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Build 0.990.48.2040: Warnings Optional

Hey folks!

No surprises from the beta, so moving straight to public with the latest update! We're bringing the usual catalog updates, as well as a new config parameter, ShowSeizureWarning, to enable/disable the bootup seizure warning. This can be found in your main-user.cfg file.

This round, we wanted to shine a little extra light on what "catalog updates" means. That is, one of our resident astronomers on the team manually adds any newly discovered objects into SE. This is just a sample of the 21 new objects added:



"This month I was excited to read about the NGTS-33 system, discovered and characterized using the Next-Generation Transit Survey (NGTS) robotic telescope array in Chile. The hot-Jupiter NGTS-33 b closely orbits its host star, a fast rotating, 7400 K, A-type star. Planets are not typically found orbiting massive stars like A-, B-, and O-type stars, making NGTS-33 b a unique discovery! It was also found to have a very low density and an inflated radius, about 15% larger than expected. But most excitingly, NGTS-33 b is a very young planet, only about 10-50 million years old. Detections of young planets are rare, and a large sample of them is needed for scientists to confirm theories of planet formation." -Dr. Megan

For readability and space, we don't typically list all the added objects (TOI-1301.01, TOI-1630.01, etc.). Browse official sites such as NASA's Exoplanet Archive or SIMBAD, and any entry older than a month or so (Dec 18th for this round) is more than likely already in-engine!

[h3]Changelog:[/h3]

  • Updated the exoplanet and host star catalog, naming convention of Gliese objects
  • Added an option to the configuration files to show/disable the seizure warning called ShowSeizureWarning. See our previous Beta post for specific instructions to enable/disable!

0.990.48.2040 Public Beta

Hey folks!

We're starting the year off with one of our regularly scheduled catalog updates. This brief beta serves as a safety net in the case anything catches on fire, so send any bug reports through the usual channels (#bug-reports on Discord, or Troubleshooting and Bug Reports in Steam Discussions)!

We're also adding a config parameter, ShowSeizureWarning, to enable/disable the bootup seizure warning. This can be found in your main-user.cfg file.

To reach this, right click SpaceEngine in your Steam Library, go to Manage, and select Browse Local Files. From there, select config, then main-user.cfg (may also just be labelled main-user). Find ShowSeizureWarning, then replace 'true' with 'false' to disable the warning (on first boot post-update, it may show as '1', which can be replaced with '0').



[h3]Changelog:[/h3]

  • Updated the exoplanet and host star catalog, naming convention of Gliese objects
  • Added an option to the configuration files to show/disable the seizure warning called ShowSeizureWarning

Build 0.990.48.2038: Climate Model Improvements

Thanks for the Beta testing, folks!

The highly anticipated Climate Model improvements are ready to go live! Thank you to all of our beta testers and community members for your useful feedback. We particularly enjoyed seeing all of the fun Earth-like terrae you have found in your exploration.

In this update, we improved the relationship between temperature and windspeed, and updated the equator-to-pole temperature calculations. This included fixing a bug in the calculation of mean temperature, which was previously too low for many planets with high windspeeds, and also changed with windspeed. Mean temperature now remains constant, unless overrides are set in the Planet Editor or catalogs.

We also fixed a few other minor bugs, including a temperature discontinuity in regions experiencing polar night, and a bug that incorrectly calculated the minimum or maximum temperature when both were set in the Planet Editor or through catalog inputs. Now the Planet Editor won’t ignore your inputs! But as always, keep in mind that extreme inputs can result in extreme outputs.

Please also take note of the known issues below the changelog, as your custom planets/systems may be impacted!

[h3]Changelog:[/h3]

  • Added a seizure warning screen when the program is starting. Pressing ESC will end the screen early.
  • Climate Model Update: Improved the relationship between temperature and windspeed; updated the equator-to-pole temperature calculations.
  • Fixed a bug in the calculation of mean temperature, which was previously too low for planets with high windspeeds, and also incorrectly changed with windspeed.
  • Fixed a planet surface temperature discontinuity in regions experiencing polar night. This also fixed a related bug for planets with axial tilts greater than 45 degrees.
  • Fixed a bug that incorrectly calculated the minimum or maximum temperature when both were set in the Planet Editor or through the catalogs.
  • Fixed a bug in the Star Browser where binary planets and binary moons were not correctly identified in a temperature-based search.
  • Updated the exoplanet and host star catalog (this may include updated names for some objects)
  • Updated asteroid catalog


[h3]Known Issues:[/h3]

  • Entering a minimum temperature sets the theoretical temperature at the winter pole for maximum possible subsolar latitude at maximum distance from the star - however, maximum subsolar latitude may not actually correspond to apoapsis, so your custom planet may not quite achieve the minimum temperature entered in the Editor/catalogs.
  • When rate of time is set very high, there is a distance-calculation bug that results in incorrect temperatures (planets and stars move faster than the temperature calculation is performed within SE).

0.990.48.2038 Public Beta

Hey folks!

With magnitudes fixed, we're giving the Climate Model some more love! You can expect better accuracy with regards to temperatures and wind speeds (see the Changelog for specifics) among the usual bug squishing efforts! As always with Betas, we're looking for bugs and inconsistencies that slipped through the cracks during internal testing, so be thorough on reporting any that you find!

For the uninitiated, you can opt in to Beta builds by right clicking SpaceEngine in your Steam Library, clicking Properties, then Betas, and selecting public beta branch from the dropdown menu. Report bugs and inconsistencies either in the Troubleshooting and Bug Reports discussion page, or in #bug-reports on the official Discord server.

[h3]Changelog:[/h3]

  • Added a seizure warning screen when the program is starting. Pressing ESC will end the screen early.
  • Climate Model Update: Improved the relationship between temperature and windspeed; updated the equator-to-pole temperature calculations.
  • Fixed a bug in the calculation of mean temperature, which was previously too low for planets with high windspeeds, and also incorrectly changed with windspeed.
  • Fixed a planet surface temperature discontinuity in regions experiencing polar night. This also fixed a related bug for planets with axial tilts greater than 45 degrees.
  • Fixed a bug that incorrectly calculated the minimum or maximum temperature when both were set in the Planet Editor or through the catalogs.
  • Fixed a bug in the Star Browser where binary planets and binary moons were not correctly identified in a temperature-based search.
  • Updated the exoplanet and host star catalog (this may include updated names for some objects)
  • Updated asteroid catalog


[h3]Known Issues:[/h3]

  • Entering a minimum temperature sets the theoretical temperature at the winter pole for maximum possible subsolar latitude at maximum distance from the star - however, maximum subsolar latitude may not actually correspond to apoapsis, so your custom planet may not quite achieve the minimum temperature entered in the Editor/catalogs.
  • When rate of time is set very high, there is a distance-calculation bug that results in incorrect temperatures (planets and stars move faster than the temperature calculation is performed within SE).

Hotfix 0.990.48.2036

Hey folks!

We didn't see any new issues pop up in the Beta, so the previous JuMBO catalog update is back, sans magnitude issues! For anything that slips through the cracks, please continue to report bugs and issues on the Discord and Steam page!

In case you missed it: we implemented what was supposed to be an accuracy improvement to magnitude values in SpaceEngine, but it clashed with the existing code, generating wildly incorrect results. A proper integration would require changes to procedural generation, which is reserved for major updates and avoided where possible. It's working, but on the shelf for a future update.

Please see the previous patch notes for a reminder of what's being reinstated with this hotfix!

[h3]Changelog:[/h3]

  • Removed apparent magnitude fix that was causing multiple bugs