Starbase News

[h2]Progress Notes Week 1-2[/h2]
[h3](December 30th - January 10th)[/h3]
Hello everyone! It is time for the first Starbase Progress Notes of 2020. We apologize for the silence over the last couple of weeks, but now the developers are back at work after the restful holidays! We hope you continue to enjoy these snippets of the development progress this year.

[h3]Design[/h3] Features

• Local tests done on the initial weapon balance
  
• Player to player trade design worked on
  
• Necessary sub components added to the new Cargo Crate assets
  
• All components of the new Cargo Crate assets configured and tested
  
• Calculations made for taxation and different taxation events
  

Stations

• Missing snap points placed on multiple hall modules
  
• Window frames found in marketplace_small_corner -hall module updated
  
• Station modules' names have been updated to follow a more unified and distinctive naming pattern
  

Spaceships

• Propellant containers enabled for the following ships: Lancer, Spatha, Knight, Vector, Vasama Vanette, Vasama, Twin Vasama, Republic wing and Ithaca V1
  

[h3]Code[/h3] Gameplay

• Device fields approach of FlightControlUnits and MainFlightComputers refactored
  
• Building Tool autofill feature: resource consumption implemented and final tests and fixes made
  
• A bug fixed where cables were drawn twice or more when they crossed separate objects the right way
  
• A bug, where the game would crash if you tried to exit game while holograms in the lot were loading, fixed
  
• A bug Fixed with mining laser hitting other objects as well as the player momentarily if the player was its closest hit entity
  
• Multiple fixes to grabbing tool options
  
• Chat and company client: if a company invitation is received, a link with a company name now shows up in chat. By clicking the link, the CV-Menu, with CompanyTab pops up, with invite screen opened
  
• The station tech refactoring project started, the purpose of refactoring is to introduce player-created stations into the game
  

User interface

• Company member info now shows time since member was last online and the right rank
  
• Ranks now show up in the company tree
  
• Checkboxes and input fields added for rank name and description
  
• Some sound bug fixes
  
• Settings: FPS limit slider added, Vsync made default in settings, slider handle positions and scrolling fixed, shadow quality setting definitions fixed, support added for resetting ephemeral settings
  
• Quickbar swapping of backpack items fixed: couldn't previously swap items if there was no free slot in backpack
  
• A bug fixed where Company tab wasn't opening when inventory menu wasn't open
  
• An error fixed where old chat company invites could be opened and where company invites could be sent to players who already were in the company; it is also now possible to leave a company
  
• Detecting conditions for different music events to be fired in the making and station proximity logic implemented for music context switching
  

Starbase Spaceship Creator

• Automated test that reports any missing asset browser localizations added
  
• A number of issues fixed where the autobolter and the bolt tool interacted with the repair assist hologram
  
• The repair assist hologram appearing in invalid pose for certain ships has been fixed
  
• SSC terminal accessibility improved. Ships no longer have to be completely within the terminal's bounds for the terminal to be activatable
  
• Missing UI localizations have been fixed
  

[h3]Art[/h3] Stations

• Trading market LOD and windows in the making
  
• Snap points on window plates fixed
  

Weapons

• Assault rifle's hit effect and muzzle flash updated
  
• Rail rifle now has a reload effect and its hit FX has been updated
  
• Some minor weapon effect fixes: minigun's projectile has now been assigned correctly
  
• Shotgun and assault rifle's muzzle flash tweaked and updated
  
• Hit FX used by Gauss rifle switched as well as the beam used by laser cutter tool
  
• Rocket launcher, grenade launcher, combat shield and Whiplash textures and paintjobs updated
  

Other

• More variations of asteroid medium/small rocks in the making
  
• Asteroid rock basic material underway
  
• Light optimization tests
  
• Shelf assets in the making
  
• Medal concepts for achievements and actual medals underway
  
• Colour palette has been updated
  
• Cargo crates have been updated
  
• Snap points updated for a bunch of intersection and corner beams and flight computer assets
  
• Material Cubes: collision problems caused by extra voxels fixed, visual update on the bolting holes finished
  
• UI: Bigger versions of raw material icons created to be used in the 2x2 inventory slot
  
• Device Hardpoints: snap pointsadded to the middle of the outer edges of the small device hardpoint
  
• Modular buttons and switches updated
  
• Cable tool, laser cutter, building tool and durability tool textures updated
  

You can check the Progress Notes on the official Starbase forums and on Frozenbyte's blog for some progress pictures and videos, as well!

In this Episode of Boltcrackers, Bob and Dr. Bolt create amazing modifications to various spaceships.

In pursuit of science they make good use of railmovers, cargo lock beams as well as missiles.

Watch to find out how to make a hull-breacher bike, carrier ship, a minelayer, and more!

https://youtu.be/yH8GJwxDSs4

Hello everyone! With less than two months remaining of 2019, many of you have been rightfully asking what our current plans with Early Access and the Closed Alpha are as well as the schedule regarding them.

Even though we've made a lot of progress during the months after the announcement, we've not been able to start outside testing as early as we predicted. This means that Starbase will not be Early Access ready in 2019.

Our current focus is getting the Closed Alpha underway as soon as possible. Once the Alpha starts, our plan is to increase the number of its participants in stages. We want to test the game thoroughly in Alpha before going into Early Access to make sure everything works and we're ready for a large playerbase.

As unfortunate as this delay is, we hope the added features and polish will make it worth the extra wait time.

In the meantime, you can follow the development progress of Starbase in the weekly progress notes that we post on the Official Starbase forums.

A new Starbase video has been released. This video shows the smallest ship, the Vasama, being disassembled in reverse to show what kind of a structure and what parts the ship needs to work. This is done by hand, outside the game's ship/blueprint editor.

If you wish to know more about the inner workings of a spaceship in Starbase, check out the video below.

https://youtu.be/h7Tv6VE8ZCw
Join the discussion on the official Starbase Discord.



And don't forget to wishlist Starbase on Steam!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/454120/Starbase/

A new Starbase feature video was just released with its focus on the game's Companies and Factions. Being an MMO, a huge part of Starbase is the social aspect. In order to succeed in whatever it is you wish to achieve, you’re much more likely to do so while being a part of a group. Those groups are called companies, and the much bigger ones are called factions.

https://youtu.be/kOIDuUF7pr0

Are you willing to help Empire or Kingdom in their cause? Or just interested in learning more about how to create and manage a company of your own? Then head over to watch the Companies & Factions Feature Video above.

Join the discussion on the official Starbase Discord.



And don't forget to wishlist Starbase on Steam!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/454120/Starbase/