Stormworks: Build and Rescue News

Dear Stormworkers,

This week we add a bit of fun with Christmas and holiday celebrations here in Stormworks!

We have added a series of new seasonal outfits to the Stormworks wardrobe! From elf outfits to reindeer knitted jumpers and Christmas pudding hats! There are a wide range of new clothes to check out when starting a game or visiting the in-game wardrobe.



The seasonal winter holiday event also begins and includes the usual snow, white tipped trees, and decorations across the various islands.

As always, this minor update includes many bug fixes and improvements. See the full list below for details. While we have said this before, we cannot emphasize it enough - thank you to all the players who have submitted clear issue reports via the official issue tracker! It is a huge help and allows us to fix issues with the game much more quickly.



We look forward to hearing your thoughts and feedback on this new update!

Much love
The Stormworks Developers



Patch Notes

v1.3.16

Feature - Seasonal Outfits

Fix - setVehiclePosSafe vehicle performing a bounds check against itself (boats in the sky)
Fix - #3429 Contains ammo logic node being outside the voxel bounds for belt connectors
Fix - #3134 Compass ball East and West swapped when upside down
Fix - #3052 Crankshaft 3x1 using the wrong mesh for its connections
Fix - #3053 Windows not see through on creative island / north harbour
Fix - #3282 Hole in creative island floor mesh
Fix - #2478 Resolved empty ammo box rendering for model export and added export rendering for belts
Fix - #3060 Increased tree physics cylinder radius
Fix - #3208 Added invulnerable slider to addon vehicles, updated several default vehicles to be invulnerable
Fix - #3135 Color picking a blank additive pixel no longer applies this colour
Fix - #3030 Removed extra voxels from bertha connector belt
Fix - #3217 Fix static vehicles not updating/initializing their internal transforms (teleporting not working)
Fix - #3510 Fix setVehicleWeapon description
Fix - Flare lights sometimes delaying activation
Fix - #3148 Mainland and arctic airstrip broken physics
Fix - #3501 Crash caused by rendering removed addon zones with a parent
Fix - #3235 Fix script error 211 for unnamed cargo on old saves
Fix - #3627 medium/large/huge missile fin component surface area values (new fin parts not applying enough force)
Fix - #3002 Optimized physics flooder inside certain shapes (extreme vehicle load time leading to hang)
Fix - #3554 Fix missing contains ammo node on autocannon belt (corner)
Fix - Tank track render lerping
Fix - #3668 Saving an addon with no name overwriting the addons directory (now defaults to unnamed_addon)
Fix - #3298 DLC weapons script size data parsing (wrong hp values and explosion sizes)
Fix - showOnMap not affecting local vehicles

Rework - #3549 Normal beds now heal slowly but cannot resuscitate like medical beds do
Balance - #3298 Increased default health and scaling for dlc weapons large and medium size enemy vehicles
Balance - #2842 Reduced dlc weapons explosion size for small and medium size enemy vehicles
Balance - Increased oxygen tank size for scuba and diving outfits
Rework - Flare objects now have near-neutral buoyancy
Rework - Removed Bugsplat error reporting

Lua:
Added onPlayerUnsit and onCharacterUnsit
Added setVehicleInvulnerable
Updated outdated playlist keyword to addon in default scripts

Dear Stormworkers,

In this upcoming announcement, we discuss the minor updates scheduled for release over the remainder of the year!

We are closing our office for 2 weeks at the end of the year for the Christmas break, but we are planning one minor update next week, and another one during the break while we are on break.

The in-game Christmas event begins next week and we have a Holiday season themed update planned which is largely cosmetic in nature. It will just be a bit of fun and we won't say anymore so not to ruin any surprise!



We are also planning to release a small number of new components over the winter break. These will just be simple parts but a much requested addition to the game. They will be weapons themed parts and so will be cosmetic for non-weapons players.

With regard to the 2021 roadmap, there is just one update outstanding - the Natural Disasters Major Update. This update is deep in development (and looking awesome!) but we are pushing it back to Q1 2022 to give us more time to make it as good as possible.



We look forward to getting stuck into a 2022 roadmap in the new year and sharing our plans in the new year! 2021 has been the biggest year yet for Stormworks and we expect 2022 to be even bigger. We remain committed to improving quality and delivering exciting updates!

Much love
The Stormworks Developers

Dear Stormworkers,

In this weeks minor update, we introduce small missile parts!

These new parts are designed so that players are able to make 1 block sized radar tracking missiles, the missiles look better, and the process is easier than before with new built-in radar logic.

Solid rocket booster fuel sections are now available with fins, with a composite input to control X and Y fin rotation. The finned versions are the same block size as the regular solid rocket parts.

We have added a new cylindrical hardpoint part to help build 1 block sized missiles with a cylindrical section. This hardpoint component is exactly the same as the existing one and is entirely cosmetic.



We have also added a new composite output to radars - the tracking data output. This output gives the X, Y motion vector of the primary radar signal, corrected for rotation. It sounds confusing, and it is - its a similar algorithm used on many anti-air missiles such as the Sidewinder. The idea is that if our missile is heading on a collision course with a target, then the relative direction of that target will not change - if the relative direction is changing - then we must adjust the missiles course to be more similar to the target.

While it sounds complex, the good news is that it means there can be relatively little logic involved - you just need to link up the radar tracking data directly to your solid rocket fins, and adjust the fin strength. We have also included a preset example in the presets folder.

We have also added an impact threshold property to warheads, so they can incorporate an impact sensor themselves. It still needs to be armed via the on/off input, and the default value is zero, so the default behaviour is the same as before.



However, be warned! There is a new AI warship variant that is armed with a radar missile array! This warship carries 8 radar guided missiles, and they are very dangerous.

Thats why we have also added new chaff flares, a new flare type for the existing flare launcher. They explode into a cloud of glittery foil shards. Chaff flares omit a strong but short lived radar signal. When timed well they will distract and defeat incoming missiles.

As always, there are also several bug fixes and general improvements. Please see the change log below for full details.



We look forward to your thoughts and feedback on these new features, and hope you enjoy launching some homing missiles!

Much love
The Stormworks Developers



Patch Notes

v1.3.14

Feature - 4 new missile parts with built-in fins
Feature - Missile part model refreshes
Feature - Rounded style hardpoint connector child
Feature - Warhead built-in impact sensor
Feature - Radar "missile instructions" output composite
Feature - Chaff flares
Feature - Flare launcher trigger passthrough node
Feature - New Missile support for weapons ai script (and a new boat)
Feature - AI vehicle basic avoidance raycasts
Feature - New example missile launcher

Rework - Added a 1s grace period to impact sensors to prevent triggering them on vehicle load
Rework - Radar tracking algorithm improved
Rework - Cameras are now correctly nameable

Fix - Updated radar descriptions to explain sensitivity
Fix - Remove extra physics voxel from missile radar
Fix - MC tooltips now show in seats if they have logic nodes
Fix - Robotic pivots no longer drain electric when damaged
Fix - Ski no longer requires electric
Fix - Ammo box not rendering on mesh export
Fix - Non-arctic tiles spawning in the arctic (e.g. trainline tiles) being outside the search radius when spawning env-mods (env-mods not spawning for those tiles)
Fix - Weapons AI turrets now respawn
Fix - Default AI boats placing waypoints inside the riverbanks of sawyer isles

Scripts should no longer try calling onTick before onCreate (Path nodes being built after scripts ticked caused boats to path through land after loading a save)
added setVehiclePosSafe
added resetVehicleState
onPlayerLeave should now fire for all disconnect events
Added body_index parameter to onVehicleDamaged (useful to ignore damage to sub bodies aka missiles)

Dear Stormworkers,

In this upcoming announcement, we will discuss the general plans and activities going on in the development studio and look at the bigger picture!

We are most of the way through our roadmap that we published at the start of the year, with just the natural disasters update outstanding. This major update and a couple more are in development, as well as several minor updates. We don't have any release dates yet but will let you know when we do.

Our release schedule is major updates every 12 to 16 weeks, and minor updates every 2 weeks. However, we have more recently done some "only bug fixes" minor updates which have been well received, As we focus more on quality improvements and fixes, we are considering that this type of minor update could become more common (perhaps every other minor update).



As previously discussed, we have also been working on our quality assurance procedures and we are spending longer testing updates, with clearer plans on exactly what changes need testing. The impact of this has immediately been noticeable and we continue to look for more ways we can improve the quality of updates.

Following the release of our new issue tracker, there has been another big improvement in the way we track and plan work internally. It is now so much easier for us to communicate with players and give individual support, as well as identify issues. Players have been very awesome and engaged with the new tool, and in kind, we have been doing our best to make the required improvements to the game.

The new issue tracker has helped so much, that we have been working on a 2nd phase of internal tools to help track tasks and workflow. The new task-tracker forms part of our agile workflow, and is built specifically around our new processes and should further help us track progress, communicate internally, and better control quality. In reality, this is just an internal website, but we are receiving around 1500 requests a month, and managing that volume is a challenge.

We remain committed to supporting Stormworks and are already working on many updates for the rest of the year and far into 2022. Developing Stormworks for this community of talented builders is very rewarding and few Steam developers are fortunate enough to be able to serve such an active and creative community. We value this, and are excited to continue bringing updates and improvements into the future.



Beyond Stormworks? As many players are already aware, we developed Carrier Command 2 which has been very rewarding and fun to build. We have also learned a lot from building a very different type of game from the ground up. We are not working on any other games right now, but are thinking about the future. We are very interested in modding, as are a huge number of our players, and any future game we might build should have much improved support for modding. We have been doing some research and development around this, intended for any future game engine we may create.

We will be back next week with a new and exciting minor update!

Much love
The Stormworks Developers

Dear Stormworkers,

This week we are releasing several important bug fixes and quality improvements to Stormworks that are much needed and long overdue!

We have begun looking at some of the issues with the world and environment assets, and have been improving the in-game islands. Expect fixes where the island physics may not have been correct or geometry was out of place!



We have also been improving the content generally, including some smoothing to some of the terrain and improving the height difference between airstrip runways and the surrounding land.

There is also a long list of other important bug fixes, including multiplayer and dedicated server issues. See the change notes below for details!

As always, much credit goes to the many players who are giving feedback and reporting issues through the official issue tracker. This is very valuable thanks to the many detailed and clear reports so thank you again.



These fixes will continue to arrive! We are continuing to improve our processes and are giving ourselves more time to internally test changes to the game. This has the effect that last minutes changes are much rarer now, and so changes to the game are tested more thoroughly. This also means that there are many more fixes already implemented that are currently going though our new quality processes and will be included in future releases.



We hope these new fixes improve your experience and we look forward to your feedback!

Much love
The Stormworks Developers



Patch Notes

v1.3.13

Feature - 2x2 Pyramid and Inverse Pyramid Windows
Feature - Addon editor load screen searchbox
Feature - Default cargo scripts improved tooltips, spawn probabilities and scaling rewards/times

Fix - Weapons Addon not saving the new menu settings across sessions
Fix - Photomode post process exposure values
Fix - Inputs not cleared when opening custom menu via keybind
Fix - Missing female crouch animation
Fix - MP clients remote control not connecting correctly
Fix - Rx range description for handheld radios/remote control
Fix - Kick players out of vehicle/character editor on death
Fix - Incorrect range description on laser distance sensor
Fix - Allow C4 placement underwater
Fix - o_id typo in addon lua example
Fix - Slightly increased client ladder auto exit box
Fix - Fix multiplayer hosts dropping client players not creating ragdoll animation
Fix - Missing parent parameter in lua docs for spawnAddonComponent
Fix - Tutorial crane and tractor no longer despawn on tutorial end
Fix - Editor multibody child blocked voxel positions
Fix - Editor multibody child bounds in component selector
Fix - Rotary / Heavy autocannon ammo not being manually placeable into belts
Fix - Coalbox sometimes rendering hot when returning to workbench
Fix - Added blue arrows to laser point sensor
Fix - Removed reserved voxels from ammo connector belts
Fix - Rocket launcher SFX looping underwater
Fix - Capture vehicle tooltip not updating for enemy controlled islands
Fix - 2 Handed items being usable on ladders
Fix - HOTAS seat not using animations
Fix - Bubble trails for projectiles fired in underwater buoyancy volumes
Fix - Increased autocannon ammo belt load time to keep up with rotary autocannon

AI vehicles now explode when sinking, over-damaged or 5 mins after they are incapacitated
AI vehicles now scale HP and explosion based on size
added spawnExplosion Lua function when DLC is enabled

Repaired various mesh issues across all islands:
Smoothed terrain and fixed clipping ocean on Sawyers island.
Train depot side has been leveled and parking physics fixed. North Harbour on Sawyers island.
Ladders added to Military base and Fishing village dock.
Holt town parking was under terrain.
Arctic lighthouse stairs physics fixed.
Floating rocks on Submarine and Airfield base.
Multiplayer base wall physics fixed.
Donkk village door now opens.
Tajin Airstrip invisible wall removed
Chemical storage physics fixed.
Refinery terrain gaps fixed.
Terminal Camodo parking fix.
Arctic Refinery terrain.
Railing and crash guard physics boxes resized.
Airport base landscape.
Camodo base landscape.
MP Island terrain smoothed.

Knowns issues:
- 1 or 2 locations required larger fixes, and this may cause some problems for old saves only at these locations.
- a small number of players have experienced poor performance near the Beginner Outpost. This may be due to older versions of the game having an issue.
Both can be fixed by starting a new game.