Howdy Exofarmers!
A new update, changes to the roadmap, patch notes, sneak peeks - hunker down, because we've got a lot of news to share today. Let's get into it!
Greater Cause Update Out Now!
It’s been a while since the Shifting Gears update dropped, and in that time we have received a lot of great feedback from y’all. We’ve been working hard to address that feedback, and we’re happy to finally be able to share the results: our next update, Greater Cause.
The goal of the Greater Cause update is to add a greater sense of purpose, humanity and soul to the game through narrative changes, the addition of some friendly new faces, and whole new ways to come together with your fellow players.
This update is smaller than Shifting Gears and more focused on a few specific parts of the experience.
🌠 Make a Difference
We heard from many of you that you wanted to know more about how you ended up on the planet, and what your purpose is.
To answer that, we have reworked the intro to make it more clear and give a stronger purpose! You’re not just another settler, you've volunteered to save the last colonies of humanity in the Lightyear Frontier. After leaving a dying Earth behind, you're set to provide direly needed aid to the long-abandoned Frontier.
🎭 Meet the Faces of the Frontier
Some of you felt that making deliveries felt lacking in human connection - and you’re right! We took this feedback to heart and have worked on getting more humanity and character into the game.
As you make contact with each planet, you'll now hear from their representatives. By supplying their needs, you’ll earn their trust and learn more about each colony's unique culture and challenges.
Each delivery you send brings their settlements closer to stability and prosperity. Along the way, your deepening bond with each planet's representative shows why your contribution truly matters.
🤲 Unite in Community Efforts for Global Progress
Looking for something new to do with all those resources you’ve got stored away? Well you’re in luck, because Prometheus Station is calling all Exofarmers to support their development of new mech technologies!
Join forces with your fellow Exofarmers in massive Research Initiative challenges. Once completed, the research breakthroughs will yield brand new recipes available for every player. Every delivery counts, and you will need to work together to get the job done. New Research Initiatives will appear over time, so keep those Silos stocked!
Announcing our first Research Initiative
We’re kicking off the first Research Initiative today!
Prometheus Station is asking for:
1 000 000 Polyberry (maximum 100 per player)
1 000 000 Copper Wire (maximum 250 per player)
1 000 000 Wheat Seed (maximum 10 000 per player)
If the community completes this Initiative, all players will unlock the recipe for the following Mod Chip: Hardened Seeds - Increases the Seed Shooter's impact damage by 1.
Got an excess of seeds you don't know what to do with? With the Hardened Seeds Mod Chip, you can use your Seed Shooter to break down resources from afar. Combine that with a couple of Tool Speed Mod Chips and you'll have a veritable minigun on your hands! Just beware that dealing damage will consume the seed, so shoot responsibly. Did we also mention that the Mod Chip can stack? Have fun tinkering to find the perfect balance of damage and firing speed!
✉️Share Saves With Your Friends
Playing together is a great way to experience Lightyear Frontier, but we know that getting the whole gang together for a session isn’t always easy. That’s why we’re introducing Shared saves, which can be shared with other players so they can host the save while you’re offline. Create a Shared save, invite your friends, and now they have access to that save whenever they want to play - it’s that simple! Any progress made will automatically be synced between players via the cloud. You can create Shared copies of Standard save files, and vice versa.
Greater Cause Full Patch Notes
Highlights
Planet representatives have been added to the delivery menu, each with their own storyline tied to their planet
Game Intro content has been changed
Added Research Initiatives, optional deliveries that require contribution from thousands of players to unlock new mod chips
Added Shared Save Files
New and existing save files can be shared between players to allow anyone in a group to play as a host
Changes
Added an ability Mod Chip for the Resource Vacuum that allows it to harvest plants
Resource Delivery Cannon menu has been updated to put greater emphasis on each planet
Added "Auto-save Interval" setting
Added falling animations for all animals
The Seed Shooter will now stop firing when switching seeds due to the equipped seed running out
Significantly increased the height of Farm Center boundaries
Rescaled animal resource deliveries from 5 to 10 deliveries
Improved pathfinding of Floaters, making them less prone to sticking close to walls
Hits with a Spike Saw or P.I.C.K.-Axe will now apply a physical impulse on the hit object
The mech will now take longer to reach upgraded sprint speeds, making it a bit easier to control
Added Shared save and save copying feature
Shared saves can be shared with and hosted by other players
Any player who has access to a Shared save can host it
When a player joins a Shared session, that save will be added to their list of Shared saves.
You can have up to 10 Shared Saves at any given time
Shared Saves must be hosted as a multiplayer game
Only one person can host a Shared Save at one time - others can join the hosting player
Only 4 players can be in a Shared session at one time, but more than 4 players can have access to that Shared save
Standard save files are the “normal” saves as they have been up to this point. They can be hosted in both single player and multi player, and can only be hosted by the player that created them
You can now create copies of save files
Save files can be copied from Standard to Shared and vice versa
Progress made in shared saves will be synced for all players sharing the save via the cloud
A Shared save file will exist as long as at least one player has it saved - if the final player deletes their Shared save file, it will be completely gone
Bug fixes
Fixed various issues with resources spawning (resources not spawning when they should, as well as resources respawning earlier than they should, e.g. right after picking them up)
Fixed certain modular constructs getting the wrong material when painted
Fixed issue where there would sometimes be a bunch of floating resources after a patch
Fixed region resources listed on map screen sometimes being incorrect or incomplete
Fixed misaligned collision on Tin Ore pickups
Fixed some player-grown foliage having incorrect collision settings, e.g. some bushes being solid when moved into
Fixed plants not dropping a seed if destroyed before maturing
Fixed certain small resource deposits not shaking upon taking damage
Fixed Merchant Landing constructs not checking for collisions when being built
Fixed other players' Resource Vacuums often pointing in the wrong direction during use
Fixed crate dropped when Exofarmer passes out often hovering in mid-air
Fixed fruits and Colorflowers not being harvestable with the Resource Vacuum
Fixed mech parts crafting compatibility tags missing localization
Roadmap Update And Looking Ahead
Alongside working on the Greater Cause update we've also been planning the road ahead, and that means updating our roadmap.
Since last time, we've made a lot of progress on our concepts in exploration and now have multiple features in active development for the next update. As a result, the exploration stack is a bit slim at the moment but will start filling up again once we wrap up what's currently being worked on.
Our plan is to release another update later this year that will add new Milestones and Constructs. More on that in the future, but here’s a sneak peek at what we’ve been prototyping:
Lightyear Frontier is going on sale!
From 29 September - 18 October, you'll be able to save 40% on Lightyear Frontier and all DLC!
Wrap-up
That's about it for this post! Thanks for sticking with us, and we hope you'll enjoy everything the Greater Cause update has to offer.
We've got a lot of stuff cooking and will be back before the end of the year with another update. Keep your eyes on this page, and happy farming!