Kia ora koutou katoa!

We've updated our Experimental Beta branch for our next update! There are many new features such as;

• A new shipping mode
  
• Hub Buildings for better resource transport and management
  
• The update's namesake - the Toxic Wasteland effect!
  

Jump down to the bottom of this post if you want to read the patch notes ASAP!

Listen to the features of this update get discussed at length in the Steam Broadcast our lead dev Sam did this week. It's available on our studio YouTube channel!

Proceed with caution

Now, before we get to the patch notes, I have a warning and some disclaimers for you;

We make absolutely no guarantees that the version on 'experimental' is bug free. We'll do our best of course, but for example it's possible that saved games on the experimental branch will get broken or become invalid by the time we move a feature to the live game. We also do not guarantee that a feature released to 'experimental' won't then get removed again! Games saved in the Experimental branch will not load (or even be listed) if you go back to the live game. They should work fine when the main branch is updated, though.

TL:DR - When you opt in to this, please do so with caution!

If you're using the 'experimental' branch and encounter an issue, you can use the in-game feedback form by pressing F11. Note that this submits a game-specific log file and also some basic stats about your computer hardware each time you use it, but doesn't submit any personally identifiable information - so if you want us to follow up with you about something you submit, you need to let us know how in the feedback text! You can also chat with us in the Steam forums, in this dedicated feedback thread.

One more thing - new/changed text in the 'experimental' branch is only in English. Translation to the other languages we support is something that happens towards the end of the development process for each update.

How to enable the Experimental Beta Branch

If you've decided to jump in and play the Beta, here's how you can access it -

1) Right click on Before We Leave in your Steam library, then go to Properties.
2) In the menu, mouse down to Beta. Select that - you should now see a drop down menu.
3) Select the experimental branch. Steam will then download the branch.
4) Restart Steam and you should be good to go!

Patch Notes

Major Features

Smart Shipping:

• Smart Shipping is a whole new way to transport resources between Islands and Planets.
  
• You just decide what amount of each resource you want on each Island, and the new system automatically transports resources around - taking them from Islands that have more than they want and delivering them to Islands that don’t have enough.
  This works between Planets too - just set up the Islands, and if the resources need to be shipped between Planets, they will be.
  
• Smart Shipping is the default for new games - you can select the old shipping method in the Difficulty Settings. You can convert an existing game to Smart Shipping in the Settings menu once you’ve loaded the game. Smart Shipping games cannot be converted to the old shipping method.
  
  Hub Buildings:
  
• Hub Buildings don’t do anything themselves, but they help surrounding Buildings.
  
• Relaxation Hubs make Peeps that live in adjacent Accommodation buildings become immune to one (player chosen) source of Unhappiness.
  
• Storage Hubs automatically and instantly transfer resources between adjacent buildings, and also store, fetch and deliver extra resources for them.
  
• Workshop Hubs make surrounding production buildings work faster.
  
• Hub buildings are invented with the new Logistics technology.
  
  Repeatable Research
  
• Once you’ve discovered and constructed the Research Institute you can research Repeatable Technologies. These give you a 10% boost in some areas of the game, and can be researched multiple times each! They’re arranged in groups, and each time you research any technology in a group, all technologies in that group become more expensive.
  
• If you don’t know what a Research Institute is, here’s a hint: Build a Submarine and explore that one different Sunken Ruin on your first Planet.
  
  Toxic Wasteland
  
• Occasionally, a Highly Polluted tile might turn into a Toxic Sludge tile! This will destroy any building on the tile, and turn the surrounding area into Wasteland.
  
• Peeps cannot work in Buildings within the Wasteland, and will immediately leave. They will only enter the Wasteland unprotected to fetch resources or do a few actions such as demolishing buildings, but only if there is no other choice. The Peeps that enter the Wasteland unprotected will have to go home sick as soon as they finish their task (similar to Fatigue).
  
• You can build Protective Elevators and new Protective Airlocks (the same thing, just without going up a cliff) to allow Peeps to change into Protective Clothing to access the Wasteland safely. They still won’t work in Buildings while protected, but can fetch resources safely.
  
• In order to remove the Toxic Sludge, you need to build a Toxic Sludge Extractor on it. Once that’s been constructed and done it’s job, the Toxic Sludge - and thus the Wasteland - will be removed.
  
• We’ve made Space Whale attacks happen less often, but the more Toxic Sludge tiles you have, the faster they get!
  
• The Whale Charmer end-game building cannot operate on a Planet with any Toxic Sludge tiles.
  
• Protective Elevator, Protective Airlock and the Toxic Sludge Extractor are invented with the new/renamed Decontamination technology. The construction resources of the Protective Elevator have also been reduced.
  
  

  New Buildings

  Nanotech Spires
  
• In new games only, we’ve added Nanotech Spires.
  
• They occur on some Middle Planet Islands and most Edge Planet Islands.
  
• If you explore a Nanotech Spire, you can choose one of three options that will remake that Island. The choices are:
  
• A small boost
  
• A medium boost with a downside
  
• A huge boost with a big downside
  
• Choices are permanent and unchangeable, so choose wisely!
  
  The Reclamation Spire
  
• Entirely removes a deposit of Astrobaleenium! It is unlocked by the existing Laser technology.
  
  

  Minor fixes and additions

• The strength of Weather Systems is now limited, according to how polluted your Planet is.
  
• We’ve updated the layout of the Technology Panel, to make things clearer. Also, if you mouseover a technology, arrows leading to technologies that require it are highlighted accordingly.
  
• We’ve updated which construction category some of the Buildings are in - some of the categories were way too full!
  
• Landing your first Ship/Spaceship will automatically grant you the Shipping/Spaceflight technology.
  
• Repairing other ruined buildings (including the initial Ruined Generator) will grant you the technology needed to invent it (or one of its prerequisites instead if you don’t have that yet).
  
• Significantly reduced the amount of time technologies take to research.
  
• Updated the costs and timing of many early game buildings to be quicker and cheaper
  
• Decorated roads with no Power Pole reduce the impact of any Gloom effect.
  
• Building construction now begins as soon as any resources are at the construction site, rather than once all resources have been gathered.
  
• Peeps that have eaten Meals or Good Meals carry more resources per trip than usual.
  
• Peeps that have drunk Smoothies or Good Smoothies work longer than usual before returning home.
  
• Allowed the Stepped Warehouse to be constructed on Swamps.
  
• Desalination Plants can now be constructed on high tiles, and next to inland water sources.
  
• You no longer need to have a Library on each Island to access researched buildings (You still need them to gather and send research resources).
  
• Ruined buildings will reorient towards a neighbouring road when repaired.
  
• Added more loading hints.
  
• Rebalanced gloom values for some buildings.
  
• Added a nicer snow effect.
  
• Happy Peeps will now take over jobs from sad/hungry Peeps, to help prevent spiraling into disaster.
  
• Added a dropdown in the Shipping Manifest, so you can change the source or target Islands for a Shipping Lane.
  
• Added more personal messages from Peeps when they are (or were) hungry, thirsty etc.
  
• Updated credits.
  
• Started updating text to remove references to Colonisation.
  

Thanks for reading, have fun, and most importantly - tell us what you think of the new features!