[2018] Alpha 8.5: Anniversary Update

Happy 3rd Anniversary, Galactic Survivalists!

On August 5, 2015, the first public version of "Empyrion - Galactic Survival" was released on Steam. Today, we want to celebrate together with you Empyrion's 3rd Anniversary with our Alpha 8.5 "Anniversary Update"!

Three years might sound like a long time, but for most of us and our veteran players it feels like yesterday when we started in Pre-Alpha 2 next to a crashed vessel in the deadly deserts of Omicron...

In the beginning, we started out with only a handful of players, but the community has grown in leaps and bounds in the meantime. Features got introduced, changed, reverted, refined and re-introduced - thus broadening the sandbox, building, fighting, exploration and many other aspects of Empyrion.

With the last major update Alpha 8, Empyrion reached another milestone - and of course, this will not be the last step forward: Alpha 9 development plans are already in the works and they are as ambitious as you would expect them to be ;)

Said that, today's "Anniversary Update" is dedicated to you - our awesome community - and includes some highly requested features such as retracting landing gears, turrets and weapons, infinite color palettes, blinking lights, texturable devices, new creatures, blocks, devices like the deconstructor and a lot more are waiting for you!

Check out the update video by Ashrai:
https://youtu.be/Yr8XcY4MLzI

As always:
1. Please closely read through the changelog below BEFORE starting into the new version! Especially if you did NOT play or follow the EXPERIMENTAL version!
2. You do not NEED to start a new savegame (as this is not a savegame-break), but you will miss out some of the new AI models and of course the new missions will not work as they require updated playfields and POIS (which will not be updated automatically for already existing save games).
3. Make sure tor report any bug or issue over here AFTER reading through the 1st post:
> BUG REPORTS: https://empyriononline.com/threads/bug-reports-8-5-x-gameplay-read-introduction-before-reporting.43628/
4. Please make sure to report feature-specific feedback and questions about new 8.5 features and game mechanics (what you like, what you do not like, what you would want to be improved) in the pinned threads in this forum, so we can collect and review your ideas and suggestions:
> FEATURE FEEDBACK: https://empyriononline.com/forums/faq-feedback.25/

When starting a new save game, make sure you look for the newly added Chapter 2 and 3 Story Missions in the PDA (F1 > Story tab)!

Now, join the party! :)

Yours,

Emp Dev Team

===========

CHANGELOG: Alpha 8.5.0 (Build 1847)

MAIN FEATURES

1. Retractable Landing Gears:

- Added retractable landing gears (gear automatically extends if it is in contact with ground and retracts if it loses contact with ground)
- Added retractable functionality to all landing gears (except docking pads)

2. Retractable Turrets and Vessel Weapons:
- Added retractable turrets (turret automatically retracts into its box when deactivated)

- Added vessel weapons (weapon automatically retracts into its box when deactivated)
- If the turret or weapon is retracted into its box, it has 20% stronger armor
- Control Panel: Renamed "Turrets" switch to "Turrets & Weapons" and added turrets + mounted vessel weapons to switch for fast activation/de-activation

3. Blinking Lights:
- Added blinking lights (customizable blink frequency, blink length and blink delay)

- Added possibility to use a light as a spotlight (with customizable spot angle)


Check out the teaser video:
https://youtu.be/RiiAaUaqdgA

4. Infinite Colors & Device Texturing:

Custom Color Palettes:
- You can now set up your very own color palettes (free color picker!) beyond the 31 predefined colors we had before

- Each color palette can then be used for a certain structure (Base, CV, HV, SV)
- Added second default color palette (more to come)

Device Texturing:
- It is now possible to add custom textures to some of the devices: Thrusters (not the Jet Thrusters), Modular Wings and Heavy Window Blocks


5. Modular Wings:
- Added a set of more than 20 modular wing parts that allow for infinite customizations of your Small Vessels


- You can now even attach thrusters, weapons etc below your wings via pylons


6. Deconstructor:
- Added deconstructor device to disassemble other devices or components into smaller parts


7. New and Updated NPC Creatures:

Telluropod:

- Amphibian behavior: can be found close to water / in shallow water on Temperate planets
- Roams around spawned position, but tends to walk in water
- When it is alerted by player, but the player is too far for attack (20 meters), it will follow the player but will stay in the water
- If player get's a bit closer, it will attack the player
- If lured too far from water, it will return to water
- If its HP is low, it will run from player into the water
- If it encounters the player in water - it will follow him on the bottom of the water body slowly, if the player will be close enough both in distance and not too far from the bottom of the water, it will attack him

Pangolin:

- Replaces Triceratops with updated behavior

Arachnid:

- Replaces old Arachnid ((internal CaveWorm) with updated behavior (aggressive, attack player on sight, during the attacks sometimes retreats a bit to make angry gesture)

Otyugh:

- Replaces old Otyugh with updated behavior (aggressive with roaring before attack, big and slow)

Desert Worm:

- Replaces old Desert Worm with updated behavior

8. New Story Missions
You can now play Chapter 2 ( Ancient Revelations ) and Chapter 3 (Totally Overpowered aka "Anniversary Mission" ). Open your PDA (F1) and activate the appropriate Chapter from the STORY tab. Both missions start in TEMPERATE ORBIT !



For now these missions do not activate themselves and you do not need to have played Chapter 1 (Robinson Protocol), although you might need to land on the temperate planet and go back to space for the 1st task of Chapter 2 (Going to Space).

Both Chapters are also available for any Player Level, although they might require advanced tech to survive the plot (Player Level requirement will be changed in the future.)

Please note: these missions are laid out for single player and are not (yet) specifically adapted to Coop or multiplayer. Thus, we did not yet add them to the "Faction Missions" tab.



9. Improved Turret Targeting Options:
- Added more detailed targeting options: BA, CV, SV, HV, Troops

Notes:
- Since ‘Troops’ is now a separate setting, you need to always select a faction (Alien, Player, Prey, Predator) and have the ‘Troops’ checkbox selected as well in order to allow turrets to pick up NPCs as a target!
- Just having Predator selected will NOT make the turrets fire on those anymore!
- Check the handling info given on the bottom of the turrets device group page on the device tab in the Control panel

====================

MORE FEATURES:

Planet Update:
- Added new moon (MoonNascent) as a Zirax resource outpost for Lava planets - includes new mountain stamp, new POIs and new PV



- Updated: Lava Planet (Higher temperature, POI + creature spawning, etc)

Better Target Info:
- Added info panel for NPCs and other players displaying name/type and health


Additions:
- Added Hover Thruster: it is a weak "all-in-one" device (hover engine, thruster, RCS) to make building of a HV in the beginning straightforward.

> We updated some Stock Prefabs HV and integrated the new hover thruster (both Tier 1 HVs). Maxlimit for a HV is 4 (can be deactivated for Servers and in NEW GAME start options), Max Hover Height is 1.5m
- Added new building block: Plastic (lightweight with very low hitpoints)

- Added more Heavy Window shapes
- Added Detector device for SVs

- Added Epic Drill

- Added Epic Heavy Armor
- Added “Special Event Container” which can be used for loot during special events. Now it contains Epic Heavy Armor and Epic Drill as loot
- Added dancing NPCs for "Anniversary Mission"

> check out the teaser:
[MEDIA=facebook]323026601599942[/media]
- Added Beer as new item
- Added Radiation Immunity Shot

Gameplay:
- Plants and trees can now be destroyed (again) by vessels

- Allow to use Quick-Loot (SHIFT-F) also with drone wreckages and dead bodies/corpses
- Added idle energy mechanic for saw and drill attachments (drill/tool turrets will follow)
- Added In-game message when harvest box is full or missing
- Activated Detector also for SV
- Added MaxCount to turret groups (MaxCount is now applied to the whole group and not the single block)
- Added idle energy mechanic for drill/tool turrets
- AMMO is now taken into account when filtering for BA/SV/CV/HV
- Show info message once when player switches to Survival Constructor
- Added on-screen message for status effects as a reminder for players that these will evolve into something worse
- Hover Vessel: When placing multiple emergency hover boosters, their effect adds up (but also charge time increase)
- When using multitool on Teleporter block, it now gives back Steel Plates instead of Teleporter block
- Templates update: Added some deconstruction Rules
- Added BlastDamage and BlastRadius also to weapon info
- Added Skill tree double click to unlock stuff

Visuals and Sound:
- Increased resolution of many block textures > textures should look crisper now (high res textures also for low graphics setting without any performance loss)


- Major update of color masks for devices (more areas remain now uncolored)
- Texture bleeding on building blocks removed
We fixed the texture bleeding of block textures when looking in a flat angle on a large structure.
- Updated model for Drill T2
- Added random rotation of asteroid fields to all orbits
- Exchanged some models for BA turrets (now using consistently CV turret models - before we had a mix between models)
- Switched off lights now show 25% of the emissive color to immediately see if it is a colored light
- Updated textures on more containers
- Added icon to lower right corner of blocks that are block groups so a player knows which blocks can be extended via RMB
- Removed thruster sound from Turret Robot NPC
- Tweaked damaged windows of c*ckpit 04
- Sound is now played when picking up an inventory item as well as when placing one
- Updated model for Multiturret CV
- Added hover texts to more GUI elements
- Slightly increased size of flare
- More details on texture preview of texture tool
- Updated sound when coloring or texturing something
- Added new POI sound "ExtraktTechno"

New NPC Behaviors:
Raptor:
- when calm: roams the surroundings
- low alert: searches the player
- when player is spotted: circling formation attack
Circling formation attack:
- all animals in the group will circle in random direction around player
- only one animal can attack at the same time.
- animal can only attack when it is in front of the player
- when the animal attacks the player, the attack can be interrupted by weapon fire or evasion

Lizard Mule:
Updated behavior (similar to before but in the new AI framework)

AlienBug04:
Updated behavior (similar to AlienBug03 and in the new AI framework)

General AI Behavior Improvement:
- When there is no attackable target, but the AI has a non attackable threat - the agents will run away (applied for: Raptors, Parasaur, Spider, CaveWorm, Crawler, Overseer, Alien Assassin)
- better terrain analysis - avoiding mountains and water
Better Target Info:
- Added info panel for NPCs and other players displaying name/type and health

New Terrain and Planet Generation:
- Re-activated new terrain and optimized colliders
- Activated improved planet generation: biome stamps support now OverlapAll, OverlapOff and OverlapOther
- Added possibility that stamps have own splatmap

UI Update:
- Added keyboard navigation to line lists in Control Panel, including group expanding/collapsing
- Keep Custom Button assignments in Device Group Header dropdown when using AutoGroup
- Custom Keybinds: Input config data is now versioned and saved in an XML file in the savegame folder, i.e. no more reset of custom keybinds after an update (however, we need to reset keybindings in A8.5 a last time)
- Adjustments to Blueprint Factory Window (show Life Stats + toolbar while window is open, some other re-arrangements to the window)
- Added farming, medicine, and food categories to the creative menu
- Add message that SHIFT+F works on dropcontainers/lootboxes
- Control Panel: Ordering of properties is now same as Block Info
- Use new Format Convention for Craft Time
- Updated UI Sliders: allow click-to-set

Status Effects Update:
- Using now better status effects for Shower and Survival Tent (set neutral body temp)
- Added “WellFed” effect that slowly regenerates health if you have more than 485 food (Note: this is the current setting, we could change it to 85%). This effect is negated by Indigestion and Poison Food
- Added count-down timer to status effect icon panels to show how long a status effect will remain active. If the effect has no time limit (e.g. Broken Leg), a message 'No time limit' will display
- Added 'Radiation Immunity' effect. For a short time, radiation will not build up in the body
- Added the possibility to suspend effects for a limited duration. For example, the new 'Poison Antidote'. This type of effect will temporarily suspend the negative effects of Poison Food (others to follow). The Poison will still be present in the body and its effect time will still count down, but no negative effect will be applied.
- Added messages to inform players of when a particular effect will 'evolve' into a worse effect: "Dermal Parasite will evolve soon into Endo Parasite!"
- Added several additional console commands for working with status effects (additional information, removal of a specific effect or all effects, effects attached to the player will also show the next stage, if applicable
- Added possibility to attach particle effects to players when an effect is active (f.e. Fire now ignites the player model)
- Added possibility to attach sound effects to players when an effect is active (f.e now you can hear the player burning if on fire)

Optimizations:
- Major optimization of deco trees and plants to improve performance when inside dense vegetation
- Optimized animal spawning through PlanetLifeManager
- Improved performance of thruster particle systems by switching them off in distance

Playfield.yaml Changes:
- Added probability and flag to other Compound structures in space: all scenario creators have to take this into account

Updated Random Scenario:
- Added several new POIs (thanks to our Builder's League)
- Updated Radar Station POI on Temperate Starter
- Added Minefield and Destroyed SV with warp to starter orbit
- Updated Robinson Protocol: Added Lockdown Gate for Mainframe entrance (floating POI, Indestructible) and deactivated Teleporter, to prevent accidentally teleporting to the Radar Station when SV is parked up in the Mainframe (You cannot go back to Mainframe this way! Required: Complete Radar Station quests first)
- Updated Prefabs and Space Graveyard
- Added Random Rotation to Asteroid Rings
- Probability that one-way warp connection appear is now zero (so there will be no unreachable sectors anymore)

Added new Stock Prefabs:
- BA Tier 1e: thanks to CrazyZ https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1464099873
- BA Tier 7: thanks to CrazyZ https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1485520595
- SV Tier 3c: thanks to Lmntz https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1466203286
(old SV Tier 3c is now Tier 2b)

Improved Wipe Mechanism:
- Improved "wipe poi": now we do not rely on "regenerate" any more as regenerate will wait until no player is adjacent that can lead to delays for wiping
- Implement console command ‘wipe poi’ + wipe will now also work in orbits

Other Changes:
- Weapon display: showing now if weapon has automatic firemode and how accurate it is (Weapon Spread)
- "Repairs Left" is no longer displayed for items that can't be repaired.
- Dynamic display of weapon damage (affects Damage property in Config.ecf)
- Do not display the ammo capacity if a weapon has unlimited ammo (eg Harvester Module etc)
- Removed root steam_api64.dll (the one in Plugins should be the only one)
- Parameters ReturnFactor and EnergyInIdle is now exported for config.ecf usage
- Added playfield type to console command 'stats'
- Added help+description to console command 'regenerate'
- Invader-vs-Defender scenario: updated Sect playfield to A8
- CV drill attachment: switching off now hit effect when drill attachment is too far away from target
- Better 3rd person camera position on all stock prefabs
- Removed GrilledVegetables from Config.ecf (since no longer in use)
- Removed old LandinggearShort from HV allow list, if you still have old BPs please use console cmd: replaceblocks LandinggearShort DockingPad
- Renamed RadarVesselT1 into DetectorHVT1 (since it is only useable on HVs)
- First draft of spectator mode for other player/entity within the same playfield
- Allow Blueprint default pics "BP_Default..." to be in jpg format (in addition to png)
- Updated Localization.csv


...... and MUCH more. For more features, changes and bug fixes, please have a look at the full changelog here:
https://empyriononline.com/threads/alpha-8-5-anniversary-update.43630

==========

HOTFIXES:

Update: August 27, 2018 (Build 1849)

We just fixed the exception on start up that occured for those of you who used a custom Config.ecf. The custom Config.ecf needs to be updated to take into account the changes we did in Alpha 8.5.

Bug Fixes:
- Fixed: Exception on startup due to backward-incompatible changes in Config.ecf > we increased Config.ecf version. you have to adapt your Config.ecf to incorportate A8.5 changes

Changes:
- Added Deconstructor to "Constructor" group in Control Panel (autogroup)

======

Update: August 28, 2018 (Build 1850)

Bug Fixes:
- Fixed: When activating CV turrets via Control Panel device list, they did not shoot when main "Weapon & Turret" switch is off
- Fixed: Color Tool - icons "Replace Mode" and "Apply to Whole Block" were switched
- Fixed: Problem that dancing NPC were stuck to the ground (now they are moving)
- Fixed: Exception when applying Adrenaline Boost status effect

Changes:
- Re-scaled some retractable turret models
- Updated several device textures (Consoles, c*ckpit CV, Passenger Seat, Warp Drive, Warp Drive Tank etc) to match new coloring convention
- Updated PDA: Mission "Huntsmen" and changed Triceratops to Pangolin

======

Update: August 30, 2018 (Build 1852)

Changes:
- Updated vessel weapon box model and textures: now the box has slanted edges
- Reduced oxygen capacity of Heavy Epic Armor to 1000 (due to save format constraints)

Bug Fixes:
- Fixed: Barrels of retractable turrets do not stick out anymore from the box when pointing up while being retracted
- Fixed: Playfield exception causing planets to become inaccessible
- Fixed: When filtering for CV weapons/turrets in a constructor some of the ammo for them doesn't appear