Vectorio News

Hello Everyone!

As we approach the start of the likely long experimental phase for v0.2.0, I wanted to get everyone on the same page for how you can expect this update to be deployed on the experimental branch.

Due to the sheer size of this update, I will be gradually rolling it out in pieces; making it more manageable for me to collect, analyze, and action your feedback. This update isn't just touching on numerous gameplay enhancements; it's a comprehensive revamp of several core systems.

The main focus of this testing will be ensuring the stability and efficiency of the new database system, which has affected EVERY part of the games underlying code base.

So, here's the plan right now...



[h3]Initial Gameplay Test | 2024-04-19[/h3]

The first test will start in just under 2 weeks from now, which will be primarily focused on testing all the gameplay changes running on the new database system. This is the most crucial part of the entire test, and I will be working closely with everyone to ensure a smooth deployment of it.

What will be in this test?

• New database system, drastically reducing load times & optimizing library calls.
  
• Improved simulation stack - higher entity performance across the board.
  
• Multiple stability passes on individual entities (bug fixes reported in v0.1.4)
  
• Redesigned initial region, with a vastly improved generation algorithm.
  
• Balance changes to mid-late game, improving power vs. heat growth.
  
• New enemy mechanics, including base-reconstruction & outpost core connections.
  
• Redesigned user interface - all new windows with more intuitive navigation.
  

[h3]Multiplayer Test | 2024-05-03[/h3]

The second part of the testing will be on multiplayer. The reason this is excluded from the initial update is to focus testing on the core system changes; trying to pinpoint and fix specific problems would be a lot more challenging in a multiplayer environment, as certain bugs may only happen in MP.

What will be in this test?

• Multiplayer - join forces with friends (or strangers) on a shared base!
  
• Steam lobby & matchmaking support, play with others from around the globe.
  
• Iterations on the initial gameplay test; fixing up initial bug reports & actioning feedback.
  

[h3]Full Update (with Phantom Plains) | Date TBD[/h3]

The final part of the update is of course the new region, Phantom Plains. This is the big content portion of the update, which is what everything prior to this has been building towards. The date will be based on how the prior tests go, but most likely it will go right onto live after multiplayer is finished testing :)

What will be in this test?

• An entirely new region - Phantom Plains, with a new research tree & unique challenges.
  
• Iterations on the previous test; fixing up Multiplayer bugs & actioning more feedback.
  

[h2]Additional v0.2 FAQ[/h2]

I'm sure many of you will have questions, so I've tried to address the top ones which come up repeatedly in our Discord server. (I will also try to answer any in the discussion thread)

• When will the update be deployed on live?
  I don't know yet! It will depend on how testing goes during the experimental stages.
  
  
• Can I test multiplayer early?
  No, there are still a few things missing from multiplayer for it to work seamlessly across clients, and I want to focus the initial testing on the other changes coming in this update first.
  
  
• What will be changed in the first gameplay test?
  Assume everything. While it will still play similarly to how it did in v0.1.4, you'll notice a lot of little changes across the board to every part of the game, based on the feedback provided in v0.1.4!
  
  
• Is insert bug here fixed?
  I honestly can't answer this. While many reported bugs were directly addressed, others have been fixed indirectly from changes going on under the hood. It will be hard to say until I get a larger audience testing it, but as a general consensus; the stability of the game has improved drastically.
  
  
• Will my save transfer to v0.2?
  Yes, although with a bit of caveat. There are changes that have been made to the world generator which I can't retroactively apply to older bases, as it'd cause all sorts of conflicts to arise. I strongly recommend starting a new save if you want to experience the full update, but if not, your older saves should continue working and will be converted to the new database system when loaded.
  
  
• Why not release Phantom Plains with the initial gameplay test?
  To answer honestly, it's not ready yet. This update has been such a massive undertaking that certain parts of the new region still aren't complete, and while it won't take much time to finish it off, there are changes to the initial region that I'd rather focus on right now and get smoothed out. This is going to be the final major update to the first region, so I want to make sure it's done right so I don't need to keep coming back to it and updating it every few months.
  
  
• What will be in the new region?
  You'll have to wait and see for yourself :)
  
  
• What's next after v0.2.0 is live?
  I'll probably spend a few weeks running continuous fixes on the live branch after its deployed, making sure it's in a good state before moving on. The next update coming after this though will be another new region, which should hopefully only take a fraction of the time to put together and release now that the game is closer to running how I want it to on the engine.
  

Hello Everyone!

It's been quite a while since the last update or Steam post, and while this post isn't gonna be visually showing off anything in the upcoming update, I still wanted to update everybody on where I'm at in the development of it and give a VERY brief overview of what you can expect to see in it.

The reason for making this is just to echo what I've been saying to other members in the community in Steam forums or on our Discord server, as not everyone reads these and is aware of what's going on.

[h3]What is coming in v0.2.0?[/h3]

This is possibly the largest update I've ever put together across all my previous games in the past few years, and is jam packed with new features, improved systems, and a ton of iterations on pre-existing content based on all the feedback I've received over the past few months. This update is HUGE.

Without going into too many specifics in order to let everyone experience this update with fresh eyes, here is a very VERY shallow overview of what you can expect to see in this update...

• Multiplayer - join forces with friends (or strangers) on a shared base!
  
• Steam lobby & matchmaking support, play with others from around the globe.
  
• Vastly improved simulation stack - higher entity performance across the board.
  
• Entirely new database system, drastically reduced initial loading times.
  
• New animation & sound system, some buildings will feel more interactive and alive. (WIP)
• Multiple stability passes on individual entities, most reported bugs in v0.1.4 fixed.
  
• Heavy balance changes to mid-late game, improving power vs. heat growth.
  
• A completely redesigned initial region, with a vastly improved generation algorithm.
  
• Logistics V2 - new tools for setting, applying, and viewing drone routes across your base.
  
• New enemy mechanics, including base-reconstruction & outpost core connections.
  
• Completely redesigned user interface - all new windows with more intuitive navigation.
  
• Many new aesthetic tools - apply colors & place decoration tiles; make your base yours!
  
• An entirely new region - Phantom Plains, with a new research tree & unique challenges.
  
• And more!
  

Without going into too much more detail, this is a brief overview of what you can expect to see in this update when it releases on experimental. (and this isn't nearly everything coming in this update)

[h3]Why is the update taking so long?[/h3]

If the sheer amount of new features coming wasn't obvious enough, the reason is that I am trying to cover a wide range of improvements across the board to bring Vectorio up to that next level. While this is not the end all be all update for Vectorio, the size of it IS the main reason it's taking this long.

While I have been working on this full-time for the last 3 and a half months, I am still the only developer that is working on it. These types of improvements take time and cannot be rushed.

[h3]When will the update release?[/h3]

I don't know, but hopefully soon. A majority of the work is done, and over the past week I've been mainly play-testing and improving little bits of it where I can. I've also been gearing up for the first multiplayer test, which will include all of the aforementioned changes except for the new region.

As much as I'd love to give a date, every time I try to predict it I end up making myself look like a fool and completely missing it because of the varied amount of work required to make this update happen.

With that said, I can 100% confirm that a majority of this update is done at this point.

[h3]Why aren't you showing anything in this update?[/h3]

Mainly because the first 2 months of work were on systems that I can't really show. I can tell you that I've improved the entity simulation or reduced loading times, but there's a difference between my telling you it and you experiencing it. The only reason I've come out and given a brief overview of it now is because it's been a considerable amount of time since the previous Steam post, and I've seen an increase in concerned players wondering why there hasn't been any updates in a long time.

With this all said, I certainly have a lot that I could show now with all the new content that I've been adding to the game over the past month. But, because I am now in the final stretches of this update, I'm sticking to my gut and choosing to stay quiet about it until the full update is ready to go. I truly believe experiencing this update with relatively fresh eyes will make it far more special.

[h3]Questions? Comments? Concerns? Let me know![/h3]

While I haven't been super engaged on the Steam side of things lately, I have continued an open line of communication with the player base over on our Discord server.

There's a GitHub log channel that lets people stay relatively up-to-date with what's being worked on, and I constantly answer questions or engage with new discussions pretty much every day. If you want to stay in the loop, this is the absolute best place to do it, and I highly recommend joining.

Discord: https://discord.gg/Vectorio


With that said, I will try to keep up with questions or comments made in the Steam discussions as well. If you'd like to discuss anything about this update, please let me know either below or by making a post on the forums - while I may not respond to them all, I still read all of them.

Thanks for reading
~ Ben

Hello everyone

The next patch has been tested on experimental and all changes have been confirmed to go live. This update is mainly focused on bug fixes, and has no major changes to the game.

Questions? Comments? Concerns?
Let me know below or on our Discord server: https://discord.gg/auDgRJqtT9


[h2]v0.1.4h Patch Notes[/h2]

[h3]Balance Changes:[/h3]

• Lowered dropship collider size by 25%
  
• Lowered dropship HP from 1500 to 1200
  

[h3]Bug Fixes:[/h3]

• Fixed cargo drones not being destroyable when no route was set
  
• Fixed boosters from having an inverse effect on reduction-based multipliers
  
• Fixed storage boosters not working. Requires saving and reloading your world in order to fix.
  
• Fixed booster effects being infinitely stackable (now uses the most effective multiplier)
  
• Fixed model ID's changing on reload, making enemies appear as friendly
  

[h3]Core Tech:[/h3]

• Small refactor to the new stat system, which should make it far more reliable and efficient by utilizing instance pooling and multiplier sockets.
  
• Added a new world-feature flag to the save and EM system, which allows entities to be defined as world-features. This will be expanded on in coming updates to enforce spawning world features.
  

Hello again!

A new experimental patch is now available for testing! You can access it on the experimental branch by following the instructions below if you wish to get access to the changes and fixes now.

[h3]How to opt into experimental:[/h3]

1. Locate Vectorio in your Steam library
   
2. Right click and go to "properties"
   
3. Find the "betas" branch
   
4. Using the dropdown, select "Experimental"
   

[h3]v0.1.4h Experimental Info:[/h3]

• Testing Cycle: ~24 hours
  
• Experimental Saves: Disabled
  
• Backwards Compatible: No
  
• Update Type: Experimental Patch
  
• Contains Spoilers: No
  

[h2]Patch Notes[/h2]

The following is a list of changes pushed to the experimental branch. While changes are usually tested beforehand, please note that some may require further testing to validate.

[h3]Balance Changes:[/h3]

• Lowered dropship collider size by 25%
  
• Lowered dropship HP from 1500 to 1200
  

[h3]Bug Fixes:[/h3]

• Fixed cargo drones not being destroyable when no route was set
  
• Fixed boosters from having an inverse effect on reduction-based multipliers
  
• Fixed storage boosters not working. Requires saving and reloading your world in order to fix.
• Fixed booster effects being infinitely stackable (now uses the most effective multiplier)
  
• Fixed model ID's changing on reload, making enemies appear as friendly
  

[h3]Core Tech:[/h3]

• Small refactor to the new stat system, which should make it far more reliable and efficient by utilizing instance pooling and multiplier sockets.
  
• Added a new world-feature flag to the save and EM system, which allows entities to be defined as world-features. This will be expanded on in coming updates to enforce spawning world features.
  

Hello everyone!

The next power rework patch (v0.1.4) has been tested on experimental and all changes have been confirmed to go live. This update is largely comprised of many small changes, in addition to back-end improvements or reworks in preparation for Multiplayer. (v0.1.5)

NOTE: While many of the new features in v0.1.4 have been tested, some may require further testing. Expect a follow-up patch early next week to address any remaining bugs or balancing issues.

Questions? Comments? Concerns?
Let me know below or on our Discord server: https://discord.gg/vectorio




[h2]v0.1.4 Patch Notes[/h2]

Below is a compiled list of all changes throughout the experimental phase on the changes that have made it in for v0.1.4 live. Next weeks patch will tie up some of the changes mentioned here, as they require a larger testing audience to obtain good data and feedback on them.

[h3]New Additions:[/h3]

• Complete refactor of the power and heat system. Power only affects defenses, while heat only affects logistics. This will heavily affect how the game is played, so I am looking for feedback on it!
  
• New generator mechanics. Now requires either resources or a resource node to produce power.
  
• Removed collection mode and collector drones from the game, in place of having cargo drones unlocked from the get-go, and improving the overall control-flow of the game. This change is not final, and I'll be looking at feedback from it very closely.
  
• New UI designs for many of the interface elements that were out-of-date due to the power rework. Should improve overall clarity and readability on many of the interface panels.
  
• The ability to repair entities with one button press, in exchange for resources.
  
• Two new music tracks for the in-game OST, Gridspace & Horizons.
  
• New menu music track for the menu, with a new menu scene for power rework.
  
• Complete new heat tree, including new heat levels 11 - 15 that add more challenge with new units later in the game. (NOTE: Some of these units are currently not finished)
  
• New tutorial screen, and the ability to replay tutorials through the pause menu
  
• New material for drone route previewing to enhance clarity at a longer distance
  
• New construction sound effect that plays when a building is placed
  
• A variety of other smaller changes to certain notification windows, to again help with the actual information being presented to you due to things happening in-game.
  

[h3]Quality of Life:[/h3]

• Multiple hotbars, and the ability to quick scroll through them using left-control.
  
• New entity tooltip panel that shows info without needing to click on the entity.
  
• Quick-edit keybind that enables the ability to edit certain entities in one click.
  
• Defenses and reclaimers will now auto-reconstruct themselves if they get blown up.
  
• Holding shift to move faster will also increase the speed of camera scrolling.
  
• A variety of smaller QOL improvements to the overall control-flow of the game.
  

[h3]Balance Changes:[/h3]

• Majorly buffed all turret stats, in turn for not being able to build as many now.
  
• Improved the default drone speed and storage, to help with early-game automation.
  
• Increased the cost of many of the earlier research techs, as well as the actual cost to build them after unlocking them. These changes were made in correlation to the power rework.
  
• Lowered the health pool of larger units signficantly (dropships & spectors)
  
• Lowered the power cost of many defensive structures
  
• Various tweaks to resource costs for certain buildings that were too expensive
  
• Lowered cargo drone cost from 50 gold to 20 gold
  
• Increased cargo drone speed from 35m/s to 45m/s
  
• A variety of smaller balance changes to improve the overall flow of the game.
  
• Final heat values are still being tested and balanced, but will be in next weeks build
  

[h3]Bug Fixes:[/h3]

• Fixed an issue with power generators disappearing after reloading a save
  
• Fixed cargo drones deploying to previous routes after the route was changed.
  
• Fixed cargo drones being able to deliver to buildings of different factions
  
• Fixed region boosters causing negative values on certain multipliers
  
• Fixed Quantum Decryptors causing all sorts of strange artifacts when activating
  
• Fixed burners miscalculating power values when being deleted
  
• Fixed an issue with the new research complete event that was causing labs to disappear when finishing a research tech due to an unassigned variable in the interface component.
  
• Fixed entity tooltip not disappearing when hovering over blueprints
  
• Fixed old tutorial showing up when disabled
  
• Fixed labs causing a "Bug Reported" error when certain resources were put in them.
  
• Fixed cargo drones sometimes going to the wrong target after being object pooled.
  
• Many smaller bugs have been fixed from the core system improvements listed below.
  

[h3]Core Tech:[/h3]

• Refactored the screen activity detection for entities, which now calculates screen space orientation during setup. This will fix instances where on-screen entities would simulate as off-screen entities.
  
• Completely changed the way gamemodes are handled. Everything now runs through a central scene which is constructed based on the provided modes data, instead of having separate scenes for each mode. This may cause short-term issues with creative while the kinks are worked out, but will enable extensive support for custom gamemodes in the future.
  
• New backend stat system for handling entity stats that will open the door for levels and upgrades in the future, as well as improve the reliability and accessibility of stats in the game now.
  
• Multiple refactors to many of the manager scripts, that should help to improve their overall reliability and help support the new content coming in v0.2.0, which will have new unique mechanics to it.