Ostranauts "Rate My Build" Update Is Live!

Hey Folks!

Ostranauts v0.12.0.3 is now available on Steam. Named "Rate My Build", this patch represents a major feature update, and includes a batch of new content, plus new gameplay systems to explore.

This update focuses on the ability to buy and sell ships, and enhancing the value of ships via improving their rating (a.k.a. "Ship Flipper"). A large slate of new ship items is included to help improve ship value and specialization.

What's more, this update coincides with a 20% discount off of Ostranauts during the Steam Summer Sale! So if you've been thinking about pulling the trigger on Ostranauts, this is a pretty good time. We even updated the store page and trailer, to show what's changed recently.

For best results, you are encouraged to start a new character.

Old saves will not work in v0.12.x and later. However, we have created a new opt-in branch on Steam called "legacy_11" if you wish to continue your current v0.11.x character. See Steam's Tech Support forums for more info on opting-into other branches.

• Added the ability to legally own ships besides the starter ship.
• Added a ship broker kiosk to legally buy and sell ships at OKLG Commercial district.
• Added turn-key used ships to the ship broker kiosk.
• Added derelict ships from the OKLG boneyard to the ship broker kiosk.
• Added the ability to mortgage a new ship for as little as 50% down-payment.
• Added feature to the ship broker to include all derelicts the player visited on the sale list.
• Added feature to the ship broker to preview used ships before buying them.
• Changed ship prices to be based on a combo of all installed parts, and other specialty rooms/equipment.
• Changed nav station to show a temporary warning screen if user does not own the vessel, and is not crew of owner.
• Added transponder rules to the game, requiring all vessels to have a working transponder and antenna to be legal.
• Added code to make it harder for police to spot non-transponder ships at long range.
• Added code to make police preferentially target non-transponder ships at short range.
• Added code to make patrols mostly ignore scavengers with a valid license.
• Added code to make police arrest people for stealing ships.
• Added transponder controls to both the nav station's UI and transponder unit.
• Changed nav station map to show transponder IDs instead of actual ship IDs (in case transponder doesn't match ship).
• Added code to prevent docking clearance at fee-charging stations if ship has no transponder.
• Added an official rating code to each ship, which help describe the type and state of a ship in a short string.
• Added the ability to see a vessel's rating in the nav station Print Status screen, docking UI, and ship broker kiosk.
• Added the ability to get an enhanced vessel rating from the ship broker kiosk, showing additional vessel classification info, and an spec sheet of the ship.
• Added the ability to buy a replacement transponder from the ship broker kiosk.
• Added a new ferry service to the PDA app list that transports the user to nearby stations and owned ships.
• Added a new gig neXus job type that involves roughing-up a target.
• Added a new gig neXus job type that involves investigating a body.
• Added the ability to prepay mortgages in the FUNDS UI.
• Added 6 new ships and some variants to game.
• Added 5 new starter ships to career options.
• Added food vendors with street food to OKLG Port and OKLG Mescaform maps.
• Added new prepared meal options with comforting effects to food vendor carts.
• Added new luxury wall lights that can be adjusted to different colors.
• Added new manual entry hatch that can be installed to access areas without a door.
• Added new transponder item, which has a high chance of becoming broken/invalidated when uninstalled.
• Added new civilian and military transponder antennae.
• Added O2 candle item.
• Added new temporary wall seal item.
• Added several new wall poster items.
• Added several new installable floor styles.
• Added new air vent type that will auto-close if unsafe O2 levels detected on either side.
• Added new, smaller ship batteries with 1x2 and 1x1 tile footprints.
• Added new alcove bed type to the game, which provides improved sleep benefits.
• Added new medical bed type to the game, which provides improved healing rate.
• Added a new smaller stool-like chair that can fit near tables.
• Added a new passenger-vessel-style seat.
• Added ability to sit in chairs for a slight security replenishment, at the cost of achievement.
• Added the ability to (un)install and restore tables, jukeboxes, signs, TVs, and terminals.
• Added new towing brace item, which installs over the docking ring to support towing other vessels.
• Added actual ship damage for towing another vessel without a secured towing brace.
• Added new Ossifex Pen item to help stave-off atrophy.
• Added new treadmill exercise equipment, which can be used to stave-off atrophy and remove Unfit/gain Fit trait.
• Added new FLEX exercise equipment, which can be used to stave-off atrophy and remove Feeble/gain Strong trait.
• Added new toothbrush items, which can be used to improve hygiene.
• Added new arcade game cabinet item, which can be used for recreational boosts.
• Added a new switch panel to the game, letting the user remotely switch any number of objects on/off with logic gates.
• Added the ability to watch TV, and switch channels from news to drama, for mood boosts.
• Added the ability to change the song playing on a jukebox to one of three, or off.
• Added the ability to admire posters, planters, and bartops.
• Added a ferry kiosk to the game, found in the OKLG port area (replaces one refueling kiosk).
• Adds a retail furnishings kiosk in the north part of Old Emporium. It sells but doesn't buy from the player.

• Added code to reveal NPC info faster during conversations.
• Added code to show GIG in front of gig-related moves.
• Added code to autopause game when character finishes social move that has no replies.
• Added code to make NPC renew waiting for player if player attempts to talk to them while they are walking, doing nothing, or waiting.
• Added a named fine for failure to allow officer on board.
• Added DOCK INFO page to docking menu, which shows info on docked ship.
• Added transponder, antenna, and ship rating into to nav station status screen.
• Added code to show brief connection message on docking UI.
• Added code to alert the player via log message when their license causes patrol to leave them alone.
• Added audio effect for when message log updates.
• Added code to prevent audio clipping when colliding many times in close succession.
• Added some code to improve game performance, particularly when loading/unloading ships.
• Changed all action lists on items so Bash is not the first, and where possible, the order is more consistent.
• Changed the action buttons to show Cancel Action move when player is currently doing an action, and disable other actions.
• Changed the action buttons to show Wait for NPC Reply move when target is replying.
• Changed police arrest encounter to teleport the player to the OKLG security office when done.
• Changed min and max zoom amounts to be more reasonable.
• Changed refueling and life support refill costs at port to be higher.
• Changed police and scav ships to be reused after finishing a tour, instead of destroyed.
• Changed floor bins to count as floors in the PDA job painting menu, so it isn't uninstalled with other non-floor equipment.
• Changed the arrest encounter to allow paying the fines as a lump sum or in installments.
• Changed the way police message the player when boarding so it's a bit more obvious.
• Changed the OKLG scrap kiosk to have a more reliable amount of construction materials.
• Changed police arrests and attacks to allow boarding player ship.
• Fixed a bug that could cause an NPC to not reply to player when they should.
• Fixed a bug that caused police to ask player why they were boarded while arresting them.
• Fixed a bug that did not anger police if player undocked from them to run away.
• Fixed a bug that caused action button tooltips to get stuck on screen.
• Fixed a bug that caused honeypot stakes convo to get stuck waiting for an NPC who won't reply.
• Fixed a bug that caused honepot extract move to have replies in gray text on the player's side of the log.
• Fixed a bug that caused uninstalled items to disappear if there wasn't room for them.
• Fixed a bug that caused the quick-action buttons for an item to not update when it mode switches (e.g. on/off, open/closed)
• Fixed a bug that caused action buttons to not update when clicking an action.
• Fixed a bug that caused a significant lag spike when removing wall pieces.
• Fixed a bug that allowed stripping sleeping characters. Knocked-out characters can still be stripped.
• Fixed a bug that caused player to be unable to access toilet, bed, and other teleport-required COs.
• Fixed a bug that caused manually controlled PCs to wander off after using the toilet.
• Fixed a bug that reported the incorrect value for Fines & Other Fees on the station refuel kiosk.
• Fixed a bug that caused social combat UI to stop working if it was raised immediately before another UI and interrupted.
• Fixed a bug that caused encounter UI to show zero options if UI raised while in another UI.
• Fixed a bug that could cause the fixer to not see items in player's ship barter zone.
• Fixed a bug that would spawn scavenger ships from one station, when the NPC piloting them was on another.
• Fixed a bug that showed ship dimensions to extreme decimal places in nav station.
• Fixed a bug that created several alerts/objectives for pressure and power on a newly docked derelict vessel.
• Fixed a bug that caused cursor temperatures to show wrong value.
• Fixed a bug that prevented cursor pressure/temp to show human/canister under cursor.
• Fixed a bug that would cause some hostile actions to not be recorded against target faction.
• Fixed a null exception that could occur if immediately docking after undocking.
• Fixed a null exception that could occur when loading a ship from the ship editor.
• Fixed a null exception that could happen when an item/person had an empty interaction.
• Fixed a null exception that could happen when the pathfinder parent is null and we try to output its name.
• Fixed missing tooltip text on some gig moves and conditions.
• Fixed normal maps on floor label items.
• Fixed missing normal maps on EVA suits.
• Fixed missing description on several items.
• Fixed several typos in game data jsons.
• Fixed a bug that caused Seek Ship docked status to say undocked, despite starting docked.
• Removed most cases of NPCs spawning on ships multiple AU away, which appear as targets in gig neXus.

• Added new Interaction.strTeleportRegID field to allow interactions to teleport objUs.
• Added JsonSpawnStation.strOwner and JsonSpawnDerelict.strOwner to define the faction owner of those spawned ship types.
• Added a new param to let interactions launch a PDA UI instead of a normal full-screen one.
• Changed the way ships are loaded in editor to avoid changing COIDs on each save/load.
• Fixed a bug that caused ShipEditor lootspawner pspec dropdown to reset when hitting Save Ship.

One of the biggest changes this update is to ship ownership, and how ships are bought and sold. Previously, players would just roll up to any Ayotimiwa derelict and start moving in with their stuff.

Well, not anymore! There's a price and a process for that, and it starts with the new ship broker kiosk in K-Leg Commercial District. In it, you can peruse used and derelict ships for sale. Used ships can be mortgaged for as little as 50% down, while derelicts must be paid for wholesale. Buyers are encouraged to preview the ship before buying, as all sales are final, and it could be a bad deal.

If, on the other hand, you find a decent wreck out there with a reasonable sticker price, you can pay the ship broker to officially own it. Then, anything you do to improve it is yours to keep. You can use it as your own ship, or even sell the restored vessel back for a profit!

The ship broker also offers an important new service: replacement transponders. All vessels must now be fitted with a working transponder and antenna to be legal, and transponders cannot be easily removed from a vessel once installed. (Many derelicts will have broken or missing transponders, as a result.)

Flying without a transponder and antenna is a crime, as it can make your vessel hard to detect at long ranges, risking collisions with others. Police vessels close enough to detect a ship "flying dark" will be prosecuted!

Experienced players will also notice some significant changes to the action buttons. First of all, "Bash" is no longer the first option on any item. Most items now have a consistent action order, where possible. No more accidentally bashing or uninstalling something you meant to use!

The game will also now autopause for social moves, social moves will produce an audio cue, and the action button list will update in real time to show you if you are currently acting, or awaiting an NPC reply.

And speaking of replies, several NPC high-stakes conversations had some rework done to make them a little smoother and more reliable.

The revealed conditions on the target also now appear more quickly, making it easier to tell their mood when choosing your next move. These changes should hopefully help with the chaotic conversations of old, where both parties frequently got interrupted or overloaded with replies.

A new P.A.S.S. shuttle service was also added to the game, to help players get around without using a ship. Simply call a shuttle via your PDA or the kiosk at K-Leg Port to initiate a pick-up, and depending on how far away you are from port, a shuttle will arrive shortly, taking you to your destination (for a price).

Plus, we have a range of new items and ships in the games to try out. 5 new starting ships, plus several new ship variants were added, and over 40 new items to use and/or install. Things like decor items, furniture, emergency tools, and even exercise equipment! That last one is also our first test with tools that help you change your traits over time, removing negative traits like Feeble and Unfit, and possibly adding their positive counterparts. If this works well enough, we'll probably expand it to cover other traits, and possibly skills.

One other new item of note is the signal box. What started as a circuit-breaker-like item to control on/off states of distant objects evolved into the beginnings of a logic circuit tool. You can add any number of electronic items to the box to manually toggle them on/off, or all of them at once.

And you can even chain multiple signal boxes together, controlling their signal propagation timing and logic. We're looking forward to seeing what intrepid ship designers can do with this new tool!

And of course, bug fixes. Lots and lots of bug fixes. Too many to describe here, but have a look at the list above for details!

As always, there's plenty more for us to fix, change, and add! And we'll be continuing in roughly that order. In the meantime, let us know if this patch helps you out, as well as if it reveals new problems!

Best,
Daniel Fedor
Founder, Blue Bottle Games, LLC