1. Boundless
  2. News

Boundless News

Release 223 - Venerable Forging and Buff Bombs are here!



Greetings Citizens

With the latest update to Boundless, we’ve got a collection of cool new content for you all to enjoy. The two main headlines are the new Buff Bombs, and some awesome new Forging effects.

Buff Bombs are a powerful addition to any fighting force. Three different enhancements are available, with Speed, Strength and Armour buffs all provided via these area-of-effect explosives.

The new Forging material, Venerable Gum, provides several new effects which Citizens can employ today. Firstly, Fists can now be bestowed with a ‘Power Grabber’ ranged auto-gathering effect, creating a super-efficient hunting Tool, or to grab precious Resources from afar.

Doors can now be set to automatically close or open once a Citizen has moved away using a Spanner with the Auto-Door trait, and last but not least, the Unchisel Boon will be a useful tool for Builders. This will reset any Block to its default state when struck. To create these, you’ll need to use the new Forging material, Venerable Gum. To obtain this, you’ll simply need a supply of Earthyams and the Gum Base.

Of course, this isn’t all we have in this update - head to the discussion board for the full patch notes, which feature a typically wide range of bug fixes and quality of life updates.

Thanks all, we’ll see you in there!

Update 221 - The Chrysominter



Greetings Citizens,

This update brings a number of quality of life updates, as well as some very cool new features to Boundless. From today, you’ll be able to enjoy 4 new Guild Buffs, and a brand new Machine, the Chrysominter.

The Chrysominter takes any object in-game and converts it into Coin. This will be a variable base rate and will be calculated differently for each Item. These rates will change over time based on our analytics. So for example, Rock or Soil will pay out less than Diamonds or Rubies. It’s important to note that this isn’t designed to replace selling in stores - the Chrysominter won’t pay out more than the player-run economy.

It’s best to think of the Chrysominter as a way to make a quick buck, rather than big bucks. A good use case would be a Player who is left with several stacks of Rock after a mining expedition and wants some quick Coin to open their next Warp. Think of it as a way to ensure there’s always a way to generate income if you’re willing to gather the Resources.

One side-effect of the Chrysominter is that this will be the first time Coin values will be shown as decimal values in the game’s UI. As another example (not using real values), let’s say Rock is worth 0.1 Coin per unit. 10 Rocks would need to be input to make 1 whole Coin. Decimal values will be for these purposes only, with the minimum usable value still being 1 Coin - so you won’t be able to buy or sell goods for less than 1 Coin via a Plinth.

The Chrysominter will pay out in multiples of 100, so although conversion is instant with no waiting time, nothing can be withdrawn until the Machine’s balance hits 100 Coin. The Machine does also have Power Coils available, providing a boost of 5% yield for each Coil (up to a maximum of 8 coils).

As mentioned above, this release also features 4 brand new Guild Buffs. These are;

  • The Weapon Augment Buff which will give your Guild Member’s Weapon Augments a boost to Durability, letting them Hunt for longer.
  • For the Miners out there, the Hammer Versatility Buff allows Hammers to damage Blocks which usually require a Shovel - useful for those high-volume digging operations.
  • The Bonus Consumables Buff gives Crafters the chance to receive an extra Brew or Food for free for each one they create.
  • The Spark and Wear Buff will allow Machines to use less Power and last longer without repair. Build the relevant Helix today to start using your Buffs!


Of course, this update also brings a wealth of fixes and quality of life changes to Boundless, and you can read more about those in the full patch notes over on the Forum. Work is well underway on the next updates to the game, and we’ve got some very cool features lined up - watch this space...

See you all in there!

Latest Update: Exoworlds are here!



Hello all

With the latest update to Boundless, occasional mysterious Exoworlds will be seen in the skies, orbiting the Known Worlds. These are temporary small Worlds which will be in the Universe for a certain period of time.

Exoworlds will cycle around the Regions, allowing all Citizens to visit one of these unique and challenging environments. They will take on a mix of levels, but will generally be higher-tier Worlds which will need a high level of Skill to survive. The Exoworlds will take on a variety of profiles - Coal, Metal, and even our first ‘Lucent ’ Worlds …

Please note, these Exoworlds are only accessible via Warping, and no Plotting will be possible on them. These Worlds are also unable to Regenerate Resources - once they’re gone, they’re gone!

Exoworlds will typically be level 3-6, with Lucent Worlds being level 7, and eventually level 8. These are the next Tier in progression for Boundless, and will require the greatest Atmosphere Protection Skills available, and significant Buffs to survive.

Let’s talk about those Lucent Worlds we mentioned earlier! Initially, they’ll be introduced as occasional Exoplanets and will be made up of three brand new profiles -Rift, Umbris (fka Darkmatter) and Blink. These will be difficult Worlds, so invest in Protection. Naturally, the Rewards on offer will scale with the difficulty, so these risky expeditions will carry great potential.

Of course, this isn’t all we have in this update - head to the discussion board for the full patch notes.

Thanks all, we’ll see you on a new World soon!

Gleambow Racing, starting at midday GMT!

Greetings Citizens

With our next big event kicking off on the 13th March at 1200GMT, it’s time to reveal the details of Gleambow Racing!

As you may have guessed, the event centres around Meteorites. On Level 3 and above worlds, some regular Meteorites will be replaced by special Gleambow Meteorites. These will be easily identifiable via their spectacular multicoloured trails, and will be around for a shorter period than a regular strike. Gleambow Meteorites will need two or more citizens to be present in one area in order to be triggered, and scale up physically according to how many citizens are present, so we’re looking forward to seeing some big group hunts!



Each Gleambow Meteorite will consist of 1 Core Material, and a scatter of Gleam. These will be random resources, in randomised colours, some of which may have never been seen in any of the Known Worlds before! (Note: These are base materials that are found in the wild, not crafted ones)

Upon reaching the Gleambow Meteorite, 50% of these blocks must be destroyed within a time limit. If this is not achieved, all blocks will default to the world’s existing colours. The reward will be Rough Oortstone and Gold Ore - as well as the abundance of materials harvested from the Gleambow Meteorite itself.

As usual, players will share the final reward (Oortstone/Gold) equally, but the blocks will be collected by whoever breaks them - so you’ll want to reach the site as quickly as possible when you see that tell-tale colourful trail.

The tool you’ll need for this is the special Gleambow Totem. This is essentially an upgraded version of the regular Totem in a cool new colour scheme. To craft this, you’ll need to combine a regular Totem with Elemental Fusion at a Workbench.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Boundless event without some cool new wearables to pick up in the exchange, and we think you’re going to like this one - the Gleamicorn Horn will be available for the two weeks of the event only!



See you all in there!

Release 217: Guild Buffs, Advanced Locks, and Global Chat!



Greetings Citizens, and welcome to the latest update to Boundless!

Thank you for your patience while we rolled out the update, and now that we’re live let’s run through what’s new.

The headline items are some awesome new Guild Buffs, some neat Advanced Locks, 3 brand new Global Messaging channels, and, for our PC players, the prototype of our Sanctum Editor (Fear not, PS4 players, it’ll be hitting the console version in the future, but due to technical reasons we’re only able to prototype the feature on PC for this release).

This update is accessible via the “Live” release of Boundless on Steam.

Please restart Steam to make sure you get the latest version of Boundless. If the update happens whilst Steam is open it’s unlikely you’ll get the latest version.

Please report all issues discovered with the update with a new post in the support thread.

On to the full patch notes;

Overview:

  • Added 4 new Guild Buffs.
  • Added Advanced Locks.
  • Added 3 new Global Messaging channels.
  • Prototype Sanctum Editor (prototype for PC, coming to PS4 in the future).
  • Important:


This update refactors the world IDs. This required us to increase the local world cache version number.

You may experience slower world loading as all world chunks will need to be downloaded.

If you switch between Testing and Live the cache will be reset automatically.

Release Notes:

Crafting + Resources + Equipment:
  • Added 4 brand new Guild Buff Helix Machines to craft and use:
  • Home Healing Helix - provides your guild members with healing whenever they are in a Guild-aligned Beacon. Available at Minor, Greater and Super levels.
  • Building Safety Helix - grants your Guild members reduced fall damage and increased interaction range when within a Guild-aligned Beacon. Available at Improved, Super and Mega levels. The Mega level will reduce all fall damage!
  • Brew Extension Helix - grants your Guild members the ability to extend the length of applied brews by killing creatures. Available at Improved, Super and Mega levels. The Mega level will reduce all fall damage!
  • Gatherer Healing Helix - heals Guild members whenever they harvest a surface resource (Plants and Boulders). Available at Minor, Improved and Greater levels.
  • Blocked removal of plots containing active Guild Helix machines, in order to stop players accidentally cancelling their Guild Buffs.
  • Readjusted the Crafting times of some start game items to better improve the flow for new users as part of our recent ongoing improvements to the start of the game and to bring them in line with similar objects. For example, Earthyams should now be a lot faster to cook, closer to the time of cooking a starberry.
  • Copper Bars: Was 40 seconds, now 30 seconds
  • Glass: Was 60 seconds, now 30 seconds
  • Glue: Was 40 seconds, now 20 seconds
  • Beacon Control: Was 40 seconds, now 30 seconds
  • Stone Furnace Base: Was 20 seconds, now 15 seconds
  • Stone Furnace Crucible: Was 20 seconds, now 15 seconds
  • Atlas: Was 60 seconds, now 30 seconds
  • Stone Tools and Weapons: Were 30 seconds, now 10 seconds
  • Storage Block: Was 60 seconds, now 40 seconds
  • Storage Shelf: Was 60 seconds, now 40 seconds
  • Cooked Earthyam: Was 60 seconds, now 25 seconds
  • Cooked Waxy Earthyam: Was 60 seconds, now 25 seconds
  • Cooked Exotic Earthyam: Was 60 seconds, now 25 seconds
  • Cooked Meat: Was 120 seconds, now 60 seconds
  • Cooked Prime Meat: Was 120 seconds, now 60 seconds
  • Cooked Lean Meat: Was 120 seconds, now 60 seconds
  • NOTE: These are some quick improvements to the early game crafting times. We’re still reviewing the feedback about crafting times in general.
  • Added Advanced Locks:
  • By default an advanced lock stops everybody except for the beacon owner (and guild directors or executives if the beacon is guild controlled) from accessing nearby items.
  • Can be configured to allow access for characters by interacting with the lock.
  • In a guild aligned beacon guild factions can be allowed access.
  • In a guild controlled beacon only characters from the guild can be given access.
  • If a character is removed from the guild while the beacon is guild controlled the character will be removed from any locks permissions.
  • Looking at an advanced lock will show a red outline around all items locked.
  • Multiple items can be locked by one lock.
  • If 2 locks are placed next to an item it is locked by both locks. Characters need to have permission on both of them to access the item.
  • Machines can be locked. Characters given access to the machine will be able to fully use the machine (including taking any items stored inside it!)
  • Storage connected to a lock will lock up to 3x3 storage blocks (but you can place storage on both sides of a lock). Characters given access to the storage will have full access to the items inside.
  • Powercores connected to a lock will lock the entire group of powercores.
  • Buying and selling plinths can be locked. Characters with lock access will be able to access the plinth like the beacon owner (managing coin and stock).
  • Signs can be locked. Characters given access to the sign will be able to edit its text.
  • Portals can be locked. Characters given access to the portal will have full access so can fuel it (they can also take all of the fuel out so be careful!)
  • Beacons, letter boxes and guild controls cannot be locked.
  • Locks permissions can only be viewed by players with permissions on the lock and beacon workers and engineers.
  • Locked items, Locks and the block they are attached to cannot be removed by anyone other than the beacon owner (and guild executives or directors if the beacon is guild controlled).
  • Renamed existing locks to door locks. They only work for doors and stop anybody without permissions on the beacon from interacting with the door. If left open other players can still get inside.

GUI + HUD:

  • Item Categories:
  • Added Stack Category for new Beams and Poles which will now show as Beam Smart Stack or Pole Smart Stack when rolled over, previously just showing as Smart Stack.
  • Added text for Helix Machine smart stack.
  • Split the Raw Food Smart Category into “Raw Edible Food” and “Raw Inedible Food”. This should make it easier for new players to quickly spot food they can eat without the need to cook it.
  • Furnaces now have a Recipe tab, allowing you to see what ingredients are required for crafting.
  • Reworked inventory panel layout in UI screens to make more room above the fold.
  • Furnace shows correct colour of output item whilst working.
  • Added UI highlights during the tutorial for changing filters.
  • Added a flash to the legend during the tutorial for changing tabs and filters on PS4.
  • Tutorial now highlights missing ingredients.
  • Global Messaging channels:
  • Added a new set of global and public messaging channels to help everyone connect.
  • Shops and Trading - A public channel for all players to promote their shops and ask for trades. You’d still need to visit shops and meet in person to trade.
  • Looking for Group - A channel to promote builds, hunts, community events and other collective stuff.
  • Questions and Help - A channel for players requesting and responding to help.
  • The channels contain rate limits and a big group of players will be given the rank of messaging moderators to help us keep these global channel on target.
  • All players who have the rank of Regular on the forum will be made moderators.
  • Gleam Club members no longer count towards Guild membership limits, up to a maximum of 500 members per guild.
  • The current world’s Capital is now available as a Warp Conduit destination in the Locations tab. Selecting this location will take you to the outskirts of the Capital.
  • Changed text in “Undisputed Capital Of The World” objective to reflect being able to now use Warps to travel directly to the Capital.
  • Coin in Shop Stands and Request Baskets is now always visible to owners.
  • Guild Tags are now enforced to be unique, just like Guild Names. Note that existing duplicate tags have not been changed. You will need to contact us if you think another Guild has misappropriated your tag to resolve the issue.
  • Improved frame delay opening Exchange.
  • Updated Setting Your Warp Destination tip for more player clarity. Removed reference to Crafting and Trading Warp Conduits to draw focus to approaching one of the Warp Conduits in the sanctum and interacting with it to start the players first Warp.
  • Added a new tab in the game menu screen to view past news events.
  • The player will be alerted with a confirm popup when a forging potentially could destroy the forging tool.
  • Added Durability Drain Mod stat in the character attributes information.
  • Skill tooltip now provide stat information concerning the current rank and the next rank of the skill.
  • The recipes on skill tooltips have been grouped together where appropriate.
  • Changing the representation of completed objectives slightly to handle longer objective names.
  • Updated wording on Start World screen for ‘Start on a Hostile World Button’ to explain that Creatures can attack first and will be hard to defeat.
  • Improved “Guild Full” join button message for Factions to explain when Master Guild capacity is blocking joining.
  • Added News Flashes for the main features of this release.


Engine:

  • Added runtime checks of more game asset types to try and detect any corruptions to report to users to re-install the game or verify assets.
  • Updated PS4 client to be built against latest Sony SDKs.
  • Updated server compiler toolchains.
  • Add instancing groups for simple prop meshes (e.g. storage). Repeated meshes near to each other are processed as one object during rendering. This improves frame rates around built up areas, especially on PlayStation 4, and reduces ram usage.
  • Refactored how worlds are referenced by the universe making them easier to add and remove. This is foundation work required to enable: temporary or time limited worlds, player worlds, and event worlds.
  • Created a script to validate that all guild members are correctly subscribed to their guild message channels.


Sanctum Editor: (prototype for PC, coming to PS4 in the future)
  • Added a new debug panel from the F1 menu, currently only available on Windows, for editing the Sanctum locally.
  • You will be able to fly in the editing-sanctum, use the F9 give menu and break/place/chisel whatever you want.
  • The editing-sanctum will display a character model for where the player would normally spawn during the tutorial and normal runs of the game, as well as the tutorial totem and warp-augment (not collectable) to avoid breaking the tutorial flow.
  • The F9 give menu now has a button for “give in-world selected” which will give you a full stack of whatever block you are looking at with your character in-game.
  • The Sanctum Editor is the tool we used to create the default Sanctum and decorate it for the Lovestruck event.
  • This editor is a first step towards an in-game prefab builder.


Bug fixes:

  • Fixed some edge cases where beacon fuel duration would look like it isn’t protected by Gleam Club - when it was.
  • Fixed an issue where guild leaders could not rename a district from other player’s controlled beacons.
  • Updated the symbol on the mailbox so as not to be confused with the products of a certain multinational tech company.
  • Fixed some presentation issues with the messaging GUI where they could be rendered with incorrect sorting.
  • Fix not being able to send the letters ä, ü, ö, ß on world chat.
  • Stopped guilds getting negative Endeavour scores when multiple simultaneous Endeavour transfers occur.
  • Fixed incorrect tax modifier value when setting prices on Shop Stands in beacons owned by someone else.
  • Fix text input cursor flashing while it moves
  • Fixed users with permissions (but not guild-based permissions) not being able to interact with a beacon control.
  • Fix XP bar in exchange screen not ticking up nicely anymore.
  • Fixed a bug where the Boundless account type was not being displayed in the support screen.
  • News events in the game menu screen will not display a “view in browser” button on PS4.
  • Fix server crash when accepting a trade request at the same time as the other player cancels the request.
  • Fixed a funky sign text rendering issue if you had a text with text and colour codes, and then removed all the text leaving just colour codes behind.
  • Fix for the “Able to craft” filter not updating when adding input items to the inventory.
  • Fix missing friends in Sanctum with large friend lists.
  • Fixed a word order typo in the Sanctum Warp Augment tutorial, now reads press (button) to view rather than press to (button) view.
  • Fix for automatically picking up items you drop at another players feet.
  • Fix for occasional client crash when interacting with a crafting machine.
  • Fixed error dialogs for fatal application errors not showing the details of the error but only its title.
  • Fixed wearables not being tinted correctly in the inventory screen.
  • Fixed some cases of characters popping out visually where they are stood, when stood very close to a short-range same-world portal pair that is being rendered (depending on order, previously ended up popping the character out so that it could be rendered as partially sticking out of the other side of the portal pair as we don’t support rendering the same entity in multiple positions in a single render pass).
  • Fix a very rare client crash when throwing a bomb.
  • Fixed a crash when looking at a beacon screen when it expires.
  • Fix unintentionally unequipping a held item on PC (reported by a13o).
  • Fixed bug producing infinite fate when the players apply fate reversal forge status effect on the forging process.
  • Fixed guild membership limit workaround using factions.
  • Updated Max Energy attribute for Earthyam Pie to use correct numbers, now shows as a greater max energy increase then Earthyam Loaf and matches game log.
  • Fixed an issue where putting a totem into a request basket would show lots of blank entries.
  • Hiding the various portal block states in in the request basket when a warp or portal block is requested.
  • Fixed an issue where Guild messaging channels would be removed if they didn’t contain any messages.
  • Fixed a rare client crash after creating a new character and then switching back to an older character.
  • Fixed client crash when leaving the sanctum with a bad connection.
  • Fixed typo in both Centraforge and Advanced Centraforge Power Coil text. Forging and Item to Forging an Item.
  • Fix for Report button not working when reporting a player who started chat from a Mailbox
  • Fixed occasional crash when switching characters.
  • Fixed issue with range of Advanced Locks on large walls of storage. A single lock should protect 5x5 storage elements.