A new update for Astroneer, the procedurally-generated sandbox game that lets players explore and colonize new worlds, heads to PC and Xbox One today. The Basebuilding Update provides new printable items, modules and “free standing movable base platforms.” The latest Astroneer patch even overhauls the power system and new art for several frequently seen assets.
System Era Softworks is calling it the “biggest update to date” and a quick glance at patch notes for the Basebuilding Update make it an easy claim to believe. Astroneer version 0.6 transforms the existing power system into one that relies on “streaming shared power pools.”
We’ll let the studio explain:
That means items that need power pull from available power generators on a connected network. All Modules, Rovers, and crashed solar arrays have been migrated to use this new power system. To see how a network is doing, check out the new power indicators on platforms.
Power cables and cable connectors both received new art, along with half a dozen other components of your average Astroneer base, and a directional power tool called an Extender makes its debut this week. Printed items were also subject to a major change: new packaging. It might not sound like much, but deploying printed items in crates gives players the option of constructing the modules they’ll need on a new world before departing. Instead of starting fresh on the next planet, players can constructpre-build components of their next HQ before abandoning their old digs. You’ll still have to do some follow-up work on your new home but it won’t take nearly as long to assemble a functional base.
For a closer look at Astroneer’s new Basebuilding Update, take a few minutes to check out the corresponding trailer from System Era Softworks. Then head down to the comments and let us know what you new feature(s) you’re most excited to experiment with.
To see complete patch notes for the Basebuilding Update, head to the Astroneer forums.
Astroneer is currently available on Xbox One and PC.
Be sure to check back with Player.One and follow Scott on Twitter for more Astroneer news in 2018 and however long System Era Softworks supports Astroneer in the years ahead.
- The good kind of timesink, where the value lies in the journey rather than the endgame.
- Very accessible, especially to newcomers in the genre.
- Intuitive mechanics and controls.
- Neat, pretty art design; lots of variation between the different planets.
- Great music and sound design.
- Enjoyable across different skill levels, and for both solo and co-op players.
- Your mileage may vary in solo, as it gets lonely after a bit.
- Some problems with the diagetic UI mechanics, especially with bigger objects.
- Lack of clear goals and objectives may turn some people off - but if you already knew that then this genre is not in any way up your alley.
