1.55.5 - Ring Echoes

 

Ring Formations a Hoax

Breaking reports reveal that the supposed "banding artefacts" in Saturn’s rings were nothing more than a sensor malfunction. Initially believed to be a new type of asteroid formation, the strange patterns were later traced to a compression artefact in the video streaming and denoising algorithms used by ship sensors. The artefacts appeared as the system struggled to handle the vast amounts of data generated by the dense debris fields. Experts now believe that small errors in signal transmission created what seemed like repeating patterns, fooling even experienced miners and researchers. After further investigation, the illusion was debunked, and sensor software updates are already in development to prevent future occurrences.

 

Crystals Discovered in Moonlet XT-HZA-3

A stunning new documentary has aired, showcasing rare and beautiful formations inside moonlet XT-HZA-3, recently discovered in Saturn’s rings. The film highlights dazzling torbenite crystals, glowing faintly with radioactive light, alongside smooth cave walls and unique geological structures. Advanced drones captured high-resolution footage, revealing details previously hidden due to technical limitations. The documentary is receiving widespread praise for its breathtaking visuals and insights into the mysterious moonlet, which is now drawing attention from both scientists and mining corporations alike.

 

New Racing Season Begins

The Enceladus Racing Federation has kicked off its latest season, welcoming both seasoned pilots and new contenders. This season features a more open and forgiving system, allowing even those who left previous races unfinished to rejoin the action. Enceladus Corp officially does not endorse these races, but as the rings fall under international jurisdiction, it is impossible to stop the competitions entirely. Racing fans are buzzing with excitement, anticipating thrilling rematches and fresh faces on the track, as pilots prepare for the most intense season yet.

 

Maintenance Logs

Updated the graphics of Uranium Caves, removing rendering artefacts outside the moonlet and aligning the cave interior border with other caves.

Motors on Eagle Prospector series grinders can now be disabled.

A brand new soundtrack has been added.

The "boss battle" soundtrack now plays more often during challenging encounters.

Fixed asteroid banding artefacts caused by interactions between the limited simulation space and asteroids' density map when the ship moved slowly.

The EIAA-1337 autopilot no longer attempts to use MLF Haul drones on targets they can’t interact with.

Resolved the issue where large moonlets could appear in multiple locations or far from their intended spot due to failures in the spotfinding algorithm. The algorithm now ensures the moonlet finds a proper location quickly.

Moonlets and other anomalies no longer drag along with the ship when astrogating away from dense regions of the rings.

Delivering large amounts of molten iron via an industrial-grade mass driver directly to a ship or station hull now counts as a hostile act.

Dismissing a crewmember from an active crew now clears associated story flags correctly.

Cargo containers from Ganymedeans no longer send ore automatically, even with good standing.

The B8 claim can now be aborted immediately when deploying the beacon by accident.

The tutorial tooltip now correctly indicates that 'X' is a key to press, not a button to click.

Fixed the black shadow that sometimes appeared around moonlets when raising gamma settings.

Adjusted line-of-sight rendering settings to resolve graphical quirks when flying close to certain entities, like moonlets.

Lines-of-sight now display correctly on ultrawide monitors or dual-monitor setups with a 4:1 aspect ratio or greater.

Adjusted collider and occluder shapes for moonlets to better match visual representation, reducing confusion.

Fixed lighting glitches caused by ore venting particle systems when the ship moves at high speeds.

Disabled the OLED-saving option for the EIME HUD display, resolving the misalignment of the augmented reality display of the cargo bay.

The Space Bar crew now keeps asteroids further away from the establishment, preventing rocks from spawning on top of the bar and causing chaos.

Abandoning a race without further interaction no longer causes the racing team to refuse communication. They now forgive upon meeting again, and this works with older saves.

The racing team now acknowledges rematches correctly when asked shortly after a race.

Updated translations and translation credits.