Mercury Fallen News

Howdy Folks!

Last time I talked a bit about the roadmap and the path to the final release of Mercury Fallen. There is still a lot to do and the next update will be focusing on various changes to surface side mechanics.

[h2]Surface Resource Rebalancing[/h2]


After reviewing the surface content, a few changes are coming, some of which deviate from what I had originally intended. The most obvious new change is that surface resources are being updated with some shiny new visuals.

In order to better balance surface resources, I’ve decided to simplify resources into only having surface and sub-surface resources. Mining vehicles will now only be capable of mining surface resources and a mining platform will be required for sub-surface resources.

There are some changes to world generation that will be coming as well. There will be fewer overall surface side resources locations, but each one will provide, on average, far more resources. This will help to reduce surface side micromanagement. Mining speeds for mining vehicles and platforms will also have some adjustments.

There are quite few additional tweaks and changes coming. Keep an eye out for more developer logs. I’m hoping to bring this version to the experimental branch within the next week or two so keep an eye out for that as well.

Thanks for all the great feedback, suggestions and reports. Let me know what you think of some of the changes in development.

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Howdy Folks!

1.0? Wait… what? Version 1.0 is coming, but not just yet. There are a few more major updates planned to lead to 1.0. So what does it mean to be approaching 1.0, what will 1.0 include, and is this the end of the road for Mercury Fallen? Find out next time on- I mean find out right now!

[h2]Roadmap[/h2]

There are three major content updates planned before the final 1.0 content update. While these updates have a primary focus, there will be additional content included in these updates that isn’t specifically listed in the roadmap. This is generally the case with most of my updates. Additionally there will be bug fix and tweak updates in-between the major content updates.

[h2]What Does 1.0 Mean?[/h2]
The 1.0 update means Mercury Fallen leaving Early Access. Leaving Early Access, however, does not mean that there won’t be further updates to the game. I will continue to add new content and fix any issues that arise. Content updates may be a bit slower once the game has left Early Access as I do have plans for future projects after Mercury Fallen.

The version 1.0 update will finalize the story campaign missions with a final goal. While the campaign will have an “ending”, this won’t mean you can’t keep playing after you’ve accomplished the final goal.

[h2]So What’s Next?[/h2]
The surface content has been through quite a few revisions since it was first added to the game. Based on your feedback, this content needs some further tweaks to reduce the amount of micro-management and make it feel like less of a chore.

The Surface Control update aims to streamline how vehicles are interacted with. This should provide more autonomy to vehicles and less micro-management. In an upcoming developer log, I’ll cover this in more detail.

[h2]Trailer[/h2]
I recently updated the trailer for Mercury Fallen. Figured it was about time. 🙂
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

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Thanks everyone for the amazing feedback and support. Let me know what you think about the roadmap.

Howdy Folks!

I’m back from vacation and feeling a whole lot better. Thanks for all the support and feedback. I hit the ground running yesterday and finished up a small patch update with a few tweaks and a few fixes.

[h2]Planet Map Hover Info[/h2]

In this patch update, I’ve updated the look of the planet map hover info panel. By default hovering over objects will now show the name as well as the description of an object. Some objects will show additional information such as resources showing resource amounts and vehicles showing their current action.

[h2]What’s Next?[/h2]
Moving forward I’ll be shifting gears to focus on the next larger content update. This will focus on further improvements and additions to planet side content. I’ll be covering this in more detail in the next developer log. Be sure to keep an eye out as I’ll also be covering some big news regarding the Mercury Fallen roadmap.

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Thanks, everyone for the amazing support. Certainly, let me know what you think of the new content. Check the release notes below for all the details.

[h2]Release Notes[/h2]

Changes

• Updated the look of hover info on planet map. Planet entities now show name and description by default.
  
• Vehicles now show current action in hover info
  
• Surface resources now show resource quantities in hover info
  
• Updated look of surface resource info
  
• Updated description of mining platform
  
• Uploading a Mod no longer includes a tag for the game version
  

Fixes

• Fixed: Object build category not showing correct items after unlocking new items via research in some instances
  
• Fixed: Objects modified or added via a mod not appearing in a category if missing a sub-category
  
• Fixed: Models in custom artwork mods not loading correctly if there was a space in the asset path
  
• Fixed: Objects showing unreachable hover icon if all colonists are sleeping
  

Howdy Folks!

Thanks for all the great feedback and support. I hope everyone has had a great week and an even better weekend. I had hoped to release a smaller patch update and a developer log this week, but unfortunately, I’ve not been feeling too well.

I have some sort of cold/flu, that is not COVID, which has resulted in conjunctivitis and sinus pressure that caused fluid in both of my ears. So it hasn’t been a fun week, but I’m doing my best to recover as I’m going to be on vacation next week.

I’ll be in San Diego next week visiting some friends. While I’m away, I’ll still be checking in on the forums, discord and social media.

I’m looking forward to feeling better, some relaxation and completing more work when I return. Thanks again everyone and have a great weekend!


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Patch Update 33.6 has a few fixes and a big change to the object build menu.

[h2]Object Build Menu[/h2]

I say this a lot these days, but this one has been on my to-do list for a long time. I’ve reworked the object build menu items slightly and added sub-categories. This should help to organize the objects better and help you more quickly find what you’re looking for.

The storage category has been removed. Storage items are now in sub-categories that are more relevant to what the storage container is used for.

[h2]Survey Time[/h2]
The latest feedback survey is now available. If you have a moment, certainly let me know what you think. It really helps to know what you like and what you don’t. Thanks for all the great feedback so far!

Feedback Survey

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[h2]Release Notes[/h2]

Changes

• Updated day/time text on the planet map to use improved text rendering like other ui elements
  
• Updated the look of items in the build object menu
  
• Build object menu broken down into sub-categories
  
• Some objects in the build menu are now in a different category
  
• Removed storage build category
  
• Object build info on planet map no longer shows size info as it’s not relevant
  
• Water traps are no longer required to be placed at the edge of water tiles.
  
• Colonists will now avoid standing in the same tile as another colonist in some instances
  

Fixes

• Fixed: Incorrect audio for remove button on new game colonist section
  
• Fixed: Shortcut for mining/deconstructing toggling visibility of mining/deconstruction filters instead of changing mining/deconstruction mode
  
• Fixed: Pressing the shortcut for mining/deconstruct with planet map open makes keyboard movement stop working for planet map.
  
• Fixed: Aquarium food level text doesn’t update color when receiving food while info panel is open