Starbase News

[h2]Progress Notes Week 2[/h2]
[h3]January 11th - 15th[/h3]

Hello everyone, here are the progress notes of week 2 of 2021!!

Please note that the "Progress Notes" are different from the Starbase Alpha "Patch Notes". Progress Notes are snippets from the development team and what has been worked on during the previous week, and many of the features might not be present in the current or upcoming builds of the Closed Alpha. Some features, especially in the design portion, can be subject to change as the development continues.

[h3]Design[/h3] Features

• First version of the "Easy build mode" ship building method has been tested
  
• Tweak for material consumption configurations has been designed, this should help to keep amounts consistent throughout various interfaces
  
• "Center of Mass" and "Center of Thrust"-indicators in Spaceship Designer have been designed and are now being implemented
  
• Improvements on physical damage depth have been designed, material density will be affecting damage depth after this is implemented
  
• Torpedoes, missiles and their accessories have been added to economy
  
• 55 new player-made ships have been added to economy
  
• Unarmed melee has been tested, and improvements designed
  

User Interface

• Design for how to change decal colors has been completed
  

Station / Lot Designer

• Lot Designer: Lower wide entrance of Medium Hall 1 should now correctly attach to a lot doorway
  
• Instancing has been added to various new landing platforms and fixed in areas where it was broken
  

Spaceship Designer

• Missile and Torpedo parts are now Found in Machinery/Launchers
  
• Machinery/Utility: 3 Support parts have been added for Launchers
  
• Machinery/Tools: Laser Designator and Utility Tool Body 2 have been added
  

Spaceships

• Replaced Transparent Basic plates with window plates in Remus, Urchin and Anubis
  
• New player-made ships have been added to ship shops
  

[h3]Code[/h3] Gameplay

• Unarmed melee strike has been implemented
  
• Durability error notifications are no longer shown in Repair jobs
  
• Cargo Frame's field collision has been changed to appear in the correct location when moving
  
• Adjustment of the volume of the ship-nearing-failure sound has been added to the settings
  
• Chair exit area has been extended upwards
  
• A fix has been made to the destination warp gate effect being in the wrong position when arriving
  
• A fix has been made for certain items getting stuck in the auction system
  
• A fix has been made for being unable to sell ships that had been repaired
  

In-game Designers

• Nearby player station LODs in the Designer background have been fixed and should now appear in correct positions
  
• Some fixes have been made to bolt building, fixing bolts being incorrectly marked as non-buildable or sometimes disappearing when bolted to certain assets
  

[h3]Art[/h3] Animations and Emotes

• New reload animation for assault rifle has been made (1st person)
  
• Remote explosive animations have been polished
  
• Empty fire animations have been worked on (1st and 3rd person)
  
• Work on unarmed melee animations has started
  

Stations and Cities

• Level art for city landing section is done, and is now waiting for LODs
  
• Marketplace colors have been changed to match the style guides
  
• Ladder assets have been updated in station scenes
  

Other

• Icons for ship modules in the ship creator are being made
  
• Warp Gate distortion FX has been adjusted to stop it from 'pulling apart' at entry point
  
• Gravity has been removed on Breaking Lamp effects and the initial break has been made more explosive
  
• The 'popping' in Coolant Leak FX has been fixed, along with some other small tweaks to the visuals
  

[h3]Gallery[/h3]

Don't forget to check our official Starbase forums and our blog for more pictures and videos of the weekly development.

Until next time! 🪐

[h2]Progress Notes Week 1[/h2]
[h3]January 4th - 8th[/h3]

Hello everyone, here are the first Starbase Progress Notes of 2021!

Please note that the "Progress Notes" are different from the Starbase Alpha "Patch Notes". Progress Notes are snippets from the development team and what has been worked on during the previous week, and many of the features might not be present in the current or upcoming builds of the Closed Alpha. Some features, especially in the design portion, can be subject to change as the development continues.

[h3]Design[/h3] User Interface

• Mailing system design is in the works
  
• UI elements have been worked on for Ship and Station Manager UI's new functionality
  

In-game Designers

• Control table angle support 45 and Control table stand 45 icons have been fixed
  
• Window Frame 192x36x24 cm has been moved to Windows folder as it is transparent
  
• Old 30 degree beam names have been modified to match with the new 30 degree beams
  
• New 15, 30 and 45 degree beams and plates are being tested and finalized
  
  • More snap points for plates added for easier automatic snapping
    
  • Rotate/Move tool gadget visualization now shows in correct position with new 15, 30 and 45 beams and plates
    

Other

• The Sled has been removed from Sunny Ship Center and Vasama has been added back
  
• Argentavian Federation player ship shop is being worked on
  

[h3]Code[/h3] Gameplay

• Some fixes have been made for ship host transfer failing in some cases
  
• Fast travel should now end correctly even if the ship flies using its thrusters
  
• An optional warning message is shown for players on ships with durability errors
  
• Ships with durability errors apply a "safe mode" by default, avoiding damage due to thruster use
  
• Ships avoid leaving safe zones by default
  
• Ship collisions now affect their residual speed, reducing for example drifting when an impact occurs in the opposite direction
  
• Detached pilot chairs should no longer leave active quick binds stuck
  
• A fix has been made for station transponder signal disappearing if player restarts the game more than a cell away from the station
  
• Pressing the "Edit" button on station terminals is now prevented if the station's resignation has been initiated plates now)
  

In-game Designers

• A fix has been made for rotate tool widget appearing in the wrong position for objects that have a custom center of rotation point defined
  

[h3]Art[/h3] Animations and Emotes

• Rummage animations have been polished (1st person)
  
• Empty fire animations have been started (trying to shoot with no ammo, 1st person)
  

Stations and Cities

• Skyscraper Roof 01 has been finished
  
• Level art is being worked on for Chemosh and Kbot spaceship shops
  

Weapons and Armor

• Some incorrect directional properties have been corrected to Hit effects of several handheld weapons
  
• Visual updates have been made to Missile and Torpedo Hit VFX: some optimizations and matched sizing to better fit damage area
  
• Updates have been made to Remote Explosive VFX. Added debris trails and 'stronger blast': better scaled FX to match damage area
  

Other

• Inventory icons have been added for the 15, 30, 45 degree plate assets
  

Don't forget to check our official Starbase forums and our blog for more pictures and videos of the weekly development.

Until next time! 🪐

[h2]Progress Notes Week 51[/h2]
[h3]December 14th - 18th[/h3]

Hello everyone, here are the progress notes of week 51. Starbase development will be quieting down for the holidays, so the progress notes will be taking a break until January 11th, 2021. See you then!

Please note that the "Progress Notes" are different from the Starbase Alpha "Patch Notes". Progress Notes are snippets from the development team and what has been worked on during the previous week, and many of the features might not be present in the current or upcoming builds of the Closed Alpha. Some features, especially in the design portion, can be subject to change as the development continues.

[h3]Design[/h3] Features

• Old Robur station has been removed from the universe
  
• Charodium ore consumption has been fixed for refined material (now identical with other ores)
  
• Crafting data for Laser Cannon Ammo Structure (mirrored version) has been fixed: it now uses Arkanium insted of Xhalium
  

Spaceships

• Santa’s Little Helper Bots have replaced Vasama in Sunny Ship Center with "The Sled".
  
• Swine has been removed from Rando 3 temporarily due to issues
  
• Ship shops have been added to Robur station
  
• Refuel stations have been added to Robur station
  

Other

• Resurrection Machine has been changed to Reconstruction Machine
  

[h3]Code[/h3] Gameplay

• Fuel rods should no longer break when attached to structures without bolts.
  
• Auto-bolting has been patched to work with angled beams (also for corner-shaped attachment plates now)
  

User Interface

• A bug with ores not being stackable has been fixed
  
• Mining job tutorial can now be completed in all mining job instances
  
• An issue where auto-bolting/unbolting got stuck when switching tools or grabbing an object while unbolting has been fixed
  
• An issue where auto-unbolting removed weld bolts has been fixed
  
• An issue where auto-unbolting certain object caused other objects around it get unbolted has been fixed
  

Audio

• Ship mass support has been added to structural collisions (equivalent to how asteroid collision sounds are handled)
  
• Distance information to nearest planet has been fixed
  

In-game Designers

• An issue fixed where auto-naming affected thrusters that were being loaded in to the scene
  
• A separate settings window has been added for adjusting thruster device auto-naming
  
• Mouse wheel rotation and scaling control has been added for the decal
  

[h3]Art[/h3] Animations and Emotes

• 1st person weapons/tools now have animations when firing an empty gun
  
• 3rd person animations improved in mid-air events (either due to jumping or falling)
  
• Emote_yes_fps was removed and changed into /thumbs
  
• Rummage animations have been polished (1st person)
  

Weapons and Effects

• 'Afterburn' FX refined and recolored in Mounted Plasma Hits: the spawning and scaling rates over distance have been optimized
  
• 'Afterburn' FX added to Mounted Laser Hits: optimized the spawning and scaling rates over distance
  
• 'Afterburn' FX added to Mounted Railgun Hits: optimized the spawning and scaling rates over distance
  
• Propellant explosion FX Updated to better match explosive damage area - also added more dissipation to reduce 'clumping' on slower moving explosions
  
• New effect created for the large propellant container
  
• Fuel Rod explosion FX updated to better match explosive damage area - also added more dissipation to reduce 'clumping' on slower moving explosions
  
• Tractor Beam FX updated to be more 'stream like' and notably different to Resource Bridge
  
• Some of the reticles have been fixed due to them not being visible enough against darker backgrounds - reticle effects have been improved
  

Other

• Some adjustments have been made to auto exposure (less dramatic change from dark to bright)
  
• Devices: ammunition storage crate has been added
  
• Lighting and holograms added to: Balestra ship shop, Argentavian Federation ship shop, Kbot ship shop
  
• Reconstruction Machine was cut into 4 smaller pieces that can be carried. Inventory icons have been created for the pieces
  
• UI icons created for buttons in the top bar in SSC:
  
  • New icons: asset browser, toolbox, tool options, multi-user undo system, materials, scene view, properties, YOLOL script editor, building budget, paint colors, material cost
    
  • Sharper versions of existing icons: LOD viewer, create, attach, detach, show spaceship orientation
    

[h3]Gallery[/h3]

[h3]Videos[/h3]
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]


Don't forget to check our official Starbase forums and our blog for more pictures and videos of the weekly development.

Until next time! 🪐

Starbase Alpha invites are back! Now that the game has a proper starter-experience and a ton of new features, we are resuming additional invite waves.

Here's a new video showing some current gameplay from the alpha:
https://youtu.be/hoQxvVKjHLA

If you'd like to participate in the Starbase Closed Alpha, and you've done one of the two signup surveys - await your invitation! If you've not done the survey, head over to https://starbasegame.com/alpha-signup and fill out the form, and join our Discord at https://discord.gg/starbase for the latest info and invite updates.

We'll start with moderate amounts of invites first, but before Early Access launches, we hope to properly stress test the game with massive player counts, so expect the invitations to ramp up significantly in the coming couple of months. Soon enough we'll need everyone who signed up :)

Don't forget to wishlist! https://store.steampowered.com/app/454120

[h2]Progress Notes Week 50[/h2]
[h3]December 7th - 11th[/h3]

Hello everyone! Here are the progress notes of week 50 - hope you enjoy!

Please note that the "Progress Notes" are different from the Starbase Alpha "Patch Notes". Progress Notes are snippets from the development team and what has been worked on during the previous week, and many of the features might not be present in the current or upcoming builds of the Closed Alpha. Some features, especially in the design portion, can be subject to change as the development continues.

[h3]Design[/h3] Features

• Fuel Rod does not require bolts anymore when attached to Fuel Chamber
  
• New ellipsoid safe zone around Origin: The safe zones changed from 350x200x80km box to a 1000x440x100km ellipsoid
  
• Ore distribution has been adjusted in the safe zone to match the new safe zone shape
  
• A bug fixed that allowed to get other players' credits while standing in the collector shaft at Mining Job.
  
• Beam weld mass changed, they do not add extra mass to ships
  
• Automatic thruster naming tested and added to Ship Designer: Thruster names should now match the names used by the MFC automatically
  
• Improvements to ship transponders and station transponders were designed, added an article about transponders to Starbase wiki
  
• Improvements to ship hosting and loading were designed
  

Spaceships

• Sunny Ship Center (dev spaceship shop) updates:
  
  • Laborer II has been added (pre-upgraded tutorial reward ship)
    
• Player ship shop updates:
  
  • Added to Rando shops: Glacier AH-06, Donnager, Tadpole, Nusa light shuttle (moved from Okim), Croc, Harpy, Swine, Apito, Elyune, Will-o-Wisp, Nymph, Ridder
    
  • Added to Okim shops: Midge, Mastodon, Mover, Malamute II, T3-A Vulcanus, Bat
    
  • Added to DURΛTΞCH shop: LYNGBAKER A, Fundinn A, EYDAMA A, ORMVIDAR A, Aelsa A, Alfrigg A, Bomburr A, Jordis A, Signy A
    
  • Removed: Miter Saw, Nate, Protector
    

[h3]Code[/h3] Gameplay

• Small scrap detection issues have been fixed
  
• Containers no longer explode upon building
  
• Autobolting now works with angled beams
  
• Ore penalty to ship towing cost doesn't apply anymore when the ship has been lost at the target station
  
• Option for highlighting missing station and lot blueprint parts has been added
  
• An issue fixed where players got repeatedly disconnected due to entering the game in the middle of a large station with too much data being sent from the server at once
  

User Interface

• Fixes to ore not stacking fully are underway
  
• An issue where items on lots couldn't be picked up has been fixed
  
• Players are no longer able to buy 2x1 items when there's no space in the Mining Backpack
  
• Players are no longer able to bolt other players' ships with auto-bolting
  
• Trade window now has a limit of 2000 items
  
• An issue fixed with ores disappearing when using material transfer context menu several times
  
• Priority snap point type added for devices which will only connect with a hardpoint-type
  
• Placeholder version of company teams UI is now finished
  

Audio

• Thruster sounds have been tweaked
  
• Ore collection sounds have been fixed
  
• Mining backpack vacuuming sounds have been changed to match the new design
  
• LOD collision audio support is in the making
  

[h3]Art[/h3] Animations and Emotes

• 1st person rocket launcher reload animation has been updated to match the current reload time
  
• Rummage animations (1st person) have been added to Building Tool, C4, Laser Rifle and Laser Cutter.
  

Stations and Cities

• First skyscraper entrance has been updated with interior decorations.
  
• Four skyscraper floor modules, as well as their "light/dark" versions, have been updated with interior decorations.
  
• Various LODs created and updated
  

Weapons and Armor

• Yeoman armorset texture update is in progress
  
• Weapon reticles have been updated (glow edited)
  

Other

• Assets for five new ore material added: Material models, ore textures and inventory icons.
  
• New rich asteroid concept images have been created (ideas only, not decided to implement in game yet)
  
• Endoskeleton texture update is in progress
  
• The Reconstruction Machine textures have been finished.
  
• A hologram has been created for the Balestra logo
  
• UI art has been made for the scale tool in SSC
  

[h3]Gallery[/h3]

Don't forget to check our official Starbase forums and our blog for more pictures and videos of the weekly development.

Until next time! 🪐