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Farming & Harming Update

Howdy folks!

The Farming & Harming update is here! This update contains improved crop management, random events, new recipes, new research and more.

New Crop Mechanics



Crops now require seeds in order to be planted. Harvested crops will generate a seed, with a chance of additional seeds according to a colonist’s botanist level. POI locations to unlock crop discoveries will also provide the relevant seed for that crop.


The new Fertilizer Station is required to craft fertilizer. A new recipe for crafting bio-waste is also available.


The crop management interface has had a face lift and a new crop management section has been added to the in-game guide.


The crop bin is a new way to store seeds/produce.

Fish Management

The simple blue fish has been renamed and its artwork updated to better fit with the environment. The aquarium and fish tank have also been improved visually.

Fish now require fish food which can be crafted at the food processor. Fish food will be delivered by a biologist when the food amount runs low. If fish are left too long without food they will die.

Water Trap

Added a water trap that can slowly gather resources over time. The water trap requires bait and must be placed on water. Its speed is determined by the number of adjacent water tiles.

Events

An event system has been added which will trigger events such as cave-ins and crop disease as the game progresses.


Cave-ins will occur on tiles that are not in range of a structure support object such as a constructed or natural wall. Cave-ins can injure and possibly kill colonists.


Crop disease can occur on any crop field. Diseased crops should be cleared immediately to keep the disease from spreading to other nearby crop fields.

Additional Changes

Some crafting recipes now have configurable ingredients. New recipes for fish food, for example, can use any plant or protein items.


Notifications now appear in different colors to denote their severity. Critical notices will no longer automatically disappear and must be clicked with the right mouse button to be dismissed.


Decor from objects will no longer go through walls.

There are many features in the Farming & Harming update. Be sure to check the release notes below for the full list of additions, changes and fixes.

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Release Notes
Events
  • Added new random event system and various positive/negative events that can occur
  • Cave-ins can occur in open areas that are not within 5 tiles of a structural support. Natural and constructed walls provide structural support.
  • Crop disease can now occur on growing crops. Crop disease can spread to other adjacent crops. Diseased crops must be manually cleared.


Crops
  • Added Fertilizer Station and associated research
  • Added recipe for Bio-Waste at Fertilizer Station
  • Added crop harvest visual effect
  • Added Crop Bin storage object for storing seeds/crops
  • Added Crop Management section to game guide
  • Updated look of crop management interface
  • Crops now require seeds in order to be planted
  • Crop output now gains a +5% bonus per colonist level
  • Crop output now uses a loot table instead of a fixed inventory of output items
  • Harvested crops now provide a single crop seed with a chance of additional seeds based on colonist botanist level.


Fish
  • Updated look of Aquarium and Fish Tank
  • Updated look of fish management interface
  • Updated hover icon for Aquarium when no fish is selected
  • Blue fish has been renamed and artwork updated
  • Fish now require eggs to be added to the aquarium
  • Fish now require food. Food level appears on the aquarium info panel.
  • Fish will become hungry and eventually die if not fed.
  • Added fish flakes recipe to Food Processor
  • Fish food is delivered by a biologist when food level is low.
  • Fish output now gains a +5% bonus per colonist level
  • Fish output now uses a loot table instead of a fixed inventory of output items
  • Harvested fish will provide a single egg item with a chance of additional eggs based on colonist biologist level.


Misc
  • Added Water Trap object which can gather items from water. It’s effectiveness is based on the number of adjacent water tiles.
  • Added Bait item/recipe
  • Reduced storage amount in batteries
  • Reduced power output of coal generator
  • Certain craft recipes now have configurable ingredients when added/updated from the craft queue. Example: Steel can now use iron ingots or hematite
  • Due to recipe changes all crafting stations will have their craft queue cleared when loading a save game from update 23.
  • Added key bindings for activating and toggling build categories. Default key: ‘b’
  • Added key bindings for activating and toggling deconstruct mode. Default key: ‘,’
  • Added key bindings for activating and toggling harvest mode. Default key: ‘.’
  • Deconstruct and Harvest mode button windows now close when escape key is pressed
  • Job section in colonist info window now has a help button link to the jobs section of the guide
  • Job button tool-tip now always shows primary, secondary, tertiary text instead of only showing this when job slot is unassigned
  • Job Role selection window now applies job role when clicking the job instead of having to additionally click the apply button
  • Materials delivered to the surface can now be delivered via the elevator or shipping container. Colonists should use the closest available.
  • Construction Queue can now be closed by pressing escape key
  • Flora/Fauna expeditions now reward the relevant crop seed/egg
  • Objects in research description now have a more detailed tooltip
  • Item tooltips now show craft station it can be crafted at if there is a recipe for that item
  • Decor now affected by line of sight and won’t spread through walls
  • Minor change to the getting started guide verbiage
  • Various changes to research tree
  • Minor changes to how loot table results are calculated
  • Notices at top right now appear in different colors to denote Info, Warning, Positive and Critical.
  • Critical notices will not automatically disappear and must be manually dismissed by right clicking on it


Fixes
  • Fixed: Quitting to the main menu and then loading/starting a game causes various errors such as duplicate colonists.
  • Fixed: Several issues related to placing objects/selecting tiles near the edge of the map that could result in the game becoming unresponsive in some cases
  • Fixed: Drag selection/drag placement disappears when dragging past the edge of the map
  • Fixed: Robots not using closest available charge pad to recharge
  • Fixed: Some visual effects not being removed properly. This caused performance issues over extended play time.
  • Fixed: Missing language strings
  • Fixed: Colonist roster not working correctly on crop field, aeroponics, aquarium and algae farm
  • Fixed: Saved camera position not loading
  • Fixed: Coal generator not saving/loading refuel percent and disable refuel settings
  • Fixed: Vehicle Bay progress percent not showing correctly until progress updates
  • Fixed: Vehicle Auto Explore action stops near planet map edges
  • Fixed: Inventory math that could cause more items to be returned then expected from loot tables in some instances
  • Fixed: Biome scans not generating correct results in some cases
  • Fixed: Objects updating their visuals more than they needed to. Performance increase.

Update 24 Now Available On Test Build Branch

Howdy folks!

A huge thank you for all the feedback and bug reports on Update 24 Experimental branch. Update 24 is switching over to the Test Build branch for final testing and feedback before release.

Certainly let me know your thoughts on the additions/changes.

View the Steam Forum Discussion for more information/release notes:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/704510/discussions/3/2265815747956512670/


About Test Build Branch

The optional Test Build branch is for testing the latest features before they go live to everyone. As it is a testing version there can be more bugs/issues than in the normal version. If using the Test Build branch, please report any issues you encounter or any feedback on new game play mechanics. Your feedback and/or reports will help to ensure the final version is the best it can be.

Experimental Branch Players

The experimental branch will continue to be updated to match the content on the Test Build branch. This means you don't have to switch from the experimental beta branch in order to check out the Test Build content.

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Experimental Branch Now Available

Howdy Folks!

The Farming & Harming update is now available on the Experimental Branch. If you're interested in helping to test and provide feedback on the latest content then be sure to check it out!

Update 24 Experimental Branch Information:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/704510/discussions/4/1869497660774094997/

What is the Experimental Branch and how do I access it?
https://steamcommunity.com/app/704510/discussions/4/1869497660774052612/

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Experimental Branch Coming

Howdy Folks!

Changes are coming to the content release process. The Test Build branch will continue, but a new Experimental branch will be added.

About The Test Build Branch

Before a major content update is pushed out on the main branch for everyone, it is released on the Test Build branch for final testing. The Test Build branch generally includes the majority of content that will be included in the final update. This content has been relatively finalized and internally tested, but is at a stage suitable for public testing to work out any major issues.

Experimental Branch

I will be setting up an experimental branch similar to other early access games . This branch, when available, will contain an upcoming content/patch release that is in an earlier stage of development. The experimental branch will be updated as content is added to the game. This version is intended for players that want to be part of the development process and want to provide feedback as content is added/changed during development.

A content update in development will be released to the experimental branch for feedback/testing as it continues to develop. Once the majority of content is ready, it will shift over to the Test Build branch for final testing. Once the update is considered stable it will be released to the main branch for everyone.

The experimental branch will generally have far more bugs, glitches and issues than the Test Build branch. Artwork and content may not be final. The experimental branch will continue to be updated as well to match the Test Build version.

[h3]Development Process[/h3]
  1. Internal Development (No public content available at this stage)
  2. Experimental Branch (Public early testing/feedback stage)
  3. Test Build Branch (Public testing of final content)
  4. Update Release To Everyone
  5. These changes are currently scheduled to be implemented next week including an experimental version release. More information and a new Steam Forum section will be available at that time.


Additionally I hope everyone is staying safe out/in there during what is certainly a crazy time to be alive. Wishing everyone well.

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Dev Log #56

Howdy Folks!

A huge thanks for all the great feedback on Update 23. It’s great to hear what you enjoy and what you don’t. I’ve been hard at work tweaking some existing content, and creating the next content update, called the Farming & Harming update.

Farming

The crop management interface is getting a face-lift. The new design should make managing crops easier and more clear.



Crops will now require seeds in order to be planted. Seeds can be acquired from harvesting wild plants and planted crops. POI locations will now offer a plant discovery as well as some seeds so that you can start planting those new crops.

Crop yield is now affected by colonist botanist level. A higher level botanist is able to gather more out of the grown plant than an inexperienced botanist. While harvested crops guarantee that seed is returned, a higher level botanist will have a higher chance of getting multiple seeds that are needed to expand farms.

Crop growth speed is affected by fertilizer, delivered and applied by a botanist after a crop is planted. Fertilizer can be set after a crop is selected, and is consumed per growth cycle.

Additional objects/machines are being designed for fertilizer crafting and new storage options for seeds and crop items.

Crop withering and crop disease mechanics are also in development.

Harming

A feature that has been long requested and on my to-do list for even longer is finally coming. Random events, that are both positive and negative, are under development.

Some of the random events currently being developed for inclusion are cave ins, crop disease, colonist mood changes and more.



Cave ins can occur in areas that are not near structural support such as walls, natural walls or flooring. Flooring is currently considered structural to avoid cave-ins within your facility area. This may, however, change.

Colonists may be affected at random with either mood boosts or depression based on various factors.

Each type of random event requires several conditions in order for it to occur. Some events won’t start until a preset amount of days have passed. Events also have a reset time so that they don’t occur too often. I’ll be looking for feedback during the Test Build phase to help balance the frequency of these events.

Additional events will be added in future updates.

Balancing

Various tweaks to resources and production are in development to improve game progression.

The updated power system that was added in Update 23 is being tweaked so that batteries and coal generators are a bit less overpowered.

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Thanks again for all the great feedback. Let me know what you think of the content in development.