Deep Space Outpost News

Some optimisations and fixes today. Oh and trade ships can now have timers for waiting for dock and whilst docked. They'll leave after a period of time without you having to dismiss them manually.

Patch notes:-

• Improve: Page solar panel efficiency updates.
  
• Improve: Traders can leave if waiting for dock or after docking after a period of time.
  
• Fix: Loading a save game, with traders being repaired wouldn't complete. Update repair bay id.
  
• Fix: Saving when a trader arrival message existed could cause a crash.
  
• Fix: Audio bullet sfx may not play if audio bus full, causing crash, check return state.
  

Nick

A requested addition which makes a lot of sense was to set permissions for traders automatically. This has been added and can be found on the ships comms window. You'll see a little ship icon at the top right, clicking this brings up a window where you can set permissions for different factions and unaffiliated traders. Traders will now have these permissions automatically when they appear.

I've also expanded trading, so that you can buy and sell droids. I'm not sure why i hadn't added this before. Note you can only sell idle droids, so turn off their job roles if there are lots of jobs going on and you want to sell.

With the ability to buy/sell droids, i've now added this to faction contracts, so you can now have droids as the resource part of the deal. I've also added droids as part of the commerce scenario, so your task might be to sell x number of droids.

Patch notes:-

• Default trader permissions window added.
  
• Droids added to trading.
  
• Droid selling added to commerce scenario.
  
• Droid buy/sell added to contracts.
  
• Fix: Missing translation for name in factions.
  
• Fix: Droid construction - created droid appears in correct maintenance space.
  
• Fix: First seed settings not updating customise difficulty menu.
  

Nick

When starting a new scenario or sandbox game, there is now a new button next to the seed field. Clicking this will give you the area information of the current seed. On this screen you'll notice a map, clicking on this will give you the chance to choose a new location on the sector map, generating a new seed, with updated area info.

Been meaning to improve this area for a while, so now can start with settings you'd prefer. Rather than starting a game, and then checking area info. As previously you can select custom difficulty to fine tune the seed setting. I've also removed sandbox difficulty settings of easy/normal/hard, as these can be set via custom setting.

Patch notes:-

• New map selection screen in main menu - Seed can be set via map location.
  
• Display area info from seed.
  
• Remove easy/normal/hard setting for sandbox difficulty. Replace with 'default' as scenarios.
  
• Fix: Steam screenshot not working in menus.
  
• Fix: Sabatier reactor character slowdown footprint was incorrect.
  

Nick

We now have CO2 as a resource/mechanic in the game. Humans in your station now output CO2, which then builds up as a percentage of your stations air. When this gets to unsafe limits humans will equip their space helmets so as not to suffer damage. Although this gives negative morale and visitors will leave your unhospitable station!

However there are several new items to capture and use this resource. Firstly CO2 Scrubbers will capture CO2 from the air in your station and keep levels safe for your crew. You'll need more CO2 scrubbers as you recruit more human crew or have more visitors. CO2 captured will discarded into space, unless you have the new CO2 storage item.

CO2 can be traded if you have storage, although more useful is to use it with the new Sabatier Reactor production item. This is a new research item that has to be researched after the advanced refinery in unlocked. The Sabatier reactor takes CO2 and fuel inputs and outputs water. This allows you to experiment with different production chains. As you now have:-

Refinery: Ore -> Metal + Water
Advanced Refinery: Ore -> Metal + Water + Fuel + Air
Electrolyser: Water -> Fuel/Air
Sabatier: CO2+Fuel -> Water

Quite a few other improvements and fixes as well, here's the full patch notes:-

• New CO2 resource, generated from humans.
  
• New CO2 scrubber, storage and sabatier reactor items.
  
• Sabatier reactor new research item.
  
• CO2 added to trade.
  
• CO2 indicator added to lifesupport hud and bar chart.
  
• CO2 boost algae farm production.
  
• CO2 affect human behaviour - helmet wearing, morale.
  
• Fix: Air supply figures flickering when near 0 or 100%
  
• Fix: Missing translations - Engineering/Adv. Refinery.
  
• Fix: Incorrect resource count in hud when deleting storage and no relocate.
  
• Fix: Hull status including inconstruction walls.
  
• Fix: Trade button from ship infowindow not functioning.
  

Cheers,
Nick

When placing a station at the start of a scenario, you can now press 'R' to rotate the station. This allows better placement, as you can line up specific parts of your station alongside asteroid or scrap fields (eg your tractor beams/scrap depots). I've been meaning to add this for a while, as it's very useful. The station overlay has also been improved so you can make out walls/floors and doors.

I've also managed to get some optimisations in with solar panel efficiency calculations. I received a save file that had showed some stuttering. The save had a large number of solar connects, that caused issues with checking connected solar panels and working out best efficiency. I've improved this so only closest solar connects are counted now. But could be further improvements here, do let me know if you see any issues, or if you have any save files that show any performance issues.

Patches notes:

• Can now rotate station on placement, press "R".
  
• Station placement overlay distinguish between walls/floors and doors.
  
• Improve: Power update alter set tile path efficiency to limit lookups.
  
• Improve: Power update only called on build/destroy/repair if power related/connected tile.
  

Nick