Fly Dangerous news & patch notes

Greetings pilots! This update fully re-implements the mouse input and visualisation widget and re-introduces maps back into the main roster. Some big fixes for the mouse input arrive this time around with much more control for continuous and relative input modes, fixes to sensitivity and dead-zones and a fully re-implemented mouse widget with optional value text for those that really want to know what's happening under the hood when dialling-in power curves etc. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41417147/7393ee5430803a5bb7bccc5f2193606e83ed3418.gif Additionally, the sprint maps (and associated music) have been re-organised to better reflect the difficulty curve. For context, In the big Update 2 patch all old maps were moved to the legacy category. A large chunk of these have been re-introduced with billboards, updated thumbnails etc bringing the Sprint map count to 31! Have fun! <3 - Juki ---

Patch notes

0.6.3

New

• Re-added most legacy maps into rotation with added billboards and updated thumbnails
• Added mouse input relative return curve
• Added mouse input relative return only when no input (default on)
• Added ability to specify separate sensitivity for relative mouse mode
• Added visualisation for both deadzone and extents to mouse widget
• Added toggle-able option to draw the actual input values generated by mouse (useful for fine-tuning power curve etc)

Changed

• Re-ordered maps and music to better control the ramp-up of difficulty for the sprint maps
• Continuous mouse input now properly constrains to the extents (no more hunting for the center)
• Mouse widget arrow now maps correctly to a circle (previous input square values)
• Mouse widget auto-hides while using mouselook
• Slider text boxes now constrain the values to a sensible contextual decimal value
• In-game timer now only shows to 10th of a millisecond (it updated in increments of 20ms anyway). Note this does not apply to actual recorded times or split times!

Fixed

• Map list no longer loses position from navigating back from leaderboard
• Scroll panels now scroll all the way to the top and bottom when navigating with gamepad
• Mouse relative return rate no longer framerate-determined (WHOOPS!)
• Mouse sensitivity now ... uhm, works?

Greetings pilots! This update brings a few much-requested features, quality-of-life tweaks and bug-fixes. The headline feature of this patch is a new set of flight indicators, primarily of use when flying around terrain worlds (and off by default in space environments, but that can be overridden if you really want to). {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41417147/01d97456b86bdc4808e0983aeaaed3b442dde66c.gif This has been requested a bunch and is one of those simple-at-first-glance-but-actually-nightmare-fuel features that I've been putting off for a while so I'm glad it's finally in the game. The colour of the HUD is configurable, as is the visibility and scale of the elements. Enjoy! <3 - Juki ---

Patch notes

0.6.2

(notes Include some fixes from unannounced hotfix release a week ago) New

• Flight orientation indicators for terrain worlds (and space if option is set)
• Forward vector crosshair (lots of people used the mouse widget as a de-facto crosshair)
• Options to tweak visibility of indicator HUD in various situations
• Added ability to modify colour of HUD elements (mouse widget, flight vector indicator, target outlines) to profile options
• Binding to toggle indicator HUD

Changed

• Moved some space dust toggle and drift cam settings into new Gameplay tab in Options menu as other areas were getting crowded
• Switched out renderer for UI handling to a more stripped-down forward renderer to simplify render passes of 2d and 3d UI elements
• Re-added quit button on main menu because some people have wacky devices which are always sending input which bypasses the "Press Any Button" screen

Fixed

• Possible fix for terrain loader failure whereby one or more terrain tiles may initially load with incorrect seed
• ID conflict in some profile pride flags caused fallback to default `o7` flag
• Incorrect description of HUD color picker
• Fixed incorrect level hash generated for Fresh Hell resulting in loss of leaderboards
• Critical error causing keyboard input rebinds binds to fail on composite binds (e.g. "pitch up" as a component of pitch)

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41417147/5c4768cb69bcdf371e31536ff4c149beac10721a.png Greetings pilots! This update brings some much-requested fixes and quality-of-life updates to Fly Dangerous - most notable, native libs for both Linux (and therefore Steam Deck) and Apple Silicon which brings these builds in-line with the Windows version in terms of terrain generation and load times. Additionally, this build contains a feisty new Sprint map (Twists and Turns), a new flight vector indicator (which has been asked for a LOT) and a heap of bug-fixes and other QoL tweaks. Have a great weekend!

Patch notes

0.6.1

New

• Added support for threaded terrain generation on Linux / Steam Deck (#108)
• Added new sprint map "Twists and Turns"
• Added global texture quality setting to Options panel - use this for low video memory systems to squeeze the most out of them on terrain worlds! Note this does not affect UI textures / sprites - you will need to be in-game to visually identify this change.
• Added flight vector indicators and associated options toggle (#18)
• Added animated loading spinner to level loader canvas

Changed

• Moved level order around a little to compensate for brick-wall difficulty
• Removed fade to black on level restarts in terrain maps with checkpoints (all necessary terrain is always in memory to prevent stutters for time-sensitive game modes so this was never necessary in anything but free roam) (#166)
• Moved some options into new Gameplay options tab
• Updated HUD elements to be white with new font
• Updated Mirror Networking to v78.3.0
• Updated Steamworks SDK to v1.53 via updated Steamworks.NET
• Updated to Unity 2022.2.13f1

Fixed

• Support for Apple Silicon should now actually work... (#108)
• No longer possible to get the leaderboard into a weird state by restarting just before collision with final checkpoint (#166)
• Modifying dev settings and resetting to default no longer permanently invalidates runs (#216)
• Mouse return to center (both input bind and on level restart) now applies to relative mouse mode (#215)
• Quitting to Lobby in Multiplayer now ... uhm, quits to the lobby (#217)
• Target indicators in HUD are no longer fixed to head rotation in VR (fixed to ship rotation instead)
• 3d target indicators no longer jitter with floating origin

Update 2 has landed with an enormous amount of new content, bugfixes, quality-of-life updates, new maps, music and game modes and a whole suite of integrations! The game now supports Head Tracking with OpenTrack and TrackIR! That means even a basic webcam can give you in-game head tracking -- or, if that's not your jam, enable the highly configurable drift camera to automatically look in the direction of travel! Additionally, the game now ships with bHaptics integration for the TactSuit (x16 / x40) body vest, Tactocity for Arms and Tactal head feedback modules! This update adds over 25 new tracks with a brand new diverse biome terrain system and gameplay elements such as boost portals, underwater tracks, night vision and more. Truly test your skills with the circuit laps mode where tracks can be several minutes long - I can't wait to see the new times on the leaderboards because some of these later maps are absolutely brutal. Checkout the full (kind-of-ridiculous) patch notes below for the full rundown. I'm extremely proud of this release, and I really hope you enjoy it. <3 - Juki

Devlog

Patch Notes

New

• Fully rebuilt biome terrain world graph with new biomes: Desert (red, dunes) Tropical Coastline Arctic Tundra / Ice Rebuilt rocky biome Reworked mountain biome from GPU test Ocean / Rivers (with submersible mechanics)
• Added new boost pad modifiers to level format
• Added decorative billboards to level format
• Added two new game modes - laps and puzzle
• Added 18 new time trial sprint maps and deprecated the old ones (still playable, see collisions feature below!)
• Added 5 new time trial circuit / laps maps
• Added 3 new puzzle maps
• Ship Collisions (Change in collision gameplay means maps reliant on checkpoint rebounds at high end are deprecated) Added visual shield effect for collisions (#183) Added engine capacity penalty on collision proportional to impact (#183) Added boost cancel on collision (#197) Added collision, shield activate and boost cancel sfx (#197)
• Added bHaptics support for Vest, Arms and Head (#194)
• Added support for OpenTrack head tracking (#65)
• Added support for TrackIR head tracking (#65)
• Added UDP telemetry support for generic motion simulators etc (#65)
• Added "Drift Cam" option which attempts to look in the direction of travel (within a sensible arc) Added associated options for head snap, smoothing and max rotational extents
• Added a bit of spit and polish to the title screen Player profile ship is now shown on title screen
• Added lens flare shaders to ship rear exhausts Note this is disabled in VR (#200) and with MSAA (#199) active.
• Added support for ultra-wide displays by constraining the UI to a max width (#184)
• Added Ability to disable VSync (#185 )
• Device hot-plugging now supported (#153)
• Added hold binding for alternate flight controls (#177)
• Added Ultra reflection quality for refresh rate locked to frame rate (use at your own risk :P)
• Added descriptions to locations in Free Roam menu
• Added ability to set music volume on main menu independently (as a percentage of music volume)
• Added wait to beginning of time trials prompting users to hold boost (teach that boost can be early!)
• Added pride flags and changed "Country" label to "Flag" for profile dropdown (#203 partial)
• Added ability set music track in Free Roam mode
• Added six new music tracks
• Added map and music track name to first level start
• Added ability to preview environment and music in Free Roam menu
• Added track name, author and music track / artist on level load
• Added bonus surprise terrain
• Added 3d indicators to ghosts and other players in multiplayer There is no manual targetting system as of yet, you must look directly at a target to initiate the 3d indicator
• Added new indicators to Calidris cockpit (and only that ship + view, for now) to show proximity alert and overcharge from boost singularities

Changed

• Ship lights now operate as night vision
• Flight assist rotation correction strength buffed slightly
• Interior Calidris cockpit glass reflectivity not quite so glaring anymore
• Advanced input mode renamed "Custom" because some people assumed there was no way to rebind controls
• Increased and standardised primary collider size across ships (shield)
• Update target overlay font and graphic
• Level panels load data in once per frame (Level UI element, ghosts, leaderboard entries) to eliminate stutter during menu transitions
• Moved testing objects scene to new location ("Proving Grounds"), Space scene is now actually empty for map creation
• Minor rework for leaderboards / ghosts panels, added loading state UI and auto-select players' PB (vs top ghost)
• Renamed `Throttle Increase / Decrease` to `Throttle Cruise Control Increase / Decrease` for clarity
• Added right stick click as a default VR calibration input (you're welcome, oddly angry self-important person)
• Removed GPU test terrain (thank you for feedback! will circle back to this)
• Better handled fog near distance - should have more terrain visible now
• Added the ability to push out to 4 max terrain tiles - recommended ONLY with new terrains, legacy terrain will take an eon to load!
• Finally added loading text to the VR view, it only took a YEAR...
• Updated to Unity 2022.1.20f1

Fixes

• Possible fix for VKBs always reporting "Hat Up" on rebind (thanks to the painful manual debugging efforts of Giskard for this fix!)
• Was previously possible to unset protected bindings (which cannot then be rebound!)
• Fixed (hopefully!) occasional rare crash on terrain load (#190)
• Collision detection should be more accurate at high speeds (speculative detection mode increased collision size with velocity!)
• Incorrect dimensions on some flags in dropdown (#196)
• Fixed toggling alternate flight controls resetting axes (#178)
• No longer possible to ever be underneath the terrain (e.g. through a crack in the tile margins), ship is always pushed up to compensate
• Bug causing camera damping to be forgotten on restart when using Arcade control scheme
• Fixed ship params not sticking between levels
• Fixed relative mouse mode applying return rate before sending input (leading to effectively no input at high return rates)
• Culled UI elements from real time reflection probe (whoops!)
• Fixed geometry reflecting from the ship perspective when realtime reflections are enabled (just don't ask how, I beg you)
• Fixed pause menu failing to open first time after restarting after showing results screen
• Hopefully fixed another enormous pile of input binding bugs + updated to latest input system
• Sliders now work better with controller / keyboard input with pre-defined increments and horizontal nav locks (UI is paaaaaain)
• Honestly so many more little fixes that I just didn't bother to detail, this list is already too long

Quick hotfix patch with a wee little, uh, really quite difficult new map for you. Have a lovely weekend! <3 -J

v0.5.7

New

* Added ability to bind lateral motion (horizontal, vertical and throttle) to the mouse axes (#188) * Added new map not for the feint of heart, good luck!

Fixes

* Ghosts disabled on first restart of a time trial map (#182) * Should now be impossible for UI elements to become unselected (#187)

Greetings pilots! This is the second patch to address a bunch of feedback, fix some bugs and add some QoL features before moving on to new content -- with a new extra long time trial map as a bonus. Please be aware that if you currently use Arcade Mode control scheme that the previous roll behaviour is now a separate toggle in the Controls tab and is off by default to help ease new players into things. Remember to re-enable this if you prefer this behaviour. Enjoy! -J

v0.5.6

New

* Added new extra-long time trial map * Added ability to entirely clear or reset input bindings to default (#161) * Restart button binding now works on Time Trial end screen (but not before syncing with leaderboard) (#165) * Added VR calibration dialog for first-time VR run (or users which have not calibrated before!) (#146) * Ability to set an FPS cap in graphics options (#170)

Changes

* Combined X and Y mouse modes into single mouse mode dropdown (default relative) * Set default mouse X axis to yaw for fps people (and Q/E are default roll anyway) * Free roam multiplayer join will warp to the host on spawn * Auto Roll for Arcade input has been separated out from Auto Rotation (#175) * Roll shoulder buttons have now been included in the control layout graphic in Arcade mode * Reworked the layout of the options panel a little to be more consistent and less confusing

Fixes

* Fixed ability to bind E to actions (#120) * Fixed axis deadzone possible to be > 1 in certain regions (#160) * Fixed dev panel applying insane torque on apply in certain regions (#163) * Mouse power curve did not work at all with relative return rate (#159) * Incorrect scrollbars on Time Trial end screen (#169) * Player indicator still visible after player left multiplayer session (#140) * Free roam multiplayer join should never spawn underground or inside another ship (#157)

The main reason for getting this out the door was a serious problem affecting input bindings in certain countries - some users have reported still having to clear preferences if coming from the version prior to this patch (more info at the bottom) so please try that and please do let me know if you encounter any more crashes relating to bindings. New: * Leaderboard now shows 50 entries - 25 above and below the player entry (or just 50 below if Sanderling) Changes: * Pause menu and reset button now works during time trial countdown * Boost sound no longer requires round-trip to server in multiplayer * Music volume default lowered to 30% * Default leaderboard mode to show player rather than top 20 * UI repeat navigation speed increased by 3x Fixes: * Fixed serious binding crash related to culture-specific string encoding of floating point values * Fixed mouse invert Y not applying * Fixed possible exploit relating to restart coroutines * Added layer of redundancy here to snap the player back to start position on TT start to be 100% sure! * Fixed possible exploit relating to CPU throttling * Fixed broken scrollbars on leaderboard / ghost panels If you need to clear preferences, they're stored at Windows: %USERPROFILE%/AppData/LocalLow/StarGoat/FlyDangerous/Save/Preferences.json MacOS: ~//Library/Application Support/StarGoat/FlyDangerous/Save/Preferences.json Linux: ~//.config/unity3d/StarGoat/FlyDangerous/Save/Preferences.json Much ❤️, -J

Sorry for the delay, it was out of our hands. The last week has been ... incredibly stressful. But we're here, we're live, go set some times on the leaderboards! For a run-down of what's new since the last major release a few weeks back on itch.io, check out the latest devlog: I want to take this opportunity to address the state of play, where the game currently is and what's still to come. To be entirely clear, this is an Early Access release in the very literal sense: there is still tons to do. What the last year has been about is getting the foundations in place for what I hope will be an awesome platform for interesting game modes, maps and general community fun. Putting stuff out there in the world is really scary but a point comes where the value of feedback outweighs the terror of rejection and you just have to put the pen down. So, while Early Access has seemingly come to mean almost finished / paid beta for many games, I really wanted to make the feedback loop a core part of the design / development process and really take advantage of the delivery mechanisms and services that Steam offers users as early in that cycle as possible (and it still took me a year!). I think it's important to keep in mind context here - the game is (and will always be) free so I'm not concerned about people buying in. If this game was paid or my livelihood depended on it, that would be a different story. And if you really want to take me down a peg, feel free to tell me how terrible the code is (or, y'know, submit some fixes 💖)!

Why is it free? What's the catch?

I get this a lot. The top and bottom of it is this is a game I want to play and it's become a fun community project which stopped us going mad during a global pandemic. With this being a competitive / community-focused game at heart, the niche-within-a-niche nature means that the less barriers to entry, the better it will be for everyone. Ways of supporting the project may be looked at later (e.g. ship liveries, patreon, whatever) but will never include paid competitive advantages or anything gross like that.

So what's currently in place?

• 6dof flight model (and the ability to tweak it to your hearts content - yes, a 50km/s ship will break the game and that's on you 😅).
• An infinite game world engine to facilitate the rather absurd speeds (~1km/s is no joke when it comes to floating point accuracy!)
• 2 ships (yes, many more to come) with colour customisation.
• All the infrastructure around game / graphics / audio options, re-bindable inputs, various flight assists and a frankly absurd amount of options to cater to all kinds of users from casual pad-play all the way to dual-flightstick pilots.
• VR headset support (F11 to recenter!) - I'd love to do cockpit VR controller support in the future but it's not a priority right now.
• Basic JSON map format with auto-leaderboard-generation (ripe for an integrated custom map tool in the future).
• 14 Time Trial maps - more are planned when there's more concrete level geometry and finalised terrain.
• Infinite terrain gen as a technical preview (more diverse biome terrain and foliage planned).
• Multiplayer as a technical preview (no competitive game modes as of yet).

So what's planned?

The short version is: an awful lot. The long version is: this is a community project where basically everything is still up in the the air and I'm generally happy to go with the consensus if it makes sense and is reasonably scoped. Certain features have begun to solidify but the kinds of maps, game modes and even ship tiers that'll be in the final game are still big question marks.

• Ray on the Discord has some new ships coming for both training and sight-seeing.
• I have a huge sound effect refactor work to get through thanks to Monohive on the Discord - all the sound effects currently in the game are placeholder (and cludged together by me, renowned definitely-not-sound-engineer that I am) but I think they hold up reasonably well for a first pass. However, they clearly could be a lot better.
• Now that the foundations are in for Multiplayer, I'm really keen to get some simple competitive party games in place and really expand on the terrain graph to capture the feeling of discovery which accompanies wider variety.
• I'm also really keen on getting in a proper replay viewer - ghosts are stored and can be replayed in-game but not with external cameras, timeline etc just yet.

It's been an insane year and I can't wait to see where the next year takes us, thank you so much for coming on this journey with me. - J

Unfortunately we've been held up in a build review limbo for over a week now and Valve have to make some tweaks their side for reasons outside of our control. The build is ready and doesn't need to change. Hopefully it'll be up some time early morning (Seattle time) but we can't say for sure. Not long now, sorry for the delay.