Weeks 1-2 (December 30th – January 10th)

Hello everyone! It is time for the first Starbase Progress Notes of 2020. We apologize for the silence over the last couple of weeks, but now the developers are back at work after the holidays! We hope you continue to enjoy these snippets of the development progress this year as well.

Design

Features

• Local tests done on the initial weapon balance.
• Player to player trade design being worked on.
• Necessary sub components added to the new Cargo Crate assets.
• All components of the new Cargo Crate assets configured and tested.
• Calculations made for taxation and different taxation events.

 Stations

• Missing snap points placed on multiple hall modules.
• Window frames found in marketplace_small_corner -hall module updated.
• Station modules’ names have been updated to follow a more unified and distinctive naming pattern.

 Spaceships

• Propellant containers enabled for the following ships: Lancer, Spatha, Knight, Vector, Vasama Vanette, Vasama, Twin Vasama, Wing and Ithaca.

Code

Gameplay

• Device fields approach of FlightControlUnits and MainFlightComputers refactored.
• Building Tool autofill feature: resource consumption implemented and final tests and fixes made.
• A bug fixed where cables were drawn twice or more when they crossed separate objects the right way.
• A bug fixed where the game would crash if you tried to exit game while holograms in the lot were loading.
• A bug Fixed with mining laser hitting other objects as well as the player momentarily if the player was its closest hit entity.
• Multiple fixes to grabbing tool options.
• Chat and company client: if a company invitation is received, a link with a company name now shows up in chat. By clicking the link, the CV-Menu, with CompanyTab pops up, with invite screen opened.
• The station tech refactoring project started (the purpose of refactoring is to introduce player-created stations into the game).

User Interface

• Company member info now shows time since member was last online and the right rank.
• Ranks now show up in the company tree.
• Checkboxes and input fields added for rank name and description.
• Some sound bug fixes.
• Settings: FPS limit slider added, Vsync made default in settings, slider handle positions and scrolling fixed, shadow quality setting definitions fixed, support added for resetting ephemeral settings.
• Quickbar swapping of backpack items fixed: couldn’t previously swap items if there was no free slot in backpack.
• A bug fixed where Company tab wasn’t opening when inventory menu wasn’t open.
• An error fixed where old chat company invites could be opened and where company invites could be sent to players who already were in the company; it is also now possible to leave a company.
• Detecting conditions for different music events to be fired in the making and station proximity logic implemented for music context switching in the making.

Starbase Spaceship Creator

• Automated test that reports any missing asset browser localizations added.
• A number of issues fixed where the autobolter and the bolt tool interacted with the repair assist hologram.
• The repair assist hologram appearing in invalid pose for certain ships has been fixed.
• SSC terminal accessibility improved. Ships no longer have to be completely within the terminal’s bounds for the terminal to be activatable.
• Missing UI localizations have been fixed.

Art

Stations

• Trading market LOD and windows in the making.
• Snap points on window plates fixed.

Weapons

• Assault rifle’s hit effect and muzzle flash updated.
• Rail rifle now has a reload effect and its hit FX has been updated.
• Some minor weapon effect fixes: minigun’s projectile has now been assigned correctly.
• Shotgun and assault rifle’s muzzle flash tweaked and updated.
• Hit FX used by Gauss rifle switched as well as the beam used by laser cutter tool.
• Rocket launcher, grenade launcher, combat shield and Whiplash textures and paintjobs updated.

Other

• More variations of asteroid medium/small rocks in the making.
• Asteroid rock basic material underway.
• Light optimization tests.
• Shelf assets in the making.
• Medal concepts for achievements and actual medals underway.
• Colour palette has been updated.
• Cargo crates have been updated.
• Snap points updated for a bunch of intersection and corner beams and flight computer assets.
• Material Cubes: collision problems caused by extra voxels fixed, visual update on the bolting holes finished.
• UI: Bigger versions of raw material icons created to be used in the 2×2 inventory slot.
• Device Hardpoints: snap points added to the middle of the outer edges of the small device hardpoint.
• Modular buttons and switches updated.
• Cable tool, laser cutter, building tool and durability tool textures updated.

Gallery of the week

Videos

Don’t forget to take part in the conversation on the official Starbase Forums and our Starbase Discord server.