Hey there. It's been a while since we've given a proper update on construction, but I hope folks have been able to catch some of the teasers the team has released here and there on social media. Below, we'll share a handful of new structures on the way, and touch on some areas where our design has seen iteration since its original debut. Worth noting here is that all of the art below is still work in progress.
Lattice-Based Construction Areas
Construction outposts, like Solas Nature Annex on Amerish, Untapped Reservoir on Esamir, and Sunken Relay Station on Indar have been converted over to self-restocking silos controlled by the faction that owns the region. These silos double as capture points for that region, which will allow anyone to set up a base in the area the moment they arrive, without needing to do all of the upfront harvesting required to begin a construction base. You can still build anywhere on the map that isn't in a no-construction zone, as you do currently on Live, but we're creating more convenience for the lattice-based construction regions so that there will be bases to fight around more often.
The Construction Outpost Silo at Berjess Overlook on Indar.
New Buildables
Currently, we're aiming for 10 new construction objects at minimum to foster more base variety while creating more fleshed out playspaces in and around these objects. Some of these buildables will be on the small side, meant to either help facilitate movement through and around a base, or fill gaps in cover – these are things like an Infantry Treestand, Infantry Tunnel (that does not go underground,) Anti-Air Awning, and Vehicle Bridge. Below are a handful of objects that are fairly close to completion.
Command Center - The Command Center is a large structure that houses ground and air vehicle pads, and a secure spawn room and equipment terminal.
A Command Center at Untapped Reservoir on Esamir.
Rebirthing Center - More fortified than an Elysium Spawn Tube, the Rebirthing Center provides a spawn point and a secure equipment terminal for well-developed bases. New "Bulwark" Wall types can be seen in this shot as well.
A Rebirthing Center and Bulwark Walls (two width variants) near Coramed Labs on Indar.
Secure Silo - While this object cannot prevent building decay like a normal Silo (thus a normal, public Silo is still necessary,) builders can use this Secure Silo to store additional Cortium for themselves or their squadmates.
A Secure Silo (missing its panel FX) at Spral Oasis on Esamir.
Module Dispenser - A buildable with a small footprint that allows you to pull Modules directly from it. Useful for having quick access to modules near the defensive perimeter of your base.
A Module Dispenser near Vanu Archives on Indar, also receiving FX soon.
Revisited Buildables
We've made updates to a number of the existing buildables to create more spaces for play in and around. High-impact construction objects, like the Orbital Strike Uplink will require more thoughtful placement than before, whereas lower-impact objects, like the Bunker, will become easier to place. Many construction objects have gotten a facelift as well in both visuals and function – we'll show off more of those later.
Orbital Strike Uplink - The OS Uplink now has an interior and exterior playspace, and still maintains a fairly small footprint due to the spiral staircase design and overhanging landings.
A couple of shots of the new Orbital Strike Uplink near Solus Nature Annex, on Amerish.
Bunker - The Bunker's overall footprint has decreased, the roof is now easier to access, and the equipment terminal inside has been removed.
The Bunker outside of Untapped Reservoir, on Esamir. The Bunker can be placed more easily now, and lines up better against Rampart Walls.
Modules
In the original announcement, we mentioned that Modules would be moving to hand-held items that are socketed into construction objects. This allows buildings to be customized according to the needs of your base, and was also meant to replace the passive cortium drain for something more active. In the previous iteration, we mentioned a 20-minute timer on standard modules. Concerns were raised about the general upkeep of construction bases becoming tedious, and we agree. All of the standard modules will now stick around until replaced, and the High Pressure modules used while you're under attack will be where we focus much of the upkeep costs.
In order to place a module, you'll just need to grab one from the Silo or Module Dispenser, and head over to a module socket within a compatible structure. We're currently working on UI efforts to make it easier to know where a module can and can't be placed, and I'm sure you'll see some progress about this in a later article.
Odds and Ends
The only other notable part of our initial design that has deviated a bit is regarding cortium harvesting. Some of you mentioned that it didn't seem to add much to the experience, and many of you felt that harvesting is in a decent state as is. We've scrapped the original proposal for picking apart cortium veins with gunfire, and we'll stick with the experience you're familiar with for now. You will, however, still receive expanded cortium tanks and mineral radar by default on the ANT, and we've made some quality of life changes to make the ANT's mining HUD more readable as well.
Drop shadow on the UI interface, along with text under each column.
The Wrap Up
While we don't have a testing date lined up for the update just yet, it will likely end up in late April. Though, take that with a grain of salt as there's still a lot to get done, along with continuing to maintain a balance between Construction's development, our Live content cadence, and other studio initiatives this year. Look forward to more information once we're a bit further along.
Thanks folks.
-Wrel, Lead Designer
The new Recon Array, to make the life of Stalker Infiltrators just that much more difficult.