Underspace News

Welcome starchasers! This is our first hotfix since launch, mainly meant to address a lot of priority reported issues. Not all of the issues people have come to me with were able to be fixed in the current timeframe, but rest assured you can expect another patch on Monday that should be pretty comprehensive. This will include a lot of keybind issues, primarily.



But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's get into our current patch notes.



[h2]KNOWN ISSUES:[/h2]

• Some keybinds are missing in the controls menu and binding certain keys (such as escape) can cause issues.
  
• Abyssdrive coloring won't save sometimes.
  
• Several random missions may not complete properly.
  
• Saves loaded in-space won't properly update random missions.
  
• Out of system waypoints for specific objects aren't functional. Waypointing to a system directly IS functional.
  
• Some scannable items in quests persist.
  
• Killing certain storms won't count as progress towards specific storm-chased-based chapters.
  

[h2]NEW FEATURES:[/h2]

• You can now delete saves in the saving menu.
  
• Mouse buttons other than mouse buttons 1 and 2 can now be mapped to actions.
  
• Missiles now take into account your current velocity when firing.
  
• New positioning for the Transfer All button when trading in a ship. It can all transfer all your cargo BACK to your original ship.
  

[h2]CHANGES AND REBALANCES:[/h2]

• Hardpoints have gotten some major upgrades. In addition to them having higher health, repairing your hull will also repair your hardpoints and reactivate them.
  
• NPC missiles were far too fast. As a result, most missiles fired by NPCs have been slowed significantly, allowing you time to shoot them down or asking your Autoturret to shoot them down.
  
• We've rebalanced energy mechanics a bit to slow down your energy charge rate. This makes the skill for that much more useful while still allowing you to fire for a decent time.
  

[h2]FIXES[/h2]

• Fixed a major issue where manual docking wasn't enabled by default and automatic docking wouldn't let you go through gates. By default now, automatic docking must always be turned on due to its vast inferiority over manual docking.
  
• While cleaning up the... stuff they found inside the Littlefish, Hat and the Idolsmashers accidentally flipped the "Hardpoints have no health" switch in the cockpit of said ship. I went back and switched it back on. Now the Littlefish's gun ports aren't made out of kitten whispers and butter dreams.
  
• Fixed issues where respeccing your character would give you extra skill points. For those who received them, have fun you overpowered bastards, you cards you.
  
• You can now reset your reputation with Vauldwin law enforcement aboard Kaisus Circle.
  
• Several unintended audio files that remained have been stripped out.
  
• You can now partially loot cargoboxes that have commodities inside them.
  
• Fixed (hopefully) cargo duplication issues when trading in ships.
  
• Fixed several stations in Ballden Space where you'd fall through the floor.
  
• Baton, Broken, now properly awards Amesten's freighter at the end.
  
• Made the instructions in "To Catch A Smuggler" clearer.
  
• Removed some additional placeholder audio.
  
• Expanded the area you need to enter before the Yeahtier will begin moving in "The Battle that Always Will Be".
  
• Taking a train to a station other than UHC-46 will now make "Off-Track" properly complete.
  
• Comprehensive fixes for the in-game radio. Unfortunately, MP3 support isn't on the table (thanks Unity!) but we fixed a bunch of loading errors related to it and updated the guide as to what formats and rates are valid to get Underspace to acknowledge your tunes.
  
• Loading a save that was saved in cockpit mode now doesn't disappearate your ship.
  
• Lowered the sound of scanning pings and fixed issue where sound settings wouldn't change their volume level.
  
• NPCs squadmates on lanelines can no longer ram you up. At least, not lethally.
  
• Rewrote some of the in-game manuals to contain more comprehensive information.
  
• Basic functionality for the search menu has been restored on the navmap and typing names into the searchbar won't cause menus to open.
  
• Fixed issues where cargo construction missions gave you too little loot to complete them.
  
• Texture quality option has been removed. A deep dive revealed it did Croft-all for performance while also making the game look significantly worse. We'll give you something neater in return, don't worry.
  
• Fixed issues where fighter spawns in some missions wouldn't progress the mission.
  

While you're here, I'll share a few smaller things being worked on that'll be upcoming with some of the later patches this month. This doesn't cover the BIG update roadmaps, just some neat features in the pipeline. This includes:

• Greatly expanded tutorials for aspects of the game, including covering equipment, menus, etc.
  
• Improved feedback on items when they become available to be crafted.
  
• New UI elements such as dialogue history and being able to read scanned data entries from your main UI.
  
• New menu options for things such as text speed, allowing alternate inputs to control the throttle, and more.
  
• New graphical options to help with optimization.
  
• New ways to sell, acquire and utilize both your scanned data and learn about in-game locations.
  
• Quickmenu support for additional equipment types.
  
• More cat photos.
  

Welcome starchasers! Normally I'd put out something right around the 24 hour mark talking about everything but that's 4AM my time and adrenaline only gets you so far in life, so I'm doing it while I'm not asleep!
This was day 1 of our early access launch, which happily met with a lot of our expectations for sales and attention. Sadly much like me, my cats are currently at a hotel and unable to appreciate this properly. Not that they ever appreciate anything if it doesn't relate to wet food.



So, with all the new people here and so many eyes on something that isn't a Thomas the Tank Engine mod for once, let's talk about the future.

Right now I'm out of town and away from my precious actual computer, spending most of my time galavanting around at the launch party. There's a cake. It bleeds for some reason.



Anyway, onto stuff that isn't cake. Our first month of Early Access is mostly going to be focused on bugfixes and some features that didn't quite make it into launch. Some of this will include content, but by and large it'll be a focus on the aforementioned bugfixes, features, etc. As expected, it's an early access release so a lot of things go off the wall crazy.



Anyway these hotfixes will include additional work on keybinds, and that also includes controller and HOTAS support (you can see a lot of the framework for these in the game's options menu). We do have basic functionality for this already (though it currently only autodetects Xbox gamepads), but further support has always been planned. Nevertheless, given the speed of the game's combat mouse and keyboard is heavily recommended.

Our testers are familiar with this, but we are VERY quick to push hotfixes and bugfixes. I'll be back home Friday where I can properly start work on that, but the aim is to push out patches once a week at minimum starting this Friday. Don't worry, almost always these hotfixes are only a couple megabytes at most.



Now that's the roadmap for THIS month. Early May we'll be sharing with you the ENTIRE early access roadmap, including large upcoming content and feature patches that you can expect over the next year. This will include things like the remaining quests, expanded customization options, and of course multiplayer.

We're thrilled to announce the long awaited Early Access release! Lots of updates coming on the roadmap. Stay tuned!

Hello again starchasers! I've returned to you with further news regarding our upcoming early access launch!

I don't remember if I said it or not (I don't remember most things now) but regarding our previous announcement with early access we talked about how multiplayer was going to be launching in a very early state. Furthermore, there was a LOT of it that was super, super, super broken. Like... not even being able to connect correctly broken.



The good news is that multiplayer's major components are now working. You can connect, customize characters, participate in PVP, etc. But it is insanely buggy. And as anyone who has developed a persistent open world multiplayer spaceship fantasy RPG can attest to: Testing and fixing the bugs for that component takes a LOT of time.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

We've made the decision that, when multiplayer launches, we want it to be the full multiplayer experience. That means NPCs, the entire main campaign for multiplayer (which trust me has a TON of cool moments), grouping, world persistence, being able to pirate other players. The works.

With that in mind and with so much of time of our time being spent testing things, we have decided to delay multiplayer until the main campaign for it is ready.



This allows us to focus on making the game as whole far stabler as well as optimizing the already enormous singleplayer portion, of which a large majority of multiplayer's content also pulls from.



I think you'll be quite satisfied with what's being cooked up for all this, and in time your patience will pay off.



That's all! See you all on launch!

[h2]Hello Starchasers! Salutations and welcome! Other greetings![/h2]



We are less than a month out from our Early Access launch. Excited? Sleepless? Suffering from splitting migraines as you try to parse documentation that’s useless to you because Google’s search capabilities have been gutted by corporate ineptitude and your previous talents of being able to figure out solutions and leverage online resources are now useless in the vast overwhelming face of tools that have become completely mediocre in their relentless idiotic pursuit of profits via the lowest common denominator that have degraded any utility to the point of unusability and it’s 3AM and your cat is screaming at you because she wants you to play with a plastic fish she brought you and you’re not supposed to be up this late and you accidentally dropped your last pain medication pill that might have made you at least capable of falling asleep down the drain?



No? Well then, good. Yeah. Let’s talk Early Access and what to expect, to better set your expectations and illuminate what’ll be in and what’ll be not-in.



The thing I want to emphasize over everything else is that we are a very small and overly ambitious team working on a VERY large game with a scope that dwarves even many AAA releases. As it stands and when it launches the amount of content that will be in, at launch, is massive. I have no doubt that many of you will be spending hundreds of hours dredging up every perverse secret the galaxy’s hidden away.




At the same time, we’re a VERY small team. Outside of our asset creators, the only person doing coding, bugfixing, UX, QA response, server integrity, mod support, etc, is me. And just me. This isn’t so much a single developer spinning multiple plates as it is a human trainwreck trying to twirl an entire restaurant, to the severe detriment of his health and sanity.



With all this in mind, our Early Access launch will not launch with the full scope of features and content planned for Underspace. Significantly, multiplayer will launch in a very early state that does not include NPCs, bosses, or the multiplayer campaign. On the singleplayer side, several questlines, extended ship customization and cockpit textures, and many planetside and station interiors will not be included in launch.



These features or content exist or are implemented in a working state, but are often heavily, HEAVILY untested or unpolished, to the point where keeping in game before they’re at least in a state I'd be comfortable with is not something I’m comfortable with.



Before you go off creating posts on various imageboards and badly rebranded social media sites decrying the Underspace apocalypse, keep two things in mind: these features are not gone or cut from the game. It’s much like Todd Howard’s kind smiling visage: even if you can’t see it it’s still there. Watching and waiting. When Early Access releases in April, we will be putting out a nice big roadmap showing a huge amount of upcoming updates to the game. These updates will be staggered out as major releases, which will include these missing pieces of content.



This also includes features or elements such as voice acting, bugfixes (as Early Access is always buggy), and further mod support.



The second thing to keep in mind is that Underspace, when it launches, will still launch with the majority of its content and the vast majority of its game features implemented. This includes the singleplayer main campaign, over 40 quests, all bosses, all points of interest, all factions, star systems, random missions, storm hazards, equipment, flyable ships, and probably many more things I’ve lost in the hazy maze that is my fried brain currently.



It has been a long long time coming, almost seven years in constant development. None of this would have been possible with the support of our backers and community, but there’s still more to go. Contributions, supporting us during the Early Access period, and of course relentlessly shilling it your friends will all help us massively, in no small part because this will also let us dedicate more resources to improving the game and getting it out in a reasonable timeframe that also, coincidentally, doesn’t overwork me to death.



And… that’s about it! If I survive, I hope to see you out in the stormy skies on April 10th!