Alpha

💻 Space Engineers 2 Alpha – Hotfix 0.12.23.32, Dev Diary

30/01/2025

Hotfix 0.12.23.32 has been released!

If you have issues running the game, please make sure your drivers are up-to-date as a first step. Drivers older than 2023 are not supported.

Crash fixes

  • Fixed a GPU crash in Particles shader
  • Fixed a GPU crash in Terrain shader
  • Fixed a GPU crash in Armor shader
  • Fixed a crash at PaintToolControllableComponent.PaintToolActive
  • Fixed a crash at GridImpactDamageReceiverComponent.ProcessDestructions
  • Fixed a crash at HavokBreakHandler.AfterSolve
  • Fixed a crash at Library.Filesystem.MountPathResolver.EnumerateFiles
  • Fixed a crash at ManagedTexturePrioritizerComponent_GeneratedContainer
  • Fixed a crash at BlockPlacerEntityComponent.CheckMountPointIsValid (another iteration)
  • Fixed a crash at BlockPlacerEntityComponent.ApplyRotation (another iteration)

Assertion fixes

  • Fixed an assertion at PlayerControllerComponent.OnControlledEntityRemoved
  • Fixed an assertion at ShaderManager.CheckShaderDefines / particleemitterprocess.hlsl

“I am really happy to see SE2 players satisfied with the performance across different hardware setups! While we still have more optimization planned – especially for upcoming features like planets and volumetric water – it’s wonderful to see our VRAGE3 engine delivering smooth gameplay even on older GPUs. Your excited feedback fuels our commitment to performance!

Thank you for all the honest Steam Reviews so far. If you haven’t left your thoughts yet, consider leaving your Steam Review.”

🚀 https://blog.marekrosa.org/2025/01/mareks-dev-diary-january-30-2025.html

Features and improvements we are actively working on:

  • We’re aware of incompatibility at launch of Space Engineers 2 on Intel Arc A-Series and Core Ultra Series 1 built-in Arc GPUs. We are working with Intel to enable the game experience and will provide relevant updates as development progresses.
  • Some blocks are decorative-only for now (for example, the Assembler is present but cannot produce components)
  • The Blueprint interface is currently in its initial version. Additional features and improvements will be introduced in upcoming updates.
  • Performance
    • Performance optimization is ongoing. For Alpha release, we’re targeting 16x Red Ship grids at 60 FPS on recommended hardware.
    • The game simulation continues even when the menu is open (no pause function) and Autosave may cause brief lags during gameplay. Performance may temporarily drop when pasting or attaching blueprints.
    • Performance optimizations of ship collisions and destruction are ongoing, so it won’t be lag-free at this moment. We will be continuously improving it in the following updates.
    • PCU values per block may appear higher compared to Space Engineers 1, reflecting SE2’s increased detail and more precise performance measurements. While the current total PCU limit is set at 400,000 in VS1, we plan to raise this threshold in future updates as we implement scheduled optimization improvements.
  • The current GUI (Graphical User Interface) and HUD (Heads-Up Display) are works in progress. Our team is prioritizing core functionality first. Once we’ve confirmed all features are working as intended, we’ll enhance the visual design and overall aesthetics.
  • The inventory system will be implemented in a future update
  • Fracture models will receive additional visual updates in future versions.
  • Character shadow in first-person mode is disabled temporarily and will be re-enabled in future animation updates. Animations for uphill/downhill movement, jumping, and tools will be refined in the future update.
  • Inverse kinematics (IK) is not yet implemented.
  • Toolbar block groups and sizes (block selection via R key) are a temporary mechanism and will be redesigned in a near update.
  • Undo/redo functionality for the paint tool is not implemented yet, but internally we already have it, so it will be available in a near update. Changing block colors currently requires switching to the paint tool, but this will be streamlined. In addition, the paint tool’s limited palette is temporary; future updates will include RGB/HSV color settings and custom palettes.
  • Many small HUD and UX improvements didn’t make it into VS1 but are planned for future updates.
  • Jetpack mechanics are being polished, including adjustments to boost, acceleration, sound effects, and camera shake (note: in an internal build we are already finishing jetpack 2.0, with more pronounced boost mechanics… so please expect changes in VS 1.2)
  • The off-center third-person camera for characters and ships is not yet implemented, but we are working on it, aiming to get it to one of the next updates.
  • Ship controls are functional but will be further refined with target-based gyroscope controls.
  • Enhanced sound effects are coming, including jetpack audio, debug gun, ship sounds and destruction.
  • Tutorials will be added closer to the end of development.
  • Keyboard and mouse controls are not customizable yet, but they will be!
  • The Alpha releases in English language, more localizations will follow
  • Recoloring some blocks is limited to certain sides only – this will be fixed in the following update
  • Sometimes character peeks through cockpit – this will be fixed in the following update

Thank you for helping us make the game better!

Summarization