BETA 9 is now ready to go. This is a smaller, more technically focused update, with the main improvements being centered around ease of multiplayer sessions. You can discuss BETA 9 and let us know your thoughts on Discord or as usual on the Steam Discussion Topic

Patch Notes

Steam Networking

We have added in support for Steam Networking, a great feature Steam offers, that allows players to now host game sessions and it "just works" mentality. Port forwarding is no longer necessary when playing outside a LAN environment, so you can just fire up the game, start a multiplayer session, and have your friends join from the Steam friends list. There is also a "Join via Steam" button built directly into the game as well. The previous networking still exists and continues to work, so joining via IP is still an option for those who choose to do so (it is still required for dedicated servers). Singleplayer sessions are entirely unaffected by these changes and will continue to work as before.

Background Improvements

Along with the addition of Steam Networking we have also added in some background visual changes that were in the works since before BETA 8, that we have finally had time to polish up. These changes affect how the background objects are calculated and displayed on screen, shifting from an "always star" focused approach to "local object" approach. It also shifts objects out of the very center of the screen, significantly improving visibility in certain situations. Finally it casts background objects in different phases of lighting, making things far more interesting than before. Also in general some tweaks to asteroid ring rendering. There are a few general changes based on initial BETA 8 feedback as well.

Details

NOTE: Changes marked with were inspired by feedback or bugs found by the community!

Additions

• Added Steam networking. This allows players to host games and invite friends without having to deal with things like port forwarding on the router.
• Added "Join via Steam" button to menu
• Added the background improvements Background improvements

Changes

• Proximity mines and missiles will now check for faction standing before triggering. Neutral and above standing will not trigger. However, once triggered, they can damage whoever they may hit.
• AI less likely now to attempt to fly through an active beam weapon or tractor beam.
• Moved the mine field from Trader's Drift outposts to be further away than player warp in radius
• Reduced chance of AI ships spawning in asteroid fields (from 80% to 50%)
• Trader's Drift regions now start as "known", providing the orbit ring for easier finding.

Fixes

• Fixed components not being loaded correctly from template if previous vessel had a mount in same location
• Fixed an issue with disconnection messages not always being received
• Improved handling of errant unrelated game network data being accidentally processed by the game

COMING IN BETA 10

We will be processing most of BETA 8's feedback. Questions like weapon balance, method and ease of "traveling home", and universe generation options and tweaks are some of the topics we will be addressing.