Mars First Logistics News

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.

More bug fixes:

• Fix a bug where invalid buoyancy forces were applied to telescopic cylinders in water.
  
• Improve milkshake colliders.
  

This patch fixes a few bugs and makes some minor tweaks:

• Improve performance for vehicles with lots of springs.
  
• Fix solar receiver colliders.
  
• Make the solar farm crane easier to notice.
  
• Fix some tutorial issues.
  
• Tweak the positions of some transmitters.
  
• Improved rocket and pneumatic cylinder colliders.
  
• Fix a bug that prevented entering photo mode while firing rockets with a gamepad.
  

After a bit of a holiday in January, we're back to working on the next update, which will mainly focus on often-requested features and quality-of-life improvements.

Please keep the feedback coming!