Above Earth News

[h3]New Survival Menu and Limited Construction[/h3]
The 'Survival Menu' provides a quick and intuitive way to build survival structures and items. Containers can be constructed using it. The following video showcases some of its functionality:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AP2x1T_nW4g

[h3]New Breathing Steam/Fog Effect[/h3]
This effect will be visible when the temperature gets low enough inside a station module. The following video showcases this effect:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuYxbXBSrk8

[h3]New graphics options are available including presets and auto-detect.[/h3]
These should make it easier for people to get the game running at an optimal frame rate. Motion blur can also now be disabled but is recommended for any average FPS of 60 or less.

[h3]It is now possible to disable Ironman Mode when starting a new game.[/h3]
This is an expirimental option included in the game on a temporary basis. If you get a chance to try this and you like it, consider leaving your feedback on the forums and it will remain in the game.


Other Changes and Fixes:

• Fixed an issue where opening a save or load menu and having a corrupt save file could cause a buffer overflow.
  
• You can now right click(by default) on most moveable items in the game to reposition them in space.
  
• A makeshift 'Sleeping Harness' can now be constructed in the Survival Menu to provide useful but reduced sleeping bonuses compared to the sleeping pod.
  
• Added an option to disable the on screen tutorial text. This option can be found under the Gameplay Options.
  
• Drifting is now more intuitive to speed up time when performing longer EVA's.
  
• Most containers can now be dismantled to recover some materials.
  
• Aurora particle effects on the Earth are now much less performance intensive.
  
• Fixed an issue where collision injuries could happen at very low speeds when scraping across certain surfaces.
  
• Fixed an issue where retracting a tether line gun and opening the station menu at the same time could confuse the camera system.
  
• Fixed an issue where distances displayed on the station menu were not as relavant as they could be.
  
• The first accessible Auto-Factory is now fully repaired on the both "Trainee" and "Astronaut" difficulties. It is still damaged on "Legend" difficulty.
  
• A Vibro Hammer and Tool Battery are now guaranteed on "Trainee" and "Astronaut" difficulties.
  
• Many other fixes and improvements.
  

The save directory has changed:
The save location for save games has changed to be more consistent with where most games put their save files. On Windows they will show up here:
C:/Users/(username)/AppData/Local/AboveEarth/Saved/AboveEarthSaveGames/

[h3]Some News:[/h3]
Above Earth development continues. The next priority is going to be to knock out some of the more specific equipment types: Coffee/Cappucino Machine, Chemical Mixer/Tank Refiller, Medi-Factory, Battery Recharger and Radio/Communications Equipment.

The Trello board has been updated or will be soon:
https://trello.com/b/ewpYkK9i/above-earth-development

Thanks for supporting the game. Stay safe out there.

1.2.3 Will obsolete old saves. If you have outstanding saves be aware that they may not work after 8:00 PM 04/04/2020 CST

The complete update notes will be posted around the same time.

1.2.2 Will obsolete old saves. If you have outstanding saves be aware that they may not work after 8:00 PM 02/10/2020 CST.

[h3]New Station Menu[/h3]
The 'Station Menu' provides a way to visualize the condition of the entire station including all of its modules and equipment. The following video showcases some of its functionality:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhVjVtpocZ0
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h3]Some News:[/h3]
Above Earth development continues. The next priority is going to be either the breathing steam/fog effect or the 'Survival Menu'. The 'Survival Menu' will have miscellaneous functions that will make survival more intuitive.

The save version has been updated.

The Trello board will be updated when this build is made public:
https://trello.com/b/ewpYkK9i/above-earth-development


Gameplay Changes:
Station doors now require no power to operate/pressurize. In past builds they required 1 power in reserve to open/close or pressurize. This resulted in having to go in and out of their menus frequently to turn them on and off. They can still be turned on and off, however this will have no effect on station power. It will ease up the difficulty generally.

Graphics Improvements:
Lighting on the Earth has been improved a bit more. Fixed an issue where the Sun could load improperly from a save game.

Other Changes:

• Fixed an issue where sleeping in a sleeping pod could result in some jittering while sleeping.
  
• Fixed an issue where affliction descriptions could display incorrectly.
  
• Lower condition items will now be prioritized as crafting ingredients.
  

1.2.1 Will obselete old saves. If you have outstanding saves be aware that they may not work after 8:00 PM 01/10/2020 CST.



Summary:
1.2.1 includes a variety of fixes which are the result of a recent uptick in feedback by players.


Some News:
Above Earth development continues. The priority now is something called the "Schematics Menu" which will provide a birds-eye view of the space station and hopefully will make a variety of information in the game much more intuitive. It is not included in this update as it is still a work in progress. It will be coming in a future update.

In the future the number of save-breaking updates should be more infrequent. There is an experimental build of the game that you can opt into through Steam that will more regularly receive save-breaking updates.


Changelist:

• -BUG FIX: Inventory icons were not showing up correctly in some menus.
  
• -BUG FIX: Parts of the Starship could potentially load out of wack on some players' systems.
  
• -BUG FIX: Door sound effects were being played by a ladder which you would not expect coming from a ladder.
  
• -BUG FIX: A Glow pod could flash on for a frame even if it was out of power.
  
• -BUG FIX: Inventory sorting was not updating correctly on some menus.
  
• -BUG FIX: Removed an unnecessary warning message when interacting with EVA ports during EVA.
  
  
• -CHANGE: The EVA suit head light will now default to being off when initiating an EVA.
  
• -CHANGE: Inventory menus now include a "No Sort" button option that will disable sorting on that menu.
  
• -CHANGE: Exterior EVA containers now have a special symbol on the HUD to emphasize their priority.
  
• -CHANGE: Exterior EVA items will have a minimized description on the HUD if they are empty/exhausted.
  
• -CHANGE: The HUD cursor now includes a black outline so it will be more easily visible in more situations.
  
• -CHANGE: Low condition screen blurring will now only start to occur when reaching 70% condition.
  

1.2.0 is a major update that introduces the starship to the game. Players can enter the starship and discover its purpose during the course of the game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GURr6hQqync
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Some News:
Above Earth development continues.

The Trello board has been updated:
https://trello.com/b/ewpYkK9i/above-earth-development

Game Updates:

• -New Content: The starship. It will be docked with station on "Astronaut" and "Legend" difficulty.
  
• -New Equipment: The starship is powered by a new piece of equipment called the "Reactor Core". The reactor core has a specific role in the game that can be discovered by the player.
  
• -New Equipment: The starship contains a cargo hold that can be stocked by the player for a purpose discoverable by the player.
  
• -New Item: Reactor Fuel
  
• -New Cinematics: The cinematics for the alpha starship and reentry capsule are available in this update.
  
• -Graphical improvements: The lighting of the Earth will now be much more accurate. Various lighting artifacts have been fixed.