Stormworks: Build and Rescue News

Dear Stormworkers,

In this weeks update, we have re-engineered train signals so that they are an add-on rather than being baked into the world.

The implications of this is that train signals can be replaced with an add-on. This is something that the train community has been asking for, for a long time. It means that different styles of signals can be used, as well as mechanically different signals that follow different logic, unlocking the potential for automation and other mechanics.



This update is of course, a minor step in expanding what can be done with modding. While the headline might be "train signals", the majority of this update is actually bug fixes, as we continue to work through all the issues and defects in the game, and tighten up the quality of experience. While plenty remains to be done, we have made huge progress so far this year, as we have rebalanced our time and processes to avoid adding new issues, while clearing out the backlog of existing problems. While it can be difficult to measure from playing the game, we are counting the issues, and only a fraction remains compared to how the year started out.



There are many different ways to play Stormworks, and we want to make all players happy, so the minor updates focus on different areas as rotate our focus around the different Stormworks communities. This can cause friction in the comments section.

Our advice is not to take the comments too seriously. We make an active effort to count and measure players requests, and we won't count one opinion over another. To the vast majority of players giving calm, constructive, and valued feedback, thank you. We do our best to be fair with our release plans, and while everyone may not benefit from this weeks headline as we show some love for the trains community, hopefully all will notice benefit from the fixes, and all will enjoy something more relevant to their community in the next few updates.

Please see below for the patch notes with the full list of fixes and improvements.

Much love
The Stormworks Developers



Patch Notes

v1.5.3

Changes that include a #NUMBER relate to fixes or features submitted by the Stormworks community via 'geometa.co.uk/support/stormworks' which can be accessed via the 'Report Bug/Request Feature' button in-game.

Posting a submission to this tracker ensures we review your suggestion/report since we may not see reports submitted via other channels.

Feature - #2181 Train Signals Addon

The default train signals have now been converted to an addon, with an updated default signal. This conversion much like the other default playlists makes it very easy for players to replace with their own and upload to the workshop to share with the Stormworks community.
Additionally, in this update we have reworked ropes and winches to fix several longstanding issues including crashes, freezes and unexpected rope based deaths.

Fix - #3360 #8720 Winch lengths reverting to default length on vehicle load (sometimes crashing/freezing the game)
Rework - Winches now auto spool back to their max length and winch max length no longer includes the attached rope's current dynamic length
Rework - Slightly increased winch rope max lengths to compensate for the above change
Rework - Players can no longer detach ropes that are longer than the first-person-rope maximum (40m)
Fix - #5016 Held ropes no longer detach when a vehicle spawns

Fix - Damage rendering desync issues for clients when loading vehicles
Fix - #8391 Fixed Host voice chat not working
Rework - #4903 #9022 Greatly improve multiplayer fire sync

Rework - Rail signals now toggle their state client-side to improve sync
Rework - Added size=null tags to certain default ocean path nodes to prevent bad paths generating under diagonal train bridges
Rework - #8185 Updated workbench disabled messages to indicate if the setting is disabled or the client is unauthorized
Balance - #1829 Rebalanced the repair speed of the handheld welding torches

Fix - #258 Vehicle editor undo not remembering sub-component colours
Fix - #7749 #8972 Updated some default mission zones that were too close to terrain
Fix - Path node tags are now correctly combined for overlapping nodes that get merged
Fix - #7737 Flares black square graphical glitch
Fix - #8052 Moon glare rendering issue
Fix - #8156 Lightning intensity visual glitches
Fix - #8194 Buttons no longer trigger the lua event when the player is out of interact range
Fix - #8394 Updated logic node descriptions for coaxial rotors
Fix - #8419 #8689 Fixed several issues around floating geometry
Fix - #8742 Fixed Nataera ruins physics mesh height issue
Fix - #8716 Passive sonar hits no longer have a projected y bounds of 5m
Fix - #8731 Fixed turret ring mesh issues
Fix - #8781 Fixed search light odd coloured mesh
Fix - Fixed additive rendering as yellow in the component inventory
Fix - Fixed train-line geometry at Terminal Trinite
Fix - End effector no longer triggers onButtonPress when releasing for all dynamic components

Dear Stormworkers,

This week is announcement week where we discuss our development plans and release new information. There are no huge announcements this week so we will keep it brief.

The Steam Summer Sale is now on, and for the first time in Stormworks history, we are in the sale! Stormworks is currently 30% off, and 20% off for the DLC.



Next week we have a new minor update planned with many fixes, and some reworks, including replacing some existing game content with add-on content to make the game a little bit more moddable. More info on this next week with the release!

While we are testing next weeks minor update, we are also adding the finishing touches to the following one. In the following minor update, we plan to add some new equipable outfits! These are new outfits that fit in inventory boxes in a similar way to scuba / diving / firefighting, except with a different function.



Other projects in progress is the next major update which is looking awesome but sadly not due for release for a few months, and some technology tests for the new game engine that we are working on. We are having a lot of fun working on all these new updates and improvements and there is a lot for players to look forward to over the rest of the year and beyond.

Catch you next week for the minor update!

Much love
The Stormworks Developers

Dear Stormworkers,

In this weeks minor update, we are adding the new vehicle mounted welders and end-effectors, designed for use with autonomous and unmanned vehicles, and manned submarines.

The new welder is an electric type welder and works underwater. As you may expect, when active it repairs any damaged blocks immediately in front of it.

The end-effector component can interact with any button immediately in front of it, as well as interacting with doors.



With the combination of these 2 new parts, players can now achieve a great many tasks previously requiring manual operation. This can be particularly useful when in hazardous or hostile environments such as high temperature, deep under water, or around radioactive materials.

As well as these new components, there are many important bug fixes and improvements. Please see the full changelog below for full details.



We look forward to reading your feedback, and seeing what players create and get up to with the new components!

Much love
The Stormworks Developers



Patch Notes

v1.5.2

Changes that include a #NUMBER relate to fixes or features submitted by the Stormworks community via 'geometa.co.uk/support/stormworks' which can be accessed via the 'Report Bug/Request Feature' button in-game.

Posting a submission to this tracker ensures we review your suggestion/report since we may not see reports submitted via other channels.

Feature - #587 Mounted Welder and Mounted End-Effector components
Feature - #656 Solid Rocket Nozzle Max Power slider

Fix - #8588 #8613 Fixed default damage values for collisions
Fix - #7101 #7505 #7619 Natural disasters sirens can now be disabled globally with a button on them
Fix - Old saves will now initialize damage_tracker in mission lua script

Rework - #8717 Sonar active ping reworked*
Fix - #8838 #8728 Radar does not detect tilted vehicle
Fix - #8790 Inactive sonar jammer consumes power
Fix - #8562 Sonar Jammer node mislabels
Fix - #8593 Sonar description spelling mistake
Fix - #8668 Sonar Data node info

Fix - #7633 Fix being able to save while dead when quitting to main menu
Fix - #7640 Scroll bar not appearing for updated ui containers
Fix - #7650 C4 placement rendering when in a seat
Fix - #7827 C4 placement on moving vehicles for clients
Fix - #7652 Pilot mask rendering issue with some outfits
Fix - #7702 Wrong editor mesh for Camera Gimbal and Stabilizer Camera
Fix - #7862 Floating terrain at Terminal Trinite
Fix - Optimized parsing for some scene values
Fix - Coaxial rotor entire mesh rotating

Fix - State data network messages being sent for vehicles with no stateful components
Fix - #1197 Game occasionally getting stuck on audio mutexes

*Sonar ping input must now be held to continue receiving information from that ping; passive data is no longer output while actively pinging.

Dear Stormworkers,

This week is an announcement week, with the new major update launching last week, and we have a minor update planned for next week including 2 new components and loads of fixes!

Next weeks update includes 2 new components for performing tasks normally performed manually - with a vehicle. We are adding a new welder component that can repair vehicles, and a new interaction component that can press buttons and open doors. This enables players to create remote operated vehicles that can perform repair and maintenance tasks. These new components are in response to the fantastic player feedback we have received about the new underwater update, and they will go a long way to giving new functionality and purpose to ROVs.



Our development plans continue as normal, with several minor updates in the works. The next few minor updates include new features, many of which are interesting new components. As always, we prefer to share info only once the update is ready to avoid disappointment. We look forward to releasing this new minor updates to the usual schedule, which is every 2 weeks.



We have also been working on several big updates, which we expect to release as major updates or over time as minor updates. One update in particular is coming together really well, and we are getting really excited about other ways we could improve and expand it into something much bigger. So, we are considering greatly expanding that update into something far bigger than a major update, and perhaps a whole new DLC, but no decision has been made yet. It will all make more sense when we are further along and can share more info and made more decisions!



As always, we look forward to your thoughts and feedback. See you here next week for the minor update!

Much love
The Stormworks Developers

Dear Stormworkers,

The new underwater major update is out now!

This update includes:

Underwater Biome

The new biome includes a series of volcanic islands, based on many of the volcanic islands in the Pacific Ring of Fire. Many of these new islands are active volcanoes and can erupt at random or on request from the custom menu.

The biome also includes new under-sea features, including a trench, sea floor cabling, ruins, wrecks, and many kilometers of winding an interlinked underwater tunnels. The tunnels can be accessed from underwater, and also new caves on some islands.

There are many new locations, named in honour of great community members and workshop creators. Thank you to the selfless and kind people who give up their time to help other players, and thank you to the talented creators who have reached high popularity with incredible creations on the workshop. There are many more community heroes and creators than we have had chance to honour, and look forward to naming more locations in the future.



Underwater Missions

There are several new mission types, including submersed rescues, salvage, and repairs. These missions can spawn in many locations across the world, as well as specific new locations in the new biome.

It is now easier to see underwater as we have increased visibility and lighting, to help with underwater operations.



Glow Sticks

To help keep track of locations and add some softer illumination at night or underwater, we have added new glow sticks! The color of the glowsticks can be painted in the editor, and they will last a long time when deployed.

Sonar

We have added new sonar components, that behave in a more realistic manner. Sonar can now listen in all directions at once, and can operate in active and passive mode. In active mode, the sonar emits a loud ping which travels far through water, bouncing back off vehicles and other objects with a delay relative to the distance travelled. Passive sonar simply listens and can detect propellers, engines, and other noisy parts.



We are really excited to release this new update and can't wait to hear back from players on your thoughts and feedback! Thanks to all the support and feedback we have received that has made this new update possible.

Much love
The Stormworks Developers



v1.5.0 Underwater Update

Changes that include a #NUMBER relate to fixes or features submitted by the Stormworks community via 'geometa.co.uk/support/stormworks' which can be accessed via the 'Report Bug/Request Feature' button in-game.
Posting a submission to this tracker ensures we review your suggestion/report since we may not see reports submitted via other channels.

While we made no infrastructure changes in this update we still recommend creating a new save file as various new environment zones have been added to the default scripts to allow the new mission types to spawn.

Feature - New Volcanic Archipelago biome (#5171 #879 #2019)
Feature - New underwater themed missions and mission improvements
Feature - New Glowstick Equipment (#801)
Feature - Advanced Sonars and Sonar Jammer (#337)

The new 40x40km volcanic archipelago biome is located south-west of the sawyer isles and is the new home of the Kraken.
The region features a series of small volcanoes interspersed with deep trenches, sunken landmarks and an intricate network of submerged passages.

With the addition of several underwater themed mission scenarios we also made various fixes and improvements to the existing mission infrastructure.
Missions should now have an easier time spawning as some theme filtering was previously limiting mission spawning too strictly, meaning some mission scenarios were previously unable to spawn successfully.
The Repair mission objective has been expanded in functionality to several mission types; players can expect to require an underwater welder for some of the new missions, with search-and-rescue missions sometimes offering an optional reward for repairing the vehicle in distress.

Feature - Added additional hospital-boat AI ships that now patrol specific biomes
Feature - New icon for addons with editable settings (in the addon selector menu)
Feature - #6898 Spawn Kraken button added to custom menu
Feature - Addon editor ocean toggle
Feature - 'Show timers' and 'Show rewards' mission addon settings
Fix - #1200 Vehicle save/load not serializing basic block damage & not generating damaged mesh on load
Fix - Ropes now use a constant number of physics nodes
Fix - Fixed 3 map icons sharing names internally causing them to render as a different icon
Fix - #5663 #6568 Missions/Cargo now check if spawn area is clear before spawning
Fix - Mission zones with no size now default to large instead of never spawning
Fix - Zone filtering causing certain mission locations to never spawn
Fix - #3132 Relative to seafloor mission tag behavior restored
Fix - Breakers/relays/chargers are no longer explode on damage
Fix - #7993 SRB fins now work underwater
Fix - Corrected buoyancy surfaces for large and medium warheads
Rework - The Kraken now only naturally spawns within the underwater biome.
Rework - Updated how mission descriptions are generated
Balance - #5026 Rebalanced mission rewards to be more generous
Balance - #5026 Rebalanced ocean lootboxes to be rarer
Balance - Increased cost of diving outfit to 2000

Addon Lua Api:

Added isLocationClear(transform, size_x, size_y, size_z)
Added getOceanFloor(transform)
Added "static" to getVehicleData()
Added to "parent_vehicle_id" and "parent_relative_transform" getZones()
Updated getCharacterData().interactible -> .interactable (Legacy spelling remains available)
Added radius param to addDamage and unlinked magnitude value from the radius.
Added a voxel pos optional override for setCharacterSeated instead of requiring to use the name
getVehicleData now includes a table named "components" which currently contains tables for seats, buttons and signs

Additional info is included in the in-game addon lua help tabs.

v1.4.20-24 (Hotfixes)

Fix - Issue with radar detection
Fix - Game audio issues / Mac audio crackling
Fix - Crash caused by door particles