We added Classic Survival to Space Engineers 2 – a new scenario available directly in the world creation screen, no mod required. It’s a harsher, more grounded playstyle where getting to space feels like a real challenge rather than a quick first step.
Here’s what changes when you start a Classic Survival world (regular worlds are unaffected):
We introduced voxel-based resource yields from planetary terrain – soil yields Iron, rock yields Nickel, and sand yields Silicon. Asteroid materials are unchanged, and space gameplay remains intentionally challenging. We limited the components available for backpack building, rebalanced welder and grinder speeds (MK1 up to 1.25×, MK2 and MK3 adjusted for smoother progression), tweaked the hand drill secondary mode radius, and updated the ore yield balance – Iron slightly down, Nickel and Silicon slightly up. We also simplified basic block recipes and adjusted starter component crafting costs (steel plates, construction components, steel tubes, glass). Overall, the experience is very close to the community feedback mod version, with some minor ore balance tweaks on top.
Alongside Classic Survival, we made a couple of general improvements that apply to all modes. We added the Smelter Block to initial unlocks and integrated it into the first-time user experience, with a map marker and onboarding tooltips that now cover all production blocks rather than just the Gearforge – this should help prevent early-game softlocks. We also updated the HUD notification for ore collection so it now displays across two lines for better readability.
Thanks to everyone for the valuable feedback. It’s a pleasure to develop a game for such a passionate community!
I have to share another amazing creation – something that is already possible right now in VS 2.2!
And I have something special for you – can you guess what it is?
It is the first shot of our new Space Engineers 2 Timer Block in action!
We also have groups working for toolbar actions and control in our internal build:
Final Remote Control block. During its design, we made sure players can immediately recognize which side is forward, so there is no confusion when placing it or reading it at a glance.
And I can also give you a sneak peek at another of our Wall Insert blocks – this time featuring pipe greebling!
We are also working on bullet decals to make combat damage more visible and to give you clearer feedback about where your shots are hitting during a fight. Better hit feedback makes combat easier to read and realistic.
VS4 – NPCs Progress
Our work on NPCs for VS 4 is progressing nicely, and we already have one important piece working in the VRAGE3 Editor – behavior trees.
Here you can see the Behavior Tree in action during a patrolling behavior, shown directly in-game as a development overlay.
Our NPCs will have two visual cones defining their field of view. The first is a wider cone, where the NPC becomes alerted but does not immediately spot you. The second is narrower and more focused – once you enter it, the NPC reacts to your presence.
And here you can see a quick work-in-progress preview of the first NPC reactions to player actions – in this case, reacting to being shot. The NPC tries to move to the best available cover and stay hidden instead of standing in the open.
You can expect this kind of reaction mainly from civilian NPCs. But do not worry – we will teach them how to fight back in time 😉
Full Blog Post: https://blog.marekrosa.org/2026/04/mareks-dev-diary-april-23-2026/
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