Hi Galactic Survivalists!
This Monday we have opened up our Experimental Branch for everyone to try and test the upcoming features. Today, the former experimental version has moved over to all the public servers and single player games out there, adding Combat Armor, an Emergency O2 Generator, a new Tier 2 Remove and Repair Tool, Armored Windows and Doors and a lot of optimizations, balancing and bugfixes!
The Experimental Branch is still available and will be updated soon with new features! So keep an eye on the forum of our Alpha Experimental Branch right here: http://empyriononline.com/forums/#experimental-branch.33
We will stick to our new workflow: Adding features to a non-public internal version, then moving the build to the Experimental Branch for testing and refining with a larger audience, then adding the refined version as a Public Patch for everyone to play!
On behalf of the whole dev team, thanks a lot for reporting issues and bugs, either with the Experimental or the Public Version!
Stay tuned for more updates and blogs upcoming the next days!
CHANGELOG: Alpha 1.7.0 (Build 451)
New:
- Added combat steel blocks for BA + CV (handheld weapons cannot destroy combat steel blocks - except rocket launcher)
- Added first set of armored windows (not destructible by handheld weapons): added thick versions of vertical windows + old shutter windows are now armored windows (more window shapes in production)
- Added armored door (not destructible by handheld weapons)
- Added Emergency O2 Generator (needs Oxygen Atmosphere). Added "AtmosphereO2" parameter to playfield.yamls (for old single player save games: default of 0.1 is used, for old multiplayer save games: you need to start a new game to make use of this device or add AtmosphereO2 manually to the corresponding playfield.yamls)
- Added T2 Repairtool (slightly nerfed T1 Repairtool )
Graphics and Settings:
- Added new screen effects: Bloom, Image Processing Effect and SSAO (can be disabled in Settings)
- More individual Video Options for different quality settings
- Added PBR Shader for building blocks and terrain
- Increased Light Intensity on several playfields
- Added new start setting for Omicron Orbit (Creative Mode): new CV, SV, HV (thanks to Mr.IceCat and Piddlefoot)
- Updated model for Ammo Boxes
- Updated model for Oxygen/Hydrogen Generators
- Updated model for Gravity Generator
- Updated model for Power Generators
Improvements:
- Blueprint menu now checks for correct blueprint version (Blueprints from Experimental version are not available in Public version's BP Library)
- Better sorting in Server Browser: server name, players, ping
- Improved saving of intermediate game states which should significantly reduce the likelihood of losing structures due to crashes
- Holographic screens get now enabled/disabled with structure
- Showing text "No connection to playfield server" if a playfield server hangs
- Added better info to all consumables regarding their use (LMB or Shift+RMB)
Optimizations:
- Major performance optimizations for playfields with many turrets
- Internal optimization regarding large structures
- Performance optimization of constructors: data processing only done if data has actually changed
- Compressing deco/grass data transfer on first connect to a server
Balancing:
- Increased hitpoints of all turrets and SV+CV weapons
- Handheld weapons cannot destroy hardened steel anymore (except rocket launcher)
- Concrete: increased hitpoints from 15 to 40
- Hardened Steel: increased hitpoints from 100 to 200 (adapted template)
Bug Fixes:
- Fixed problem linked to spawning blueprints from Experimental version 1.7
- Fixed: Dying in a turret can lead to "turret occupied" in multiplayer games
- Fixed: SV/HV/CV parked on a slope are sliding away when not unpowered
- Fixed: Turrets don't shoot if spawned with blueprint which had its turrets set to ON when saved
- Fixed: Mirror Tool enables player to build 2 Warp Tanks / Warp Drives for a CV
- Fixed: All blocks but HV Hover Engines removed leads to HV falling through the ground a loop-respawn (MP)
- Fixed problem that when entering cockpit/passenger seat in a very big CV, the terrain did rebuild
- Fixed: CV sometimes shooting at Sathium Asteroid around the Alien Space Station
- Fixed: Offline Protection does not cover irregular/unsymmetrical large bases and CVs
- Fixed Offline Protection exploit: Weapons can pin through the Offline Protection Shield when used in 3rd Person
- Fixed: Possible to place a starter Block within a Offline Protection shield
- Fixed: Moving items from inventory to toolbar could result in an error and the item being deleted (MP only)
- Fixed possible exploit: Control Panel of other player does not close if base is set to faction/private
- Fixed error when client had Control Panel open and server exited
- Fixed: Starting a new game uses last used Save- or Server World Name