Fire up Steam, you can test out v0.5 of [i]Techtonica[/i] right now! An important note on this round of testing: [b]The v0.5 Public Test Cave branch will close on June 3 at 1pm EST.[/b] If you want to hop in and test out [b]Laser Games[/b], and all the other cool updates, you have two weeks to do so! Check out the video below for some details on v0.5 of [i]Techtonica[/i] and details on what’s coming. [previewyoutube=CNXFunM6ZXE;full][/previewyoutube] [h3]So, why are we adding Laser Tag to [i]Techtonica[/i]?[/h3] One thing we’ve always felt was missing from [i]Techtonica[/i] is being able to mess around and goof off doing silly stuff. This breathes life into many of our favorite games, and we wanted to take that step with Techtonica! We love adding easter eggs like voice lines and hidden secrets, but we wanted to give players something they could control more on their own. The upcoming Laser Tag update is a perfect example of this—it’s playful and fits right into our Base Building system, plus it ties in nicely with cool features like fast travel with the Nexus. Laser Tag allows players to take a break from automating their factories - just like the real Groundbreakers did! - while waiting for your factory to churn out those critical parts. Laser Tag isn’t the sole focus of this update, either - we’re adding a new, fully voiced character who moves along the main story, Fast Travel points, a Ping Tool, buildable Glow Floors, Disco Floors, and Concrete Ramps, and even more that we haven’t shown off yet! [h3]Want to watch the team player Laser Games?[/h3] This Thursday, May 23rd, we'll be playing v0.5 on Twitch from 1-2pm EST! Tune in to ask the team questions and check out v0.5 of [I]Techtonica[/i] Before we jump into the patch notes, a bit of housekeeping. [h3]Things to Know About the PTC[/h3] Want to chat about the Public Test Cave? We’ve created a section on Discord just for you! [b]Do not[/b] talk about features, narrative, and anything else you see in the Public Test Cave outside of the PTC channels. There is also a subforum on Steam to discuss PTC content. No one likes spoilers! We would love to get your feedback on v0.5! The best place to give us feedback is on our [url=https://techtonicapublictestcave.featureupvote.com/]PTC feedback website[/url]. Your save files from the Public Test Cave [i]will not work[/i] once you switch back to the main branch of [i]Techtonica[/i]. Make sure you have backed up your main game before switching! You can access the PTC by switching branches on Steam. Right-click [i]Techtonica[/i] in your library, then select the “Properties” tab which will bring up a new window. Next, click “Betas”, and under Beta Participation, select the Public Test Cave. The features in our updates are accessible in all supported languages; however, because these features are not yet finalized, they may not include translations of related in-game text. A 'TEMP' prefix or '???' indicates localized text that is not yet fully available. As a reminder, [b]the Public Test Cave is a work-in-progress build[/b]. Please be aware that PTC game content may not be complete, will contain bugs, and is subject to change. Want some more details on how the Public Test Cave works? Check out [url=https://steamcommunity.com/games/1457320/announcements/detail/7281829929774091673?snr=2___]this blog post[/url]! [h3]The complete v0.5 Public Test Cave patch notes:[/h3] [h3]Major Changes[/h3] [list][*]Added a new character along with main plot narrative. No spoilers in the patch notes, you’ll need to discover this yourself! [*]Laser Gun [list][*]Gun Mode [list][*]Shoot your friends with lasers. [*]Use in Laser Tag matches. [*]Defend your nexus from combat training simulated asteroid threats.[/list] [*]Ping Mode [list] [*]Ping locations to your friends and leave temporary beacons on the map for them to see where you’re pointing.[/list][/list] [*]2 New Laser Tag Mini Games [list][*]Capture the Nexus [list][*]Capture Nexuses to get points and steal points from your friends by shooting them. Play 1v1, 2v2, 2v1, 3v1, or Free-for-all![/list] [*]Defend the Nexus [list][*]An arcade-style wave shooter with asteroids, spaceships, missiles, landmines, boss fights, and more! Play single-player or with friends and let us know your high score![/list][/list] [*]Nexuses [list][*]Build and use Nexuses to Fast Travel between points of your choice. Nexuses consume 10MJ per teleport (Equivalent to one full accumulator). [*]Pre-built Nexuses can be found on the map at Lima, Victor, Xray, and the Elevator (these do not consume any charge to teleport). [*]Use Nexuses as bases for Laser Tag games.[/list] [*]Disco and Glow Blocks [list][*]6 Disco Floor Variants - All variants will be available under one unlock [list][*]Diagonal - Rainbow wave along diagonal, the direction of movement follows the rotation of the block. [*]Horizontal - Rainbow waves horizontally, the direction of movement follows the rotation of the block. [*]Rainfall - Drops of different bands of color fall both horizontally and vertically, direction of movement follows the rotation of the block. [*]Chaos - Follows a random color rainbow cycle. [*]Synced - Follows globally shared color rainbow cycle, rotation of block offsets the phase of the color cycle (i.e. there are 4 different color cycle phases to choose from). [*]Follow Player - All players have a glowing RGB effect that follows them around when they are close to the blocks.[/list] [*]7 Glow Floor Variants - All variants will be available under one unlock [list][*]Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Magenta[/list][/list] [*]Concrete Ramps [list][*]3 Concrete Ramp Base Building Pieces [list][*]Sizes are 1x1, 1x3, 1x5, Make the roof or slanted floor of your dreams![/list][/list] [*]Laser Mall Map/Preset [list][*]1v1 Arena, 2v2 Arena, Free-for-all Arena, and Defend the Nexus Arena all available in one giant map! Go here if you’re interested in diving right into a match of Laser Tag without building your own map![/list] [*]Laser Arena hidden away in Standard Map [list][*]A small 1v1 Arena for Laser Tag is hidden somewhere in the Standard Map for you to find as you progress through the narrative![/list] [*]Characters in multiplayer now animate showing what tools they are holding and if they are using them. The M.O.L.E. FX now shows for other players using the M.O.L.E. [*]More Optimizations! [/list] [h3]Bug Fixes[/h3] [list][*]Pure and Impure Biobrick Diesel should now show up on the Filter Inserter Menu. [*]Adjusted Startup sound of Mining Drills to be smoother. [*]Fixed a bug where belts were dipping into the ground in certain locations. [*]Fixed issue with a black patch in Moss Terrain texture that was visible when De-Tiling was turned off. [*]Fixed issue where Mining Drill MKIIs always consumed 1680kW ignoring the status of MDR PowerTrim Upgrades. [*]The Monorail Depot now shows which item is selected. [/list] [h3]Known Issues for v0.5[/h3] Warning: there are some spoilers in the Known Issues section! [list][*]Multiple Nexus capture sound effects may play at once if the player exits and enters the loot Nexus range again. [*]Laser Game end voiceover involving Paladin will play before the player has rescued him. [*]Game Over screen UI elements might appear jumbled if a match is ended prematurely. [*]Monorail Poles are having an issue rotating right now! [*]CTRL is appearing in Nexus menus instead of the correct assigned input. It still works, it’s just showing the wrong tooltip! [*]Special event music cues will override the Laser Games music and it will not resume. [*]Playing for a long period of time and/or using Fast Travel to the Freight Elevator may result in the Freight Elevators's ports and plug not loading, making it not possible to complete the Freight Elevator repairs until the game is reloaded. Fast Travel may also turn machines invisible. A restart should fix this! [*] The Barracks door leading to the Mech Suit Parts during the Mirage quest line might not open. We're working on a fix for this! [*]Nexuses and Fast Travel are not currently working if No Quests is set. [/list] We’re so excited to hear your thoughts on v0.5 of [i]Techtonica[/i]! If you have any feedback for us, share it on our[url=https://techtonicapublictestcave.featureupvote.com/] PTC website[/url], in our Discord, or on the Steam subforum for the Public Test Cave. Thanks again and we will see you next week!