Image by Kerw36 by Bod9001 Weekly Update Hello, everyone, and a warm welcome to our festive, albeit not-so-weekly, update arriving one month after our last touchpoint. First and foremost, we extend our heartfelt wishes for a joyful Christmas and a fantastic New Year to all of you during these celebratory times! As is tradition, we're here to unwrap some of the latest and most exciting additions to Unitystation. Over the past month, our team has been working tirelessly, and we're eager to share a glimpse of our progress and the new features you can anticipate in the future. However, remember that this is just a highlight reel; there's a lot more that we couldn't squeeze into this update. For those of you craving the complete picture, our changelog page is just the place to visit. So, without further ado, let's dive into the goodies that Santa has dropped off at Unitystation this Christmas!

Christmas is Coming Up So We Improved the Christmas Tree

Just in time for the festive season, Bod9001 has done some improvements to the Christmas presents system. Previously, the Christmas tree's presents would offer you items from a set list. This year, we're shaking things up a bit! Now, when you unwrap a gift from under the Unitystation Christmas tree, you could receive absolutely any item in the game. From something as coveted as a nuclear operative suit to something as simple (and maybe a bit disappointing) as an empty crisp packet. In the spirit of Christmas, you've got to hope you've been good this year so maybe you get something awesome!

Character Creator Improvements

For those who have navigated the character creation process in Unitystation, you're well aware of its quirks. The UI and backend, having evolved alongside the game, became a patchwork of new features shoehorned into a limited space, often leading to unexpected issues and a less-than-ideal user experience. But things are about to change, thanks to MaxIsJoe. MaxIsJoe has embarked on a mission to revamp the character creator from the ground up. This isn't just a cosmetic facelift; we're talking about a comprehensive restructuring. The goal is to create a more intuitive, user-friendly interface while enhancing its functionality. This means better organization, smoother operation, and laying a solid foundation for future expansions.

Cyborg Sprites for Janitor, Engineering, and Medical

Thanks to Bod9001, distinguishing between different types of cyborgs has just become a whole lot easier. Now, each cyborg, whether they're specialized in janitorial, engineering, or medical tasks, has its own unique sprite. This means no more guessing about the capabilities of the cyborg speeding towards you. If you find yourself dying in space, at least you can take solace in the fact that if a Janitor cyborg is on its way, you'll be tidied up in no time!

New In-Game Gizmo System

In the world of game design, gizmos are visual tools used in development environments to aid in editing and debugging. They are not part of the game itself but are used by developers to visualize components and object transformations, like positions, orientations, and scales in the game world. This makes them invaluable for fine-tuning and ensuring everything in your game is just right. The gizmo system here, created by Bood9001, helps to visualize the connection between objects such as APCs powering devices in the map, but most importantly, this paves the way for us to introduce the in-game mapping system so that the community can create their own maps in-game, without requiring any external editor like installing Unity Engine. We will dive deeper into what that means for Unitystation later, so keep reading!

Lavaland Atmosphere is Hostile Now

MaxIsJoe has brought a significant update to the Lavaland environment its atmosphere has now turned hostile, presenting new challenges and dynamics for various species. For most species, venturing into Lavaland has become a perilous endeavor, with the atmosphere being particularly detrimental to moths. However, lizards and ash walkers will find themselves more at home in this harsh environment. They are naturally adapted to these conditions, allowing them to roam more freely without the need for additional protective gear. Miners, a staple of Lavaland exploration, will face new challenges. While they can still traverse the area without gas masks, they'll gradually accumulate toxins over time. This adds a layer of strategy and urgency to mining operations, pushing players to plan their expeditions carefully. In terms of species-specific adjustments, lizards and ash walkers have received a balance update for consistency. Their body armor and trauma handling have been aligned, making their resilience more reflective of their natural abilities. This update ensures that their limbs function in sync with how their trauma is managed, making them better suited for Lavaland's hostile conditions. Additionally, we've introduced unique lungs for moths and lizards, each with distinct functionalities. Lizard lungs are now immune to Lavaland's toxic air, giving them an edge in survival. On the other hand, moths find themselves extremely susceptible to these harsh conditions, adding a new layer of vulnerability for them.

More Work on Map Saving

Bod9001 has been hard at work implementing the functionality of map serialization and deserialization. In simple terms, this is the ability to save and load maps from a friendlier format than Unity scenes. This will drastically decrease build times for the game, but most importantly, allow people to add maps in runtime. In other words, people will be able to add maps to their server that were not part of the original build of the game, increasing the moddability of the game and customisation capabilities of server owners. It also means maps can be made and saved in-game, without requiring the installation of Unity Editor! The system is mostly complete, and the focus has now shifted to improving the user interface. This will streamline how players interact with the new features, enhancing tools like the Variable Viewer and Tile Placer. Stay tuned for further updates as we continue to refine this exciting new capability in Unitystation! And that wraps up today's blog post! We hope you've enjoyed this sneak peek into the latest developments and are as excited as we are about what's coming to Unitystation. Don't miss out on the chance to experience these updates firsthand join us in our weekly playtest session happening very soon! For all the details, including times and how to get involved, head over to our Discord. If you're passionate about Unitystation and want to contribute to its growth and ongoing development, consider becoming a Patron. Your support plays a vital role in shaping the future of the game. A huge thank you to everyone in our community players, patrons, contributors, and friends. Your enthusiasm, support, and dedication are what keep us motivated and moving forward.