Space Engineers 2 Dev Blogs

Marek Rosa details four active development fronts: improvements to the VRAGE3 lighting system (fog, atmospheric scattering, shadow coloration), procedural snowy flora and new planetary stations on Kemik and Caligo, first NPC combat mechanics (visual/sound alerts, cover, corner peeking), and 3D flight navigation experiments in complex environments.

Keen Software House details VS2.3 progress: the wheel system with custom Havok friction estimator, new hangar doors with per-block 90° rotation, LCD screens with markdown support and 8 slots on the control seat, and a new grass clustering technology. VS4 NPCs and co-op enter planning stage.

Keen Software House shows VS2.3 wind turbines in action: they spin freely and stop if wind is blocked. The new explosion system introduces two warhead types with visual arming mechanisms. Buttons with function overlay and universal inventory access are shown, alongside oak trees with multiple growth stages.

The Space Engineers 1 Economy 2 Update is now live. Store entire grids and redeploy them on demand with the new Grid Storage system. Surprise bonus: if you own Space Engineers 2, Keen Software House gifts you the Almagest Engineer Plushie small-grid block in SE1 for free — a cross-game wink between both engineer universes.

Economy 2 update release May 4 for Space Engineers 1 (Services Terminal, contracts, animated NPCs). On the SE2 side: wheel suspensions with construction and fractures, thruster flame randomization, automatic snow on flora in snowy biomes, more planetary stations and Random Encounters, leak of a new Flight Seat and Merge Blocks, first look at poplar-style trees with ivy and mushrooms. VS3 — water finally flows through a 25 cm hole (major precision milestone) and work on waterline rendering.

First demo of the Timer Block and Groups for toolbar actions (internal build), final Remote Control with clear front marking, new wall insert with pipe greebling, bullet decals for better combat feedback, and a big chunk: VS4 NPC progress with behavior trees, dual vision cones (wide alert + focused detection) and first reactions (seeking cover under fire).

Classic Survival Start is now built into world creation (no mod required). Planetary terrain yields ore based on voxel type: soil → iron, rock → nickel, sand → silicon. The Smelter joins initial unlocks with a map marker, and several balance passes (welder/grinder, recipes, backpack) bring the game closer to the classic SE1 experience.

Marek shares a working Clang Walker built by one of the programmers in VS2.2, confirms the 150 cm LCD fits perfectly into the planned Wall Insert holes, and reveals the concept-to-final evolution of the Rocket Turrets (large and small) with their construction stages and a destruction preview.

Marek revisits the two community hotfixes (toggleable Super Dampeners, switchable Target-based Gyro, softer particles) and the Survival test mods. Content side: a peek at the Remote Control block creation process, a tease of a new wide-screen LCD, and denser vegetation in coastal biomes (palms, more natural clusters).

Small update between majors: cockpit option to disable Target-based Gyro and bring back SE1-style steering, less obtrusive speed particles (subtler smoke on planets, less opaque in space) and a shutdown crash fix. Survival test mods released in parallel.

Marek Rosa explains the performance strategy (gameplay first, optimization later), reveals the volcanic planet Byblos for VS3, introduces the Colonization Authority, the final fighter cockpit block, functional wall inserts (25 cm conveyor) and new Mediterranean-style trees.