In today's preview, I want to look closer at the improvements to crafting in the upcoming Space Exploration update. Crafting will be key to surviving the void of space and rebuilding your ship's system to escape the collapsing galaxy. Crafting is currently available at the three crafting stations, the Crafter, Smelter and Crusher. As we expanded the technology and resources in the game, it felt natural to introduce new ways to process these materials. Well, one thing led to another and we are adding 10 new crafting machines in the Space Exploration update. I've grabbed some of my favorites to talk about today.

Crafting Table

The crafting table answers the age old question of "What came first, the crafter or the iron plates?" Being the handy survivor you are, you can now hand craft components with a little bit of elbow grease. Even after getting your power system online and automated crafters working, you'll still want to have one around for the inevitable power trips.

Electrolyzer

Many of the advanced ship systems will require gaseous forms of hydrogen and oxygen. With unlimited amounts of water nearby, the electrolyzer can keep your ship moving and breathable.

Precision Crafter

As you progress the tech tree, key equipment can be upgraded to process new materials and increase the speed of crafting previous recipes. The Precision Crafter is the first upgrade to the Crafter. You can use it to craft Graphene, Advanced Batteries and Microprocessors.

High Temperature Smelter

Similar to the Precision Crafter, the High Temperature Smelter is an upgrade to the current Smelter. It unlocks processing gold and titanium ore and adds the ability to refine steel. Previous materials are now processed faster as well.

Crystal Charger

This one comes straight from the roadmap and will be a welcome addition to your ship. It can use your ship's power systems to charge crystals without needing to travel back to the ruins of an alien refinery.

Space Loom

This one might be my favorite. The Space Loom allows you to process plant fiber and silk glands into usable fabric to create powerful suit upgrades.

Centrifuge

The centrifuge will allow you to process uranium into fuel for your late game power systems. Careful where you place it until all members of your crew are radiation hardened! I hope you enjoyed seeing the new machines and I'll be back next time to talk more about the new resources you'll find in your journey! As a treat, here are some of the concepts for the machines we talked about today.

[ 2024-11-27 17:54:03 CET ] [ Original post ]

This small update focuses on UI issues and small quality of life changes.

• Fixes the inventory unable to grab focus on Steam Deck after opening it twice
• Fix beacon icons missing from the configuration UI in some cases
• Add a new UI to the Long Range Scanning console to delete old results
• Add the world seed to the save game list
• Fix the Controls setting page sometimes showing no controls for the current device

Thanks for playing!

[ 2024-11-27 04:36:52 CET ] [ Original post ]

As we continue to work toward a closed beta for the Space Exploration update, I'd like to dive a little deeper into the exploration changes coming in this new version.

Updated Visuals

With the addition of piloting both your large ship and the new smaller vehicles, we saw a great opportunity to reimagine how the galaxy looks and feels as you explore, mine, build, and craft. We experimented with various art styles, but naturally gravitated toward a more stylized approachand I think it looks fantastic.

New Caves

The new caves are significantly larger than those in the current update, requiring you to utilize your large ship, small ships, and jetpack to uncover all their secrets. In addition to the familiar flora and crystals, you'll now find ore veins, areas filled with poison and radiation that demand special equipment to explore, and even small exploration puzzles that unlock resource-rich zones or rare alien artifacts. And caves are just one type of area youll get to explore.

Finite, but Infinite

In the current update, the asteroid field stretches on forever, procedurally generated with islands and caves that may appear. In the Space Exploration update, youll explore a more handcrafted world, while giving you greater control over what you discover. By using navigational computers, you can set your next warp point and see the resources you might find there. These regions are finite in size, but there's no limit to the number of regions you can explore.

The Black Hole in the Room

Upon arrival, you'll want to ensure you gather everything you need because returning won't be an option. As you navigate warp space, the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy continues to expand, consuming everything in its path. That's all for todaybut well be back soon to showcase the new crafting buildings, items, research, biomes, and more! Be sure to join our Discord to stay updated on closed betas and multiplayer tests.

[ 2024-10-09 15:00:51 CET ] [ Original post ]

It's time to check in on the highly anticipated Space Exploration update! In development since early January, this update is the largest ever for Drift. In many ways, it will make the game feel entirely new while retaining the same chill ship-building vibe that players have loved over the past year. One of the most requested features from our community has been the ability to fly your ship. With the upcoming update, we're making that dream a reality! You'll have more ways than ever to explore, giving you complete control over your journey through the stars.

Sublight Engines

Upon arriving in a new region, you might find that you're not in the perfect spot. With the addition of new sublight engines, you can maneuver your base to a more central location to gather resources more efficiently. And when you're ready, you'll need to move far enough from any gravity wells to make your next jump. [video mp4=https://kar.games/dist/video/BigShip.mp4][/video]

Small Vehicles

As we previewed in our last update, the Space Exploration update introduces new smaller vehicles designed for maneuvering around regions. The video below showcases the first vehicle you'll unlocka nimble one-seater perfect for squeezing in and out of caves and other tight spots. [video mp4=https://kar.games/dist/video/Vespa.mp4][/video]

Where To?

In addition to the "how," let's talk about the "where." The new environments introduced in the Space Exploration update are diverse, with vast distances between them. Using the Navigational Computer on the bridge, you can now explore new regions, identify important resources, and start charging the warp engines to jump to your next destination. Once you've gathered all the resources from a region, fueled up your ship, and locked in your next destination, it's time to leave the gravity well and launch into hyperspace. It's wise to stay on board your shipunless you want to risk a horrific fate! [video mp4=https://kar.games/dist/video/Map.mp4][/video]

Development Update

We're excited to share that all the new game systems planned for this update are now in place. We're currently focusing on completing the new art and sound assets. Once we reach the content-complete stage, we'll shift our attention to polishing the game and expanding beta testing to more players. Stay tuned for more details!

[ 2024-09-02 15:50:52 CET ] [ Original post ]

This update brings a few new building pieces requested by the community and fixes a handful of bugs and crashes. In addition, I back-ported a number of quality of life changes from the upcoming Space Exploration Update as we continue to work on wrapping that up. More to come on that in the next few days.

• Added a new pyramid capstone family of pieces to use in your Ha'tak builds
• Added an inverted version of all the Triangle Wall pieces
• Added beacons for all other players in the game beyond 50m
• Beacons of all type now snap to the edge of the screen when not in view
• Fixed losing mouse focus after using Alt+Tab!
• Fixed some VFX particles disappearing
• Will now only show Steam lobbies from games running the same version
• Fixed massive lag spike in some cases using the drill
• Improve game startup time
• Added a separate color for large asteroid pings to help avoid grappling
• Updated build system logic to make triangle floors snap somewhat smarter (still not perfect though)
• Fixed Asteroid Wrangler achievements not working across saves
• Fixed Tractor Targets not increasing acceleration in some (read: all) cases
• Fixed various crashes in game code and an updated engine build

Thanks for playing and for your continued support!

[ 2024-08-30 13:54:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

Thanks to the support by this community, I've been able to put my head down and work on the largest update to Drift yet. The Space Exploration update will improve every aspect of the game and open new ways to explore. Today, I'll take a look at two exciting new features coming with this update. In future posts, I'll go into the new gameplay systems, progression and more.

Improved Environment Art

New modes of transport created the opportunity to re-visit some of the environments you can visit, specifically moving the art style closer to the concept art - and the early texturing tests have looked fantastic.

Small Ships

Flying the big ship is a huge improvement, but I like to build big and commonly got myself into trouble. Enter the small ship (name TBD: send suggestions in the comments!). This two-seater is great for moving from your base to a nearby dense asteroid field to strip mine for resources or pick up a stranded friend. And flying this is a blast. Full six degrees of movement and an afterburner - great for crossing the distance and squeezing into caves.

What's next?

There's still a lot of work to be done before this update is in your hands. But there will be some opportunities to help us get there.

• Small Ship Network Stress Test - Making fun, flying spaceships work with up to 7 friends all over the world is hard. And even harder as a tiny dev team. In early June, we'll put together a playtest where you can fly around with us so we can fix any issues. Join the Discord to be the first to hear.
• Closed Beta - Later this summer, we'll do a closed beta focusing on a the new gameplay systems, research and further netcode testing.

Thank you so much for helping craft Drift into the game it is today and I'm excited to get this update out to you soon!

[ 2024-05-27 12:00:57 CET ] [ Original post ]

In what will be the biggest update yet, I've recently started sharing details about what I'm calling the Space Exploration update on the Drift Discord. There are still a lot of unknowns as this update will have cascade effects on the entire game - but I'm excited to say the ship will FLYYYYYY. Join us in Discord or follow Drift on Steam to hear about future playtests for this update.

[ 2024-03-14 00:47:05 CET ] [ Original post ]

This update addresses a few minor issues with the latest Community Update.

• Fix a startup crash on macOS
• Fix some menu navigation using a controller
• Fix triangle walls not snapping correctly to other ship pieces
• Fix drills causing a crash when fully destroying an asteroid

Thanks for playing and keep an eye on Discord for a sneak peak of the next update!

[ 2024-02-22 19:06:10 CET ] [ Original post ]

Community Update 2 is here! In addition to working on the next major update to Drift, I've been collecting quality of life updates, bug fixes, new ship pieces and a new visual style into a new massive update. I'm excited to finally have it in your hands and look forward to your feedback!

Creative Mode

When starting a new game or loading an existing save, a new game option can be selected to disable resource costs, enable infinite survival and other options which allow a build focused game session.

Angled Pieces

In the spirit of building, I decided to bring forward an exciting feature from the upcoming Content Update - angled ship pieces! In my limited testing, it's created so much more interesting builds and I'm excited to see what you build with it. Some limitations apply with the current sets of pieces but I'll continue to expand this for the next update.

Build From Storage

When not in Creative Mode, working on a large build started to become tedious. Now, with the Build Range Extender equipped, building (and research) will pull from your inventory first, and nearby containers second.

Visual Updates

What started as a one night experiment of "what-if", I began exploring some visual updates, specifically adding outlines to the models. I've found it really adds a better sense of depth to the game and am excited to hear your feedback.

Decreased Bot Friendliness

I've had a long talk with our robot friend and asked him to give people more personal space.

Crafting Quick Buttons

Managing inventory and splitting stacks is great, but should not be the main action of the game. Crafting machines now have three new actions: Clear Inputs, Add One and Add Five which can give you easy methods to load up machines with the right materials. And with the Build Range Extender equipped, it will pull from nearby containers. In creative mode, they appear by space-magic.

Inventory Sorting

In the spirit of reducing tedium, I've added two new inventory actions. Sorting and Quick Insert. Sorting works as expected and Quick Insert will attempt to transfer any items in your inventory that currently exist in the container.

Controller Support

This update will also contain controller support for Drift. There are likely still areas which may require a keyboard (naming beacons) but everything else should work. Please let me know where it may fall short!

Misc Changes

• Updated Engine which should fix more unexplained crashes
• Increased the light output from your flashlight in both low and high power mode
• Turn off the "add a crazy amount of lag" option of the build smoke
• Fix lots of little bugs

[ 2024-02-01 19:01:46 CET ] [ Original post ]

Since the release of the Sand Update, I've been working on the next Community Update. Like most updates, I've let it get away from me and I've grabbed a few line items from future updates in addition to adding a few unplanned ones. But I'm excited to share with you what you can expect in the next update, which should be ready first thing in 2024.

Creative Mode

Starting in this new update, when starting a new game or loading an existing save, advanced game options can be selected to disable resource costs, enable infinite survival and other options which allow a build focused game session.

Angled Pieces

In the spirit of building, I decided to bring forward an exciting feature from the upcoming Content Update - angled ship pieces! In my limited testing, it's created so much more interesting builds and I'm excited to see what you build with it. Some limitations apply with the current sets of pieces but I'll continue to expand this for the next update.

Build From Storage

When not in Creative Mode, working on a large build started to become tedious. Now, with the Build Range Extender equipped, building (and research) will pull from your inventory first, and nearby containers second.

Visual Updates

What started as a one night experiment of "what-if", I began exploring some visual updates, specifically adding outlines to the models. I've found it really adds a better sense of depth to the game and am excited to hear your feedback.

Decreased Bot Friendliness

I've had a long talk with our robot friend and asked him to give people more personal space.

Crafting Quick Buttons

Managing inventory and splitting stacks is great, but should not be the main action of the game. Crafting machines now have three new actions: Clear Inputs, Add One and Add Five which can give you easy methods to load up machines with the right materials. And with the Build Range Extender equipped, it will pull from nearby containers.

Inventory Sorting

In the spirit of reducing tedium, I've added two new inventory actions. Sorting and Quick Insert. Sorting works as expected and Quick Insert will attempt to transfer any items in your inventory that currently exist in the container.

Basic Controller Support

This update will also contain basic controller support for Drift. I plan on playing Drift exclusively on a Steam Deck over the holidays to iron out any kinks before this update drops.

Misc Changes

• Updated Engine which should fix more unexplained crashes
• Increased the light output from your flashlight in both low and high power mode
• Turn off the "add a crazy amount of lag" option of the build smoke
• Fix lots of little bugs

I look forward to your feedback when Community Update 2 releases early next year. If you're interested in testing builds sooner, reach out on Discord!

[ 2023-12-21 17:46:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

Fixes a crash that could happen on game load or while exploring the field. Big thanks to everyone who reported and helped test - this was tough to track down and get right!

[ 2023-12-17 19:56:53 CET ] [ Original post ]

A quick follow up solving some crashes.

• Removes multiple ways you could crash when changing life support and power.
• Fixes a crash after dying and needing to respawn

Thanks to everyone in the Discussion Boards and Discord for helping find these!

[ 2023-12-12 03:27:17 CET ] [ Original post ]

The last update introduced some edge cases I'm not happy with so this solves the same problems in a new way. In addition:

• Fix vertical movement when using boosters and looking up/down
• Fix asteroid anchors not attaching to rocks on load if in the nearest chunk
• Fix some strangeness with the build error message

Please continue to report any issues here or on Discord!

[ 2023-12-11 02:23:29 CET ] [ Original post ]

This update includes two fixes that I don't want to hold back until Community Update 2 due out later this month. Large Bases As we start to see larger builds, performance and life support have both dropped. This update includes fixes for both, though more improvements are planned. At a minimum, you can now Borg Cube an entire Asteroid Cave and still get breathable air. Tech Tree Changes An oversight or typo in a previous update had some crystal research showing up before key exploration technology. This has now been changed and will work with existing saves. If you've been stuck on crystals and don't have launchpads, this is for you. We continue to work on engine updates and even have some pretty great visual updates for Community Update 2. Thanks for playing!

[ 2023-12-06 22:17:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

We're continuing our largest ever discount to officially celebrate our first major content update. Enjoy 30% off Drift for the next two weeks as we finish up the last pieces of the next Community Update. If you have any feedback you'd like to see addressed in this update, join us on the Steam Disccusion Board or Discord! What's all new in the Sand Update?

Desert Biome

There is a new striking biome to be found in the field. Covered in sandy, silicate dust and with a plethora of resources to be found, the desert biome holds a lot of mysteries - shipwrecks, islands and more!

Launchpads

Getting off the ship and up to speed can be a chore - but not anymore! The new launchpads give you an explosive start to your journey into the field.

Long Range Scanner

Tired of leaving things to chance? The Long Range Scanner, with a little help from data cards littered through the field, will guide you to rare resources, strange readings and more! Requires massive amounts of power.

Ship Power

Massive amounts of power? Your suit is no longer the only equipment to require high voltage power. For now, only the new launchpads and long range scanner require ship power, which is provided by new power supplies.

Outposts

Tired of the same old rocks near your ship? Dream of second home ownership? Then outposts are for you! Drive a spike into an asteroid and set up a new base - overlooking a beautiful vista or near your favorite crystal mine.

Tractor Targets

Launchpads help us leave in a hurry, but getting home can be a pain with no rocks to tractor to. Tractor targets can be placed on your ships, outposts and asteroids to provide a simple path through the field, all the way home. Upgraded versions that increase speed are also available.

...and more!

Unlimited crystals from a new crystal drill helps ease the resource grind for large builds. New equipment like the inventory expander or build range extender help make building easier than ever. 18 new research opportunities guide you to the new content. New floors, walls and props give more creativity when designing your ship or outpost. Discord Link: https://discord.gg/6QjkSMTPbZ

[ 2023-11-30 18:04:14 CET ] [ Original post ]

This is a small patch to fix the crafting recipes for Crystal Processor and Crystal Circuits. This decrease the total crafting time of the crystal processor by about 40%.

• Fix wrong crafting times for crystal components
• Fix flashlight lens forever coloring an equipment slot
• The Use hotkey will not longer cycle on survival items

[ 2023-11-13 14:59:37 CET ] [ Original post ]

With our first major update behind us, this felt like a great time to re-visit the roadmap and adapt it to what I learned during the last five months. You'll see the size of content updates has increased with smaller community quality of life updates planned between. Feel free to join us in Steam Discussions or Discord to talk about what you would like to see in future updates as well!

[ 2023-10-24 18:51:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

• Fixes saves very quickly expanding in size and causing auto-save issues.

[ 2023-10-13 04:20:32 CET ] [ Original post ]

• Fix the Long Range Scanner Interface not showing the current configuration on the screen
• Fix data cards showing up and fix existing ones
• Fix crystal colors being reset after leaving a chunk and returning later
• Fix some caves not having crystal deposits for the Crystal Drill
• Fix being able to build despite being in an invalid placement
• Fix drills breaking asteroids when full

[ 2023-10-12 18:36:46 CET ] [ Original post ]

• Fix a long-standing issue of crafting machines continuing to animate as active when their craft is done.
• Fix the multi-tool inventory from showing an item in multiple slots
• Fix the crystal battery packs not increasing total energy
• Fix the inertial dampener not working as expected at lower speeds

[ 2023-10-10 15:29:48 CET ] [ Original post ]

Fixes some alien shipwrecks being unsearchable when found via the Long Range Scanner.

[ 2023-10-07 20:01:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

The first major content update for Drift is now live! If you haven't seen what's in store, be sure to read the patch notes below. I'm looking forward to hearing your feedback as it will shape what Update 2 and beyond will look like. Thank you playing and see you in the field!

New Features

Desert Biome

There is a new striking biome to be found in the field. Covered in sandy, silicate dust and with a plethora of resources to be found, the desert biome holds a lot of mysteries - shipwrecks, islands and more!

Launchpads

Getting off the ship and up to speed can be a chore - but not anymore! The new launchpads give you an explosive start to your journey into the field.

Long Range Scanner

Tired of leaving things to chance? The Long Range Scanner, with a little help from data cards littered through the field, will guide you to rare resources, strange readings and more! Requires massive amounts of power.

Ship Power

Massive amounts of power? Your suit is no longer the only equipment to require high voltage power. For now, only the new launchpads and long range scanner require ship power, which is provided by new power supplies.

Outposts

Tired of the same old rocks near your ship? Dream of second home ownership? Then outposts are for you! Drive a spike into an asteroid and set up a new base - overlooking a beautiful vista or near your favorite crystal mine.

Tractor Targets

Launchpads help us leave in a hurry, but getting home can be a pain with no rocks to tractor to. Tractor targets can be placed on your ships, outposts and asteroids to provide a simple path through the field, all the way home. Upgraded versions that increase speed are also available.

...and more!

Unlimited crystals from a new crystal drill helps ease the resource grind for large builds. New equipment like the inventory expander or build range extender help make building easier than ever. 18 new research opportunities guide you to the new content. New floors, walls and props give more creativity when designing your ship or outpost.

Changes

It's not just about the new stuff. Many things of the base game have been improved as well.

• Reduce energy usage of both jetpack and tractoring
• Improved asteroid models for performance
• HUD Icon when tractor beam is on a valid target
• Better feel for speed in the field
• Show which way is the front for many building pieces
• Optional Speedometer
• New settings to reset tutorial messages from the robot and to replay just the last one.
• Increase light output from lamp posts

Bug Fixes

It wouldn't be an update without a few bug fixes as well. Here are the most interesting ones.

• Fix scenarios where shipwrecks would quit appearing during a game session.
• Reduce time to load the build menu
• Fix flickering fog when near a cave
• Upgraded base engine of the game which should solve many crashes (but maybe add new ones? let me know!)

[ 2023-10-07 12:58:03 CET ] [ Original post ]

I'm really excited to share The Sand Update, the first major content update to Drift. This free update will be released on October 7.

New Features

Desert Biome

There is a new striking biome to be found in the field. Covered in sandy, silicate dust and with a plethora of resources to be found, the desert biome holds a lot of mysteries - shipwrecks, islands and more!

Launchpads

Getting off the ship and up to speed can be a chore - but not anymore! The new launchpads give you an explosive start to your journey into the field.

Long Range Scanner

Tired of leaving things to chance? The Long Range Scanner, with a little help from data cards littered through the field, will guide you to rare resources, strange readings and more! Requires massive amounts of power.

Ship Power

Massive amounts of power? Your suit is no longer the only equipment to require high voltage power. For now, only the new launchpads and long range scanner require ship power, which is provided by new power supplies.

Outposts

Tired of the same old rocks near your ship? Dream of second home ownership? Then outposts are for you! Drive a spike into an asteroid and set up a new base - overlooking a beautiful vista or near your favorite crystal mine.

Tractor Targets

Launchpads help us leave in a hurry, but getting home can be a pain with no rocks to tractor to. Tractor targets can be placed on your ships, outposts and asteroids to provide a simple path through the field, all the way home. Upgraded versions that increase speed are also available.

...and more!

Unlimited crystals from a new crystal drill helps ease the resource grind for large builds. New equipment like the inventory expander or build range extender help make building easier than ever. 18 new research opportunities guide you to the new content. New floors, walls and props give more creativity when designing your ship or outpost.

Changes

It's not just about the new stuff. Many things of the base game have been improved as well.

• Reduce energy usage of both jetpack and tractoring
• Improved asteroid models for performance
• HUD Icon when tractor beam is on a valid target
• Better feel for speed in the field
• Show which way is the front for many building pieces
• Optional Speedometer
• New settings to reset tutorial messages from the robot and to replay just the last one.
• Increase light output from lamp posts

Bug Fixes

It wouldn't be an update without a few bug fixes as well. Here are the most interesting ones.

• Fix scenarios where shipwrecks would quit appearing during a game session.
• Reduce time to load the build menu
• Fix flickering fog when near a cave
• Upgraded base engine of the game which should solve many crashes (but maybe add new ones? let me know!)

Beta Testers Required

Overall I'm excited to see this in your hands. If you're interested in helping find the rough edges, a new beta build will be available tomorrow, October 1st, on the next branch on Steam. Thanks for playing!

[ 2023-09-30 20:56:05 CET ] [ Original post ]

Update 1 from the Early Access Roadmap is wrapping up initial development and we'll be moving into playtesting soon. If you're interested in helping out, check out our Discord - otherwise look for Update 1 next month!
Let's play a game of "I Spy" - what all can you find?

• Glass Floors
• Floor to Ceiling Windows
• Lockers
• Launchpads
• Long Range Scanner
• "Floor Doors"

What else do you see?

You said a surprise?

There's one addition that was planned for a future update that made it in to this update! Let us know if you see it - we'll talk about it more next Sneak Peek!

[ 2023-08-18 17:00:19 CET ] [ Original post ]

- Fixes tractor beams failing to work further in the field when view distance is low. - Allows caves to "re-roll" their cave color, which should help existing worlds have a better crystal balance.

[ 2023-06-30 20:24:13 CET ] [ Original post ]

A small update to address some missing physics.

[ 2023-06-29 15:56:58 CET ] [ Original post ]

Many early players encountered world seeds where crystals were frustratingly rare - or could not find a single crystal of one color or another. This obviously wasn't the intended design but unfortunately there wasn't one simple fix. I'm finally pleased to release an update that will level the playing field across seeds. And in celebration of Steam Summer Sale, I pulled in a few surprises for the existing biomes from the upcoming Content Update 1. That's slated for later this summer and we'll start posting some teasers soon. On to the changes! Improved Asteroid Field Generation In the new asteroid field chunks (you'll need to travel somewhere new), you'll find crystal biomes are larger in size and more likely to have points of interest. You'll also find improved field visuals everywhere, including existing chunks. New Points of Interest We've added 8 new points of interest to find in the field, many which have their own crystal sources and a rare one with a pleasant surprise. You'll find these in all biomes and many are easy to spot on the horizon. Speaking of the horizon, we've made POIs visible from a much further distance which can help you navigate the field. "We have Outposts at home" While proper asteroid Outposts are coming in a future update, we don't want to limit your ability to spread out over the field. You can now place containers, benches and lights on asteroids to help on those long trips. This update includes some visual polish around destroying asteroids with your pickaxe or drill and particle improvements all around. A few notable bug fixes: - Fixed falling through asteroids in rare cases - Fixed invisible walls near some large asteroids - Fixed worm not leaving for all players correctly - Fixed a crash when quitting the game - Fixed the shelf clipping with the wall As always, join us on the discussion boards or Discord to discuss the new update, report bugs, suggest improvements or post pictures of cats. Until then, we'll get back to work!

[ 2023-06-29 14:35:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

I wanted to take a break from our first content update to address some of the biggest requests we're seeing in Discord and on the Discussion Board. Thank you to everyone who has reported or helped identify issues! I know there are those who are still finding worlds lacking crystals of a certain color even after previous updates. There hasn't been one quick fix for this but I'm going to be testing a new build as soon as this weekend focused on crystal generation. I will announce the details in Discord when the time arrives. Crush Hot Key By far the number one complaint in the early game is lack of a hot key for the crushing mechanic. You can now press and hold "C" (customizable) to crush the currently selected item in your inventory. Remember: the Crusher is more efficient at getting materials out once unlocked! Life Support Re-work This new life support system is much more reliable at filling out rooms than the old. You will now only need one system per room, and moving between life support rooms will work as expected! Building Snaps New improvements to the build system for floors and walls now let your mouse influence how they snap together rather than relying on hitting the rotate key or worse, not snapping at all. Building second floors is now less frustrating and it is now possible to build down with walls. Bug fixes galore We've fixed shadows, falling through asteroids, lamps not placing, hard to grab shipwrecks and the last instances of strangely colored flora or rocks. Thank you all for your continued reports and support! Join us on Discord to talk about the game and hear first when new features are coming.

[ 2023-06-06 20:58:17 CET ] [ Original post ]

While many details will of course change as development progresses, I wanted to share high level plans for our time in Early Access and what you can expect from each major content update. Bug Fixes, Performance Updates and current content updates will in most cases be released separately from the content updates.

[ 2023-05-25 17:16:02 CET ] [ Original post ]

This hotfix fixes a case where a player would be unable to collect bones.

[ 2023-05-21 03:20:56 CET ] [ Original post ]

Thank you all for supporting us this week and joining us on this journey through Early Access. Seeing the community that has formed around the game is so heartwarming and I can't wait to work with all of you over the next months. And for those of you who haven't yet jumped into the asteroid field, our launch discount ends in just about 12 hours! Come join us, we have a friendly - if not over eager robot friend.

[ 2023-05-19 04:31:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

Previous patches helped our cave problem and the sources of some crashes. Today we have three focuses: Memory leaks? In some conditions, Drift would eat all of the memory in your computer. All of it. We've identified the problem and now Drift is leaner than ever! In our extended testing, we rarely see it go over 1GB. Sorry to all of your computers. Mysterious Signals Mysterious signals will now persist through saving and loading if you have yet to visit the POI it is trying to lead you to. We will continue to evolve this system to help you discover more interesting things in the field. Multiplayer Updates We've solved a couple of multiplayer focused bugs, including tutorials showing up every time a client joins, scan bubbles not showing from clients and other smaller issues. Thanks for your continue reports and an amazing launch week. We're going to slow down our patch cadence as we work on larger issues around world generation and discoverability and edge cases of life support. Hope to have more for you on those front next week!

[ 2023-05-18 17:40:59 CET ] [ Original post ]

We've revamped the physics in all of our caves! You should notice a major, if not total, decrease in areas that you can get stuck. Please report any area you get stuck on via Discussion Boards or Discord. Thanks!

[ 2023-05-16 20:22:19 CET ] [ Original post ]

The largest source of crashes (especially on launch) have been fixed. Please check in if you were experiencing issues and report back!

[ 2023-05-16 16:59:48 CET ] [ Original post ]

Quick hotfix for tech asteroid icons not following their asteroid. Also fixes an edge case where tech asteroids would stop spawning in a longer game session.

[ 2023-05-16 14:20:00 CET ] [ Original post ]

Where are the crystals?! We hear you and we think the problem has been (at least!) two problems wrapped up into one outcome - no crystals. The first was limited exploration due to beacons being overly weak and hard to keep track of. We've address this with two changes:

• Once beacons are unlocked, your bot will notice there was a beacon broadcasting from your ship all along. That's his bad.
• Simple beacons can now be heard from a distance of 5km.

So fly free! There are enough challenges in the field that we feel knowing which direction home is does not cheapen the journey. The second is the world generation of the field, biomes and caves. We've made tweaks to these in this build but this will be an ongoing project as we collect more data. Please send your saves over so we can get this right. Additionally, we are continuing to investigate other answers to this issue. Crashes There have been a small number of you crashing before even making it to the main menu and we have included more tools in this build to discover why. Crash reporting is now enabled for Windows builds. MacOS and Linux reporting are not planned at this time. You can disable this in your Settings under Game. No additional reporting (stats, events, etc.) are planned and if they ever do come, they will be opt-in. Crash reporting needed to be opt-out because many could not even get to the Settings screen. Once we get through the worst of these, we will adjust the default settings. Memory leaks Please make sure drivers are up to date. Especially those with 10-series Nvidia cards. We are continuing to investigate more on our end. Multiplayer Wreckage Pieces The last notable bug fix today is making sure clients get the notification and wrench of any wreckage pieces the same as the client. Misc fixes and changes:

• Fix that last pesky white cave
• Increased precision of beacon distance
• Reduced the bot travel noise
• Fixed Robot audio slider not working in some cases
• Asked the bot to not tell us how air-tight the mushrooms are

What's next? More world generation changes, fixing collisions inside caves and fixing these new crash reports are priorities for the week.

[ 2023-05-16 03:38:41 CET ] [ Original post ]

This patch is aimed at removing all the broken rainbow asteroids. Thank you for your continued reports and save files!

[ 2023-05-13 20:14:48 CET ] [ Original post ]

This hotfix should fix crashing relating to saving, autosave and friends joining.

[ 2023-05-13 16:20:49 CET ] [ Original post ]

Thank you call for an incredible first day of Early Access. Your feedback and bug reporting are so appreciated and we have quite a few quick updates for you in the next couple of days. This first update addresses some of the biggest gameplay bugs. The next update will focus on performance - though we are looking for more information here so if you're having trouble be sure to join the Discord! Patch Notes:

• Crafting Machines will no longer consume resources if they can't output
• Notifications of shipwreck pieces should sync to all players in the game reliably now
• Add notes to the battery pack on how to re-charge
• Certain flowers would crash the game in retaliation of being hit with the pickaxe. We have talked with them
• Some asteroids will no longer explode into beacons of light
• Caves should no longer spawn white when deeper in the field

[ 2023-05-13 15:35:26 CET ] [ Original post ]

I'm so excited to get the game in your hands and work with you all during Early Access to bring Drift to it's full potential. Thank you all for joining me on this journey!

[ 2023-05-12 17:00:15 CET ] [ Original post ]

Today's update will solve some of the progression issues with some world seeds, as well as add in new equipment to go along with the upgrades unlocked with research. In addition, there were a lot of balance changes to resources, research, beacons and survival. And of course dozens of bug fixes. Please continue to report any issues as we approach the final release build. Thanks!

[ 2023-05-07 06:18:24 CET ] [ Original post ]

The Drift demo has been updated to be compatible with the base game - so now you can start your adventure while you wait for the Early Access release on May 12! Compared to the previous demo build, the change log would be a hundred pages long, but here are some highlights:

• New building pieces! We've redesigned how the ship pieces look and snap together to create even better ships.
• Performance updates This work will continue on forever, but the latest changes to the game make it run even better across all hardware.
• New research tree You now can start on the real research tree, so you can jump right in with the full game.

We're excited to hear your feedback and if you come across any issues, we'd love to fix them for you! Join us in the Discord or on the steam forums to let us know!

[ 2023-05-01 16:03:16 CET ] [ Original post ]

Thank you for checking out a special closed beta of Drift! We're excited to see you check out the improvements we've made since Next Fest as well as the full content of the Early Access release. Multiplayer is fully active as well. Please report any issues you have to your Drift contact or on the Discord. Thanks!

[ 2023-04-19 06:00:27 CET ] [ Original post ]

We've been hard at work since Next Fest responding to your incredible feedback and support and are excited to announce we will be launching into Early Access on May 12, 2023. We can't wait to show you more of the game.

[ 2023-04-08 23:54:23 CET ] [ Original post ]

The co-op playtest is here! If you're interested in joining the playtest, join the Discord for an invite. What's all in this new build?

• Multiplayer Choose your lobby size and invite friends via Steam.
• New building pieces Tired of only orange and blue? Us too! Many building pieces now have new color schemes available, just use that white plus sign.
• Quality of life changes like spawn pods to set your respawn location and dozens of bug fixes that you helped find during the demo.

We're still hard at work toward Early Access release and a public roadmap. We'll keep you posted!

[ 2023-03-28 01:22:12 CET ] [ Original post ]

One of the things I wanted people to experience in the demo was our building system - and balanced the research and costs in the demo to make that as approachable as possible. But one major piece was holding a lot of people back - lack of saving. This was due to a breaking change I knew would be coming but after lots of feedback from players, we re-prioritized making that change and now we're all set!

• New Saving and Loading is now enabled in the demo
• New Death will now leave your inventory behind, with a helpful beacon to return to it
• Balance Fuel Canisters provide more fuel and the jetpack uses less fuel
• Visual New floors and walls that fit together a lot better, and are properly sized for the machines
• Settings are now saved on exit
• Walls now properly rotate when snapping to floors
• Added language about Snap to Grid to the tutorial
• Tweak the Scanning menu to feel snappier
• Fix bugs everywhere, especially in inventories
• Tooltips should show up faster now

Please continue to report issues and feedback on the discussion boards and Discord. If you're interested in the co-op / multiplayer playtest, join us in Discord!

[ 2023-02-19 19:27:13 CET ] [ Original post ]

In exchange for not letting you duplicate entire stacks of items, I offer you snap to grid.

• New Hold Ctrl to snap to a grid to line up machines and props better
• Fix splitting stacks not working in a crafting machine or chest
• Starting a new research should now give back your original materials
• Crafting machines should show the right ingredients always
• You can no longer duplicate stacks of items by holding them in a drag in a crafting machine
• Add a notification for materials returned after destructing
• Balance the use of fuel and food

Please continue to report issues and feedback on the discussion boards and Discord. More performance updates are on their way! If you're interested in testing builds sooner or want to take part in the co-op / multiplayer playtest, join us in Discord!

[ 2023-02-11 06:12:20 CET ] [ Original post ]

Our composer, Curtis Schweitzer, is doing a series of videos where he walks through some of the more iconic tracks in Drift and how they came to be. Check it out! 1. Main Menu: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0A-_XBhKnvE 2. "Ethereal Pulse": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ro83YzAZca8

[ 2023-02-09 03:08:17 CET ] [ Original post ]

Thank you to everyone who tried the demo and left feedback in Discord or the discussion boards here. It was incredibly valuable and this latest build is better for it. The full list of changes is too lengthy but here are the highlights:

• Equipment Re-vamp suit improvements to use equipable upgrade items
• Space Movement Players will now travel always toward the crosshair, even vertically
• Ship Movement Player movement should now feel less rigid
• Artwork All new item and building icons
• Usability Dozens of improvements in explaining why something can't be done
• Input Add mouse sensitivity, invert mouse and change default controls to be more natural
• Inventory Add item splitting and quick transfer

If you have any suggestions or find any issues during your play, please reach out!

[ 2023-02-06 06:03:41 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey all! I'm excited to share a pre-alpha demo build with you for Next Fest February 2023. This demo is focused on sharing the world and early game with you and is limited only by the available research and technology. Special to this build, all props and decorations are built with common resources so you can make something pretty! What you should note is not enabled in the demo are saving and loading and the multiplayer functionality. If you're interested in these, we'll be running a true playtest this spring. Check out the Discord for more information. Discord link: https://discord.gg/6QjkSMTPbZ Thanks, and welcome!

[ 2023-01-26 20:10:26 CET ] [ Original post ]

Build, explore and survive the harshness of space with friends in the mysterious asteroid field that destroyed your ship. Join us as we explore the field and re-build our ship in an alpha build of Drift!

[ 2023-01-16 18:38:20 CET ] [ Original post ]

Build, explore and survive the harshness of space with friends in the mysterious asteroid field that destroyed your ship. Join us as we explore the field and re-build our ship in an alpha build of Drift!

[ 2023-01-16 18:34:03 CET ] [ Original post ]