather to propose strategies. You must select one, usually resulting in a buff for some or all crew members. Each pioneer can make unique suggestions.
Hazard events: Singular events such as spoiled rations or crew disputes can now occur.
Point of interest events: Linked to terrain features (e.g., caves, satellites) or randomly revealed by pioneers' field of view.
Contacting OCTAL or loved ones is also enhanced by the new event system.
Other additions/changes:
Redesigned beacons with a triangulation system to uncover outdoor points of interest.
Visual and gameplay improvements for volcanic bombs, now exploding on impact and potentially breaching station walls. This change aims to heighten their threat level in the mid to late game.
Developed proprietary tools for creating events and buffs, introducing over 50 new buffs and an equal number of events (more to come).
Introduced a new personal item related to Dinesh.
[TAG-70]
LEVEL DESIGN
We've worked hard to incorporate your feedback on the level design, refining our workflow for enhanced precision and polish. We're also trying to give more identity to the different areas of the current map. Your ongoing feedback is invaluable as we continue refining the level design.
Two new areas introduced:
A zone of rocky plateaus, rich in rare earths, replaces the former sulfur zone. This area poses unique challenges, including permanent fog and a vertical layout with deep chasms.
The sulfur marshes, situated further than the old sulfur zone, present a significant mid-game challenge. The visuals have been upgraded, incorporating the new unity water shader.
UI & ERGONOMICS
In this update, we've undertaken a major overhaul of the upper area of the HUD. Nevertheless, there's still much to be done to improve the game's clarity and accessibility. This significant task will be addressed in an interim patch before the release of the fourth major update.
Global HUD rework to lighten the information at the start of the game and incorporate new elements to be unlocked during play.
New victory protocol added to the dedicated panel.
GRAPHICS
Optimized the day/night cycle for improved clarity.
Improved the terrain shader to better highlight areas traversable by pioneers.
Enhanced the visibility of icons in the 3D world.
Added a lava river.
Introduced physical meteorites.
Added a distress smoke VFX to capsules at the start of the game.
Implemented multiple VFX related to volcanic eruptions.
Updated the VFX for acid geysers, lightning, and electric particles.
Refreshed the VFX for vents, clouds, and fog.
Visually enhanced the heat system.
Improved the rendering of certain textures.
Animated the evaporation of lakes.
Enhanced graphic transitions between map zones.
Animated parts of the HUD.
Adjusted terrain decals and blends.
Added and updated event-related illustrations.
Updated the size of climbing indicators.
Reintegrated character transparency when obscured by an object.
MUSIC & SOUND
Added new music theme dedicated to the second victory condition.
Added new music theme dedicated to rover exploration
BALANCING
To address the diminished challenge of maintaining mental health, we've introduced new loss triggers (e.g., pioneer injuries, illnesses, volcanic bomb impacts).
Increased the proportion and frequency of consumable loot, including oxygen tanks.
Optimized survival capsule placements and removed overly challenging positions.
Ryan reclaims his original role as capcom with the introduction of the new Telecoms skill, transferring his Computer specialty to the new character, Dinesh, who now oversees the station's systems.
MINOR CHANGES
Removed the telecom booth in crew quarters. The Earth communication terminal is now designated for contacting loved ones.
Magnetic rocks now lose their charge over time.
The generator may shut down during electromagnetic storms, impacting all station systems. This change aims to diversify station damage and reduce redundancy.
OPTIMIZATION
Optimized terrain (removed holes and underground meshes).
Added new LODs for some heavy 3D meshes for smoother rendering.
Adjusted the map edges.
Tuned the rendering distances for various visual effects.
Improved the game loading system to prevent freezing at startup.
Enhanced the pause functionality to save on performance.
Reduced the number of shader variants.
Removed unnecessary graphic settings from the scene.
Eliminated unnecessary graphic parameters from character models.
BUG FIXES
Improved elevator mechanics to prevent blockages.
Enhanced the climbing system for greater robustness.
Fixed several bugs related to the medical block.
Fixed a display bug on various textures.
Fixed a bug causing unexpected pauses.
Corrected the display of primary resources.
Restored the progress bar indicating camera signal loss.
Fixed a bug allowing all upgrades from a recycled machine to be retrieved.
Fixed a rare bug that made the workshop module unusable.
Addressed a bug related to inventory management.
Corrected the exploration rover's pathfinding.
Fixed pathfinding in lava craters.
Added skill indicators to actions where they were missing.
Corrected the skill application calculations of pioneers on their actions.
Fixed a bug that could cause capsules to enter the terrain.
Fixed a bug that sometimes prevented certain sound alerts from playing.
Fixed a bug that could crash Maggie, the station's printer robot.
Fixed a display bug on certain terrain elements that could float above the ground.
Fixed a rare bug that could lock the camera.
Addressed a bug related to icons remaining on screen.
Fixed a rare bug preventing certain order sequences from executing.
Corrected a UI display error during the O2 reloading action.
Fixed the position of the elevator menu.
Corrected the temperature management system that allowed characters to overheat on a cold sulfur lake.
Fixed certain notifications not always displaying.
Corrected an anomaly that allowed camera scramble to be removed by moving in the scene with a beacon.
Fixed a bug allowing infinite looting of oxygen from a capsule.
Addressed multiple missing translation errors.
Fixed various bugs related to languages.
Corrected a series of save system bugs.
Fixed various sound effects.
Addressed different issues encountered in Twitch mode.
A Final Word Before You Dive Into the Game
Some of you have recently shared your eagerness, and even your concerns, about the future of TPSD, noticing the absence of major updates on the horizon. We take this as encouragement! After all, facing pressure from our players is generally more welcome than their indifference. ;)
Your questions deserve an answer, and we're seizing this moment to share more about us and our situation.
The Pioneers is an extremely ambitious game that could easily engage a hundred people over several years and consume millions (or even tens of millions) of dollars in production costs. When we pitched the project to publishers capable of supporting such a budget, we were consistently reminded that this was our studio's first major game and the financial risk was too high. No one took the leap with us. So, we chose a different path to try and realize our dream nonetheless.
Our entire team (10 people) agreed to share part of the risk by becoming co-authors of the project, thus earning only from sales (if the game sells well, we can pay ourselves; if not, we keep hoping while eating pasta). To date, The Pioneers has sold around 15,000 units. That's great, placing the game in the top 10% of best-selling products on Steam. But as you might guess with a simple calculation, it's clearly not enough to ensure our stability, expand the team, and plan future projects.
We chose this path knowingly and have no regrets. However, it means that sometimes some of us need to take on additional work to make ends meet, or that we can't afford to hire QA or translation studios.
Making a living from video games is far from easy today. A tiny portion of the industry captures players' attention and spending, one that can invest millions in marketing campaigns, engage in sometimes questionable business practices, and prioritize profitability over quality. We are not one of those studios and never will be. With our modest means, energy, and passion, we simply strive to bring to life the game of our hearts, which embodies everything we love about our hobby, without treating players like fools.
Yes, what we do is imperfect and sometimes delayed. But know that we're doing our best and that, after all these years of hard work, we're already proud of the game we've produced. It's not going to stop anytime soon, and we're convinced it will find a deserving spot in your Steam libraries, whether before or after the end of its early access.
Regardless, even when times are tough, we're very happy and motivated. We hope you'll enjoy this update. We eagerly await your feedback. Have fun.
We're thrilled to announce that the third major update for TPSD is on the horizon.
This massive update brings a host of new features, including a new character (the life support engineer), a new station module (the Command Center), and all the associated gameplay. Additionally, you'll find an expanded map with sulfur lake biome, over a hundred narrative events, and a slew of other enhancements (volcanic eruptions, HUD rework, localization in fifty new languages, and more).
We're eager to dive into all the details of these game-changing updates, which have been a herculean effort for the entire team. However, to ensure we deliver the best possible experience, we're taking a bit more time to incorporate player feedback and iron out the last few bugs.
In the meantime, you can join the open beta phase by activating the beta branch on Steam. Just navigate to your Steam library, right-click on The Pioneers: Surviving Desolation, select 'Properties', go to the 'Betas' tab, and choose the 'Pre-release – QA testing' program. Your game will update with the latest patch content.
While you might encounter some bugs and balancing issues, this is a great opportunity to experience all the new content first-hand and share your thoughts, suggestions, or feedback with the team directly on Discord:
https://discord.gg/thepioneersgame
Please note: We'll be considering as much feedback as possible before finalizing the patch, so there won't be any intermediate updates during this open beta phase.
We can't wait to see you on Io or on Discord. Enjoy!
Supercube Team
Patch notes 0.41 | Polish & Polish
Dear Pioneers,
After a summer where our entire team had the chance to enjoy a well-deserved break, we are now back with this first patch, which fine-tunes the work carried out during the last major update. We will continue to enhance the recently introduced features while also working on new content! Be prepared for even more exciting additions in the upcoming weeks! To celebrate the back-to-school season, we are pleased to offer you a special deal ! Have a great time exploring Io, and we'll be in touch very soon!
• Added a new community localization: Hungarian • Added a new community localization: Polish
Thanks to the community members who have been with us on this important work since The The Pioneers launch! You're awesome!
Gameplay
• Reworked the climbing system to match the same ergonomics as the jumping feature: limited range based on the athleticism skill and pathfinding considerations. This major overhaul should eliminate most of the bugs encountered with this complex feature. • Integrated Yvonne Delage's reward card
Visuals
• Added a visual effect when collecting sulfur • Updated the fire VFX
Performance
• Implemented a system to remove 3D terrain models that are not visible on screen to improve overall game performance • Redesigned several game systems, such as event management and animations, which could previously cause game crashes
Bug fixes
• Fixed the save functionality, which could break since the last major update when building a rover • Corrected resource production calculations, which could be incorrect during a sequence of actions • Fixed and optimized the rover. The vehicle should no longer behave strangely when stationary or when hovering the cursor • Fixed a bug that sometimes prevented victory from being achieved • Fixed the "injured during crash" trait, which was not applying all penalties and led to infinite oxygen consumption • Fixed a graphical bug that caused the character's EVA suit to disappear • Fixed a bug that prevented a character from dying if their critical status had been stabilized • Corrected the size of the hangar construction panel • Fixed a bug that prevented glaciers from melting with the thermal regulator • Corrected the tooltip for glaciers • Fixed a bug with experience gauges displayed during an action • Fixed various issues related to saves • Fixed a bug with the installation hatches of station machines • Fixed a graphical bug on the sulfur lake shader • Adjusted the sound volume on certain music tracks • Fixed several translation issues • Corrected the display of the unit 'Kg' to 'kg'
MAJOR UPDATE #2 | ROAD TRIP
Dear Pioneers,
With this major update, the rover "The Bear" makes its debut in the game. This first vehicle marks a turning point in the way you approach your adventures on Io. Explore further and longer, protect yourselves from the main threats, carry more equipment, and unlock new unique actions... The rover comes with a plethora of new features and numerous contents added to existing systems. It lays the foundations for a new way of exploring and prepares for future game map overhauls.
This update has also been an opportunity for us to deliver an overall more enjoyable game to you. The road is still long, but we have taken your feedback into account to continue improving ergonomics and balancing in the game. Significant work has also been done to correct as many bugs as possible.
To be completely transparent with you, maintaining the stability of a game like The Pioneers is a gigantic technical challenge. With a growing number of innovative features, interconnected systems, and procedural algorithms that all affect the world, it is very easy to generate new bugs on previously functional systems. From the outset of the game's production, we knew that we would have to climb a mountain, and that's why we opted for early access. Rest assured that we are doing our utmost to detect and correct bugs. However, we are a very small team, and it is certain that we will never be able to resolve all the issues before each patch. You are not our QA testers, but if you come across a new bug, we would be grateful if you could report it to us on Discord. We are generally very responsive in releasing hotfixes.
Thanks to all those in our Discord community who participated in the pre-release of this second major update. This represents a significant step forward in the game's development. The whole team is proud and eager to hear your feedback. Have a great time, and see you on Io!
Patch notes 0.40
GAMEPLAY
Added the first vehicle "The Bear."
Introduced a new character, Yvonne Delage, the pilot.
Added a new skill, "Piloting," which determines the speed, maneuverability, and resistance of the rover based on the pilot's abilities.
Added a new station module: the hangar. Use it to craft, upgrade, and protect your vehicles.
Added new rover equipment to be crafted in the workshop: - Various types of wheels - Various types of chassis - Various types of cabins - Various types of tools
Introduced new exploration features:
- Magnetic rocks: They charge with electricity when struck by lightning and discharge on nearby characters and vehicles.
- Glaciers: Respond to local temperature changes and may block passages in cold conditions.
- Volcanic rockfalls: Avoid being in their path as they can be drilled for additional resources.
- Quicksand: Slowing zones where your rover is likely to get stuck.
Added new actions related to the rover: - Repair the rover. - Equip the rover. - Use different rover tools and modules to destroy rocks, cool/heat the surrounding area, and recharge its oxygen.
Added new environmental interactions: - Destroy world elements using lightning, volcanic rocks, or the rover to reduce local temperature. - Damage the rover through collisions or navigating dangerous areas.
Reworked certain areas of the map: - Improved rover accessibility around the station. - Added new rover exploration zones.
Added new positive and negative character traits: - EVA Specialist: Slows down the pioneer's vital parameter depletion while outdoors. - Tuning Enthusiast: The pioneer is happier when piloting a vehicle. - Former Hacker: +1 to computer skills and extended camera signal range. - Pessimist: Reduces nearby teammates' mental health. - Weakling: Reduces inventory size. - Shaken from the Crash: Crash consequences reduce pioneer skills.
Pioneers can now collectively gather sulfur.
Added a new Yvonne-related personal item.
VISUALS
Conducted initial tests of a new character creation process applied to Yvonne. This process enhances the 3D modeling, textures, animations, and 2D portraits. The process will continuously improve and gradually replace existing characters.
Added all visual effects related to the new patch's features.
Improved the burn shader for suits.
Enhanced the shader for sulfur lakes.
Improved visual effects at the ship crash site.
Enhanced all animations (attachment points, hands animation, transitions, etc.).
Improved post-processing for scenes (saturation, lighting, fog) for better color readability and terrain changes.
Enhanced the visual of the protective mask equipment.
Improved the visual of the icy wind effect.
UI & ERGONOMICS
Improved text readability for equipment descriptions in the character inventory.
Enhanced the display of skill bonuses/penalties through a new UI.
Balanced and improved the understanding of the vomiting mechanic.
Improved construction interfaces, hiding the "available upgrades" UI text if no elements are present.
Added new icons in various locations throughout the game.
MUSIC & SOUND
Added a new music track for electromagnetic storms.
Added a new music track for rover exploration.
Added sound effects for all new features.
Added new dialogue lines for Yvonne (beware, she has a tough personality, like all French people...).
Implemented a dynamic and contextual sound system for the rover.
Added a new ambiance sound system: The "Soul of the Moon Io."
Improved the sound transition system for better integration of sounds and music.
BALANCING
Introduced new resource locations.
Characters now start with the maximum units of their personal starting item.
Increased the delay between alerts and the triggering of magnetic storms.
Balanced a few starting ability points among the crew: Foster/medicine (1->2), Wiiliams/computers (1->2), Stephenson/Electronics (1->2), Takada/Computers (2->1).
BUG PREVENTION
Implemented several safety features for the climbing system (a complex feature with many degrees of freedom).
BUG FIXES
Fixed a visual bug that occurred when lightning struck the station's roof.
Fixed several bugs related to the mental health effects history.
Fixed various pathfinding issues (ridiculously complex in The Pioneers).
Fixed a bug that sometimes caused camera jumps on the terrain.
Fixed a bug generating incorrect interaction between earthquakes and geological chimneys.
Fixed a bug where the oxygen-sharing action wouldn't stop if the target died during the process.
Fixed a bug that didn't automatically display the roof when a pioneer climbed a connector ladder.
Fixed the timing of the "transformation" tutorial, which didn't trigger at the right moment.
Fixed bugs related to machine installation prerequisites in the station's interface.
Fixed a bug that made the cross to close the biology tab in the crew quarters inoperative.
Fixed a display bug for the canteen button when wearing an EVA suit.
Fixed a bug that occurred during the closing of Jonas' personal item event.
Fixed several bugs related to inventory management.
Fixed some musical tracks that cut off too abruptly.
Fixed a lighting bug in the spatioculture module.
Fixed a bug related to the drilling skill, which had insufficient impact on resource collection.
Fixed a bug that allowed entering the medical bed with an EVA suit.
Fixed a bug in the pioneers temperatures display
Fixed a bug during the random selection of characters.
Fixed a bug that sometimes allowed lightning to penetrate the station.
Fixed several incorrect tooltips.
Fixed several incorrect translations.
Fixed several collision bugs.
To celebrate this major update, we are offering a 20% discount for one week.
Be prepared to welcome the first playable vehicle of The Pioneers, aka the exploration rover, aka...
THE BEAR!!!!!!!
It will be introduced in the 2nd major update of our EA roadmap, along with a new character, new equipment, threats, and exploration content. The Bear is massive, modular, and incredibly useful during your journey on Io.
Our last release was somewhat rushed, resulting in numerous bugs and an overall unsatisfactory experience for some players. To avoid repeating our mistakes, we have commenced an intensive internal Q/A testing phase, followed by a playable release on the beta branch of the game. If you are willing to assist us, please don't hesitate to join us on Discord and obtain the necessary information to access the pre-release build: https://discord.gg/thepioneersgame
Stay tuned to be among the first to embark on the rover!
As we had announced in our roadmap, the next major patch "Road Trip" will introduce the game's first vehicle, as well as a new dedicated station module, new equipment, a new character, and above all, much more exploration gameplay. We had planned to release it at the end of the second quarter of this year, but to avoid clashing with the Steam summer sales, we decided to postpone its release until mid-July.
This is good news, as it will also allow us to finalize the implementation of our new character production method, which will ultimately allow us to offer you visuals, narrative, and cutscenes featuring the pioneers' faces. To give you a taste of what awaits you, here's a little teaser.
There's not much longer to wait, and to help you cope, here are this week's patch notes. See you on Io!
Patch notes 0.37.03
GAMEPLAY
New version of the storm system In preparation for the Q2 update, we have started to implement new behaviors for existing threats. Lightings are now individual entities, which can directly strike terrain elements, including your pioneers. Their paths are influenced by the height and conductivity of objects. So pay attention to the environment during your explorations.
UI
Added an experience bar around the action circles to materialize progress in the associated skill
Improved personality traits selection interface
Improved icons and notifications in the main HUD
Replaced placeholder icons for machines and equipment
Improved vertical scrolling in the construction menu
Added new tooltips
ANIMATION
Added craftng animation in the workshop
Added an animation when a pioneer experiences an electric shock
Added an animation when a pioneer is struck by lightning
Added an animation when a pioneer is hungry
SOUND
New SFX for propulsion boots
New SFX for climbing
New SFX for the station reactor
BALANCING
Doubled skills XP bars at all levels The skill system is supposed to give specificity to each crew member but it is easily bypassed, especially thanks to the quick achievement of the first level. By making character progression in skills more difficult, we wish to give more value to these skills, forcing the player to adapt their gameplay to the strengths and weaknesses of their survivors. We will make other adjustments in this direction in the coming patches.
Increased cost of large rooms: 80->100 carbon nanotubes
Reduced nanotubes quantity in the starting loot: 200->180 Many of you do not consider the construction of small modules as a valid choice in the current balance of the game. In order to make it a viable strategic option, we therefore wish to increase the necessary investment for the construction of large modules and reduce the starting construction materials stock.
BUG FIXES
Fixed a bug that prevented the saving of ship construction sites
Fixed a a bug that allowed the same personality trait to be added twice to a pioneer
Fixed a a bug that could affect material crates when loading a game
