Discoveries, Resource Drilling, and Scanner Upgrades
Void Cargo: Equilibrium · published · build 25256367
This update got a little bigger than planned. It adresses a few issues with the mid to late game. I know some of you are currently swimming in money. And there are two main reasons for that: the payout for long-haul flights was too high, and more importantly, there was no good reason to do anything else than haul for money. This update solves this problem in a few ways:
Resource deposits and drills now give you a new reason to head off-route. Some of them help with stability. Others provide fuel additive, which in turn makes a quick detour during cruising easier.
The new discoveries reward exploration with a tiny bit of lore and can unlock new pads for intermediate landings. There are 36 different discoveries, each with a unique bit of lore.
The new payout balancing combined with the repair costs, which now scale with the upgrade level of systems, helps keeps available money reasonable. A heavily upgraded ship is also more expensive to maintain.
Discoveries and resource deposits are semi randomly placed on all maps - so a replay stays interesting.
On top of that we also have three new upgrades and a slew of smaller fixes and improvements - see below for the details.
Existing saves remain compatible, but I would recommend you start a new career to see all the new mechanics as they become available. If you already feel confident flying, rarely crash and want a bit more pressure: try Difficult Career - it changes the the balance quite a bit.
As always, I'd really appreciate a Steam review if you have spent some time with the game. Even a few sentences about your experience help others to decide whether Void Cargo is for them. Safe flying!
Full changelog:
Explore Forgotten Sites
Every region now contains three abandoned industrial sites. Install Scanner level 1 to reveal nearby search areas, follow the signal, and land to record each discovery.
Some discoveries hold valuable recovery cargo for delivery to the region's Equilibrium Array.
Survey and Drill for Resources
Upgrade the Scanner to level 2 to find mineral search areas. Approach a marked area and fly low and slow, or land nearby, to identify the deposit and its richness.
Buy a reusable drill kit, land inside the surveyed site's green ring, and deploy a working extraction rig. Each region can support up to four of your drills.
Haul extracted fuel compound to boost your ship's lift and directional thrust, or sell it to an active carrier. Stabilizing material can also be sold or dropped at its marked rift to restore regional Stability.
New Safety Upgrades
Landing Struts raise your safe vertical landing speed across two upgrade levels.
The Chute Harness reduces system damage when you deploy the emergency chute.
Clearer Maps and Flight Displays
Reworked base maps give the terrain more room, use clearer legends, and show dropped cargo with crate-shaped markers.
In the Flight HUD: Fuel is more prominent, efficiency bars are quieter, the emergency chute has its own row, and the redundant weight readout has been removed.
Balance and Presentation
Distance-based cargo rewards now rise at a steady rate beyond 6 km, reining in the highest long-route payouts. Existing ordinary contracts keep their stored rewards.
Improved terrain contact checks across uneven ground and fast movement.
Brightened darker environments, refreshed Equilibrium Array surfaces, and reduced visual flicker on discoveries and cargo crates.
Linux Compatibility
The Linux build now supports both Steam Runtime 3 and Steam Runtime 4.