Why this update is going to be different
At the start of the year, we took a big, long look at the planning for the game and what we sort of realized is that doing updates in the way we’ve done them up until now won’t align with our goal of working towards the final release of the game.
Previously we've always looked at, sort of, what can we develop in the loose timeframe that we’ve set in between updates. So, if there’s work that needs to be done that won’t fit that timeframe, we’ve pushed it up for later. But in doing so it feels like we’re running a marathon in between updates. What we’d rather like to be doing is look at what we need to do in general to finish the game and take the time necessary to do so. And that’s exactly what we’re going to do.
It’s been very exciting for us to make the updates we’ve made up until this point and package them in the way that we’ve done, but we’ve sort of realized that if we’re to reach 1.0 we can’t really follow the same release cycle.
So going forward, we're changing how we’re going to be releasing updates to the game and doing development a bit more openly, showing you things as we’re working on them. Starting by revealing the content for our next Update.
Update 6
Update 6
(working title)
, is going to be all about improving the
exploration
aspect of Satisfactory. This is going to be a smaller update and it’s going to be an update that may stick around in experimental a bit longer than before as we work on it.
It might seem odd that when we finally break the silence after so long, we’re doing it by announcing a smaller update. We have been working on a lot of things since the last update we launched. Some things are going in this update, but many things may come later down the line.
This update will focus on improving the following things in the game
- Environmental changes
- Creature improvements
- Equipment additions
- Improvements to the in-game map menu
- General technical improvements
- (Clock Speed rebalance)
Environmental changes
To kick things off, a formerly quite barren part of the northern coast is receiving a breath-taking update of its terrain and flora to fully live up to its name: The Spire Coast. This is a completely new biome, a serene tropical coastal area, dominated by large spires that can create an interesting challenge for vertically aligned factory builders.
The swamp has received a full plant-life overhaul to achieve the final version of this unsettling and noxious area. While the terrain has only changed in minor ways and resources remain the same, the vibe of the Swamp is far more refined.
We're also working on further polishing the atmosphere of MASSAGE-2(AB)b by improving lighting, sky and weather(!). In general, the cloud coverage and sky has seen improvements and we're currently working on possibly having rain in the game. We don't know for sure if that will make it in but we'll see what happens!
Creatures
MASSAGE-2(AB)b has become inundated with new and improved critters. A lot of work has been done to improve creature visuals and behaviors and add new additions to the wildlife, creating a more immersive exploration experience.
Equipment additions
To help tackle these new upgraded threats, improvements have been made to combat mechanics. Most notably, Update 6 will contain feature equipment changes and additions to give players more tools to engage in combat. These updates will mainly impact exploration, but there might be more equipment changes coming that will improve factory traversal as well.
Improvements to the in-game map menu
The player map will be upgraded with a range of UI improvements to make it easier to use and for pioneers to plan their expeditions and factory layouts. The Radar Tower will get an overhaul, to actually make it useful for exploration. Because it wasn’t before.
General technical improvements
There's also a couple of technical improvements to some of the underlying systems we’re currently working on that will hopefully improve the overall experience of the game for some folks. There’s also, of course, a couple of bug fixes and network improvements here and there, we’re always working on that.
(Clock Speed rebalance)
Since this update mostly focuses on the exploration aspects of the game there won't be any new production chains or anything like that, but there is one potential change we're thinking of making regarding how clock speed functions in the game.
If you didn’t know, when you overclock a machine in Satisfactory the power requirement increases in a non-linear fashion, and it’s governed by this formula
Which means that when you overclock machines, they will require significantly more power than if you were to build multiple ones and if you underclock, you will be using less power for the same part production with the drawback of slower production speed
(see the Satisfactory wiki for more info on this Satisfactory Wiki)
.
The proposed change we have in mind is to make all overclocking follow a linear formula. So a machine that is overclocked to 200% would use twice as much power, and vice versa if you underclock.
Basically, what this means is that we’re thinking of buffing overclocking and nerfing underclocking a little bit. The changes to the clock speeds are intended to support players in the early game, by making it easier for them to improve their factory with overclocking without running into power increases that generally aren't communicated clearly. And for players in the late game by allowing them to build bigger and more efficient factories.
We're not entirely sure we'll make this change so please let us know what you think about this!
Release Date
With all that being said, we're still developing many aspects of the exploration update. We want to reveal the core topics of the update up front because we sort of want to set the stage for how we intend to work on the game going forward.
The obvious question on everyone's mind is of course then, "when is the update coming out?". Since we're still working on it we don't have a set release date in mind, but our current release window is sometime
early June
. This might change though.
I hope this aperitif of information that we’re sharing with you today is something you’re looking forward to. We’re certainly looking forward to talking more about it and showing you what we’ve done! Remember that this is a high-level explanation of the content in the update. We plan to release more info in the future to talk more about these topics so let us know if there’s any particular topic you’re excited about specifically and want us to cover in the future!
Take care until next time!
Snutter
satisfactory-calculator.com
