Update0.10x

Dear Stormworkers,

This week we have fully reworked the gimbal camera with a host of upgrades, all focused around search and rescue gameplay!

The new stabilized gimbal camera now has a laser, stabilization, and target tracking modes. The laser works in a similar way to the existing laser distance sensor - when activated, the laser points along the direction that the camera is facing, giving the range to contact of the laser. The GPS coordinates of the laser target are also output to the composite output of the camera.

The new stabilization option means that as the vehicle rotates and tilts, the camera will counter this motion in order to continue to face in the same direction. This gives a much smoother experience for camera operation, making it much easier and more comfortable for a camera operator to use the camera.

The new tracking option locks the camera to look at the current laser target. As the vehicle moves around, the camera continues to track the same position, making it easier for a camera operator to keep track of what they are looking at.

The gimbal camera continues to have an infrared mode to display night vision, while the camera properties allow the option of an IR laser beam rather than a visible one.

This new update focuses on search and rescue gameplay, which is a big focus of v1.0, releasing on Sept 17th 2020. Some of the new missions do not have exact coordinates, and players must begin search operations in order to find craft in distress or persons overboard. These new camera options and functions focus on this new gameplay and the simulation game experience of Stormworks.

We look forward to hearing what you think! Please let us know how you find the new gimbal camera, and any other ideas you have about improving the search and rescue gameplay.

With just 3 weeks left until version 1.0, we are hard at work focusing on improving the new features and improving the quality of the game as much as possible.

Much love <3,

The Stormworks Developers

Patch Notes

v0.10.36

Feature - Laser Gimbal Camera

Fix - Fixed surface shape of electric diode bottom faces
Fix - Added laser tag to laser distance sensor

Dear Stormworkers,

This week we add a new electric charger component as a minor update! This new component behaves a bit like a step-up charger or diode, in order to control the flow of electrical energy in one direction, and to regulate energy.

In Stormworks, electrical energy flows from high charge to low charge components. Often the battery is the component with the highest charge, and so energy flows from the battery storage to other components that are using electrical energy.

This component takes energy from the input side, and transforms it across to the output side to full charge. This means you can charge batteries and power components with full power, even when the input circuit has low charge, for example where batteries are running out of energy. With a small size of only 2 blocks, this component has a limited rate and it takes some time to charge.

The main expected uses for this component is to regulate charge output of your batteries, so lights or other electronics do not dim when battery charge is dropping, or to charge a battery to full from another battery that is almost empty.

Electrical systems will be all the more useful in the upcoming v1.0 release on Sept 17th 2020, where players will be able to connect systems easily using the new hand held cables to link electrical points.

Let us know your thoughts on the new electric charger component, and any other ideas you have on the electrical systems, and how we could develop them further.

This single component is just a small minor update as we invest most of our energy in all the full release.
We continue to work hard on improving the new features and quality of the Version 1.0 Update, and with less than 5 weeks to go, we are all super excited to share what we have been working on with you.

As always, we will be back with more details and information on upcoming development next week.

Much love <3,

The Stormworks Developers

v0.10.34

Fix - Environment mod 0 limit not spawning multiple instances

v0.10.35

Feature - Electric Charger

Dear Stormworkers,

The New Radar Detector Block

This week we add a single component while our focus remains on v1.0 with less than 7 weeks to go before the big release!

We are adding the radar detector block. This new component detects when radar is actively interrogating the block. This completes the radar components set, allows you to detect nearby radar systems, and indicates your own radar visibility.

The New Telemetry API

Following the previous telemetry minor update, we discussed this feature with the community and revised the feature so that it allows simple HTTP GET communication, only with the your own PC. This means you can be confident that any workshop items that you download does not have access to your local network and cannot use your internet connection, which was a major concern for some players.

If you wish to communicate with network or internet resources, this can easily be done by running your own script or program outside of Stormworks that can talk to Stormworks using the new telemetry API. This also means any use of your network or internet is explicit and you are entirely in control of your connection.

Fixes

We have also been working hard on bugs and fixes, and several important issues are resolved with this update and previous hot fixes over the last couple of weeks. This includes a fix for a major cause of crashes in multiplayer. We continue to work hard on these quality improvements and are investing a lot of time and energy into continuing to improve the quality and stability of Stormworks.

V1.0

Following some confusion, we will make clear - if you have bought Stormworks, you own Stormworks and will not have to buy it again when the new update comes out!

As always, we continue to work hard on the upcoming v1.0 update. Thank you to everyone who sent us messages of support, we really appreciate it, and makes all the work much easier :-)

Much love <3,

The Stormworks Developers

Patch Notes

v0.10.32

Rework - Http command reworked and re-enabled
Fix - CTD caused by microprocessors in multiplayer
Fix - Minor MacOS fixes

v0.10.33

Feature - Radar Detector

Fix - 64bit Spark particle issues
Fix - Occasional CTD when returning a vehicle with ropes to workbench

Dear Stormworks,

This week we add the ability to communicate with a http server from within a lua script.

What does this mean? Get ready for an extremely technical update announcement!

Telemetry

With the ability to send and receive data to and from a http server on your computer, players could connect telemetry systems for their home cockpits. You can use this new feature to control any connected system such as real world cockpit lights, indicators, dials, the lighting in your room, hydraulics, force feedback and more.

For our more technical players who are interested in electronics and software, this means Stormworks can start to enter the real world. Piloting could become much more in depth for players with with cockpit hardware, introducing a whole new dimension to vehicle building.

Rich Presence

Players can send any data they wish from a LUA script to their own http server software. If you can script a http server, then buttons or information in Stormworks can be fed anywhere. When you eject, do you want to announce your coordinates as a distress message on Twitter? Do you want your Discord status to reflect your speed and heading? Perhaps you run a server and you want time and weather data with a real time ATC style map showing where all vehicles or radar contacts are?

Data Display

The new LUA functions mean you can read any data outside of Stormworks into your LUA block. If you can script a http server, you can send any information you want into game. Get real world news headlines on screen, have an in-game Discord chat, or get notifications of what games have just been discounted on Steam.

Limitations

In multiplayer, these scripts are run locally, so while a script may read cockpit buttons correctly in single player, the script does not know what information should be replicated on the network, and thus a players own cockpit telemetry will not affect the simulation on the server. This is only a minor limitation as Stormworks already supports 48 button inputs via the Direct Input API, which work over multiplayer.

We can't wait to see what players do with this new feature and are really excited to see what new intelligent systems are created.

While we respect that this feature doesn't necessarily impact all players immediately, it is the kind of feature that Stormworks should have, and many players have asked for. There is also the usual list of improvements and fixes in the patch notes below.

Much love <3,

The Stormworks Developers

Patch Notes

v0.10.29

Fix - Physics acceleration client desync

v0.10.30

Feature - Microprocessor Telemetry HTTP Requests
async.HTTPRequest(fail_callback, success_callback, url, method, headers, body)

A further example can be found in the lua help tab.

Rework - Editor warnings no longer generate on vehicle load if they are toggled off (this should boost load times back to previous rates, editor warnings are now generated when the setting is toggled on)
Rework - Winch physics nodes now more consistent and less buoyant (reduced winch physics issues in water)
Rework - Removed blood particles from heat-box damage
Rework - Reduced number of blood particles when damaged by propellers

Fix - macOS several issues including shader issues and crashes

Dear Stormworkers,

This week we have returned to focus on water jets, turbine jets, and solid rocket booster improvements! We have made a series of changes, improvements and fixes to improve the player experience. This update was inspired by a group of feature requests from the issues board.

Jet turbine engines and solid rocket exhausts now damage the player (when player damage is turned on) so players must now use care when around live engines.

We have also fixed rotor and propeller damage so now these are back to being extremely dangerous. When player damage is turned on, they will apply huge force and damage if they come in contact with a player or survivor.

Water jets are back! We have re-balanced water jets to be more powerful, but with a power ceiling, making jets most suitable for small boats or manoeuvring thruster control on larger boats.

Please see the patch notes below for the full list of all changes.

Please stay tuned for many, many more fixes and improvements yet to come. If there are specific changes or fixes that are important to you, please make sure we know using the "feature request" and "report a bug" buttons in game.

Make sure to check in next Friday for more info on the upcoming major update!

Much love <3

The Stormworks Developers

Patch Notes

v0.10.27

Fix - CTD when updating a microprocessor that has connected logic nodes

v0.10.28

Feature - Solid Rockets and Jet Engine Damage Hitboxes

Balance- Water Jet now requires electric to modify controls
Balance - Ski now requires electric to steer
Balance - Water Jet thrust now more powerful

Fix - Multiplayer physics frame acceleration leading to stuttering
Fix - Editor warnings on offset nodes disregarding component rotation
Fix - Manual hinged doors faces missing
Fix - Network desync between open state of custom doors
Fix - Door physics raycasting overwriting closer raycasts
Fix - Removed redundant electric nodes from Gripper and Fluid Connector
Fix - Propellers not applying damage
Fix - Component centre of mass calculations improved