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Earth Analog News

Exciting v2.0 Update: Playtest Launch and What to Expect!

Hello deep space explorers,

Here's an update on the upcoming free EA update! Plus, a question: who’s interested in playtesting the first two planetary systems of the new update and provide us with feedback? DM me if you're in (or reply to this announcement): your feedback will shape this game.

Progress on the next update is moving along smoothly and steadily. There are so many changes that we've decided to call it v2.0! :)

Here’s a breakdown of the key changes you can look forward to:

  • v2.0 will emphasize your role as a deep space explorer/scientist. A new gameplay mechanic called the "Planetary System Study" will be introduced, where you must complete study tasks to deliver a final assessment of the system. Tasks could include things like “find and scan this plant species” or “build an atmospheric probe to analyze the atmosphere.” Each completed task reveals more about the planetary system.



  • v2.0 extends EA's unique ray marching engine with polygon meshes. The polygons will be used to render details like vegetation, your ship, and other constructs.





  • v2.0 introduces a building system inspired by a famous Danish toy brand, allowing you to build pretty much anything. Yes, even SNOT construction is possible (the building experts know what I mean :) ). You’ll be able to construct bases with teleporters to travel quickly between them. Imagine building a home on a distant planet in another dimension...







  • The flight model has been tweaked—e.g. an auto-leveling system now keeps your roll aligned with the horizon. Full Thrust mode is gone, replaced with a more precise throttle.

  • Flight controls have been simplified and streamlined. Fewer controls are now needed for standard flight actions, and all redundant control mappings have been removed.

  • Dark energy will now appear in pockets you’ll need to fly through, demanding more skill and making flight feel more rewarding.

  • Greater focus will be placed on the Radio Scanner, which has become more refined.

  • You can now freely upgrade your ship by spending Expedition Points, earned by selling stones or artifacts to pylons. The number of ship systems and upgrades has been greatly expanded—there are now 50 in total, with more planned.

  • The UI, HUD, and ship computer have been completely overhauled for a better user experience.

  • The tutorial has been removed, replaced with a “learn as you play” system.

  • Textures and images have been upgraded to 4K, delivering sharper detail and higher visual fidelity.


...and much more!

When can you expect the next update? That largely depends on the results of the playtest. If the new game mechanics prove to be fun in their current form, we’re aiming for a release by Q2 next year.

I hope you're as excited for v2.0 as we are! Thanks for your time, and see you soon.
nkm





Work on next update started!

Hi Earth analog seekers,

Even though it's been quiet on the Earth Analog front lately that does not mean nothing is brewing ːsteamhappyː Work has been underway for a while on a new update, focusing on the following:
  • Introducing a Lego-inspired construction system that allows you to create buildings on fractal worlds. This same system will be utilized for modeling the ship. Just imagine constructing your own house on a distant fractal world in another dimension...
  • Overhauling the flight model to make flying much easier and more satisfying.
  • Redesigning the cockpit's small screen UI. Currently, it's too small for many to read and cumbersome to interact with.
  • Overhauling the tutorial.


I can't provide an ETA yet, as I really want to take my time with this update to get it right.

Thanks for your attention!
nkm


Update 1.3.6

Greetings explorers and specifically AMD GPU owners! This update should fix the black screen issues some of you were experiencing:
  • fixed: shader compilation errors on AMD GPUs.


IMPORTANT: update to the latest version of the AMD graphics card driver

Please let me know if this fix works.

Regards,
nkm

Update v1.3.5

Greeting explorers, another minor maintenance update:
  • new: added 5760x1080 screen resolution.
  • fixed: loading incompatibility bug related to old save files.
  • changed: game does not require online Steam connection anymore.


Thanks for playing,
nkm

Update v1.3.4

Greetings explorers,

Another maintenance/bugfix update drops:
  • new: when landed the HUD now indicates gravity direction with respect to the ship. This makes disembarkment less risky.
  • new: map: added selected planetary system indicator.
  • changed: map: connected isolated sectors so that they can be unlocked.
  • changed: increased gravity on random planets to make walking easier.
  • fixed: issue that caused jumpy planet deformations.
  • fixed: issue that caused floating walking behavior.


Thanks again for your feedback! Keep it coming...

Please let me know what you'd like to see in future updates!

nkm