Heya folks, we've got a new pretty significant update ready. Our intention with this update is to improve on a lot of the foundational parts of the game, improve the ease of use of various mechanics and systems, and add some new fun progression mechanics. Also we made it so when you eat raw meat you have a chance of getting a parasite that will gestate inside your guts and consume some of your digesting food until it grows big enough to burst out.

Cybernetics

We decided to add cybernetics because we felt like the game needed more fun choices with regards to character progression. Cybernetics lets us add certain kinds of specialization or trade-offs that are rooted in something physical rather than just an abstract skill or stat. Maybe your character is better at melee combat because he equipped big beefy Behemoth cybernetic arms, or maybe you've got Sleek cybernetic arms that improve your ranged accuracy. Most cybernetics have an energy cost, either over time or when used, and all cybernetics can be toggled on and off within the Cybernetics window, which can now be accessed by clicking the button on the top right of the Character menu. When toggled off, cybernetics will still function as basic limbs/organs, but they will lose any of their beneficial properties as well as their associated energy costs.

Cybernetic Limbs

Cybernetics arms and legs will have the most direct impact on minute to minute gameplay, as they will have the most impact on your defenses, movement abilities and weapon handling. Cybernetic legs will be able to adjust things like your run speed, encumbrance, jump height, etc while cybernetic arms will be able to adjust things like ranged accuracy and melee damage. All cybernetic limbs will have some additional defense, although the tradeoff is a slight reduction in blood volume (max health). Some cybernetic limbs are "Bulky", which means they cannot be worn under armor, but the rest can be combined with armor.

Cybernetic Arms

• Stripped
  
  

  Recipe

  
  
  
  
  • 1 Carbon Nanotube
    
  • 1 Steel Machine Parts
    
  • 2 Microchips
    
  
  
  
• Low Profile
  
  

  Recipe

  
  
  
  
  • 2 Carbon Nanotube
    
  • 2 Platinum Ingots
    
  • 1 Steel Machine Parts
    
  • 2 Microchips
    
  
  
  
• Sleek
  
  

  Recipe

  
  
  
  
  • 2 Carbon Nanotube
    
  • 4 Plastic
    
  • 1 Steel Machine Parts
    
  • 2 Microchips
    
  
  
  
• Ratchet (Bulky)
  
  

  Recipe

  
  
  
  
  • 1 Carbon Nanotube
    
  • 4 Copper Ingots
    
  • 1 Steel Machine Parts
    
  • 2 Microchips
    
  
  
  
• Junker (Bulky)
  
  

  Recipe

  
  
  
  
  • 2 Carbon Nanotube
    
  • 4 Bronze Ingots
    
  • 1 Steel Machine Parts
    
  • 2 Microchips
    
  
  
  
• Heavy (Bulky)
  
  

  Recipe

  
  
  
  
  • 2 Carbon Nanotube
    
  • 6 D6 Polymer
    
  • 1 Steel Machine Parts
    
  • 2 Microchips
    
  
  
  
• Behemoth (Bulky)
  
  

  Recipe

  
  
  
  
  • 3 Carbon Nanotube
    
  • 6 Lead Ingots
    
  • 1 Steel Machine Parts
    
  • 2 Microchips
    
  
  
  

Some cybernetics also have special abilities, that are equipped and used like weapons. Once installed, these abilities are accessible from the Cybernetics Menu, and can be found in the appropriate slot in the hotbar (Guns in the gun slot etc).

Cybernetic Arms with Abilities

• Autocannon
  
  

  Recipe

  
  
  
  
  • 3 Carbon Nanotube
    
  • 1 Steel SMG Parts
    
  • 1 Steel Machine Parts
    
  • 2 Microchips
    
  
  
  
• Bolt Driver
  
  

  Recipe

  
  
  
  
  • 3 Carbon Nanotube
    
  • 1 Steel Launcher Parts
    
  • 1 Steel Machine Parts
    
  • 2 Microchips
    
  
  
  
• Forgeblade
  
  

  Recipe

  
  
  
  
  • 3 Carbon Nanotube
    
  • 2 Platinum Ingots
    
  • 1 Steel Machine Parts
    
  • 2 Microchips
    
  
  
  

Cybernetic Legs

• Stripped
  
  

  Recipe

  
  
  
  
  • 1 Carbon Nanotube
    
  • 1 Steel Machine Parts
    
  • 2 Microchips
    
  
  
  
• Low Profile
  
  

  Recipe

  
  
  
  
  • 2 Carbon Nanotube
    
  • 4 Platinum Ingots
    
  • 1 Steel Machine Parts
    
  • 2 Microchips
    
  
  
  
• Sleek
  
  

  Recipe

  
  
  
  
  • 2 Carbon Nanotube
    
  • 4 Plastic
    
  • 1 Steel Machine Parts
    
  • 2 Microchips
    
  
  
  
• Ratchet (Bulky)
  
  

  Recipe

  
  
  
  
  • 1 Carbon Nanotube
    
  • 6 Copper Ingots
    
  • 1 Steel Machine Parts
    
  • 2 Microchips
    
  
  
  
• Junker (Bulky)
  
  

  Recipe

  
  
  
  
  • 2 Carbon Nanotube
    
  • 6 Bronze Ingots
    
  • 1 Steel Machine Parts
    
  • 2 Microchips
    
  
  
  
• Heavy (Bulky)
  
  

  Recipe

  
  
  
  
  • 2 Carbon Nanotube
    
  • 6 D6 Polymer
    
  • 1 Steel Machine Parts
    
  • 2 Microchips
    
  
  
  
• Behemoth (Bulky)
  
  

  Recipe

  
  
  
  
  • 3 Carbon Nanotube
    
  • 6 Lead Ingots
    
  • 1 Steel Machine Parts
    
  • 2 Microchips
    
  
  
  
• Jet (Bulky)
  
  

  Recipe

  
  
  
  
  • 3 Carbon Nanotube
    
  • 4 Platinum Ingots
    
  • 1 Jumpjet Core
    
  • 2 Microchips
    
  
  
  

Cybernetic Organs

Cybernetic Hearts

• Synthetic Heart
  
  

  Recipe

  
  
  
  
  • 1 Carbon Nanotube
    
  • 1 Steel Machine Parts
    
  • 1 Microchips
    
  
  
  
• Partially Synthetic Heart
  
  

  Recipe

  
  
  
  
  • 1 Carbon Nanotube
    
  • 1 Human Heart
    
  • 1 Steel Machine Parts
    
  • 1 Microchips
    
  
  
  

Cybernetic Lungs

• Synthetic Lungs
  
  

  Recipe

  
  
  
  
  • 1 Carbon Nanotube
    
  • 1 Steel Machine Parts
    
  • 1 Microchips
    
  
  
  
• Partially Synthetic Lungs
  
  

  Recipe

  
  
  
  
  • 1 Carbon Nanotube
    
  • 1 set of Human Lungs
    
  • 1 Steel Machine Parts
    
  • 1 Microchips
    
  
  
  

Cybernetic Stomachs

• Synthetic Stomach
  
  

  Recipe

  
  
  
  
  • 1 Carbon Nanotube
    
  • 1 Steel Machine Parts
    
  • 1 Microchips
    
  
  
  
• Metabolic Accelerator Stomach
  
  

  Recipe

  
  
  
  
  • 2 Carbon Nanotube
    
  • 1 Standard Capacitor
    
  • 1 Steel Machine Parts
    
  • 1 Microchips
    
  
  
  
• Bioreactor Stomach
  
  

  Recipe

  
  
  
  
  • 1 Carbon Nanotube
    
  • 2 Biofuel
    
  • 1 Steel Machine Parts
    
  • 1 Microchips
    
  
  
  

Cybernetic Eyes

• Synthetic Eyes
  
  

  Recipe

  
  
  
  
  • 1 Carbon Nanotube
    
  • 2 Standard Lenses
    
  • 1 Steel Machine Parts
    
  • 1 Microchips
    
  
  
  

I want to stress that most of our time spent on the cybernetics has gone into implementing this system, and we very much need feedback on how to balance it well. We want your feedback on how the cybernetics feel, as well as what you'd like to see added. We already have plans for eye lasers and a cybernetic stomach that turns any food contents into an acid that you vomit, but if you guys can think of anything else then let us know!

Carbon Nanotubes

We got some feedback regarding the overall tech progression that led us to adding a new crafting material, Carbon Nanotubes. They're used in all of the cybernetics crafting, and we will also be updating some old recipes to include carbon nanotubes over time. Carbon nanotubes are grown in a Carbon Nanotube Processor, and require a charged battery as well as a rich source of carbon such as coal, anthracite or charcoal.


You'll be able to find a carbon nanotube processor in Dr. Hahn's lab in the Pioneer Station, and once you've scanned it you should get the recipe.

World Generation Changes

In this update, we've basically completely re-written the world generation code as well as reduced memory usage to the point that we could support much larger maps. The most immediately obvious change is that newly generated worlds will be bigger, and we've added slopes to all naturally generated tiles like dirt and stone, which really makes the world look and play a lot better. In general, worlds should also generate a bit less messy - things on the surface will more cleanly mesh with the ground, tunnels underground will connect to locations better, etc.

The biggest change isn't really exposed to players directly, but opens a lot of doors, and that is that we've now got the world generating based on data files instead of being hard-coded. This means that it is now much, much easier for us to add new things to the world generator (new bases, new materials, etc), but it also means that, at least in principle, folks can tinker around with those data files and make custom worlds. We haven't really exposed that stuff cleanly through Steam Workshop yet, but that is very much our intention in the not too distant future.

One thing we will need help with is dialing in the proper ore and resource density with the new world generator. We tried to match it pretty closely to what it was before, but we need you folks to get your hands on it and let us know how it feels. There are probably still some other issues as well, so let us know if you see any general weirdness with the world generator.

World Zooming

You can now zoom in and out in the world by using the Up and Down arrow keys by default. We are also working on making it so you can scale the UI and containers/menus, but that is not quite ready yet.

Fonts

We've replaced the existing fonts with some more readable, bigger fonts. We've also gone through most of the UI elements in the game to make sure that all sizes of fonts fit and look right. There are a handful of exceptions, notably the MEG tool menu, which is slated for a full re-work in the not-too distant future. The changes we made to the font systems also means that we're a step closer to supporting other languages.

Armor and Clothing Dyeing

Having only the base colors for clothing and armor was pretty limiting, so we decided to add dyeing. You can use Dye Pigments on Dye Basins which will bring up the Dye color picking menu. Once you've dyed a Dye Basin, you can use the basin to dye armor and clothing. You can then later use a Dye Cleaning Rag to clean off any dye.

Dropped Backpack on Death

From now on, when you die with item drop on death enabled you will drop a convenient backpack rather than spewing out your items. When you right click on that backpack it will re-equip you with whatever you had when you died. Your dropped backpack will also show up on the minimap and GPS Device Map.

New Block Building

We've struggled with the balance problems inherent in a game like this for awhile, and we want to try something different for the way blocks are placed in the world. We don't want to make creatures that can simply move or attack through walls, but the ability to just place blocks instantly anywhere you want really makes it easy to trivialize almost any fight in the game. The solution we want to try is a new system that delays block building by a short time in a way that shouldn't slow down the creative side of building. It works like this:

Blocks will be printed out over time, and any creature that passes through will cancel the building process of that block. You can queue up many blocks to build at once, so ideally it isn't too intrusive when you just want to build, while still making it a bit harder to just wall up any creature you come across.

Try it out and see what you think. If you hate it, this change can be disabled by going to the settings menu and setting "Instant Block Placement" to "on".

Reworked Ore Scanner

We've never been particularly happy with the way the Scan Laser functioned in the game so in this update we've reworked it pretty significantly. Now, the primary function of the Scan Laser will scan creatures, structures, and it will also periodically send out a pulse of ground-penetrating particles that bounce off of any detected ores or other buried resources.



Our goal here is primarily to reduce the amount of random digging you need to do, while still leaving some ambiguity about what you're detecting. The scan laser is great for finding pockets of resources, but you'll need to dig your way there to find out what the resource actually is. Give it a shot and see how it feels.

Reworked Codex

We've overhauled the Codex a bit. Previously you could only scan creatures, but in this update the codex will also track scanned structures in the world and any datapads you find will be automatically downloaded to your codex.

Corn

We wanted to add craftable corn dogs but we hadn't actually added corn to the game yet. Each corn seed will grow 2 cobs, and a cob can be put in the grinder to separate out some seeds.

New Recipes

• Cybernetics Station
  
  
  
  
  • 1 Steel Machine Parts
    
  • 1 Carbon Nanotubes
    
  • 4 Platinum Ingots
    
  • 1 Microchip
    
  
  
  
• Carbon Nanotube Processor
  
  
  
  
  • 1 Steel Machine Parts
    
  • 4 Platinum Ingots
    
  • 1 Microchip
    
  
  
  
• Corndogs
  
  
  
  
  • 3 Shucked Corn
    
  • 3 Raw Red Meat
    
  • 1 Wood Board
    
  
  Requires a heat source and makes 3 corndogs per recipe.
  
  

UI Changes

• Fixed various graphical issues with the Minimap
  
• Revamped the GPS Device Map
  

Gameplay Changes

• Creature spawning has been changed pretty significantly, let us know if you think it is better or worse
  
• Slopes should work better now. They're still not perfect, but they should be a lot less janky than they were previously.
  
• Status effects are now saved when you exit the game
  

Parasites

Apparently the creatures on the planet are infected with some kind of parasitic lifeform, so you should make sure to cook any raw meat before eating it.

What's Next?

We've been working on new story content simultaneously with all of this other stuff in this update, so our plan is to finish some of that up next. We're actually pretty far along on the next story content update, so it shouldn't take us all that long to get finished. We've got a handful of story updates planned that should give more context to the world (and it's inhabitants...) and have a satisfying conclusion, so finishing that story content will be our primary objective for awhile.

As always, we very much want to hear your thoughts about the new changes, and just the game in general. Tell us what you think in the comments, the Steam forums, official Discord server, or you can email us at playsignsoflife@gmail.com