Surviving Ceres News

I have just finished tackling a rather difficult technical issue that was affecting the game. I am not going to get into specifics, but if you want specifics, feel free to come to Discord for a more technical chat. I am happy to announce that I have figured it out, and it will make expanding the game possible.

In this small patch, I have added a few quick fixes for some issues.

[h3]Fixes[/h3]

• I fixed an issue that prevented a supply crate from being looted in the 70% melting ice cave.
  
  
• I fixed an issue that prevented the 70% ice wall from displaying its melt values to players.
  
  
• I have added a small blocking volume to the mess hall above the supply container to prevent colonists from being bumped up on top of the box due to collision. This should no longer be possible.
  
  
• I have added a few dependencies that should elevate some issues for Win 11 users that could result in a crash. Unreal is a great engine, but it is not perfect. I aim for the game to run as best as possible with ideally no crashes, but sometimes, things can happen for Unreal and Windows run-time operations. I plan to elevate some of this with this patch, but I will continue to do my best to optimize and improve the game as we continue to develop and move the game forward.
  

That is it for this small hotfix. This patch should wrap up the 1.2 patch, and we can look to the 1.3 build. I am keeping new content separate for the time being from the main build in case any issues do arise that need a hotfix. Still, I am hopeful we can move forward fully with 1.3, which will center around logistics and automation. Thank you for your continued support, and if you want to get involved or stay up-to-date with the development, consider joining Discord. Take care out there, pilgrims.

Just a few quick hotfixes to a few minor issues found in patch 1.2

• I have fixed a new issue with the deconstruction tool becoming incorrectly active. This fix should prevent this from happening again.
  
  
• I have added some changes to AI colonist logic to increase performance, prevent a few loops they could get stuck in, and implement some preventative measures for colonists getting stuck on certain things mesh-wise.
  

This is it for now. So far, patch 1.2 is running well. I will be ready to hotfix anything that comes up, but ideally, I will be moving forward with 1.3, which will revolve around automation and logistics for the colony to better smooth out the late-game side. It will also include some other good changes and additions. There is no date for that patch yet, but feel free to join Discord to stay up-to-date as work continues. Have fun out there, pilgrims.

[p]Quick disclaimer: This update might have unexpected results in an ongoing playthrough. Some buildings that have changed could clip into each other. The new "One Floor Teleporter," if already placed, will be wonky when the new model replaces the old version in an existing game. Some new machines, such as the recycler, might not be found in your blueprints if certain saving conditions have also occurred in your ongoing save. If you wish to continue an ongoing playthrough and there are issues, please feel free to use Steam's ability to set the game back to any patch state. I will leave the previous patch available for anyone who wishes to finish a run before trying the new version.[/p][p]Let's get into the good stuff with that disclaimer out of the way. This patch is the first of many significant updates planned for the game to take it to the next level. This patch is focused on building and crafting aspects. You can expect some quick hotfixes if there are any issues with this patch. Once everything has settled down, I will begin work on the next major update, focusing on automation and logistics to tie the colony loop together in a big way.[/p][p][/p][h3]Changes[/h3][p][/p]

• [p]We have made several language fixes and changes to clarify certain aspects of the game to players or to correct some language mistakes.[/p]
• [p]We added a "Stat Point Available" message to the level-up message to ensure players know they have points to spend.[/p]
• [p]We fixed some issues related to colonists' AI breaking when getting to work.[/p]
• [p]We fixed some issues related to colonists getting jammed when too many attempted to use the teleporter from both directions, which could lock them up in a traffic jam.[/p]
• [p]When deconstructing the mission control, we added a confirmation message to ensure players understand how many functions will not work correctly until it is rebuilt.[/p]
• [p]We have added the ability to see crafting recipe costs for all blueprints in the tooltip. You can now see how much things cost while machines are crafting, helping players plan their next moves.[/p]
• [p]We have added the ability to pin recipes. You can pin up to 5 recipes to the side of your screen, and you can clear them by clicking the clear pin button under the notification from within the inventory or any machine inventory.[/p]
• [p]We added snap points to the "Basic Refinery," "Fuel Refinery," and "Basic Manufacturer." This should allow for more diversity in base buildings instead of one long path when these facilities had just one snap point. We will continue to iterate and add/change snap points for additional facilities as needed.[/p]
• [p]We added a new 4-way corridor, which was highly requested. Even though we had the HUB, which is a 4-way connector, players wanted a 4-way corridor. This should enable players to do more with their vision for their bases.[/p]
• [p]The "One Floor Teleporter" has been remade. It is now round and has four snap points on the second floor in every direction. This should really allow you to make bases in the shape and form of your choosing.[/p]
• [p]We added some lights to the advanced farm that help give the feel of growing crops.[/p]
• [p]We fixed an issue that allowed players to create holes in their base when deconstructing the original HUB. This is now impossible.[/p]
• [p]We added a "Recycler" to the game. This recycler can be used to break almost anything down into materials. It is found on the "Machine Constructor" and unlocked by default to be constructed. Once placed, you can insert any items, including data pads, and break them down into materials. You can also break bars back into base materials.[/p]
• [p]We added some new upgrades related to the rockets. You can now add two additional spaces to rocket inventories and reduce rocket travel time by 40%, bringing it down to three minutes to travel to Earth or Ceres.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue that could come up with identically named landing pads where two rockets could land on the same pad.[/p]
• [p]We added an emergency stop crafting button to every machine. This will allow you to halt any ongoing crafting. It currently does not return materials used, but I am considering adding this in the future.[/p]
• [p]We have unlocked Dolomite bars by default in the "Advanced Refinery."[/p]
• [p]We fixed an issue with using the character unstuck when on an expedition. If needed, this will now put you back at the starting pod for each expedition.[/p]
• [p]We have changed and added several upgrade texts to clarify certain upgrades.[/p]
• [p]We have increased the total amount of research to match the newly added upgrades.[/p]

[h3]What is next[/h3][p]As stated at the start of these notes, the next plan, aside from fixing any issues from this patch, is to work towards automation and logistics for the colony through drones. We had logistics previously with colonists, but this led to many stability and performance issues, and ultimately, we had to cut it from the game. But it will return in the next major update in the form of drones. You can stay up-to-date or give input to the development of the system as it is implemented by joining the game Discord.[/p][p]Thanks to everyone who has tried the game and chosen to support its future development with a purchase. The game feels like an Early Access title in some ways, but I decided to go with the full release since the 0-100% terraforming loop is in-game and complete. But I plan to do much work to improve and add to the game post-launch without changing the core loop of reaching 100% terraforming. Eventually, I would like to add additional planets as free DLC, but the idea of the 0-100% terraforming is considered the full loop, hence the full release. Please keep an eye on the game over the long term as we continue to work to improve and grow the game. Thank you for your understanding and support; it means a great deal to me.[/p]

Greetings Pilgrims;

This small patch contains a few quick fixes to a few lingering issues.

[h3]Patch Notes[/h3]

• I fixed an issue with landing pads remaining in use after launching a rocket. This was a tricky fix to track down, but I am now confident it is 100% fixed. Unfortunately, it can not fix any existing saves with broken landing pads, but if you come to the Discord, I can manually fix those saves for anyone who ran into this issue. Moving forward, it won't occur.
  
  
• I fixed some typos and language issues. Thank you kindly to "Hanorilin" from Discord for her help with this.
  
  
• I fixed an issue related to having multiple "Aerial Defense Cannons." This will now function correctly if you have any cannon manned by a colonist.
  
  
• I fixed an issue with the export of $1 billion worth of exports in a single rocket achievement that would not correctly fire if sent in the wrong rocket. This now fires for any rocket.
  
  
• I fixed a few misnamed interaction tips I missed when I combined some machines for simplicity. For example, the Basic and Advanced Machine Constructors, which were combined into the "Machine Constructor," were still listed as "Basic Machine Constructor" when interacting, and many others. This adds more consistent language to the game.
  

That is it for this patch. This should address all lingering issues that slipped through to release, and we can now focus on the future. The first content patch will contain building and crafting QOL changes and additions. The date for this patch is not yet determined, but feel free to join Discord if you want to stay up-to-date. I appreciate your support.

There was a rare issue where the Hub could be placed low enough that colliders could overlap the landscape, making it impossible to place some structures.

There was a rare issue where landing pads would stay in use after you launched a rocket.

I just wanted to push these couple of small fixes to address some minor issues. I am currently working on the first big update, but I had to get this out for players. I hope to have the first major update ready for June, but if you want to stay up-to-date, consider joining the Discord. Thank you, and have fun terraforming.