The Farm update has been published for Helium Rain, including a new sector, graphics upgrades and many fixed issues !
New sector : the Farm
We've added a new playable sector around Nema, one that specializes in food production. The Farm features gravity rings with rotating sections for growing food in sunlight.
Graphics upgrades
While graphics are secondary to the current work on the economy and gameplay features, it's still important to keep the game looking good. The lighting has been improved, featuring back-lighting from planets to have smoother ambient lighting ; and the rings of Nema now have a much cleaner terminator.

Some other graphical tweaks include nicer hulls, some updated HUD icons, etc.
Technical changes
We're still on bug-hunting duty. No less than 11 bugs have been fixed in this version - all major bugs we were aware of have been fixed. We're still looking for information on some random crashes, but this update will also make it easier for us to track it down.
Fix crash on travel
- Fix notification freeze at the end of a travel
- Fix some skirmishes not counted as a win despite victory
- Fix incorrect additional binding for thrust input
- Fix AI stations upgrading stations beyond max level
- Fix company logo covering some contract descriptions
- Fix useless cargo bays in complexes
- Fix cargo bay lock system
- Fix complex's shipyard not always starting production
- Fix random crash on opening the sector menu
- Fix some cases of scrapping not going back from the menu
We're also bringing an updated Unreal Engine version that was tested on the beta channel for a month. This version should, among minor changes, fix some occurences of random game crashes. As usual, you can find the
full changelog at Gamepedia.
What's next ?
Our next update will bring new economy features, including a company log with all your company's transactions. We'll also work on addressing end-game issues, and possibly performance issues on day simulation.

Have fun, and keep the feedback coming so that we can make Helium Rain ever better !
[ 2018-03-25 19:04:42 CET ] [ Original post ]