Starground News

Starground v7.0.0 is now up! This update includes a wide variety of additions and new content. The main features are outlined below, but lots of performance optimizations, fixes, and new QOL features like belt replacing and underground belts have been added.

This version also includes support for Linux. If you are a Linux user and are interested in trying this alpha build, please contact me on Discord!

As always with any big update like this, expect issues that will need to be fixed (please report these on the server!).





Worlds are no longer just a rectangle space to play in. Now terrain is procedurally generated! When creating a new world, you can modify these generation settings to your pleasing. This does make old saves incompatible!





Oil is a brand new resource and automation step that is in Starground now. In the water, oil deposits will spawn in. Players can now harvest this oil with the Oil Rig, made with steel. After harvesting oil, you can process it with the refiner into fuel cells or advanced materials for new buildings like the Electric Furnace.





The fabled space hub is finally working and in the game. This is a region to talk and trade with different NPCs. As it stands, this hub contains the general shopkeeper snail NPC. He will sell you a few different resources (coins finally have a use!)

In the near future, the space hub will see more NPCs, bounty quests, and other NPC dialogue.



[h2]Additions[/h2]

• Added a button to hide UI elements
  
• Added the space hub
  
• Added procedurally generated terrain
  
• Added rebindable keys
  
• Added underground conveyor belts
  
• Added a chatbox that displays player's messages above their head
  
• Added oil rigs
  
• Added oil deposits
  
• Added the ability to pick up items by mining them with the mining laser
  
• Added the ability to hide chat
  
• Added player movement interpolation for multiplayer (makes players move way more smoothly)
  
• Added Blmutea and (퉁퉁)사람 to the list of translators for Korean (huge thanks to them!)
  
• Added Eugene301 to the list of translators for Russian (big thanks!)
  
• Added falling leaf particles to the Tree of Wisdom
  
• Added god rays to the tree of wisdom
  
• Added the track Bygone Timber that plays for the Tree of Wisdom (fun fact: made by Jesse and not ace this time)
  
• Added a scroll bar to the building menu
  
• Added the ability to quick select a building by middle clicking on it
  
• Added a resource shop keeper to the space hub
  
• Added the refiner
  
• Added a game version variable to saves to keep track of
  
• Added an item slot info popup for fuel items
  
• Added a fuel icon to buildings that use fuel in the building menu
  
• Added the ability to replace conveyors with other conveyors
  
• Added the oil processing research
  
• Added rotors
  
• Added track Lounge to the space hub
  
• Added track Rewind to the space hub
  
• Added track Grass Roots to Veridian
  
• Added electric furnaces
  
• Added Max Schramm to the special thanks section for creating weapon components
  
• Added the snail general store shopkeeper to the space hub
  
• Added support for Linux
  

[h2]Changes[/h2]

• Updated the appearance of collectors
  
• Changed and improved Veridian's tileset (thanks Z3NN3!)
  
• Updated the theme of toggle buttons to make more sense and be more consistent
  
• Updated the theme of the option button
  
• Updated the theme of all sliders to match with the rest of the UI
  
• Moved all building info into the global buildings table (behind the scenes, but will be great for modding support)
  
• Made it so that buildings rotate clockwise by default
  
• Made it so fuel cells are now crafted in the refiner
  
• Changed the fuel cell recipe to use 1 oil and 1 copper ingot
  
• Changed the fuel cell sprite to reflect its use of copper instead of iron now
  
• Removed the power usage label in the building menu for batteries
  
• Changed the order of research
  
• Removed the Advanced Fuel research since it now requires oil
  
• Decreased the cost of the Better Automation research
  
• Increased the mining range so that its the same as the building and interaction range
  
• Made it so the guide no longer shows up when you start a new game
  

[h2]Fixes[/h2]

• Fixed an issue where player roll particles would not appear for other players on multiplayer
  
• Fixed an issue where V2 conveyor items would be underneath V1 conveyors
  
• Fixed an issue where the regular font looked strange
  
• Fixed an issue where the pixel font would be slightly blurry on edges
  
• Fixed an issue where long unlock names in the research menu would cause the menu to expand
  
• Fixed an issue where the tooltips would keep repeating the success sound over and over
  
• Fixed an issue where treadmills were unusable by clients
  
• Fixed depth sorting issues with the starlauncher
  
• Fixed a performance issue where the main menu would continue processing when in-game
  
• Fixed an issue with the tooltips tutorial where it would try and keep running when disabled
  
• Fixed an issue where walls were not correctly updated when being broken
  

[h2]Optimizations[/h2]

• Optimized the performance of buildable objects
  
• Optimized the performance of hit bar indicators
  
• Improved performance of all conveyors
  
• Significantly improved the performance of collectors
  
• Significantly improved performance of tesla coils
  

Watch the developers of Starground play the game and try and beat different challenges! Stay tuned for the third segment when Max and Jesse play together and talk about the game, and what the future holds for Starground!

This stream is the second of the two special Steam Next Fest livestreams.

Watch the developers of Starground play the game and try and beat different challenges! Stay tuned for the third segment when Max and Jesse play together and talk about the game, and what the future holds for Starground!

This stream is the first of the two special Steam Next Fest livestreams.

This quick hotfix addresses some multiplayer issues with certain buildings not spawning in.

[h2]Fixes[/h2]

• Fixed an issue where the training dummy would not appear on clients
  
• Fixed an issue where the Dreadcap monument would not appear on clients
  
• Fixed an issue where the vault would not appear on clients
  

Starground v6.4.0 is now out! This update includes a variety of additions, like consumable items (the bomb, cheese, and apples), tons of new animations for the starlauncher and player, improvements to the overworld, new weapons, and general improvements and quality of life.

All of these new changes should work with multiplayer, but as with any new additions, let me know if issues arise!

[h2]Additions[/h2]

• Added craftable bombs
  
• Added camera shake
  
• Added four hotbar item slots
  
• Added cheese that can be found in the dungeon
  
• Added player combat iframes
  
• Added a screenshake slider
  
• Added a crafting recipe for sword blades
  
• Added butterflies
  
• Added the Dreadcap monument and trophy boss drop
  
• Added weapon component stat popups that appear when an item is hovered over
  
• Added a sound to the mining laser
  
• Added a shake to the mining laser when active
  
• Added particles to the mining laser target
  
• Added a landing pod animation
  
• Added a tooltips tutorial
  
• Added animations and sounds to the starlauncher
  
• Added a death animation and screen
  
• Added a drop icon to a held item when it can be dropped out of an inventory
  
• Added apples that occasionally drop from trees if broken by a player
  
• Added the ancient automaton weapon component rare drop
  
• Added the pickaxe weapon component rare drop
  
• Added a notification that pops up when a research is complete
  
• Added a training dummy to diplay DPS
  

[h2]Changes[/h2]

• Changed the UI to better portray the health bar and day counter
  
• Improved the tool bench UI
  
• Improved transparency on various UI elements
  
• Changed the tileset to add more flowers, add water decorations, and animate the water
  
• Made it so the mining laser fades in and out
  
• Made adjustments to the mining laser position
  
• Made it so the starting time of a new world is during the day
  
• Made it so you now randomly lose items when you die
  
• Made it so the currently selected hotbar slot is highlighted
  
• Made it so the mining laser and weapon hotbar sprites are now inset
  
• Made it so decorations have a chance to drop cheese
  
• Made it so items now drop out of the player's position instead of the mouse position
  
• Made it so dropping an item plays a sound
  
• Made it so buildings with areas are now all displayed when that building is being built
  

[h2]Fixes and Optimizations[/h2]

• Significantly improved the performance of walls
  
• Fixed an issue where you couldn't swap stacks inside of the tool bench
  
• Fixed an issue where conveyor belts were depth sorted improperly
  
• Fixed a depth sorting issue with the mining laser beam
  
• Fixed an issue where the mining laser target sprite got darkened by night time
  
• Fixed a rare client disconnect crash involving player references
  
• Fixed an issue where weapons were not synced when a player joins a pre-existing game
  
• Fixed an issue where weapon previews on clients were updating improperly
  
• Fixed an issue where the mining laser would not be displayed on other players when joining a server for the first time
  
• Fixed an issue where any toolbench placed after the first wouldn't update its UI when opened
  
• Fixed an issue where the first room in a dungeon would not generate decorations