In this episode, hear an AI summary of the latest Star Atlas community event. Full video recordings can be found on the YouTube channel of Star Atlas TV at https://www.youtube.com/@staratlastv.
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Podcast Transcript
This Atlas Brew episode centered around the exciting release of the latest Unreal Engine 5 patch for Star Atlas, available now for download via the Epic Games Store. The patch is described by those who have played it as fantastic and the most replayable patch ever released, bringing the kind of gameplay loop the team has been striving for. Brad, a gameplay engineer who worked heavily on the build, also joined the conversation to provide context, particularly on the mining updates. The development team is noted for shipping very fast, with this being the third UE5 update this year alone, showing a significant increase in development pace compared to the past. The team expressed immense pride in the progress and the dedication of everyone involved.
A major focus of the patch is the introduction of dedicated servers, alongside a new multiplayer hosting and joining lobby flow, which includes the ability to ready up before a game. Significant visual changes have been made to Pisols Arena, adding much more texture and giving it “Coliseum vibes”. The Pierce X5 ship is also reaching its final in-game model stage, with animation work still underway. Player experience is improved with the addition of custom keybind remapping, a highly requested feature. New game modes and activities include an MVP version of co-op dog fighting, where up to four players can fight against 12 waves of enemies, described as “spaceship god zombies”. Multiplayer racing has seen significant improvements to its flow and feel. Map updates include changes to Gateway, based on community feedback, opening up the map more and providing more ways to access the central area. Progress continues on the Uru map, which remains in its white box phase. A seemingly small but impactful update is the ability to shoot through railings in the gunplay trainer. The new multiplayer lobby allows hosting dedicated servers if at least four players join. Movement abilities can now be chained together, such as boosting and sliding upon landing, leading to smoother gameplay. General optimizations and additions of cool VFX and SFX were also included, along with numerous bug fixes.
A significant portion of the discussion, led by Brad, detailed the extensive mining updates. Minables, like asteroids and surface rocks, now have random stats including richness (ore quantity multiplier), hardness (drilling time), complexity (mini-game difficulty), and volatility (stability loss rate). Minables also come in four types (metallic, carbonaceous, silicate, V type), each with different drop pools, and now appear in different sizes and difficulty ratings. Mining lasers themselves will eventually have stats like power (combats hardness), damping (combats complexity), and recovery (combats volatility), though the mechanism to change ship loadouts is not yet implemented. The mining laser now has a toggle function activated by left-click, and players can overclock their laser power with right-click, doubling the speed at the risk of overheating. Crucially, players must now manually shut off their laser when reaching the green zone in the depth meter, as going past it results in massive stability loss. Mining with weapons is now possible, allowing players to blast minables with lasers, but this incurs a massive stability penalty, resulting in a high percentage of gang (waste). Mining on planets like Praatau, Lagar, and Urbis is now a feature, allowing players to fly to the surface, ping, and find minables. The Tip and Compact Hero ships are now set up for mining in addition to the default Scud Miner. The tractor beam has a new tether function using left-click, which allows players to grab and manipulate chunks, useful for accessing break points on surfaces, though multiplayer replication of this physics-based feature presents engineering challenges. A future mining rig is planned which will process ore and eject gang on board.
In addition to the patch details, several other points were covered. A community-hosted tournament called Iris Quest, primarily run by the Kimera folks, is happening soon, offering prizes including Atlas and ship prizes. Participants can join the Iris Quest Discord server to get involved. Star Atlas is also starting a new initiative for more YouTube content, beginning with a patch rundown video planned for release later the same day. A community initiative called the Phoenix Boss was highlighted, a real-life bus equipped for education on Star Atlas, blockchain, AI, and web3 gaming. Finally, a new weekly event called Galia Gaming Nights was announced, taking place every Friday at the same time as a previous event, where the community and team will join together to play Star Atlas UE5 game modes. The aim is for these sessions to be casual gatherings for practice, acknowledging that skills learned will eventually be crucial for survival in the metaverse.
