Hey folks, we have a brand new update for ya. We're not quite done with the next chunk of story content, but we decided we should go ahead and release the non-story stuff we've been working on. The main goal with this update is to fill in some of the gameplay gaps and improve various quality of life aspects.

One change we made is that we've pretty significantly improved the way gun accuracy works. Previously any given gun just had a set accuracy for every shot, but now the accuracy is dependent on what you're doing as well as the statistics of the gun. If you're standing still and fire a single round from an SMG then the shot will be pretty accurate, but if you're running while spraying bullets then your accuracy will be very low. When aiming a gun, your crosshairs are now dynamic and reflect how accurate your gun will be when fired.



We also added a whole bunch of new guns.



In addition, we've taken a new approach to handling the recipes for various guns. The recipes for guns all now include some type of "gun part", and many guns only require that part. The main goal here is to make unlocking the recipes more straightforward, while avoiding overwhelming folks with new recipes all at once. We now have crude, steel and advanced gun parts for the various weapon types. Hopefully this makes the gun crafting progression feel a little more like a tech tree.

Another change in this update is that we added some hostile bots and spawners to the Pioneer Station. The intention is for the bots to discourage folks from just moving into the Pioneer Station as a home, and when they are killed they drop various useful components. There is no way to disable the spawners for the bots right now, but the next update will add a way to disable them.



We also added ladders! We've needed a new way of doing vertical movement for awhile. These are still a bit of a work in progress, but they seem to mostly work. Definitely let us know if/when you run into bugs with them.


The base inventory now has two additional compartments, a section for crafting materials and one for blocks. Any items picked up with the grab laser will be auto-sorted into those containers. We also significantly improved the size of the gridless inventory option.


Another late addition to this update was a couple of new settings related to picking up items. We've noticed that it was pretty easy to accidentally pick up items during combat, so we added an option that makes it so you can't pick up items while a weapon is equipped (this one is on by default for now), and another option that only lets you pick up items when your inventory is open. This only applies to items that you pick up by clicking and dragging, so the grab laser is unaffected. Try these out and tell us what you think. We may end up changing the default behavior based on player feedback.

Oh yeah, and Happy Halloween!

Gameplay Changes

• Improved Gun Aiming
  
  
  
  • Accuracy when using guns is now dynamic based on what you're doing and the statistics of different weapons.
    
  • Walking and running will decrease accuracy, and crouching will increase accuracy.
    
  • Added Handling and Recoil statistics to guns.
    
  
  
• Adjusted gun damage
  
  
  
  • Most guns have had their damage numbers adjusted.
    
  • Damage is now based on the ammo type as well as the gun type.
    
  
  
• Updated Pioneer Station
  
  
  
  • Tweaked the layout of the Pioneer Station a bit. This is an interim step, and the next update should dramatically expand the Pioneer Station.
    
  • Added hostile bot spawners.
    
  • Steel, Silver and Bornite can now only be smelted in the Smelting Furnace.
    
  
  

UI Changes

• Updated gridless player inventory
  
  
  
  • Increased the size
    
  • Added crafting and block pouches to the sides that automatically collects relevant items
    
  
  
• Added an option in the Settings Menu to only allow click and drag to pick up items from the world if you do not have weapons equipped. On by default.
  
• Added an option in the Settings Menu to only allow you to pick up items while your inventory is open. Off by default.
  

New Content

• New Creatures
  
  
  
  • Kinetic Bot
    
    
    
    • Fires 9mm rounds.
      
    • Can drop ball bearings, a microchip and 9mm ammo.
      
    
    
  • Gauss Bot
    
    
    
    • Fires iron projectiles at an extremely fast speed.
      
    • Can drop ball bearings, copper wire, a microchip and a small battery.
      
    
    
  • Explosive Bot
    
    
    
    • Explodes if it gets close to you.
      
    • Can drop ball bearings, a microchip and an explosive charge (if you don't set it off).
      
    
    
  • Tesla Bot
    
    
    
    • Zaps you with electricity if you get close.
      
    • Can drop ball bearings, copper wire, a microchip and a small battery.
      
    
    
  
  
• New Guns
  
  
  
  • Handguns - C96, Derringer, MK3, Parabellum, Marksman Pistol, Machine Pistol, Wasp 57, M1911, Energy Pistol
    
  • SMGs - Lanchester, Combat SMG, P90, Energy Repeater
    
  • Shotguns - Lupara, Break Barrel Shotgun, Arnie's Gun, Combat Shotgun
    
  • Rifles - Small Game Rifle, Lever Action Rifle, Hunting Rifle, Marksman Rifle, Rex 700, Subsonic Rifle, Energy Rifle
    
  
  
• New Ammo - .22LR Rounds, .45 ACP Rounds, .357 Rounds, .308 Rounds, .700 Rounds
  
• Ammunition Press - Allows you to break ammunition down into it's constituent parts.
  
• Explosive Charge - Drops from explosive bots. Can be thrown, and will detonate when shot. It can also optionally be used to craft rockets or grenades.
  
• Ladders - Added wood and iron ladders. Can be placed like blocks.
  

New Recipes

• Handguns
  
  
  
  • C96 - Crude Handgun Parts
    
  • Derringer - Crude Handgun Parts
    
  • MK3 - Crude Handgun Parts
    
  • Parabellum - Crude Handgun Parts
    
  • Marksman Pistol - Crude Handgun Parts
    
  • Machine Pistol - Steel Handgun Parts
    
  • Wasp 57 - Steel Handgun Parts
    
  • M1911 - Steel Handgun Parts
    
  • Energy Pistol - Steel Handgun Parts / Small Battery / Microchip
    
  
  
• SMGs
  
  
  
  • Lanchester - Crude SMG Parts
    
  • Combat SMG - Steel SMG Parts
    
  • P90 - Steel SMG Parts
    
  • Energy Repeater - Steel SMG Parts / Medium Battery / Microchip
    
  
  
• Shotguns
  
  
  
  • Break Barrel Shotgun - Crude Shotgun Parts
    
  • Combat Shotgun - Steel Shotgun Parts
    
  
  
• Rifles
  
  
  
  • Small Game Rifle - Crude Rifle Parts
    
  • Lever Action Rifle - Crude Rifle Parts
    
  • Hunting Rifle - Steel Rifle Parts
    
  • Marksman Rifle - Steel Rifle Parts
    
  • Rex 700 - Steel Rifle Parts
    
  • Subsonic Rifle - Steel Rifle Parts
    
  • Energy Rifle - Steel Rifle Parts / Large Battery / Microchip
    
  
  
• Gun Parts
  
  
  
  • Crude Handgun Parts - 4x Iron Ingot / 2x Rubber / 2x Boards
    
  • Crude SMG Parts - 4x Iron Ingot / 2x Rubber / 2x Boards
    
  • Crude Rifle Parts - 4x Iron Ingot / 2x Rubber / 2x Boards
    
  • Crude Shotgun Parts - 4x Iron Ingot / 2x Rubber / 2x Boards
    
  • Steel Handgun Parts - 4x Steel Ingot / 2x Plastic
    
  • Steel SMG Parts - 4x Steel Ingot / 2x Plastic
    
  • Steel Rifle Parts - 4x Steel Ingot / 2x Plastic
    
  • Steel Shotgun Parts - 4x Steel Ingot / 2x Plastic
    
  • Steel Launcher Parts - 4x Steel Ingot / 2x Plastic
    
  • Advanced Handgun Parts - 4x Steel Ingot / 2x D6 Polymer (Requires Material Printer)
    
  • Advanced Rifle Parts - 4x Steel Ingot / 2x D6 Polymer (Requires Material Printer)
    
  • Advanced Shotgun Parts - 4x Steel Ingot / 2x D6 Polymer (Requires Material Printer)
    
  • Advanced Launcher Parts - 4x Steel Ingot / 2x D6 Polymer (Requires Material Printer)
    
  
  
• Tools
  
  
  
  • Ammunition Press - 8x Steel Ingots / 4x Plastic
    
  
  
• Ammo
  
  
  
  • .22LR Rounds (x16) - Lead Ingot / Black Powder
    
  • .45ACP Rounds (x9) - Lead Ingot / Black Powder
    
  • .357 Rounds (x6) - Lead Ingot / Black Powder
    
  • .308 Rounds (x6) - Lead Ingot / Black Powder
    
  • .700 Rounds (3) - Lead Ingot / Black Powder
    
  • Dismantle 9mm Ammo - 12x 9mm Rounds (Requires Ammunition Press)
    
  • Dismantle .45ACP Ammo - 9x .45ACP Rounds (Requires Ammunition Press)
    
  • Dismantle .357 Ammo - 6x .357 Rounds (Requires Ammunition Press)
    
  • Dismantle 5.56 Ammo - 6x 5.56 Rounds (Requires Ammunition Press)
    
  • Dismantle .308 Ammo - 6x .308 Rounds (Requires Ammunition Press)
    
  • Dismantle .700 Ammo - 3x .700 Rounds (Requires Ammunition Press)
    
  • Dismantle Shotgun Shells - 6x Shotgun Shells (Requires Ammunition Press)
    
  • Dismantle Blunderbuss Shells - 6x Blunderbuss Shells (Requires Ammunition Press)
    
  
  
• Ladders
  
  
  
  • Wooden Ladder (4x) - Wooden Board
    
  • Iron Ladder (4x) - Iron Ingot
    
  
  
• Decorations
  
  
  
  • Small Wooden Window - 2x Wooden Boards / 1x Rubber
    
  • Large Wooden Window - 4x Wooden Boards / 1x Rubber
    
  • Reinforced Background Viewport - 1x Steel Ingot / 1x Plastic / 1x Glass
    
  • Round Reinforced Window - 1x Steel Ingot / 1x Plastic / 1x Glass
    
  • Square Reinforced Window - 1x Steel Ingot / 1x Plastic / 1x Glass
    
  • Square Reinforced Window 2 - 1x Steel Ingot / 1x Plastic / 1x Glass
    
  • Square Reinforced Window 3 - 1x Steel Ingot / 1x Plastic / 1x Glass
    
  
  

Changed Recipes

• Handguns
  
  
  
  • Flare Gun - Crude Handgun Parts
    
  • 9mm Pistol - Steel Handgun Parts
    
  • Magnum - Steel Handgun Parts
    
  • Python - Steel Handgun Parts
    
  • Thermite Pistol - Steel Handgun Parts
    
  • Energy Slicer - Steel Handgun Parts / Medium Battery / Microchip
    
  • Laser Pistol - Steel Handgun Parts / Standard Lens / Raw Ruby / Microchip
    
  • Laser Pistol Mk2 - Advanced Handgun Parts / Laser Pistol / Rough Sapphire / Precise Lens
    
  
  
• SMGs
  
  
  
  • Clobb - Crude SMG Parts
    
  • Micro SMG - Steel SMG Parts
    
  
  
• Shotguns
  
  
  
  • Blunderbuss - Crude Shotgun Parts
    
  • Energy Beam Shotgun - Advanced Shotgun Parts / Power Core / Precise Lens / Microchip (Requires Material Printer)
    
  
  
• Rifles
  
  
  
  • Assault Rifle - Steel Rifle Parts
    
  • Burst Rifle - Steel Rifle Parts
    
  • Energy Beam Cannon - Advanced Rifle Parts / Power Core / Precise Lens / Microchip (Requires Material Printer)
    
  • Tesla Rifle - Advanced Rifle Parts / Power Core / Precise Lens / Microchip (Requires Material Printer)
    
  
  
• Launchers
  
  
  
  • Rocket Launcher - Steel Launcher Parts
    
  • Grenade Launcher - Steel Launcher Parts
    
  • Railgun - Advanced Launcher Parts / Power Core / 4x Copper Wire
    
  • Hybrid Lobber - Advanced Launcher Parts / Xenoid Dynamo / 2x Xenoid Alloy
    
  
  
• Misc Guns
  
  
  
  • Sulfure Gas Gun - Gas Bladder / Crude Rifle Parts
    
  • Chitinous Dart Gun - Crawler Medulla / Crude Handgun Parts
    
  • Spitter Pistol - Spitter Gland / Crude Handgun Parts / Xenohide
    
  
  
• Batteries
  
  
  
  • Small Battery - Lead Ingot / Spitter Extract / Rubber / 2x Copper Wire
    
  • Medium Battery - 2x Small Battery / 1x Copper Wire
    
  • Large Battery - 2x Medium Battery / 1x Copper Wire
    
  • Power Core - 2x Large Battery / 1x Copper Wire / 2x Plastic (Requires Material Printer)
    
  
  
• Crafting Tools
  
  
  
  • Smelting Furnace - 10x Iron Ingots / 5x Lead Ingots / 5x Aluminum Ingots
    
  
  

Misc Fixes and Changes

• Changed the name of "Bauxite" to "Aluminum Ore" to avoid confusion
  
• Fixed an issue that would let friends join your game during the introduction map
  
• Fixed some issues with lighting on the edges of the screen
  

As always, we very much would love to hear your feedback, so don't be shy. Feel free to leave a message on this post, make a post on the forums, join our Discord community or email us at playsignsoflife@gmail.com.