Maia 0.61 is out now. Right now. This build brings many new useful features to the game and a significant amount of tweaks and fixes.

Here’s a video of me playing the latest release:

Interface

This update brings several new user interface and management tools to the game. Room options are now available and allow for managing the stockpiling of items, new security features and even tweaking the lighting of a room. Just click a room to see the available options. Carefully managing these fine grained controls can significantly improve the efficiency of a busy base.

 

 

When placing items the UI now presents more useful information about whether an object is reachable, and visible paths are shown to illustrate how the colonists would walk to the item.

Movement orders

You can now practice your interior design skills and rearrange items in your base using the new movement order. By click-dragging on an item you will create a new move order and your colonists will push the items to their new locations. Utility robots given movement orders will use them as waypoints and if they are not too busy, go directly to the locations.

 

The tutorial has been significantly reworked and with more guidance and information, and provides an easier and clearer first contact with the game. Even experienced players may find it useful to give it another go.

Planning

Build priority changes for better base flow and design. Colonists are now more aware of the flow of a base and will order door builds based on the need of that specific room. They will also no longer have complete emotional breakdowns when locked in a room with no doors, so will build one if it is placed. They will also share workbenches more efficiently and the amount of duplicated builds has been reduced.

Suit refill points are now critical to surface operations. You can no longer build items far away from your base and must build a supply chain to the item so your colonists can restock their suits and rest.

 

 

Resuscitation and first aid has been added, allowing colonists to save unconscious members of the team (if they like them enough). Just ensure you pick some colonists with medical skills as improperly given resuscitation can give patients other health complications.

Other notable changes:

• Colonists with surface walking skills will now walk much faster in suits.
• Atmosphere generator output increased a little.
• Vent system tweaked to push less air than the atmosphere generator.
• Medical emergencies are now mentioned by the base announcer.
• Probe generation fixed. Every map now has several lost robotic probes to find.
• Tutorial spelling mistakes fixed.
• Migration event emails now lock onto specific creature.
• Camera locks on to colonist who sent an email when it is opened.
• Utility robot infotip fixed.
• If an AI is destroyed in code they will now properly release any item they were using.
• Tutorial can now be completed using the alt-rotate.
• Text overlays for objects and rooms are no longer drawn when an email is open.
• Mouseover text is hidden if the player opens the manifest.
• Cursor animations for left and right clicking.
• Cursor size options added to the menu.
• Capsules should no longer land next to each other.
• Holes in several environment models fixed.
• Fix for pathfinding bug where colonists went to wrong interaction point, potentially getting stuck.
• Interface options menu split off.
• Lights brighten when mouse-overed.
• Tracking sound fixed to only fire when clicking a living item.
• Sounds for selecting colonists on the menu added.
• Sounds for turning on and off heaters fixed.
• Fixed several colonist animation bugs.
• General game code improvements and optimisations.
• Inter-gameobject messaging improved code quality and to reduce bugs.
• Engine render calls made more efficient.
• Lava lights fixed.
• Lava optimisations.

As you may be aware, we are rapidly approaching beta, so do send us all your bugs and issues. Be sure to get yourself on the development branch to see all the latest changes.

That’s all for now. If you like these updates be sure to drop us feedback via Twitter and Steam reviews.