The time is finally here for the release of the next version of Engineer Alpha. There are a lot of great changes and updates in this version that really enhance the game.
I was planning on getting this out last week but but a rather crippling crash was isolated and took quite a while to iron out. While the fix isn't perfect by any measure it should work for the time being.
But prior to that I was fixing cranes for this update, as I had not touched them in a while, and put in some nice additions to their functionality.
Cranes now require power from shafts to operate at 2 rad/s and 400Nm. This can be provided by 2 Stirling engines merged together. All actions in the crane's queue are now displayed as a list in the crane UI and individual actions may be canceled with the X button. Also all crane actions are now saved when you save the game and exit.
These are just a few of the changes in this version and here is the current patch notes. There are not complete notes as I Know there are changes I have forgotten but the important stuff is here.
- Added a new main menu
- Added many new game settings for audio and video that can be accessed through the main menu as well as the pause menu
- Game save format has been completely overhauled, old save games cannot be loaded, apologies for the inconvenience.
- Any number of save files can now be saved with player chosen names
- Games can now be created in survival or creative mode, this cannot be changed once a game is started
- Added a Technology bar to the HUD that shows the progress of the current tech
- World generator altered to have smaller hills
- All buildings now use a universal input and output connector
- Shafts no longer require buildings at either end
- Shafts have received a complete visual overhaul with corner gears and new animations
- Added shaft splitters to allow a single shaft’s torque to be sent into 2
- Gearboxes now have multiple options for speed or torque multiplication based on their tier
- Removed the shaft support item/building
- Shafts are no longer limited in length when building
- Improved shaft collision while building
- Many building have been updated with new animations
- Added a second tier of conveyor with 2x speed
- Added a third tier of conveyor with 4x speed that is only available in creative mode
- Updated tree collision to only include the base and trunk
- Trees drop saplings which can be grown into trees given enough time
- Added a very crude train system that is only available in creative mode
- Conveyors can now only connect to buildings in places designated for inventory connection
- Conveyor ramps now automatically adjust their incline to adjacent conveyors
- Added a visual indicator for when a conveyor connects to a building inventory
- All buildings now snap to the world grid by a single point that also serves as its local rotation point
- Improved the back end code of nearly every building/object in the game for performance and future feature expansion.
- While controlling a crane in creative mode the player’s movement is no longer limited
- Cranes now show their queued actions as a list in the Crane GUI
- Cranes now require power to function (2 rad/s, 400 Nm)
- The player can now move while an in-game GUI is open.
- In game GUIs will close if the player moves too far away from the source of the GUI
- Small mining drill size increased and mining area increased to 2x2
- Added an FPS counter that can be toggled with F5
- Blocks can now be placed in multiple at a time. Adjust the current size of block placement with the [Z] key while holding any block. The player may place up to a 4x4 at once while a crane may place up to 8x8.
- Placing blocks now consumes a small amount of food for each block.
- While controlling a vehicle unimportant UI information is hidden (XP Bar etc.)