Astroneer gets explosive new update for Xbox One and Windows 10

Update: Astroneer's latest update, Patch 125, is now rolling out on both Xbox One and Windows 10 versions of the game. A wide range of changes have been introduced as a part of the patch, including the introduction of dynamite, tweaks to animations and various in-game item adjustments. A number of fixes are also being deployed, affecting both overall polish and performance. Here's a full list of patch notes, as seen on System Era's official forums.

PATCH NOTES

New content

• Dynamite now craftable from backpack
• New dynamite art, fx, audio
• Dynamite can now be used to destroy base buildings and other objects
• Added character idle animations
• Added 9 new discoverable wrecks, including their collectible items within
• Additional organic research items added
• Updated Dropship model art
• Updated RCS thruster effects for Dropship
• Updated model art for Tradeplatform
• Updated model and FX art for Smelter
• Added new refinery / smelter audio
• Added sandboxing of saved games when running the Steam Experimental branch.
• Improved game pad support on launch menu
• Performance improvement: Added a system for fully despawning decorator sets as you move away from them.
• Slight GPU performance improvement to terrain (use 16 bit indices)

Fixes

• Researching an item when you have already researched all recipes will no longer "use up" that item in regards to when future updates add new recipes. It will now also give you a resource.
• Fixed several issues with how decorator states were saved and restored.
• Fixed race condition causing occasional anomalous terrain generation.
• Seed fixes, including shift-click issue and seeds growing in backpack
• Fix save game issue where conduits don't attach after saving a leaf and building platform
• Fix save game issue where conduits nubs don't disappear after a save game and using dynamite on the leaf
• Updated oxygen tank fill looping sound. Fixed Xbox bug that caused it top play at full volume.

Original story:

Astroneer is one of an increasing number of games with Xbox Play Anywhere support, across Windows 10 and Xbox One. As a title in Game Preview, Astroneer is a work in progress, but it's already awesome. The game is a procedurally generated space exploration game, complete with base construction, terrain shaping, and crafting. The amount of content available in the game is a little on the thin side for the time being, but the potential is huge. With subsequent updates, Astroneer could be a big deal.

System Era is hard at work developing the next update for the game, which among other things, will include functional dynamite.

The experimental build is currently in testing on the Steam version of the game. Here's what System Era have included in the update, which will likely hit Xbox One and Windows 10 in the future.

• Step 1 of our sweeping performance update. Flora, grass, and small vegetation now optimized to load/offload more intelligently.
• Dynamite is in and can destroy terrain and things under them. E.g. Place them on top of a rover (don't snap them together) and activate the Dynamite. Boom, no more rover.
• Updated art and effects: Drop ship, Smelter, Trade Module.
• Updated launch sequence + effects.
• New research items to discover, tweaks to Research gameplay.
• New wrecks to discover.
• New idle animations.

Astroneer currently supports cross-play between the Xbox One and Windows 10 versions of the game, in addition to cloud save syncing and cross-purchasing. It's a wonderful title for gamers of all ages, and we definitely recommend it. We'll let you know when the next update goes live to the public.

• Download Astroneer from the Windows Store
• More: Learn how to play Astroneer