[Spaced Out! Update] - 458490

[Ipsquiggle]

Hi friends!

Welcome to the Radbolt From The Blue update! This is where your efforts producing Radiation aim once again towards space with the introduction of the Radbolt Engine and the Interplanetary Launcher. These new Radbolt-powered constructions improve your ability to explore the system and to create sustained resource networks.

We've been going full tilt on new features since January as it is important to us that the overall scope of both multi-asteroid play and radiation are in the game and playable for you to experience. We know that there are a number of issues in the game right now that you've brought up, so we're going to shift gears back to addressing feedback, stability, and balance. We really appreciate all the support and encouragement that you give us, as our small team has to really balance priorities during development. We want you to know that your concerns have been heard and we will try to address them over the coming updates, starting with adding a larger "classic" asteroid size to the asteroid selection in the next update.

The nature of Oxygen Not Included is that new features end up getting inserted systemically into the game, affecting gameplay at all levels. In fact, one of our goals for Spaced Out! is to ensure that there's new challenges at all phases of gameplay for you to overcome. Changes to the worldgen as well as tuning changes affected the early and mid-game in particular. However, we understand that some of the changes to the classic experience have been too dramatic for some, and harmed some of the strategies you've come to love. Part of the work we want to do in the next few releases is to make sure there is a proper classic experience even with the DLC turned on. The option for a larger asteroid size will be the first step towards this.

We're in the process of merging the codebases for the base game and the DLC. This means toggling the DLC content on and off will not require re-downloading any files, and additionally it will be easier for us to keep the two versions of the game in harmony, whether that means implementing bug fixes, adding quality of life and UI improvements, or toggling gameplay features on and off.

We want this DLC to be the best it can be! It's your feedback that makes this possible, so thank you so much for all the time you take to leave comments, feedback, ideas, and bug reports. We truly couldn't make this game as awesome without you.

What's New and Improved?

Features

• Added Radbolt Engine for exploring space with your new radiation technologies
• Added Interplanetary Launcher to send resources between asteroids
• Added Targeting Beacon to guide Payloads to a specific spot on a planetoid surface
• Radioactive elements now emit radiation in the world (ores are still work-in-progress)

Changes and Updates

• Add Orbital Research Center sounds
• Add Uranium Ore ambience sounds
• Add Payload Opener sounds
• Add Lead Suit Locker sounds
• Updated Chinese, Russian, and Korean translations
• Rearranged the tech tree to move Solid Rails earlier
• Moved Cryofuel Propulsion and Monuments techs to a higher tier
• Duplicants faces are more reliably changed when they are sick, sunburnt, etc, including new Hypothermia faces
• Modified line weight for consistency on rocket modules
• Solid Nuclear Waste and Corium are now "Miscellaneous" materials and can be stored in storages under that category
• Rocket Pilot Station is now deconstructable and rebuildable. Rockets can't launch without one. If it's destroyed in flight, the rocket travels the same as if a dupe is unable to get to the station, i.e. at half speed
• Research Reactor tile max venting pressure increased to 150kg
• Research Reactor only samples calls near the top of the building for gas venting. It will vent to any non solid under pressure cell available in the sampled space
• Updated Uranium item and UI artwork
• Magma and marsh biome descriptions updated
• Tweaks to various building descriptions
• Orbital Cargo Module can transport items in the Edible, Cooking Ingredients, and Medicine categories

Fixes

• Fixed Rocket Engine exhaust leaking into rocket interiors
• Fixed Rocket Pad flickering when launching a rocket
• Fixed crash selecting a rocket destination on the edge of the starmap
• Rocket Platform scaffolding now properly tints on overlays
• Fixed detached Duplicant arm in the Payload Opener animation
• Adjusted Radiation build menu icon to match overlay icon
• Duplicants carying an Interplanetary Payload no longer pick up the dirt with it
• Interplanetary Payloads now appear in front of buildings.
• Fix crash when a Duplicant is destroyed
• Removed hidden output ports on cargo modules
• Beeta Hives no longer drown to death or die when unsupported. Instead, they go into a "disabled" state until the issue is resolved
• Beeta Hives no longer emit radiation when they are not digesting ore
• Tweaked Beeta radiation emission values

 

Spoiler

 

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[Gurgel]

Excellent. I like all of this, but I am really looking forward to the larger starting astroid.

[UnderwearApp]

Great work guys. As someone who rarely posts but is always here, I am surprised by the amount of vitriol a lot of these feedback posts are laced with. Don't remember seeing anything like that in base EA even when the entire agriculture system got scrapped.

Sure there are issues here and there, but just be aware that some of us LOVE the new gameplay loop. As someone who never built a rocket in the base game because "what for", the new space mechanics and multi-colony gameplay have me fully invested.

The large asteroid will pacify a lot of people. I just hope it doesn't neuter the dlc. I would abhor going back to a single large asteroid.

Keep up the great work!

[pether]

39 minutes ago, Ipsquiggle said:

We know that there are a number of issues in the game right now that you've brought up, so we're going to shift gears back to addressing feedback, stability, and balance.

I really love the DLC and how it changed since early EA. With each update, the DLC shapes better and better and it feels really nice where it is and promise for more makes it even better. Ofc old balance was affected by new items, that's usual when new stuff is added.

So - is it wise to shift gears to balancing now, before all new content is released? If you polish the balance now and later you will add plant mutation, popcorn machine, tear analyzer and (hopefully) many, many more, won't you need rebalance everything again...?

Anyway - the DLC is so cool, great job guys! I'm so excited!

[BlackGoat]

16 minutes ago, UnderwearApp said:

The large asteroid will pacify a lot of people. I just hope it doesn't neuter the dlc. I would abhor going back to a single large asteroid.

Keep up the great work!

Same feelings here. I am glad it will be an option for people who want it but I hope the design focus doesn't get drawn back into the old model and continues with cluster gameplay development.

[Electroely]

Anything about the upcoming plant mutations? I've been really looking forward to them since seeing "Genetics" in the in-game database. Same with the Gamma Ray Oven that's mentioned here and there.

Other than that, I'm glad to see there will be an update dedicated to fixing some issues people have with the game at the moment. Though, like @UnderwearApp said, some of us really enjoy the current multi-planet gameplay loop and we hope DLC development continues to expand on it.

There seems to be a lot of talk about solar panels being too easy to use right now, and I hope the result of that isn't making space less hospitable - I would much prefer solar panels be nerfed than rockets and payloads being made harder to use.

[pether]

2 minutes ago, BlackGoat said:

Same feelings here. I am glad it will be an option for people who want it but I hope the design focus doesn't get drawn back into the old model and continues with cluster gameplay development.

I wouldn't worry

When they add bigger worlds, it will be for sure game option. So if you like many smaller worlds you can ignore it and play as before. But if you love and prefer classic ONI and want the DLC to be an expansion to the big maps you love, not totally different game, you can set this option and enjoy old good monobase ONI with some plugslugs and nuclear bees. Everybody happy

And no, I don't think that devs will focus on the big world to the level it would overshadow main DLC design being multiple colonised worlds

[sakura_sk]

52 minutes ago, Ipsquiggle said:

adding a larger "classic" asteroid size to the asteroid selection in the next update.

I just hope my potato-pc can handle it ... We'll see... 

Other than that, I love how manageable the small asteroids are (the "long commutes" notification pops up so rarely! )

[melquiades]

No worldgen changes on this one?

Thank you very much for the update!

[babba]

34 minutes ago, UnderwearApp said:

... 

The large asteroid will pacify a lot of people. I just hope it doesn't neuter the dlc. I would abhor going back to a single large asteroid.

Keep up the great work!

The best of both worlds 

A selectable option with a big starter world which we can tie in to our galactic asteroid network. A solid base, the "Fort Knox Enterprise Borg Cube Eiffeltower Louvre Jungle Hideout". ACE of BASE, mothership EARTH 

May everyone's dreams come true and the force be with all of you, always.

Edited April 1, 2021 by babba

[lunazone]

I'm very happy with the current direction for space balance, I loved the concept of rockets and meteors in the original game, but I dreaded having to bust out the calculator to figure out how to make it work.

Now that rockets are fun and intuitive I wonder if the space scanner network will get the same treatment. The idea of having a scanner network is really cool but in it's current state it was very hard to figure out how it worked without going online. What if it it utilized 4bit automation or had multiple buildings for the scanning process to make it a system.

Keep up the good work and thank you for these changes!

[Nuclearpower]

No April Fools ? Come on you could at least announce Dupe Mutations, Like make them throw up so hard they can make like long distance Jumps with the super Power of Vomitting..... Or Make them Glow in the Dark !!:-) but anyways you guys are the Best !!!! Thank you so much for the great work

[furytale]

28 minutes ago, Squeegee said:

Now that rockets are fun and intuitive

 

Yeah, right... Can I please have my meteors back...

Edited April 1, 2021 by furytale

[Swoop5994]

Im really impressed of how far the game as come. this is going in the good way !!
For my part i hope to see last planet bigger than the others to be like the target destination. to give a sense for the rockets and all

i hope to see plant mutation and other new cool things soon !! but i hope to find some difficulty once lost hard to say at what point but germs are not really scary anymore and hospitals are not useful as it should...there are other issues but i saw what you did with nuclear power and im confident in the way you listen to players

interplanetery automation is something i really hope to see going into automatics colonies (cryofreeze dupes ??)

for being able to build elsewhere without having to care about the said planet every minute. i know that the game is going foward at a pace i never seen.
it feels like everything is possible since we dont know the extent of the content still to come and im happy to restart every patch to test the new things keep it going !!

 

[sakura_sk]

36 minutes ago, Swoop5994 said:

but i hope to find some difficulty once lost hard to say at what point

I blame hours upon hours of playtime for the loss 

[SamLogan]

Quote

However, we understand that some of the changes to the classic experience have been too dramatic for some, and harmed some of the strategies you've come to love.

As Don't Starve DLC (Shipwrecked and Hamlet), old players are disoriented by a radically different gameplay. My feel is, my first try in Spaced Out was wonderfull (alpha), I've appreciated the adventure aspect with taking a rocket and try to colonize a new asteroid from the surface.

Then, I had a weird feeling that don't make me want to continue, "ok you just have to connect asteroid each others, that's it.".

But since radiation update, I'm totally addicted to the DLC. So much things to do, I'm cycle 1000 and only have 3 asteroids setups. So I hope DLC will don't be too similar as the vanilla experience.

The add of a big asteroid is a good thing, it will add more space to do more setup. The cons are you delay the Spaced Out gameplay as players will first setup the big asteroid then the others. Anyway, it will an option, so it's cool.

For me, the content that can be had consistency to the gameplay is to allow players to do orbital base, as we do by breaking the cockpit's wall.

Also, I feel cycles are really too short given we have to play several asteroid in a same time so you have to use the pause really often and I feel I do nothing in a cycle.

Uranium should be renewable. And nuclear central don't produce enough energy, it's lower than an NG Boiler, it's should be 5 times more, like crude oil boiler -> NG boiler.

In conclusion, you do a amazing works on the DLC (and on the vanilla game), continue to this way. I can't wait for the mutation system.

 

[Wehmut]

I dont like the new multi asteroid mechanic, it is hard to oversee, I dont have full control as my dubs have to work while I am on an other asteroid. Very often they dont do anything which makes me get stress. It is hard to keep my project in mind in every colony and hard to pick up the lose ends if I got afk for a moment. So the only way I am going to love this multi-asteroid gameplay will be if it is preparation for some sort of multiplayer. I think the game would be more relaxing. So if this is some sort of preparation for multiplayer - please say so. All will understand and all will be willing to wait (and play) for it. If its not a preparation for multiplayer it might be your first(!) bad decision in regards to gameplay (the china thing is a bad business decision and unexcusable). In this case I would cut all efforts to bring it further or at least take focus off it and bring the one-colony-play on the same level.

[babba]

Mhhhhh Muliplayer mhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Muliplayer mhhhhhhhh 

[pinecone_kun]

Quote

"We know that there are a number of issues in the game right now that you've brought up, so we're going to shift gears back to addressing feedback, stability, and balance."

I'm wondering if this includes things like late game performance into the mix. I'm hoping it does.

 

[arvenil]

I would like to already buy second DLC. Really love the experience so far, and it was only ~10 EUR. I only miss better keybindings to switch planets. You guys rock and deserve more funding.

[Sigmok]

3 hours ago, UnderwearApp said:

Great work guys. As someone who rarely posts but is always here, I am surprised by the amount of vitriol a lot of these feedback posts are laced with. Don't remember seeing anything like that in base EA even when the entire agriculture system got scrapped.

Sure there are issues here and there, but just be aware that some of us LOVE the new gameplay loop. As someone who never built a rocket in the base game because "what for", the new space mechanics and multi-colony gameplay have me fully invested.

The large asteroid will pacify a lot of people. I just hope it doesn't neuter the dlc. I would abhor going back to a single large asteroid.

Keep up the great work!

 

3 hours ago, BlackGoat said:

Same feelings here. I am glad it will be an option for people who want it but I hope the design focus doesn't get drawn back into the old model and continues with cluster gameplay development.

I agree with these comments as well.

Rockets are so much fun now.  Multiple Planetoids are an interesting challenge. 

It's good to see we will get best of both worlds with the classic single asteroid hopefully with at least all the DLC UI improvements.  I'm curious if it will include all the new elements and builds.

[n_t_p]

Solar is still too easy to rush. Windows in POIs need to be made of something other than glass. If possible they shouldn't drop resources. Even diamond would be more balanced.

As it stands coal generators, wood burners, etc are useless. There's no reason to use them when you can go directly from plugslugs+Training wheel to solar.

[crbd115]

I like that the new rockets are intuitive to build and easy to understand how far they can go. My main annoyance is that the interior feels like it requires way to much micromanagement on top of having multiple asteroids it just gets to be frustrating more then anything. I haven't tried with moving the pilot seat but I don't think that will change anything for me. Also not a fan of the fact that we can just dump tons of material on the ground to transport it with us between asteroids and I'm really not sure that's something you can fix with the current command capsule design.

[n_t_p]

13 minutes ago, crbd115 said:

I like that the new rockets are intuitive to build and easy to understand how far they can go. My main annoyance is that the interior feels like it requires way to much micromanagement on top of having multiple asteroids it just gets to be frustrating more then anything. I haven't tried with moving the pilot seat but I don't think that will change anything for me. Also not a fan of the fact that we can just dump tons of material on the ground to transport it with us between asteroids and I'm really not sure that's something you can fix with the current command capsule design.

Moving the seat does help a lot. Dumping mats and storing stuff in bins does sorta break balance, but unless we get a life support module that's the way to go I guess. I don't think full rocket shipping automation is on the table for now unfortunately, especially with the interplanetary launcher being so easy to use. 

Rocketry should be the endgame logistics. I think the payload launcher is a step backward. It's way too easy compared to rocketry, and it doesn't make for engaging gameplay. 

[Sasza22]

18 minutes ago, n_t_p said:

As it stands coal generators, wood burners, etc are useless.

Wood burners are a good CO2 source for your rockets. I`m currently trying to play without solar at least until i start producing glass (like if i couldn`t use PoIs). It`s managable but doesn`t feel good. I need at least 4 coal generators to power either a metal smelter or glass forge along with the rest of the base. If i want an aquatuner running i need 6-7 coal generators running and a lot of hatches to sustain them. In the base game i`d switch to nat gas or petrol already but it`s not available on the starting asteroid so you feel stuck when you don`t go solar.