Space Engineers 2 Alpha: VS 1.2

Hello, Engineers!

Vertical Slice 1.2 is here and it brings another round of improvements to Space Engineers 2. This update introduces target-based ship controls, undo/redo for the paint gun, improved visuals for partial copy/paste, and a complete rework of jetpack movement and feel. 

You’ll also find the new off-center third-person camera, making ship piloting and character control feel smoother and more natural.

• Full Blog Post: https://2.spaceengineersgame.com/space-engineers-2-alpha-vertical-slice-1-2-released/
• Support: https://support.keenswh.com/spaceengineers2/pc
• Roadmap: https://2.spaceengineersgame.com/roadmap-2/
• Connect: https://www.keenswh.com/connect/

• Target-based grid control, Improved Ship Controls
  • Added UI indicating ship rotation
• Paint Gun Undo-Redo
• Improved visuals for partial copy/paste
• Jetpack 2.0
  • Jetpack boost has now a charge time for its activation, hydrogen bar has charging indicator and orange highlight
  • Added improved visual (Camera Shake) and sound effects to Jetpack boost
• Off-center 3rd Person Camera
  • By default it is set to Right
  • ALT+V changes camera to right-center-left
  • 3rd person camera minimal distance is now lower
  • Better visibility in 3rd person view
• Added scroll through toolbars (CTRL + ALT + Mouse Wheel)
• Added multiple sound effects (example: GUI/UI sounds, toolbar sounds, radial menu sounds, grid impact sounds, explosions)
• Added visual icons to Dynamic Hits
• Added multiple first-person and third-person animations (jumping, debug gun, paint gun) 
• Added Debug Gun model, muzzle effects
  • Debug gun now damages Voxels
• Improved Voxel destruction effects
• Shifted 3rd person camera view when sitting in the cockpit
• Added First Person view character shadows
• Added visual effect when block is removed
• Added Inverse Kinematics for character model (still work in progress in edge cases*)
• Removed VariableRefreshRate from Display options
• Removed the quickstart option from the main menu

• We are solving Target-based grid control edge cases
• Color picker will be included in undo-redo for paint gun in a future update
• Character is not holding a Gun correctly while using the jetpack
• After entering a cockpit for the first time after starting the game, the character may peek through the cockpit - this will be fixed in an upcoming update.
• Keyboard and mouse controls are not customizable yet, but they will be!
• Toolbar block groups and sizes (block selection via R key) are a temporary mechanism and will be redesigned in a near update.
• We’re aware of incompatibility at launch of Space Engineers 2 on Intel Arc A-Series and Core Ultra Series 1 built-in Arc GPUs. We are working with Intel to enable the game experience and will provide relevant updates as development progresses.
• Performance
  • Performance optimization is ongoing. For Alpha release, we’re targeting 16x Red Ship grids at 60 FPS on recommended hardware.
  • Autosave may cause brief lags during gameplay.
  • Performance optimizations of ship collisions and destruction are ongoing, so it won’t be lag-free at this moment. We will be continuously improving it in the following updates.
  • PCU values per block may appear higher compared to Space Engineers 1, reflecting SE2's increased detail and more precise performance measurements. While the current total PCU limit is set at 400,000 in VS1, we plan to raise this threshold in future updates as we implement scheduled optimization improvements.
• Space Engineers 2 Workshop
  • In-game Blueprint interface - Additional features and improvements will be introduced based on player feedback.
  • Displaying Steam Workshop Collections in-game is planned.
  • Blueprint screen refresh can be slow in some cases - it should be fixed in the next update.
  • Your owned Private items are not currently visible in the in-game Workshop browser.
  • We are addressing edge cases where re-publishing, renaming, tag display in the Steam interface, and sorting may not work as intended.
  • Offline mode improvements - we are working on better handling when Steam is offline.
• The current GUI (Graphical User Interface) and HUD (Heads-Up Display) are works in progress. Our team is prioritizing core functionality first. Once we've confirmed all features are working as intended, we'll enhance the visual design and overall aesthetics.
• Some blocks are decorative-only for now (for example, the Assembler is present but cannot produce components)
• The inventory system will be implemented in a future update
• Fracture models will receive additional visual updates in future versions.
• The paint tool’s limited palette is temporary; future updates will include RGB/HSV color settings and custom palettes.
• Work on enhanced sound effects is ongoing, including jetpack audio
• The Alpha releases in English language, more localizations will follow
• Tutorials will be added closer to the end of development.

• Community Hub: https://2.spaceengineersgame.com/space-engineers-2-community-hub/

Stability

• Fixed a crash in Havok
• Fixed a crash when changing V-sync setting

Performance

• Fixed a performance issue when placing a block
• Fixed a performance issue when a large ship crashed into a static grid
•  Fixed a performance issue when partially copying a grid
• Fixed a freeze when performing high-load activities on a slower HDD
•  Fixed a freeze when moving from a standstill inside a large grid

Functional

•  Fixed an issue where blueprints could be assigned to an empty hand slot (Tile 0)
• Fixed an issue where Shift + G didn’t open the blueprint screen in spectator mode
• Fixed an issue where the "Create Blueprint" overlay could get stuck
• Fixed an issue where the confirmation dialog was missing when trying to delete published worlds
• Fixed an issue where publishing an item with a large thumbnail file failed with an unspecified error
• Fixed an issue where a Workshop world threw an error when launched while still downloading
• Fixed an issue where Landing Gear incorrectly displayed lock options after splitting a grid
• Fixed an issue where the "New Grid" option allowed blocks to be placed where they shouldn't be
• Fixed an issue where it was possible to place a block partially inside another grid
•  Fixed an issue where symmetry mode failed to place blocks correctly
• Fixed an issue where the character slid on uneven asteroid surfaces despite having magboots on
• Fixed an issue where grids remained static after disconnecting them from voxels
• Fixed an issue where a dynamic grid could be connected to voxels
• Fixed an issue where the character was affected by gravity even though the HUD displayed 0 gravity
• Fixed an issue where aiming in first-person view was not smooth
• Fixed an issue where a static spectator couldn't control a ship
• Fixed an issue where the Paint Tool remained stuck in active mode
•  Fixed an issue where grids didn’t take impact damage
•  Fixed an issue where deformations carried over to undeformed parts of a grid when using partial copy
• Fixed an issue where grids spun indefinitely after removing gyroscopes
• Fixed an issue where the character’s speed was reduced to zero after exiting jetpack boost mode while still holding the W key
• Fixed an issue where cockpit interactions were misaligned in spectator mode

UI

• Fixed an issue where clicking the splash screen caused the Steam overlay to scale up
• Fixed an issue where the Help screen’s advanced controls section displayed developer strings for several buttons
• Fixed a typo in the name of a block in the Concordia Research Facility scenario
• Fixed an issue where buttons became disabled after choosing not to overwrite a save file
• Fixed an issue where the Blueprints and Workshop screens had inconsistent content widths
• Fixed an issue where the capitalization of tooltips for location and visibility of Workshop items was inconsistent
• Fixed an issue where the Apply button could be clicked twice when changing the Adapter setting in Display options
• Fixed an issue where the Select World screen's tile icons lacked tooltips

Audio

• Fixed an issue where push sounds were cut off immediately after releasing a movement key
• Fixed an issue where the large ship push sound was missing on the Red Ship
• Fixed an issue where a crackling sound occurred when descending with a ship and colliding with a platform
• Fixed an issue where the default music and sound volume levels were not properly balanced
• Fixed an issue where Gyroscopes 0.5 m produced overlapping sounds
• Fixed an issue where push sounds occurred when moving at max velocity

Particles

• Fixed an issue where destruction particles either got stuck or didn’t appear when destroying a block
• Fixed an issue where impact sparks didn’t appear after hitting fractures
• Fixed an issue where the Paint Tool’s particles were offset

Render

• Fixed an issue where the Voxel Hand preview left behind shadow artifacts
•  Fixed an issue where a voxel disappeared after changing graphics settings
• Fixed an issue where Intel graphics drivers were not logged correctly
• Fixed an issue where the cockpit flickered when selected