VS2.3
Work on wheels continues. They’re not ready for a video preview yet – but I can already show you Wheel Suspension construction and fractures.
We are also working on thruster flame and effects randomization, so every ignition not only feels unique, but truly is.
As you probably noticed, we are constantly tweaking and improving our planetary biomes. One example is the automatic addition of snow to flora in snowy biomes. It helps these environments feel more natural and more consistent, because vegetation now reflects the conditions around it instead of looking unchanged regardless of climate.
Small environmental details like this help the planets feel more believable and give each biome a stronger identity.
And our designers are already working on more planetary stations and Random Encounters. We want planets to feel more alive and give you more reasons to keep exploring, not just for resources, but for discovery itself. Expanding these locations and encounters this early in development helps make each journey less predictable and gives the world more variety.
Art Team
I have a few more “leaks” from our Art Team – a new Flight Seat and more detailed shots of both Merge Blocks.
Poplar-like Trees
Where are my tree fans? I have another treat for you!
Here you can see a first look at our new poplar-like trees. I like how these help shape the landscape in a different way than our existing vegetation – they add more vertical variety. Some of these versions include features like ivy and mushroom growth, which help make the environment feel more dense.
VS3 – Water
25cm Holes
In our previous water teasers – and even in the live build dev tools – you could see that the water was still quite sluggish and did not really want to flow through openings smaller than a 2.5 m block. That is why I am genuinely very excited to show you this: water flowing through a 25 cm hole in our internal build!
Note: Water flows nicely from the 25 cm hole in this video, but the rendered water volume is larger than 25 cm, and you can see water appearing behind the second wall. These are just work-in-progress visual imperfections, not problems with the water simulation itself. Improving water rendering is one of our next steps.
I’m really happy about this one. For me, this is a huge milestone, because it shows that the simulation is becoming much more precise and much closer to the behavior we want. Watching water finally move through an opening this small feels like one of those moments where the whole vision suddenly clicks.
It gives me a lot of confidence that we are getting closer to making water feel like a true gameplay system in Space Engineers 2, not just a visual effect.
Waterline Rendering
We started working on another important part of water that is waterline rendering.
It may sound like a small visual detail, but it matters a lot for selling the illusion of being partly above and partly below the surface – whether you are looking out from a cockpit, moving along a shoreline, or eventually piloting boats and submarines. Getting that transition to look right is a key step toward making lakes, rivers, and oceans feel believable as real spaces you can engineer in and around.
Full Blog Post: https://blog.marekrosa.org/2026/04/mareks-dev-diary-april-30-2026/
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