ALREADY COMPLETE AND IN 3.0.0 BRANCH:
GRAPHICS
 
RenderTarget refactor
This saves over 50% of video memory usage.
Area Lights with proper shadowing
Shadow System refactor
This is more efficient and allows for planetary scale shadows.
DESIGN
 
Crusader Converted to Object Container Setup
With the transition to Object Containers, the Crusader map was completely re-designed. Each Point of interest is now an object container laid out via the Solar System Editor. This is in preparation for Object Container streaming and seamless transitions from different POI’s and between Star Systems. Mission Flowgraphs are converted over to use Subsumption and the new Mission System
Mega Map for Persistent Universe
Mega Map tech (also used in Crusader for seamless loading between different gamemodes) is now possible in the new PU map, which is setup in the solar system editor. This allows the utilization of Mega Map technology.
Revamp of Power Plants / Shield Generators / Coolers and the Heat & Power System for improved gameplay and conversion to Item 2.0
ENVIRONMENT
 
Modular Room System for procedural generation of planetary outposts
Official Outpost Spawning System ready for mission designers
Integrated Outpost distribution to PlanetEd
Single outpost Object Preset
Cluster of Outposts
Crash site mission
Interface to hand place modules and save to Layer
Interface to teleport the camera to the closest outpost
Area boxes created by artists (all room sizes are now usable in the outpost procedural system)
Entrance Room system working (stairs and ramps are now available as initial rooms)
Rooftop Prop system working for Solar panel
Wall prop system working for additional prop variations
Material Wear/Dirt on props using Layer Blend done and actually working
Developed Outpost “feet” system
Set random rotation and offset caps on planet editor
Start documenting 3 possible map layouts looping system (using 2 or 4 meters metrics * system; using connection additional corridor pieces; using spline skinned corridors)
Support Aircon/solar panel system on outposts
Added color tinting to Outposts
Added color tinting interface to Planet Ed
Created material distinction for interior / exteriors
Group elements offset in Planet Object Preset to be able to offset landing pads
TOOLS
 
Solar System Editor
A tool that will layout entire solar system with their astral objects (sun, planets moons) as well as space stations, etc.
PERFORMANCE
 
New Light Controller for runtime light switches
New network message queue (current in QATR) to reduce network bandwidth and network thread time.
Light Entity Render node merging.
Dynamic Physics Grid to support sparse space areas vs. dense areas like space stations.
Highly optimized vertex and position format for all geometry
Texture memory usage reduced across the project
Unified material libraries for use across all departments
Comparing and finding all duplicated normal maps and albedo maps in the LayerBlend texture library
Clean up LayerBlend Material Libraries, Resolution Adjustments, Renames to Lower Case
Follow-ups on list of unused textures and materials
Massively improved LOD computation and average face sizes for ships
Shared hair assets (instead of bespoke asset per head) for character creation
Automated facial asset LODs, skinning algorithm per lod updated.
Reworked mesh setup of facial assets for optimal performance and reduced drawcalls.
Unified helmet and character mesh into singular render proxy for better performance and visuals.
Various portal and culling improvements.
Improved Animation Data Base collection and build process for optimized animation data streaming also added external tools to manage this.
Deprecated thousands of legacy and test assets including animations, geometry, libraries and more for reduced build size.
Automatic Asset Error collection and tracking.
Reworked itemport layout for characters and character items
Updated all assets using HumanSkin to highly optimized HumanSkinv2 shader. This saves upwards of a 100 megs of texture memory per face.
ART
 
New Assets:
Heavy Marine Armor
Explorer Suit Armor
Cloth and Clothing simulation on various assets old and new
Updated helmet interiors and exterior for updated art, FOV tech and standardization
Armor converted to work within modular customization structure
Finalized delivery of ALL facial assets from 3lateral.
Ships:
New Skinning and Rigging tools for landing gear on ships.
Constellation Cargo Bay/Elevator extensions
Light Group entity optimization
CODE
 
New Radar Databank
Subsumption
This is the initial release of the foundational technology that drives all of the AI, mission, dynamic content, and conversational logic. The mission content previously created with FlowGraph has been replaced and the implementation time to achieve a desired effect has been cut dramatically.
Various Performance improvements
Planetary Physics Grid to support orbiting and rotating planets
MFD implementation for Item 2.0 Components on ships
IFCS improvements to support AI & Takeoff System
Unified Visor for seamless Ship 2.0 / FPS transition
HUD/Visor integration for new Radar Databank
Vehicles No Longer Use Lua
This is a huge step forward on the code side.
Skeleton Extension support for Item Port Offset overrides per item
Numerous types of physics simulation for all Item 2.0 attachments including hair, weapons, grenades and more.
Destructible component for items, props and environment assets
Nested Physics Grids support for vehicle transportation inside large ships, i.e. DragonFly & Rover
Physics simulation gravity vector now respects planetary gravity
Modular loadouts rule sets and support for up to five loadouts
Animation driven facial audio implemented
Updated Sandbox Editor Python integration.
Zone culling on all character assets and layers, system complete and mesh markup complete supplemented with tools to easily support new assets.
 
MOONS
We are adding 3 new moons to the Crusader system; Yela, Cellin, and Daymar
Feature Complete
SURFACE OUTPOSTS
The new moons will also have outposts on their surface for you to explore
ETA is 2nd June
MISSION GIVERS
We’re introducing Miles Eckhart(first seen in the Gamescom video)and Ruto to provide missions to players
ETA is 12th May
DERELICT SHIPS
Derelict ships will be added to the system for extra points of interest and exploration
ETA is 26th May
DEBRIS FIELDS
To accompany the derelict ships, there will also be debris fields within the system
ETA is 26th May
DELAMAR / LEVSKI (STRETCH GOAL)
We are adding the planet Delamar and the landing zone, Levski
ETA is 1st June
 
PLAYER MANNED TURRETS
ETA is 8th June
PICK UP & CARRY
As we’re introducing cargo with 3.0.0, players will be able to manually interact with their cargo to load and unload it properly on their ships.
ETA is 25th May
ITEM 2.0 SHIP CONVERSION – PART 1
We are beginning the process of converting our available ships over to the item 2.0 system. This will allow for greater player control of the ship and also allow for expanded gameplay.
ETA is 1st June
ITEM 2.0
Operator Seats.
ETA is 24th May
Radar System
ETA is 5th May
Light Control System.
ETA is 26th April
Fuel / Refuel.
Feature Complete
Power Supply / Pipes.
ETA is 5th May
Quantum Drive.
ETA is 18th April
INSURANCE
This will be an alpha version of the insurance system where if your current ship becomes damaged beyond repair, you will be able to request a replacement ship (with basic loadout) from the insurance provider.
ETA is 5th May
STAMINA
We are introducing the concept of stamina in to 3.0.0, this will mean that actions will have consequences. For instance, continuing to sprint will drain the stamina of your character, causing loss of breath and difficulty in aiming a weapon.
ETA is 31st May
DOORS & AIRLOCKS
We are starting to update the doors and airlocks within the game to be more intelligent. In time, this would mean that the door would ‘know’ if a room beyond them is depressurised and would stay shut for safety
ETA is 31st May
CARGO
Commodities bought using the kiosk will be transportable in the cargo holds of vehicles, to be sold in another location.
ETA is 2nd June
COMMODITIES
Implementing items to represent units of tradeable cargo.
ETA is 19th May
KIOSK SUPPORT
Support UI on kiosks for buying and selling of cargo.
ETA is 1st June
ATMOSPHERIC ENTRY SUPPORT
Adding VFX and Turbulence to atmospheric entry
ETA is 5th May
PERSISTENT DAMAGE, AMMO AND MISSILES
Persistence ensures that your vehicle state is saved between sessions.
ETA is 26th May
REPAIR
Improvements to our repair system to support our persistence model.
ETA is 2nd June
INVENTORY SYSTEM SUPPORT
The inventory will offer a way to manage the cargo and commodities that are being carried by the ships a player owns.
ETA is 1st June
 
 
PLANETARY TECH
The Physics Grid for planets and the modular space stations.
ETA is 31st May
SOLAR SYSTEM TOOL
ETA is 31st May
ENTITY UPDATE COMPONENT SCHEDULER
Will allow lower priority entities (i.e. those further away from players) to be updated less frequently, which should improve the overall framerate and allow us to add more content to the universe.
ETA is 31st May
ENTITY OWNER MANAGER
The Entity Owner Manager will track entities that are moved around the universe, making sure we spawn and unspawn them at the correct time
ETA is 29th May
 
KIOSK UI
Kiosk shopping will allow players to buy and sell various commodities with the gameworld to vendors throughout the universe
ETA is 4th May
ITEM 2.0 MULTI FUNCTION DISPLAYS
MFDs are being converted to work in the new item 2.0 system to give pilots even more control of their ships
ETA is 26th May
FIELD OF VIEW SLIDER
This will allow players to narrow or widen the field of view to their liking
ETA is 5th May
CHARACTER CUSTOMIZATION
Players will now be able to customize their characters heads, hair, eye color, and skin color
ETA is 31st May
PERSONAL MANAGER APP
This App will allow players to review their inventory and customize various aspects of their suit and weapons
ETA is 23rd May
MISSION MANAGER APP
This is a redesign of the mission App that is currently available within mobiGlas and is the next step in allowing players more control over their mission tracking
ETA is 16th May
CARGO MANIFEST APP
After buying items at a Kiosk, players will be able to head to their ship and check their cargo manifest.
ETA is 1st June
INVENTORY SYSTEM
Very closely linked to the cargo manifest App. This will be the place to look for you personal inventory.
ETA is 2nd June
MISSION BOARD APP
The mission board allows players to see the service beacons that have been set up around the universe by other players calling for assistance
ETA is 1st June
STARMAP APP
The Starmap will be introduced to allow players to view the PU at large and select planets to QT to
ETA is 12th May
UI OWNER COMPONENT
This is an underlying framework that will be used for the player manager App, cargo, and the Kiosk
ETA is 12th May
CARGO UI
UI interface for the cargo system
ETA is 1st June
MOBIGLAS OVERHAUL (STRETCH GOAL)
The UI team are planning an overhaul of the mobiGlas system so that it better reads what the gamecode is doing. This change will make the mobiGlas system as a whole easier to maintain for the UI team
ETA is 6th June
 
MISSION SYSTEM
The overall system that will be used to create mission flows when we start building missions like Patrol, Assassination, Smuggling, etc.
ETA is 31st May
AI TURRETS
We are adding the ability for AI to operate turrets in Crusader, so we are working to make sure that they track and fire upon the correct targets.
ETA is 8th May
 
RENDER TO TEXTURE
This will have many uses going forwards, but our focus for now is to improve UI rendering and to introduce live rendering of video communications. We’re aiming to improve rendering performance by rendering as much of the UI ahead of a frame. For video communications, this will mean that we don’t have to pre-render the comms and store those files on the hard drive, as is the case with most games, allowing us to maintain fidelity and save hard drive space.
ETA is 24th May
ENVIRONMENT PROBE
This allows for bounced lighting and reflections to be updated dynamically and will result in better lighting visuals.
ETA is 2nd June
ATMOSPHERIC ENTRY
With 3.0.0 players will have the chance to land on astral bodies, which, in some cases, will involve passing through the atmosphere. Our graphics team are working on the tech that will make this feel as satisfying as possible for the player piloting the ship.
ETA is 5th May
VOLUMETRIC FOG
ETA is 14th April
GPU PARTICLES
Feature Complete
ENGINE TRAILS & CONTRAILS
ETA is 28th April
 
DIFFUSION SUBSET FOR 3.0.0
Diffusion is our second-generation cloud-oriented back-end service architecture. It dramatically simplifies the effort required to implement, maintain, and interact with services, while simultaneously providing major enhancements in the areas of scalability and redundancy.
ETA is 16th June
 
SOLAR SYSTEM SHOP SERVICE
The Solar System Shop Service dictates what retail products, natural resources, and services shops are willing to buy and sell. It also decides their current level of inventory and prices, all of which may vary over time. It acts as an intermediary between the game and the back end simulation/rule set.
ETA is 21st April
SOLAR SYSTEM MISSION SERVICE
The Solar System Mission Service dictates what missions are being offered at various locations and at what price. It is also responsible for specifying when and where dynamic content should be instantiated and how it should be customized. That way, the reality players see matches what it should in that area, based upon hints provided by the back end simulation/rule set. This service will split into two for 3.1, with the latter functionality becoming the responsibility of a dedicated Dynamic Content Service.
ETA is 12th May
 
EW MESSAGE QUEUE
Now that all our message are strictly ordered we’ve been able to really streamline the processing, allowing us to send and recieve messages with less overhead. The new message queue also has a few extra features to better handle packet loss and jitter, helping reduce average bandwidth and latency.
ETA is 22nd May
PHYSICS SERIALIZATION
This will fix a few long standing threading issues between then network and physics code. Improves separation of physics and netcode for better maintainability.
ETA is 12th May
NETWORK BIND/UNBIND (STRETCH GOAL)
Eliminate network updates for entities far away from clients. Should greatly reduce the amount of work the netcode has to do, helping improve server performance. A greater proportion of client bandwidth will be spent on entities close to the client.
ETA is 26th June
 
DRAKE DRAGONFLY
A short-range open canopy craft capable of space and ground flight.
ETA is 12th May
DRAKE CUTLASS BLACK
Rework of the legacy ship
ETA is 26th May
RSI CONSTELLATION AQUILLA
The newest available flight-ready variant of the Constellation series.
ETA is 12th May
RSI URSA ROVER
Ground exploration vehicle.
ETA is 26th May
MISC PROSPECTOR
Single-seater mining craft.
ETA is 5th May
BEHRING P8-SC
An SMG for mid-range fighting that provides a high rate of fire.
ETA is 27th April
APOCALYPSE ARMS SCOURGE RAIL GUN
A shoulder mounted railgun capable of providing high levels of damage at a long range.
ETA is 14th June
KLAUS AND WERNER GALLANT RIFLE
Rework of the legacy weapon.
ETA is 4th May
ARROWHEAD SNIPER RIFLE
Rework of the legacy weapon.
ETA is 18th May
KSAR DEVASTATOR-12 SHOTGUN
Rework of the legacy weapon.
ETA is 25th May