The new update is here, and this one is called The Black Box.
In this update, we’re finally introducing Black Box into the game. As some of you probably know already, Autonomica takes place in an alternative world inspired by Solarpunk and Cassette Futurism. In this world, Black Boxes are installed in land and air vehicles and are meant to log travel data that can be useful in case of a crash. They’re also built to help guide survivors after crash events.
With this iteration, we’re adding the first basic version of Black Box functionality, and we’ll keep expanding it as we keep developing the game. Right now, Black Box can help guide you toward ores and other important locations. By pressing V on your keyboard, you’ll open the Black Box quick menu.
Black Box will also warn you when your vital stats are getting low. It comes with over 500 voice lines, some useful, some silly, and some a little bit sassy.
Later on, Black Box will also be able to bring, mine, and craft valuable resources and components.
FARMING
We also improved the farming UI and UX, simplified some visuals, and added a few technical improvements too.
As you progress through the game, you’ll find different crops and they all have their own needs. Some love the sun, some use more water from the soil, some grow faster, and some just give more fruit. Farming is a very important part of the game for us, and we’ll keep expanding it to make it as dynamic and fun as we can. Hopefully one day it’ll be one of the best farming systems you’ve played. Sounds a bit loud maybe, but hey, we’ll do our best.
In the next iterations we’re bringing Sun Exposure bonus, which means plants under direct sunlight will grow faster and be happier overall. Plants will also have biome preferences too. So for example, tomatoes will love greener areas, but if you plant them in dry sandy places they’ll grow slower and need more water.
You’ll also need to protect crops from critters and birds by placing Scarecrows and fences. Some of that is coming in the next update.
Ah, we also increased water bottle capacity and made watering a bit faster. Also keep in mind that in later updates you’ll be able to upgrade your character skills. You probably already saw the level up notifications on screen, those are just placeholders for now. Later on those upgrades will let your character use water more efficiently, carry more of it, and water crops faster.
Automatic irrigation system is also very likely coming in Sprint 4 of this Chapter. You’ll be able to set up automatic sprinklers and connect them to above-ground or underground piping systems.
A tiny note: “Automotive irrigation” should be “Automatic irrigation.” “Automotive” sounds like car-related.
Send the next section.
NEW AREAS
We expanded Alpha Island and added more open space. We felt like we weren’t giving enough room for bigger builds and automation setups, so we opened things up a bit.
We introduced Highreach Valley, a big open area for some of your biggest construction projects.
We also added Finomenal Cape, a cozy sandy beach area for players who love the sound of the ocean and a beautiful morning sunrise.
The whole map also got a bit of improvement and retouching. The swamp area now has more pathable space, too. Make sure to use Black Box to locate important ore areas at the beginning of the game, as you can now start building your base in a few different areas.
NEW METALLIC CONSTRUCTION BLOCKS
We’ve added a new set of metallic construction blocks crafted from iron. They’re perfect for giving your base a more industrial feel and fit really well alongside the machines and production setups in the game.
And this is just the start. We’re planning to expand the metal block set in the next update, along with some new furniture pieces too.
Straight stairs
Corner stairs
Spiral stairs
Floor (square, triangular)
Ceiling
Straight wall
Sloped wall
Semi-circular wall
Triangular wall (3 sizes)
Foundation (3 types)
DIALOGUE SYSTEM
Even though this one may look small on the surface, it’s actually a pretty big system for us. We added the Dialogue System, and at the beginning of the game you’ll be able to meet Black Box and ask questions through it. A lot of foundational work went into making this possible, even if not all of it is super visible yet.
Right now it’s mostly in its introduction stage, so you’ll only get to experience a lighter version of it through Black Box. Later on, this system will be used for communication with NPCs and other... things.
COTTON
We’ve also introduced a new crop to the game: Cotton. It’s used in the recipe for cloth production.
WHAT ELSE IS NEW
Removed weight from the game and the weight scale from the Inventory tab. We felt like it was a bit too much weight on your shoulders ;)
Introduced the Subtitles System to the game.
Added a few controller buttons. This is still very much WIP and not even close to done yet, so please don’t throw the controller at us just yet. We’re aiming to have full controller support in a Sprint V3 (next one).
Added new notifications on the screen that specify which types of items you picked up.
Added a new notification for leveling up. You’re growing up so fast. But these notifications are just placeholders. You’ll be able to level up your character properly in the future updates.
Added Feeling Cozy Buff when the character is inside the structures. This buff will recover health more quickly and dry clothes faster.
Added a Vertical Invert setting. Pull down to look up, just like nature intended.
Updated the Settings screen. (oh wow, yeh… so much fun)
Updated the Quest display.
Added a back key shortcut to the bottom of the Map tab. Revolutionary stuff, we know. The current map is also lame; it’s just a placeholder. We’re working on a richer map experience, you’ll love it.
Updated the Inventory screen. Very much WIP, but you can see buffs and debuffs info there, very useful if you ask us.
Added “Coming Soon” to the Attributes and Tasks tabs. Because they are, in fact, coming soon.
Added a Wiki tab. But it’s empty for now, so we didn’t, really.
Added bruising when your character hits their face hard on something. Bruising will go away after some time, and later you’ll be able to use honey to remove bruising. NPCs will notice your look. Losing your teeth is next, don’t judge - it’s realistic.
Updated HUD days and weather display.
Added new daytime exploration music.
Added pathfinding implementation for future NPCs, Animals (V3 or V4) and Black Box. So yes, things should be getting smarter. In theory.
Did more background work on new panels that are coming later. The glamorous kind of work nobody sees.
Added fire sound.
Added fire-burning effects and buffs. Surprisingly, many people complained about the character not catching on fire. You can stop fire by running in the water or later when co-op is in, your friend will be able to water you down.
Added a feature where the last equipped tool now hangs on the side of your backpack after switching tools, putting it away, or running. Much better than it vanishing into the backpack universe.
Added new crop pop-up help info in the detail tab to explain what each section means and how the system works.
Added character model-based audio vocalization switches.
Added cutscene soundtrack and sound design improvements.
Added UI sounds for radial menus.
Added a Buff and Debuff panel to the Inventory screen so they’re easier to read and make a bit more sense.
Added Metal Building Blocks, now researchable after Automation. Because metal cubes make everything feel more serious. They’re also pretty awesome, try building cool things and share them with us on Discord.
Added new areas to the map and updated the map and compass to match. Very helpful when trying not to get lost with confidence. The map is still a temp placeholder, before we add an awesome map.
Expanded the borders of the world to better fit the map.
Added a clickable Continue button in dialogue after cutscenes. We believe in buttons doing button things.
Added a Battery UI panel. It’s not fully complete yet, and the lower UI plus time-left indicator still don’t work. But hey, it’s a start.
Added sun and moon glow effects. The sky is trying harder to be a sky now.
Smoothed out the blend edges on rocks and beach stones.
Added a new endless quest at the end of the game. It’s not really endless, but calling it “pretty long quest” didn’t sound as good.
Removed the New Year’s tree on the hill. Its time has passed. It will come back next year.
The Egg
Black Box
Added opening cutscenes.
Added over 500 narration and voice lines. Black Box has a lot to say now.
Added more than 55 new triggers for Black Box narration.
Introduced a more advanced Black Box movement system. BB now adapts to your speed and direction while moving around, and changes its position around your character dynamically.
Added Ore ping functionality, visual and sound effects. Black Box can help you find Ores.
Added dynamic direction points on the screen. By looking at directional points on the screen you can now request Black Box to guide you towards that location. Black Box will use basic (for now) pathfinding to get you there safely, or not.
Added a ping to detect DPoIs (Dynamic Points of Interest). DPOIs are still not complete; the next update will make DPOIs more exciting.
Added Black Box face animations and movement. It’s getting harder to ignore now.
Added Black Box audio fx, including hovering, chimes, and scanning sounds.
Added pause and resume for Black Box narration in the Pause/ESC menu. For when you need a little silence.
Added Black Box settings sliders so you can adjust voice and sound effects to your liking.
Black Box will go into an exploration mode if the player is not in motion for some time.
And gazillion behind-the-scenes features that make BB alive.
FIXES, CHANGES & IMPROVEMENTS
Fixed a bug that was preventing some players from loading into the game. Kind of important, yeah?
Changed the Feeling Cozy buff icon when inside a house.
Adjusted the Feeling Cozy buff logic so it triggers less often.
Fixed a water bottle material. It was glowing like crazy.
Increased Water Bottle capacity. YOU’RE WELCOME!
Increased Water Bottle filling speed. YOU’RE WELCOME!
Fixed key remapping so you can now assign the same button to multiple actions.
Tweaked audio for auto-pickup from mining and tree logs.
Fixed the compass not matching the map orientation. (Map is lame and not real, no good.)
Added several localization fixes for in-game text.
Cypress trees now have colliders. They have become more solid in their beliefs.
Changed the model of the personal storage box.
Fixed resources being consumed past max length when placing rails and wires while placement was red.
Fixed some issues with rails disappearing when placed in certain spots.
Changed the recipe for Rail and Rail Column.
Fixed rail placement consuming resources before the rail was fully placed. How rude and unfair, we’re doing our best, guys.
Made unchoppable trees choppable. We win, trees lose!
Fixed broken text on Autofarm terminals.
Storage Container can now output resources from its gate.
Reworked farming behavior a bit. Crops now grow fully by harvest, and after they’re ready, they’ll stay harvestable for 2 days before rot sets in.
Fixed a keybind issue when changing the interact key while having a prompt to open a chest or turn on a light.
Updated the Escape menu.
Fixed some HUD tool UI overlap issues.
Fixed Stone Roof and Smelter shader errors during sunset.
Fixed the loading screen and video logo on widescreen.
Updated machinery, structures, and shop panels.
Fixed the backpack getting into a corrupted state on some saves where it couldn’t be picked up in a new game.
Highly likely, we fixed the autowalking bug.
Potentially fixed the water gun hose hanging around without connecting.
Fixed a bug where putting the water gun away while watering would still drain bottles.
Fixed Storage Box hotkeys not working.
Fixed an invisible vending machine. Very impressive bug, honestly, but still.
Fixed swamp trees so vines and mushrooms fall down properly.
Fixed a respawn loop when falling from a high point into water.
Changed autocraft hotkey from L to Space Bar.
Changed Menu tab, switching from Q / E to A / D.
Fixed the Red Ghoster sticking around after leaving demolition mode.
Fixed Miner output after load. No more instant 0-second filling.
Fixed fatigue UI overlapping the hoe.
Fixed Customization UI not showing.
Fixed inventory not being movable when opening the crafting table.
Fixed wind turbines snapping to each other or to machines in weird ways.
Fixed snow piling up inside player-built buildings. This still needs more work. Right now, when you first build a house, weather may still show through it, but after save and load there should be no snow inside. Still WIP.
Fixed snow graphics on trees and bushes so they blend better together.
Temporarily removed wires connecting directly between machines that store or produce items. For now, machines must connect directly to poles or power sources. We know this is a step back, but we didn’t want players losing resources just to redo wire connections. Next update, we’re improving the electric system, so changing wires will be much less painful.
Changed recipes for buildable structures.
Changed breakable cargo boxes so they look a bit more dramatic, and the confetti no longer launches into orbit.
Fixed the Manufacturing Table, Botanical Table, and Multi-Cooker not removing grass or plants underneath them.
Fixed buildable flowers getting stuck in a red, blurry graphical state. (Mods did it first, we acknowledge and bow down.)
Fixed Black Box narration playing over building UI.
You can now move inventory items while using the crafting table.
Fixed a bug where using L CTRL before getting the backpack could break the UI.
Fixed the Rail Tool looking like it was pulling twice.
Fixed the Cozy buff getting stuck.
Fixed some bushes not sinking when a machine or structure was placed on top of them.
Improved Manufacturing Table and Botanical Table UI.
Fixed not being able to use Space Bar in the Main Menu to select a character.
Fixed Fabricators not outputting the correct amount of items when crafting more than one at a time.
Updated display names across the UI for the Manufacturing Station, Botanical Station, Multi-Cooker, and Vending Machine.
Removed the wrong resources from the ground near the crash site.
Fixed the Sell button appearing in the inventory panel on load if you saved early in the game.
Added new consumables to the emergency container at the beginning of the game.
Fixed an issue where animations could get stuck if you deleted a machine before it was fully built.
Made some balance changes to quests.
Changed “Unlock” to “Invent” and “Unlocked” to “Invented” icon names in Manufacturing and Botanical Stations.
Fixed the UI vent animation in the Miner.
Upgraded electric mushroom wire nodes from 2 to 4.
Fixed Q not always working when loading into the game.
Updated the Main Menu.
Fixed a bug where items removed from your toolbar could come back after crafting at the crafting table. Rude.
Adjusted the Water Tool to be more precise when aiming at plants.
Fixed an issue where quickly tapping LMB with the water gun could leave the sound playing and still use a bit of water.
Changed boundary fences to a boundary holo wall.
Fixed wrong resource display on rails after save and load.
Fixed a looping sound when ore got stuck after mining.
Fixed crafting tables not being placeable on some hills.
Fixed the Manufacturing Station, Botanical Station, Multi-Cooker, and Farming Vending Machines so they can no longer be built through or built on with structure blocks.
After the Alpha release and New Year, we did a lot of housekeeping. The initial release was tough, a bit rushed, and honestly a little messy in places, so we had to spend some time cleaning things up. Still, we’re happy to say it feels like we’re on the right track now.
Please keep in mind that some systems are still a bit raw, and those are the next ones we’re tackling. Electricity Generation and Management is one of the big ones and it’s going to get a major update with a lot of improvements, so it should become much easier to understand and work with. Solar panel snapping is still a little broken, batteries will snap together and give bonus capacity, and there’s a lot more coming there too.
Of course, you’ll also be able to delete wires individually, along with many other improvements. We’re also working on different Electric Pole sizes, and even looking into underground electrical wiring. Below we’re happy to share a few concepts for the upcoming Electric Pole changes.
WHAT’S NEXT
Next update we’re working on the Supply Relay. It’s a new machine that you’ll be able to fill with resources, and then use to deliver those resources to NPCs and others in the world.
Supply Relays are going to be one of the main machines for making money and pushing game progression forward through world orders. They’ll need to be connected to both the Electric Grid and the Data Grid to work properly.
We’re also introducing Signal Amplifier Antennas, which can only be built at certain elevations. To connect your Supply Relays to the world open market and start selling your produced goods, you’ll need to link your Supply Relays to Signal Amplifiers using Fiber Optic Data Cables and Data Poles. From time to time, Supply Drones will arrive to pick up orders from your machines.
CO-OP
We know a lot of you are really eager to jump into the game with your friends or significant others, and trust us, we want that too. But co-op just isn’t quite ready yet. This is only our second update, and some core systems like saving are still not fully there yet, so thanks for being a bit patient with us while we keep improving things.
With a game on this scale, multiplayer needs a lot of foundational work to be done properly. Right now, our main goal is to make sure the core game is solid first, and then focus on who you’ll get to play it with. We want to prioritize the systems that make the whole experience actually work, because otherwise you and your friends just won’t have a good time, and that helps nobody.
So with that in mind, and knowing how many of you are excited to share the game with others, we’re very committed to bringing multiplayer in the coming months (V4, V5). We’re sorry to keep you waiting, really, but we’re pushing toward it as fast as we can. Hang in there, friends.
FULL CONTROLLER SUPPORT
For the next update we’re committed on having a full or let’s say full’ish controller support, we understand that there are many of you guys prefer to play your game on a controller and we’re making it one of our top priorities to make it work asap.
QUEST SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS & LOCALIZATION
We’re working on a more multi-directional quest system. Basically, it’ll let you progress through automation, farming, home building, or ranching more separately and at different speeds depending on your playstyle and what you want to focus on.
We’re also improving the localization support system, which will make it easier for us to start translating the game into more languages.
⚠️OLD SAVES
Because the game is growing and changing quickly, older saves may break or become unstable after updates. We strongly recommend starting a new game.
Even if an old save appears to load fine, it may still cause problems later and lead to unexpected issues or instability.
As development continues, the save and load system will keep getting more stable and reliable.
COMPLETE LOAD AND SAVE SYSTEM
Unfortunately, our load and save system is still not fully complete, but we’re committed to having it properly working in the next update, V3.
Right now, the only way to save your game is by quitting the game. We know... not exactly peak game design. It’s a bit embarrassing, but it is what it is for now. Sorry about that.
And before we go.
Another quick FYI, we’re working on a feature roadmap that we’re planning to share in the coming weeks. It’ll show the queue of systems and features we’re planning to bring into the game next.
We’re also aiming to have an open demo, or take part in a Steam festival this summer, so more players can jump in and try the game.
We’ll keep working hard and bringing new fun features as fast as we can. We hope you enjoy the new update and end up loving Black Box as much as we do.
KICKSTARTER BETA BACKERS
With this update, we’re officially welcoming our Kickstarter Beta Backers. The game is still going to remain in Alpha for a bit longer, but it feels like the right time to open the doors wider and let more of you in.
Jump in, start playing, break things, report bugs, and help us shape the game as development continues.
(⚠️FOR KICKSTARTER BETA BACKERS ONLY) How to access Autonomica Closed Beta
You will receive an email with instructions and your Steam Activation Key, on the address you’ve used for BackerKit.
Activate this game key on Steam, learn how here.
If you’re stuck or it’s not clear what to do, please approach our community first over on Discord; our developers and community will gladly help you.
DON'T FORGET TO WISHLIST AUTONOMICA
P.S. We couldn’t resist trying the new NVIDIA DLSS 5 in-game. We’re very pleased with the results.
///Crytivo Team