Making Space Exciting Again: The Need for Better Modding Tools
Imagine you’re traversing the endless expanse of space when your scanners pick up a mysterious signal. With a racing heart, you steer your ship into a dense, shimmering nebula, its swirling shades of fiery red and glowing orange blending together like a cosmic inferno. The thick fog swallows your view as electromagnetic storms crackle around you. Suddenly, the veil lifts slightly, revealing a haunting sight: a shattered moon, broken into countless fragments that form a sprawling asteroid field, its jagged edges casting sharp shadows under the faint glow of a distant radiant star breaking through the nebula.
The larger fragments bear the scars of ancient mining operations – half-collapsed and hidden within their rugged surfaces. Lightning flashes between the debris, briefly illuminating the chaotic scene in stark, ghostly light, as if guarding a long-forgotten secret. In the distance, deep within a massive asteroid, something glimmers – a strange artifact that ignites your curiosity. It’s a sight that inspires awe, a place that could leave an indelible mark on your soul: What could have destroyed this moon, and what other secrets lie buried within its remains?
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Perhaps this brief scene description has already helped you see where I’m going with this.
The space in SE 1 never really captivated me. It lacks spectacular scenes that leave a lasting impression and invite exploration. Simply swapping out skyboxes for different backgrounds only scratches the surface of the problem. This is a weakness many space games share: space often feels static and dull instead of featuring breathtaking locations that truly inspire awe.
Watch this video from 0:11 to 0:58: Squadron 42: 2019 Visual Teaser - Imagine if we could create something like this with such a flair, even just to a small extent.
What’s my point here? On one hand, it would be fantastic if Keen themselves developed such scenarios. On the other hand, it’s maybe even more important for the community that SE 2 provides extensive modding tools to enable players to create such scenarios and more on their own. With the right tools, we could design new, various and exciting environments and share them on the Workshop. Creating such scenarios can be just as enjoyable as exploring them, provided the tools are up to the task. We have already seen this with the limiting possibilities of SE1; We have a very creative community here.
In SE 1, this is unfortunately difficult and limited. For example, creating nebulae requires a mod that provides the basics but comes with too many limitations: it doesn’t reduce visibility enough to effectively hide anything within and the minimum size of the nebulae is often too large for many ideas, even though smaller nebulae would technically be possible (I did that for myself). Similarly, larger asteroid fields are challenging to design. While mods allow the placement of multiple asteroids and offer some control over the resources they contain, both are still very rough and imprecise, which limits their potential significantly. For my private server, I’m currently tweaking the nebula mod to suit my needs because it already has a lot of potential but doesn’t utilize it.
Another example of the limitations in SE 1 is the planets. While the planet technology can be repurposed for creative ideas, it has its limits. My mod for a black hole illustrates this: the ring around the black hole uses the planetary atmosphere layer, shaped into a disk. However, the system doesn’t support glowing textures, meaning the ring becomes darker when the sun shines from the side. It’s a minor detail, but it highlights how the engine’s design often fails to consider how modders might use these systems.
My hope is that SE 2 will, from the start, pay closer attention to the needs of the modding community. The engine should include tools and mechanisms that allow for the creation of truly impressive space scenarios. Space could become so much more exciting, with locations like the example described above, where, for example, new resources can be found to build new ships, establish your own space stations or create a base for your faction. The ability to create such scenarios – to place them in custom worlds and/or share them via the Workshop – would also become far more engaging and versatile.
Space simply needs to be more compelling so that explorers genuinely want to venture into it. The last Space Engineers addon was already a promising step in the right direction. I’m curious to see if they’ve expanded on these ideas in SE 2. There’s so much potential waiting to be unlocked.
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Perhaps we could also use this thread to go into more detail. After writing this, I immediately thought that additional support for procedural generation in the modding tools would be incredibly helpful. It could bring more variation to such scenarios in each new game, ensuring that special elements aren’t always in the same place or could even change stuff.
P.S. I’d love to hear everyone’s thoughts on this and any additional ideas you might have!
P.P.S. Let me know if I should clarify anything.
P.P.P.S This text was translated and restructured with the help of ChatGPT.
I like this feedback
Greetings, I am Kreeg.
The Modding Tools are not out. The Modding API is not out. The Game has not even released its first slice.
And this massive text wall is 98% filler, 1% actual references to SE-1, and 1% text about implied additions.
What do you actually want in the API that you don't have access to, or know what it has? It is more API access which you don't know how far it goes.
Is it adding additional un-used texture sections to the material processes, like an ADD to a system that doesn't use ADD textures? Despite not even having info on how any of those materials work in V3.
On the Roadmap is 3 entire sections devoted to Modding, from the Hub, to the tools, to the tools listed as Developer-level tools, and... you apparently don't have any idea what those are yet are hoping for vague tools. Fantastic.
Read the Roadmap.
Greetings, I am Kreeg.
The Modding Tools are not out. The Modding API is not out. The Game has not even released its first slice.
And this massive text wall is 98% filler, 1% actual references to SE-1, and 1% text about implied additions.
What do you actually want in the API that you don't have access to, or know what it has? It is more API access which you don't know how far it goes.
Is it adding additional un-used texture sections to the material processes, like an ADD to a system that doesn't use ADD textures? Despite not even having info on how any of those materials work in V3.
On the Roadmap is 3 entire sections devoted to Modding, from the Hub, to the tools, to the tools listed as Developer-level tools, and... you apparently don't have any idea what those are yet are hoping for vague tools. Fantastic.
Read the Roadmap.
I think we might be talking past each other a bit. My feedback (this is no support ticket) wasn’t meant to outline specific changes or features that the modding tools must include. Instead, I wanted to address a more general concern: that the developers should keep scenarios like the one I described in mind when designing the modding tools for Space Engineers 2, ensuring they are as flexible and versatile as possible to eventually make it possible to create anything a player can imagine, no matter how crazy it is.
Of course, I understand that the modding tools for SE2 aren’t out yet, and that’s precisely why I think it’s important to bring up such suggestions early. If we wait until everything is finalized before giving feedback, it’s often much harder to implement fundamental changes and we will get some stuff maybe never.
I hope this helps clarify my point a bit better.
I think we might be talking past each other a bit. My feedback (this is no support ticket) wasn’t meant to outline specific changes or features that the modding tools must include. Instead, I wanted to address a more general concern: that the developers should keep scenarios like the one I described in mind when designing the modding tools for Space Engineers 2, ensuring they are as flexible and versatile as possible to eventually make it possible to create anything a player can imagine, no matter how crazy it is.
Of course, I understand that the modding tools for SE2 aren’t out yet, and that’s precisely why I think it’s important to bring up such suggestions early. If we wait until everything is finalized before giving feedback, it’s often much harder to implement fundamental changes and we will get some stuff maybe never.
I hope this helps clarify my point a bit better.
Did I hear correctly that there may be custom block modding features in SE2? I have tried creating blocks in Blender and had a lot of issues with collision boxes. I know that using old an Havok file is part of the problem.
If I could import a 3d block model into SE2 tools and correct any problems it could save some time.
Did I hear correctly that there may be custom block modding features in SE2? I have tried creating blocks in Blender and had a lot of issues with collision boxes. I know that using old an Havok file is part of the problem.
If I could import a 3d block model into SE2 tools and correct any problems it could save some time.
Do you use the Blender SE addon to create this blocks? But yeah, from own modding I noticed this problems a lot. So far I remember also make sure to restart the game, if I remember correct reloading the map isn't enough on collision boxes. But maybe my information are outdated.
I really hope that will be a lot better in SE2, but I'm pretty sure it will be, but I can't confirm it myself (I'm not fully up to date yet). I only wonder if we get official Blender support, that would be nice. Because it is free it is the easiest way to create new 3D models.
Because it is a bit offtopic; new blocks could be also a thing for such space scenarios. Blocks you may only find the blueprint to build them there like with the Prototech stuff (last Contact update) but player created. A special ship gun or something even more "game" changing.
Do you use the Blender SE addon to create this blocks? But yeah, from own modding I noticed this problems a lot. So far I remember also make sure to restart the game, if I remember correct reloading the map isn't enough on collision boxes. But maybe my information are outdated.
I really hope that will be a lot better in SE2, but I'm pretty sure it will be, but I can't confirm it myself (I'm not fully up to date yet). I only wonder if we get official Blender support, that would be nice. Because it is free it is the easiest way to create new 3D models.
Because it is a bit offtopic; new blocks could be also a thing for such space scenarios. Blocks you may only find the blueprint to build them there like with the Prototech stuff (last Contact update) but player created. A special ship gun or something even more "game" changing.
In SE1 - Blender with SE plugin and updating package. I have been following the guide on the WIKI and on Keens modding page. A single collision box appears to function better than blocks with multiple collision boxes. I have had to try and guess where to move the collision boxes to get them to work and often they can be far outside of the original block. I have not managed to figure a consistent process that leads to the same result each time. Some blocks worked, others did not, though I am no expert with Blender.
In SE1 - Blender with SE plugin and updating package. I have been following the guide on the WIKI and on Keens modding page. A single collision box appears to function better than blocks with multiple collision boxes. I have had to try and guess where to move the collision boxes to get them to work and often they can be far outside of the original block. I have not managed to figure a consistent process that leads to the same result each time. Some blocks worked, others did not, though I am no expert with Blender.
Right, but I didn't have done that stuff for years now, so I can't fully remember that stuff. I mean on that time back then I used a 0,9 scale on the collision box, but that have may changed over the years. You should anyway ask in the SE1 section in an extra feedback post about that.
Right, but I didn't have done that stuff for years now, so I can't fully remember that stuff. I mean on that time back then I used a 0,9 scale on the collision box, but that have may changed over the years. You should anyway ask in the SE1 section in an extra feedback post about that.
I really hope Keen has an eye on that. So many possibilities on SE1 which was not used or at least not easy useable by a modder without deep knowledge.
I really hope Keen has an eye on that. So many possibilities on SE1 which was not used or at least not easy useable by a modder without deep knowledge.
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