Mars First Logistics News

- Add a fence around the solar farm construction site to draw more attention to the crane.

Hello,

This update is mostly about oft-requested quality of life improvements, but also adds some new parts to play with.

[h2]Mechanical loops[/h2]

The biggest change is to the way parts connect together. Previously each part had exactly one "prong" that would slot into a socket on another part.



This was often a source of confusion, as the prong isn't visible when you're attaching a part. With this update there are no more prongs. Instead any socket can connect to any other socket and you won't end up with small gaps when you try to close a loop. The gap was there to show the parts weren't mechanically linked, but now they are, so no gap is necessary!



The ability to create mechanical loops opens up many more creative and engineering possibilities, such as more sophisticated suspension systems, or the ability to combine multiple servos or pistons for greater lifting power.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Since sockets will now form mechanical linkages with adjacent sockets, some of your saved vehicles may not work as expected. If you find that something is not moving that previously moved, it's likely because two sockets are now linked. You can fix this by separating the sockets or using different parts that do not have a socket in that position. See below for new parts that have been added for this purpose.

[h2]Select pivot point[/h2]

Since parts can now connect via any socket, it made sense to allow you to select the socket when attaching parts.



This feature can also be used to easily flip servos to have them rotate in the opposite direction.

[h2]In-game manual[/h2]

The game now features an "Engineer's Handbook" that can be accessed from the editor. It explains some of the finer points of editing such as copy-pasting, changing channels, etc, that were previously not explained very well. This feature is a work-in-progress and new sections will be added over time.



[h2]Cleaned up part controls UI[/h2]

The part controls display has been cleaned up and it now avoids showing duplicate prompts for the same part type with the same controls. Previously this could be very messy with a lot of controllable parts. It also no longer shows part controls every time you switch channels.



[h2]Grappling hook improvements[/h2]

When aiming the grappling hook, the vehicle will become invisible in a circle around the target. This makes it much easier to aim without your vehicle getting in the way.



We've also fixed some physics issues with the grappling hook.

[h2]New parts[/h2]

A total of 8 new parts have been added:

[h3]Sliders[/h3]

These are free-sliding linear joints and come in 3 lengths.



[h3]New connectors[/h3]

T-connector, X-connector and corner parts have been added. These are particularly useful to avoid unintended linkages, since they have less sockets than the hub part.



[h3]Ribbon[/h3]

Unlock the ribbon by completing the fair.



[h3]Radio[/h3]

Allows you to play music all the time!



[h2]Other changes[/h2]

• The race track now has a lap timer.
  
• The motorised joint part now has a direction arrow.
  
• The dimensions of some parts such as the Telescoping Cylinder, Hinge, Ball Joint, 30 Degree Bend and Angled Connector have been slightly modified to better line up with the other parts. This may cause issues with existing saved vehicles, since the positions of parts might change slightly.
  
• New pivot points have been added to some parts such as the jaws, cone and horn.
  
• The reversed curved panel parts have been removed, since they are no longer necessary as the non-reversed versions can now be used instead by selecting a different pivot.
  
• Controllable parts such as servos and cylinders can now be set to auto-return when no button is pressed. Access this setting in the configure controls tab in the editor.
  
• Editor zoom limit has been increased.
  
• A new setting has been added to disable the input prompts in the bottom-left of the map, editor and menus.
  
• Steam Deck performance has been improved.
  
• Numerous other tweaks and bug fixes.
  

Thanks for the continued feedback and I hope you enjoy the update! The next update will focus on new content.

Hello,

I've just pushed a big change to how the editor and physics work to the beta branch.

The new system allows mechanical loops and selecting the pivot point when attaching parts. This is a major change to how the building works and I'm hoping it will allow more creative possibilities, while still being intuitive and easy to understand.

There are some outstanding usability issues that I talk about in the following video, but on the whole I think this is a very positive change that many of you will enjoy.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Summary of changes:

• Connecting parts in mechanical loops is now supported!
  
• There are no longer small gaps when you try to close a loop, instead the parts will become mechanically bonded if their sockets line up. This may cause issues with some of your existing builds, which may need to be modified to break any undesired connections.
  
• You can now select different pivot points about which to rotate parts, and you can connect them via any free socket.
  
• The editor now includes a work-in-progress "Engineers's Handbook" to help you get the most out of the editor.
  
• Some part dimensions have been standardized to make it easier to link them with other parts. These include the telescoping cylinder, hinge and ball joint. This may break some existing builds.
  
• New pivot points have been added to some parts such as the jaws, cone and horn.
  
• The reversed curved panel parts have been removed, since they are no longer necessary as the non-reversed versions can now be used instead by selecting a different pivot.
  
• New parts: short, medium and large sliders.
  
• More new parts: T-Connector, X-Connector and Corner.
  
• The colliders on some parts have been tightened up.
  
• A few more parts have been added to the starting set.
  
• Fix a bug where parts would slowly separate over time.
  

To access the beta branch, right click on the game and click Properties -> Betas and then select the "beta" Beta.

Please try it out and let me know what you think!

Ian.

Hello!

I'm going to do a little stream on Saturday morning (Melbourne time) to talk about what I've been working on for the last month and a half: allowing mechanical loops when building a vehicle.

This a big change that opens up a lot of new creative possibilities, but also affects many parts of the game including physics and the editor. I feel like I've gone down a bit of a rabbit hole with this change and I wanted to talk about what's different, what's good and what maybe needs more work, as well as answer your questions and discuss your ideas.

Stream link: https://www.twitch.tv/ianmaclarty.

I'll be pushing the change to the beta branch after the stream. Hope you can make it!

Ian.