What is this
Every Thursday, I will share a dev diary about what we've been working on over the past few weeks. I'll focus on the interesting challenges and solutions that I encountered. I won't be able to cover everything, but I'll share what caught my interest.
Why am I doing it
I want to bring our community along on this journey, and I simply love writing about things I'm passionate about! This is my unfiltered dev journal, so please keep in mind that what I write here are my thoughts and will be outdated by the time you read this, as so many things change quickly. Any plans I mention aren't set in stone and everything is subject to change. Also, if you don't like spoilers, then don't read this.
Space Engineers 2
First of all - thank you for the 130+ comments on the combat system in last week's dev diary. I really appreciate it. You’re a great community. I love you for it.
And the same thanks goes for all the FTUE feedback the week before - see this post.
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| Fractured Cryopod Design |
This week in our internal playtest:
Asteroid Clusters - Asteroids are now grouped into clusters - soon they’ll be organized into proper asteroid belts and rings. This is part of a bigger plan to add structure to space using the Star Map (we’re now calling it the Colonization Map).
Multi-Character Emotes - These can be triggered from the debug screen (not available to players). We’ll use them in trailers and cutscenes. For example: two characters shake hands in a synchronized animation. Animators are also working on the facial rig now - for emotions and lip sync in cinematics.
Hand Drill Animations - I've always wanted the hand drill to feel heavy and dynamic. When you push it into rocks, it should bounce and fight back. We realized we need three clear states:
- Idle (just holding it)Drill on, no contact (drilling into air)Drill on, in contact (drilling into rock, bounces, etc.)
This should feel instantly gratifying - like hitting something with a crowbar in Half-Life. That same feedback loop. We’ll apply this to the grinder and probably the welder too.
Acceleration-Based Camera - Shake When piloting a grid or jetpack-boosting, the camera shakes slightly during acceleration and deceleration. It gives you that visceral sense of momentum - like engines pushing. It only triggers during velocity changes, not while cruising. We tuned it down a lot to avoid being annoying, but I think we still need to reduce it by 40%. I expect some veterans will hate it - so maybe we’ll add an option to turn it off.
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| Space Engineers 2 Grass Tests |
Story and Sandbox Merge - We’ve decided to merge Campaign into Sandbox. Originally they were separate: Sandbox was colonization only, no story, no main characters - just systems and generic NPCs.
But now we realize that having story outside of Sandbox would be a waste. It complicates production and splits our focus. So: no separate Campaign mode anymore. We’re putting the story into Sandbox.
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| Space Engineers 2 Rocks Scattering |
So how will story work inside Sandbox? (SPOILERS!)
- It starts with a cutscene: who you are, what the Bering Project is, what Almagest is, who your brother isFTUE begins - you repair your ship, build a small spaceship, and reach the Orbital StationFrom there, you take contracts and missions that progress colonization of AlmagestSome missions push the story forward (not just colonization meta)Cutscenes play at the beginning or end of key missions - but they will avoid anything that the player could have influenced (e.g., ship builds, destroyed stuff, character skins), because the cutscenes are pre-renderedThere will be datapads and hidden locations to reveal more of the world and its mysteries
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| Space Engineers 2 Grass Biome Tests |
Complete Roadmap, Player Experience: Besides that, I’m looking forward to getting a full day just to dig deep into our "Complete Roadmap" - to lock in everything that needs to be in the final version of SE2, the version that leaves Early Access. The goal is to deliver a complete and well-balanced experience - and then keep expanding through updates, like always.
I'm also working on the Player Experience document - it’s a short doc (just a few pages), but it outlines how players should experience SE2, from the very first moment all the way to 50+ hours of gameplay.
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Let me know what you think about any of this.
I read all your comments - it’s one of the best parts of my life.
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