Underspace News

Hello starchasers! Did you have a good The Game Awards? Did you see that trailer without any gameplay? Yeah that sure was a trailer. Did your favorite game lose? My cat's favorite game lost and now he's overcome with despair.



I'm sorry to the both of you, but maybe you should play better games, like Underspace.

Anyway, this is possibly our last patch for the year, and it's a good one. All our patches are good, mind you.



There's a lot of new little QoL things here, most of these requested features. Whose procrastinating on doing the big milestone update? Not this guy, no sir.
Anyway we've made rare skill reset items that can be used now. These aren't replacing the NPCs that can also reset your skills, it's just another option on top of that.



I've also added a way to define a controller override for controller presets. Again, not sure how crazy this'll get. There's a reason the game screams MOUSE AND KEYBOARD RECOMMENDED every chance it gets.



There's new UI stuff now too, such as star system descriptions displaying known stations and any active bounties.



Finally, on the subject of new models, Shadowspear now has better models for his weakpoints and the Loco Star finally has a proper cab fit for an engineer. Not a conductor. Conductors don't drive the train. You should know this by now.



And lots of other things. This is honestly a pretty featurefilled little patch, so check out the full notes.



[h2]NEW FEATURES[/h2]

• Added door sounds to animated opening doors.
  
• Added lots of intermediary quests between campaign missions that tell you to go get stronger or wait a bit, to help teach players about the concept of delayed gratification.
  
• Added attacks to big kill and structure demolition… structures. You know what I mean.
  
• Added new skill reset items, single use objects that let you reset your skills anywhere. They’re rare drops from wrecks, quests, or able to be crafted at endgame levels for a high cost.
  
• Added a controller preset override, which allows you to specify a pre-existing layout for any controller plugged in. Not sure how crazy this’ll get, I don’t use controllers.
  
• The Loco Star now has its own cockpit model.
  
• Star system descriptions now display known stations and current bounties.
  
• Amaron will now appear as a potential starchaser ally after finishing Off Track.
  
• Creon will now appear as a potential starchaser ally.
  

[h2]CHANGES AND REBALANCES[/h2]

• You can now individually clear or reset specific keys.
  
• Increased the number of missions that can be offered at any given time.
  
• Keypad animations are much faster now.
  
• Redid the lighting on many Washer stations to better fit the atmosphere of the faction in question.
  
• Redid details in Oldjarri Church.
  
• Changed the weakspots for Shadowspear to be more visible rings and adjusted the hitbox for them.
  
• Player achievement text now tracks the number of storm hazards you’ve seen and is slightly more readable.
  
• Campaign missions now count the same as completed random missions in code.
  
• Increased the speed and mining rate of all mining drones, and removed their energy degeneration.
  
• Changed some scenery in smuggling stations.
  
• Reduced the spawn distance of some storm hazards.
  
• Assassination missions will no longer be offered if the player is not at least neutral with the shake down faction in question and if the faction in question is able to spawn in the star system.
  
• Rampage missions no longer require enemies to be killed in the same system where the mission was taken.
  
• Changed certain faction mission offerings.
  

[h2]FIXES[/h2]

• Fixed issue where the cycle weapon group button wouldn’t work.
  
• Fixed issue where Brute Innovation would spawn the item too close to the player.
  
• Fixed issue where quest finales could be interrupted by things like pirates, gods, car warranty scams, etc.
  
• Fixed issue where keypad sounds were too quiet and mixed up.
  
• Fixed issue where email login UIs couldn’t be tabbed through.
  
• Fixed flickering lights in customization hangars.
  
• Fixed various flickering lights in places.
  
• Fixed bartender NPCs that weren’t tending bars.
  
• Fixed issue where Rust Drones had bad hitboxes.
  
• Fixed issue where Rust Beams could hit your detection sphere.
  
• Fixed issue where mission 15 dialogue could close prematurely
  
• Fixed text culling issues in the Ijuni fighter cockpit.
  
• Fixed issue where some menus could be accessed even when the game was paused.
  
• Fixed issue where Ancient Secrets would pop up too early.
  

More cats to close out the year? Fiiiiiiine.

Welcome starchasers! It's the Steam Autumn Sale (which takes place in the heart of winter for some reason) and predictably, we've got a patch just in time for you. I know you love patches, in the same way Mimosa loves her mechanical duck toy and Prince loves his string.


This update's got a few new tidbits that I finally got around to doing. No it's still not the big milestone update, seeing as that includes a lot of huge stuff like full planetside interiors, it obviously takes a lot of doing. But there's still some neat things!




You ever make use of drones, autoturrets, or those fishing platform thingies that heal you (did you know that?). Well been completely changed in how they function. Rather than actively draining your energy, they now work off an active time amount followed by a cooldown. This leaves your AI skill a bit more useful.



We've also got a new weapon type, one of our most request types: summoning pods. These launchers pump out weapons platforms that attack your nearby enemies, but their health decays over time. Again, your AI skill increases the time they're able to stay alive.



There's also been some lighting changes. Turns out there's some old code from like five years ago (back when lightning wasn't actual lightning) and it was causing issues. Now it's not. Very atmospheric.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Finally, you kept wanting to see more activity throughout space, so now there is! Asteroid fields, nebulas, and the deep reaches of space now have encounters for various space pirates, smugglers, and more.



Onto the patch!



[h2]NEW FEATURES[/h2]

• Total overhaul of how AI and the AI skill works. AI now no longer drain energy, but instead have a maximum amount of time they're able to be active before they go into a cooldown. The AI skill now increases the amount of time the AI can be active. Mining drones are unaffected by this change (as they don’t drain energy to begin with).
  
• Added summoning pods: These are missile launchers that go into your AI slot and can be used to temporarily summon forth weapon platforms that attack nearby enemies. These platforms decay over time, with your AI skill affecting how long they can stay active. You can find a variety of these pods sold through stations across the galaxy, with a special few able to be crafted with… certain materials.
  
• Station descriptions now include a list of the equipment sold at the station. Remember: You asked for this.
  
• Points of interest that haven’t been found now have a new scan pulse icon, to help colorblind players.
  
• Increased ship presence: Pirates now inhabit many forgotten corners of the galaxy, and if you’re off the beaten path in nebulas and asteroid belts you’ll often encounter them.
  

[h2]CHANGES AND REBALANCES[/h2]

• Train lines are now colored based on inbound and outbound services. There will be no service to Miami.
  
• Conceptual primers now stack.
  
• Several crafting items are now special items instead of cargo items, and are held in your overall, nonspecific ship inventory.
  
• Made scanning for the courier ship in Long Legacies more reliable.
  
• Adjusted drop tables of knowledge items to base 10% (down from 30%).
  
• Adjusted drop tables of repair items dropped by NPCs. Tier 3 ships now have a base 5% chance (up from 1%) tier 2 ships now have a base 3% chance (up from 1%)
  

[h2]FIXES[/h2]

• Fixed some text culling issues with the Apocalypse’s cockpit.
  
• Fixed culling issues where some nebulas still showed objects.
  
• Fixed some rendering issues aboard Battleship Greatclaw.
  
• Fixed old as balls lighting issue with lightning in storms. Ambient lighting during a storm should generally have smoother transitions now.
  
• Fixed issue with drop tables for several larger ships during random missions.
  
• Fixed some secret dialogue where the speakers were incorrect.
  
• Added better restrictions to the Omadaz to prevent docking on it.
  
• Fixed some mismatched icons and names in the Bigger Picture.
  
• Fixed issue where out of system waypoints wouldn’t work if you had ever discovered a space leviathan.
  
• Fixed issue where you could quickload a savegame mid-jump, causing issues.
  
• Fixed issue where the Volatile Planetoid would play a victory sting, even if you didn’t actually beat the boss.
  

Welcome back Starchasers! I recall saying that I was off to the Big Easy to gain ten pounds in gumbo and banana's foster, but it as it turns out when most of the good places are all within walking distance you actually end up losing weight.

What was I talking about? My cat's birthday? Oh right it was his birthday during this hiatus. He's three years old now. Go on, wish him well.


Work on the two remaining milestone updates go at a steady, albeit slow pace. Another new thing coming with Milestone #3 are something more than a few players have asked for: new spaceships to fly.


This here is the corporate shipline. They have inherent bonuses to mission payouts, making them great for making money early on. A few more ships will be included with milestone 3, but you'll have to wait and see to see them.

This patch also has a few new UI quality of life stuffs, like more visible train route tech.


Onto the patch!



[h2]NEW FEATURES[/h2]

• Traintravel route views have been redone: When active they disable the other visible connections on your map, and mousing over a system will show any connecting train routes.
  
• Pyrona and Haskar now appear as temporary allies during A Proper Vauldwin Princess.
  
• A hyperstrom is now generated during a Proper Vauldwin Princess.
  
• Jella now appears as a temporary ally during Back Home In Hell.
  
• Added new effects for Gallia’s freakout during Thoughtspace.
  
• Zeph now joins you for the final fight in King of the Macrovari.
  
• Implemented the basics of nebula culling. That is to say: Most objects inside nebulas will no longer be visible outside of them.
  
• Added changed and colored icons for guns based on their energy types and refire rates.
  

[h2]CHANGES AND REBALANCES[/h2]

• Moved the tablet detailing Petra’s terminal username to be more visible in Shadows of a Sun.
  
• Changed how the shield downtime skill’s bonuses are displayed, and renamed the skill to Shield Rebuild Time. The skill still functions the same way.
  

[h2]FIXES[/h2]

• Ships during Hard Business will no longer try to avoid obstacles, hopefully eliminating the chance for possible softlocks.
  
• Fixed issue where Slitherveils would spawn too early during A Proper Vauldwin Princess
  
• Fixed issue with Snake style bosses getting caught in an endless loop on rare occasions.
  
• Fixed softlocks that could occur with Tourbon’s party quest.
  
• Fixed some mismatched icons in Tourbon’s party quest.
  
• Fixed issue where bounties that entailed fighting groups of monsters wouldn’t complete.
  
• Fixed issue where Hardturn had a marked quest that isn’t available yet.
  
• Fixed issue where crafting items using equipped materials wouldn’t cause those materials to unequip.
  
• Fixed issue with the Ship Off Course random mission where said ship couldn’t be damaged.
  
• Fixed issue where changing tabs in the inventory wouldn’t cause submenus to close.
  
• Fixed issue where transferring items between ships could sometimes result in some items going missing. These were being fed to Gradabradulon, He Who Eats Between Lines, and ole Grabby was finally hunted down and beaten to death with a sack of hammers by a few fed-up starchasers .
  
• Fixed some mismatched and overdrawn cameras.
  

Hello starchasers! This is was originally going to be a cockpit hotfix for our lastweek gamepatch, but then I worked a bunch and now it's not. We're still not quite ready to showcase what's coming up for milestone 3, in the same way that my cat's not quite willing to accept that he's a gremlin.



There's a big charcuterie board's worth of stuff this patch, which hopefully should tide the more peckish of you pilots over for the next few weeks. I'll be vacationing down to New Orleans for the early parts of November, so you'll probably see little activity at that time.



Now let's get into all of it.



[h2]NEW FEATURES[/h2]

• Added new tutorials for low level players that occur when you equip different kinds of equipment such as heavy weapons, mines, and drones.
  
• Added a new UI widget tracking your wanted status within a star system.
  
• Added new console command “granteyes, givestormeyes, and grantuseyes” which will give stormeyes to you.
  
• Added new console command “washermode” which will instantly set you to hostile with all lawfully aligned factions in game.
  
• During the main campaign, military groups will offer special story-related random missions, including instant action battles against both the Doomsdayers and the Triangles.
  
• Reach Station now offers defense missions once it’s completed.
  
• Added new icons and race variants for regional pirate groups.
  

[h2]CHANGES AND REBALANCES[/h2]

• Bombers now have a variation of their matching fighter cockpit that displays the second heavy attack… thing.
  
• Buffed the health of the final boss in True Struggles of a Modern Artist.
  
• Deleting saves on the main menu will no longer change the sorting.
  
• Increased the size of hitboxes on NPC drones.
  
• Decrease the size of NPC drone effects, due to being about 20x larger than intended.
  
• NPC drones can no longer be killed by their owners by accident. They’re combat robots, not hamsters.
  
• Redid some aspects of Planet Landings to better prevent players falling off and softlocks.
  
• Lowered the thresholds for becoming wanted by the military within guarded systems. This is a precursor to a small overhaul to how the wanted system and military battleships in game works.
  
• Adjusted damage of drones during the penultimate bossfight to be less damaging.
  

[h2]FIXES[/h2]

• Fixed issue where Between Spaces’ dialogue could be interrupted.
  
• Fixed issue where you could reload a quickload in the respawn menu.
  
• Fixed issues with The Uprising that could result in a dialogue softlock.
  
• Changed the default inputs of self destruct and fixed issues where it wouldn’t work under normal circumstances.
  
• Changed the lighting, textures, and sounds in several stations to better match their characterization.
  
• Added some stuff to help prevent accidental softlocks when the Marching Star is active.
  
• Fixed issue where some objects weren’t enabled during campaign missions aboard the Marching Star.
  
• Fixed various typos in scanned item data.
  
• Fixed issue where your Pin would Ascend too early.
  
• Fixed softlock that could occur on the Axle during Mission 15.
  
• Changed some decorations in Reach Station.
  

Well hello starchasers! It's been a hot stellar minute, hasn't it? Did you think we were just going to leave you forever? We're not THAT kind of Early Access game, rest assured. But after breaking my soul and back to get Faces In The Fog out I wanted to take it slow on these upcoming updates. You know how it is, you pump out a huge amount of quests and nonsense and maybe you want to spend some time with your wife, cats, and the jerky they're determined to steal.




Which still means there's a metric scrapload of stuff in this update. Some of this was originally going to be kept separate from the main build until it was time for our big milestone update, but I'm a generous soul. That's what my therapist tells me at least. Let's get into it!



Cockpits! Cockpits now have their real textures and UI elements implemented. Different manufactures have styles and ways they'll set various cockpits up: Some are more detailed and more informative than others, and many come with an onboard ship radar.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]



I've also added a freelook mode to the cockpit camera.
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

There's also border control on star systems now. Go too far out and Stuff might begin to happen. This is just the first pass of this system now, mind you. Future updates will add more hazards and more Stuff that will Happen.
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

And there's a whole smattering of UI improvements. Star systems now display their current level, keybinds now give a description of what they do (even when it's obvious) and posters for non-hazard bounties have brand new graphics and icons.






[h2]NEW FEATURES[/h2]

• Added full textures for cockpits for all flyable ships in game.
  
• Added diegetic UI elements for all cockpits for all flyable ships in game. This includes elements like a working ship radar and such.
  
• Added a freelook key to your ship’s cockpit.
  
• Added border control: Go too far outside of the borders of known space, and you’ll encounter a lot of uncleared anomalies that will quickly make short work of you. No you can’t defeat them: you’re basically asking if you could assassinate a tidal wave.
  
• System readouts now display the star system’s current level (including if it’s affected by storms).
  
• Keybinds in the menu now have a description when moused over.
  
• Non-hazard bounties now have unique posters for each character.
  

[h2]CHANGES AND REBALANCES[/h2]

• Resized several room archetypes that were too large.
  
• When reaching the last waypoint in a list when in autopilot your ship will automatically stop now.
  

[h2]FIXES[/h2]

• Fixed issue where scrollbars in the options menu would reset in weird ways.
  
• Fixed additional quest typos and misnamings.
  
• Fixed issue where ship coloring requirement functions wouldn’t work upon reloading a save.
  
• Fixed issue with some kill missions that were unable to be completed.
  
• Fixed issue with item retrieval missions that could result in them not completing.
  
• Fixed issue where acquiring knowledge would cause a softlock on rare occasions.
  
• Fixed several drop tables for NPCs that had their data wiped out.
  
• Fixed UI issue where scrollbar on bounty boards would start at the bottom.