Hardspace:Shipbreaker Salvage-all

Teaser for the next ship class:

LYNX Corp. has acquired the salvage rights to a new line of decommissioned ships! Say hello to the Helix Industries Javelin-Class starship. These vessels leverage a system of highly-modular radial segments in their construction, providing for a large variety of sizes and functions. Unlike other ship designs, the Javelin has many externally exposed components and subsystems, the extraction of which will require becoming familiar with the Javelin’s network of external support structures.

Interior space on Javelin-Class ships is limited, and maneuverability can be challenging. Cutters are encouraged to read up on the effects of extreme claustrophobia and the recommended breathing exercises. Always be sure to have an escape route planned while working inside these ships; you may need to get out in a hurry.

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The next ship is released today!

Along with a third tool.

Woah! Whats the new tool?

Edit; As usual I feel stupid asking an easily Googlable question and answer it myself:

New Tool Available: The Demo Charge
Place multiple charges for an elaborate demo sequence
Performs powerful cuts on nearly any material

Here's a video with info on the new ship type and demo charges if you want to see them in action:

Enjoyed what I played of this earlier in the year, but decided to shelve it until it was more finished. My biggest early access gripe was that I could take apart some of the ship, end my shift and shut the game down, but then I couldn't continue on the same ship next time I wanted to play. Has that now been implemented?

Cheers.

It has not. They apparently coded themselves into a bit of a corner with that one, fixing it is going to be a lot of work but they recognized the desire to do so.

Its not as critical as it first seems though. You dont get penalized for failing to 'complete' a ship. The first ship class can be completely stripped in one shift after you get comfortable with the controls, the 2nd in 2, so you can sort of bite off what you expect to be able to chew in a session.

Now that they've fixed the major physics bugs and have 4 major ship classes to play with I'd be comfortable recommending the game to anyone even though its still Early Access. There's a lot to do and its a completely unique game.

This Javelin design is awesome. That concept art above shows 13 variants, looks like they cross all player levels, though the one Im doing now isnt any of those, its a small heavy cargo with a single Class 1 thruster and a huge fuel tank.

Lots and lots of cut points and some even specifically designed for demo charges.

I second the love for the new ship. It’s the most complex design yet, and some of the higher-rank versions are massive.

I’m not as hot on the demo charges. The hit box for the cut doesn’t always seem to match the grid guide that displays when you place it and I’ve accidentally destroyed things that looked to be safe. Even worse, the charge also imparts momentum upon detonation which far too frequently leads to the whole ship moving and pieces flying off in random directions.

Also, this could have been a dumb holiday update and I'm quite thankful it's not.

They did do a great job with their 'halloween' content but I dont think there's an in-world winter themed anything I'd be happy with.

So, I think the only big thing I have a problem with is evacuating the atmosphere from the ship properly. I get confused trying to figure out when to open doors and use the atmo controls. I tend to activate it after opening a few doors but then some will close when I activate so when I open them again I get uncontrolled venting, stuff flying around, often some major damage, sometimes catastrophic.

Any advice here?

Nothing negative happens if time runs out on a shift vice me getting back to the hab before time expires, is that correct? Thanks!

ruhk wrote:

I second the love for the new ship. It’s the most complex design yet, and some of the higher-rank versions are massive.

I’m not as hot on the demo charges. The hit box for the cut doesn’t always seem to match the grid guide that displays when you place it and I’ve accidentally destroyed things that looked to be safe. Even worse, the charge also imparts momentum upon detonation which far too frequently leads to the whole ship moving and pieces flying off in random directions.

I picked a hard Javelin job. It was a refueling variant, and it stretched all the way from the Master Jack to the back of the bay. It had 27 of those giant fuel tanks.

The demo charges replace the highest level of the cutter, which was removed. A lot of people, including me, skipped getting it. Not having it cut through nanocarbon lets you zip through a ship and hit the cut points without worrying about it going to far.

From what I've seen, the grid for the demo charges shows you the plane it's going to cut, but it acts like the cutter, and the cut will extend to the first joint it reaches. Aside from the grid, it also has the properties of anything else that explodes in the game, although they don't seem to shatter nanocarbon. Depending on what I'm taking apart, an ion ring for example, I'll place them on the outside rather than the inside of the ring.

The momentum can make things more difficult, but I like it. The charges go off in the order that you place them, so I've used it a few times to send parts straight down to the barge. Most of the time though, I switch to the grapple as soon as I start the detonation, and grab the piece when the last charge goes off and separates it.

polypusher wrote:

So, I think the only big thing I have a problem with is evacuating the atmosphere from the ship properly. I get confused trying to figure out when to open doors and use the atmo controls. I tend to activate it after opening a few doors but then some will close when I activate so when I open them again I get uncontrolled venting, stuff flying around, often some major damage, sometimes catastrophic.

Any advice here?

It would be nice if you could open up everything internally and the depressurize the whole ship, but alas, that's not how it works. For Geckos, which can have quite a few internal compartments, it seems like which ones are pressurized is randomized at the start.

The atmo controls aren't "linked" in any way. So if you have two adjoining pressurized compartments, and you depressurize one, the door between them will shut to keep the other one pressurized. Think of it as a safety feature of a ship's normal operation, to keep pressure if a compartment is breached. But a safety feature of normal operation is a bit of a nuisance for salvagers. You're now forced to open the doors between the compartments to depressurize the next one. While small unsecured items like bottles and food packs that get thrown around will be destroyed, pretty much everything else will be OK, and it's better than cutting into a pressurized compartment.

I typically work through the interior early on and make sure everything is depressurized, including the space between the inner and outer hull. Every now and then I'll miss a small side compartment, but by the time I'm cutting up the interior, there's not a whole lot left, so an explosive decompression doesn't destroy much.

karmajay wrote:

Nothing negative happens if time runs out on a shift vice me getting back to the hab before time expires, is that correct? Thanks!

Nope. I'll work a shift up until the last second. The only time I re-enter the hab before time is up is when I'm done salvaging everything.

deftly wrote:

It would be nice if you could open up everything internally and the depressurize the whole ship, but alas, that's not how it works. For Geckos, which can have quite a few internal compartments, it seems like which ones are pressurized is randomized at the start.

You totally can do this. Just make a single cut in doorframes after you open them as you initially travel through the ship. It prevents the doors from closing when the atmosphere cycles and let’s you re- or depressurize every compartment you’ve already traveled through as you make your way through the ship. No more explosive decompression!

ruhk wrote:
deftly wrote:

It would be nice if you could open up everything internally and the depressurize the whole ship, but alas, that's not how it works. For Geckos, which can have quite a few internal compartments, it seems like which ones are pressurized is randomized at the start.

You totally can do this. Just make a single cut in doorframes after you open them as you initially travel through the ship. It prevents the doors from closing when the atmosphere cycles and let’s you re- or depressurize every compartment you’ve already traveled through as you make your way through the ship. No more explosive decompression!

Brilliant!

Slight correction to my previous post- cutting door frames used to prevent doors from closing, but I was just playing and looks like that might have changed in a recent patch. They do close now, but the cut will prevent the door from creating a seal. Still works, just not as well as it used to.

But then I can't play Aliens and use the magnetic gloves to hand-walk myself into the decompressing compartment! I seriously do this every time even though it's pointless.

I'm really liking the Javs. This was the end of my last shift on a long refueling one, where I had 3 separate segments of fuel tanks through the middle - 3 tanks inside each section in the framework, then 2-3 tanks on each cardinal axis off the frame rails.

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I've been trying out the weekly races lately. I managed to get 4th this week. It'll probably go down though as the week goes on.

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New update available

Hello Shipbreakers!

Our new update is now available! Start your new shift to discover the brand new barge revamp as well as our new railgate and bay animation sequence!
Community Feedback Barge Revamp[
Barge is deeper and can accept more objects
Clears between shifts for max efficiency

Community Participation Winning Narrative Log Contest Entry Added
It’s somewhere….

Railgate Launch Sequence
Railgate will periodically launch ships deep into the solar system

Demo Charge Durability Effects Added
Detonator will become faulty over time

Bay Startup Sequence
Barge, Furnace and Processor activate when Shift begins

Important Notice
The next update (0.4.0) will include Act 1 of the Story, as well as completely overhauled Certification and Work Order systems.These changes will come with a complete Progression reset! Check out the Steam Discussions for more info.

The barge updates are probably the most significant for me, and learning that we're getting a progression reset along with part 1 of the story with the next major update.

Oh snap - I’ve been covid-ified just in time!

...maybe not. Hard to focus- just took me over 18 hours to finish a 2 hour movie. Don’t think video games are in the cards right now.

Decided to fire this up after a few months off and immediately remembered why I enjoyed this so much to begin with. Can just get lost in breaking up a ship and while there are a lot of variants (I just got to the "Hard" level), even when its the same ship, just trying different ways to be efficient is quite enjoyable.

Question, are folks playing with controller or M&K? I always go into first person games with M&K but I feel like in full zero G 3D space I find my hands contorting in very unnatural ways to get me turned around the right way. Also I'm probably over-reliant on holding the "brake" (left control by default) which adds more stress to my wrists.

Carlbear95 wrote:

Decided to fire this up after a few months off and immediately remembered why I enjoyed this so much to begin with. Can just get lost in breaking up a ship and while there are a lot of variants (I just got to the "Hard" level), even when its the same ship, just trying different ways to be efficient is quite enjoyable.

Question, are folks playing with controller or M&K? I always go into first person games with M&K but I feel like in full zero G 3D space I find my hands contorting in very unnatural ways to get me turned around the right way. Also I'm probably over-reliant on holding the "brake" (left control by default) which adds more stress to my wrists.

M+K.

I've been hitting Q+E for brakes - didn't even realize that CTRL also did it. Certainly less of a contorted reach.

I usually go for controller when offered the option but I had a much harder time controlling my rotational momentum and precision pointing with a controller than with M&K, so thats how I play this one.

I'm playing mouse and keyboard. I've never had good luck with first person and controllers.

I was playing controller before and when I tried to jump back in M+K I was very confused. I'll either have to relearn or get the controller back in here.

0.4.0 is out, which includes the progression reset.

What's inside the "Salvage Your Future" update:
Campaign Story Act 1
- Storyline from Ranks 1 to 7
- Meet a cast of characters including other Shipbreakers
- New Data Drives to recover
Certification and Work Order Revamp
- Certification is now based on Mastery Points
- Earn Mastery Points for Salvaging and hitting Salvage Goals
- Work Order replaced with Salvage Goals
- Certification Ranks 1 - 30 implemented
NOTE: All Progression has been reset for this update!
Mackerel Variety Improved
- Light Cargo, Station Hopper and Heavy Cargo layouts revised
- Mackerel Exolab science vessel added
Ship Difficulty replaced with Hazard Level
- Better reflects threats and challenges in ships
- HUD Redesigned for Improved Clarity


Important Notice
Story character voiceover is placeholder using internal developers, and will be replaced by professional voice actors in a future update!
People that wish to stay on the 0.3.1 branch will no be able to participate to Weekly R.A.C.E.
NOTE: during this process, we uncovered an issue where the total value of SOME ships is calculated incorrectly. This has made it difficult to properly balance progression, as some Players will progress faster than anticipated. We are looking into correcting this issue soon, but the problem is too complex and foundational for us to fix for this release. As such, we will likely revisit the early-game progression tunings in one of the next updates.
To avoid rare possible bugs, please make sure your nvidia drivers are up to date!

Full Patch Notes

Spoiler:

Changes & Updates
Campaign Story Act 1
- Storyline from Ranks 1 to 7, introducing a crew of Shipbreakers, the history LYNX Corporation and expanding on the world of Hardspace
- Tutorial revised for improved onboarding
- Four new voiced characters
- Placeholder Voiceover for all story characters (Will be replaced in a future update)
- Additional Data Drive content for expanded world-building
Work Order System Revamp
- Replaced with Salvage Indicator
- Promotes salvaging “the whole buffalo”
- Salvage Goals provide additional Mastery Point and LYNX Token bonuses to proficient Cutters
Certification Progression Revamp
- Certification is now based on Mastery Points (MP)
- Earn MP based on salvage value, and for reaching Salvage Goals
- Certification Ranks 1 to 30 implemented
NOTE: All Progression has been reset for this update!
- The previous version and progression can be played on the archive Steam branch: Version 0.3.1
- Future Campaign/Progression updates may include additional progression resets
Early Game Ship Variety Improved
- Mackerel Station Hopper, Light Cargo and Heavy Cargo have been revised to each feel more distinct
- Mackerel Exolab Science Vessel added
- Ship Difficulty replaced by Hazard Levels that better reflect threats
- Slight changes to Mackerel tail and nose composition to improve salvaging
HUD Revamp
- Layout updated to reduce clutter and screen space use, and improve readability
- HUD rendering improved to increase readability and performance
Death Flow Revamp
Improved Death Screen provides more contextual information and humour
Vocalizations for all elemental damages intensified
10 New Stickers Added
Out-of-Range prompt added to Cutting Tool
Grapple Strength Improved
- Baseline strength increased from 1,000 kg to 3,000 kg
- Strength Upgrades also increased
Tether Intersection Allowance Time Increased
Should allow daisy-chaining objects together more often without breaking
Some models and textures improved
- Masterjack
- Jacks
Thruster Fuel Canister
Removed Cut Guards
Removed Utility Keys & The Terminals That Require Them

Bug Fixes
When Javelins are used in Weekly RACE, the Landing Page incorrectly shows 6 objectives but in-game work order correctly shows 3
Pressurized space outside the airlock entrance at the back section of the Heavy Cargo Javelins
On Salvage Runners the bottom panel near the fuses has a duplicated structural beam
The demo charge loses its durability when the user dies/takes damage, despite still being locked/unpurchased
Panels in the Cargo Javelin unexpectedly dejointed after chairs were yanked off the floor
The wall behind the ECU in Heavy Cargo Javelins has duplicated structural beams
Pulling the fuel cap off the fuel tank on Heavy Cargo Javelins made the fuel flush interaction inactive
Barge not clearing airlock doors in particular between shifts
Railgate VFX warmup sequence not playing
Keel near the cargo hatch is missing a cutpoint in the Gecko Heavy Cargo
"??" tag seen in the structural scanner view in Salvage Gecko
A Real Talker Sticker Description refers to "High-Gain Antennae" as "High-Grade Antennae "
Grade 4/5/6 ships have incorrect thruster class labels in the Ship Catalog
Industrial hoist in ECU room on Salvage Gecko spawns without a rail guide to be attached to
On high difficulty Heavy Cargo Javelins, the fuel X pipe is misaligned
Traditional Chinese texts have parasite characters prompting a line skip
Red shader over incorrect salvage flashes when object is leaving the barge
Parts of the Gecko hull may not dejoint until lights are yanked along the seams between the nanocarbon
The Sticker Category list in the HAB does not update correctly if the player changes the language during gameplay
In the Stickers Menu, the text prompting to place a sticker is unlocalized
In the Stickers Menu, the text indicating that a sticker is locked is unlocalized
When the first loading screen of a session is "front-end to HAB in career mode", multiple locIDs appear in the loading screen tips
Cut points from top-middle ion ring pop off after being in the barge a few seconds
Several Barge objects remain highlighted green, after salvaged on the barge
Soft and hard crates do not have green highlight in the barge
Cut points on the clamps holding the shipping crates onto Javelin Heavy Cargo don't seem to be vaporizing unless you cut them down the middle
Harsh bloom on Commercial Gecko Airlock lights
Polaris audio can be heard in the Tutorial, with no sign of the Polaris
Control VO doesn't prioritize positive feedback when salvaging multiple objects
Interacting with the Kiosk during the Tutorial will allow the player to equip the grapple prematurely
The moon and certain village assets are not properly affected by atmospheric fog
The weight of detached objects doesn't properly update on the HUD, when using the grapple
On some Refuellers, the floor panel under the ECU is marked Titanium for Furnace salvaging
In Scan mode the Multitool appears in the Structural tab
Fuse Breaker lights are tagged as Structure (Aluminium) for Furnace salvaging
Demo Charge preview AR remains green from successfully attaching even while others have turned orange due to impending detonation
Mackerel ghost ship personal terminals pop off when yanking a computer terminal
Released doors can sometimes rebind to the doorframe they came from
Detonating preview incorrectly shows up on Frozen demo charges when valid charges are also detonated
When starting a new shift wheel shows 100% but selecting the tool will show the accurate %
Blocky shadows on Mackerels next to lights in the main cabin
Remaining Mass bar may be incorrect if a ship is salvaged in multiple shift
Demo charges can go through a cargo hatch
Hidden data drive reappears after being destroyed
On the cut point of the amplifiers, a triangle can be seen under the regular texture depicting a square
Stickers screen localization does not change language correctly using the loc debugger
On Javelins, the exterior pillars connecting the octagon panels are misaligned
Crash during the Ship Catalog, when the user claimed a new ship
In the HAB, using Select and Quit button at the same time leads to start a shift while being still in the HAB
Demo Charge Rental Fee not being deducted as after a shift
On Javelins, level II cut points have similar textures to level I cut points but are indestructible for the cutter
Player model fingers on Detonation Tool do not appear to be gripping the tool
LOD issue on the Geckos' Access Ladders beyond a certain distance
Rumble will occasionally continue and not stop when switching from splitsaw to stinger while cutting
The Stickers menu is not translated, when changing the game's language in any other language
New stickers notification number is right justified and does not match the alignment of the new message notification
Unjointed AI Node with no emissives seen in mackerel heavy cargo
Controller able to navigate inbox even when greyed out
Atmospheric regulator became stuck as 'in progress' when activated via haunting as player cut the door
Cannot dismiss 'purchase upgrade' pop-up after purchasing an upgrade

Well that's exciting. I've been looking forward to 0.4 and the progression reset.

Heh, I forgot how slow you are at the start of the game, and how little oxygen/fuel you have. I don't remember ever running out of fuel before the update, nor do I remember # of tethers being persistent between shifts when continuing on a ship (I thought they reset overnight). If those are changes I'm fine with it as it makes resource management more interesting, instead of just worrying about O2.

Not sure if I'm as big a fan of getting rid of the workorders. At the end its probably going to be pretty similar as far as not just processing or incinerating everything, but I kinda liked having to specifically get X # of computers or storage components or thrusters. I don't think I've seen a "Salvage Goal" yet as the notes mention, so maybe that will bring back some of the old system.

I'm up to Rank 7, still no sign of a detailed work order but the replacement system with tiered unlocks as you pull the ship apart is pretty challenging. Mess up something valuable and you'll never get Tier 3 which seems to have a LOT of the tokens.

Even doing a good job but getting lazy and throwing a big thing in the processor when a lot of the frame should go in the furnace is turning out to be a mistake.