Friday, February 26, 2016

Space Engineers News: Full Source Code Access with Planets + DX9 Changes

Today I’m happy to make an important announcement to our modders and community. We are updating the Space Engineers source code on GitHub so that you have complete access to the current Space Engineers’ source code, including Planets. Everything is ready for you in our GitHub repository.


You might remember that back in May we released the full source code for Space Engineers. Releasing the updated source code that now includes Planets builds on that decision to give more freedom to modders and the community.

Modders can now work on Planets and Space Engineers just like our developers at Keen Software House do – but rest assured, our own developers will keep working harder than ever.

Please don’t confuse this release with “open source” or “free software.” While we’re giving everyone the chance to alter Planets and the game, we’re not making the game free. The rules are the same as with the original source code release – if you’re interested, you can read the legal details on my previous blog post or our EULA.

Just like when we released the full source code of Space Engineers, revealing the updated source code that includes Planets – our biggest and most-requested feature yet - is an experiment that someone has to try. The chance that it will benefit Space Engineers is very high, and it’s worth taking the risk.

Pros:
  • Total conversions made possible
  • More and better content created by modders
  • Allowing people to have more fun with our game through modding while we keep adding core features and updates 
  • Modders can contribute to Planets and the game core development if they want to

Cons (exactly the same as the original Space Engineers full source code release):
  • "Competitors” can steal our ideas and algorithms for Planets and the game
  • Some people will think we’re going open source and abandoning the development of Space Engineers

For me, the pros clearly outweigh the cons. We released Space Engineers’ source code nine months ago and so far, we’ve only seen awesome mods and no negative impacts. We’re just as committed now to keeping Space Engineers fun and playable as we were then, and we will never turn away from the community. And if our competitors see our code, it will only push us to create something 10x bigger and even more game-changing than Planets.



How does it work?

Go to GitHub, download and unpack the source code, open it in Visual Studio Community Edition (free), modify the source code, and launch the game! See this video guide:




GitHub link: https://github.com/KeenSoftwareHouse/SpaceEngineers




Support for DirectX 9 + 32-Bit Windows Changes

Space Engineers’ development is entering its third year and we’re starting preparations to leave Early Access. You can read about our short and long term plans in our recently published roadmap, but today I want to tell you more about the next 30 days.

Over the past two years, Space Engineers has grown so much and so quickly that old systems – namely DirectX 9,  32-bit Windows, and Windows XP – are slowing down our development process and preventing us from delivering a product you really deserve.

Essentially, DirectX 9, 32-bit Windows, and Windows XP versions take up time that our developers could otherwise invest in making Space Engineers the game we always dreamed of creating. For this reason, and though we do not take it lightly, we have decided to stop developing the 32-bit and DX9 version of Space Engineers. We will also stop developing for Windows XP.

We will focus exclusively on developing DirectX 11 and 64-bit Windows. This change will affect only 0.15% of players and will happen by the end of March. 

By doing so, our production pipeline will be able to focus all efforts on only one development branch. In other words, we will have more time to do great things - more time for polishing, more time for creating a new art, and more time for building new assets. We want Space Engineers to be enjoyable for players with the latest technology and the best features available.

For those who want to keep playing Space Engineers on Windows XP, 32-bit Windows and the DirectX 9 configuration, you can still enjoy the game by accessing your copy on Steam. There will be a message box when starting the game that asks you to change to supported hardware settings. If your system is not compatible with these settings, you will be asked to switch to a different branch that runs on DX9 or XP.

Just follow these steps:

1. Launch the Steam client


2. Go to your library
3. Choose Space Engineers - right click


4. Choose "Properties"


5. This box will open - then go to the "BETAS" tab, and click on the drop-down menu
6. Choose the DirectX 9 or 32-bit version

Basically, players who are running the game on a DX9, 32-bit and/or XP system will be able to play the game without any issues, but without new content added from the end of March.

-----

Thanks for reading, and many thanks for your understanding about the DirectX 9 and 32-bit Windows changes. I know this will enable us to take Space Engineers out of Early Access in a way that both the community and the game deserve.

And I can’t wait to see what modders do with our updated source code – especially Planets!

Marek Rosa
Keen Software House
CEO and Founder
:-)

For more game news, follow us on social media:

Space Engineers on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpaceEngineers
Space Engineers on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpaceEngineersG
Medieval Engineers on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MedievalEngineers
Medieval Engineers on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MedievalEng

63 comments:

  1. Still people will cry about 32 bit on forum :)
    What about mods. Checkbox to see what mod is compatible with what version? (this may become problem)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. in the past it happend only in very few cases that an update broke a mod and if a mod was broken you could always find out easily in the comments. Also most popular mods are regulary being updated by their authors. I think it was the right decison not to hold back the entire game development for 0,15% of the players who probably have to upgrade their system soon anyways.

      Delete
    2. 32-Bit is dead, anyone running a modern operating system these days is native 64-bit.

      Delete
    3. Not sure what you guys changed but I can no longer log into space engineers I've watched this game go from good to bad to worst over a large period of time and so have a lot of others I know who play the game. Keen you guys need to do something quick before you lose anymore of your support I'm not the only one who is about to turn away. :(

      Delete
  2. All my friends stopped playing years ago because we are interested in MP and PvP and your netcode is abysmal. I know it's the next thing you want to sort out but will it be months? Years?? Let us know the progress!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Netcode... lol!!! Does people think that this is a thing?

      Delete
    2. I Agree 100% we are currently one of the 3 Brazilian servers remaining, and we are about to shutdown, cause its impossible to keep a game like this one so many crashes and problems that prevents people to play everyweek.

      And finally, THE NETCODE, it is impossible to understand how someone can release a game with a crap code like that.

      Totally support what you say.

      Delete
    3. The multiplayer has really come on in leaps and bounds over the last few years, and over the last couple of months, especially. It's way better optimised now, and it's much better fun for multiplayer. Maybe hit it another rattle.

      Delete
    4. now this may be off topic but this is important.
      every time i try to open space engineers it gives me a error saying i need a DX11 card what can i do to fix this?
      heres my thread


      2019-10-20 18:02:47.449 - Thread: 1 -> Log Started
      2019-10-20 18:02:47.449 - Thread: 1 -> Timezone (local - UTC): -7h
      2019-10-20 18:02:47.449 - Thread: 1 -> App Version: 01_192_104
      2019-10-20 18:02:47.449 - Thread: 1 -> Steam build: Always true
      2019-10-20 18:02:47.449 - Thread: 1 -> Is official: True [NO][IS][NAMP]
      2019-10-20 18:02:47.449 - Thread: 1 -> Environment.ProcessorCount: 4
      2019-10-20 18:02:47.518 - Thread: 1 -> Environment.OSVersion: Microsoft Windows 10 Home (Microsoft Windows NT 10.0.17763.0)
      2019-10-20 18:02:47.518 - Thread: 1 -> Environment.CommandLine: "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\SpaceEngineers\Bin64\SpaceEngineers.exe"
      2019-10-20 18:02:47.518 - Thread: 1 -> Environment.Is64BitProcess: True
      2019-10-20 18:02:47.518 - Thread: 1 -> Environment.Is64BitOperatingSystem: True
      2019-10-20 18:02:47.518 - Thread: 1 -> Environment.Version: .NET Framework 4.7.3468.0
      2019-10-20 18:02:47.518 - Thread: 1 -> Environment.CurrentDirectory: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\SpaceEngineers\Bin64
      2019-10-20 18:02:48.531 - Thread: 1 -> CPU Info: Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-2130 CPU @ 3.40GHz
      2019-10-20 18:02:48.531 - Thread: 1 -> IntPtr.Size: 8
      2019-10-20 18:02:48.531 - Thread: 1 -> Default Culture: en-US
      2019-10-20 18:02:48.531 - Thread: 1 -> Default UI Culture: en-US
      2019-10-20 18:02:48.531 - Thread: 1 -> MyConfig.Load() - START
      2019-10-20 18:02:48.534 - Thread: 1 -> Path: C:\Users\Tate Carnes\AppData\Roaming\SpaceEngineers\SpaceEngineers.cfg
      2019-10-20 18:02:48.534 - Thread: 1 -> Config file not found! C:\Users\Tate Carnes\AppData\Roaming\SpaceEngineers\SpaceEngineers.cfg
      2019-10-20 18:02:48.535 - Thread: 1 -> MyConfig.Load() - END
      2019-10-20 18:02:48.535 - Thread: 1 -> Checksum file is missing, game will run as usual but file integrity won't be verified
      2019-10-20 18:02:49.077 - Thread: 1 -> All detected adapters:
      2019-10-20 18:02:49.079 - Thread: 1 -> Intel(R) HD Graphics - VendorID=32902, SubsystemID=16912451, DeviceID=258
      2019-10-20 18:02:49.079 - Thread: 1 -> Microsoft Basic Render Driver - VendorID=5140, SubsystemID=0, DeviceID=140
      2019-10-20 18:02:49.094 - Thread: 1 -> Adapter initialisation failed: SharpDX.SharpDXException: HRESULT: [0x887A0004], Module: [SharpDX.DXGI], ApiCode: [DXGI_ERROR_UNSUPPORTED/Unsupported], Message: The specified device interface or feature level is not supported on this system.

      at SharpDX.Result.CheckError()
      at SharpDX.Direct3D11.Device.CreateDevice(Adapter adapter, DriverType driverType, DeviceCreationFlags flags, FeatureLevel[] featureLevels)
      at VRage.Platform.Windows.Render.MyPlatformRender.CreateAdaptersList()
      2019-10-20 18:02:49.118 - Thread: 1 -> No valid Output found!
      2019-10-20 18:02:49.119 - Thread: 1 -> DirectX 11 renderer not supported. No renderer to revert back to.

      Delete
    5. Hi Space Engineer,

      We're sorry to hear that you're experiencing issues.

      Please make sure that:

      -Windows is up-to-date

      -Graphics card drivers are up-to-date


      -Go into your .cfg file and run a Ctrl+F search for "DirectX". When you find the text, check to see what number follows it. If it says DirectX 9 or 12, all you need to do is change it to DirectX 11 (replace the existing number yourself), save it, and launch the game.

      If none of the aforementioned troubleshooting steps work, please send us a log file to support@keenswh.com

      Log files are located in C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Roaming\SpaceEngineers.

      Note that AppData is by default in windows a hidden folder, so if you cannot find it, you need to enable visibility of hidden folders. Here is guide how to do it step by step: http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/how-to-see-hidden-files-in-windows/

      Kind regards,

      Delete
    6. how do i find the c\CFG file that you are talking about?

      Delete
  3. agreed with the guy above me(but you cannot tell if its me or that guy, oh well)

    like that you have weekly updates, don't like the fact most of the peeps I play with are waiting for major changes to your MP which then will better allow PVP

    ReplyDelete
  4. It's a good direction Marek. Killing DX9 will help you fulfill a lot of your promises. You have so many bugs to work out that it's not even funny anymore. It's infuriating... and even more so because a lot of them are one offs and are hard to replicate.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Well, technically it's "open source", just not "free". But having the source code has been a huge plus for me personally, since I needed to look up stuff for the Programmable Block in the source code. (The documentation for PB could use some work.) Pirating the game is out of the question, I bought like 4-5 copies of the game for friends. Keep up the good work!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The issue with the expression "Open Source" is, that it's defined as a kind of free software, with (mostly) freely accessable and usable source code. It's kind of a misnomer I guess...

      Delete
    2. Open source = free (as in rights). not free, as in beer.

      They openly published the source code.

      Delete
  6. It's fun that you are allowing modders to contribute to space engineers, but you have shown a history of choosing not to including popular mods into the core game, thus all mods become outdated through time as space engineers development progresses, and the modders move on to different games. The worm hole was a genius mod that connected servers, and you guys let it die like idiots because you are too involved in your own stupid ideas. You have shown your road map, and there is nothing to be excited about.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I am happy, that you've finally made your decision in a right way.

    ReplyDelete
  8. "Modders can contribute to Planets and the game core development if they want to" this im looking for. If modders can join to help, i believe there will be handfull of these peoples. I hope this opens the gate to possibility of making the game together with the community. And i also bet every modder out there would give hes pants to have hes mode in game ;) you should accept that help KSH. fair well =) open source development here we go!! very good news cant wait to see the community content.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Does this mean we can get a Linux dedicated server soon-ish?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Brilliant! I've all but stopped playing everything else since I purchased Space and Medieval Eng. I particularly love the scenario editing mode and have been writing nearly non-stop for it. I'm still having issues with mining on planets, but with the constant and overwhelming improvements, I have no doubt it will soon be a non issue.
    and anxiously look forward to creating mods with this change. Ty.
    This might be going out on a limb but I would very much like to see Space and Medieval Engineers appear on Linux.

    Stay awesome. Keen SWH Rocks!

    ReplyDelete
  11. not sure if my previous went through.
    Congratulations, I think this is an excellent move and I look forward to the future updates. Still having problems with the game freezing while mining on planets but I am sure this will be addressed soon.

    Scenario Editor has become one of my favorite features of Space Engineers and I much enjoy writing scenarios and mini games. I look forward to now creating mods as well.

    Awesome work and look forward to future updates.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Good to see the game becoming more powerful by dropping ancient legacy stuff :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. ^^Where have you been, they updated online MP and MP related functionality, like forever ago. Nowadays MP runs pretty smooth.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I also stopped playing because of the horrible multiplayer netcode. I'm still waiting for the multiplayer update before I bother trying to play again.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Yes, please fix multiplayer!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hai,

    Nicely written post. I am just about to start a new blog and there could not have been a better guide than this one for some good pointers. I am looking forward to starting a successful blog after reading this incredibly useful post of yours. Waiting for more such posts like this.

    Keep writing and sharing!

    aamala

    SEO Training in Chennai

    ReplyDelete
  17. I understand getting rid of 32 bit, but the main reason some of us had interest in it was being able to run Dedicated Servers on Linux under Wine - Wine only supports 32 bit .NET (although Wine itself deals with 64 bit just fine, it's the .NET libraries that are the problem).

    If, after you all get the Dedicated Server code to a place where it's reasonably stable (it IS still crashing multiple times a day...), at least toss a thought to some fashion to being able to host Dedicated Servers without a full Windows install (whether native somehow, or whatever) would be appreciated.

    ReplyDelete
  18. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  19. YAY updated codes, now the mods shall flow again!

    ReplyDelete
  20. What about raknet? Was the plan cancelled to move the netcode to raknet? I know this is a useless question, but we should give up on decent multiplayer (for me decent would mean persistent servers with player counts even above 100-200, and server wipes occuring not more often than a month)

    ReplyDelete
  21. MARK PLZ THIS DOZENT REALLY HELP CAUS MODS GET PUTDATED AND MODER go into other games then the community just isint interested I want to se many more vanila blocks more wepons more improvments on planets MORE PLANETS AND animals ....that whould get evryone hyped and exited and it wil improve the gMes sales.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Wow people get really salty about the netcode. It is better than is was. And you can just be patient, The game will be finished. And MP will be fine. Go and play Minecraft or something else with good multiplayer while you complain more.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Hi Marek,

    Great stuff, I also think it's the way to go for modding and make the game even more popular.
    Do you guys have any plans on making a linux version or at very least a headless linux server version ?

    Cheers,

    Nicolas

    ReplyDelete
  24. Marek,
    Has any progression or decision made on compound blocks for SE?
    I'm happy to see that such a large project is willing to go Full Source to allow people to write new systems. =)

    Cheers,
    Robert

    ReplyDelete
  25. hey I cant run the game on the dx 11 any help please
    if anyone can contact me my steam is crazzybear112

    ReplyDelete
  26. i bought the game on steam for £19 and it says i need a Dx11 card.\n what on earth does that mean?

    ReplyDelete
  27. The two alternatives have their unique positives and negatives, and also with regards to the measurement of the organization as well as the It they will often

    ReplyDelete
  28. Hi, I am one of those people who get the error code when they try to launch the game. I followed the instructions listed. However I was wondering if I will ever be able to get newer versions of the game. I'm sorry I responded so late but my computer was broken for the past year and I don't have the money to upgrade it.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Why could i play this game Saturday 4th Feb2017 and not on Sunday 5th 2017 it says i need a Dx11 card when i have a GTX550 TI?

    ReplyDelete
  30. Now that the source code for planets is available for modders to manipulate, can some make a Halo. So I would imagine something like starting with a planet, choping it up to a ring, adding surface to the inner part of the ring, and inverting the planets gravity??? Is this possible?

    ReplyDelete
  31. i've tried to do the source code update through Visual studio as mentioned in the quick start but is keeps coming up with errors...... most of the saying the files can't be found.
    And I get the Dx11 error too....
    had this game for a year now and I've not been able to play it once!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. why the hell would you want to compile the game from source just to play it? You can't, the source explicitly doesn't contain a few commercial libraries such as Havok that cannot be included in the source. If you'd want to compile and run the game yourself entirely you'd have to find and download those files first, but that probably requires an enterprise havok license.

      Delete
    2. I tried it because when I start the game (which was downloaded through Steam with a Steam key), an error message comes up and directs me to this site!!
      I have no idea about source codes or anything..... I saw the game, liked the idea of it, bought it, downloaded, tried to play the game, then get directed to this......
      all I wanna do is play the game....... or get my money back!!

      Delete
    3. Can you please write an email to support@keenswh.com? Our people will be happy to help you!

      Marek

      Delete
    4. Thanks Marek. I'll send an email now.

      Delete
    5. Glad things got resolved :D awesome to see the continuous involvement of the devs even after these years

      Delete
  32. Still says i need a Dx11 card. I have GTX960. this is just outrageous.

    ReplyDelete
  33. still says i need a Dx11 card. I have GTX960.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Please contact our support at support@keenswh.com and they will help

      Delete
  34. Hey Marek, could you change the O2 Generator's name to either H2O Splitter, Water Splitter or Ice Splitter please? The generator can produce both hydrogen AND oxygen, so it seems strange to call it an Oxygen Generator.

    ReplyDelete
  35. i just got this game and im on 64bit but not Dx11 so i cant play it

    ReplyDelete
  36. I have an issue. I am trying to start up Space Engineers but it won't start up, I keep getting a message about my drivers. At first I thought it was because it wasn't DirectX11, but apparently I have DirectX 12. Shouldn't I still be able to play the game?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bro Im having the same problem.
      Have you fixed it?
      If you please tell me how.

      Delete
    2. i am having this issue as well, i noticed today that there was a space engineers video talking about it coming out of early access, i asked some friends to install the game and we can all hang out and have a blast again....yet this DirectX11 bug like EVERYONE ELSE is having, 2 of my friends also had this issue, only 3 out of 6 of us where able to get into the game fine, yet i have DirectX 12 [i have checked] and i just wanna play Space Engineers again.......

      Delete
    3. Hi, Anonymous.

      Please make sure that:

      -Your graphics card drivers are up-to-date

      -Windows is up-to-date

      However, if the issue persists, please message us via :https://support.keenswh.com/spaceengineers/general and we'll be happy to continue troubleshooting this issue with you.

      Kind regards,

      Delete
  37. So my laptop is both 64 bit and runs DirectX 11 but it still says I need a directx11. Anyone know the problem?

    ReplyDelete