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Ostranauts "Wear & Tear" Update Is Live!

Hey Folks!

Ostranauts v0.9.0.0 is now available on Steam. Named "Wear and Tear," this patch represents a major feature update, and includes a batch of new content plus fresh gameplay loops to explore.



As the name suggests, the "Wear and Tear" patch adds new functionality to the game wherein items, equipment, and ship parts degrade and take damage in new ways.

Gone are the days of pristine derelicts in the Boneyard. What you'll find now is that every ship is in a unique state of disrepair, with major parts that suffer nuanced fail conditions like gas leaks, thruster sputter, power shorts, light flickers, efficiency drops, and even internal component failure.

With these new problems to solve, you and your crew will need the right tools to get vessels in working order. So we've included a range of new toys to play with, from friction welders to angle grinders, all powered by a new chargeable battery system that works with EVA suits as well.

[h3]For best results, you are encouraged to start a new character.[/h3]

Old saves will not work in v0.9.x and later. However, we have created a new opt-in branch on Steam called "legacy_08" if you wish to continue your current v0.8.x character. See Steam's Tech Support forums for more info on opting-into other branches.

On to the changes!

  • Added item condition % to the game
  • Added procedural wear visuals based on item condition %
  • Added Item condition % noted in inventory tooltips
  • Added damage over time to most ship parts. A new part is completely dead after 20 years.
  • Added damage through usage, bashing, and accidents to most ship parts.
  • Added nav station software failure locking user out until they "debug error" on it (like repairing)
  • Added nav station has a 15% chance of software failure upon switching into (damaged) state
  • Added nav station has a 1% chance of software failure for every hour (on)
  • Added switching nav station off and on again has a 5% chance of fixing software errors (just like real life!)
  • Added flickering to severely damaged items with lights
  • Added sparking to severely damaged items with power
  • Added code to sputter RCS audio and thrust amount when 1 or more RCS damaged.
  • Added leaking to severely damaged items with gas
  • Changed gas containers to remove their contents into room when destroyed.
  • Fixed a bug that would re-damage items every time a save was loaded
  • Added predetermined random damage amounts to stations
  • Changed derelict gas canisters to now start partially emptied.
  • Added Hotkey to toggle health/energy bar tooltip (X)
  • Added Hotkey to damage the ship (Shift + K) [only works in unlockdebug mode]
  • Added code to play audio effect when gas leaks.
  • Added damaged versions of air pump to game.
  • Added code to make air pumps degrade into damaged versions.
  • Added ability to install and uninstall damaged air pumps.
  • Added chance of sudden part failure on ships where there is significant part damage.
  • Added code to reset tension timer in plot manager when parts fail due to time or use.
  • Changed all breakable objects to only drop some of their repair components when damaged.
  • Added breakable non-hull objects, which can be repaired, to game.
  • Added ability to repair broken objects with components.
  • Changed damaged light flickering to alternate less frequently.
  • Changed damaged light to stop flickering while game paused.
  • Changed gas canisters & batteries to be only partially full on derelicts


  • Added Halvorson stir friction welder.
  • Added Gott angle grinder.
  • Added Gott Soldering Iron.
  • Added Horang Screwdriver.
  • Added Small and Large Sized Toolboxes
  • Added battery & battery charger for Halvorson products.
  • Added battery & battery charger for Gott products.
  • Added battery & battery charger for Weber Laser torch.
  • Added disposable BB batteries to game.
  • Changed work lamp to use BB batteries.
  • Changed ship battery recharge rates to be more realistic.
  • Changed ship batteries to have lower capacity when damaged.
  • Changed EVA suit to drain battery 10x slower.
  • Added EVA battery recharging station to game.
  • Added EVA recharging station to OKLG.
  • Added Facilities Fee to OKLG docking fees.
  • Fixed a bug that prevented containers from updating their appearances if item dropped inside them in inventory.
  • Changed Tools to use different sprites if they have a battery inside
  • Added message in the log when an interaction fails due to low power
  • Added message in the log when tool power falls below 5%


  • Added Hotkey to cycle between crew (Tab)
  • Changed cycling to crew on other ships now loads that ship
  • Changed crew to auto-undamage things on owned ships if their AI is enabled
  • Changed crew to start with AI, and is disabled by manually ordering them around.
  • Added a new AI Mode button is down near status info in HUD to allow re-enabling AI
  • Added context menu options to toggle AI mode on crew.
  • Changed AI to now path through double-airlocks without fiddling if you manually order them to
  • Changed NPCs to repeat themselves less in conversations
  • Changed Fixer to be more profitable. Licensed Kiosk less profitable. Should be more balanced.
  • Changed captain to start with 24h schedule entirely set to "Work"
  • Fixed game to not return to 1x speed if emergency happens at
  • Fixed Crew Sight, now you see from the perspective of who you control
  • Changed hiring negotiation to use social combat.
  • Changed game to have optional task ownership.
  • Added code to make crew AI prefer personally owned tasks over all-crew tasks when getting work.
  • Changed AI to ignore crew tasks if in AI manual mode.
  • Changed game to make context menu actions owned by current crew member.
  • Changed AI to skip looking for things to undamage when in AI manual mode.
  • Fixed a bug that caused derelicts to play lots of damaging noises when first docking to them.
  • Changed install times to be shorter for canisters, walls, floors, beds, chairs, and other simple jobs.
  • Changed police shakedown conversation to be forced to end faster.
  • Fixed refuel kiosk hiding numbers in 4:3 aspect ratio.
  • Fixed refuel kiosk not showing outstanding fines on screen, causing kiosk to claim insufficient funds despite user having more money than listed total.
  • Changed progress bar to show progress rate based on skills and tools.
  • Fixed a bug that caused all PDA tasks to be owned by currently selected crew.
  • Changed AI manual to allow taking work tasks they don't personally own.
  • Fixed a bug that caused a crash if user cycled to off-ship, non-captain crew and attempted to save.
  • Changed AI to bother player and anyone sleeping/working 99% less often.
  • Changed game to let captain's AI automatically deal with NPC chatter most of the time, instead of raising the UI.
  • Changed events like micrometeoroid to only happen when game unpaused.
  • Fixed a bug that caused Disembark Fail to appear in NPC context menus.
  • Fixed missing friendly name on loose, damaged nav station.
  • Changed task tooltip to show all tasks in current tile, not just top one.
  • Added more appropriate starting equipment to NPC scavs on OKLG.
  • Changed task manager to leave tasks open until done, instead of until they were started.
  • Fixed a bug that caused AI to wander around attempting to equip installed floors for comfort.
  • Changed AI to ignore items that are like new when looking for things to undamage.


  • Fixed a bug that caused installing a part to fail if controlling crew on different ship from captain.
  • Fixed a bug that caused debug air pumps and conduits to appear in inventory/trade lists.
  • Fixed a bug that caused items to appear in impossible places after an uninstall or other modeswitch.
  • Fixed a bug that caused inventory items to disappear if they were on a blocker grid space when picked up.
  • Added photosensitivity warning to game loading screen as the game contains more sparks, flashing lights etc.
  • Added motor component.
  • Added heat sink component
  • Added motherboard component
  • Added ability to repair damaged air pump with a motor.
  • Changed uninstalling to always place resulting object in same spot, to avoid placing outside ship.
  • Fixed a bug that caused traders to spawn empty containers and tools, instead of their normal contents.
  • Fixed a bug that allowed player to select dead crew members.
  • Added code to cycle to next crew if currently selected crew dies.
  • Added random damage to OKLG stations according to their maintenance levels.
  • Fixed a bug that would log when an item gave itself to player.
  • Changed AI to prefer using items in hands first, then carried items, then items on floor based on distance.
  • Changed battery charge info in top right tooltip to show percent instead of many decimal kWh.
  • Fixed a bug that could break saving the game if an installable object had null list of components inside it.
  • Fixed a bug that allowed tools to be used to repair themselves.
  • Fixed a bug that caused inventory item to be unusable if player was facing a wall.
  • Fixed a bug that meant crew would never pay back Death Pay upon being fired or quitting
  • Fixed a bug that meant crew salary would remain on the roster after being fired or quitting
  • Added extra persuasion conversation when crew quits to try win them back
  • Added extra dialogue to allow crew to quit amicably or aggressively
  • Added ability for crew to have conversations without interrupting the player with a popup every time
  • Fixed a bug that could sometimes cause UI fade-ins to leave UI unclickable.
  • Fixed a bug that prevented sitting in chairs.
  • Added save version warning message to loading screen.


As you can tell from the changelist above, the new patch is focused on creating a more complex, dynamic, and customizable journey from busted ship to zooming whip. As a first level of complexity we've designed a custom shader that procedurally applies damage and visual noise to every item in the game. This damage increases over time and can break the part when it reaches capacity, so you'll have to use the restore action to keep parts in working condition.

On top of that, crucial ship parts like Nav Stations and RCS systems are now made up of internal components such as motors, motherboards and heat sinks. This means repairing them isn't as easy as a simple restore action, as you'll need the right components to make them work.



In addition, broken ship parts are no longer a binary of "working" or "not working." Instead, parts fail in dynamic and variable ways, from efficiency loss to gas leaks to intermittent thruster sputtering. These failures combine to create crises unique to your game story, and force you to creatively problem solve or else face doom in the void.

We wouldn't want you to go it alone, so as another feature we've spruced up our crew and AI system. Crew members now automatically restore your ship as a default behaviour, assuming you've given them the right tools. We've added a new Behavior: Auto/Manual mode toggle, just in case you want to tab from crew member to crew member and micro every action yourself.

As always, please tell us what you think! We thrive on your feedback and love to hear from our players in Discord and beyond.

Thanks for reading and…oh crap. What was that noise? If that's my Hydra failing again, I swear...

Best,
Daniel Fedor
Founder, Blue Bottle Games, LLC

Ostranauts Patch 0.8.0.16 Is Live!

Hey Folks!

Ostranauts v0.8.0.16 is now available on Steam, and your clients should be updating shortly.

This patch has been in opt-in beta for a while, and seems to correctly fix several bugs that have been reported recently, particularly with OKLG performance and characters sleeping. (And we're still working on a larger update in parallel for the next milestone.)

Saves from 0.8.0.X should work. If you were experiencing issues in the older save, this patch may fix some (especially sleep and OKLG lag issues), but others may persist depending on the cause.

  • Fixed a bug that caused AI to get stuck in a loop looking for helmets and suits.
  • Changed AI to skip trying to reach helmets on other ships (unless they have permission or are dying).
  • Fixed a bug that caused NPCs to fail reaching transit, causing them to get stuck and lag game on OKLG.
  • Added code to tell player if a task failed due to pathfinding in task list/tooltip.
  • Changed police shakedown conversation to be forced to end faster.
  • Fixed a bug that could cause some replies to be repeated over and over by AI.
  • Fixed a bug that caused issues with crew staying asleep.
  • Fixed a bug that caused Unconscious to remain on a character after they woke up.
  • Fixed a bug that caused AI to pop nausea pills endlessly when hungry.
  • Fixed a bug that caused selected crew to appear on wrong side of social UI if non-captain selected.
  • Fixed a bug that could cause nulls when mousing over construction jobs that are missing from memory.
  • Changed AI visibility to allow them to work on tasks inside a wall if they can reach tile next to it.
  • Fixed refuel kiosk hiding numbers in 4:3 aspect ratio.
  • Fixed refuel kiosk not showing outstanding fines on screen, causing kiosk to claim insufficient funds despite user having more money than listed total.


One of the big changes here is to AI pathfinding. For example, how AIs seek O2 (EVA helmets and suits). We curtailed their searching on other ships unless they were in dire need. Plus, fixed a bug in their pathfinding to transit. And reaching tasks in wall corners. These fixes all reduce the amount of failed pathfinding attempts, and therefore lag. Especially on OKLG.

There were also some bugs in the sleep system, causing some crew to be unable to sleep, or to be stuck with "unconscious" after awaking (making most actions impossible).

Plus, we fixed a range of smaller issues, from AI quirks to aspect ratio issues.

As always, there's plenty more for us to fix, change, and add! And we'll be continuing in roughly that order. In the meantime, let us know if this patch helps you out, as well as if it reveals new problems!

Best,
Daniel Fedor
Founder, Blue Bottle Games, LLC

Ostranauts Patch 0.8.0.13 Is Live!

Hey Folks!

Ostranauts v0.8.0.13 is now available on Steam, and your clients should be updating shortly.

This patch fixes several bugs that have been reported recently, plus rebalances some things and makes a few economy changes. (And we're still working on a larger update in parallel for the next milestone.)

Saves from 0.8.0.X should work. If you were experiencing issues in the older save, this patch may fix some (especially timing-related issues), but others may persist depending on the cause.

  • Changed fixer to be more profitable, and licensed kiosk to be less profitable.
  • Changed AI to prefer choosing new replies instead of repeating same one over and over.
  • Fixed a bug that caused derelict gas canisters to always be full.
  • Fixed a null bug that could cause PDA socials page to crash while filling in contacts.
  • Added code to show missing COs as deceased in PDA socials page.
  • Changed PDA socials page to list close contacts first and strangers last.
  • Fixed a bug that allowed patrol ships with dead pilots to dock with player.
  • Fixed a bug that sometimes caused game to be unplayable if user had a controller or joystick plugged in.
  • Fixed a bug that would leave stray stacks of items in space sometimes.


One of the bigger changes here is an inversion of the fixer-licensed kiosk economy balance. Previously, the fixer was less profitable than the licensed kiosk, which runs contrary to the game's promise of "honest work is a slow death."

Now, the fixer will pay better for most items they buy, and the licensed kiosk is merely better than the regular kiosk.

We also found a bug that was preventing gas canisters on derelicts from being partially drained, so beware some salvaged cans may have less in them now!

The PDA's "Socials" UI received some love, making it more resilient to deceased contacts. And also sorting contacts in a more useful way.

Dead(!) police crew can no longer prevent you from undocking now. And anyone having camera/movement issues may find some relief, as well. There was a joystick input bug that commandeered the game on some people's machines.

As always, there's plenty more for us to fix, change, and add! And we'll be continuing in roughly that order. In the meantime, let us know if this patch helps you out, as well as if it reveals new problems!

Best,
Daniel Fedor
Founder, Blue Bottle Games, LLC

Ostranauts Patch 0.8.0.9 Is Live!

Hey Folks!

Ostranauts v0.8.0.9 is now available on Steam, and your clients should be updating shortly.

This patch fixes two bugs that have been reported in yesterday's build, and hopefully avoiding some annoying issues that cropped up.

Saves from 0.8.0.X should work fine.

  • Fixed a bug that would allow player to get into social combat with self and get stuck in UI.
  • Fixed bug that prevented accessing door locks when closed.


The main bug this addresses is cases where players became stuck in a conversation with themselves. This seems like it could be triggered when walking onto OKLG the first time, and more generally, when the player interrupts an encounter as it loads. This patch should prevent this from happening from now on.

The other issue was a pathfinding error when attempting to access door locks. The range of the interaction was set to 0, meaning AIs could not reach the UI while the door was closed.

As always, let us know if this patch helps you out, as well as if it reveals new problems!

Best,
Daniel Fedor
Founder, Blue Bottle Games, LLC

Patch 0.8.0.8 "The Art of Conversation" Update Is Live!

Hey Folks!

Ostranauts v0.8.0.8 is now available on Steam. Named "The Art of Conversation" Update, it represents a major feature update, hence the change from 0.7.x to 0.8.x.



For best results, you are encouraged to start a new character.

Old saves might still work, but there's a chance they'll cause bugs. And they will definitely miss new content.

It's a pretty significant patch, so we've broken down the change list into sections.

  • Added new Social Combat "Objective" mode for high stakes negotiations.
  • Added ability to undock from station with unpaid fees if player convinces a clerk to override the lockdown.
  • Added ability to gain black market access by convincing Fixer on OKLG to trust you.
  • Added ability to lessen police fines by convincing police.
  • Added an objective UI box for explaining the stakes and goals of social combat scenarios.
  • Added overlays to stat bars to show where current negotiation will succeed or fail.
  • Added "Gambit" moves which attempt to finish social combat with a successful outcome.
  • Added "Closer" moves which NPCs will use to finish social combat on their terms.
  • Changed social move preview to show more info on each move.
  • Added highlight on profile of character who’s turn it is.
  • Added code to center camera on speaker during social combat.
  • Changed social stat bars to smoothly change color based on their amount.
  • Added green/pink color highlights when social stat bars are changed
  • Added tooltips to social stat bars to show more info.
  • Changed NPC behavior to load social combat if they approach player to talk.
  • Added new core social moves to game.
  • Changed most social moves to be faster.
  • Changed solo social moves to have different durations, so they don't all start and stop synchronously.
  • Changed conversations to have "change subject" and "leave" options always at end.
  • Changed NPCs to heal privacy discomfort over time, even if they are not on-screen in a loaded ship.
  • Changed NPC behavior to avoid chatting with player if player is already in social combat.
  • Changed player starting social mood to be more middle of road instead of perfect.
  • Changed social stats to degrade/recover naturally faster than before.
  • Changed Fixer and Port Authority clerk to start with less discomforts.


  • Changed game data to be more modder friendly, and avoid overwrites from patch updates.
  • Added a button to open the mods folder from the Options->Files menu.
  • Added more logging info when loading mods, including names of mod as it loads.
  • Added list of loaded mods and their statuses to the Options->Files menu.
  • Changed StreamingData to have folders for each json type, and game loads all jsons from each folder.
  • Added SampleMod.zip to game folder to help new modders.
  • Added moddable PlotManager Settings, in StreamingAssets/data/plot_manager/ folder.
  • Changed game to load moddable star system data from StreamingData/star_systems/.
  • Changed console_params.json to be in persistent data folder instead of StreamingData.
  • Changed game to load core and mod data in user-defined order. Game checks for loading_order.json in game data Mods/ folder before loading. Loads mods in that order, or defaults to game data if missing.
  • Changed game to try loading mod PNGs before core PNGs.
  • Added ability to skip loading core and mod file paths via settings in loading_order.json.
  • Changed formatting inside names_first.json, names_last.json, names_full.json, names_ship.json, names_ship_genadj.json, names_ship_gennoun.json, strings.json, and crewskins.json to be more moddable.
  • Added support for a settings.json file in persistent data folder.
  • Added user settings preferences for date format, temperature units, and custom Mods/ folder.
  • Fixed some typos and extra spaces in names_ship.json.


  • Added new parallax backgrounds to the boneyard, stations, and deep space.
  • Added code to change the parallax background based on nearest orbital body.
  • Changed door opening to be faster after AI starts opening them.
  • Added an emotional effects to all crew after a collision.
  • Added custom collision bark responses to AIs with relevant traits.
  • Added an emotional effects to AI when they are in O2 danger.
  • Changed trait costs to be more balanced with their rewards and penalties.
  • Added station names to all other stations in the System.
  • Changed docking fees to always belong to regional ATC, not local station.
  • Changed undocking to be allowed with unpaid fees when in non-regional ATC station.
  • Added ability to save custom backgrounds in ship editor that extend beyond ship boundaries, without breaking pathfinding/docking.
  • Added random chance of emotional anxiety to game.
  • Added first undocking fees warning encounter.
  • Added encounter for first time at OKLG_BIZ.
  • Added port authority coveralls to game.


  • Changed debug console to auto-open log the first time error level might affect gameplay.
  • Changed options screen to allow other date and temperature formats.
  • Changed remappable hotkeys to contain more options
  • Changed the hotkeys into a scrollable list rather than a grid
  • Added related sections to the hotkeys list
  • Changed hotkeys to accept multi-key inputs (i.e. shift + F1 toggles LoS)
  • Changed hotkeys to allow for multiple variants (i.e. either W and up arrow fly forwards)
  • Changed hotkeys to allow removal of last key variation (can now leave hotkeys empty)
  • Changed Docking/Flying UI to use arrows instead of key letters
  • Added code to lock UI so enter key counts as pressing the lock/unlock button.
  • Added code to options->interface screen to restore user settings when re-opened later.
  • Changed chargen launch screen to play different audio when launch button fails.
  • Changed chargen launch screen to blink warning lamp and text when launch button fails.
  • Change chargen launch screen PDA text to no longer mention immediately airless voids (not applicable now).
  • Changed Ship Editor to hide crew bar UI at bottom, and move top nav further toward left corner.
  • Changed ship editor's part info/control panel launch window to be a scrolling window, and show user friendly button name.
  • Removed console from bottom of debug overlay. Unused.
  • Changed debug overlay to have less overlapping.
  • Added 25th hour to Roster UI to help illustrate that days have more than 24h.
  • Changed social combat canvas scaling to have some text be fixed size
  • Changed many text boxes to resize text to fill them automatically


  • Changed pathfinding to be generally tighter and more consistent.
  • Fixed a bug that caused extra/erroneous 'cant path through AirLock with pressure difference!' log messages.
  • Fixed a bug that allowed pathfinders to interact with things while too far away. E.g. stopping a tile too soon before starting socialize
  • Fixed a bug that caused inconsistent pathfinding goals when AI approached a target.
  • Added code to avoid saving games with a trailing . in the name, as it fails on Windows.
  • Fixed a bug that caused traders to update their prices after a save/load, dock/undock, or using transit.
  • Fixed a bug that caused double progress bars under people.
  • Fixed a bug that could cause social combat target to disappear from station suddenly and become a scavenger pilot.
  • Fixed a bug that could crash the game if no valid character names are loaded from data.
  • Fixed missing anti cond info for Genius and Obtuse.
  • Fixed a bug that could cause game to freeze for long periods due to collisions at extreme speeds.
  • Fixed a bug that prevented AI from wearing helmet if they were carrying it.
  • Fixed a bug that caused police to just stand on their ship instead of question you, when path to you opened an airlock.
  • Fixed a bug in game debug console that ignored some unhandled exceptions.
  • Fixed a bug that caused options->interface screen to be visible but not clickable until reopened, if used in main menu then again after launching game.
  • Fixed a bug that caused a ship's work task icons to be missing after undocking and redocking.
  • Fixed a bug that allowed RCS rotation and screen shaking if ship's RCS remass was empty.
  • Fixed a bug that caused placeholder items (for installs) to be blank or missing on ships after undocking from them and saving/loading.
  • Removed quickzoom hotkey from game. Was only meant for debug.
  • Fixed a bug in that could cause nulls if an interaction gave missing loot to a person.
  • Fixed a bug that caused social stats to wrap around back to high if they got too low.
  • Fixed a bug that would cause social combat UI to target self and get stuck in a loop.
  • Fixed a bug that caused NPCs to lash out at player and interrupt them if they were in a bad mood while using transit.
  • Fixed a bug that would center camera on strange things if user clicked objective for off-screen ship.
  • Fixed missing audio for trade UI buy/sell buttons.
  • Fixed a bug that would generate NPCs with ORG as a career.


The namesake for this update is the new social combat system. There are now conversations in the game where the outcome can have real, meaningful consequences. Whether it be access to markets, avoiding fees, or even running away from debtors.

The social "objective" UI will appear when in these negotiations, and the UI will highlight red zones where the target will likely bail out on you. We also added a range of new UI helpers to show the current status of the conversation, and how things are changing.

Regular "chit chat" conversation should be more consistent now, too. Moves are faster, have more consistent effects, and you can even use these chit-chat moves to prep a target before going in for negotiations.



Modding also got a lot of attention! There is now a dedicated mod status UI in the options->files screen, where you can see what mods have loaded, in what order, where the mod files are, and even documentation on how to mod!

One of the bigger changes under the hood is how the game data files work now. Previously, there was only one set of game files, and any edits to those files were likely to be erased by a Steam update.

Now, the core data is separate from Mod data, so modders can edit anything they like without fear of overwriting by Steam. Plus, there is no limit to the number of files under each data type's folder, so you can organize your mod into as many files as you wish.

The game comes with a SampleMod.zip for you to look at if you wish to start from something simple.

There's also an update to the error console in the top left of the screen, so that it more reliably reports errors, and will appear in real time with a message if an error has likely corrupted the game.

We also added parallax backgrounds for the boneyard, stations, and deep space, to make things more immersive. In the boneyard, you'll see procedural junk fly by in the background with the stars. And on ground stations, you'll no longer see stars through the ground.

Users can also now place background items in the ship editor, which look like regular placed items, but don't interact with items in the game world. They all exist on a separate layer, but use shared lighting/shadows. Use these for things like station backgrounds and other effects!

Hotkeys had a complete overhaul, making them more reliable and versatile. And paving the way for more hotkey-mappable things in the future. Hopefully, users with many keyboard configs can now make use of it!

And those are just the big-ticket features! Lots of smaller UI tweaks, game balance changes, bug fixes, and other changes.

As always, we love hearing what you think! Tell us how your run goes. What works for you? What is or isn't fun? What do you want to see next?

Thanks for reading, and fly safe!

Best,
Daniel Fedor
Founder, Blue Bottle Games, LLC