Space Impossible News

BETA 9.1 is here. As a .1 release, it is a bit smaller than the usual full version release, but the changes are still significant enough we felt that they couldn't wait for BETA 10.

There are an assortment of improvements and bug fixes, ranging from UI elements to jumpgate travel.

You can discuss BETA 9.1 and let us know your thoughts on Discord or as usual on the Steam Discussion Topic


[h2]Jumpgate Travel[/h2]

You can now jump across multiple systems when using a jumpgate. Tedious system by system backtracking is no longer required.

[h2]Other Improvements[/h2]

Cut to the chase with traders. The Inspection panel now has a button that will appear which can let you get right to trading.

We've also heard your feedback about the general levels of repetitive chatter, and AI has been told to shut up, and as a result, we have reduced the amount of redundant messages.

There are a few general fixes and changes based on initial BETA 8 feedback as well.

[h2]Details[/h2]
NOTE: Changes marked with 📡 were inspired by feedback or bugs found by the community!
[h3]Additions[/h3]

• Added the ability to transit to any unlocked and visited jumpgate when entering a jumpgate. This will allow you to travel much faster to previous destinations which we feel is fair.
  
• Added some map improvements including better zooming and panning
  
• Jumpgate and transit lines on the universe map now show "locked" status
  
• Added button to inspection panel for quicker trade initiation
  
• AI now keeps track of how many times it and its faction has talked to the player. This should result in less redundant hails
  
• Boss icon will now show in systems even if not previously visited
  
• #load-template-exceedslimits-title and #load-template-exceedslimits-msg have been added to the language file
  
• Added /sv_itempickcoeff for item pick up multiplier. Note: Previous was 1.2, and it is 2.0
  
• Added a "Edit Weapon Group" button that now toggles Weapon Group editing. You can use the mouse or the button numbers to switch groups, and mouse click the weapon component to add/remove it from that group.
  

[h3]Changes[/h3]

• CHANGE: Warp spooling no longer affects jumpgate entry and vice versa
  
• CHANGE: Significantly lowered Independent Trader station's price mods and trade item availability. This should make it less profitable to just flip items from one station to another within a Trader's Drift.
  
• CHANGE: Jumpgate spoolup time is now 3 seconds (from 9) to match warp spoolup
  
• CHANGE: System discovery info is now sent to the player when necessary, this should result in correctly labelled systems in the universe map
  
• CHANGE: Increased default item pickup radius multiplier, also changed Enhanced Magnetic bridges to be multiplier based instead of flat value. This means all vessels have a larger pickup radius, some slightly changed, others significantly changed.
  

[h3]Fixes[/h3]

• FIX: Player tractoring/attacking/taking inventory on their own vessels should no longer cause AI to become hostile
  
• FIX: Issue with "de-icing" distress calls that allow for some accidental damage on hull tiles before the vessel becomes hostile
  
• FIX: Incorrect coloring of map elements after first use has been corrected
  
• FIX: "M" keypress was not closing map correctly in certain situations has been identified and fixed
  
• FIX: Tractoring distress-call vessels should no longer attack the player when entering a new region
  
• FIX: Several issues with "ai hostile weapon avoidance" should produce more desirable and understandable behavior from the AI
  
• FIX: Item icon for Proximity Mine Mk 4 has been corrected
  
• FIX: The action bar may not have been behaving correctly (unable to switch weapon groups, not appearing/updating) has been identified and fixed
  
• FIX: A possible issue with AI pathfinding in region has been identified and fixed
  
• FIX: Turns out AI was using an incorrect shield thrust modifier, making them move slower than they should have
  

[h2]COMING IN BETA 10[/h2]
We will continue to process BETA 8 (and BETA 9) feedback. Will also continue to improve universe generation.

BETA 9.1 unveils some improvements based on recent feedback from BETA 8 and BETA 9 as well as a few bug and balance fixes.

With the way the universe now works, sometimes getting somewhere took too long. So we are changing that to allow you to travel to any previously unlocked and visited jumpgate when entering a jumpgate. That means if you travel from System 1 via Gate A to System 2 via Gate B, all the way to System 26, you could now travel all the way back to System 1 in one transversal.

Additionally, we have made a few map improvements for panning and zooming to make the things a bit easier to control.

We have also heard your thoughts on hailing, and we have done a bit of pruning. General messages will usually appear once per region, but repeat visits will usually not produce hails. Vessels and stations of the same faction will better coordinate now, and not bombard you with hails either. Exceptions include doing things that anger them, or hails considered critical like distress calls.

Trading also gets a bit streamlined with a new, optional "Open Trade" button available on the Inspection screen, same area as the Manufacturing or Construction buttons.

There are a few AI improvements, with them better understanding relationship between the a player and the player's vessel, and some other player actions that were previously misunderstood.

Finally, a few changes to the Independent Trader trade tables have been made, making it far less lucrative to trade from a Trader's Drift station to another. Independent Trader trade ships and other faction's trade tables are unaffected.


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/27/3270186971441446774/
and how to access it here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/416240/discussions/27/3274688023485017382/

BETA 9 is now ready to go. This is a smaller, more technically focused update, with the main improvements being centered around ease of multiplayer sessions.

You can discuss BETA 9 and let us know your thoughts on Discord or as usual on the Steam Discussion Topic


[h2]Steam Networking[/h2]
We have added in support for Steam Networking, a great feature Steam offers, that allows players to now host game sessions and it "just works" mentality. Port forwarding is no longer necessary when playing outside a LAN environment, so you can just fire up the game, start a multiplayer session, and have your friends join from the Steam friends list. There is also a "Join via Steam" button built directly into the game as well.

The previous networking still exists and continues to work, so joining via IP is still an option for those who choose to do so (it is still required for dedicated servers). Singleplayer sessions are entirely unaffected by these changes and will continue to work as before.

[h2]Background Improvements[/h2]

Along with the addition of Steam Networking we have also added in some background visual changes that were in the works since before BETA 8, that we have finally had time to polish up. These changes affect how the background objects are calculated and displayed on screen, shifting from an "always star" focused approach to "local object" approach. It also shifts objects out of the very center of the screen, significantly improving visibility in certain situations. Finally it casts background objects in different phases of lighting, making things far more interesting than before. Also in general some tweaks to asteroid ring rendering.

There are a few general changes based on initial BETA 8 feedback as well.

[h2]Details[/h2]
NOTE: Changes marked with 📡 were inspired by feedback or bugs found by the community!
[h3]Additions[/h3]

• Added Steam networking. This allows players to host games and invite friends without having to deal with things like port forwarding on the router.
  
• Added "Join via Steam" button to menu
  
• Added the background improvements Background improvements
  

[h3]Changes[/h3]

• 📡Proximity mines and missiles will now check for faction standing before triggering. Neutral and above standing will not trigger. However, once triggered, they can damage whoever they may hit.
  
• 📡AI less likely now to attempt to fly through an active beam weapon or tractor beam.
  
• 📡Moved the mine field from Trader's Drift outposts to be further away than player warp in radius
  
• Reduced chance of AI ships spawning in asteroid fields (from 80% to 50%)
  
• Trader's Drift regions now start as "known", providing the orbit ring for easier finding.
  

[h3]Fixes[/h3]

• Fixed components not being loaded correctly from template if previous vessel had a mount in same location
  
• Fixed an issue with disconnection messages not always being received
  
• Improved handling of errant unrelated game network data being accidentally processed by the game
  

We will be processing most of BETA 8's feedback. Questions like weapon balance, method and ease of "traveling home", and universe generation options and tweaks are some of the topics we will be addressing.

Hello everybody!

We are still gathering and listening and processing feedback from BETA 8's huge release. Overall, people seem to like the changes and improvements. That's good and makes us happy.

Well, we have another improvement almost ready to go in the form of BETA 9. For a long time, in order to play Space Impossible with your friends, you needed to do some port forwarding and/or worry about your firewall. It worked, but for some it was too much. The game's underlying networking related systems are now stable and tested long enough that we are adding Steam Networking as an option.

What this means is: when starting and playing a multiplayer game, your friends can now connect to you via Steam, and using Steam's networking backbone. No extra configuration needed. To use, all you have to do is be online on Steam, and start a multiplayer game. Your friend can now either join directly from Steam's Friends list, or in-game choose "Join via Steam" from the Multiplayer menu. This should make it possible for the many players who have said in the past "I just want to play with my one friend, but we can't get connected."

Singleplayer and player run Dedicated servers will still use the existing networking, and function as before.

Additionally, something for everyone, we are adjusting background object placement (moon, planets, stars, etc) and rendering. It is something Stuffie has been messing around with since late BETA 7, but just did not fit in time-wise, and now is a good time. In addition to minor tweaking of the lighting these objects receive, this change should improve background object placement to still be visually interesting and distinct, while less likely to hog the center of your screen and interfere with gameplay.

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/27/3274688023485025509/
and how to access it here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/416240/discussions/27/3274688023485017382/

[h2]Changes[/h2]

• CHANGE: Region decay time for temporary regions will now be reset to 5 minutes every time a player leaves as long as the region still contains previous player vessels including chopped off peices.
  

[h2]Fixes[/h2]

• FIX: Trader Drift Fabrication section at level 5 now should have the Component Fabricator Mk. 5 instead of two general fabricators.
  
• FIX: Fixed debris field regions resetting their decay time to 30 seconds when re-entered regardless of if the region contained player vessels or items.
  
• FIX: Fleet regions should no longer engage the player as they are warping out of a region.
  
• FIX: Compacted Cargo Bays should now correctly show up for purchase with Independant Trader.