Read this progress report on our website for better videos!
Barebones rounds!
Throughout the years, we’ve put a lot of work into developing the engine and framework necessary for Space Station 14 to have playable content. Last year, we transitioned to developing player-facing features and gameplay in earnest, and we’ve made a lot of progress in that short timespan!
SS14 now has playable, albeit barebones, rounds. As we add more features the number of complex interactions grows, and so does the need for testing the game with real players. Help us by joining our Discord to get the Tester role, and we’ll notify you whenever we put a bunch of people together for a playtest!
Clarification about the Steam release
We’re all excited for SS14’s upcoming Steam release, and we’re grateful for the community’s enthusiasm, but we also want to temper some unrealistic expectations. SS14 isn’t finished, and won’t be any time soon. We’re launching on Steam mainly as a way to make it easier to discover, download, and play the game. The Steam release doesn’t mean the game’s done, or that it has most of the features you’d expect in a remake. Don’t forget that we’re only releasing into Early Access.
So while SS14 is already “playable”, we don’t expect or encourage players to jump from SS13 to SS14 yet, nor do we expect our servers to be populated outside of playtesting events. And if you’d like to help playtest, ask for the Tester role over on our discord.
Anyway, let’s see the new features we’ve added!
New content!
Atmospherics
Contributed by Zumorica
Click here for video
Click here for video
Click here for video
The atmospherics simulator remake finally has atmospherics! It’s inspired by monstermos, and we’re calling it zumos, in honor of its developer, Zumorica. It performs much better than SS13’s LINDA and ZAS atmospherics systems - you can burn down the entire station without grinding gameplay to a halt.
Here’s a non-exhaustive highlight reel of what SS14’s atmos currently entails (contributed by Zumorica unless otherwise noted):
- Explosive decompression, gas spreading/mixing, and space wind.
- Pressure damage and spacesuits.
- A variety of gasses with different effects and reactions (tritium fires, anyone?).
- Fire, fire damage, and heat conduction through walls.
- Firelocks. They also prevent decompression.
- Gas analyzer. exp111
- Pipenet, pipes, and pumps. collinlunn
- Breathing. DrSmugleaf
- Oxygen tanks and masks. Credath
- Fire extinguishers and cabinets. SoulSloth and Zumorica
Antimatter engine
Contributed by ancientpower
While it still needs some polish, the classic building block engine is now in the game as the second power source (after solars). Just like in SS13 it can be expanded indefinitely to produce more power. It even comes with fancy lighting effects!
Pulling
Contributed by InquisitivePenguin and DrSmugleaf
You can now pull objects and players, just like in SS13.
Pointing
Contributed by DrSmugleaf
You can now direct other players' attention by pointing at things.
Mob improvements
Contributed by DrSmugleaf and GlassEclipse
We laid the groundwork for a more comprehensive medical system, with mob code receiving an extensive variety of improvements. Three of the biggest changes are mob presets, body parts, and mechanisms: mob presets make it easy to add nonhuman species, body parts are their own entities that players can perform surgery on, and mechanisms represent organs or other devices within the body, each of which has its own custom behaviour.
More hands
Contributed by DrSmugleaf
Mobs can have more than two hands.
More construction improvements
Contributed by Zumorica
We completely reworked the backend system for construction. This makes it much easier for contributors to add construction steps to things, as well as making construction steps more versatile and providing more detailed feedback to players.
Climbing
Contributed by nüke
You can now click and drag yourself (or others) onto a table or other climbable object. Tables will never be the same.
Stripping menu
Contributed by Zumorica
You can now strip items from other players. The current UI is a placeholder, but a new inventory-like UI is currently a work-in-progress. Combined with the newly added handcuffs, Security can now keep the greytide in check!
Handcuffs
Contributed by nüke
We added handcuffs and makeshift cable cuffs to the game. To handcuff someone, you and the target both need to stand still with no interruptions for a short while. It takes less time to cuff stunned players, and you’re gonna need extra cuffs for people with more than two arms.
Station events
Contributed by metalgearsloth
Random events can now occur on the station, or be triggered by admins directly. At the moment only a powergrid failure, bolts-down event, and radiation storm have been implemented though the system is in place to easily add more.
Disposals and conveyors
Contributed by DrSmugleaf and juliangiebel
You can now dump trash as a janitor and provide the clown with expedient transit out of the captain’s office using the disposals system. We also have conveyor belts!
Admin menu
Contributed by exp111
Our admins have been itching to inflict abuse on innocent players, and we’re fulfilling their darkest wishes with this button pressing UI. The visuals aren’t final, but we can’t say the same about the tyrannical bans that the admins will inflict.
do_after
Contributed by metalgearsloth
You know the task bar from SS13 that appears when you’re cuffing someone, or vaulting a table, or welding a door shut? Known as “do_after” from SS13 code, it’s an important part of many upcoming features involving interruptable tasks, and we finally got around to implementing it in SS14.
Machine linking
Contributed by ShadowCommander
Machines can now be easily linked together. A practical example of this would be linking conveyors to a conveyor switch.
Cloning
Contributed by SoulSloth
If you thought death was going to let you escape a round of SS14, you’ll have to try harder, as our new cloning machines will drag you back to life against your wishes.
Handheld radio and headsets
Contributed by Bright0
A basic (and non-final) implementation of telecomms has been added, with both handheld radios and headsets. Currently, Common is the only channel.
Accent system
Contributed by exp111
Speech can now be automatically modified for things like slurred speech while drunk, lizardpeople hissing, etc.
Spray bottles
Contributed by exp111 and Zumorica
The Clown Janitor now has another tool in their arsenal, and can now spray things with chemicals.
Lantern, flashlight improvement, emergency lights
Contributed by SoulSloth and juliangiebel
The lantern has been added, featuring a soft yellow glow. Flashlights will now flicker when their battery is going out. Emergency lights will now be activated when the station loses power.
Click here for video
Click here for video
Glowsticks and flares
Contributed by nüke
Glowsticks and flares have been added. Glowsticks last a long time with a weaker glow, while flares last a shorter duration but are much brighter. As a bonus, it’s now easier for contributors to define lighting effects for items.
Signs and plaques
Contributed by Swept
Signs have been added to the Saltern directing you to the various departments.
RCD improvements
Contributed by ike709
The RCD now has feature parity with SS13, minus the radial menu. Walls, floors, and airlocks can now all be created or destroyed by the RCD. Try not to immediately vent the station.
Cream pies
Contributed by Zumorica
The Clown can now assault entertain crewmembers by throwing pies at them.
Particle Accelerator
Contributed by unusualcrow and PaulRitter
A fully constructable particle accelerator.
Crayons
Contributed by exp111
Bringing the classic acts of vandalism (and sometimes even art) to SS14! Now with a proper UI and pixel-based placement.
Space-Villain-Game
Contributed by PaulRitter
A simple game to kill time in the bar.
Nanotrasen Block Game™
Contributed by PaulRitter
Nanotrasen Block Game™ is a wacky new game for employees to play during their break. There are separate leaderboards for the current round and all-time*. Challenge your compatriots and become the best NBG player in the star system.
*Persistent highscores are not currently guaranteed to persist due to potential database changes.
More furniture
Contributed by SweptWasTaken
Tiny things
- Closed soda cans spill if you throw them around too much. DrSmugleaf
- Cursed lockers that teleport you to other lockers on the station. Zumorica
- Examine window feedback for a construction’s next step and for when things are powered. Kmc2000 and exp111
- Slipping moves you forward some tiles now. DrSmugleaf
- AI mobs now have simple visual health states like critical and dead. metalgearsloth
- Item status for all weapons. exp111
- SSS gamemode improvements, like a HUD button that displays your role and allies, all airlock access, an overhead label to mark your fellow traitors… DrSmugleaf, Visne and more?
- You can weld doors now. metalgearsloth
- Memory leek. Swept
- Ghost teleporting. NuclearWinter
- You can now use mouse-click for melee attacks. Zumorica
- The lobby now shows which players are ready. exp111
- Inventory slots show if current held item fits. StrawberryMoses
- Ported additional Security outfits. StrawberryMoses
- More simple mobs. Ian, space carp, etc. Swept
- Added factions to AI mobs. metalgearsloth
- Examining a container with reagent(s) in it will now have colored text that has a physical description of the substance. nüke
Technical details
Authentication
Contributed by PJB
We now have a proper system for user accounts and authentication for those user accounts. Everything is basically working, except that we’re still waiting on Silver to get back to us about noreply emails so that we can send out email confirmations to allow you to actually register accounts.
Because of this, no auth server is currently up and the official game servers are still on “auth-optional” mode for the time being.
Authentication also brought along various other improvements like proper bans (both IP range and user ID) and proper encrypted game server connections (when you’re authenticated properly).
And no, we’re not sending your password to the game servers like BYOND does.
Nobody tell Mojang I stole was heavily inspired by the authentication sequence used by Minecraft.
OpenGL ES2 Support
Contributed by 20kdc
The game can now run targeting OpenGL ES2 as graphics API, optionally via ANGLE on Windows. This basically means that it’ll run on literally any potato laptop made in the last decade and a half, probably.
Future content
Lord Singuloth
Yes, it can eat a hole through the station.
Disposal mailing
Click here for video
Click here for video
Credits
The contributors since the last progress report were: 20kdc, Acruid, AJCM-git, ALMv1, AlphaQwerty, ancientpower, Bright0, clement-or, collinlunn, creadth, DrSmugleaf, DTanxxx, exp111, FirinMaLazors, ike709, j-giebel, janekvap, juliangiebel, Kmc2000, lajolico, MemeProof, metalgearsloth, nuke-makes-games, Nukeuler123, PaulRitter, peptron1, PJB3005, Qustinnus, Rember, RomanNovo, sentient-ai, ShadowCommander, SoulSloth, StrawberryMoses, SweptWasTaken, TheCze, unusualcrow, Visne, Zumorica.
Many thanks to everybody who contributed. We couldn’t do this without you!