Surviving Ceres News

[p]Greetings Pilgrims;[/p][p][/p][p]This minor update addresses issues reported by players.[/p][p][/p][p]Some collision fixes, number tweaks, terrain tweaks, and a handful of optimizations for colonists, drones, and auto-machines.[/p][p][/p][p]Nothing major, but a bunch of small things that add up to a better player experience.[/p][p][/p][p]Unless more reports come in, I expect this to be the last minor update and for the focus to shift to the next major update in 2026, which will be the visual update, followed by an additional planet to terraform and controller support.[/p][p][/p][p]Have an amazing holiday, and I hope to have some fantastic Ceres news in 2026.[/p]

[p]Greetings Pilgrims;[/p][p][/p][p]This minor update includes many fixes and tweaks to existing issues.[/p][p][/p][p]There are a few bug fixes for minor issues, such as drill salvage containers spawning incorrectly when destroyed by alien bugs, and other minor issues with customization and colonists.[/p][p][/p][p]There are also many improvements and tweaks to drones, auto machinery, and colonists.[/p][p][/p][p]These include fixes, optimizations, and some rebalancing of drone carry amounts and auto machine crafting speeds.[/p][p][/p][p]There are still potential issues when combining automation, such as drones bringing food to an auto-cooker to be cooked, while other drones take food from that machine to the mess hall, where colonists automatically take food to eat.[/p][p][/p][p]When things occur randomly close to one another, we can get unexpected results. Such as a colonist selecting what food and water they want from the mess, then just as they try to collect, a drone drops new food and water off, which can re-arrange and extend the inventory array at just the right time to make a colonist grab the wrong item or the wrong quantity of items. Or when drones drop materials into an auto-refiner right as it is taking materials to create the next bar, potentially grabbing the wrong materials or amounts, flagging the bar as unable to be made.[/p][p][/p][p]I have added a variety of checks and balances into these systems to avoid such situations, but it is not 100% perfect yet.[/p][p][/p][p]The next major update I hope to release will be a rework of the visuals for machines and facilities. Once that happens, we can remake base visuals and tie those in even deeper with customization options from the new customization center. But to do this, I am looking to work with professional 3D artists to deliver high-quality visuals that match the depth and quality of the gameplay and systems.[/p][p][/p][p]This update will take some time to complete, but while I hope to bring in artists, I will continue to refine and improve all existing systems as we wait for them to elevate the game visually.[/p][p][/p][p]I don't have a large budget to hire artists, but I am working to find some small but talented help that will work for reasonable pay. I don't expect the visual update to land before 2026, but in the meantime, I will refine systems and start prototyping additional game ideas for the future. If you want to stay up to date or be the first to check out my next rough prototypes, consider joining the Discord, where I am always active.[/p][p][/p][p]Thank you to everyone for their continued support of the game, and I hope to bring the visuals up to the level the gameplay systems deserve, followed by a free DLC additional map if everything works out as I envision. But since I rely on others, I can't make any promises. I just wanted to be very transparent with my plans and where I am with the game.[/p]

Greetings Pilgrims;

Just a few quick hotfixes for minor issues found by the community. A huge thank you to everyone for the feedback, suggestions, and ideas.

• Fixed a few typos in some HUDs
  
• Fixed an issue that had the auto-refinery not make platinum bars correctly sometimes.
  
• Fixed an issue with the "Advanced Refinery" where it wasn't resetting the craft VFX correctly, resulting in odd visuals after heavy use.
  
• Fixed an issue that caused drones to bring empty items to storage or facilities, resulting in a white box of nothing due to bad references. Now, if this occurs, it will force the drones to obtain new references and resume collecting.
  
• Added some additional capacity for carrying ore from drills. The drills were outpacing drones by too much. I have now doubled their carry capacity (after upgrading to max). The starting carry amount was also increased to give them a better starting point.
  
• Fixed an issue where Research totals were under the actual totals. I forgot to update this after adding the drone hub upgrades. It should now correctly display research to the new maximum of 147 research that you can complete.
  
• Added a fix to prevent some crashes on Windows 11. Because newer Unreal pre-req files are installed by games running UE5, Steam skips installing the correct pre-reqs for Ceres running on UE4.27.2. By manually running the ue4prereqs_x64.exe file, the game will no longer crash sometimes when writing data. However, there is no way for me to instruct your client to run this file. I have included some additional files that should help, but they are not perfect. I will soon look into porting the game to UE5, which should resolve this issue. However, UE5 has some performance issues when not set up correctly. This should take some time to set up correctly and maintain performance, but it will be worth it in the end.
  

Additional hotfixes may be released if players encounter any issues. However, I plan to proceed with the next major update, provided the game is stable and bug-free. Please feel free to drop any feedback, suggestions, or issues in the Steam forums or on the game's Discord. Thank you for your continued support.

[p]Greetings Pilgrims;[/p][p]In this all-new 1.5 update, we have added an extensive suite of customization options. Along with those options come a few new pieces of gear, technology, and tools to help you acquire and analyze alien samples, unlocking additional options.[/p][p][/p][h3]First Some Fixes[/h3]

• [p]Addressed several issues with drones[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue with platinum drills[/p]
• [p]Fixed some language errors[/p]
• [p]Added some stability to prevent crashes during large, fast item transfers[/p]
• [p]Reduced some colonist demands performance-wise[/p]
• [p]Tweaked some numbers for alien bugs to try and find the right balance across all difficulty settings[/p]

[p]Now on to the main course[/p][p][/p][h3]How Do We Customize[/h3][p][/p][p]To access the new customization options, you will need to build a "Colony Customization Center" located on the "Basic Base Constructor".[/p][p]I wanted to keep this new facility accessible early on, including in the demo, but it does have a hefty funding cost to unlock. However, it is cheap and easy to make once unlocked.[/p][p]With this new facility, there are four sections. "Base Customization", "Light Customization", "Colonist Customization", and an "Alien Sample Analyzing Station".[/p][p]You can access each section by interacting with the corresponding stations in the room.[/p][p][/p][h3]What Can We Customize[/h3][p][/p][p]For the base, you can set a color variant and choose from a variety of textures. The default remains the one you have known so far, but you can now use a bunch of new textures to mix up the style of your base.[/p][p]For lights, you can set colors for both regular lights and the red alert light.[/p][p]For colonists, you can set the primary, secondary, and tertiary colors for their uniforms and change their names.[/p][p][/p][h3]Customization Progression[/h3][p][/p][p]To unlock additional color and texture options, you will need to acquire and analyze alien samples. These samples can be collected using the new "Alien Sample Collector" tool found on the "Tool and Power Constructor". Once equipped in a quick slot, they can be used and consumed much like other foods and potions. Provided you are inside one of the radiation caves or on an expedition, you will acquire a numbered sample for that area. If you consume a sampler in a non-alien area, it will be consumed and return no sample.[/p][p]Once you have a sample in hand, you can head to the analyzer in the "Colony Customization Center," open the menu, and click to analyze that sample. Each sample only needs to be analyzed once.[/p][p]Once a sample has been analyzed, a portion of the variations will unlock for the other customization menus. What unlocks is based on the sample collected.[/p][p][/p][h3]Additional Gear[/h3][p][/p][p]I have added a chest armor that protects you from radiation inside the radiated caves.[/p][p]I have added an underwater helmet that allows you to breathe underwater(New underwater caves and adventures may be coming soon).[/p][p]You can find both of these new pieces of equipment on the "Basic Manufacturer" and must first be unlocked in the "Research Center" to gain access to them.[/p][p][/p][h3]What Is Next[/h3][p][/p][p]Obviously, if there are any reported issues, I will move quickly to address them, but my long-term plan is no updates for a while. I aim to collaborate with artists to create entirely new visuals for machines and facilities. If successful, I would love to redo the base visuals and take their quality up, while also remaking or resizing some modules to make them more uniform and logical. Base building is part of the game's puzzle, but some sections feel odd compared to others. Implementing uniform dimensions, rotation options, and snap changes would significantly advance base building.[/p][p]I expect this next major step to take 6 months or more, but it will be well worth the effort. Stay up-to-date on the latest work by joining the game's Discord. I will be available to fix issues and communicate with anyone. When ready, I will start working on what I consider the 2.0 update for the game. It will be challenging and time-consuming, but ultimately, it will make the game better. Following that update, if things work out as I envision, I plan to do a free DLC planet.[/p][p]Thank you for your continued support, and I hope you'll continue to watch this game as it develops towards its final form.[/p]

[p]Greetings Pilgrims;[/p][p][/p][p]This small patch addresses some issues reported with the latest 1.4 update, which I recently launched.[/p][p][/p]

• [p]The advanced farm inventory was increased to 20 to make logistics easier[/p]
• [p]Some typos were found and fixed in a variety of menus[/p]
• [p]Drones no longer take raw foods from the auto-cooker[/p]
• [p]Drones no longer take ores from the refiner, only bars[/p]
• [p]Fixed an incorrect title in the Research Menu[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue with teleporting inside your base from the teleport facility that would cause your oxygen to drain[/p]

[p]There are still a few changes and improvements I want to make to the drone system, but they are larger in scope and will require more time. I intend to incorporate some of the larger changes into the next major update, scheduled for October.[/p][p][/p][p]Thank you for your continued support. Please reach out if you encounter any issues or have suggestions for improving our existing systems. I am always open to your feedback.[/p]