LithoBreak News

[p]Hey builders! Today’s impactful Full Moon Update brings a fresh identity, cleaner co-op, and the first big steps toward deeper crafting.[/p][p]
[/p][h2]What’s inside[/h2][p]Meteors & Dust
Dynamic meteor streaks now blast ejecta plumes into the rarified atmosphere, and new ambient dust particles add depth and mood to the horizon.[/p][p][/p][p]New Logo & Branding
We’ve refreshed our look across the store. You’ll see the new mark on the Steam page, while the beloved alchemical symbol remains the in-game LithoBreak Corporation logo.[/p][p][/p][p]Improved Multiplayer
A better host/join flow and stability improvements to help you spin up sessions faster and start a session from a save. We’ve also made small UX tweaks to make playing together clearer.[/p][p]Material Purity Grades
Resources now have visible purity grades. Recipes care about minimum quality for improved properties. Refining and processing can raise the grade so your parts perform better.[/p][p][/p][p]Item System Overhaul (Parts-Ready)
Under the hood we’ve rebuilt items to support true parts-made-of-parts and stock materials. That means, slabs, rolls, billets, wires, composite components, sub-assemblies, and many more parts in future updates. The backend is in now; the first stock materials and composite recipes land in upcoming full-moon drops.[/p][p]QoL & Polish
UI readability passes, small performance improvements on the moon surface, and lots of bug fixes.[/p][p][/p][h2]Play together[/h2][p]Jump in with friends and kick the tires on multiplayer. If you run into issues:[/p]

• [p]Post in the steam forums or in the #bug-reports channel on Discord (linked on the right side of the store page).[/p]
• [p]Include your log if you can and tell us if it impacts the host/client, player count, and what you were doing.[/p]

[h2]Our new cadence: Every Full Moon 🌕[/h2][p]We’re committing to main-branch updates on each full moon. Expect steady, thematic drops rather than giant, infrequent patches. Next up: the new character suit, sneak peak is on our Discord server.[/p][p]Thank you for building with us—and for cheering on a small team pushing a big simulation. See you under the full moon![/p][p]— The Tau Ceti Labs team[/p]

[p][/p][p]We are wrapping up some major improvements under the hood to bring metal stock materials and metal parts into the game. The good news is we are starting to see the parts literally coming together, as in the Printer in the background of this image just made the finishing parts to construct the Sifter!

More updates to come, and we are dropping new builds on the experimental branch on a weekly basis. Stay tuned![/p]

Quick update. While finishing up the buildings, we went ahead and added meteors to give a bit more reason to build a roof over that equipment (and yourself). Better visuals are coming soon.

Stay safe out there!

Dear LithoBreak Community,

We hope this message finds you well. We want to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for your continued support and enthusiasm for LithoBreak. Your feedback and engagement have been invaluable to us as we work to make this game the best it can be.


Pause on Episode Development

We have an important update to share regarding the development of Episode 1 and future episodes.

After careful consideration, we’ve decided to temporarily offload work on the episodes during early access. This means that while we have updated the Steam 'default' branch to include multiplayer functionality, it does not include Episode 1 content.

We understand that this news may be disappointing, knowing most of you have enjoyed Episode 1 and are eagerly awaiting Episode 2. However, we believe this decision will ultimately benefit the game and the community in the long run. By focusing on completing and polishing the core gameplay loop, we can ensure a more robust and engaging experience for everyone in all game modes.




Why This Change?

1. Improved Story Content: When we reintroduce the story content, it will be refreshed and be built atop a solid foundation of core gameplay mechanics. This allows us more creative freedom and ensures a seamless experience.
   
2. Resource Efficiency: Maintaining Episode 1 through development is resource-intensive for our small team. Offloading this work allows us to focus our efforts on enhancing the core gameplay and adding new features.
   
3. Access to Original Episode 1: For those who wish to experience the original Episode 1, we’ve added an 'ogepisode1' branch on Steam. This way, you can still enjoy the story content while we work on bringing you an even better experience in the future.
   

Current Development Focus

Here’s an update on where we are at and what we’re working on:

• Multiplayer Testing: We’ve recently completed a round of testing, open to everyone who had purchased LithoBreak, to validate that multiplayer functionality works seamlessly. Thank you to everyone who participated in this testing phase!
  
• First-Person Mechanics: In direct response to the feedback received through the multiplayer testing, we’re adding more first-person mechanics to give multiplayer gameplay more depth and meaning. This includes animated character models and Gadgets (holdable and useable items) that players can utilize.
  
• Community Poll for Next Gadget: We’re excited to involve you in the development process! We are hosting a week-long community poll to decide what the next Gadget should be over on Discord.
  

Looking Ahead

While this shift in focus may be challenging in the short term, we are confident that it will lead to a more polished and enjoyable game for all. We appreciate your understanding and patience as we make these necessary adjustments. Your feedback and support are crucial to us, and we encourage you to share your thoughts and ideas.

Following the Gadgets mechanics will come the much anticipated Custom Buildings and Custom Vehicles, so stay tuned for that!

Thank you for being a part of the LithoBreak journey. Together, we can create something truly special.

Warm regards,

The LithoBreak Development Team

Greetings, LithoBreakers! 🌟

👋 Welcome to the October LithoBreak update from Tau Ceti Labs!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

🚀 Finally, some good multiplayer content! Amirite? 😅

🔗 Quick Links:
🎮 Sign Up for Playtest
👾 Join our Discord Community

See you among the stars! 🌌
The Tau Ceti Labs Team