If you don't want spoilers, go and play Demo v2, which is now available on Steam! Otherwise, check out all these notes!
Items & Crafting
The Workbench
The crafting system has been reworked! This includes new raw items:
- Copper (replacing Electrical Debris)
- Silicon (replacing Solar Cells)
And some new intermediate crafting items:
- Circuit Board
- Electrical Kit
- Solar Cell (which is now crafted with Silicon)
These changes put a lot more focus on the workbench. To support this, there is a new onboarding sequence, which involves having to install the Workbench yourself (since I suspect a lot of people may not have even noticed its existence!)
Mass & Recipes
The mass of every item has been reconsidered, generally resulting in an increase (don't worry, your inventory capacity has also increased). Additionally, almost every recipe has been recreated with the new crafting items and mass balancing taken into consideration.
EVA Suit Upgrades
An existing feature I've decided to unlock! With this comes two new items:
- A Small Tank for extending your oxygen supply
- A Mobile Repairs Unit for see below...
With this new supported feature, I've also reworked the HOME page in the EVA Suit Terminal, since this is where this feature primarily resides.
Booster Repairs
I didn't really love how Demo v1 progressed - it felt forced and uninteresting at times, and the ending felt unjustified. So, I've added a new critical step in progressing the game: Booster Repairs. These are essential repairs required to perform orbital transfers and complete the game.
- This is tied to tech progression, as you will need to unlock the new Mobile Repairs Unit to complete the repairs.
- There is a new page in the Commander's seat: the Status Page, which reports on the vehicle's status.
Science
Balancing
Tech progression feels a little different now: credits are generated at a higher rate and tech nodes are more expensive. This means you are forced to make more nuanced decisions regarding what to unlock next. (I've also made it so the "credit earned" alarm doesn't loop anymore. You're welcome...)
Labs
There is a new early game passive lab: the Telemetry Processor. But the Fluid Lab is still here, don't worry! It's just a later game unlock, and is much more powerful.
Limits
You are now limited in the number of labs of each type you can build. This is in preparation for Station Networks, a feature coming soon, but also to encourage diversity since there are now two kinds of labs at play. The Science Hub UI has been redesigned to support this.
Tech Tree
With all of this new tech and balancing, the tech tree has been redesigned. It is now larger, with an extra tier to unlock.
"While You Were Gone"
To help you be aware of what you've earned while away, there is a popup in the Science Hub to report on passive earnings. ALSO your labs will generate data overnight now! This makes it very beneficial to build batteries to keep them working while you sleep.
The Observatory
I've decided to temporarily move the cupola-style Observatory module into the demo progression (it is typically later in the game). It allows you to add a bit of flair to your stations!
Other Features
- Linux is now a supported platform! :tada:
- There is a new closing sequence to the game, including new animation and sound design.
- At the end of the game you are given a present! (A little GIF animation of the station you've built)
- The Navigation interface has had some work done.
Enhancements
- New crosshair! Now a little more noticeable when an interaction is available.
- You no longer have to wait for 3 seconds when you want to access an airlock from the outside.
- Improved flashlight and overweight indicators on the HUD.
- Split the "Overlay HUD" from the "Helmet HUD", which means inspecting will no longer zoom in the overlay UI elements.
- Fixed inconsistencies with control hint formatting.
- Added some editor tools for item mass calculations.
- Added backend support for station mass calculations.
AllMost items, existing and new, now have models.- Changed the developer name in Unity and on the Steam page.
- Various materials have been tweaked for consistency.
- Credits updated.
Bug Fixes
- Fixed a softlock that has been known about for too long: wreckage hatches can now be opened again after being closed.
- Monitor click handling has changed so you can no longer click through popups on monitor screens. Various janky fixes to prevent funky behaviour as a result of this have been removed.
- Fixed some jankiness with the health UI (however there are still some existing issues).
- Fixed some issues with camera shake.
- Opening the pause menu now actually takes you to the pause menu, not to your previous menu location.
- Collecting debris no longer displays every item reward as an individual entry in the top right toast (they are grouped).
- Fixed an old issue causing you to immediately uninspect if you try to inspect a rack while holding a movement key.
- Fixed some jumpiness in inspection animations (not fixed for all inspectable panels though).
- Fixed an issue causing storage racks to become inoperable if you attempt to use them with an empty inventory after filling them up (I have no idea how this one has evaded me for so long)
- Diegetic audio now fades in at the start of a new game to prevent the occasional abrupt sounding start.
Well, that was a lot! I hope you enjoy the update. If you come across any bugs or have any feedback of any kind, feel free to drop them here in the forums, in the feedback form (linked in game) or pop into the Discord.
I hope you have a lovely day <3
Luna