Space Impossible News

[p]Exciting times ahead. Space Impossible V1.0 Pre-Release 1 is now available. Reminder what this means: As we gear up for the official Space Impossible 1.0 release, we are done with BETAs, and instead proceeding with rolling Pre-Releases as additional content, gameplay tweaks and fixes roll out at an increased rate compared to the ALPHA and BETA release schedule.[/p][p]What is in Pre-Release 1? Good question. We added a gameplay enhancement we're calling "Bridge Target/Combat Information". This has two elements to it. First is when a controlled vessel (either player or AI) loses control via bridge destruction, there will be several indicators: a (X_X) face emote (that can be toggled off if unwanted), a distinct visual particle effect, and an audio cue. This should help with those annoying moments of "Did I really blow the ship up or not?".[/p][p][/p][p]The second element is the scanner (default P) will now highlight objects if they are under control by player or AI. This is intended to help with those moments of "how do I track down that tiny chunk that was blown off the ship?". The scan can also be triggered by pressing and holding left-mouse-button while hovering empty space. This will only work on objects within visual range, so surprises and ambushes should still be a thing to worry about.[/p][p][/p][p]There are also a number of tweaks and changes, including shooting through another vessels missile shield won't be considered a hostile action, server settings are now saved per universe--so if you create a universe as Creative, it will now stay Creative--and we fixed the issue with custom factions that popped up in BETA 16. Check the details section below for bug fixes and other minor changes. [/p][h2]
How To Access[/h2][p]
If you would like to check out this pre-release build all the usual things apply, it will have problems (some of which we know about) and universes created may not be compatible with the final release. Let us know your thoughts via the forums or on our discord.

If you still wish to give it a try check out all the changes and details here : https://steamcommunity.com/app/416240/discussions/36/596277840826154115/
and how to access it here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/416240/discussions/36/596277840826153665/
[/p][h2]
Details[/h2][p]NOTE: Changes marked with 📡 were inspired by feedback or bugs found by the community![/p][p][/p][h3]Additions[/h3]

• [p]Added color highlighting for controlled objects to the nav scanner. Objects that are under player or AI control will now have a colored overlay visible, and will reflect faction standing towards you as a player. You can perform this scan by pressing the scan button (P) or pressing and holding left-mouse-button while hovering open space.[/p]
• [p]Added "view details" hint to the problem summary on the side of the screen. Default Key J.[/p]
• [p]Added the "bridge control lost" emote[/p]
• [p]Added a "bridge control lost" visual effect[/p]
• [p]Added a "bridge control lost" sound effect[/p][p][/p]

[h3]Changes[/h3]

• [p]📡Changed so hitting a missile shield no longer counts as an aggressive action[/p]
• [p]📡Certain projectiles (mines + missiles) now respect the direction of the mount's facing in regards to initial launching speeds[/p]
• [p]📡Dedicated server will now use the 'fileport' number if 'extfileport' number is not explicitly set from serverconfig.txt[/p]
• [p]Changed how custom faction transponders are generated. They are now auto generated, instead of being drawn from pre-generated item data. This will once again allow custom factions to again be playable in multiplayer without previously sharing the custom faction mod.[/p]
• [p]Faction Creator will now save and increment the mod's version when saving the faction. This will allow players to be alerted when loading a universe that uses this custom faction.[/p]
• [p]📡Server settings are now loaded per universe rather than globally. This allows settings (like gamemode) to be loaded across saves.[/p]
• [p]Due to the server settings change, sv_maxplayers is removed, the parameter is now called "maxplayers", which can be changed after game start as an input command. It can now be set in serverconfig.txt for dedicated servers.[/p]
• [p]Removed ability to change gamemode from "Advanced Options" when loading an existing universe, as the universe will obey whatever the gamemode was set at creation. However, the game will respect the /sv_gamemode command once the universe has loaded. This means that universes created as "Creative" will always be creative. If you wish to alter and save a universe after creation, /saveserversettings will save the changes for that universe on next load.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Fixes[/h3]

• [p]Fixed a bug with multi tile bridge detection on object splits[/p]
• [p]Fixed engine stop spam when game is not in focus (reduces overall network usage)[/p]
• [p]Fixed issue with custom faction transponder item UVs[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where editing a custom faction without restarting the game would not load the changes.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issued with the scanner not correctly displaying objects which overlap the scanner origin (mid screen center)[/p]
• [p]Fixed several issues that left fleet and trader ship regions static and empty when exiting[/p]

[p]

[/p]

Space Impossible BETA 17.2 is here. Thanks to some great community feedback and some additional testing we have found and fixed a number of bugs we want available to everyone before Release 1.0 PRE 1 is released.



You can discuss BETA 17.2 and let us know your thoughts on Discord or as usual on the Steam Discussion Topic



[h2]Details[/h2]
NOTE: Changes marked with 📡 were inspired by feedback or bugs found by the community!

[h3]Additions[/h3]

• Added custom icon for Madd's Railgun
  
• 📡Added tooltip for Power for tiles that generate it (e.g. energized hull).
  

[h3]Changes[/h3]

• 📡Vessels spawned for the Ancient Relics Problem are now scaled correctly to the system level. These may be quite tougher now since previously they always had tritanium tiles and mk 1 equivalent weapons.
  
• 📡Hailing the Wasp Queen will no longer result in Lawless dialogue
  
• Hailing or stealing from the wasp hives should no longer give Lawless dialogue
  
• Added a warning when launching from Construction if there are pending edits not yet submitted to the server. Mainly affects very large vessels "Clear All".
  
• Updated the Music Festival Station so it's not as puny looking (and comes fitted with a Concert Hall).
  
• 📡Modding - Object and Tile templates that are given the same id as in other mods (inc. the base game) will now override instead of throwing an error.
  

[h3]Fixes[/h3]

• Adjusted a number of language entries in regards to Problems. Cleaned up some grammar and punctuation, added a few additional location hints to steps that were missing them.
  
• 📡Fixed trader refresh, they should now refresh correctly even if the game has been reloaded and the star system unvisited since last load.
  
• 📡Fixed a problem with the Mutiny Problem region selection. Should have the correct region with a station and that station should be hail-able to begin the required station raid.
  
• 📡Fixed an issue with Starsystem Problem related regions not correctly being cleaned up, which prevented further regions from spawning. For instance the "dumped cargo" regions weren't always spawning enough of the correct regions to allow the Problem's step to be completed.
  
• Fixed an issue with Extra Solar Ribbon Problem, if there weren't enough spacestations already present in the star system, it will now force the spawn of additional stations.
  
• Fixed several issues with the Music Festival Problem
  -Wrong region templates being picked for some of the regions.
  -Incorrect dialogue from the Pirate Radio Stations
  -Aftermath of successful resolution was sometimes not working
  -Aftermath dialogue with the festival station wasn't correctly offering a trade option
  
• Fixed faction icon in Pirate Life Problem description being incorrect.
  
• 📡Fixed hand-in areas not spawning when the spacestation was not at the center of the region. Hand-in regions should also spawn closest to the player who hailed with extra room to allow larger vessels, to allow easier movement.
  
• 📡Fixed not being able to hand-in Explorer Union or Sixiser Pirate crew to their respective faction.
  
• Fixed an issue with access changes not being saved correctly in certain situations. This also affected the Mutiny Problem where capturing a spacestation would revert back to the mutineers on reload.
  
• 📡Fixed an issue where shield colliders rotation was not being set correctly on retrieval from object cache.
  
• 📡Fixed a long standing, but rare, issue where weapons could incorrectly go through the shield collider.
  
• 📡Fixed a problem with Drones during construction that could produce a client crash
  
• Fixed a visual bug with Construction where "Clear All" would not correctly and consistently have the red tile overlay on vessels as the tiles are being removed.
  
• Fixed an issue where if hacking an object that was on the very edge of its Construction grid would result in a number of errors, the hack would fail and the object would be permanently bugged.
  
• Fixed potential for trade lanes to generate with both source and destination regions being the same (e.g. duplicates)
  
• Fixed an issue with region seeds incorrectly duplicating the same region, related to the trade lane fix.
  
• Fixed a number of input issues regarding being in Construction and then being forced back to the Main Menu
  
• Fixed mouse cursor style not resetting if forced back to Main Menu
  
• 📡Fixed an issue with Enhancements not being correctly processed on the server. This was mainly seen when reducing cargo size via bridge removal not correctly updating the available cargo space. Items would disappear, but now they will be reshuffled if space is available, otherwise it will dump it into space. This also affected the Max Enhancement stats or the tutorial popup not being displayed.
  
• Fixed Large Magnetron Cannon incorrectly using the art of the Power Fluctuator
  
• Fixed an incorrect dialogue option for Extra Solar Ribbon Problem when the system is owned by the Druminence
  
• Fixed missing icons for Gig. Reflector Cannon Mk. 2, Power Fluctuator and Breach Pod Launcher
  
• Fixed missing size label on Gig. Railgun Mk. 1
  

Hello everyone!

With BETA 17.1 currently released, it is time to look at what's next. We are shifting our view towards a full Space Impossible 1.0 Release, or just "Space Impossible". The major gameplay systems are in-game that we want to be there, but, there is still quite a few things to do. Instead of going quiet for months on end and just dropping the big release all at once, we will be rolling out multiple pre-releases that should have each of the smaller elements. That means for players who like keeping up to date on those more frequent releases, they'll have something to do, or if you're one of those players who wants everything to be kind of "done", waiting for the full release should be extra rewarding.

Here are some of the things that'll get added.


Image 1 - Vessel Control Loss


Image 2 - Active Bridge Scan - Note the red and green outlines

1) Bridge Targeting/Combat Information - One of the things that has bothered us, and we've heard from players as well, is the need to track down each bridge. Sometimes that's a single little tile that's just hanging around in space. Don't worry, you'll still have to do that, but now you will
A - be informed when a ship loses control (image 1)
B - the scanner will now display, via color overlay, whether or not a vessel is under control (image 2).
This should make it easier to keep track of what's going on, without being too "hand-holdy".

2) Black Hole Star Systems - We're going to be adding Black Hole Star Systems. They're going to be rare, but not singular in count.

3) More Problems, more Distress Calls - No count yet, but greater than 0, and less than infinity.

4) The Seti Rimanoo - A race of generally unlikeable insectoid aliens, these bugs are finally going to be added to the game.

5) Update Codex - Need to give that a once over, make sure it's all up to date and correct.

6) Quality Check Existing Problems and Distress Calls - We're pretty sure they're all working, but had some reports of confusion from players, especially on some of the Problems.

7) Fabricators & Manufacturing - We realize there's a lack of useful recipes to be had after the first two or three levels, as well as the factioned Fabricators are very rare, too rare. We intend to do something about that.

8) General Bug Fixes & Misc Stuff - Always on the search for bug fixes, many of them now just coming in from you the players, your help with that has been instrumental. Then there's the small stuff that's too numerous to count that goes into something big like we hope for this release.

9) Auto Turret Bridge - We have been playing around with this idea for a while, and with the recent player feedback we have decided to add Auto Turret Bridges. These are bridges that will turn any vessel into an "automated defense turret". It will allow ships or stations to respond to attacks by activating weapons, similar to turret objects. It will not be the same as AI control though. Any vessel with this bridge would not move, warp, flee or otherwise engage in "higher thinking". When a player is in control, the bridge would yield to player input, and only use vessel weapons when a player is absent. This will allow players to bring defense with them while they mine or protect a station they've built. It will operate on faction standing, or receiving damage.

We have been working on the Bridge Targeting/Combat Information already, and we're pretty happy with it. Expect the first Pre-Release to contain that soon. If you have suggestions or comments, please feel free to share. No fleets though.

NOTE: Changes marked with 📡 were inspired by feedback or bugs found by the community!

[h2]Fixes[/h2]

• 📡Fixed game saving issue that was causing items to be lost
  
• 📡Fixed issue with being able to join a team in a new session if the game is only quit back to the main menu
  
• 📡Fixed some rare seeds creating wildly misshapen Universes
  
• Fixed certain Plasma Launcher weapons icons having the incorrect amount of Mk. pips
  

Space Impossible BETA 17 has landed. It brings with it the Kal'Giri and Druminence Federation bosses, other additions, some balancing adjustments and a few fixes.

You can discuss BETA 17 and let us know your thoughts on Discord or as usual on the Steam Discussion Topic



[h2]Kal'Giri & Druminence Bosses[/h2]



The Kal'Giri and Druminence Federation bosses are in, each with a new distinct weapon, and offer a serious challenge. They can be found in high level systems, and require their factional communiques in order to appear. Be on the look out for Druminence President --[Untranslatable]-- and The Kal'Giri's First Speaker Kal'Otek, they each offer to put up a real fight.



[h2]Balancing & Fixes[/h2]
The gun weapons favored by Kal'Giri have been given a balance pass to bring them in line with equivalent energy weapons.

Then there's the usual bug fixes, nothing too serious in nature.

Finally there are a few removals/exploit-ish changes. Traders will no longer buy items for more than they sell them to a player to prevent an obvious economic exploit, and Fabricator related bridges have been removed from game as they were just too good, and no manufacturing recipe that had required a physical material should just suddenly stop requiring it.

[h2]Details[/h2]
NOTE: Changes marked with 📡 were inspired by feedback or bugs found by the community!

[h3]Additions[/h3]

• Added bosses for Kal'giri and Druminence bosses
  
• Added Power Fluctuator weapon
  
• Added Breach Pod Launcher weapon
  

[h3]Changes[/h3]

• Custom faction creation will now create a transponder item for the faction instead of lawless faction
  
• Ingame codex now has automatic correct labels depending on whether you are using KB+M or Controller
  
• Certain keybinds are now locked/unavailable for rebinding like ESC. Certain UI navigation keys are also locked in to prevent accidentally breaking the UI.
  
• Trading sell price modification can no longer be greater than buy price modification to prevent sell back exploitation
  
• Added a cargo bay to the Madd Striker and fixed the orientation of its rear Particle Cannon
  
• Missile shields will no longer stop friendly projectiles. This mainly affects AI ships, but we feel it was a little too easy to exploit factional ships missile shields to block nearby allies weapons.
  
• Re-balanced gun weapons' ranges, spread and damage. This is especially significant at highest level of the gun weapons to bring them in line with energy weapon damage. Biggest take away for play is: assault guns now have a slight lock on delay before firing.
  
• Changed how boss regions/fleets behave. They will still spawn as before in an appropriate system, but they no longer wander around. We feel it was too much an annoyance to have to track them down again after a possible defeat. They also have a distinct region icon now, and should last an infinite time (or until destroyed).
  
• Fleets that result from region splits (like chasing the player) will now inherit the initial remaining time to live, or 200s, whichever is greater.
  
• Boss regions will now turn into debris fields when all present AI are destroyed
  
• Exiting the Options screen will now prompt player to either apply or discard changes
  
• Changed Leviathan region AI to prevent them from attempting to merge with space station regions during a conflict while the player is present. They will also always attempt to pull objects into them, not merge with the regions. Leviathans will also chase and gobble up any ship/fleet region regardless of faction or player presence.
  
• Changed /debug_systemconflict_toggle to require attacker faction being entered as it was corrupting universes if left as optional (and un-entered)
  

[h3]Fixes[/h3]

• Fixed imbalanced collider size adjustment, this was causing slight misalignment when touching objects
  
• Fixed more widget anchoring for UI on screen size changes
  
• Fixed a problem with audio not correctly switching between multiple clips
  
• Fixed issue with toggling auto place mounts not updating the tile highlight
  
• Fixed an issue with the Madd Striker vessel being incorrectly classified
  
• Fixed issue with a player's first system for a play session appearing as "Unknown".
  
• Fixed exception when resizing a vessel that has taken damage
  
• Fixed an issue with the client possibly displaying incorrect enhancements effects on objects that shouldn't have them
  
• Fixed an issue with Missile Shield incorrectly playing the "destroyed missile projectile" effect when it, in fact, has not destroyed a missile projectile.
  
• Fixed a long overlooked issue with weapon effects not displaying correctly on shields
  
• Fixed an issue with bosses from Beta 16 being incorrectly tagged, which resulted in incorrect dialogue and defeat tracking
  

[h3]Removals[/h3]

• 📡Removed enhancements and related items/components for fabricators. This includes fabricators overdrive bridges. Fabricator themselves are unchanged. Vessels that had these bridges should now just have an empty bridge mount. This change was made because we feel that things had required physical inputs (like sheets) shouldn't suddenly not require sheets just because a certain modification threshold was reached.
  
• Removed salvo spread effect from broad and precise targeting enhancements. These enhancements now only affect angle arc and range.
  

[h2]COMING NEXT[/h2]
As previously announced, we'll be moving towards Space Impossible v1.0 soon. In support of that we have no further BETA releases planned. However we do have a number of improvements, changes and balance fixes to implement. To help with this we intend to release a running set of Pre-Releases leading up to the v1.0 release.