The Quality Of Life Update

[p]We’re excited to roll out a major post-launch update for Space Chef, packed with fixes, polish, and quality-of-life improvements based directly on your feedback. From the moment we launched, you’ve been helping us track bugs, suggest changes, and share both what you love and what could be better. This update is our way of saying thank you.[/p][p]We’ve been overwhelmed (in the best way!) by the positivity in your reviews. It means the world to our small team to see thousands of players enjoying the game we’ve poured nearly seven years into.[/p][p]A lot of you wrote a positive review hoping that we would fix some things in a future update, and that's what this update is all about. We've really tried to read and analyze all reviews, both positive and negative, all forum posts and all Discord threads.
[/p][h2]Can't wait to play? Then play right now![/h2][p]The update is out as you read this. Just start Steam and let it update, and get cooking!

Check out the video covering the patch here!
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[dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][h2]A quick summary of all the things we've updated[/h2]

• [p]Quality of life updates and new features[/p]
• [p]Better progression clarity[/p]
• [p]Faster progression, less grind[/p]
• [p]Less frustration and spoilage[/p]
• [p]Things are now more durable[/p]
• [p]Things are now less expensive[/p]
• [p]Machines and restaurant mechanics are easier to understand[/p]
• [p]Major bug fixes[/p]

[p]For the juicy details, keep reading![/p][p]
[/p][h2]Quality of life updates and new features[/h2][p]There are some things that a lot of you were asking for, and we're incredibly happy to be able to offer these things:[/p][p]
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• [p]You asked for it, and we hereby give you… a larger inventory! When you reach 2 stars, you unlock 30 inventory slots![/p]
• [p]You can craft and cook items when away from home, as long as you have the materials.[/p]
• [p]You can remove items from the food menu with a simple click on the menu[/p]
• [p]Hovering over a crate now shows a preview of what's inside[/p]
• [p]The quest tracker now switches to the quest you just made progress on[/p]
• [p]Pin a recipe/blueprint and have it easily accessible on the left side[/p]
• [p]You can cancel restaurant orders[/p]
• [p]If your restaurant has more than 6 customers, you'll get more time per order
  
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[h2]Better progression clarity[/h2][p]Yes, we were a little too confident in our own cleverness when doing the puzzles in the game. We’d hoped for a fun and mysterious sense of progression, but instead got a bit of a cryptic mess.[/p]

• [p]All upcoming blueprints to be unlocked while levelling up skills are now shown in the Gastropedia —o more surprises! It’s a lot easier to know what skills you need to progress, to get those Advanced Solar Panels or a Gas Gun.[/p]
• [p]Each NPC's current location can now be seen in the Gastropedia. No need to run around hunting and discovering empty locations.[/p]
• [p]We rewrote all 33 quest descriptions to make them clearer and added some hints to make it a lot easier to progress without spoiling too much[/p]
• [p]We added a total of 12 new radio messages that give hints about things like machetes, pickaxes, robot dogs, alien gas, quartz and last but not least: Marty's Top 5 Energizing Drinks.[/p]

[p]
[/p][h2]Faster progression, less grind[/h2][p]This is a tricky one, as a lot of you enjoyed the slow and steady pace, but a lot of other players thought that the game progressed too slowly and were impatient to see what's next. Being able to reach the Outer Zone faster was a common request.[/p][p]
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• [p]All skills and reputation now increase faster, meaning less grind to unlock new blueprints[/p]
• [p]Various blueprints unlock earlier:[/p]
  • [p]Advanced Solar Panels, at Reputation 1.5 stars[/p]
  • [p]Moltron Solar Panels, at Reputation 3 stars[/p]
  • [p]Slow Cooker, at Cooking 4[/p]
  • [p]Space Suit, at Exploration 5[/p]
  • [p]For the complete picture, check the new Gastropedia view![/p]
• [p]You now get bonus XP for longer distance orders on the Outer and Far Zone[/p]
• [p]Gas is now a lot faster to harvest, and you get more, especially Nitrogen[/p]
• [p]You can also get Fusion Batteries from Electric Junk, from broken Satellites[/p]
• [p]The Bontha now is easier to find, and gives you more Bontha Meat if you manage to hunt it[/p]

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[/p][h2]Less frustration and slower spoilage[/h2][p]There were some things here and there that frustrated you. We hope that the fixes below will make it a less frustrating and a more pleasant experience.[/p][p]
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• [p]Food takes a lot longer to spoil[/p]
  • [p]All processed and cooked meals start spoiling in 24 hours, then go from the starting quality to completely spoiled in 48 hours[/p]
  • [p]Note that the 48 hours is based on 5 star starting quality. For lower quality ingredients/meals, the spoil time is reduced proportionally. The time to start spoiling is always 24 hours.[/p]
  • [p]Items in fridges lasts 4-5 times longer[/p]
• [p]Ship handling and space travel have been adjusted[/p]
  • [p]Added a ship braking setting which lets you stop the ship from drifting so much[/p]
  • [p]Improved UFO and Nebula Storm chaser rotation speed[/p]
  • [p]Reduced asteroid collision damage a lot[/p]
  • [p]Pirates attack less frequently[/p]
  • [p]Disassembly drones spawn less frequently[/p]
• [p]Combat is smoother[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an issue when spamming the attack button, which made you attack slower[/p]
  • [p]Fixed another issue when you spammed attack, and turned the other way, the player would keep attacking in the wrong direction[/p]
  • [p]The Polka Snake and other animals that hide should stay out for a little longer, most of the time[/p]
  • [p]Remember, use RS or mouse to aim when you attack! ⚔️[/p]
• [p]Farming in the start is easier[/p]
  • [p]You can no longer delete Plant Box (and also Fridge) by mistake until the blueprints are unlocked[/p]
  • [p]General store now have a chance of selling Rushwood as well as the seeds[/p]
  • [p]You can now get free soil in the park without a shovel[/p]

[p]
[/p][h2]Things are now more durable[/h2]

• [p]All craftable weapons now last longer[/p]
• [p]All machines last longer[/p]
• [p]Hull plating Level 2 lasts longer in the Toxic Cloud[/p]
• [p]Hull plating Level 3 doesn't take damage in the Toxic Cloud[/p]

[h2]Things are now less expensive[/h2]

• [p]Decorations are now cheaper[/p]
• [p]Adding floorplans is now a LOT cheaper[/p]
• [p]Lowered ship repair cost [/p]
• [p]Lowered booster refuel cost[/p]
• [p]Tweaked some ship accessories prices at the ship store[/p]
• [p]Towing and repairs of your spaceship when damaged in space is cheaper[/p]

[h2]Game is now easier[/h2]

• [p]Lowered intensity of cold effect on Crystalia[/p]
• [p]Underwater air time on Bluegoonia lasts slightly longer[/p]
• [p]Lowered sun damage[/p]
• [p]Lowered Gnibbits damage[/p]
• [p]The "Flip!" and "Ready!" when cooking is now better in sync with the perfect position[/p]

[p]
[/p][h2]Machines and restaurant mechanics are easier to understand[/h2]

• [p]Added speech bubbles to Compost, Water Tank and other machines to explain how to use them[/p]
• [p]Added a message when you need to clean the restaurant table if it's preventing you from getting customers[/p]

[p]
[/p][h2]Major bug fixes[/h2]

• [p]Fixed a glitch where the chef could walk through some plants and also teleporting back when that happened[/p]
• [p]Caveron out of bounds issue and getting to the wrong floor when dying causing confusion[/p]
• [p]Fixed Snowbell quest where it needed 12 glass to complete[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where creating a lot of machines made time stop at home[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the space ship sometimes suddenly drove towards the sun[/p]
• [p]Fixed "Food trends" disappearing after changing scene[/p]
• [p]Fixed various issues with picking up the drops after hunting larger animals[/p]
• [p]Loads of other minor bug fixes[/p]

[p]
[/p][h3]Stuck? Here's how to get unstuck![/h3][p]There might still be some issues where you can get stuck, but you can use emergency respawn, now also on gamepads:[/p]

• [p]Keyboard: CTRL-SHIFT-K three times[/p]
• [p]For gamepads and Steam Deck (LT+RT+LB+RB and press B, three times)
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[h2]Summary on the updates[/h2][p]We're really happy with this update, and we think it feels much more polished. We hope it makes your time in the Horseshoe Nebula smoother, cozier, and even more satisfying.
[/p][h2]A note on consoles[/h2][p]We worked with a porting house to create Space Chef’s console versions. This allowed us to bring the game to far more places than we’d otherwise have been able to, but it also introduces cost and complexity to updating those versions. This is one of those ‘reality of game development’ trade-offs. Unfortunately, it's currently extremely unlikely that we'll be able to bring this update to PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch. Rest assured we're trying our best to make it happen, and we'll update you if anything changes.
[/p][h3]What’s next?[/h3][p]This update is the last planned major patch for Space Chef. That said: we’re not closing the doors for potential future updates and we will definitely be engaged in the community for as long as there are players. Here are some ways to engage with us developers and the community:[/p]

• [p]The Space Chef Discord is full of friendly chefs and explorers.
  
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• [p]The Space Chef Wiki on Fandom is alive and growing and has a complete list of all the recipes, blueprints, characters, creatures and everything else in the game. Feel free to contribute with your own content and add tips on various pages to share with other players.
  
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• [p]The Steam Discussion Forum has a lot of great posts with questions, tips and tricks
  
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• [p]We will always be around to answer questions, or just talk about angry Gnibbits!
  
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[p]We're incredibly proud of what we’ve made, and so grateful to each of you who helped shape this game into what it is today. Thank you for playing, for backing, and for believing in our weird, ambitious idea about cooking in space. ❤️[/p][p]– The Space Chef Team[/p][p]
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