Star Trucker News

Dave here with a chunky update for you all.

Firstly, thank you again for all the support so far. It’s been wonderful watching the community coming together to help each other and we’ve been enjoying reading through suggestions for future content.

Regarding our initial plans for Star Trucker, phase 1 is progressing well. We’ve squashed plenty of bugs and worked through some initial issues in v1.0.41.0 so it’s now time to start talking about the next update and beyond…


[h2]Is It Ready Yet?[/h2]

Almost! We are currently testing the next update. There’s been a substantial amount of work under the metaphorical hood to enable custom control mapping so there’s A LOT of stuff to triple-check but we’re nearly there.


[h2]Custom Control Mapping[/h2]

Possibly the most requested Star Trucker feature. The work on custom input bindings has been a bit of a slog but we’re pretty happy with the first iteration of this system.



Why has it taken so long? Well, for many different reasons. Let's break it down a bit...

LOTS of inputs across multiple control modes

• 1st Person Driving
  
• 3rd Person Driving
  
• CB Radio interactions
  
• Cab interior Walking
  
• Cab interior Zero-G
  
• Space walk Zero-G
  

UI needs to dynamically update based on custom bindings

• Game interactions
  
• Control helpers
  
• Tutorial prompts
  

There’s a looooong list of strings to localize into our supported languages

• Custom binding options
  
• Binding pop-up prompts
  

We need to make sure the game remembers your inputs

• Save custom input bindings for both M&K and controllers
  
• Ability to revert to default settings
  

We wanted to make sure you could update bindings mid-game

We wanted to do some groundwork for future controller support

The other thing to note is that we’ve primarily focused on custom inputs for controllers and US QWERTY keyboards. This was to make sure we could get the update out in a timely manner. In subsequent updates we hope to support alternative keyboard layouts.


[h2]Extended Controller Support[/h2]

As mentioned, work also continues towards supporting a wider range of input devices.

Although HOTAS and joystick compatibility is a little way off, the upcoming patch will support the following controllers on Steam…

• PS4 DualSense Controller
  
• PS5 DualSense Controller
  
• Switch Pro Controller
  

When playing with one of these you should see the appropriate icons in-game and be able to re-assign controls via the new Custom Control Binding screen.




[h2]XP Progression & Just in Time Jobs[/h2]

We've been monitoring XP progression since the last update and agree with players that XP rewards, especially later in the game, are lower than expected.

Another issue we’ve been tracking is JIT jobs causing frustration among some players. Although they were always intended to be a slightly more complex job type they are not really fulfilling their role quite as intended.

To that extent we’ve begun work on refining these jobs and rebalancing XP rewards. These changes are taking longer than expected and won't feature in the upcoming patch but should roll into the following update alongside a bunch of other cool new stuff.


[h2]Bug Squashing[/h2]

We’ve also been working through various issues the community has discovered on their travels. Many of these are smaller QoL things but we’re also tackling some larger, trickier, issues.

A couple of fixes have made it into the next update, but most of these need more scrutiny and will land at a later date. As always though, we’ll be sure to list any fixes in the patch notes.


[h2]PosterSpy X Star Trucker[/h2]

In non-development news we’re teaming up with PosterSpy to commission some bespoke artwork for Star Trucker!



We’ll be picking x3 artists from a shortlist next week so if you'd like to be considered please check out the Star Trucker commission page for more details.


[h2]Truck ‘n’ Treat[/h2]



Lastly, spooky season wouldn’t be complete without a little trick n treating! So make sure you check back later this week for a bonus blog post and what we hope will be a fun little reveal…

Until then, laters alligators!

- Monster Dave

Greetings Star Truckers!

The game has been updated to v1.0.41.0 bringing with it a range of bug fixes & balance tweaks. These should help provide a fairer and more consistent experience as you haul cargo across the stars.



Firstly we should mention that some of these fixes will only start to resolve themselves as you play. As existing jobs and cargo time out, newly generated jobs should behave as expected.

You will also notice that green and gold power cells that already exist in your cab will keep their existing charge despite an increase in capacity. However, any new power cells you find or buy will start at their new maximum capacity.

The last thing to note is that by fixing a bug in the reward calculations you will now receive higher cash payouts but less XP. We’ll keep an eye on how this plays out and if required work on a more nuanced economy and progression pass for a future update.

• Power Cells are now better value for money
  
• Reduced fines for abandoning most jobs to 50% of job value
  
• Kept fines for abandoning valuable jobs at 200% of job value
  
• Essential items, such as Power Cells and Air Filters, now spawn more often in regular shops
  
• Jobs now correctly calculate rewards which results in more pay but less xp
  
• Increased maximum charge for green and gold power cells
  

• Fixed issue where “Junk in the Trunk” could get stuck
  
• Fixed issue with “Rendezvous” sometimes not starting correctly
  
• Fixed issue with “Perfect Timing” showing an incorrect destination
  
• Fixed issue with “Hit and Run” failing to redirect players back to Vexmont
  
• Fixed issue where some side jobs didn’t show "Wait for CB Call" prompt on the Convoy screen
  

• Fixed issue preventing access to two dropzones in Darkside
  
• Fixed issue preventing access to a weigh station in Enigma Belt
  
• Fixed an issue where reloading a save in Haze Way would disconnect multi-trailers
  

• Fixed issue where job rewards were not calculating correctly
  
• Fixed issue where the job board was not showing the correct reward values
  
• Fixed issue with weigh stations ignoring your cargo capacity skill level
  
• Fixed issue with some jobs giving you trailers too big for a dropzone
  
• Fixed issue preventing saving after dying during warp
  
• Fixed issue preventing warp gates from working after a recovery
  
• Fixed issue with some asteroids having larger collision areas than intended
  
• Fixed issue where under some circumstances items vanish from containers on reload
  
• Fixed issue with recovery services not repairing the truck to 50%
  
• Fixed issue with map not showing a black market location
  
• Fixed various string and localization issues
  
• Fixed issue with oversized Panel Trailers generating in multi-trailer jobs resulting in some drop zone deliveries being impossible
  

• Electrical and Atmospheric Cloud optimizations
  
• Spark City Station and Tommy T Diner optimizations
  
• Various platform and girder LOD optimizations
  

• Updated Power Cell labels to reflect their quality ( e.g. Power Cell ++ )
  
• Tweaked wording on the New Game screen
  
• Added a spooky season surprise!
  

As mentioned in a recent blog post, some of these issues have only been found thanks to the keen eyes of the community. So please continue to report issues and oddities to the Raw Fury Support Desk so we can keep squashing them.

Lastly we'd like to take a moment to thank you all for the continued support and patience during our first weeks out in the wild. We hope you'll stick with us as we work on further refinements, content and new features.

10-10 'til we do it again!

- Dan & Dave ( aka Monster and Monster )

Cars, bicycles, motorbikes, buses, boats, scooters, wagons... and of course, TRUCKS! If you love vehicles in games, the Planes, Trains, and Automobiles Fest is made for you.



And to celebrate the event, we have updated our official soundtrack with a Disc 2, containing a selection of atmospheric sounds to chill out to.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3088930/

It’s been a week since launch and we just wanted to say thank you again for all the support and feedback we’ve been receiving from the Star Trucker community.

I know we talked a bit about priorities in the previous post but I thought it was worth diving a little deeper into what’s been going on and what the future holds for Star Trucker.

So I’m going to split this post into two parts. Firstly we’ll provide an overview of how we’re treating ongoing work and then I’ll go into a bit more detail regarding the next patch.

[h2]Phasing[/h2]

As you already know, we’re a super small team ( Currently 2.5 of us! ). We’re planning to ramp up by bringing on board some extra code support to help Dan but it will take time to finalize so we have to be super careful how we prioritise current and future work.

Knowing this we’ve tried to plan out some phases. We can’t give solid estimates but it should give you an idea of how we’ll tackle things going forwards.

It’s also worth noting that there might be multiple updates during a phase and some tasks could move around due to complexity and time scales.


[h3]Phase 1[/h3]

• Critical fixes (see the “Bugs” section below)
  
• Difficulty tweaks - Focusing on essential items like power cells / air filters and revisiting fines
  
• Custom key bindings
  

[h3]Phase 2[/h3]

• Extended controller support ( e.g. HOTAS )
  
• Balance refinements - Focusing on economy, sector hazards and upgrades
  
• Sector optimizations and updates
  

[h3]Phase 3[/h3]

• Online radio support
  
• Corporation and cargo updates
  
• Extended CB system (e.g. send out a recover SOS / ask for gossip)
  

We also have a couple of cosmetic packs already in the pipeline. These don’t require code support so shouldn’t delay new features / balance tasks but they are pretty cool ( I would say that though... ) and every sale will help fund future updates.

Beyond these phases we’ll begin work towards a longer roadmap with some more substantial feature / content work. Once we’ve locked down a plan we’ll be sure to update you all!

[h2]Progress Tracking[/h2]

In the name of transparency we want to give you a slightly more detailed update on what’s been going on since launch / what we’re up to this week.

It’s kinda hard to break it down properly but hopefully this will give you an idea of where we are with the next update and the issues we’re currently trying to address.

Some of these have only been found thanks to the keen eyes of the community so please continue to report bugs to the Raw Fury Support Desk so that we can keep squashing them.

[h2]Bugs[/h2]

Many of these fixes should be in the next patch but a couple might slip to a subsequent update.

[h3]Done[/h3]
✅ Fixed an issue preventing saving after dying during warp
✅ Fixed an issue preventing warp gates working after a recovery
✅ Fixed an issue preventing access to x2 dropzones in Darkside
✅ Fixed an issue preventing access to a weigh station in Enigma Belt
✅ Fixed an issue where under some circumstances items vanish from containers on reload
✅ Fixed an issue with weigh stations ignoring your cargo capacity skill level
✅ Fixed various string issues
✅ Fixed an issue where some side jobs were not showing "Wait for CB Call" prompt on the Convoy screen
✅ Fixed issue with oversized Panel Trailers generating in multi-trailer jobs resulting in some drop zone deliveries being impossible


[h3]To Do / In Progress[/h3]
➡️ Fix an issue where the job board is not showing the correct reward values
➡️ Fix an issue where job rewards are not calculating correctly
➡️ Fix an issue with some dropzones thinking you can deliver oversized trailers to them
➡️ Fix an issue where under some circumstances the job board freezes
➡️ Fix an issue where reloading a save sometimes unhitches your trailers
➡️ Fix an issue where under specific conditions the mileage counter shows an incorrect value


[h2]Balance [/h2]
We’re working on some initial balance adjustments to help make the game fairer and more consistent. A future update will focus on a more robust balance pass once we’ve collated more data.

[h3]Done[/h3]
✅ Increased frequency of essential items in shops ( e.g. power cells and air filters )
✅ Adjusted Power Cell costs and maximum charge levels


[h3]To Do / In Progress[/h3]
➡️ Adjust recovery penalties
➡️ Adjust abandoned job penalties
➡️ Adjust repair costs


[h2]Miscellaneous[/h2]
Where possible we’ve also been chipping away at some other bits n pieces. Some of these are listed below…

[h3]Done[/h3]
✅ Electrical and Atmospheric Cloud optimizations
✅ Spark City Station and Tommy T Diner optimizations
✅ Various platform and girder LOD optimizations
✅ Updated Power Cell labels to reflect their quality ( e.g. Power Cell ++ )


[h2]Roundup[/h2]
So that’s the current situation! As you can see we’re working hard to improve player experience and address various issues. Not only that but an update is imminent, our team is expanding and we’re planning a LOT of great new stuff for the future.

So once again, thank you for your support and patience. We hope you’ll stick with us as we find a sustainable cadence for updates and begin working on new features and content.

Peace out.

- Monster Dave

Howdi Star Truckers,

We just wanted to take a moment to say a huge thank you for helping make the launch of Star Trucker so special for us Monsters.

We’ve been blown away by the response to our niche indie space sim, and we want you to know that we’ve been enjoying your streams, reading your feedback, and taking lots and lots of notes.
As we’re such a small team, it might take us a little while to address everything, but we’re putting together a plan for the future, and we hope you’ll stick with us as we iron out issues, deliver new features, and continue to enhance the game over the coming months.

While on that topic, we wanted to share our immediate priorities with you all…

[h2]Custom Key Bindings[/h2]

We’ve heard you loud and clear regarding the lack of key bindings. This feature has been bumped to the top of our list, and work has already begun on an initial implementation.

[h2]Balance Adjustments[/h2]

With so many new players comes a whole lot of new gameplay data. There’s a lot to digest, but in the short term, expect a variety of adjustments that should help provide a more consistent and fair experience.

[h2]Extended Controller Support[/h2]

We know how important extended controller support is to sim fans, and we’re gutted this feature wasn't ready for launch. The basics have been implemented ( we can confirm driving the truck using HOTAS is great fun!), but there's more work to do before it can be rolled out properly.

Oh, and it should go without saying, but we’ll also continue to squash bugs and work on performance optimizations as part of any future updates.

With that out of the way, we want to give a final shout-out to everyone who helped us over the finish line and release our first multi-platform game - the development support, the audio team at Laced, the incredible musicians and voice actors, Raw Fury for giving us the chance of a lifetime, and of course, all of our players, both old and new.

Thank you. You’re all superstars!

- Dan and Dave (aka Monster and Monster)

P.S. Cheers!