Ramps, Shutterdoors, Explosive Device and more... news

Hi Galactic Survivalists!

Today we are releasing Alpha 2.1, which adds some interesting new features to the game, like Explosive Devices, the Multitool showing the Hitpoint Status of any block, Damage States for a lot of devices (will be completed in the upcoming updates), an open Piloting Seat for building your own SV / HV Cockpits and many more.



For more flexibility in building, we have added two sets of new animated devices: Shutter Doors and Retractable Ramps!

And, similar to placing a bluepint, you can now move any to-be-placed block up and down (Page Up/Down Button)!

Set of shutter doors:


Set of retractable ramps:


The Marketplace also got a larger functionality update:You can now buy single items from an offered stack, instead of having to buy the whole stack. And, in order to deal with the misuse of the marketplace as an extended storage area, every merchantman has to pay a 10% fee when creating a new offer.

We have also added more game options, like full and half texture resolution and more!

Speaking of graphics: While adding new and more deco, better textures and effects, we of course want to know how these changes affect your game performance. And, as there is always a way to optimize, we started the Performance Survey to gather informations about your ingame ‘frames per second’ (FPS) .

Survey.empyriongame.com

As a note: These performance related optimizations need a lot of input, so we would like to ask you to run this survey at least once after each public and/or experimental version update!

Thanks a lot in advance! :)

Enjoy update 2.1 and send us your feedback!

New creatures:



New snow capped mountains on Akua:


CHANGELOG: Alpha 2.1.0 (Build 503)

Feature Updates
- Marketplace:
* Offers can now be partially accepted (buy or sell only some of the amount originally offered)
* Marketplace now charges the offer creator a 10% marketplace fee
* Anti-abuse change: On 'For sale' offers the creator has to pay the marketplace fee immediately. On claiming an accepted sale, the vendor gets the full price in return
* Added unit price column to allow better comparison of offers
* Now showing the item info window for the currently selected item
- Implemented difficulty setting for Player Progression (example: HARD mode will earn you more XP than in EASY mode)
- Added damage stages for 3d models (note: not all 3d models have a damage stage yet)
- Multi tool now shows damage level of each block
- Added possibility to configure resource asteroids (Meteorites) in playfield.yaml
- Added possibility to move object up / down while in preview mode with page up/down for easier placement

New Devices
- Added seat and console as a SV / HV cockpit so that you can now self-build your SV / HV cockpit
- Added attachable explosive device (door buster) with fixed timer of 8sec
- Added shutter doors
- Added retractable ramps

World
- Added new creature "Alien Assassin" (troop transport, replaces overseer spawner)
- Added new creature on Akua that replaces Woodwalker
- Added new bush to Akua
- Added snow to top of mountains on Akua and Omicron (you need to start a new game to have snow capped mountains)

Game Options
- Added Brightness and Contrast Adjustments to Video Options
- Added Texture Resolution options to Video Options (Max and Half)
- Added Deco/Grass Distance and LOD Quality options to Video Options

Tweaks / Balancing
- Optimization for constructors which should reduce lags on dedicated servers
- Reduced sensibility of Player Drone
- Weapon balancing:
* Nerfed SV weapons against hardened steel and combat steel
* No handheld weapon can destroy hardened steel and combat steel anymore (except rocket launcher, plasma cannon and explosive device)
- Added possibility to move object up / down while in preview mode with page up/down for easier placement
- Getting out of escape pod is now less glitchy
- Emergency O2 Generator is now private faction (similar to Survival Constructor)
- Added docking sound
- Modified PDA system to allow the Emergency O2 Generator to be checked for being placed and powered, adapted respective PDA action description
- Added more icons for status effects (no O2, O2, no food, fire) and adjusted player window equipment/player model area to fit Status Effect Icons
- Some re-balancing of TechTree unlock points for some SV/HV cockpits
- Re-balanced mining of resource meteorites: ore drops from meteorites are reduced so that it should be now similar to normal resource mining
- Dedicated Server: On player connect it checks if target playfield is existing - if not player is moved to first starter planet
- Tweaked Bald Cypress Trees on Akua -> removed air roots
- Triceraptos large (Akua) now also drops Milk
- Tweaked textures on several NPCs
- Adjusted resource panel in map view to allow for up to 12 resources to be displayed
- Exchanged order of "Load Game" and "Back Buttons" in Resume Game menu
- Added better sound for Player Sentry Gun
- Player credits are now calculated with 2 decimal digits
- Tweaked material on large drone + troop transport
- Updated CV Tier 1+3 Stock Blueprint (thanks to Mr. IceCat)
- Slightly increased render distance for the grass for each quality setting
- Disable Difficulty button in Resume Game if no saved games present

Bug Fixes
- Fixed: MP Crossing Playfields Planet-Space leads to heavy/visual rendering issues interrupting a seamless transfer
- Fixed problem that deco did not correctly build up on a dedicated server after orbit - planet transition
- Fixed: Telnet - using the "add entity to faction" command does not work
- Fixed: Issues with Tree-Placement on Sloped Terrain
- Possible fix for infinite pickup bug - please let us know if it still happens
- Fixed: Some savegames suddenly show as "dysfunctional"
- Fixed: Drones falling through the planet when shot down in a distance
- Fixed: Dying in a Cockpit while flying towards the orange pole barrier results in loss of the ship
- Fixed: Doors open also for Vessels
- Fixed: Rocks and Tree sometimes regrow in bases after resuming the game (MP and SP)
- Fixed: Player Drone can be activated after player death
- Fixed: Multitool: Upgrade to higher Tier Devices even if not unlocked
- Fixed problem with LODs on alien palm tree Omicron
- Fixed: SV/HV Door model is slightly too high
- Fixed: Exploit: Use Marketplace even if deactivated server-side and vice versa
- Fixed problem with some hull textures not being able to color fully white
- Fixed: Exploit: Can move vessel-weapons to player inventory under certain conditions
- Fixed: Too many decimals on some Weapon RPM info screens (like 66,66666667)
- Fixed Difficulty Setting: Drone presence OFF and Base Attack OFF have no effect
- Fixed: SI: Hangar doors do not fully support/forward SI
- Fixed: SI: Hangar door breaks immediately if not fully embedded
- Fixed: Active Vessel parked behind closed Hangar door -> open as soon as playfield reloads
- Fixed: Multitool: Upgrade Materials not used when stored in inventory
- Fixed: Control Panel Grouping: Add to group / last group jumps back to CP overview/collapses previous group
- Fixed Light Flare Color not updated until light power is cycled
- Fixed: Doors stay open when repowering a base
- Fixed: Camera clipping when placing larger items
- Fixed Camera Clipping: Sitting in a CV allows to clip below the ground with ALT-cam movement
- Fixed Fading of player character when opening/closing player setup and inventory windows
- Fixed: POI still drop T1 Drill with T2 Drill Charges
- Fixed: Players die but sometimes Respawn Menu does not show up
- Fixed: sorting issue with door window glass
- Fixed width of hangar doors to avoid clipping into other block
- Fixed: Energy Pill: Bad Trip effect missing
- Fixed: Energy Pill: Duration longer than described
- Fixed camera clipping problem with resource meteorites (meteorites have now more detailed colliders)
- Fixed problem with flares in first-person view when changing FOV (e.g. on assault rifle)
- Fixed: Error when using console command jumps and teleportation
- Fixed: Drowned drones sink through the ground and "plopp" up to the surface again
- Fixed exploit that player can click on previous toolbar content while loading screen is shown
- Fixed strange glass reflection on Cockpits 5 and 9
- Fixed preview shader of blocks
- Fixed: SV/HV docked to CV have negative impact on ALT-Look Cam
- Fixed SV/HV: Cockpit show a graphic/glare displacement