The Crust News

Hey Crusties,

We are thrilled to announce the upcoming Early Access launch of The Crust on July 15th!

Early Access will include a full story mode, translated into 9 languages and voiced by professional actors, as well as a full sandbox mode where you can build your own customizable company and launch settings.

Mark your calendars for July 15 and get ready to embark on this extraordinary journey.

The second news is that tomorrow we plan to release another major update and Beta access keys. In the update, you will see new mechanics, numerous improvements, and changes in game balance.

We can't wait for you to experience the excitement and challenges of The Crust.

Stay tuned for more updates as we approach the launch date!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1465470/The_Crust/

[previewyoutube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYjiRlLe4w0[/previewyoutube]

The conveyor system has been completely overhauled! Each tier now has a unique and visually distinct appearance. Your production lines have never looked better!
Important Note: Saves created before this patch will no longer be loadable.

[h2]New Features & Additions[/h2]

• New visuals for each conveyor tier: making it easier to identify and manage your logistics.
  
• Complete Conveyors Culling Between Levels: Optimized performance with improved conveyor culling.
  
• Meteorites for Sandbox Start: Salvage valuable resources from meteorites in sandbox mode to kickstart your progress.
  
• Big Solar Panel is now animated!
  
• Added tooltips to the Conveyors panel buttons, now displaying conveyor throughput for easy reference.
  
• Added a new notification about unused science points.
  
• Urgent contracts now will show their location type on the Contract Offer UI.
  

[h2]Fixes[/h2]

• Yep, you guessed it. We fixed those conveyor corners that couldn't seem to turn the right way. Now they're back on track, ready to roll without any funny business!
  
• Fixed the issue where modules couldn't build near crater hills — turns out, they were just being overly cautious about steep elevation.
  
• Resolved a crash triggered by disabled pathfinding when connecting conveyors to corners.
  
• MDR mining fixes:
  
  
  
  • Fixed MDR pausing mining when full, failing to resume after cargo offload. Now, no more interruptions in your mining operations.
    
  • MDR now speeds up mining time with game speed, without multiplying the output. Mining efficiency remains consistent.
    
• Fixed Regolith Extractor animation resetting on cycle start.
  
• Fixed Vein Scanner mode movement to prevent sticking at the edge of its range. While some jittering may still occur at the boundaries, overall movement is now smoother.
  
• Fixed Contract location mismatches in UI.
  
• Fixed tooltips getting stuck when opening the pause menu.
  
• Resolved an issue where Points of Interest (POIs) would stubbornly become locked after loading if a truck happened to be en route.
  
• Addressed issues regarding colonist selection behavior in the colonist panel.
  
• You can't check the location of completed contracts anymore. They're done-zo!
  

[h2]Adjustments[/h2]

• Implemented inflation for science points within 'Crust Solutions', where prices now increase in line with current research progress. This change aims to encourage the construction of personal labs.
  
• Contract changes:
  
  
  
  • Capsules now exclusive to moon-to-earth contracts, following C.R.U.S.T. directive. Moon-to-moon contracts limited to cargo trucks.
    
  • Contracts designed for either the moon or Earth now spawn precisely according to their intended locations.
    
  • Added a batch of new urgent contracts.
    
  • Contract eligibility with certain organizations now demands a higher reputation threshold, with the trade-off being more lucrative rewards.
    
  • Revamped the generation of lunar contracts and shortened the maximum spawn distance.
    
  • Adjusted the generation to offer fewer simple lunar contracts.
    
  • Lowered the chances of encountering science points on difficult and late-game contracts.
    
• Reduced the rate at which maintenance decreases for disabled and idling modules, ultimately resulting in significant resource savings over time.
  
• Increased initial silicon amount in starting resources in sandbox.
  
• Tweaked the efficiency of small and medium solar panels to ensure more balanced energy output.
  
• Adjusted the pricing for constructing small and medium solar panels.
  
• Adjusted prices for conveyors:
  
  
  
  • increased price of underground conveyors.
    
  • Increased price of 2-4 tiers of conveyors.
    
• Adjusted the fuel mesh to a bigger scale.
  

[h2]Fixed [/h2]

• Fixed a bug that caused the veins to now show up when after a new game start
  
• Fixed a bug that caused modules breaking on pause
  

[h2]Adjustments [/h2]

• Reduced probability of quest appearing
  

[h2]Patch 90.41[/h2]

[h3]Added[/h3]

• Difficulty options for sandbox now available
  
• Added new contracts options
  
• Added new urgent contracts options
  
• Added new enties into ingame Encyclopedia
  
• Some of the research descriptions have been enhanced with additional information.
  

[h3]Fixed[/h3]

• Reputation with all fractions now 0 on start
  
• Fixed bug that prevented contracts from appearing
  
• Fixed batteries material in elecricity overview mode
  
• Fixed ghost electric pillar that stays when switching on universal dismantle
  
• Fixed game session timer behavior
  
• Fixed Cargo Truck position after arriving by capsule
  
• Fixed crash to desktop when 2nd size brush is used on edge of the map
  

[h2]# Patch 0.90.34[/h2]

[h3]## New Additions[/h3]
- Introducing a new option to customize the hotkey for free camera rotation (Middle Mouse Button).
- Now you can set a specific button for the Wiring tool (Default: C).
- Access the universal dismantle tool with ease using the newly assignable button (Default: Z).
- Ability to to rebind the radial menu (Default: RMB) .
- Additionally, you'll need to hold the radial menu button for 0.3 seconds for it to appear.

[h3]## Fixes and Improvements[/h3]
- Auto-save functionality no longer interferes with your module handling.
- Maintain mirroring when placing modules with the Shift key held down.
- When copying mirrored modules, you'll now receive the mirrored version.
- Improved proofreading of Input settings for clarity.
- Fixed room detection issues with the oxygen dispenser.
- Removed debug contracts.
- Fixed bug when you are unable to accept contracts when reputation was too good.

[h3]## Balance updates[/h3]
- Increased the base speed of the rover and truck.
- Increased the base battery capacity of the rover.
- Changes to the research map: increased the cost of some research, added research that increases rover speed.
- Added a chance for Urgent Contracts to appear.
- Increased the average time given to complete Moon delivery contracts.
- Increased the volume and profit from Moon delivery contracts.
- Increased the upper limit of all contract volumes.
- Increased global reputation growth from successfully completing contracts.
- Decreased the growth rate of faction relationships.
- Adjustments to colonists:
- Decreased energy and food consumption of colonists.
- Reduced the impact of discomfort on colonists.
- Reduced the impact of the workplace on decreasing colonists' energy and food.
- Adjusted LODs for Water Extractor and fuel factory
- Added smart concrete for small solar panel building price
- Less science would be generated from rover
- Increased starting resources
- small adjustments
- added new urgent contracts

[h2]# Patch 0.90.35[/h2]

- Fixed a bug where the lunar contract delivery point was generated at a bullseye point

Since some features and exploration map have been touched up in the game we recommend you start a new game.
To avoid issues with newly added hotkeys, we recommend resetting the input settings page and then setting up hotkeys that feel comfortable for you.