💡 Let There Be Light – System Wake-Up Quest! -- ☵ HIRAETH game Update 0.9.8.46

[p]It’s been a week since the last major update, and here comes another one — and I think there’s a good reason for it. The previous update brought an engine upgrade and huge performance improvements. This time, we’re taking a big step toward the story mode in Hiraeth: the first substantial quest, complete with gameplay and world changes.[/p][h2]Comm Center Access Quest[/h2][p]This is the first longer, multi‑stage quest in Hiraeth. For now, it still appears in the list as a Task, but soon quests and tasks will be separated properly.[/p][p]Your goal is to gain access to the Comm Center, and the quest begins during your first inspection of the facility.
[/p][p]This quest will be part of the main storyline — leaving Nesoi Island and traveling to another region of Ahra Prime. For now, the reward is access to the Comm Center itself: a large structure with items, workstations, and more.[/p]

• [p]It requires meeting several conditions[/p]
• [p]It includes a few optional, related side tasks[/p]
• [p]It has no time limits (a new thing — tasks usually do)[/p]

[p][/p][p]As more quests are added to the future main storyline “Leave Nesoi,” some elements may change so you can experience new content, but the core idea will remain the same.[/p][p]For leaving Nesoi, I’m planning around 15 in‑game days of tasks for a speedrun. Many of them will have no time limits, and soon they will also depend on the selected difficulty level.[/p][h3]IMPORTANT: Due to major systemic changes, starting a new game is required. Using old save files may cause errors and prevent quests and objectives from functioning correctly. I apologize for the inconvenience — this is, unfortunately, something that can happen in a rapidly evolving Early Access game.[/h3][h2]Changes on Nesoi Island[/h2]

• [p]A new station related to the Comm Center quest, along with connected details like cables running from the Comm Center[/p]
• [p]More intense overall world colors on Nesoi; multiple presets (cinematic, dystopian, etc.) are in the works[/p]
• [p]Corrected large antenna on the Comm Center[/p]
• [p]As seen in the quest, an early version of the energy management system for objects and devices has been added — this system will be expanded and used frequently later on (not always for quests this complex)[/p]
• [p]Numerous foliage changes on Nesoi (including rocks and similar elements) and terrain/landscape adjustments[/p]
• [p]During testing I noticed some foliage rocks lack collision — I’m skipping this for now, since the entire foliage setup on Nesoi will be replaced soon anyway[/p]

[h2]Other Changes[/h2][p]I focused almost entirely on the quest, which required a lot of coding and systemic adjustments. Other changes were postponed, except for the ones below.[/p][h3]Navigation & Performance[/h3][p]I made several changes to the navigation system. In Unreal Engine, you can currently choose between a very stable setup (no engine crashes) or a very performant one that heavily loads the system. As you can see, I managed to create a lightweight and stable version — no crashes despite many hours of quest testing. In many areas, performance is even better than before, which was already very good compared to other Unreal Engine games.[/p][h3]Equip Crowbar From Inventory[/h3][p]You can now equip the crowbar directly from the inventory, not only when picking it up from the world. It generally works fine, but the entire weapon‑handling system will be reworked soon. This was added at the last moment and may need tweaks.[/p][h3]Weapon Jamming Condition Changes[/h3][p]Hiraeth has a detailed procedural weapon jamming system, but settings and actual randomness don’t always align. Jams could occur even just below 90% condition and cleanliness, despite the theoretical chance being almost zero. For now, weapons will not jam at all when condition and cleanliness are above 50%.[/p][h3]Save System Changes[/h3]

• [p]Brighter and higher‑resolution save slot icon[/p]
• [p]Saving during sleeping or waiting no longer triggers every in‑game hour like normal gameplay[/p]
• [p]After migrating to the newest engine version, world item saving requires updates — some fixes are included now, the rest will come in the next update[/p]

[h3]Access Terminal Message Selection Fix[/h3][p]After the engine upgrade, some terminal buttons couldn’t be selected. This is now fixed.[/p][h3]Inventory Item Collision[/h3][p]Adjusted collision between items and the player. This will be refined further, but it already prevents certain objects from being “launched into space” after colliding with the player.[/p][p]I hope you enjoy completing the new quest and have a great time exploring! These are only the most important changes — this weekend’s issue of The Ahra Prime Times will cover the game’s development and upcoming fixes. Even though many issues are already resolved, the engine migration introduced new ones to address, such as occasional non‑disappearing widgets like Take Item.[/p][p]Warm regards, Paweł[/p]