/// Ground Zero Alpha Week One

Hey Autonomics,

it has been almost a week since we released our first Ground Zero Closed Alpha update. We were honestly stressed about this launch. It is a huge milestone for us, and we’re glad some of you are here for it. We hope you’re enjoying what the game offers right now while we work on fixes, improvements, and new content.

Today, we’re rolling out our first Hot Fix. It should take care of a few serious issues along with some smaller annoyances. Going forward, you will regularly receive updates that focus on game-breaking problems, and on a monthly or semi-monthly cycle we’ll ship new features for you to try.

For December, we’re mostly focusing on ironing out logistics and polishing your current experience. By the end of January or early February, we plan to release our first proper content update with new features. We’re closely monitoring your bug reports and feedback and adjusting systems based on what you’re telling us.

Thank you for all the positive reactions. The team really enjoys reading your comments. It means a lot to see you noticing the small details even at this early stage. Your support keeps us going and pushing forward.

💙❤️💛 Thank you.

Hotfix Change Log

Performance and Visuals

– Performance optimizations

– Player adjustable shadow settings

– Default V-sync set to Off

– Fixed bamboo trees not responding to wind

– Improved ambient occlusion to reduce flat look

– Improved render distance for beach details with a softer fade

– Tweaked crash site scenery

– Fixed floating bushes and one tree

– Added small world details like cargo nets and torn tarps

Systems and Gameplay

– Default Walk now uses Hold instead of Toggle

– Player adjustable bindings for Walk Hold and Walk Toggle

– Added more checks to prevent consumables from randomly failing

– Added a pulse effect when a new buff appears on the HUD

– Improved melee tool reliability

– Fixed melee hit collision effects not playing sometimes

– Tweaked accuracy for crop and plot watering

Now that one stubborn crop should finally get a drink.

– Fixed issue where one log gave three logs

– Reduced log yield from tall trees

– Increased Water Bottle capacity from 1000 to 2000 mL

Enough water for your crops and your legs will be thankful.

– Increased watering rate by almost two times

– Slightly increased Hunger depletion rate

– Slightly increased Thirst depletion rate

– Removed legacy consumables like chips and water cans

– Balanced loot tables for Common, Uncommon and Rare crates

– Updated seeds economy balance

– Default fatigue on new characters set to 20 percent

– Fixed Eternal Sleep bug that trapped the character in darkness until reload

Time to wake up from the eternal slumber.

– Fixed a bug where loading the game could reset quest progress and backpack

– Sugarcane is temporarily available in a local store

Let easy Biopellet construction begin

– Event triggers adjusted in several quests to reduce the chance of getting stuck

– All new consumables now have unique Hunger, Thirst and HP restoration values

– Fixed bug where irrigating worked by simply hitting a plant

– Blocked storage access before having a backpack.

Characters and Animation

– Fixed weird face when putting away the Tablet

Who hasn’t made a weird face at a tablet. This character won’t anymore.

– Fixed double land bug on male characters

– Fixed character getting stuck during consumption

Tools, Crafting and UI

– Fixed selling items in the Crafting Panel

That red button with the hand finally works. Sell to your heart’s content.

– Fixed crafting tables and machine panels eating your resources

– Added shortcut keys to HUD

– TAB now opens Inventory, Machine Menu moved to Z

– Minor copywriting fixes

– Fixed issue with fillable items breaking storage/inventory panels.

– Fixed issue where not aiming at the slot could break the storage/inventory panel.

– Ensured that the crafting table and the machine panels correctly block crafting when there's not enough space in the inventory for a crafted item.

– Updated Toolbelt Panel prefab (removed C)

– Updated display of watts/kilowatts/megawatts/gigawatts with higher precision in solar panel and windmill generator UI panels.

– Reworked general Shortcuts Panel added on MainHud (toggled with "Y").

Environment and World Timing

– Added one extra day to Summer

– Adjusted snow depth visuals. Still partially broken

Hopefully fewer deep snow angels when you fall

Power Systems

– Improved Solar Panel output by about 30 percent

– Improved Wind Turbine output by about 50 percent, especially in lower winds

– Moved wind cut off threshold higher to avoid early shutdown

Audio

– Replaced persistent wind with a gust-based system

– Added grass + sand that rustle in reaction to wind volume

– Filtered music based on wind level

Safety and Debug Stuff

– Disabled Dev Stats Screen for players

– Disabled some internal dev tools

– Fixed over five dozen props that were blocking object deletion

We know there are still crop issues in this build, and we’re doing our best to solve those along with other bugs that block progress or gameplay. We’ll keep pushing hot fixes, but this month we’re also giving the team a bit of time to cool down after the Kickstarter sprint and the Alpha launch. A little recharge goes a long way, and we’ll be back on track stronger than ever.

Known Issues:

– We’re still fighting Crops. Yeah, those. The UI and UX for them is still pretty raw and we plan to improve it in the next update. For now, we’ve seen reports of some crops dying abruptly. We’re digging into it, and if you notice any patterns or have findings please let us know.

– Snow and Seasons also need love. Some transitions are still abrupt, and winter can spawn way too much snow. The team is aware and working on improvements to the system. This should be resolved in the next Content Update.

– The quest “Build Iron Ingot Automation Chain” is still causing issues for some players who can’t complete it. We’re investigating it and hope to push a hotfix for it soon.

💙❤️💛 Thank you all for the amazing support. There’s so much more on the way. - Crytivo Team