Hi,

I'm happy to announce that we've just released Update 0.101.0 for Balsa today.

This update mainly focuses on much-needed features and tools for proper Mod Management, especially around multiplayer. Now, the game is able to automatically manage its own mods when joining and hosting MP matches, so playing in MP with mods is as straightforward as possible.

We've also made a number of important changes and additions to prevent casual cheating in Multiplayer.

Here are the highlights for this release:

Mod Management:

• Mods are now verified on startup to match known integrity values and detect if they have been modified.
  
  • Multiplayer sessions can use this to deny joining with unverified mods (eg modified basegame part.cfgs).
    
  
  
• Also added a second set of known mods for certified 'MP-Safe' mods.
  
  • These are 3rd party mods which have been certified to be usable in multiplayer without requiring everyone to have it installed.
    
  
  
  
• Added new session rules for MP Matches to control whether joining with MP-Safe mods is allowed and whether strict CFG integrity checking is enforced.
  
  
• The Steam Mod management panel in the settings screen now manages all mods, and has new functionality
  
  
• Modifying the active mods in the mod management panel now prompts for a game restart, so mod changes can take effect.
  
  
• Added a new /Mods folder in the game's install dir, where non-steam mods can be placed (so they can be managed).
  
  • Modders, if you have your mod projects in /Addons, please move them to /Mods now
    
  
  
  
• Added a complete list of mods when creating or joining MP sessions, showing which mods are in use, which are missing, and which are or aren't allowed.
  
  
• Mods shown in the MP Lobby lists are clickable links and will open the steam page for them (where they can be subbed to).
  
  
• Added a new button to automatically restart the game and set up the correct mods for joining the server.
  


Balsa.SDK:

• Updated the Balsaworks Uploader tool
  
  • Tool now automatically syncs data with .modcfg files
    
  • Revised the explanations of each field in the modexport.cfg
    
  
  


Gameplay:

• Players can now walk away from their vehicles without interrupting refueling/recharging
  
• Game Props now collide with players. (you can now walk on placed props)
  
• Added option to invert vertical motion of mouselook.
  
• The FPV view can now be translated around using new input bindings
  
• Skipping the Intro Tutorial in the main menu is now a persistent choice.
  


Vehicles:

• Craft with manually modified part scales (in the .craft file) are no longer allowed in multiplayer and will be forced to normal size. (Tweaked scales still work in singleplayer.)
  


Parts:

• Added a new subpanel to control surfaces for advanced axis-specific settings.
  


Multiplayer:

• Added new MP Team Deathmatch scenario for MP matches.
  
• Added new icons on the MP Lobby and Host screen to quickly show the session rules in a visual way.
  
• Fixed prop and engine sounds and visual effects from remote vehicle not playing properly.
  
• PvE Scenarios now correctly assign Join-In-Progress players to team BLU.
  
• NAT Punchthrough failures when joining MP games hopefully made less frequent.
  

As always, you can find the complete changelog on our Discord, or in-game, by clicking the version number in the Main Menu.


We have also updated the Balsa.SDK, available here, so mods can be re-exported and be correctly configured for in-game management.

For the next update, our focus will be on adding and improving features around Multiplayer itself, including player management options (kick/mute/etc), so stay tuned for that, and check out our Official Discord if you haven't already, where we are active every day, talking about development and listening to your feedback and ideas.

Happy Flying!

Cheers

Felipe (aka HarvesteR)
--Lead Dev