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Oxygen Not Included DLC Public Alpha Test!


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Hello friends!

Today we’re excited to be opening the alpha sign ups for a new Oxygen Not Included DLC full of space, critters, biomes and more! Presenting:

Oxygen Not Included: Spaced Out!

Over the past few months we've been working hard to implement the core systems of Spaced Out and tackle the major technical and design challenges that the DLC’s new multi-world gameplay brings. We're now at the point where the systems are ready to have content and refinement built on top of them. Working on content with the community was a blast during the original Oxygen Not Included early access, and we’d like to collaborate with you again on Spaced Out!

Please note the alpha that we're releasing today is a work-in-progress!

What to Expect
Here's what you can expect to find in Spaced Out so far:

  • New Multi-World Gameplay! The Starmap and space program have been completely redesigned to allow you to span your Duplicant civilization across multiple planetoids, each with their own resources to contribute.
  • Brand New Starting World! The Swamp start, along with its supporting biomes, provides a new, different mixture of resources to exploit as you nurture your fledgling colony.
  • Mid-Game Rocketry! The rocket mechanics have been completely redesigned to make rocketry part of your colony's core infrastructure, rather than just an end-game goal. 
    • Rocket tech is easier to research and is more integrated with the rest of the tech tree.
    • The surface of the starting planetoid is a lot less hostile, and new early-game tech is being added to ease the transition into space.
  • Multi-Colony UI Improvements! The Diagnostics side panel and redesigned Resources screen have been expanded to manage your attention across planetoids.

Future Plans (Not Ready Yet!)
Because this alpha is focused on stability and building out compelling gameplay around the features listed above, here's what you will not find in Spaced Out just yet:

  • Radiation/Nuclear Systems: We've put lots of work into the underlying mechanics of this system already, although it’s still not quite at a point where we're ready to test and receive feedback on it. Radiation systems should become available for testing later in early access, once the existing features and systems are in good shape.
  • Late-Game Planetoids and Rocketry: There's still a lot of content to make for this DLC, and we feel it's important to focus on the early and mid game content first.
  • Rare Resources and Global Sustainability: We have plans for how we want to distribute geysers, resources, and other sustainable solutions in the late game, but are holding off on expanding on these ideas until we feel comfortable with the early and mid game content.
  • Mods: Our primary goal during this early alpha period is to make the game stable and ensure that the gameplay we've added so far is functioning as intended. To ensure the crashes and bug reports we receive are relevant, we've temporarily disabled mods in the alpha branch.

Timelines and Early Access
As always, we're dedicated to making a great game and not rushing things out the door, and we want to make sure that you all have a chance to help with the development of this game. We're going to run this alpha for a few weeks until the DLC is stable enough for general play. At that point, we intend to release Spaced Out into Early Access, as we did with the Oxygen Not Included base game.

From there, we'll be adding additional content to the DLC and working towards its release, just like back in ye olden days of 2018.

How do I join the alpha?
We're going to be selecting a small number of testers from the list of everyone who signs up. To apply for the alpha, follow the link below, log into or create a Klei Account using your Steam account, and apply on the alpha signup page. If you're selected to participate, we'll let you know!

Requirements:

  • You will need to own Oxygen Not Included on Steam to participate.
  • You cannot be on a Limited Steam Account

Sign Up With Your Steam Account Here

It's certainly been a very strange year for all of us, but we're very excited to be able to finally show you what we've been working on. We can't wait to see what kinds of solutions you come up with for the new challenges ahead, and we eagerly await your feedback! As always, please let us know about any bugs you encounter , and thank you so much for being a part of Oxygen Not Included with us!

FAQ
How many people will be selected?

We will add batches of players into the alpha periodically until the test is over.

Will there be an NDA?

There is no NDA - you can stream or make videos if you like. But we do ask that you make sure that it is very clear that this is an early, closed alpha version of the DLC, and that there will likely be weird bugs and balance issues.

Do I get to keep the DLC?

The DLC will be removed from your library at the end of the alpha. Sorry!

Any support for Mac / Linux?

Mac is ready and we're trying to get Linux in good shape for the alpha as well, but it won't be ready right away. We should have Linux ready to go before alpha ends.  

When will invites be sent?

No invites have gone out yet.

We’ll make a post when the invites start going out, and also when they stop going out.

What do I do if I find a bug or crash?

For crashes you can send us a message using the in-game crash reporter. Bugs can be posted in the bug forums, and are most helpful when they include a log.

The sooner you let us know about an issue, the sooner we can fix it for you and get the game working again!

Can I load up an existing save in Spaced Out?

No, saves from the DLC and base game are not compatible with each other. You will need to start a new colony when you begin Spaced Out, and won’t be able to load any colonies played in Spaced Out back in the base game.

What if I want to go back to the base game?

In your Steam library, right-click on Oxygen Not Included, go to Properties > DLC, and uncheck "Expansion 1".

This checkbox can be toggled any time you want to change between the DLC and the base game. Mods are disabled in the DLC but will still be available in the base game while you are participating in the alpha.

UPDATE:
The first wave of invites has gone out. We expect the next batch to go out tomorrow morning. (Pacific time)
The second wave of invites has gone out. This batch was selected from the first 600 players that had not already been selected. 
We added an additional 700 players Friday evening. 

We have added an additional 1000 users Monday afternoon. 11/23 

We have added an additional 300 users Wednesday afternoon. 11/25 

An additional 500 users have been added. 11/26 - 2:30pm pst 
An additional 500 users have been added. 11/27 - 2:15pm pst 

TESTING NOTES:

If you have been selected, please be sure to turn off the regular testing branch or you will be on the wrong branch for this test and run into issues. 

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3 minutes ago, AddTheJuice98 said:

Have question, can i stream this DLC on twitch?

51 minutes ago, JoeW said:

There is no NDA - you can stream or make videos if you like. But we do ask that you make sure that it is very clear that this is an early, closed alpha version of the DLC, and that there will likely be weird bugs and balance issues.

Did you read the post?

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so, seed changes are the least of it... :))) gg klei, i likely won't do the pre-stuff, but I can not wait to see what is in store. Sounds very exciting. Kinda sad again knowing my current game is a wash-out.... I had a feeling this was going to be the case. I suppose I'll be waiting awhile to try again. Thanks for the heads-up.

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Nice! I'm very glad to hear that the DLC entered this fase on development.

I won't apply for the Alpha, tho. As I already have other things to play, I prefer to wait until the DLC came to a more baked status (Maybe the first update after being launched as Early Acces?).

However, I'll be very eager to see this Alpha trough content creators, as there is no NDA. I hope that the radiation systems made it quickly to a stable build, as it's the feature I'm more interested in!

 

Kudos to the whole Klei Team! You all are awesome :D

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