by Gilles

Weekly Update
Hello, crew! Welcome back to our sometimes-weekly update on all things Unitystation. Whether you've been floating with us since the beginning or you've just hopped aboard, we're thrilled to have you here.

This week, we're especially excited to share some groundbreaking developments – and yes, you guessed it right! We're unveiling the first iteration of the new faith system. But enough preamble, let's get to the good stuff!
</section>Attention crew members! Strap in and get ready for some electrifying news. Thanks to the tireless efforts of MaxIsJoe, our jumpsuits just got a high-tech upgrade[github.com]: suit sensors are now live in Unitystation!

Wondering what these shiny new sensors do? Well, they're not just for show. These sensors, integrated seamlessly into your jumpsuits, come with varied settings to provide essential info. Whether you're the CMO keeping an eye on the crew's well-being or just a fellow astronaut wanting to keep tabs, these sensors have got you covered.

 

Here's how you can customize your suit sensor:

1. Turned Off: Go incognito. With this setting, you're off the grid. However, it comes with a fair warning: If you find yourself in trouble, locating you might be a challenge.
2. Vitals: With this setting, others can monitor your health status. Perfect for those risky spacewalks or when you're unsure about that alien plant you just ate.
3. Full: The ultimate tracking package. This not only keeps an eye on your health but also broadcasts your exact location. Whether you're lost in the dark recesses of the station or just want someone to find you for a space coffee, this setting has your back.

Remember to set those sensors, crew. Stay safe and stay connected!


Remember those sudden, round-ending blasts resulting from reactor meltdowns, often thanks to a stray clown wandering into the reactor room? Well, those days are now a thing of the past.

Due to overwhelming feedback, Bod9001 has finely tuned the nuclear reactor's mechanics[github.com]. The result? No more spontaneous explosions — unless someone is going out of their way to cause one. Instead of the dreaded explosion, the reactor will experience a meltdown. This entails the cooling pipes bursting and releasing a massive amount of heat, leading to the literal melting of the reactor chamber. This process results in the formation of corium, closely mirroring real-life nuclear events.

For those unfamiliar with the term, corium can be thought of as the aftermath of a reactor meltdown. Initially resembling molten lava, it eventually solidifies into a minable rock. However, don't be deceived by its static appearance — chorium continuously emits heat and radiation until it's safely discarded.

That being said, if your heart is set on creating a round-ending explosion for more... nefarious reasons, it's still possible. The secret lies in using a highly enriched uranium rod instead of the standard variant. But tread carefully: these rods are exclusive to traitors.
t's a scenario many of us have faced: you've wrapped up your space jog, and with your oxygen levels dipping, you're keen to get back to the safety of the station. You reach the airlock, ready for a smooth entry. But then, the relentless push of pressure greets you, playing a tug-of-war as you try to move forward only to be nudged back. It was always a jarring experience, making things look more glitched than they were.

Thankfully, those days are behind us. Bod9001 has come to the rescue again[github.com], refining the mechanics of space wind. Instead of a mere nudge, space wind now gives you quite the toss.



_{Note that in the gif there is a huge amount of gasses throwing the engineer around because of the reactor meltdown. Also note that wind flying time has been reduced now, but I still used this gif because I find it funny.}
Navigating space just became a tad safer. Thanks to JesterX666, the previously glitchy shuttle radars that turned a blind eye to looming asteroids have been rectified[github.com]. Now, with fully functioning radars, you can confidently embark on your journey without the unexpected surprises from those stealthy space rocks. Safe travels!
Last but not least, we have to talk about the introduction of the new faith system. Inspired by RimWorld, MaxIsJoe has been developing a new system with the chaplain as protagonist[github.com], and not only elevates the chaplain's role from mere cosmetic existence but also intertwines spirituality with gameplay for the entire crew.

 
At its core, the faith system offers a doorway into the mysterious realms of SS13's occult and religious lore. But rather than being mere backstory fluff, this system is fully integrated into your day-to-day gameplay.
 

Roles and Faith: As a chaplain, you now have the esteemed duty of preaching and inviting others to your faith. Fellow crew members can easily join a faith by right-clicking a chaplain and selecting "Join Faith". However, tread with caution: you cannot be a believer of two faiths simultaneously.

Faith Properties: Each faith comes with its distinct properties, which might set gameplay goals for its followers. For instance, knowledge-based faiths might push crew members to gather as many research points as possible. Conversely, some indulgent faiths might challenge believers to satisfy insatiable appetites or remain inebriated.

Divine Oversight: Gods of these faiths aren't just passive entities. Every six minutes, they assess the station and their followers. Please them, and you might find blessings showered upon you. But fall short, and be prepared to face their wrath in the form of curses.
The faith system is currently in its first iteration and promises more as the system matures. For example:

• Chaplains will be able to anticipate harnessing the power of faith, using points earned from their followers' actions to invoke miracles or secure rare items.
• While many faith properties already come with associated events, some are still in the development phase. The ultimate vision is for all faiths to boast unique styles and event dynamics based on point fluctuations.
• For those who wish to craft their own narrative, the future promises a feature where chaplains and players can design bespoke faiths, breaking free from preset confines.

In summary, the faith system promises a seamless blend of gameplay, roleplay, and narrative, adding another rich layer to the multifaceted world of SS13. Whether you're a devout chaplain or a curious crew member, new spiritual horizons await!

 

And that is the end of today's blog post. I personally look forward for the expansion of the faith system as it looks like a very cool idea.

Also remember that these aren't all the changes we have been introducing, as some changes are subtler than others and can't really be featured in the blog post. For a full list of everything, visit our Changelog Page.

 

In closing, a heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you – our Patreons, players, contributors, and friends. Your continued support, patience, and engagement make all the difference. Here's hoping to catch up with you again next week (fingers crossed)!

 

by Bod9001

Weekly Update
Hello, hello! It's been a little while – a whole month, in fact – since we last connected through our not-so-weekly update blog. Time flies, especially in the dynamic world of Unitystation, and this past month has been a whirlwind of activity. We've been busy bees, merging a plethora of fixes and continually identifying bugs during our Saturday playtests. It's been an intense but rewarding journey.

In the midst of all this, we missed marking a significant milestone – Unitystation's 7th anniversary on October 30th. Our apologies for letting that slip by; we definitely plan to make up for it next time and hope to celebrate this milestone with all of you!

But let's not dwell on missed cake and candles. We're still riding a bit high on the celebratory spirit, and today, we're excited to share with you the most notable game improvements. Moreover, we're looking ahead at what the near future holds, including our aspirations and strategies for the much-anticipated Steam release. So, without further ado, let's dive into the latest news!

FunTimeDudeski has poured his heart and soul into a new away site map: Valley[github.com]. Where every corner tells a story, and every path leads to a new adventure. Please make sure to check it out, and while you wait for the playtest, FunTimeDudeski has provided us with some lore to get in the mood, have a read!


Mystic Valley is an exciting new awaysite for 2-20 players of all ages (though small children and the mentally feeble will certainly perish amidst its many rigors and perils)!

 

• A vast planetoid to explore via gateway (recommended for first-time explorers) or shuttle (Visit it at -4200, -69!)
• Progressive spawns as events are triggered
• A challenging ‘dungeon’ that requires a team effort
• Documents and signs with flavor text and clues throughout
• Can be played RPG-style using what is found in the awaysite or charged into with the best equipment you can get your hands on
• An epilogue roleplay event

A Nanotrasen Modular Offworld Reconaissance & Observation Nexus was deployed to an anomalous remote planetoid two years ago and ceased transmissions almost immediately after landing. Due to circumstances, a follow-up mission was not feasible. The remote site is equipped with a long-range Gateway system with a low-power passive bluespace monitoring signal. In the event of power loss or other catastrophe, the operator is instructed to route embedded backup power supplies to the gateway and activate its distress signal. Your station relayed an encrypted signal from this system two days ago. We have authorized gateway interface to recover the crewperson, assess the status of the site, and assist in the completion of its peaceful reconaissance mission.

 
Big news for Unitystation admins and players alike, courtesy of SerheyKr's hard work and our bounty program! We're excited to announce a significant enhancement in how objectives are managed in-game[github.com], especially for those thrilling antagonist roles.

 

This latest update is a game-changer for admins. They now have access to an array of new tools, allowing for more dynamic and engaging gameplay. Admins can seamlessly manage objectives for all players aboard the station, giving them more power to create dynamic scenarios.


But the real highlight here is the newfound flexibility in handling team objectives for antagonists. Admins can now not only adjust existing objectives but also craft entirely new custom objectives. These can be tailored for specific teams or individual players, including antagonists and ghost roles, injecting a fresh layer of strategy and unpredictability into each session.
In the latest effort to enhance the auditory experience in Unitystation, MaxIsJoe's newest improvement is music to our ears[github.com] – quite literally. Building upon previous efforts to rejuvenate and refine this feature, this update elevates audio control to an entirely new level.

The admin sound player has gotten sweet new features, including:

• Local and global sound play: Play either for everyone or at a position.
• Advanced sound manipulation tools: Every single parameter of a sound can now be fine-tuned and adjusted. This means the power to shape every audio detail to fit the exact needs of any scenario or event.

Hot on the heels of our recent introduction of suit sensors, we're thrilled to announce another pivotal feature from the classic Space Station 13 now implemented in Unitystation: MedHUDs and SecHUDs[github.com]. Thanks Bod!

For the security officers, the SecHUD is a boon. It allows them to quickly assess the declared role on someone's ID and their wanted status as per the Security Console registries. This instant information makes for efficient and effective security management.

On the other hand, the MedHUD is a lifesaver for medical personnel. It provides them with immediate insight into the medical condition of anyone aboard the station. No more guesswork or time wasted in assessing patients – with MedHUD, medical staff can see at a glance who needs help and how urgent their condition is. Medics, you might still need to chase down those crew members who prefer to run around instead of getting treated. But at least now, identifying who needs help is easier than ever.

Get ready for a delightful twist in Unitystation, thanks to the creative mind of MaxIsJoe. As a showcase of the advanced capabilities of their new AI framework, they've introduced an enigmatic new creature to the station through a random in-game event.

Meet the Arials, playful cousins of felines, now set to sporadically visit the station and engage in light-hearted antics with the crew. As a bonus, they're leaving behind new plushies in the dormitories for everyone to enjoy. But a word of caution: try not to pet, hug, or bite these plushies too much!

What makes these Arials so special, you ask? They are some of the first mobs to utilize the newly developed AI system, which remarkably elevates their functionality. These creatures aren't just simple NPCs; they're nearly as complex as players. They can perform emotes, require healing like any crew member, suffer trauma from injuries, and even face dismemberment.

The level of sophistication doesn't end there. Unlike the older mob types that could merely move and occasionally attack, these new creatures can exist in various simultaneous states. This complexity significantly improves their behavior, making interactions with them far more dynamic and unpredictable.

As for what the Arials are capable of doing – well, we wouldn't want to spoil the fun. It's something you'll have to discover on your own during your adventures on the station.
Continuing from where we left off in our last post about the intriguing new Faith system by MaxIsJoe, we're back with some exciting updates on its development and expansion.

The latest enhancement in the Faith system is a real game-changer for chaplains. Now, by diligently fulfilling their spiritual duties, chaplains can earn Faith Points bestowed by the gods (or a singular deity, depending on the belief system in play). These points are not just symbolic tokens of divine favor – they hold real power.


Here's where it gets even more interesting: chaplains can use these accumulated Faith Points to purchase miracles from a specially designed Faith Points Shop. The range of available miracles spans from amusing, cosmetic effects to incredibly useful interventions. Whether you're looking to add a bit of humor to the station's daily life or seeking to gain an edge with some strategic power gaming, there's something for everyone. Keep in mind, though, the more potent the miracle, the higher its cost in Faith Points.

But this is just the tip of the iceberg. The Faith system is set to further evolve, integrating more seamlessly into the unique gameplay loop of Unitystation. With these ongoing enhancements, chaplains can look forward to a more dynamic and impactful role, harnessing divine powers to influence the course of events on the station. Stay tuned for more developments in this divine gameplay element!

So as you might know already, our biggest goal for the longest time now has been finally releasing the game on Steam and I'm glad to tell you that we are right on track for it!

A lot of the effort has focused on everything we need to achieve this goal, as we continue to add features on the side, most of work is now fixing critical bugs, improving our security and  other backend systems.

Recently, Bod has taken this previously abandoned attempt at migrating our authentication and persistence system to one of our own[github.com], developed long ago by Gilles. This is needed because our current system, Firebase, has given us more than one headache and also we want the flexibility of an inhouse open source system. 

The security system, that will scan all code for malicious or dangerous pieces of code, is almost ready to be merged and shipped to production. This, in conjuction with the new backend, will enable us to safely allow everyone to host their servers with their very own modifications! No more whitelisting the server list, no more limiting communities to use our vanilla version of the game.

We intend the experience after releasing in Steam to be as polished as possible, and thus we simply can't tolerate communities not being able to fork the game and make it their own. That's why we have been taking so long. It is a monumental task to make sure everything is flexible enough but also secure.

We're committed to keeping you informed every step of the way as we approach this exciting new chapter. And, of course, we eagerly await the day we can join you all for some Steam-powered Unitystation fun!

 


That wraps up today's blog post. We've only scratched the surface of all the exciting developments happening at Unitystation, and there's plenty more to explore. For those of you who crave the full details, make sure to visit our Changelog Page[www.unitystation.org] to get the complete rundown of all the changes and improvements.

As we close, our heartfelt thanks go out to everyone who's part of this incredible journey. To our patrons, contributors, and players – your support and involvement mean the world to us. Your dedication and passion have fueled this wild and wonderful 7-year journey, filled with challenges, triumphs, and a lot of fun.

If you're looking to stay more connected or want to support our project, don't forget to check out our Discord and Patreon. Join the conversation, be a part of our community, and help us keep the Unitystation dream thriving.

Thank you once again for your unwavering support. Here's to many more years of space-faring adventures and community-driven success!