Below & Beyond: Content Update #1 - Patch Notes

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Aiwyth

Community Developer
Jan 22, 2020
71
242
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Game version: 1009413

Main Focus:
In this first part, we focus on making it easier to explore and expand into the underground earlier on while also making the Asteroid Lander and Elevator easier to use. We also start making Below and Beyond content more beneficial for your main colony by introducing a few upgrades that cost Exotic Minerals.

  • Elevator Grid resource transfer: The elevator now transfers excess power, water, and oxygen between the Martian Surface and Underground. This enables you to start expanding in the underground while relying on your production on the surface.
  • Elevator Auto mode: You can now set a minimum amount of resources you want on the Surface and Underground. While the elevator is in auto mode it will automatically request resources when under this minimum. You can also still manually request resources.
    • Requesting resources for the Elevator is now done on the side where you need the resources, instead of where you send them from. With arrows indicating from where to where the resources will be transported.
  • Reworked cave-ins: Cave-ins no longer require a specific tech to clear, and blocked tunnels that required the landscaping tool are also removed. To still maintain an element of gradual exploration, we introduce the new Collapsed Tunnels which do still require the tech to be cleared.
    • Increased room for exploration in the underground, greatly reduced the number of tunnels blocked while the new Collapsed tunnels are placed such that they lead to larger new areas to explore or extra anomalies to find. We also increased the number of anomalies in the underground.
  • Exotic Minerals upgrades: We introduced a few upgrades to surface buildings that cost Exotic Minerals;
    • Improved Photovoltaics; doubles power production for solar panels
    • Exotic Mineral Treatment; greatly increases health and sanity recovery from Infirmaries (and Medical Posts if you have In-dome Building Pack).

Gameplay Improvements:
  • Added clear warnings to the lander rocket for why it cannot depart yet, so you can take action.
  • Added a "Depart Now" button to the Asteroid Lander, which allows you to launch the lander before the requested payload is loaded, as long as it has enough fuel.
  • Disabled the “visit asteroid” button, if there is no Asteroid to go to.
  • Removed the Micro-G Vehicles tech, RC Vehicles can now always be brought to Asteroids.
  • Elevators can now recharge drones, just like drone hubs.
  • Improve requested payload feedback on the elevator.
  • Added 1 drone to terraforming initiative default loadout to fill out the cargo space.
  • After map switching once, all switches afterwards have a fade instead of a loading screen, which shortens the loading times significantly.

Balance changes:
  • Halved research costs for the Recon & Expansion tech tree.
  • Reduced Exotic Minerals costs for underground domes.
  • Added an anomaly close to elevators which gives some Exotic Minerals, to get you started.
  • Rebalanced Drone Hub Extender to cost less Exotic Minerals.
  • Increased success chance of Jumbo Cave events.
  • Increased time players have on asteroids.
  • Adjusted the tech tree order; moving Low-G Excavation Permits and Low-G Tunnel Supports down while moving Underground Dome Construction and Micro-G Mining up.

Bug Fixes:
  • Asteroid Lander now gives correct feedback when requiring maintenance.
  • Fixed an issue with lander rocket showing payload when landing, instead of requested payload.
  • Fixed an issue with the elevator panel not removing colonists already transported to the other side.
  • Fixed the lander info panel showing an incorrect status when there aren't enough prefabs.
  • Fixed the lander showing an incorrect status after canceling the trip.
  • Fixed the First Rainfall milestone not being achieved after reaching all requirements
  • Fixed disasters running back to back.
  • Fixed Lander rocket not taking off if RC Vehicles required for take-off are in the cargo of another rocket.
  • Fixed Mirror Sphere mystery never-ending, the counter however remains on screen in existing saves.
  • Fixed an issue with suffocating colonists continuing to suffocate when they get out of the Elevator.
  • Fixed an issue with colonists suffocating while trying to reach micro-g habitat.
  • Fixed an issue with drones needing several takes on a single cave-in to clear it.
  • Fixed an issue with vehicle navigation when collapsed tunnels are cleared.
  • Fixed Electrolyzer continuing to consume water when turned off.
  • Fixed Drone Hub Extenders not receiving the extra range of 15 hexes.
  • Fixed Drone Hub Extender active range not being redrawn immediately after researching the Signal Boosters.
  • Fixed an issue with the “Unknown” status of drones and rovers while using the Elevator.
  • Fixed empty tooltip and building panel of the Forestation plant when the language is set to Turkish.
  • Fixed drones facing the wrong side while gathering Metals or Exotic Minerals.
  • Fixed an issue with the lander rocket’s color being different before and after construction for some sponsors.
  • Fixed an issue with colonists not occupying the last (14th) slot of the Micro-G Habitat.
  • Fixed tooltip for the Micro-G Habitat colonist filter referring to a dome instead of habitat.
  • Fixed the Jumbo Cave experiment pop-ups showing incorrect cost cuts.
  • Fixed Cave-ins and Collapsed Tunnels not having a texture in the quick bar.

New game only bug fixes:
  • Fixed Alien Artifact Anomalies spawning underground in the Dredgers Mystery.
  • Fixed an issue with Mystery3Counter notification triggered by Countdown Sphere Unknown Event being stuck.
  • Fixed an issue with numbers going into the negative on countdown timers.
 
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I'm liking the changes listed here. Making the underground easier to use earlier on is definitely going in the right direction, as is lowering the tech costs. Not having to research to clear cave ins is also great, I'll take a slower exploration over a rover suddenly being stuck because of a cave in and me having no way to get it out because of the tech not being researched.

Think things could still use some polish, but the fact it's still being worked on is a positive imo. Better that then it being left in a messy state.
 
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This is a good update, but you will need to do more with both Asteroids and the Underground to make them an integral part of the gameplay and not just an afterthought.

For example, add geothermal power sources underground and a geothermal power plant. This way you will have a good reason to go there from the start of a new game to get cheap and reliable power.

Asteroids can benefit from something funky, like installing engines to sync it with a Mars-stationary orbit - you will be able to prolong its stay around Mars at the expense of fuel and materials for the engines. You can add also some zero-G farming in space and add new plant species to grow there.

In general, anything that interacts with the rest of the game's systems - power, food, water, fuel, education, population traits - and can be found or built in the two new areas will be a good addition to give you more reasons to play with them.

You will need to expand on the Content in this DLC to make it worthwhile for the price you are asking. :)
 
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I wish I could give more than one like. Obviously I will have to test this in-game, but this sounds like many, many steps in the right direction.
I especially like the solar panel upgrade -- it should make them relevant but not overpowered in the mid and late game. Well done!
 
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I would kinda keep the Micro-G research by making it speed-up on-asteroid rover/drone speeds. Without it, they would move slowly so they, you know, don't just fly off the asteroid.

Underground still sounds like it needs more fleshing out. Gameplay-wise, what is the benefit of underground expansion? Especially manned expansion? Asteroids I get with them being the only reliable source of Exotics. What's the return on investment for the underground?
 
  • Exotic Minerals upgrades: We introduced a few upgrades to surface buildings that cost Exotic Minerals;
    • Improved Photovoltaics; doubles power production for solar panels
    • Exotic Mineral Treatment; greatly increases health and sanity recovery from Infirmaries (and Medical Posts if you have In-dome Building Pack).

That's very nice!
It gives us more incentive to get exotic minerals, do not hesitate to give us even more upgrades with it!

(fo exemple Omega telescope can consume exotic minerals to research even more breaktroughs !)
 
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Hello developers, Would it be possible to integrate the two Martian moons Phobos and Deimos(i mean like you can play there like on Asteorids but everytime and you can do a few more things) into the game in future DLCs? It would be nice if you can answer if it´s probably or not. Have a nice Day :)
 
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  • Reworked cave-ins: Cave-ins no longer require a specific tech to clear, and blocked tunnels that required the landscaping tool are also removed.
Not sure this was entirely necessary, given you've also dropped the tech cost for the tree, but ok.

  • Exotic Minerals upgrades: We introduced a few upgrades to surface buildings that cost Exotic Minerals;
This is definitely a step in the right direction. Should've been there from the start, as it gives you a reason to go get those exotics early. There are loads more surface buildings that can benefit from exotic upgrades, please keep going in this direction.

  • Halved research costs for the Recon & Expansion tech tree.
I could never understand why the new content was gated behind excessive tech costs. It makes sense for terraforming tech, as this is intended as a late game feature, but B&B should be available early/mid game. Well done.

  • Increased time players have on asteroids.
Good idea. Might finally be worth sending colonists.

Overall, it now feels like you're going in the right direction. You've made a good start here. Linking exotics more to the surface is definitely something you should continue to do as it gives asteroids more purpose, but now you need a way to incentivize colonization of the underground.

Suggestions:
More surface building upgrades requiring exotics (drone hubs, moxies, shuttle hubs, water towers, oxy tanks, etc.)

Introduce Dome upgrades which require exotics and grant boosts to comfort/sanity/morale. This could be a real game changer, Costs should be relatively high (50-basic dome, 100-medium dome, 200-mega dome) and maybe limited to one upgrade per dome?

Make the underground more appealing for colonization. Now power, water and oxy grids are shared, maybe use this by introducing manned underground buildings which can produce these in abundance? Give us a reason to move our colonists down there!
 
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This is a good update, but you will need to do more with both Asteroids and the Underground to make them an integral part of the gameplay and not just an afterthought.

For example, add geothermal power sources underground and a geothermal power plant. This way you will have a good reason to go there from the start of a new game to get cheap and reliable power.

Asteroids can benefit from something funky, like installing engines to sync it with a Mars-stationary orbit - you will be able to prolong its stay around Mars at the expense of fuel and materials for the engines. You can add also some zero-G farming in space and add new plant species to grow there.

In general, anything that interacts with the rest of the game's systems - power, food, water, fuel, education, population traits - and can be found or built in the two new areas will be a good addition to give you more reasons to play with them.

You will need to expand on the Content in this DLC to make it worthwhile for the price you are asking. :)
Hard to make an optional DLC integral. Many folks don't own it and they deserve a workable game.
 
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Well, i am still not getting disasters on max difficulty.

Are you serious? That pretty much ruins the game for me as disasters are one of the best parts of the game. I hadn't booted this up in a while. Looks like I'm going to have to "not play" until this is taken care of. There's really no excuse for this.
 
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Is there any way to roll the game back to the version before below and beyond? Most PDX games allow it but I don't see an option.
There is not, I'm sorry. That option is usually only for PDS games, not ones like this where PI is only the publisher.
 
I've been playing on the last patch for a while and I like the fact that we can now access the DLC earlier but there is still something that is kind of difficult :

underground pillar maintenance is exotic mineral
it prevents cave-ins and is quite essential but the fact it requires exotic just for the maintenance make me wait until I have the tribo scrubber (kind of late tech)

I think that the base exotic mineral cost of the pillar is enough to prevent us spamming it and should change into something easier?

Also I had a cave-in in the elevator area and it made me unable to access the underground from this hole (even destructing the elevator and rebuilding it would not work) so I had to access it from the other hole (if the same thing happened for this hole, I would have been totally locked from undergound in this playtrough)

Maybe the hole areas should be immune to cave-ins to prevent this? (I'm always playing with the +100% difficulty up for underground)

also moxie underground is very strong because you can feed oxygen on the surface during dust storms. I'm not sure this is intended! (but it is very cool)
 
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"Halved research costs for the Recon & Expansion tech tree."
BUT WHY???
Why didn't just wrote a game rule option instead??? Before this, I did research every tech in all tree before Sol190 without using any research boost spots! At least two times found an anomaly in the underground wich are cut the R&Es costs with 10%, so this change was completely unnecessary...
Oh hail to boredom!
You know Paradox, many of us likes this game in hard, please just fix the bugs and don't nerf this game way more ever!

But still don't understand many things about this new DLC:
Why are the underground medium domes need much more oxygen and water than the megadomes on the surface?
Hunger rule have to be applies only for Earth, instead if I using it I cannot bring food to the underground with the lift, and with the asteroid landers too.
Lifts why cannot deliver waste rock??? REALLY! WHY? We could deliver seeds... okay I know if I grow seeds in the underground (by some reason) I have to deliver up, for terraforming, but may you forgot we also need waste rock for terraforming... so I really don't get it why not?
Dozers why cannot handle the cave ins???
 
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