Stardeus

Hey Space Travelers!

Another month has gone by, and it’s time for a new devlog. There are around 300 changes. Let’s take a look at a few more significant ones.

Pets

This is so important that it had to be the first on the list! Stasis Array now contains not just human colonists, but also their pets. Cats and dogs can wake up from stasis to join your colony. They will also use your planters as a makeshift toilet. Oh, and so will humans, if they won’t have a proper toilet to go to.

And yes, your colonists will be able to pet the cats and dogs!

New Scenario: Leaving Earth

A more creative start, where you will be given a small platform and a few storage units packed with materials to get you started. You will build a small ship and rummage the local system for more resources to grow bigger, until you are ready for interstellar travel.

Automated Tests and Focus on Stability

Early in development Stardeus had a ton of automated tests. However, things were changing fast, and the upkeep of tests was becoming very expensive. In addition, some poor architectural decisions made tests fragile. To my greatest disappointment, one day I decided to delete all the tests and go without them.

Several months later Stardeus architecture was reworked to be much more stable and test friendly, it does not change as often, so I have started reintroducing automated tests, and now they are again a core part of the development process. Every significant change or bugfix will have an automated test, making sure that game builds will not be broken or unplayable due to some random code change.

As new playtest builds are released almost daily, sometimes even more than once a day, it is a great relief to do this with confidence. By the time Stardeus will be publicly available, test coverage should be high enough to catch almost any potential game breaking bug before it sees daylight.

Focus on Balance

With nearly all core systems in place, development effort is shifting towards balancing the game and opening all tunable parameters up for modding. The research tree, device parameters, construction material and skill costs, worker skill levels, generated resource amounts, storyteller event parameters, and many other aspects of the game are undergoing constant adjustments to make the player experience smoother.

Refined Resource Processing Pipeline

There has been a significant amount of changes related to resource processing and supply / demand chains. As the game is constantly playtested, the flaws and annoyances are being taken care of. It’s far from perfect, but it went a long way.

CPU Modules

As a Ship Computer, you will manage a number of workers, but now there is a limit of how many of them can be at your disposal. You will start with 8 THz of built in processing power, that will give you access to about 6 of them (worker cost varies depending on it’s type). You will have to unlock the CPU Modules through research and build them to expand your robotic fleet. Those modules will also be hungry for electricity!

Nuclear Reactor

In the beginning, your power production will be quite miniscule. However, at some point you will unlock the Nuclear Reactor, and with help of Uranium that you will stumble upon in your mining expeditions, you will bring your electricity grid to the next level, increasing its efficiency and output by order of magnitude. You will then be able to supply enough power for advanced tech that will open up new means to explore the parts of the universe that were not reachable before.

Stasis Array Stability

Stasis Array plays an important role, it pops out new colonists. The problem was that you had absolutely no control over it. Now Stasis Array will have a stability factor, and a couple of life support levels. At the beginning of the game, the stability factor will be pretty high, but it will slowly drop until you establish an electricity grid and connect the Array to it. Lower stability will increase the rate of colonist wakeups, also making them wake up sick and often insane. A powered Stasis Array can be toggled between Basic and Advanced life support levels. Basic level keeps the stability at current level, while Advanced level slowly increases stability, at the cost of high electricity consumption. Advanced level also gives more control over the automatic wake up rate, and also allows you to wake up colonists on demand.

UI / UX / QOL Improvements

The bottom tree menu has received a fair share of criticism, and it was reworked to be more friendly. It is now centered, making it widescreen friendly, and pre-expanded, so you have one less mouse motion to access the tool you are looking for.

Additionally, with help of shortcuts and a Quick Search, it is possible to play the game without using the tree menu at all.

There were also a bunch of small improvements to help you perform routine operations more efficiently, such as:

• Press B (rebindable) to enter build mode with blueprint of currently selected object to quickly build a copy of anything
• Use square brackets or mouse forward / back buttons (rebindable) to cycle through the current tool’s option group. I.e. when building an energy device, it will cycle through all other energy devices.
• Click and drag a Connector to automatically switch into electricity grid connection mode. Release the dragged connection on an empty floor to order a new connector to be built in that point. The two connectors will be linked after the construction is complete.

Full list of changes since the last update

v0.5.67 (2021.06.24)
– Fix removed objects (like Storage Capsule) would prevent construction on their past locations
– Fix edge pan not working when mouse pointer is touching the edge
– Reduce edge pan delay
– Make edge pan delay and acceleration tunable
– Fix storage capsule often missing the ship
– Add Screen Shake and Space Background Animation options to Video Settings
– Fix deconstructing a processor would not re-register materials ejected from the queue to the inventory system
– Prevent storage capsule from missing the ship
– Prevent storage capsule and stasis pod drops from destroying important devices

v0.5.66 (2021.06.24)
– Fix deconstruct object mental breakdown able to target Stasis Array and Ship Computer
– Adjust wakeup with mental breakdown chance correlation to Stasis Array stability
– Fix exception when trying to display a menu tooltip for the first time when game is paused
– Show precise skill level in a tooltip when hovering a skill list
– Do not show certain suggestions in irrelevant scenarios
– Hint the right tab if Environment tab is activated during the tutorial
– Fix cancelling the tutorial would sometimes keep the tutorial dialog open
– Do not show drag to connect hint when player drags to connect
– Fix processors ordering hauling even when processing queue is full
– Show more details about refillable storages that are not on the grid
– Fix Storage Capsule loot being overly abundant for common materials

v0.5.65 (2021.06.23)
– Make auto-haul in processors and storages configurable and off by default
– Improve starting Shuttle generation to pick better location
– Do not run research if Ship Computer is lacking Memory or Disk resources
– Fix broken components on load not being removed completely
– Make harvested plants produce raw materials rather than objects
– Add Flour material
– Add Log material
– Add Grain material
– Add Bread food item
– Show correct input bindings for non-QWERTY keyboards
– Overhaul planet loot generation

v0.5.64 (2021.06.22)
– Fix some new AI issues with auto hauling components
– Fix autosave not working since recent change
– Fix space travel broken with fusion drive engines
– Make space travel faster
– Fix dirt changing rotation after load
– Improve Timelapse capture
– Generate a Shuttle when starting a new wrecked scenario
– Increase shuttle pickup distance

v0.5.63 (2021.06.22)
– Do not include unconfigured Matter Reactors to the grid max output
– Do not show 0KW for idle matter reactors
– Increase power output of Uranium by order of magnitude
– Restrict Matter Reactors to only burn solid fuel (not liquids or nuclear items)
– Fix sounds occasionally being way too loud
– Fix immobilized beings not clearing immobilized thought bubble
– Make music volume 50% by default
– Fix AI task assignment failure at certain rare conditions
– Make Survival Meal recipe contain protein instead of plant fiber
– Change how AI assigns auto-haul tasks

v0.5.62 (2021.06.21)
– Fix playtest clock speed
– Change how build tool cancels blueprints (cancel on click up)
– Make timelapse saveable / loadable
– Reduce research time for some early game tech
– Fix reactor refills getting neglected if drones are too far away busy with lots of other tasks

v0.5.61 (2021.06.21)
– Fix Leaving Earth scenario generation getting stuck
– Change how store tool works on processable materials
– Fix “0 items do not have a processor” notification count
– Prevent pets from waking up early in game
– Rebalance space flight
– Rebalance resources in planets

v0.5.61 (2021.06.20)
– Make repair station part of Technology research
– Improve in-game console up/down arrow navigation
– Improve timelapse
– Add console command to override tunables on the fly
– Reduce bottom menu icon sizes
– Fix electricity grid not rebuilding when manipulating connections with stopped time
– Rebalance the Research Tree
– Prevent materials from being generated on the edges of the wrecked ship
– Increase clock speeds significantly for playtest builds

v0.5.60 (2021.06.19)
– Make clock speeds tunable
– Slow down construction speeds
– Slow down clock speeds
– Slow down research speed
– Show required skills in build menu tooltips
– Adjust construction costs for everything
– Fix CPU usage not showing up correctly

v0.5.59 (2021.06.18)
– Don’t create auto-cleaning tasks for devices that are pending removal
– Add new story event: stasis pod friendly crew wake up
– Redo Storage and Disk module graphics
– Add Overclocking and Advanced Overcloking research nodes
– Add CPU Modules (1 & 4 Thz)
– Do not attempt to dock Cleaning Bots that are turned off
– Fix Quick Search saves search not working after creating a new save
– Add “Don’t show again” option to energy connection warnings
– Fix energy connectors failing to autoconnect in certain conditions
– Fix out of bounds overflow for energy connector range display
– Fix news panel not displaying image if news fail to load the update from server on startup
– Limit the amount of workers Ship Computer can handle at the same time (CPU restriction)

v0.5.58 (2021.06.17)
– Fix drone shadows hiding structure damage around them
– Add timelapse console command
– Change starmap scales and space travel speeds
– Make plants produce oxygen
– Add auto harvest toggler to the planter configuration
– Change how ship generation retry works to prevent any possible state leakage bugs
– Improve the reliability and success rate of Stasis Array and Ship Computer generation stages
– Change how build more repair stations / charge stations suggestions are activated
– Make crafting/production/processing options available in context menu
– Fix several objects showing UI items while not constructed or not reachable by ship computer

v0.5.57 (2021.06.15)
– Make Rock resource more common in all types of planets
– Fix tree menu auto wrapping to be compatible with centered position
– Add version check
– Fix hitting ESC while holding RMB in build mode making the drag placement on hover
– Fix save games not grouped and not ordered correctly in the tree menu
– Fix expeditions finding empty ore deposits
– Fix only one processor (Furnace, Grinder, Nutrient Extractor) used when more than one was available
– Fix hauling unstored raw material pile with bigger stack size than worker capacity would fail if there’s no storage, resulting in forever obstructed construction site
– Workers will now get themselves unstuck if they end up trapped inside a large object
– Fix processor creating hauling processable items tasks when such items are not available (materials only)
– Significantly reduce planet material contents and shuttle storage capacity (balancing)
– Fix the graphics glitch where materials would cut into other objects

v0.5.56 (2021.06.13)
– Fix furnace processing issues
– Fix a more reservation issues
– Begin adding support for systems that don’t have compute shaders capabilities
– Don’t remove unbuilt floors when trying to build an object on top
– Fix Template mod being enabled while it says it’s disabled in mods list
– Fix construction failing if work site was obstructed before there was a storage unit
– Fix Stasis Array can be switched off
– Make workers move materials aside even if there is no storage

v0.5.55 (2021.06.12)
– Fix menu button tooltip failing to get displayed at certain time
– Fix Pathfinding overlay still not appearing once in a while
– Include all versions the game was saved with in feedback report
– Holding shift while changing wanted refill / output amounts in the UI will increase / decrease the value in higher quantities
– Fix releasing energy tool on open space producing an error

v0.5.54 (2021.06.11)
– Adjust starting materials for Leaving Earth scenario
– Add Stasis Pod device (WIP)
– Add Stasis Pod story event (WIP)
– Add tunable configuration for Leaving Earth and Wrecked Empty Ship scenarios (JSON)
– Add sound alert when clicking B (build shortcut) when non-researched object is selected
– Fix electricity grid rebuilding multiple times per tick if multiple electric devices are destroyed

v0.5.53 (2021.06.10)
– Make Grinder and other auto processors take processable materials from storages
– Fix humans stepping outside the door into unsafe conditions
– Fix Pathfinding overlay not appearing
– Fix airlocks not updating hull integrity after being loaded with object stuck inside
– Fix humans occasionally dropping tasks because of unsafe conditions inside a doorway
– Fix raw material reservation logic

v0.5.52 (2021.06.09)
– Add new scenario: Leaving Earth
– Make Matter Reactor construction skill requirement 6

v0.5.51 (2021.06.09)
– Fix copper definition missing a processable material type (furnace processing bug)
– Fix worker stuck in build loop forever if there are no materials and no storages
– Fix worker failing to gather processable materials from Particle Collector
– Fix incorrect material icon in Particle Collector when target material is changed
– Show currently collected material icon on top of Particle Collector
– Fix engine graphics sometimes getting cut in half after generating a ship
– Fix save names overwriting device blueprint names in quick search index
– Fix dead beings showing their job task priorities in context menu
– Fix stasis array spamming duplicate “life support lacks electricity” events
– Prevent Slow Metabolism and Always Hungry traits from being generated on same being
– Remove concept of read-only storage
– Fix problems while entering Research or showing Electricity Overlay with game paused
– Fix focusing on Ship Computer using a shortcut (C) would kill active tool
– Pressing C after focusing on Ship Computer shows the whole ship
– Fix dirt reservation not working (Cleaning Bot trains)
– Allow deconstructing the Ship Computer when you have more than one

v0.5.50 (2021.06.08)
– Make configurable processors (i.e Furnace) process materials directly from storages
– Remake the bottom tree menu to sit in the middle of the screen

v0.5.49 (2021.06.07)
– Ensure enough rocks are generated on start
– Fix construction broken in 0.5.48
– Fix tree menu tooltips going out of screen bounds
– Prevent processors (i.e. Furnace) from showing unconfigured warnings while not constructed
– Fix shuttles overshooting the planet when trying to land on it
– Fix crawlers not attaching to colonists in non enclosed areas

v0.5.48 (2021.06.06)
– Fix saves directory not getting created for new installations
– Fix resources failing to load in mac builds
– Fix Quick Search navigation not going backwards properly
– Clicking an unconstructed object in build mode will cancel the construction
– Selecting an object and pressing B (build tool shortcut) will enter build mode with selected object blueprint (if researched)
– Allow ordering construction of objects on top of material debris without waiting for it to get cleaned

v0.5.47 (2021.06.04)
– Handle edge case when ordering hauling tasks while placing a tile
– Add human trait: Cleaning OCD
– Destroy equipment when removing a being that had something on (i.e. from explosion damage)
– Fix particle collector impossible to build because of skill requirements
– Fix popup widget with input crashing on tall characters (Chinese input)
– Fix cleaning bots showing failed task bubbles without fail reason when someone else has cleaned their targeted dirt
– Fix research tree tooltips getting stuck if tree was closed while showing a tooltip
– Remove mechanic where beings would drop current task due to urgent need
– Fix incorrect “Run In Background” value showing up in settings
– Fix occasional sprite bleeding edges at a distance

v0.5.46 (2021.06.04)
– Fix save preview images not loading with file names containing certain special characters
– Finish the Pet Bowl refill logic
– Add pet dog
– Change how expedition is stumbling upon ore deposits
– Ensure certain amount of copper plates generated on start
– Make UI tree menu automatically wrap if it goes out of bounds horizontally

v0.5.45 (2021.06.03)
– Fix autosave not working properly
– Reduce passive research storage electricity cost to 10%
– Fix sprite scale not working in being looks
– Make robots bigger
– Start working on pets
– Add cat (WIP)
– Make cat spawn with 10% chance from stasis arrays
– Add option to make pets invincible
– Make cats sleep in colonist beds along with humans
– Make cats and humans use planters as makeshift toilets when necessary
– Add Pet Bowl (WIP)

v0.5.44 (2021.06.02)
– Make research storage cost passive electricity
– Fix research storage requirement being overwritten with memory value
– Prevent grounded beings from attempting to repair or deconstruct objects in space
– Fix texts overlapping in ML Booth info panel and research storage list
– Overhaul the save / load system to group games together
– Colonists will wake up with mood and health depending on stasis array stability
– Colonists will have mental breakdowns if they wake up from unstable stasis array

v0.5.43 (2021.06.01)
– Make Stasis Array configurable when plugged into electricity
– Fix cycling through build options with a shortcut switches into not yet researched items
– Fix research tree showing 0 resources if it is first opened with game clock stopped
– Improve how electricity values are displayed
– Build copies of an object when holding the place button down and dragging
– Rearrange a few items in research tree

v0.5.42 (2021.05.31)
– Do not notify about fire if it dies down too quickly
– Automatically construct and connect a connector when releasing an energy connection link on a floor
– Fix shuttle overshooting a planet from time to time
– Add Microchip
– Require Microchips to build certain things
– Add dead workers when generating new game (for extracting microchips)
– Rearrange the research tree
– Adjust certain construction and production costs

v0.5.41 (2021.05.31)
– Add UI scroll invert and speed settings (to solve issues for Linux users)
– Fix dead beings triggering event notifications about receiving damage
– Increase heat damage amounts to beings, especially biological ones
– Disable culling of beings and materials
– Fix processing raw material piles creating duplicate AI tasks in the wrong way
– Make Furnace configurable to smelt just one type of ore at a time

v0.5.40 (2021.05.30)
– Fix scrollbar not clickable with mouse inside menu panels
– Start reducing research speed when Ship Computer efficiency goes below 50%
– Show IRL time when hovering game time
– Show unavailable research options differently in research tree
– Remove dynamic deserialization that prevents using IL2CPP (Warning: saved Expeditions and Dirt will be lost!)
– Add multi-select action for processable objects
– Make Cleaning Bots processable into scrap metal
– Make Crawlers processable into protein
– Fix ghost fires that were reintroduced again with a recent change
– Fix dead or inactive objects counting towards inventory count in crafting devices
– Fix cleaning a toilet won’t produce any biowaste

v0.5.39 (2021.05.28)
– Fix electricity driven workers trying to recharge on non-powered charge stations over and over again
– Fix fire sound effects not getting removed after the fire dies out
– Lower the automatic haul priority to 4
– Fix workers not going for repair station when damaged
– Fix all cleaning bots going for the same spot at once
– Fix “crawler attached to colonist” mental breakdown being dealt for non-crawler prey
– Fix fire not damaging the wall and not spreading if only a wall tile is on fire
– Put Loom in Weaving research node, and require Weaving for Clothing
– Keep tool menu permanently expanded
– Rearrange bottom left menu options

v0.5.38 (2021.05.27)
– Generate space object names
– Fix processable raw material items getting hauled after processing was requested
– Add tooltips with required skill levels and required materials to constructable objects
– Fix space looking weird after flying too far away from origin
– Allow selecting a ship size when starting a new game
– Reintroduce experimental “Wrecked With Stuff” scenario
– Restore the “Build A Copy” button!
– Add a goal to build an ML booth when worker skills are lacking

v0.5.37 (2021.05.27)
– Add multiple performance optimizations
– Fix cancelling wall replacement leaving progress bar and sparks
– Refactor how game plumbing is handling saves and loads
– Fix ambience not stopping after device gets disconnected
– Fix shower not showing if it’s occupied
– Fix shower, toilet, beds, etc not updating UI correctly
– Make materials ejectable from all storages
– Fix unbuilt shuttle could be selected for an expedition
– Fix planters configurable while not connected
– Fix planters not showing unconfigured warning right after being constructed
– Fix all refillable storages false-promising AI workers electricity as a reward
– Equipment will now receive damage and could get destroyed while equipped

v0.5.36 (2021.05.25)
– Fix new bugs with Auto Processors
– Fix Oak getting selected from a distance
– Make planters walkable
– Fix plant harvesting issues
– Fix destroying a planter would leave plants intact
– Add a Nuclear Reactor

v0.5.35 (2021.05.24)
– Ship Computer’s energy node will no longer be controllable through mass actions
– Begin adding ambient sounds
– Fix hauling of items that are already being hauled
– Change how Furnace and Grinder works – allow batching items
– Change how Storage Unit creates hauling tasks
– Change how item storages (Wardrobes, Fridges) create hauling tasks

v0.5.34 (2021.05.23)
– Make it impossible to select equipment by clicking a colonist multiple times
– Fix ordering hauling for reserved and hidden items
– Show circular outlines on selected beings
– Show diamond outlines on selected materials, items and loose objects
– Fix shuttle expeditions failing to launch with “worker failed to enter the shuttle” false error
– Fix shuttle launch fumes appearing when they are not supposed to
– Fix Quick Search and Build A Copy working incorrectly with bottom left menu
– Hide any being thought bubbles during death
– Fix haul to storage tool failing to work with beings and other non reservable entities
– Check for Asimov’s First Law violation when trying to process human beings
– Fix plants being harvestable even at seed stage
– Fix non harvested plants being processable

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Source: Indie DB