Stormworks: Build and Rescue News

Dear Stormworkers,

This update introduces two small but useful logic changes:

Variable Speed Winches

Winches now have a number input to modify their operation speed (additively with respect to the base winch speed, so that 0 input means the speed is unmodified, while -1 would reduce speed and +1 would increase speed).



Handle Output

Handles now have an on/off output to signal if a player is currently holding a handle. This change is generally useful where players can now get things to happen simply by holding a handle. This state could be used to open a door, release a connector, etc.



As well as these changes are some fixes and improvements, please see the patch notes below for details.

Last week we asked for thoughts and advice from players on how we do announcements in the future. We want to say thankyou to the many players who gave their time to help us on this. Many of the responses were very well written, obviously with a great deal of thought and some even with professional experience. We are considering your feedback and are going to think about it for a bit, potentially making changes in the coming months. Thank you for the help!

Much love
The Stormworks Developers



Patch Notes

v1.12.3

Feature - #11450 Winch speed input logic node for medium and larger winches
Feature - #5290 Occupied bool logic node for handles
Fix - Rotor light-grey accents rendering with colour in preview
Fix - #24690 #25665 - Addons not defaulting to mission tag when uploading to workshop without any locations
Fix - #25455 - Fixed positions of various mission zones
Fix - #25721 - Reduced refuel mission fill requirement
Fix - #25763 - Added old save compatibility for creature missions

Dear Stormworkers,

Weekly Announcements

In the development studio, there is always something really exciting going on. Perhaps it's a new minor update that players have been asked for, an important fix, a new major update, or increasingly, something on the new game.

We want to share this excitement and fun with players! However, we are also mindful that the way we share this information has a big impact on how much joy it brings players. For example, if we share info on updates that won't release for a long time, or could be cancelled or changed later on, this can just be frustrating.



Our strategy is to develop the new feature, test it and get it ready to release, and only then, think about telling players about it! If its a smaller update such as a minor update, it seems better to announce it as we release it, or if its a bigger update, then a few weeks warning to get excited seems to work best.

This does leave us in the situation where, despite there being loads of interesting things going on, there is often no specific thing releasing imminently and ready to announce. This results in the occasional waffling announcement with no juicy new info, and this too can cause friction with players who are understandably disappointed with the lack of value in the announcement.



Our strategy isn't the only way, and "roadmaps" are common in other games where developers explain their general ambitions for the future. This does create a risk for these developers of under-delivering if their plans don't work out, but otherwise answers a lot of questions.

We post here every week, as we alternate between update releases and informational posts. We are considering dropping the informational posts when there is no specific info to release, meaning that some weeks there would be no communication.

What are your thoughts on this? Would you prefer less frequent announcements in preference to more valuable info? Is there a better strategy that we should adopt? How should we communicate with players?



A Shout out to the Creators

We are often asked who made the creations from the screenshots! These screenshots are from the #vehicle-showcase channel in the official Discord server. We don't say who created the vehicles because it is very difficult to know. On the Discord channel, we can only see who posted the image. Many images are vehicles that are not released on the workshop. Its common for players to collaborate, meaning a vehicle can have many authors. Many images are also of players experiences in single or multiplayer and the person posting the image isn't the one who made the vehicle in the image. These creations often took a huge amount of work to create, and it would be hurtful to see someone else given credit for your work. As with many things in life, it is best not to say something if you can't be sure that you are correct!

This doesn't mean we don't appreciate the hard work and skill that creators are putting into their vehicles. Thank you to everyone who posts their content in #vehicle-showcase, you are amazing, and an inspiration to us.

Much love
The Stormworks Developers

Dear Stormworkers,

This minor update includes some subtle reworks, as well as some fixes and improvements.

Pumps and valves now have a logic node that provides flow rate information.

Generally this update is small, but the changes will be useful to many players, so its worth checking out the patch notes below.



Join us again in 2 weeks for another minor update with some new minor features, and then again 2 weeks later for a particularly exciting minor update!

We continue to work on our minor updates, major updates, as well as the new game. For Stormworks, there are some great updates on the way, that we expect will be really important positive steps that players will love, and we look forward to sharing these updates over the coming months.

Much love
The Stormworks Developers



Patch Notes

v1.12.2

Feature - Flow rate logic node for pump and valve components
Rework - #2450 Doors are now interactable from a seat
Fix - Regular rx components tagged as DLC only
Fix - #24725 Vehicle editor budget label not updating with undo/redo
Fix - #24899 Reconnecting peer's network id, flashlight and audio data not rebuilt correctly
Fix - #25100 JSI fuel pumps havering above floor
Balance - #25065 Reduced volume and balanced range of fluid pump sfx

Dear Stormworkers,

In this announcement, we discuss the variety of building communities in Stormworks, and the unique character and style of creators.

Stormworks was originally intended as a search and rescue game, with small ships, and perhaps some helicopters. Since, the set of parts has expanded to allow players to create trucks, planes, trains, space ships, and more. There are also many types of vehicle created by the community which we never added specific parts for!



The Mechs

Mech walking robots have never been supported by specific components, but that hasn't stopped many creators from experimenting and creating some incredible creations.

These walking robots are often very creative, and being fictional vehicles, they often bear the unique style of their creator. When the "mech gang" grace us with their screenshots in the official Discord, the results are amazing.



The maths required for building a working multi-ped walker where legs move as required, and in coordination with each other, is advanced. The walking creations have been around for years, but the sophistication has been advancing, with smoother results.



There are many other types of specialist creation, from fast jets, to steam trains or military submarines. Different creators express their design opinions in different ways, and even replica designs can have a great depth of character in the way they are built within Stormworks.



It's very rewarding for us to see Stormworks being used in these ways by creators.

What other creator groups exist that we could cover in the announcements? Let us know!

Much love
The Stormworks Developers

Dear Stormworkers,

This weeks minor update is mostly fixes and improvements!

In Stormworks, it is possible to place all components on a vehicle (for the benefit of the workshop). However, the functionality of some components requires a DLC. For example, firing weapons require Search and Destroy, some space parts require Space to function, etc.



Some players have told us that it isn't clear what vehicle components require DLCs and which do not, and that it is frustrating to discover something requires a DLC. This wasn't our intention, so we are adding markers and warnings on components so this information is clear and up-front.



Please see the patch notes below for a full list of fixes and improvements!

We look forward to your feedback on this new update.

Much love
The Stormworks Developers



Patch Notes

v1.12.1

Feature - #24896 DLC items are now marked in the component inventory
Fix - #2873 Improved multiplayer rope sync
Fix - #25994 Random bug where engines stopped transferring exhaust and blocked flow
Fix - #25338 Corrected net drag effects
Fix - #25024 Updated preset oil rig example
Fix - #25347 Improved surface swimming behavior with ropes
Fix - #24891 Fix map labels not showing on moon
Fix - #25254 Fix clear oil spill crash and improved clearing
Fix - #25272 Updated descriptions for breathing equipment/outfits to indicate oxygen must be piped into the inventory to refill them
Fix - #25598 Updated onVehicleSpawn documentation to indicate that unloaded vehicles report the shared "group-origin" position