Hi everyone! Here are the patch notes for the version v0.8.01b4! The online multiplayer mode is now available for everyone who owns the game! As usual, items tagged as [COM] were changed based on community feedback.
ONLINE MULTIPLAYER (LIVE!)
[COM] Well, it took long enough, but we finally managed to get the online multiplayer in the same state as the local play. That is not to say it is perfect or totally free of bugs, but it is totally playable and it should be a great opportunity for those who never played Out of Space as it was intended to be played: cooperatively.
Friend invites on Steam are right around the corner, but not yet available. That means that if you want to play with friends, you must all be in the same region (settings) and try to go online at the same time. Having “best region” selected is not currently working for matchmaking. It should not be too tough now that not many of you will be playing at the same time, but we are sorry for this temporary inconvenience nonetheless.
ACHIEVEMENTS AND PROGRESSION
[COM] As said in our community server, this was one of those features we always knew the game needed, but we only just got to a point in which it is possible to implement it. It’s supposed to be something pretty simple to understand: at the start, part of the content that was available in the game until the last update will be unavailable. It will all become available again once the players unlock achievements like playing some matches, recycling a given number of items or even winning a match without cooking anything.
We believe this will greatly improve the learning curve of the game, allowing players to be introduced to new items as they get more experienced with the game. Not to say some of the more challenging achievements that will encourage players to try to win matches using very odd and interesting strategies.
CHANGES AND ENHANCEMENTS
- Aliens AI reworked to behave more like it is trying to protect itself from the players and to have less predictable movements. They are also more responsive and active, to be more of a threat when left by themselves in rooms.
- Changes on how the music gets compressed, reducing the size of the game and optimizing the loading time for sound effects and music in general.
- The Recycler now has a queue of items and allow one player to throw items at it while another activates it at the turn handle.
BALANCE
Dog
Its AI got reworked to make him more efficient and more responsive:
- It no longer waits until getting into a room to start barking at aliens, meaning it will promptly stun any alien it finds along the way;
- It spends more energy while barking, but lasts twice as long while idly following the players;
- It will now prioritize barking at unstunned aliens instead of stun-locking the same alien until it runs out of energy;
- The Dog will always get its energy full when fed, regardless of the type of food you feed it or the amount of energy it had when it started eating. This avoids moments when the dog was fed a fruit but didn’t get back to the game after that;
- Using the ping now calls the Dog to help you, which is especially useful on multiplayer matches. This gives players more control over who the Dog will be following;
BUG FIXES
- The Dog is now more reliable and ignores aliens less frequently;
- Fixed tension levels, making the music adapt better in the game;
- Character models no longer clip inside the boxes on the character selection screen;
- Aliens no longer disappear after walking on the porch or close to its limits;
- The Bucket can no longer be cloned by interacting with the sink too fast and nor refills itself twice visually when placed in a sink or faucet;
- The positions of the items that are queued on the Recycler has been improved not to look as if they were floating above it;
Online
- The tables are now properly fixed on online games;
- Object physics no longer go crazy when used in the Recycler;
- Appliances no longer behave as if they were powerless when they are connected to an active energy socket. This fix will also reduce other syncing problems like when a pumpkin garden would produce fruits for one of the players.