Surviving the Abyss: Unstable Branch & Update 0.3.0 Preview

Unstable Branch

1. Fully exit and relaunch Steam (you should be prompted to log in again) if it is already open.
   
2. Right click Surviving the Abyss in your Steam Library and select the Properties Window.
   
3. Navigate to the Betas tab within the Properties Window.
   
4. Enter 'unstabletesting' in the text box and click 'Check Code'
   
5. Select the Unstable branch in the 'Beta Parcipitation' dropdown.
   
6. Ensure the name of the game in your steam library is now followed by 'Unstable'
   

Important notes:

Changelog:

Genomes, and creating the genetic sequence:

• The next phase of our Cloning updates. We are significantly changing the creation of the genetic sequence to improve the feeling of splicing genomes together for new effects.
  
• Genome collection is streamlined, you now only need access to a genome and can use it permanently (unless the habitat is destroyed or depleted) and do not need to stockpile genomes.
  
• New effects for combinations of genomes are also included along with QoL changes to cloning.
  
• The cloning interface has also undergone significant changes to support the new features.
  
• Cloning lab now displays a predicted population when left running.
  
• Added alert when cloning gets interrupted
  
• Fixing possible null error in cloning lab ui
  
• Clamping max cloning slots to 8
  

New type of Clones (Basic Clones):

• Basic Clones are now the first type you will encounter, these clones are far more imperfect and can only undertake menial roles on the base. This update feeds into our updates to the game pacing and progression changes.
  

The Anomaly:

• Signifigant changes to the Anomaly. includes changes to pacing of the game, the point at which the anomaly appears and how it interacts with the Player in the early and late game. We'll give a little more detail on this alongside the update releasing!
  
• Threat Effects will get activated on load upto the correct tier.
  
• Changes to music and audio effects related to the Anomaly
  

Game Pacing / Staging:

• We're putting focus on the games pacing and the players journey through different biomes towards the late game. Biomes have been tweaked to push the player into more exploration and encourage exploring new biomes to access important resources.
  

New Buildings:

• Automation Module: Can replace the labour or Basic Clones.
  
• Tidal Generator: Provides signifigant power output with no fuel cost, but only available within the Kelp Forest Biome.
  
• Bio Generator (O2): Provides signifigant oxygen output with no fuel cost, but only available within the Coral Reefs Biome.
  

Save/Load:

• Brig now has small delay before kicking out crew -> fix a load issue
  
• Fix for fauna depleting while stabilized (and causing save/load problems)
  

Power:

• Improvements for combining power grids with improved UX
  
• Remove buildings from all power grids on destroy
  
• Added error handling when loading power gens
  
• Power Lens active when building a power line
  
• Removed the limit on powerline placement
  
• Temporary colour on effected buildings
  

Crew:

• Fix to force crew leave a building when incapacitated ( e.g. sick crew )
  
• Making clone lab pause when there are not enough slots to prevent issues with crew assignment potentially cancelling cloning
  
• Fixed Issues with de-assigning crew mid transport ( when they are moving towards the building )
  
• Fixed an issue with assigning to a powered down building
  
• Fixed Bug where crew will walk to building if unassigned midway
  
• Removed the crew limit on recreational buildings
  
• Reduced recreational effect range 70 -> 40
  

UI:

• Alloy furnace UI Improvements.
  
• Rm unused status tags for improved perforamnce.
  
• Resource tags switch between icons/dots depending on size
  
• Increased the size of the power / o2 ui to allow multiple digits
  
• Changed power/oxygen consumption text to red when required > current
  
• New building images added
  
• Techtree width updated
  
• Adding status tags for Air Quality when building tunnels
  
• Adding HUD item for air quality
  
• Removed fauna counts from biome lens
  
• Sub map doesnt reset zoom
  
• Central hub power/destroy/repair buttons disabled
  
• Updated Icon on OutpostPlacement
  
• Updated Brig UI To Only show one open slot at a time
  
• Set fuel resources to show depleting tooltip and fuel lens resource count when consumption > production
  
• Set fuel resources to use a resource model to reduce multiple calls to update tooltip
  
• Updated production/manufacturing buildings to show total daily usage(kept per unit countdown/progress)
  
• Marine stabiliser now shows correct efficiency
  
• Updating new resources icons to be more consistent.
  

Misc:

• Fixed multiple small bugs with building attachments such as research lab modules.
  
• Fixing a few objects still being visible in darkness
  
• Make right click movement move at same speed as mouse world position
  
• Emission will not display when outside the light radius
  
• Stop resources & rocks from spawning too close to outpost spawn point
  
• Increase tree count in coral reef
  
• Automatic UV Mode
  
• Make sure the uv mode has been unlocked before it is automatically turned on
  

Tutorial:

• Added tutorial steps for Air Quality.
  
• Removing stockpile coal tutorial event.
  
• Updated population task to be dynamic
  

Events:

• Malnourished crew event gives tasks
  
• Multiple changes to the rewards / outcomes of POI events
  

Resources:

• Resource Lens/Counts use all lit and scanned resources
  
• Small scanned resources cannot get expedition
  
• Fuel lens fix when filtering coal/oil
  
• Removed coal/oil from resources lens
  

BIomes:

• Coral reef/Kelp forest available at start
  
• DarkGlows available after Coral
  
• Basalt available after Kelp
  
• Volcanic available after DarkGlows/Basalt
  

Exploration:

• Change to allow any specialist type to be selected for expeditions
  
• Fixed exploration sub status message en route to target
  

Brig / Aggession:

• Specialists will show up in brig assigning
  
• Crew show as imprisoned on crew management screen
  
• Fixed bug where crew would auto assign over others in brig
  

Balancing:

• Some tweeks to event rewards and science production
  
• Fix for not producing enough food with 1 carb farm
  
• Reworked destroyed lab objective
  
• Beacons no longer discover biomes, building outpost/other lights can
  
• Fixing rare instances of resources failing to spawn in starting zone
  
• Adjusting some building costs to use Copper / Aluminium
  
• Buffed generalist genomes slightly
  
• Changing warnings for malnourished and air quality so they appear less severe
  
• Crew with low health can now become sick
  
• Only engineer / scientist and above require HQ food
  
• Added extra starting crew
  
• Added more basic clone slots
  
• Adjusted crew requirements on various mid game buildings
  
• Expedition subs can only be sent with full crew count
  
• Anomaly Darkness Effect will destroy buildings instead of damage them
  
• Anomaly Attack that turns off the light will leave a temporary icon on the building