Patch 1.0.13.0 Release Notes
The primary focus on this patch was to continue addressing the most pressing performance concerns! When comparing with exisiting saves, we saw significant framerate improvements. Some more big performance changes are being tested and worked on right now, which should further help with performance, especially in multiplayer sessions. We are definitely not done optimizing, but this was a much needed big first step.
Tether Changes
This patch includes a rework of the algorithm that drives the placement of new tethers in a network. The new algorithm should greatly reduce the hitches players see when placing tethers in a big network across all platforms, leading to improved performance in single player and multiplayer games. This is the first part of a two-step fix to this system, the next portion coming in a future patch.
The rework of the algorithm has somewhat changed the connection behavior of tethers. The impact of this change is not only on performance, but also in far more predictability and control over what will happen when you drop or pick up a tether.
Here is a summary of what’s changed and what remains:
- Vehicles, base platforms and characters should behave the same as before. You should not see any difference in how they make tether connections.
- Connections between tether posts that have changed. When placing a new tether post, it will now connect to the closest tether post of each distinct tether network in range. A tether network in this case being a set of connected tether posts.
- Tether networks are no longer self-healing! When you pick up a tether post it will trigger a network split of all the other tethers it was attached to. A tether post being disconnected will not cause any other tether post connections to change.
Performance Improvements
A number of overall performance improvements are included in this patch.
- Make debris objects despawn when they leave relevance
- Generally reduce object count by cleaning up stateless objects that are far away from players.
- Sped up transform updates for all objects.
- Updated timeslicing settings for expensive objects that did not previously take advantage of timeslicing.
- Optimized terrain geometry generation throughput.
- Do not update animations that are out of the player's view and not in their immediate vicinity to save time.
- Cached audio parameter values to avoid time spent updating them when they haven't changed.
Bugfixes
Fixed several of our commonly reported crashes increasing overall stability.
- [AS-6342] - Fixed a bug introduced in the last update, where digging up Hazards with research samples attached cause the research to pop into the air and become stuck.
- [[AS-6351] - The achievement “Journey to the Center of the Thing” now unlocks when its requirements are met.
- [AS-6353] - Fixed a bug which caused objects to become unusable for client players when unpacked or repackaged while outside the host's field of view in Multiplayer games.
- [AS-6390] - Fixed a bug Moving wrecked rover seat means Player is unable to interact with debris POI after save.
Sorry that this one took a little longer than expected, there are some big changes to some core systems here and we needed more time to test! We are going to be at SXSW, GDC, and PAX East this month so if you are going, come say hi to us!
Also, ICYMI, the wonderful people at Noclip came to the studio to talk about Astroneer's history, you can watch the full documentary here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfUjl4owxTQ
Cheers!
-jt