1. Earth Analog
  2. News

Earth Analog News

Freedom Update released!

Hello deep space explorers,

The first major update of the game - called the Freedom Update - it out! This following video highlights the biggest new features:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Free Roaming


With 1.1 the game takes its first big step towards a more free-form/non-linear type of game, i.e. a game in which the quest is not mandatory and in which you have the freedom to go wherever you want to go, right from the start.

Most planetary systems will be unlocked when you start the game. Some will still remain hidden behind pylons or quest objectives.

Seamless Experience


No more loading fade-to-blacks during cryo jumps: in 1.1 the game only loads and generates assets once (at startup) allowing for a seamless, more realistic experience while playing.
Note that loading can take some time the first time.

Radio Scanner


Beacon signals are no longer be picked up automatically. Instead you will have to use the Radio Scanner to detect the radio waves transmitted by the beacons. Same holds for other radio wave transmitters, like pylons, crystals, portals etc. What else is hidden within the radio spectrum...?

Dark Energy Overhaul


In 1.1 dark energy is no longer be accumulated. Instead the amount of dark energy that can be used for boosting is be based on the strength of the dark energy field at the ship's location. Most often this means that you will be able to boost more when you are closer to the surface. Risk vs. reward.

Mod Kit


A lot of effort has been put in making the game mod friendly. In 1.1 anyone with some lua and GLSL experience is able to expand the galaxy by adding planetary systems of their own creation. The planetary looks and physics are defined by the GLSL shaders and the planetary behavior is defined by the lua script.

The mod kit includes an example system (Antar a) of a ring planet harboring a moving crater controlled by tidal forces from a nearby moon.



And more


The update also adds Quality-of-Life improvements, like a scalable UI to accommodate high res monitors. The tutorial has also been improved. Gameplay has been balanced with the removal of cluttering mechanics like Dismantle and Quick FIx.

Full patch notes
  • new: free roaming.
  • new: radio scanner.
  • new: mod kit.
  • new: automatic UI upscaling at resolutions higher than 1920x1080.
  • new: droplets fx, dirt fx.
  • new: auto exposure.
  • new: Points-of-interests which are behind celestial bodies are now shown dimmed.
  • changed: dark energy (DE) mechanic: DE does not accumulate anymore. Now, the strength of the DE determines the DE boost speed directly. The more DE there is at a partical spot, the higher the boost speed.
  • changed: one does not need to be close to the terrain anymore to be able to use the Dimension Device.
  • changed: limited max telescope zoom factor to 10x.
  • changed: lowered fuel and water consumption by 25%.
  • changed: drilling will now always yield a base amount of resource.
  • changed: reduced default keyb/mouse roll rate to 75%.
  • changed: drill screen shows resource intensity in its specific color.
  • removed: Dismantle mechanic.
  • removed: Quick Fix. Full Fix is now called Repair.
  • removed: planet verdict.
  • removed: message when picking up another crystal.
  • fixed: jump event issue that caused a non-existing upgrade to be given.
  • fixed: impact alerts were given for artifacts, portals and crystals.
  • fixed: issue with the mouse cursor after loading causing wild ship rotations.
  • fixed: missing Windows taskbar and task manager icons.
  • fixed: sometimes sending out the probe would damage the hull.
  • fixed: the probe could be sent out when the Surface resource was selected.
  • fixed: fog issue on GJ 669b causing the planet to turn red when viewed from far away.
  • fixed: pressing ENTER to reset the computer alarm would sometimes unintentionally activate the dimension device or start a scan.
  • fixed: gravity issues on Ryker and Neutron Star.
  • fixed: various minor UI issues.


Stay tuned for more updates!

Best regards,
nkm

Patch v1.1.2

Hi,

Fixed some minor issues:
  • fixed: shaders could not be recompiled via the rs (recompile shaders) console command once an earlier compilation step failed.
  • fixed: an invalid restore point was created when one exited to the title screen right after starting the game.


Thanks for your feedback,
Roy

Update v1.1 now available for beta testing!

Hi there,

Update v1.1 (temporary name) is ready for beta testing!

As mentioned in earlier posts, it features a seamless free roaming experience, scanning for radio waves and modding support. And a ton of other major and minor improvements.

To install v1.1 follow these steps:
  • Restart your Steam client.
  • Right-click the Earth Analog entry in your library and select Properties.
  • Select the Betas tab.
  • Select the Experimental branch from the drop down menu. The game files will now be updated.
  • Start the game.

Your v1.0 save games will be safely backed up in the /Documents/Earth Analog/bck_v1_0 folder once you start v1.1, so you can always go back to v1.0 if you want.

If you have any feedback (bugs/suggestions/critique) please post it in the Beta Testing forum!

Thanks,
nkm







Freedom Update released!

Hello deep space explorers,

The first major update of the game - called the Freedom Update - it out! This following video highlights the biggest new features:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Free Roaming


With 1.1 the game takes its first big step towards a more free-form/non-linear type of game, i.e. a game in which the quest is not mandatory and in which you have the freedom to go wherever you want to go, right from the start.

Most planetary systems will be unlocked when you start the game. Some will still remain hidden behind pylons or quest objectives.

Seamless Experience


No more loading fade-to-blacks during cryo jumps: in 1.1 the game only loads and generates assets once (at startup) allowing for a seamless, more realistic experience while playing.
Note that loading can take some time the first time.

Radio Scanner


Beacon signals are no longer be picked up automatically. Instead you will have to use the Radio Scanner to detect the radio waves transmitted by the beacons. Same holds for other radio wave transmitters, like pylons, crystals, portals etc. What else is hidden within the radio spectrum...?

Dark Energy Overhaul


In 1.1 dark energy is no longer be accumulated. Instead the amount of dark energy that can be used for boosting is be based on the strength of the dark energy field at the ship's location. Most often this means that you will be able to boost more when you are closer to the surface. Risk vs. reward.

Mod Kit


A lot of effort has been put in making the game mod friendly. In 1.1 anyone with some lua and GLSL experience is able to expand the galaxy by adding planetary systems of their own creation. The planetary looks and physics are defined by the GLSL shaders and the planetary behavior is defined by the lua script.

The mod kit includes an example system (Antar a) of a ring planet harboring a moving crater controlled by tidal forces from a nearby moon.



And more


The update also adds Quality-of-Life improvements, like a scalable UI to accommodate high res monitors. The tutorial has also been improved. Gameplay has been balanced with the removal of cluttering mechanics like Dismantle and Quick FIx.

Full patch notes
  • new: free roaming.
  • new: radio scanner.
  • new: mod kit.
  • new: automatic UI upscaling at resolutions higher than 1920x1080.
  • new: droplets fx, dirt fx.
  • new: auto exposure.
  • new: Points-of-interests which are behind celestial bodies are now shown dimmed.
  • changed: dark energy (DE) mechanic: DE does not accumulate anymore. Now, the strength of the DE determines the DE boost speed directly. The more DE there is at a partical spot, the higher the boost speed.
  • changed: one does not need to be close to the terrain anymore to be able to use the Dimension Device.
  • changed: limited max telescope zoom factor to 10x.
  • changed: lowered fuel and water consumption by 25%.
  • changed: drilling will now always yield a base amount of resource.
  • changed: reduced default keyb/mouse roll rate to 75%.
  • changed: drill screen shows resource intensity in its specific color.
  • removed: Dismantle mechanic.
  • removed: Quick Fix. Full Fix is now called Repair.
  • removed: planet verdict.
  • removed: message when picking up another crystal.
  • fixed: jump event issue that caused a non-existing upgrade to be given.
  • fixed: impact alerts were given for artifacts, portals and crystals.
  • fixed: issue with the mouse cursor after loading causing wild ship rotations.
  • fixed: missing Windows taskbar and task manager icons.
  • fixed: sometimes sending out the probe would damage the hull.
  • fixed: the probe could be sent out when the Surface resource was selected.
  • fixed: fog issue on GJ 669b causing the planet to turn red when viewed from far away.
  • fixed: pressing ENTER to reset the computer alarm would sometimes unintentionally activate the dimension device or start a scan.
  • fixed: gravity issues on Ryker and Neutron Star.
  • fixed: various minor UI issues.


Stay tuned for more updates!

Best regards,
nkm






Patch v1.0.18

Hi players,

Another maintenance patch. This one focuses mainly on simplifying the controls. Computer Mode has been removed for the keyboard/mouse scheme, basically reverting the changes of the last 2 patches. The game controller schemes (Xbox One and Switch Pro) still require Computer Mode since there aren't enough buttons.

  • new: all combined controls now have decoupled alternatives. Computer Mode is now only used for game controllers (that don't have enough buttons).
  • new: reset control binding functionality.
  • new: QUEST page: added Computer Asterisk button providing direct access to the Quest Log.
  • changed: the default mouse/keyboard and HOTAS control presets now use the decoupled controls.
  • changed: cloud animation on Proxima Centauri b.
  • fixed: cube field: beam didn't leave when a player got near the target beacon.
  • fixed: cube field: reflection graphical issue.
  • fixed: slowdown when getting close to the surface.


In the meantime the v1.1 update is progressing nicely! More information on this soon.

Thanks again for your feedback,
nkm