Icarus News

In addition to bug fixes and optimizations, most of our updates this week are user-experience themed with changes to consumables, the prospect selection screen and mission art.

Look out for highlights on prospects that define them as ‘insured drops’, a feature that guarantees your prospector's safety in the case of them missing their leaving window. You’ll also notice some new items on the loading screens.

As promised last week, not only do we tell you when you can skip the intro video but there is now a settings menu option to skip it (a black screen will be displayed while the game loads).


[h2]Farming[/h2]


For the Week 9 update we wanted to give farming some love. Adding variations to crop growth time and yields allows players to farm with more thought. Long-term, high-yield crops can be helpful to players spending large amounts of time away from base, while shorter time, shorter yield crops might be useful for someone spending a long time at their home. We’ve also added more information to tooltips on farming plots and their crops.

This sets the groundwork for even more farming mechanics such as greenhouse effects. Farm plots now track if they can see the sky straight above them and whether they have glass buildables around them. With no sky visible and no greenhouse present, crops have a 50% growth speed reduction. Growing crops using a greenhouse (regardless of seeing the sky directly or not) will increase growth rates by 50%.

[h3]The future of farming[/h3]
Players can expect these systems to grow (pun intended) over time as we introduce more intricate mechanics to engage with. Expect to see multiple ways to water crops across all tech levels. Hydroponic trays will be a new way to boost growth for those that wish to invest in their farms technology, and different fertilizers may alter growth patterns.

Additionally, we are also looking at biome-specific farming content. We want to reward players for exploring while also giving them the ability to grow crops in otherwise unfavorable environments. Certain crops may require certain conditions in order to grow and it will be on you to facilitate those needs.

[h2]User Interface[/h2]


We’ve made some changes to the prospect select map, adding visual identifiers for ‘insurance’ drops and cleaning up the formatting so it is more simple to read through and select the right drop for you. Leave us your feedback on the changes in feature upvote when you jump into play.

Insurance drops give you the security that if you miss your return window, your character will be recovered by the UDA regardless of the risk. This is only on earlier, easier missions but will give you some reassurance if you want a more relaxed session are a new player to the game.



[h2]Community Highlights[/h2]
Check out these highlights from players this month, including some nice one-shot kills and sophisticated builds.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Tip: If you want buildings with lots of angles like these, press Home and End when building to reset the building grid.

[h2]Change Log[/h2]

Hotfix Version: 1.1.1.90924

• Fixed visual weather effects appearing indoors.
  
• Fixed building upgrade tool not upgrading to aluminum building types.
  
• Fixed multiplayer clients not seeing proper crop plot state.
  

Version: 1.1.1.90886

• Added settings menu option to automatically skip intro video (a black screen will be displayed while the game loads).
  
• Added Building Upgrade Tool support for all pieces and materials.
  
• Added Farm plots now track if they can see the sky straight above them, and if they have any glass buildables around them. No sky, and no greenhouse will lead to a 50% speed reduction in growth. The presence of a greenhouse building will allow full growth speed regardless of seeing the sky directly, and will increase growth speed by 50%.
  
• Changed farming to be more dynamic, by decreasing growth time and increasing yield rates for many crop types.
  
• Added Mushrooms can now be grown in crop plots.
  
• Added more information to tooltips on farming plots and their crops.
  
• Optimized the logic around plant growth.
  
• Changed knife throw to require a higher minimum charge, to reduce instances of accidental throws. Decreased accuracy and range slightly.
  
• Fixed issue preventing fish from spawning on some outposts.
  
• Identified and optimized several of the most expensive building piece meshes.
  
• Updated existing and added several new loading screens.
  
• Improved prospect select screen by adding better visibility of the availability of insurance and updated prospect images. Also tidied up layout of available prospects.
  
• Fixed issue with recipe UI window scaling.
  
• Fixed some character names not being displayed correctly on the Mission Report lobby info panel.
  
• Fixed claimed prospect prompt text expanding outside of its window.
  
• Updated Infected Wound description to mention Antibiotics instead of Antiseptics.
  
• Fixed Wine giving the incorrect buff when consumed, and returning the wrong empty vessel for reuse.
  
• Fixed issue where Concrete Furnace visuals defaulted to show the furnace as 'on'.
  
• Improved ability to place trophies on other deployables, such as fireplaces. Also improved Fireplace collision mesh.
  
• Fixed issues with existing prospects if changes are made to the map while they're still in progress.
  
• Fixed missing 'Consume Stack' option for Carrots.
  

Our focus this week is on updating Icarus' map, along with some several gameplay balance changes.

This includes a whole bunch of much-requested fixes ranging from fish and mushroom availability to optimizing performance-heavy environment assets. Several holes in the map have been patched up. Most issues with collision volumes on rocks in caves being bigger than the rock itself should now be fixed, removing frustrating instances where some mineral deposits could not be mined. Plus, there are now more voxels in caves for you to mine.

[h2]Responding to your most requested suggestions[/h2]
Image by Reddit user Bonesgaming

While we typically just talk about what is included in each week’s update, I would like to take a moment to address some of the most common issues raised on our FeatureUpvote page and some updates that you can expect to see in the coming weeks.

We look at reports from FeatureUpvote every week to see what the most common issues are and prioritize our dev work accordingly. While fixes don’t always make it into these weekly updates immediately, that doesn’t mean they’re being ignored. Sometimes reworking features and testing can take several weeks before we can share them with you.

[h3]Skippable intro[/h3]
There is a common misconception that our intro video is not skippable. It’s actually a loading screen. While it plays, the game is also loading in the background. Once this loading is complete, you can skip the video by pressing any key. On slower machines this may take some time, but on modern SSDs it only takes a few seconds.

We've added a text notification once loading is complete, so you'll know when you can press a key to skip. In the future we plan to add an auto-skip option to the settings screen as well.

[h3]Resource balancing[/h3]
Image by Discord user Cult4t5

The session-based gameplay of Icarus presents many design challenges compared to traditional survival games. Instead of engaging with tiers of content just once players restart their progress dozens of times so we've aimed to avoid arbitrary time sinks or item sinks. Finding the right balance between resource availability, ease of collection, processing time and resource requirements can be challenging, especially at the higher tiers where recipes have much more complex resource chains.

We’ve listened to player feedback about Tier 3 and 4 pacing and how it can feel like a grind. In this patch, we are starting the first steps of ensuring that resources are properly distributed throughout the entirety of the map to alleviate this. Most small and medium caves have had their voxel counts increased to ensure that players are rewarded for seeking out and harvesting new caves. Several new caves have been added to the Riverlands, with dozens more coming across the rest of the map in the coming weeks.

We have also decided to spread out the electronics requirements of the Fabricator and Material Processor to other machines in Tier 4, so that players aren't as frontloaded with gold requirements and can engage with the content more slowly over time. The Electric Carpentry Bench, Electric Masonry Bench, Material Processor and Chemistry Bench have all had their recipes expanded, and have started to become points of consolidation for crafting recipes from lower tiers. These changes are just the beginning, expect further balance iterations as we monitor the impact on your gameplay.

[h3]Talent Points Limit and Respec [/h3]
This is by far the most talked-about suggestion among our player community, and is a big discussion topic internally within the RocketWerkz team too. Currently you have a limited number of talent points and stop earning new ones after you reach level 40. While you can specialize in particular talent trees, you can’t change your mind or try new strategies without creating a new character.

We do intend to provide some way to respec or change how you have spent talent points at some stage, but it could have widespread consequences if not done right. The specifics of exactly where it slots into the game are still at the design stage. Please continue to be patient, once news is available we'll definitely be loud about it.

[h3]Inventory Sorting[/h3]
This is another popular request that we’re currently testing internally. We’re testing out which criteria will be most useful, like sorting by name or weight, and this will be available in a future update.

[h3]"I want to hold my pickaxe AND a lantern"[/h3]
Image by Discord user KashiDD

Our plan to tackle this request is to add an entire new slot to your character inventory. This will allow you to (among other things) attach a lantern to your belt, ideal for mining in caves or at night.

[h3]Armor blocking the camera[/h3]
Sometimes (like if you die while aiming or crouching) the character rig can get stuck into a state where some armor pieces block your view. We’re updating our character animation process which will address many of these cases and let us audit that all the armor sets play nicely.

[h2]Change Log[/h2]
Version: 1.1.1.90762

Many of the topics discussed above are work-in-progress, but here are the details of what is included in this week’s patch: a large number of map fixes, cave updates, balance changes and performance optimizations.

• Added crops to outposts.
  
• Added mushrooms to arctic caves.
  
• Increased quantity of mineral deposits in many caves, to increase overall availability of resources.
  
• Added first-pass of new cave locations.
  
• Created new recipe sets for Tier 4 crafting benches including Electric Carpentry Bench, Electric Masonry Bench, Chemistry Bench, which combined multiple lower-tier recipes into the new machines.
  
• Fixed crafting bench recipes not properly accounting for stats which reduce resource costs.
  
• Added several recipes to the Carpentry Bench that fit with the theme of home construction, from the crafting table and player crafting.
  
• Increased crafting queue from 5 to 10 entries on several Tier 4 benches.
  
• Decreased the cost of early Tier 4 bench recipes (Decreased Fabricator Electronics to 60->30, and removed Steel Ingot requirement, changed Material Processor from 80->60, Increased Electronics cost of Electrical Masonry Bench, Carpentry Bench, and Chemistry Bench to 20). Minor other changes to secondary resources in T4 machine recipes.
  
• Added new alternate recipes for Composite Paste, which can substitute the Gold requirement with Platinum.
  
• Reduced player crafting speed to be more in line with benches.
  
• Decreased crafting speed of Stone and Concrete building pieces.
  
• Decreased crafting speed of most Mortar and Pestle recipes.
  
• Decreased crafting speed of Herbalism recipes.
  
• Added text to indicate when loading is complete, and the intro video is now skippable.
  
• Fixed issue where Bosses could sometimes not spawn in 'Broken Arrow : Recovery'
  
• Fixed several gaps in the terrain.
  
• Moved wild squash plants from the forest to the desert biome.
  
• Removed some instances of trees placed inside mountains.
  
• Fixed issue where rivers could flicker in certain lighting conditions.
  
• Fixed issue with some problematic dropship locations.
  
• Fixed several caves that were missing resource deposits and other cave functionality.
  
• Fixed some caves not using their biome-appropriate assets.
  
• Fixed visual issue caused by ambient occlusion on foliage at certain distances.
  
• Improved both visuals and performance on some rock assets.
  
• Improved performance of triplanar shader.
  
• Fixed issue causing players to be incorrectly flagged as inside a cave at a specific location.
  
• Improved performance of desert rocks.
  
• Fixed issue preventing fish from spawning correctly in many water bodies.
  
• Improved visuals of distant terrain on outposts.
  
• Added more sand to the desert.
  
• Improved shadow performance in caves.
  
• Improved collisions for some cave rocks, to reduce instances where players could not reach the entirety of some mineral deposits.
  
• Improved performance of in-game map screen.
  

As the Icarus team's planning for 2022 continues, this week we've taken a break from adding new missions to get a bunch of new items into the workshop. You'll find a lot of new options to take in your dropship load-outs that let you choose how you want to tackle a mission.

[h2]Inaris Tools[/h2]

The Inaris manufacturing consortium has introduced full new set of tools for Icarus prospectors, including Axe, Pickaxe, Spear, Knife and Arrows.

Showing their heritage in the mining industry, Inaris’s products have a weighty, industrial look to them. They're designed for durability as you'd expect of products used far from Earth where repair and replacement are difficult if not impossible.

[h2]New Backpacks[/h2]

Offering more than just extra inventory space, these specialist backpacks offer additional bonuses whether you consider yourself more of an Archer, a Gatherer or a Survivor.

[h2]Farming Packets[/h2]

Mastering the preservation process, farming packets are now available for most of the crops that have been introduced to Icarus. They can be used to set up a farm on your favorite outpost, or simply to bring Mushrooms to parts of Icarus where they are not yet found growing in the wild.

[h2]Modules, Deployables[/h2]

There are also two additional modules that improve animal visibility, and two pre-built deployables to speed up your settlement once you arrive: a furnace and a storage crate.

[h2]Patch Notes[/h2]
In addition to new content, we continue to prioritize bug fixes and game balance. Here are the details of the other bug fixes and updates in today’s patch:

Version: 1.1.1.90444

• Added Gatherer's Backpack (+6 Inventory Slots, Reduction in Wood and Ore Carry Weight)
  
• Added Archer's Backpack (+6 Inventory Slots, Increase bow reload speed, increased arrow projectile speed, increased aim down sights speed)
  
• Added Survivor's Backpack (+6 Inventory Slots, Fall Damage resistance, sprain chance reduction, small movement speed buff)
  
• Added Farming Packets for various crops, allowing you to farm crops that may not exist nativly in the drop area.
  
• Added Animal Highlighting Module which increases the visibility of fauna when equipped.
  
• Added Animal Healthbar Module which lets you see how much health creatures have.
  
• Added New Inaris Tools:
  
  • Axe 'Dias' - Wood Carry weight reduction
    
  • Pickaxe 'Neves' - Emcumbered penalty reduction, 148% mining yield
    
  • Spear 'Gris' - 50% Chance to inflict slow, 10% to immoblise
    
  • Knife 'Ventura' - 100% chance to resist wound
    
  • Arrows 'Aruda' - 25x Pack 71-75 Damage
    
• Added MXC Furnance allowing players to shortcut some of the resource production chain.
  
• Added MXC Crate - Deployable storage container available right from the start of your drop (25 slots).
  
• Changed the layout and cost of several workshop recipes.
  
• Increased number of slots in player gravestones and overflow bags, preventing items being moved into the world where they could be lost.
  
• Fixed several issues with the STATION TO STATION: Long Survey mission.
  
• Fixed issue where physical resistance was not correctly applied to melee resistance in damage calculation.
  
• Fixed 'Quick Load' talent not increasing reload speed as intended.
  

Permadeath in Icarus continues to be something of an issue. Back in late December, developer RocketWerkz raised thousands of characters from the grave, victims of being left behind on the planet after the mission timer expired in the session-based survival game. That's the only way to experience a true character death in Icarus—if you don't catch a rocket ride back up into space before the mission timer reaches zero, you lose your character and all their skill progress forever (though items crafted in the space station will remain available to your other characters)...
Read more.

With everyone back at work for the year we've been undertaking a whole lot of planning, detailing what we'll be focused on now that the post-release rush and holidays are out of the way. For now, we're excited to be bringing you another mission update, with a new one to enjoy over the weekend, some hardcore variants, and a new concept that changes how we view perma-death on early drops.

[h2]STATION-TO-STATION:Extended Survey[/h2]
A new mission is here! Jump in and complete another contract for the UDA, with options for standard and hardcore mode available to relaxed and experienced prospectors.
We have also added a hardcore variation for BIGSHOT: Hardcore Stockpile, giving you a new challenge to face as you build your legacy.

[h2]Insured Drops:[/h2]
We’ve been talking and working away behind the scenes on how we want to approach difficulty, particularly for new players, and you’ll now see we have added ‘Insurance’ to a handful of early-game drops. This means that any character left on surface after the timer has expired will be saved and returned to the HAB. This adjustment is the first of many, giving us a chance for us to test out some theories and concepts we’ve been working on behind the scenes. Expect more significant changes on this front in future updates.

There have also been some fixes to other missions for missing text and some incorrect timers, so jump in, organise your squad and take Icarus by storm. We look forward to hearing your thoughts on the updates!

[h2]Patch Notes[/h2]
Here are the details of the other bug fixes and updates in today’s patch:

Version: 1.1.1.90123

• Added new mission - STATION TO STATION : Extended Survey
  
• Added new hardcore mission variants - STATION TO STATION : Hardcore Extended Survey and BIGSHOT: Hardcore Stockpile
  
• Changed several early-game missions to now be 'insured' drops. This means once the drop timer expires any characters that have not left the drop will be rescued and returned to the HAB, instead of permanently lost.
  
• Updated some mission descriptions and briefings for clarity.
  
• Fixed issue where mission objective timer was displaying incorrectly for SANDY BRIDGES: Extended Survey for multiplayer clients.