Update #9 | Environment Effects Overhaul

Temperature is calculated a bit more realistically, now. Heat sources will heat up the nodes around them and their distribution allows for a proper flow through open doors and windows and even levels. Temperature spread can be checked via the “Heatmap Overlay” button, located in the upper left corner of the screen. Here’s some noteworthy info:

• Almost everything can be a heat source now – humans, animals, piles, trees, even ground. Some are bigger heat sources than others, and putting them together in a room might lead to maintained warm temperatures.
• Opening doors and windows when it’s cold outside will flow in the cold air.
• Temperature can accumulate over time, so a closed-up room with high insulation will keep getting warmer with time.
• Braziers now have 3 levels of heating (low, medium, and high) which will influence their fuel consumption. The default setting is medium and changing to another level is instant.
• Settlers will not choose idle/eating/sleeping locations that are outside of the comfortable temperature (-8 to 34C).
• Beds located in temperatures outside of the comfortable range will be disabled.
• Map type influences temperature. Mountain maps have colder summers and winters, while valley winters are milder by comparison.

It’s worth mentioning that this also means that ice blocks will never lower the temperature of the storage beyond 0C, no matter how many ice blocks you have. Food will eventually rot, as all food does, but with the proper setup, you can preserve them for a long time.

One of the things that influence the temperature is the sunlight, another factor we’ve worked on.

Previously, sunlight was just cosmetic with no effect on the environment. We’ve turned it into an active system that is influenced and influences other features. Notable info:

• Sunlight provides a heating effect.
• Settlers will get heat stroke when in the sun for a long period of time. Having certain apparel, like a wide hat on their head, will help protect them from the heat stroke effect.
• Sunlight’s strength is determined by the angle of the sun.
• Shadows created by sunlight will offer cooler spots.
• During winter, the shadows of dead trees will not affect temperature change.
• Sunlight bouncing off the materials will create diffuse light. This allows for plant growth within inside areas but can also be observed in-game. Speaking of flora growth…

Most plants in the early phases need sunlight in order to not grow into stunted versions of those plants. Stunted plants are smaller in appearance and will yield fewer resources. Different flora types have different rules for becoming stunted, but we’ll cover just one here (we’ll leave the rest to you, as a part of the discovery process).

If the cabbage goes from the growing to the grown phase with sunlight accumulation under 50%, it will be stunted. If the sunlight accumulation reaches 0%, the plant will start to lose HP. Sunlight amount represents the number of rays hitting the plant. If that amount is 0%, the plant will grow at 25% of its usual speed. Accumulation influences its health, while amount influences its growth speed.

A tree becomes stunted if it:

1. Is surrounded by more than 2 x walls.
2. Has more than 2x trees around them (the player needs to sow them row by row in order to make the most out of the tree sowing now.
3. Has a roof or floor immediately over it in the layer above.

Here are other important things to know about sunlight’s influence on plants:

• Dead and Mature trees, along with mushrooms, don’t need sunlight to continue growing.
• Plants can be sown under roofs and in caves now.

There is one other change worth mentioning in regard to sunlight, and that is…

Of all the features in Update #9, environmental effects bare minimal consequences on the gameplay. They do, however, make our game super pretty! Just look at the grass – look how rich it looks compared to the old version. But we didn’t stop there. Behold:

• Dirt paths. Walking over the ground frequently will turn it into dirt. Don’t worry, grass grows over time, now. Its speed is influenced by seasons, so it will not grow in winter but during the fall, the growing process will be slowed.
• Rain effectors. These occur if settlers stand in the rain for too long. They’ll get negative effectors and modified comfortable temperatures while in the rain. Standing under a roof will result in them getting dry and losing these effects.
• Wetness. Now, when the rain falls, the ground will accumulate some water that will appear as puddles. This puddle will slowly dry up, and the ground around heat sources will dry up faster. Immersion!
• Snow accumulation. Snow now accumulates while the snow falls. This also means that when settlers and animals walk over snowy areas, they’ll leave trails behind them and snow on the ground will melt. Snow will melt faster in areas with higher temperatures. 80% of its melted parts will turn into wetness. Wetness will not dry up where there is snow over it.

Now it’s the perfect time to mention a new structure type that will handle some of the things mentioned above.

We’ve added two new floor types: wicker grated floors and metal grated floors.

• These floors are walkable and behave almost the same as regular floors.
• They let rain and sun through as well as snow.
• They allow for an easier temperature flow from lower levels.
• They keep hail from damaging plants.
• Settlers and enemies can shoot bows and crossbows through them.

And while we’re on the subject of buildings, let’s talk about the thing that will be a game changer for many (according to the discussions here on Steam forums).

Ladders are voxel elements (like walls), that allow traversal between two layers. They can be built anywhere (in allowed space), can be stacked up with one another, and can be built adjacent to floors, walls, doors, and windows.

• They are instantly available with no research needed.
• Can’t be placed under beams, floors, walls, and roofs and can’t have beams, floors, roofs, or walls placed over them.
• Can’t be climbed from the “back” side.
• Climbing them results in a slower movement, so when it comes to settlers’ pathfinding, they might look for a longer path for traversal in certain scenarios.
• Cats, polecats, and rats can climb the ladders.

While on ladders, settlers can:

• Deliver resources to blueprints.
• Build.
• Fight.
• Refuel buildings/furniture.
• Pick up/Equip items.
• Lock/unlock doors.
• Open/close windows.
• Take wounded people to bed.

While on ladders, settlers can’t:

• Rope animals if that animal can’t go up the ladders.

Here is what you need to know when it comes to fighting:

• One-handed weapons are 20% slower and their damage is 20% reduced when hitting from ladders.
• Two-handed weapons are 40% slower and their damage is 20% reduced when hitting from ladders.
• Settlers with ranger weapons will switch to melee when on ladders.
• Settlers with shields will put them on their back when climbing ladders.
• Landing a successful critical strike will result in a settler/enemy falling down from ladders.
• Some weapons, like the billhook, have an increased chance of doing critical when the attacker is on a ladder.