Welcome to Week 198.
This week’s update includes several server-side improvements aimed at boosting performance for hosts and dedicated server operators. If you’re running games for friends or managing a server, you should see noticeable gains in stability and responsiveness.
We have also fixed a number of issues relating to crafting drinks which were inadvertently introduced last week. These have now been corrected.
Our sister product Stationeers also had a huge milestone this week, with the release of the Biggest Update Ever. Stationeers is a more complex, harsher game when it comes to space survival – if you haven’t checked it out before now is a good time to.
To wrap things up, we’re sharing a sneak peek at next week’s Icarus update, featuring a fresh set of international flag-themed items. Check out a preview below.
- Recipes requiring resources can now pull from multiple containers for each crafted item rather than just a single one. (Example – Two Bottles of Milk with 100mL each can now craft one cream which requires 250mL)
- Fixed issue where drinks like tea/coffee couldn’t be crafted on some benches unless water containers were placed inside the bench’s inventory
- Fixed issue in campfire where having tea leaves, coffee beans, water in inventory would cause a crafting loop to occur (coffee -> tea -> coffee etc.)
- Fixed issues where the players inventory could be shown over top of scope overlay
- Added fix for issue where starting a new prospect with the same name as one that had been previously deleted could cause the wrong map to be loaded when using the resume button from main menu
Over the past few months, we’ve been focusing on making a series of fixes and adjustments aimed at improving performance and stability, especially for dedicated servers and hosts. These changes are designed to help the game run smoother and more reliably, ensuring a better experience for hosts and dedicated servers.
We’ve reduced how often Mounts, Buildings, Deployables, and Splines send updates over the network, which helps lower bandwidth and improve overall performance. Splines and Building Grids will now unload for clients when they’re far away, saving server resources.
Moving your cursor over interactable objects no longer floods the server with updates, cutting down unnecessary network traffic. We also improved how the game tracks Building and Deployable positions by using new spatial structures, making location checks much faster.
Updates for Crop Plots and Freezers are now spread out across different frames instead of all happening at once, easing the load on the system. Parts of the building update logic have been optimized for better performance, and unnecessary UI and effects processes that were running on dedicated servers have been removed.
Mount and Tame variables now update less frequently when no players are nearby, helping conserve processing power. Deployables also perform fewer outdoor shelter checks when the framerate drops, keeping gameplay smoother during performance issues.
Finally, spline placement is now client-controlled, resulting in a smoother building experience – especially on servers with higher ping or lower FPS.
If you encounter any issues that arise from these changes please let us know.
A big thank you to everyone on discord that has been helping us test this over the last few weeks you feedback has been invaluable.
Next week we are introducing a big set of international flag symbols which players will be able to craft and place around their base. the full list includes over 25 different flags which can be placed in three different ways each.
It has been a big week for our studio! Over on Stationeers, we’ve just released the Biggest Update Ever, featuring a massive terrain refactor alongside a host of major updates and improvements. This is a huge milestone for the game, and we’ve gone into more detail about what’s changed in the link provided – be sure to check it out!
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/544550/view/533235259603419415
If you own both STATIONEERS and ICARUS you gain access to some exclusive content.
STATIONEERS Bobble-heads in ICARUS and an ICARUS Suit in STATIONEERS.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/544550/Stationeers/
https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/35727/Icarus_Complete_the_Set/
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- Lowered network replication frequency of Mounts, Buildings, Deployables, Splines
- Moving cursor when hovering over an interactable no longer floods server with updates
- Building and Deployable references have been added to two new octrees, making positional queries much cheaper
- Splines and Building Grids are no longer always network-relevant. They will now unload for clients when far enough away
- Crop Plots and Freezers will no longer all update on the same frame
- Nativised sections of the building tick logic
- Removed numerous sections of UI/FX logic that were being needlessly run on dedicated server
- Reduced number of outdoor shelter traces that deployables perform when framerate is low
- Several Mount/Tame variables now update more slowly if there aren’t any nearby players
- Spline placement is now client-authoritative, giving a much smoother experience on servers with bad FPS or ping
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- Fix a BP None warning relating to G slot items
- Spline placement is now client-authorative
- Fixed eyebrows and eyelash passing thru the helmet glass
- Fix angle horse mounts use to determine rear kick attack
- Fix a race condition in the Aura Manager when players leave dedi server
- Fix Tea => Coffee => Tea => Coffee ping pong on an auto processor where all ingredients are present in inventory
- Recipes can now pull liquids from multiple containers when crafting a single item
- Fixed some issues where water containers with existing alterations were incorrectly accepted as inputs for new items
- Fixed issue where drinks couldn’t be crafted on a bench if water containers weren’t placed in the bench’s inventory
- Removed old rep graph policy causing validation error
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- Fix erroneous pixels in Elysium biome map
- Update VoxelTools to retrieve info on voxel pools present in the loaded levels. Update RespawnShipSpawn actor to be green instead of yellow so that it stands apart from DropshipSpawn actors
- Created new UMG for revamped outpost menu, added new outpost images, changed outpost talent tree layout
- More generic solution for scope with auto aim enabled
- Mushroom Trees, Cliffs and Landscape Pass in Swamp, Orange Quad, Elysium
- Add more (dev only) checks that Blueprint structs marked as CF_SaveGame are handled types
- Fix changes to scope behaviour broke opening inventory
- Mission 4 – Finished first pass
- Adding giant roach idle close, idle far, all movement notifies and footstep notifies, data table setups etc
- Fixed Polymerizer anims not playing for client
- Added AnimBP for Polymerizer
- Disabled blocking collision on Polymerizer’s sliding crate SM
- Polymerizer’s item animation no longer plays if item isn’t successfully crafted
- When scope being used with toggle aim, prevent inventory from showing when scop is up
- Set correct preview mesh for flamethrower turrets
- Fix ‘max items’ button does not work for tag based crafting recipes where there is not concrete item or resource input
- First implementation of Slinker hunt behaviour
- Fixed Slinker IK
- Fixed bug where JumpTo behaviour wouldn’t return NPC to original movement state
- Fixed bug with JumpTo behaviour where task wouldn’t execute if input key was of Actor type
- Split out ‘pack hunting’ behaviours (batdogs) into it’s own GOAP action BP
- BP_Polymerizer update on FX and proxy inventory check
- Reconnect the first 3 quest steps on Ely Story 1
- Prevent creatures from spawning inside Eden on Elysium
- Add DT Validation for AISpawnConfig ensuring GTs match SpawnZone arrays. Fix incorrect entry on MemTest
- Breakable permafrost var1 and var2 setup
- Mushroom Trees, Cliffs and Landscape Pass in Swamp, Orange Quad, Elysium
- Elysium, Tundra – foliage scale, voxel distribution and general polish, lake water points and edge splines, added reeds, lily and more yeast
- Adding natural oil refiner audio event air hiss and BP imp
- ELY3 – Mission is now completeable
- ELY3 – Added ability to lock the access card door
- ELY3 – Adding Lab and Defence Prebuild Structures
- Adjusting Snapping Points on the Uranium Deposit
- Adding Icon for Uranium Collection Device
- Setting up Uranium Collection device AnimBp and Deploy Animations
- Adding Animation BP for the Nuclear Centrifuge, Fixing highlighting of meshes and adjusting on / off material swap to use the correct materials
- Adding the Icon for the Nuclear Centrifuge
- Orka: Add Orka Head and Trophy data. Corrected bones/carcass size to medium. Added Arctic suffix to rownames for futureproofing. Fixed itemrewards pointing to Caveworm or Bear loot
- Added FX into BP_Organic_Extractor
- Slopes Dressing and Landscape Pass in Swamp, Orange Quad, Elysium
- Moved DEP_Uranium_Collection_Device assets to correct folder, as well as added a DM for the asset
- Add 33 new attachments across all categories. Ensure Nutrition Attachment is properly classed as a Tier1 attachment (was being unlocked by Advanced Atts). Rename Woodsman Felling_X attachments to FellingDamage_X for clarity. Corrected existing Felling_Yield attachments row names to actually be Felling_Damage for clarity
- Ely – decal painting and slope rocks in geothermal, red quad
- Ely – revised block out of mission 3 cave, persistent level
- Updated proxy inventory setup for BP_Polymerizer
- updated hair ang helmet glass material
- Elysium – voxel painting in geothermal and NW volcanic, red quad
- Updated D_Deployable Setup
- Added DEP_Nuclear_Centrifuge, with destructible and animation
- Fixed collision on temp geo in mo’s area, Eden base – for real this time
- ELY3 – Adding Laser Tripwire Deployable
- ELY3 – Adding mission Scaffolding. Objectives, Quest Markers, Quest Flags, NPC spawning
- ELY3 – Adding new Access Card and Locked Door Mission items
- ELY3 – Adding new Note items to collect as part of the mission
- Hooking up new meshes for Oil Pipes to the spline system
- Adding National Flag Item Icons
- Fixing National Flags Talent so its not locked behind a DLC Flag
- Fixed Blueprint Recipe Icon / Name lookup to take into account national flags stats
- Updating Organic Extractor to Run off any organic matter and create biofuel the same way the T4 food trough works
- Adding ability to fill / empty jerry cans into organic extractor
- Adding new UI window for organic extractor to reflect its state correctly
- Orka: Halved vision distance and decreased peripheral range, decreased mass and attack radius to better suit size, add projectile damage resistance. Fixed Orka pointing to Bear bestiary. Updated Character/Stats tooling
- Adding bounder deer far idle layers and AI setup data table entry
- Ely – adding lake splines in geothermal, red quad
- Adding bounder deer idle vocalisations and data table setup
- BP_UraniumConverter FX and material adjustment
- Fix drone spotlight being offset to the side
- Remove DF from Kit meshes which are held in-hand, causing FP shadows. LOD settings pass
- Mission 4 – Final quest travel location changed to mission 3 base instead of eden
- If toggle aim is enabled and if aiming when ESC pressed, or FieldGuide opened, then stop aiming
- Adjustments to giant roach attack audio to make it feel a bit more intense with a higher shriek
- Fix some logging in foliage de-duper tool
- Added fix for issue where starting a new prospect with the same name as one that had been previously deleted could cause the wrong map to be loaded when using the resume button from main menu
- More roach anim notifys, also adding roach unique whoosh whip audio and swimmiing notifys etc
- Ely – navblocker placement in geothermal
- LC_Cliff_23-25 – changed navigation settings to navarea_null to match similar cliffs
- Made text vars in D_Itemable and D_Dialogue multiline
- Adding Unique roach footstep event. adding to data table. orka footstep adjustments
- Ely – fixed floating cliff mesh and phys materials on landscape in tundra and arctic, green quad
- ELY2 – Full Setup of Prebuilt Structure Communication Station Epsilon
- First pass on some bespoke reaver behaviours and hook-ups for animations
- ELY2 – Adding new Quest Marker so that the Build Up location step is not completed right away
- ELY2 – Adding Map Icon to Iris in EDEN for the first objective
- UE4 Core – Don’t return +/- WORLD_MAX as component bounds for an empty spline component with no points
- Fix WT_Lake45 on ELY DEV Orange has 27km bounds
- Update CharStats tooling with minor UX improvements before slight refactor
- Added FX on BP_UraniumConverter
- Slope Dressing and Landscape Pass in Swamp, Orange Quad, Elysium
- Adding giant roach attack vocals, event, data table setup and attack notifys
- Fixed a few typos
- Edited new creatures to show their player-facing names in bestiary data
- Added collectable notes for ELY map and missions, updated ELY map description
- Adding organic extracor to BP. Sound adjustments based on updated FX
- Fix a warning in BP_MetaDeposit_Uranium
- Cleanup on Interactable DT, removing and repathing duplicate entries. Improved verbosity of duplicates validation
- Various DH mixing and balance tweaks. Adjustments to spawn chance of music tracks etc
- BP_Organic_Extractor cleaned up material setup
- BP_Natural_Oil_Refiner fixed on client FX and material emissive on client
- BP_Polymerizer cleaned up material setup
- BP_Crude_Oil_Generator fixed on client FX and material emissive
- BP_Crude_Oil_Refiner fixed on client FX and material emissive
- Add duplicate row detection for Interactables
- Toggle aim off when showing inventory, rather than blocking show inventory when aiming
- Adding uranium collection audio loop, event BP imp and deploy setup
- Add the word degrees to min turrent pitch stat description
- Ely – added nav modifier volumes for geothermal
- Slinker will now prioritise hunting over standard attack behaviour if health >= 75%
- Slinker will now find a hunt location closer to player
- Slinker will now relocate hunt location if hurt (by anything) or seen by target player
- If BTTask_JumpTo’s target is a Character, ground location is used intead of actor location
- Change some descriptive text on flame turrets
- D_CollectableNotes text property is now multiline
- Adding audio for nuclear centrifuge. Looped event and BP Imp
- Removed rock and ice rewards from permafrost breakables, should fix issue with chunks breaking off and colliding with each other
- Updated flightless tank carcass and bones and directed to correct anim BP in the carcass BP
- Updated flying tank carcass and bones skinning and physics asset
- Added physicas asset for the T5 chainsaw and updated texture collections
- More giant roach clicks
- Adding giant roach click audio to idle event to make more sense of the name
- Increase Dragonfly mesh scale from 0.1 to 0.2x so its closer to ref, adjust related physics setup to suit
- Where possible (non-shared Char BPs) fix Character BPs that are pointing to the wrong AISetup row in Class Defaults. Add unhooked DT validation to catch cases in future
- Mission 5 – Finished first pass at ‘draw’ subquests
- wip MetaExotic_Uranium_Node mesh, textures and material
- Slopes Dressing and Landscape Pass in Swamp, Orange Quad, Elysium
- WIP Implimentation of the flying tank carcass and bones assets
- Fix up a bunch of broken deprecated logic in test maps and various widgets related to NPCs that was flagged after GOAP base class was recompiled
- Cleared out CriticalHitBones arrays in AISetup DT and added validation for ensuring it is empty. Fixed incorrectly mapped bones on many Creatures for CollisionHitEventBones array
- Add Validate Skeleton function on GOAP base (gated by Editor check) to compare AI Setup data vs actual skeleton to find issues upon spawning
- Fix incorrect material swap logic on Machining Bench after mesh split
- Updates to bounder spacializing
- Adding bounder flinch and death audio events and data table setup
- Added T5 chainsaw art assets to the project
- Oly_Omni_Outpost/BW5 Mission- Fixed mission BP destroying sandworm after 15 seconds. changed it to 5 mins
- Adding all bark lines for DH characters. Audio and events
- Ely – lake splines in geothermal and NW volcanic, red quad
- Updated meshes, textures and materials for Oil Pipes
- Ely – Added nav enabled versions of LC_Cliffs-23-25, swapped out in tundra crevasse to improve navmesh, green+yellow quads
- Fixed missing material on billboard for SM_SW_Mushroom_Tree_Var1 and assingned propper mask texture to M_SW_Mushroom_Tree_Cap_Var3
- Improvements to Reaver behaviours, burrowed state management, AnimBP
- Gave reaver 15% projectile damage resist, increased health
- Fixed issue where Reaver’s dive attack wasn’t doing damage
- Added option on BTTask_StrikeAttack to auto-enable mesh collision overlaps for duration of montage
- Updating nuclear centrifuge audio based on updated vfx
- Slopes Dressing and Landscape Pass in Swamp, Orange Quad, Elysium
- Mission 5 – Created mission bps. added first few missions and new quest specific thumper
- Added art assets for the reaver carcass and bones. Updated BP with the new assets
- Ely – added waterbody to NW volcanic, manual cave setup in Geothermal, red quad
- LC foliage rock analysis in testmap
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SE MERE