Update #3 - Happier Critters, Hungrier Lava and Assorted Improvements

:zoe_sand: Hey everyone! I know the patches have been pretty fix-heavy so far. With this many players, even rare issues can affect a lot of people so I need to prioritize them.

I've snuck in a couple of new things this time but the Major Update #1 patch is still cooking. The new content I'm working on has a lot of prerequisites like big map changes and other overhauls, so there will probably be another bug-fix and QoL update before then.

As always: a review is hugely appreciated and helps a lot! :heart_sand:

Changelog

v0.5.6 -- Update #3

• You can now pet critters.

  • Simply move over a creature to give them a little love, making them happy and temporarily boosting their capabilities.

  • Voltblub energy output has also been boosted in general.

• Lava now destroys Fluxite, Redsoil and Strataform terrain.

  • Lava density also increased to 200 (let me know if this causes any issues with your setups!).

• When a Thermal Buffer is cold (negative temperature), Lava will add less heat and also convert back to Cinder instead of being fully consumed.

  • Pair this with Lava's newfound appetite for terrain and there may be some interesting automation possibilities to discover.

• You can now remove an Aura Extractor even if it has started crystallization.

  • Removed crystals will be placed in a buffer and released as Auralite from the Aura Extractor once built again.

• Added several fixes and improvements to make flower calamity easier to deal with.

  • Shooting or digging at them will now try to convert the growing seedling back to Wet Seeds.

  • I also added a mechanic where it will automatically give up and try to convert back to Wet Seeds if it gets stuck between buildings.

  • Remember that flowers are a zero sum game: one Wet Seed will always convert into exactly one flower. A seedling that grows through Wet Seeds will consume them and try to sprout one flower for each Wet Seed it consumed. That's what giving the illusion of infinite growth.

• Laser now melts Ice.

• Fixed multiple bugs creating red blocks.

• Fixed a bug causing Conveyor Portals to get stuck.

• Thermal Buffers no longer consume Lava in artifact rooms.

  • If you've soft-locked a puzzle due to this it should self-heal on load.

• Reduced potential renderer crashes caused by the Aura refreshing the full Tech Tree.

• A few new hooks/events and methods for mods like building:removing, fire:terrain:burn, meltAtCell etc: https://sandustry.com/sandkit.html

  • The mods branch is now on 0.5.6 as well.

• Replaced some GPU diagnostics causing problems on certain hardware with a safe alternative.

  • I'm working on a separate branch trying to fix the remaining crashes. Massive shoutout to the people helping me test this, sending crash dumps and other useful data.

• A bunch of other minor fixes and improvements.

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If you’re getting started with Sandustry, there are a few resources available to help. The Beginner’s Guide covers the basics and some useful tips for getting your factory up and running.You can also visit the Official Wiki for more detailed information about the game. The wiki is still growing, and we’re looking for more community contributors, so if you’d like to help out, stop by the Discord and let us know in the #wiki channel.

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