ΔV: Rings of Saturn News

• New in-game extension manager allows you to pick which installed extensions and DLC you want to use. It will present itself automatically when it detects a new extension being installed and allows you to pick if you want to use it for your game. You can access the manager at any time from the title menu.
  
• Improved stability on M1/OSX systems. The modern OSX system depreciated OpenGL support, which the game uses, which means that driver bugs that are currently present in the system are never going to be addressed and fixed by Apple. Godot Engine 3.x, on the other hand, uses exclusively OpenGL for rendering. This leaves us in a state where known bugs in the system driver were causing the game to crash. This release includes a number of workarounds in the game code meant to address that and call the function methods in a different way in the hope of working around all the existing driver bugs in the system driver. The stability is greatly improved, but the workarounds impose a much longer time required to change the display mode (fullscreen/borderless window/windowed).
  
• You can now turn off your main torch in the Minding Virtual Flight Service.
  
• You will not get achievements for tasks performed during simulated flight anymore.
  
• Your crew will not gain experience for flying the MVFS simulation.
  
• Added dark bars on the top and bottom of the initial dive cutscene to make the texts displayed there, including the transit tips, easier to read.
  
• Updated translations.
  

This month vote is here to figure out the development priorities as we move towards 2.0. Things you don't vote for will still be done, just a bit later. Vote for things you want to see sooner! Remember, you can vote for more than one thing. Or all the things. Or none of the things.

Let us know all the areas where you think we need to push forward!

• 🔧 Mod Support: Steam Workshop integration, modding API, expanded mod loader and mod compatibility checks, or Koder directly helping make mods.
  
• 📈 Performance: Optimizing the game further is always an option. Pick this if you think the game should run smoother.
  
• 🎮 Gameplay and mechanics: Make the game do new things or do things better. Expand mining companions, have ships leave their processed cargo when they blow up, new unique services, and similar changes to the base gameplay.
  
• 🚀 New ships: New ships! Need we say more? It can include ship variants or completely new ships. This also includes new HUDs for those ships.
  
• 🧘 NPC ship behavior: We could work on making NPC ships a little smarter and more wily. This will bleed into other areas, as things like your companions and THICCs, and the EI autopilot all utilize NPC behavior, and autopilot behaviors in general might be improved.
  
• 🛠️ Hardware: We should get some new toys, like the spinny launcher ore even a LIDAR upgrade category. Maybe finishing up the groundwork to get NSWR drives in play for big ships, or a point defense laser, or other interesting utility options.
  
• 🛣️ Story Arc 2.0: Let's begin the next chapter! Our second arc will involve the future of AI in the rings.
  
• 🙋 Events: We need more things that happen. Crew agendas, encounters in the rings, sights to see. Rare mineables seem like they were a popular suggestion, but this also includes a number of random encounters that could spice up the game.
  
• 🖼️ Immersion: Flesh out the world with new details, try and make it breathe a little more, perhaps working on more options for existing dialog, adding extra interactions for rare coincidences, giving you more ways to solve quests.
  
• 🛋️ Quality of Life: Generally UI and interface improvements to make like easier; things like filters for the hiring panel.
  

The vote has concluded - view results here!

[h3]Virtual Flight Service unveiled[/h3]
Minding LF just unveiled a revolutionary ship virtualization technology capable of accurately simulating a spacecraft in a controlled environment. A free version of the Virtual Flight Service is now available for every registered ship in the Enceladus Prime station, across Tuning Bays, Hardware Shops, and even the Enceladian Ship Dealership, allowing its customers to take ships on virtual test drives - free of charge.



[h3]New spotlight regulations[/h3]
Stringent regulations have been implemented to restrict the maximum brightness of ship spotlight reflectors. This crucial action follows alarming revelations about the grave risks associated with high-intensity spotlights, which have not only been blinding the astronavigational telescope array but potentially endangering other ships. Previously, some ships, notably the popular K37 models, were often equipped with spotlights of blinding luminosity. These intense beams had the capability to effortlessly penetrate several meters of ice, occasionally revealing hidden structures within moonlets concealed beneath meters of ice.



[h3]Digital sabotage uncovered[/h3]
During routine diagnostics of onboard systems, Enceladus shipyard employees discovered that Mining Companions were abusing the ship's sanbus communication system to disrupt the operation of essential tracking systems. This irresponsible behavior could have led to devices such as rescue manipulators or point defense systems ignoring objects of interest to the Companions, thereby exposing critical operations to danger. Titan Heavy Industries issued an immediate recall to address the issue.



[h3]Maintenance Logs[/h3]

• Minding Virtual Flight Service now allows you to instantly test any change you make to your ship configuration in a safe, virtual environment without leaving the Enceladus Prime station. The service is available in the Dealer, Hardware, and Tuning menus.
  
• Godot Engine upgraded to 3.5.3.
  
• Ship reflectors will not reveal structures inside moonlets anymore.
  
• AT-K225 HUD displays are not so bright anymore. Multiple pilots complained about high-intensity displays blinding them during prolonged missions.
  
• Mining Companions will not prevent other hardware from acting upon objects they examine - unless they are actually attempting to intercept them.
  
• Raising the HUD size caused certain UI elements, like the Dive Summary screen and the simulation subwindows, to lose resolution.
  
• The MPU power indicator on your HUD is now brighter, making it easier to spot when it is processing ore.