ASTRONEER News

Project CHEER Delivery LTE



Project CHEER crates have returned to Sylva, Desolo, Calidor, and Glacio! Recover lost objects and send them back to EXO Dynamics via the Request Platform. Be on the lookout for a new CHEER object!
EXO has also made additions to the Small Printer; use scrap and other resources to produce CHEER objects for recovery!

EXO Dynamics will give rewards for participation, these include:

• “Tinsel Town” Palette – Rewarded for reaching 1500 Recovery Points of objects returned.
  
• “Festive Chapbow” Hat – Rewarded for reaching 3500 Recovery Points of objects returned.
  
• “Baublehead” Visor – Rewarded for reaching 6500 Recovery points of objects returned.
  
• Useful incremental rewards along the way.
  
• Randomized recurring rewards from EXO at the end of the event.
  
• High Quality Mode
  

Added new High Quality Mode for higher end hardware which will affect draw distance, shadow quality, object detail, lighting quality and terrain quality at the cost of performance

• Full High Quality support on PC via various sliders in the settings menu
  
• Added support for limited High Quality support on Xbox One with a more involved Series X/S option (that is accessible via backwards compatibility but has to be enabled in the settings menu)
  
• Added support for limited High Quality support on PS4 with a more involved PS5 option (that is accessible via backwards compatibility but has to be enabled in the settings menu)
  
• Added code fixes and FOV (field of view) slider that will help with ultra-widescreen setups on PC
  
• Added various CPU and GPU optimizations that will speed up game rendering even if High Quality Mode is disabled
  
• Fixed periodic frame hitching due to services calls by making them asynchronous
  

Improved Shuttle Controls
While orbiting a planet, you can adjust your speed to avoid long waits or missed opportunities. (Adjusting orbit speed doesn't consume fuel).

The doubled up 'Launch' action has been split into 'Launch into Orbit' and 'Launch to Another Planet', which will launch the shuttle directly into the 'Planet Orbit View' or 'Solar System View', respectively. (You can back out of launching to another planet by selecting the planet you're currently orbiting).

New Platforms
Make the most of your auto arms with these specially designed platforms.


Large Extended Platform

• Byte cost: 500
  
• Recipe: Resin x2
  
• Printer: Medium
  

XL Extended Platform

• Byte cost: 750
  
• Recipe: Resin x3
  
• Printer: Large
  

Miscellaneous
A number of backpack items can now also be printed from the Small Printer. This includes:

• Packager
  
• Small Canister
  
• Extenders
  
• Dynamite
  
• Fireworks
  
• Worklight
  
• Floodlight
  

If you've got leftover biofuels from the B.O.O. event, you can now research them for Bytes




New Limited Time Bundle -  GINGERBREAD! Warm up with some sweet new gear!  Available in EXO Outfitters for a limited time. 
Includes:

• Candy Crown Hat
  
• Sugar Coated Palette
  
• Sweet Outlook Visor
  

New Suit

• Frontier Suit
  

New Hats

• Seasonal Helper Hat
  
• Ant-10A Hat
  

New Masks

• Snowdrifters Mask
  
• Festive Fringe Mask
  

New Palettes

• Candy Cane Palette
  
• Glow Up Palette
  

New Visors

• Minted Visor
  

The following bugs have been fixed as of version 1.17.88.0:
Visual

• [AS-13251] Fixed a bug where the power meter around the cable slot on several sensor platforms would not light up when powered 
  
• [AS-7149] Fixed a bug where plants would sometimes change color when being harvested by the terrain tool
  
• [AS-6859] Fixed a bug where research samples on Sylva were sometimes changing color while in view of the player
  
• [AS-6144] Fixed a bug where research samples on Sylva sometimes didn’t match the color of the plant they were attached to
  
• 
  

Limited Time Event

• [AS-12873] Fixed a bug with the PUM-KN Shelter not being properly shared in multiplayer sessions after unlocking the item in a different save. 
  
• [AS-12372] Fixed an issue where the control panel on the Exo Request Platform would incorrectly display the host’s event progress when a client progressed to the repeating stage of the event
  
• Localization
  
• [AS-12494] Fixed a bug where the warning given when switching between adventure and creative modes was not properly localized in languages other than English
  
• [AS-12488] Fixed an issue where the final message at the end of the credits was not properly localized in languages other than English
  
• [AS-13278] Fixed a bug where the Party time Palette was not localized in any language other than English
  

UI

• [AS-12340] Fixed an issue where item tooltips would still appear over the menu when Astropedia was open
  
• [AS-12936] Fixed an issue with the description of the Large Resource Canister in the catalog containing inaccurate information about the item. 
  
• [AS-12492] Fixed some confusing wording in the warning given when switching between adventure and creative modes 
  
• Xbox One
  
• [AS-12277] Fixed an instance where the game would sometimes hitch when grabbing an item from a slot that would be automatically filled by another item. 
  

That's all for now!

-jt

As we enter our 5th year of live development, we first off want to thank everyone who has supported us from the start of our pre-alpha days! We hope you all can feel like you helped us make an amazing title with your suggestions and support during Early Access.

This year in the Steam Awards, we would love it if you would consider nominating us in the Labor of Love category. Since 1.0, we have updated the game 43 times, including awesome named updates like The Automation Update, adding Creative Mode, celebrating the Apollo Mission in game, and expanding on the Astroneer story with missions like the Wanderer.



Going further back, we have updated Astroneer 83 times, including Early Access where we took the game from a prototype to a fully featured game with your help.

If you actually want to see our progress, we made a video of the first ever prototype till 1.0 that you can check out here:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

We've come a long way, and we are going to keep adding new awesome features to Astroneer in 2021.

Thanks!

Players on all platforms should receive this update today, October 19th 2020!


EXO Biofuel Obtainment Operation
New plant species have been detected on Atrox which are capable of generating potential biofuels from other flora. This species – designated “Cauldrangea” – appears to only appear for a short period of time. Beware that these Cauldrangea are protected by new dangerous Hazards.



Astroneers are asked to harvest specific ingredients for the Cauldrangea to… digest… and send the plant’s output in stages. EXO Dynamics will reward these efforts with new cosmetics and useful items along the way. Points are only given for the stage you're currently on – braving the wilds of Atrox is better with friends!

Event Rewards

• “Hallowed Helm” Hat - Rewarded for completing the Squasholine Stage
  
• “Endless” Visor - Rewarded for completing the Attapetrol Stage
  
• “PUM-KN Shelter” Module - Rewarded for completing the Noxothane Stage
  
• Useful incremental rewards along the way
  
• Randomized recurring rewards from at the end of the event
  

Item Descriptions and the Catalog Have Been Updated

Item description text has been updated for all Adventure mode items. Each item now includes a description and notable applications. Dependencies, Slot information and Power values are included where applicable. In addition to item tooltips, these descriptions are now shown in the catalog as well.

You can now store more Hydrazine

The Medium Soil Canister can now hold Hydrazine as well as soil, and has been renamed to the Medium Fluid & Soil Canister




New Limited Time Bundle – ASTROMANCY!  Cast a magical look with this spellbinding set! Available in EXO Outfitters until Nov.16, 2020.  Includes:

• Hocus Pocus Hat
  
• Incantation Palette
  
• Crystal Ball Visor
  

New Masks

• Creepy Crow
  
• Face Cuddler
  

New Hats

• Broadcast Beacons
  
• Echo Locators
  
• Hocus Pocus
  

New Visor

• Crystal Ball
  

New Emotes

• Peeka-Boo!
  
• Jump Scare
  

New Palettes

• Tomb Worthy
  
• Candy Corn
  
• Cobweb
  
• Patchwork
  
• Incantation
  

The following are still known issues as of version 1.16.60.0:
- In multiplayer games during the Biofuel Obtainment Operation event, points and rewards may appear incorrectly for hosts on the Exo Request Module control panel when a client has completed the final stage of the event.

The following bugs have been fixed as of version 1.16.60.0:

Crashes

• [AS-12256] Fixed a crash that occurred when using the arrow keys or d-pad during the credits
  
• [AS-12253] Fixed a crash that would occur when navigating the Co-op menu 
  
• [AS-12313] Fixed a crash that would occur when opening the menu during the tutorial
  

Localization

• [AS-11160] Fixed an issue in Spanish (Spain) where some text lines were too long for their boxes causing text to be cut off or overlap other lines
  
• [AS-12252] Fixed an issue where “Repeat Count” in the Count Repeater control panel was not localized in any language
  

Visual

• [AS-12255] Fixed an issue where the Spooky and Endless visors would look stretched when worn on the Commander suit
  
• [AS-12287] Fixed a bug where some emote holograms would change position if another emote was played before they finished
  

Update 15 Release Notes (1.15.51.0)

[h2]Unreal Engine 4.23 Upgrade [/h2]

• Optimized Astroneer-specific rendering and network replication code for 4.23 which should lead to better overall performance
  
• Smaller package sizes for Xbox One and PS4 due to optimization
  
• Much lower overall memory footprint due to optimizations and general 4.23 memory savings
  

[h2]Manual Platform Locking [/h2]

• All platform items are now manually locked/unlocked through their tooltip
  
• Locking/unlocking no longer occurs when connecting or disconnecting cables to a platform
  
• Only platforms that are anchored to terrain can be locked, and platforms that become unanchored from the terrain (such as when the terrain is dug out beneath them) are automatically unlocked
  

[h2]Updates to terrain tool equipping and activation in relation to the backpack [/h2]

• If the terrain tool was not equipped when the backpack has been opened, it will no longer become equipped when the backpack is closed, regardless of whether you had opened the terrain tool storage while the backpack was open.
  
• When closing the backpack with left mouse or right trigger and returning to a state where the terrain tool is equipped, terrain deformation will not occur until the next input, so that the backpack can be closed safely without causing terrain edits.
  

[h2]Additional Updates[/h2]

• Added improved slot proximity detection & prioritization when placing objects into slots or hooking up cables. The game will now automatically select the nearest available slot to the cursor so that slots can be accessed with less precision targeting, sometimes no longer even requiring line of sight.
  
• Sections in the customizations menu are now collapsible
  
• The EXO Outfitters icon on the main menu and item categories inside will now show a small notification icon when new items have been added
  

Thanks to everyone who called out long standing bugs to look at for this update. We will continue working on them for future releases! The following bugs have been fixed as of version 1.15.51.0:

• [AS-3350] Fixed a bug where power cables could become twisted
  
• [AS-8496] Fixed an issue where the Gateway engine would become unusable if the user saved and reloaded the game while the Geometric Triptych was being consumed
  
• [AS-8612] Fixed a bug where Rover or Buggy wheels would sometimes clip through the ground
  
• [AS-8661] Fixed a bug where hydrazine canisters would snap to empty oxygenator slots on shuttles rather than to open thruster slots
  
• [AS-5684] Fixed a bug where holograms would jitter in the backpack on most planets
  
• [AS-11303] Fixed an issue where batteries were not draining at the correct rate when connected to a directional power loop
  

[h3]Store: [/h3]

• [AS-11481] Fixed a bug where the bar filling sound effect would not play when unequipping an item from the store
  
• [AS-11892] Fixed a bug where item tooltips would still appear when the user is in the store menu
  

[h3]Multiplayer/DS [/h3]

• [AS-11925] Fixed a bug in multiplayer where clients would not see VFX or hear SFX on newly spawned motion sensors until the item is picked up
  
• [AS-9878] Fixed an issue on dedicated servers where users would sometimes appear outside of shuttles during extra-orbital flights
  
• [AS-11823]  Fixed a bug where players on dedicated servers were not able to unlock The Wanderer’s Way achievement
  

[h3]Crashes: [/h3]

• [AS-11974] Fixed a crash related to using the Auto Extractor
  
• [AS-11502] Fixed a crash related to players losing some camera movement while in vehicles
  

[h3]PS4: [/h3]

• [AS-11696] Fixed an out of memory crash on PS4
  

[h3]Xbox One [/h3]

• [AS-4211] Fixed a bug on Xbox One where landscapes would have low LOD when landing on a planet
  

[h2]The following are still known issues as of version 1.15.51.0 [/h2]

• Locking Platforms tool tips phrases: “Lock” and “Unlock” will not be translated into other languages with this release.
  

Automation Update 002 is live! This Update focuses on adding even more items and functionality to the Automation Update we previously released! New platforms, new switches, and updated modules to support even more fluid Automation setups!





Today we issued a hotfix with the following updates to all platforms:

• Fixed some new items not being available from creative mode plinths.
  
• Modified the power switch to transfer oxygen like extenders do.
  
• Fixed several issues where repeater control panels could become inaccessible in certain conditions.
  
• Fixed an issue which made players unable to attach the packager to the auto crane.

New Items: we’ve expanded on the Automation Update with a bunch of new items to improve your production lines and support more complex activation logic.



Power Switch: Toggles the flow through a single power line

• Printed on: Small Printer
  
• Resource Cost: 1 Copper
  
• Byte Cost: 750
  

Count Repeater: When activated a specified number of times, also activates any targeted items

• Printed on: Small Printer
  
• Resource Cost: 1 Zinc
  
• Byte Cost: 1000
  

Delay Repeater: When activated, also activates any targeted items after a specified delay

• Printed on: Small Printer
  
• Resource Cost: 1 Zinc
  
• Byte Cost: 1000
  

Motion Sensors: New Platforms that sense when a player or vehicle passes through them! Also the original sensor items have caught up with their newer siblings!



Medium Sensor Arch: Activates targeted items when certain objects pass through its sensor zone

• Printed on: Large Printer
  
• Resource Cost: 1 Quartz, 1 Zinc
  
• Byte Cost: 500
  

XL Sensor Hoop A: Activates targeted items when certain objects pass through its sensor zone

• Printed on: Large Printer
  
• Resource Cost: 2 Quartz, 2 Zinc
  
• Byte Cost: 750
  

XL Sensor Hoop B: Activates targeted items when certain objects pass through its sensor zone

• Printed on: Large Printer
  
• Resource Cost: 1 Quartz, 3 Zinc
  
• Byte Cost: 1000
  

Medium Gas Canister: Hold a large amount of a single atmospheric resource

• Printed on: Small Printer
  
• Resource Cost: 1 Silicone, 1 Glass
  
• Byte Cost: 2,000 Bytes
  

Repeating Added to Production Modules
Production modules can now be set to repeat via their control panels. When repeat is on, the module will continue to produce the selected recipe as long as it has power and the necessary ingredients.

Modules that have this behavior:

• Small, Medium, and Large Printers
  
• Soil Centrifuge
  
• Chemistry Lab
  
• Atmospheric Condenser
  

Improved Sensor/Repeater UI
It’s now easier to visualize your sensor and repeater setups.

• Targeting an item with a target pin, storage sensor, or battery sensor will now outline all items affected, not just the item directly targeted
  
• Segment cables now show their activation flow when highlighted, and which segments are affected by removing a segment pin
  
• Segment pins can no longer be placed when a segment is too long, to prevent accidental deletions. (You can still manually delete a held segment pin.)
  

Updated Items
Resource Canisters will complete partial resources in output slot, even when mode is changed during dispensing.

Auto-arm settings can now be toggled even when unpowered

• Animated sensor zone visuals
  
• All reaction slots upgraded to include target pins
  
• The recreational canopy’s built-in fireworks replaced with a reaction slot
  

New item names

• Large Ring Storage = Large Ring Sensors
  
• Large Hoop Platform A/B = Large Hoop Sensor A/B
  
• Extra Large Arch Platform = XL Arch Sensor
  
• Recreational Canopy = XL Canopy Sensor
  

UI Updates
Players are now able to rotate their Astroneer in the Customization menu and EXO Outfitters menu, both in and out of game.

[h3]Exo Outfitters – New Items [/h3]

New Suit - The Scout Suit! Our new Astroneer suit has a very resourceful spirit ;)



New Limited Time Bundle -- FLOWER POWER. Go Green and recharge your look with this garden-inspired set.


Available in EXO Outfitters until Sept 7, 2020. Includes:

• Earthenware palette
  
• Solar Power mask
  
• Avant Gardener hat
  

New Emotes

• Dab
  
• Pose of Power
  
• TA-DA!
  
• Kitty Cleaning
  

New Hats

• Grad-U-8
  
• Hail to the Leaf
  
• Robo Rudder
  

New Masks

• Corrective Vision
  
• Wild Child
  
• Bugged Out
  

New Palettes

• Night Stalker
  
• Day Prowler
  
• Royal Flush
  

Various small optimizations and stability fixes, including a number of crashes listed in the bugs section.



The following are still known issues as of version 1.14.71.0:

When a Resource Canister is attached to the Auto Extractor while set to output and then switched while slotted, the canister will not autofill it's first resource. If slotted while on the input setting, it should work as intended. We hope to address this in a hotfix.

The Wanderer’s Way Achievement is still not earnable on Dedicated Servers. We are continuing work on this issue and hope to have it fixed as soon as possible. The Achievement is earnable in single player and peer-to-peer multiplayer games.

Target pins connecting T1 items on T1 slots are still having issues with selecting platform or storage instead of the slot if there’s another T1 slot closer to the camera. This is especially noticeable when slots appear in a grid pattern. It’s most prevalent on Figurine Platform, Medium Storage, and Large Platform C. It also occurs to a lesser degree, depending on the camera angle, on Medium Storage Silo and Extra Large Storage.

The following bugs have been fixed as of version 1.14.71.0

[h3]DS/Multiplayer: [/h3]

• Fixed community reported crashes which would occur in Multiplayer after switching the game to Survival Mode and continuing normal gameplay.
  
• [AS-10970] - Dedicated Server | UI | In the Server Info tab, controller and arrow keys can navigate beyond the selectable region of UI elements
  
• [AS-11123] - Implemented new guards in the code which should help alleviate the issue where shuttles would stop launching from orbit on Dedicated Servers.
  
• [AS-11292] - Implemented new guards in the code which should address the issue of stale save files piling up on Nitrado Dedicated Servers and taking up too much storage space.
  
• [AS-11376] - Large and Medium Resource Canisters' Tool Tips now appropriately update correctly for Clients while the canister is being filled in Multiplayer games
  
• [AS-11403] - When playing in Multiplayer, all players can now see T1 items that are picked up by an Auto Arm
  
• [AS-11681] - Fixed the executable properties description to accurately reflect System Era studio information
  
• [AS-11385] - Fixed the issue where Client players were occasionally unable to equip their terrain tool after flying to other planets when playing in Multiplayer or on Dedicated Servers
  
• [AS-11514] - Turning on "Allow whitelisted only" setting no longer deletes all "Unlisted" players from AstroServerSettings.ini
  

[h3]AUDIO: [/h3]

• [AS-11423] - Fixed an issue where the Soil Centrifuge was playing duplicate panel open SFX.
  
• [AS-11424] - Fixed an issue where the Soil Centrifuge collecting sediment canister SFX was stuttering when filling module with soil.
  

[h3]LTE: [/h3]

• [AS-11772] - Expired April LTE Customization items (4ML A-TYRE and TURRET-A-PORTER) are no longer visible in the customization menu if they have not been unlocked by the player.
  

[h3]MODULES: [/h3]

• [AS-11493] - Adding an Extra Large Shredder to an Extra Large Platform A should no longer cause the game to crash
  
• [AS-11606] - Medium Soil Canisters no longer cause performance degradation if the output is enabled while the canister is slotted
  
• [AS-10763] - Game no longer crashes when running 3 or more Chem Labs
  
• [AS-10520] - All harpoon node items now only attach to visible areas on Medium Storage
  
• [AS-11296] - Extenders are no longer causing Crashes on Save
  
• [AS-11328] - Soil Centrifuge now transfers all resources to a connected super storage when job is complete
  
• [AS-11367] - User is now able to remove resources from the Chem Lab input slot after changing recipes
  
• [AS-11371] - Terrain Analyzers now retain color after loading a saved game.
  
• [AS-11408] - Items added to a halted Shredder are now shredded when shredding resumes
  
• [AS-11411] - Medium and Large Resource Canisters with nuggets in the output slot no longer create nugget connectors when shredded
  
• [AS-11412] - Trade Platform no longer allows the output to be switched during takeoff, patching an exploit which gave infinite expensive resources at no cost.
  
• [AS-11413] - Shredder now moves completed Scrap nuggets to available slots as soon as they become available
  

[h3]AUTOMATION: [/h3]

• [AS-11021] - Soil Centrifuge, with the repeat button on, will now not start until 1 full Small Canister’s worth of soil is placed in the centrifuge. (Except when the centrifuge is set to Ammonium which requires 2 full Small Canisters)
  
• [AS-11373] - Auto Arm will now only place valid items into small and medium generators
  
• [AS-11384] - Resources are no longer available when an Auto Extractor fully depletes the resource node
  
• [AS-11401] - Items being picked up by the Auto Arm can no longer be picked up at the same time
  
• [AS-11405] - Auto Arms will now reset back to the input side and pass resources
  
• [AS-11437] - Auto-Arms will no longer take partial nuggets from Resource Canisters when the arm starts to grab the nugget at the same time as it is moving to the input slot
  
• [AS-11551] - Auto Extractor must be fully anchored in a valid area before gathering resources
  
• [AS-11554] - Auto Extractor will now stop extracting when placed over a resource that is different than the one in the canister attached to it
  
• [AS-11624] - Tooltip for the Sensor Harpoon stays active even when the user quickly branches two nodes
  
• [AS-11627] - Sensor harpoons make snapping noise when hovering over open lightboard storage slots.
  
• [AS-11685] - Sensors and Repeaters can no longer be grabbed from a closed backpack
  
• [AS-11687] - Resource canisters that are deleted while they are consuming/producing resources will no longer create partial nuggets
  
• [AS-11690] - Auto Arm will no longer pull resources from the input slots of the Chem Lab
  
• [AS-11692] - Duplicated canisters are now displaying the correct color for the resource or gas they are containing.
  
• [AS-11694] - Canisters set to output will now allow Auto Arms to place the resource type as set into them
  
• [AS-11701] - Medium Resource Canister lines up properly with the Auto Extractor when placed on top
  
• [AS-11702] - Sensor and repeater nodes can no longer be attached to a Drone
  
• [AS-11707] - Resource Canisters will consistently produce resources if they are available
  
• [AS-11713] - Segment line stripe highlight has been slowed down for sensors/repeaters
  
• [AS-11714] - Auto Arm filter slot is now easier to target
  
• [AS-11717] - Using mouse or controller, it’s now easier to target individual Segment and target pins when placed close together
  
• [AS-11742] - Resource Canisters will no longer create partial nuggets even if a user fills the canister and uses a storage sensor to switch the canister mode
  
• [AS-11758] - Target pins connecting to T1 items on T1 slots properly target the correct slot on platforms and storages with singular, spread out T1 slots
  
• [AS-11804] - When power is available, Repeater slots now power T1 items
  

MISCELLANEOUS:

• [AS-11475] - Addressed a community reported crash which occurred when driving up a ramp to the surface of Sylva.
  
• [AS-11666] - Addressed a community reported crash which occurred when the player pressed Y to switch or to deploy the Drone while the camera was still moving.
  
• [AS-9855] - Fixed an issue which caused the Drone to end up in an incorrect state when saving the game while the drone is deployed.
  
• [AS-11406] - Adjusted the Gearhead hat cosmetic item so it no longer blocks some of the headlight for the Radiated Suit.
  
• [AS-11429] - Adjusted the Hydration Deflector hat cosmetic item so it no longer blocks some of the headlight for the Flight, Retro, and Swift suits.
  
• [AS-11614] - Adjusted the Cog Visor cosmetic item so it no longer appears too dark at night or underground.
  
• [AS-11684] - Dynamite placed into slots can now be appropriately detonated by the "use” interaction or actuation