Space Engineers

We are going to play around with a new, Minecraft-like game called Space Engineers for a while (still playing Age of Conan, though)

http://www.spaceengineersgame.com/

You can get it on Steam for $25

The game has been around about 2 years but is still in a somewhat Alpha stage

it can be played solo, or you can link into servers and play with others.

I will be attempting to set up a server this coming weekend and will post relevant information then.

More info as we get it.


Update
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Got it working as a console app.  Still hoping to set up as a 'service' instance but no big deal.

To connect
1) make sure you have a Steam account and befriend dellis78741
2) I will invite you to the group, the SE server will only allow logins to members of the group
3) Start and run the game once, then exit
4) create a new shortcut on your desktop with the properties: steam://connect/dagget.ddns.net:27014
5) click the shortcut

Steam, then Space Engineers should each launch a short splash screen, then SE (Space Engineers) will load fully up - may take several minutes to fully load and you will be as some 'respawn screen hovering over a small space platform built on the side of an asteroid.  Click respawn and you will appear on the surface of the platform.  Click 'x' to turn off your jetpack and you will be walking!

Some resources:

Wikia:
http://spaceengineers.wikia.com/wiki/Space_Engineers_Wiki

Direwolf's Space Engineers tutorials:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaiPn4ewcbkHAoPJG88qOnEtscS3VftJz

Gas Bandit: often better that Direwolf's
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTyd0tLdukI_TMN73wwfJWwG-UJh7kmJM

Making progress on hosting a server. Some recent change in Microsoft .NET was causing the server setup to bomb when trying to write a configuration file, but I found a workaround and am now able to starter a server on a PC and then start the game on the same PC and have it find and log into that server by searching the local LAN. Working on seeing it from other PC's on the LAN, and then thru the routers and Internet. Not quite a simple as a Minecraft server setup yet.

Got it working as a console app.  Still hoping to set up as a 'service' instance but no big deal.

To connect
1) make sure you have a Steam account and befriend dellis78741
2) I will invite you to the group, the SE server will only allow logins to members of the group
3) Start and run the game once, then exit
4) create a new shortcut on your desktop with the properties: steam://connect/dagget.ddns.net:27014
5) click the shortcut

Steam, then Space Engineers should each launch a short splash screen, then SE (Space Engineers) will load fully up - may take several minutes to fully load and you will be as some 'respawn screen hovering over a small space platform built on the side of an asteroid. Click respawn and you will appear on the surface of the platform. Click 'x' to turn off your jetpack and you will be walking!

After making several 'scenarios' we settled on one where you are alone with a cluster of 5 asteroids and added an oeprations platform.

This is still a 'baby' starting area set in creative mode while we learn the game.

Ok, now we have a small landing craft on the surface of a planet.  Made a small solar panel bank for power.

That lasted 1/2 a day. lot of bugs with planets, we moved on to a survival game among some asteroids.

A small Respawn ship (bottom) with an Atmospheric Lander grav-locked to its' top. Small ship tows the lander around (which has thrusters that only work in atmosphere).



Overview of the station:



From left: Dai's miner, Techna's miner (identical design to Dai's), and Dag's miner. A small search-and-rescue ship in the back.

Testing out facilities to offload ore from ships to the refinery

Expanding - adding big Operations Center and a 'drydock' for building large ships:

Capital ship building has commenced!

Some progress:

Progression:

Looks good but still have about a dozen Large Thrusters needing components:


Dual 300mW large reactors and dual large storage bins.  Much work to do inside - living quarters, medical lab, refining and assembly chambers, etc...


The hanger Deck is done aside from better lighting:

Some interior decorating:

Ok, we started a new instance. has a big planet, a moon, asteroids and appears to have a few smaller planets.  I've set up a tiny base on the moon orbiting the big planet, it's about 150km from the planet.  Need to find silver to complete a medical center, then we can all respawn there.

Update:  Went into Creative mode just long enough to make the medical center.  When you spawn, you could be as far as 250km from the moon, if you spawn on the far side of the planet from the moon. So if bringing a ship might be a trip. Otherwise, join the faction and then you have access to the medical lab at the outpost.

Moonbase under development:

Several system burps and moons/asteroids later:

I've turned on cargo ships for now so we'll have some stuff passing by in space (or maybe they crash on planet, we'll see)

Moved server to a bit better PC, Server simulation speed went from 0.30 to 0.95

Server performance degraded badly. Stopped the 'Cargo Ships' aspect and relocated station and ships to a new universe. Also went back to hosting on the laptop. Server now steady at 1.00. Looks like the cargo ship feature just hoses things in a solar system scenario.

Making Progress on 'Big Blue'

We had an inadvertant meteor shower yesterday but everything repaired now. Hopefully soon be ready to explore the rest of the solar system

The Supergate:




Housing: