Greetings Stationeers!
Down here in New Zealand it’s Level 1, and we’re back in the studio. The devs have been hammering keys, hard at work on another update to the ever-growing Stationeers universe.
You’ll notice instantly that the game looks different, with a big HUD rework. It’ll sound different, too, thanks to a month of deep-end audio design. There’s some new tricks in the tool bag, like the Terrain Manipulator and other content adds, plus polish, hardening, new tutorials, and a seriously exciting new system that sees us start to connect our worlds together.
As a team, we’re zeroing in on having all foundational systems in-game. Which means we’re not too far away from moving into the content push, polish and hardening of Beta. That’s going to be a huge milestone for us, and as always, we’re looking for you to feedback on these developments, help us test them, and join us on the journey.
Strap in for the Level 1 update!
New HUD time
Our resident UI guru has spent the last month reworking the look and feel of the HUD. The goal was greater transparency of information, and clarity of feedback
A lot of thought went into grouping and ‘conceptual’ arrangement, as well as under the hood, and making everything just look nicer. Watch out for refreshed images, new icons, a new smart hotkey hand system, alerts and all the fine-grain polish that comes with attention from a talented UI designer.
We’re stoked to be at the stage where we can be making this kind of improvement, and really hope you enjoy. We’ll also be watching carefully how it affects the experience of new players.
Fresh content
It wouldn’t be a Stationeers update without a bunch of new toys to play with.
One of the big ticket items is the Terrain Manipulator. During development, we called it the ‘voxelizer’, because that’s … what it does: add voxels to terrain. However, that description doesn’t catch how FUN this thing is to use. Okay, you probably won’t actually be sculpting Michaelangelo’s ‘David’, but hey, we’re putting the challenge out there.
We’ve also dropped in insulated pipe networks, a new high tier tablet that takes two chips, and a ‘reverse electrolysis’ machine called the Combustor, for turning fuel into water on more environmentally challenging planets.
These all slot into our growing tech tree, which you’ll see being fleshed out more and more in the coming months.
Audio Design
As we’ve mentioned previously, a Rocketwerkz reshuffle means we’ve now got an audio designer working on Stationeers. And this month it SHOWS.
We’ve made sure that UI upgrades are supported by equally attentive audio work - so when you’re rifling through your inventory, you hear it. Another thing you’ll hear now is wind and gas movement. Then our audio designer got excited and built an over-pressure sound system, so when your frame and pipes are getting critical, you KNOW about it.
Add to this a bunch of content adds and bug fixes, and you’ve got a solid sonic upshift in Stationeers.
Polish & Hardening
We’ve poured some talent and time into polishing several systems this month. Movement got some serious love (and more to come, we promise), as well as hardening the import systems on automation devices, two new Advanced Tutorials, and a looot more besides.
So while Stationeers is an early access game, and we’re a small team, we’ve got our sights set on ‘Stable’. And as 2020 progresses, we’ll be focusing more intensely on this goal. We hugely appreciate the help of the community here, in bug reports, ideas and discussions - so thank you once again to everyone who lives, loves and lurks in our Discord.
Prepare for Liftoff
Calling it ‘The Level 1 Update’ ain’t just a Covid joke – it’s an indication of where we’re going: as a game, as a team, as a community. We’re levelling up, piece by piece, and our latest work-in-progress is the clearest hint yet of where we’re headed.
We’re giving players a way to connect worlds: beginning to unite the Stationeers universe into a fully integrated experience.
The Rocket’s locked to Creative mode currently, because - like uncle Elon says - building rockets is risky. And this is new territory for us, so expect the odd glitch. But know that we’re building the framework that will bring the worlds of Stationeers together, so we can craft even deeper experiences - the kinds that make this game unique - and arrive at 1.0 in style.
Hotfix Version 0.2.2445.11152
- Added some new faces to AiMEe.
- Fixed Advanced tablet should now work properly on dedicated servers.
- Fixed H2 combustor no longer creates below freezing ice.
- Fixed Material on the StructureBattery.
- Fixed Material on the StructureTransformerMedium.
- Fixed some things not displaying the correct actions in hand slots.
Version 0.2.2442.11140
- Added new events to support upcoming tutorial.
- Added Sounds for suit and Space-Pack buttons.
- Added Sounds for Electrolyzer and H2Combustor machines.
- Added UI sounds for putting filters and canisters into slots.
- Added Install Battery UI Sound.
- Added UI sound for highlighting inventory slots.
- Added Sound for turning headlamp on/off.
- Added thumbnail Image support for tutorials.
- Added Swap active-hand UI sound.
- Added DuctTape Sounds.
- Added Eating sounds on all food & Plants.
- Added Creaking sounds for Walls Close to their pressure limit.
- Added Sounds for walls and pipes breaking when over-pressured.
- Added Insulated Pipe. This functions the same as normal pipe but without the heat transfer between the pipes contents and the atmosphere around it.
- Added Advanced Tablet. This features two Cartridge slots, with a mode switch to alternate between them.
- Added a Compass to the Status Info panel.
- Added a compass to the new player HUD layout.
- Added Creaking sounds on pipes when nearing pressure limit.
- Added world atmosphere heat haze for world atmos around player
- Added Trigonometric functions as IC commands (sin, cos, tan, asin, acos, atan). Credit: Steam forums.
- Added default UI Sounds for inventory management.
- Added Ore/Ingot traders will now sell ore/ingots as well as buy them.
- Added player item equip UI sounds.
- Added extra steps to tutorial 7.
- Added Players will now step up onto short obstacles instead of getting stuck on them.
- Added wind sounds that play when player is moving fast through an atmosphere.
- Added Tutorial 10 Solar tracking.
- Added ItemDirtCanister (Can be crafted with the StructureToolManufactory).
- Added ItemTerrainManipulator (Can be crafted with the StructureToolManufactory).
- Added Target frame rate option to Advanced settings.
- Added Air particles are now audible, you can now hear air moving around.
- Added PlayerSellScale to items. This makes certain classes of items worth less when selling them. A great example is seeds such as a raw potato. These are very expensive to purchase, but not worth much to sell. However, when baked, they are worth a more standardized amount.
- Updated leak and fire icons on slots
- Updated Slot animations to grow on hover
- Updated Suit text on status icons to be localized
- Updated mouse cursor image.
- Moved the Change Appearance button from the settings window to the main menu.
- Moved the Tutorials Button to a more prominent position on the Main Menu.
- Moved Sleeper from Fabricator to Pipe Bender (tier 2).
- Moved Cryo Tube from Autolathe (tier 2) to Pipe Bender (tier 2).
- Moved Console and Chat to the top of the screen next to the Status Icons.
- Moved the Saving notification to the top of the HUD
- Changed the lander to have more friction, to reduce instances of it sliding around.
- Changed Status Info panels on the HUD. We've moved the position to feel less in the way, moved some functions like some hotkeys and vitals information like hunger from the Status Icons to here. Better readability has been the focus to help reduce confusion for new players while retaining familiarity for our current players. This is a first pass with further changes in mind.
- Improved Concurrency on UI Sounds (to prevent multiple UI sounds stacking)
- Changed minimum shadow render distance down to 5.
- Updated nearly all Status Icons.
- Updated Hand slots UI.
- Changed movement input responsiveness slightly
- Changed the temperature range for the Air Conditioner from between -99c and 99c, to -200c and 200c.
- Changed Trade value calcuations. Now different classes calculate their base trade values in different ways. For example food primarily uses Nutrition to ascribe value. Super Alloys are worth much more than Alloys and etc. This will require much more balancing.
- Changed Vulcan atmospheric composition to be significantly more dense (only affects new worlds, unless you copy data for Vulcan2 from worldsettings.xml to your save game.
- Changed the strength of the heat distortion effect to reduce motion sickness on Vulcan.
- Changed the cost to make green Research Capsules from Uranium to Astroloy. [Thanks Saddamo]
- Changed Lava Sound Spatialization, Lava sound is now quieter when in a room.
- Reduced volume of ChuteBin sounds.
- Removed default UI Using sound from eating Plant and eating pill interaction.
- Reduced likelihood of devices jamming when importing things.
- Updated all thumbnails for items. Fixing a bunch of positioning errors and inaccurate colours.
- Fixed walking movement sounds playing when flying in space with Jet-pack.
- Fixed Turning off A/C on Suit stops Import sound (air) and export sound (filter pump).
- Fixed missing texture on Wirecutters
- Fixed slots and interactions being blocked by other slots and interactions when mousing over
- Fixed Custom World menu regenerating terrain while entering a new seed instead of when completed.
- Fixed structure construction cursors getting blocked by heat haze on Vulcan
- Fixed UIAudio null ref breaking Dedicated Server Build.
- Fixed an issue that occurred when travelling with cargo and your rocket now disappears from the save you travelled from.
- Fixed Pipes no longer need to be rotated to merge with other pipes of the same type.
- Fixed Unloader is now less likely to skip its importing anim.
- Fixed Unloader now requires power and to be turned on to operate.
- Fixed SecurityPrinter and ToolManufactory getting stuck when importing.
- Fixes and patches to all tutorials.
- Fixed VendingMachine import no longer jams when items are vended while it is full.
- Fixed scrollbar on Tutorials Menu
- Fixed ItemTerrainManipulator not being able to correctly place voxels.
- Fixed ItemDirtCanister not scaling correctly.
- Fixed ItemDirtCanister not displaying correctly.
- Fixed exiting rocket causing you to fall through platform.
- Fixed the input text window displaying behind the IC window, preventing players from being able to save code.
- Fixed reduced volume and limited number of concurrent running sounds on Conveyors.
- Fixed authoring tool not being able to place certain things.
- Fixed the chat window popping up after using the creative menu select item.
- Fixed the console cutting off text
- Fixed using wrench sound loop getting stuck on. [Thanks Kamuchi]
- Fixed Pipe creaking sounds not playing correctly on clients.
- Fixed Increased volume of creaking pipes.
- Fixed Sound is less Muffled when helmet closed.
- Fixed heat haze persisting into the main menu and other scenes.
- Fixed Players will no longer fall slowly after getting out of a seat
- Fixed Auto step up is no longer blocked by interactables (e.g. screws on logic chips)
- Fixed OnMineOreAmountEvent. [thanks inaki]
- Fixed Tablet UI control issues.
- Fixed Issue with stacker duplicating items.
- Fixed Water being cold when exiting H2 combustor.
- Fixed when travelling from a creative world, you will now end up in a creative world.
- Fixed travel issue with saving after travelling to new world.
- Fixed items potentially having 0 as their referenced ID after travelling.
- Fixed ChuteInlet jamming when moving item into a full chute.
- Fixed RocketShuttle parts not correctly deleting themselves.
- Fixed StructureModularRocketCargo door not aligning with the doorway correctly.
- Fixed item into slot UI sound playing when clicking on empty slot with nothing in active hand or when trying to put an item into an invalid slot.
- Fixed flush sound not working on hard-suit helmet.
- Fixed Players will no-longer auto step up onto dynamic objects
- Fixed Automated Hydroponics showing plant has incorrect Temperature when the temperature is fine. This occurred due to plant breathing causing energy loss. Now maintains temperature while breathing.
- Fixed multiple issues around tutorial 10.
- Fixed infinite loading screen when incorrect password is entered when joining a server.
- Fixed Plant Growth rate event to fix plants growing slowly on tutorial 8.
- Fixed Foley Movement Audio not playing.
- Fixed errors in tutorial 10.
- Fixed slot interaction Ui sounds not playing in some interactions as Client in Multiplayer.
- Fixed some logic events not checking when set.
- Fixed Interactable icon displaying when it wasnt supposed to on your hands.
- Fixed some looping sounds from devices not playing when helmet closed in large bases.
- Fixed H2 Combustor not generating water.
- Fixed players not spawning at the correct height on terrain when travelling.
- Fixed main menu music playing when travelling.
- Fixed Large tank not painting correctly.
- Fixed Trader inventory and interaction issues.
- Fixed setting things with labeller not not giving credit on tutorial 11 tasks.
- Fixed SpesMall and the Chemistry trader sometimes locking you out of being able to trade.
- Fixed Centrifuge only outputting at most one item. Now correctly outputs all items
- Fixed broken steps in tutorial 8.
- Fixed issue where StructureAutoMinerSmall would stay at bedrock instead of returning once completed.
- Fixed issue where StructureAutoMinerSmall could not be reset once completed.
- Fixed Dirt Canister slot being shown as Ore slot.
- Fixed characters getting stuck falling on the edges of narrow objects e.g. unfinished Frames.
- Fixed characters sliding down stairs.
- Fixed a bug that allowed an item to be placed within its sub-items.
- Fixed NRE from Wind Audio when exiting world.
- Fixed Insulated pipe dropping normal pipes on deconstruct.
- Fixed H2 combustor not dropping Item Kit Atmospherics.
- Fixed H2 combustor not being paintable.
- Fixed the pressure gauge in the status info panels not being in the correct range for critical and warning. When below 5kPA it should be in the red and between 5 and 20kPA it should be in yellow.
- Fixed status icons sometimes staying up when they shouldn't.
- Fixed hemDROIDS showing that they were hungry. Robots don't eat.