Space Engineers 2 Alpha: Vertical Slice 1.2 released!

SUMMARY:Target-based Grid ControlOff-center 3rd Person CameraPaint Gun Undo-RedoImproved Visuals for Partial Copy/PasteJetpack 2.0…and much more!Hello, Engineers!This is our first Vertical Slice update since the Space Engineers 2 Alpha release, and we’re excited to bring you a whole set of new features - and improvements based on your feedback. This update adds in-game UGC Workshop support with Steam Workshop integration, making it easier to share and discover Blueprints and Worlds. We’ve also introduced mouse sensitivity controls, an inverted mouse axis option, and a new grid pasting mode with improved pivot controls.On top of that, we’ve added advanced world settings for all saves and improved performance when pasting and placing grids. We’re just getting started, and there’s plenty more to come!Vertical Slice 1.1 FeaturesOff-center 3rd Person CameraThe new off-center third-person camera gives you better visibility and more control when piloting ships or moving on foot. By default, the camera is set to the right side, but you can cycle between right, center, and left using ALT+V. We’ve also lowered the minimum camera distance, making it easier to see in tight spaces without switching to first-person.Target-based Grid ControlWe've added target-based grid control to make flying ships feel more responsive and intuitive. When you rotate your ship toward a point in space using the mouse, new on-screen UI indicators are showing your current rotation and orientation. This makes precision piloting and maneuvering easier than ever. Unlike the previous version, which directly translated mouse movement to ship torque (making heavy ships require excessive mouse movement and feeling unresponsive), this new system ensures your ship responds consistently regardless of its mass.Paint Gun Undo-RedoThe paint gun now supports undo and redo, letting you quickly revert or reapply recent color changes. Whether you're experimenting with new designs or fixing mistakes, this feature makes painting more user friendly.Improved Visuals for Partial Copy/PastePartial copy/paste now has improved visuals, making it easier to see exactly which blocks you're copying and how they'll be placed. This helps with precision building and reduces guesswork when working with complex structures.Jetpack 2.0Jetpack 2.0 brings a more refined and responsive feel to movement. Boosting now has a short charge-up time, with a new charging indicator on the hydrogen bar and an orange highlight when ready. We've also added improved visual effects like camera shake and enhanced sound effects to make jetpack movement feel more powerful and immersive.Additional ImprovementsAdded Debug Gun model, muzzle effectsDebug gun now damages VoxelsAdded scroll through toolbars (CTRL + ALT + Mouse Wheel)Added multiple sound effects (example: GUI/UI sounds, toolbar sounds, radial menu sounds, grid impact sounds, explosions)Added visual icons to Dynamic HitsAdded multiple first-person and third-person animations (jumping, debug gun, paint gun)Improved Voxel destruction effectsShifted 3rd person camera view when sitting in the cockpitAdded First Person view character shadowsAdded Inverse Kinematics for character model (still work in progress in edge cases)There are many additional improvements and fixes in Vertical Slice 1.2 - you can explore everything included in the detailed Changelog.Work in Progress / Ongoing ImprovementsWhile your feedback is invaluable, some features are not yet ready for your input. These systems and mechanics are temporary solutions or placeholders, and we’re already hard at work redesigning and refining them. We ask for your patience while we bring these elements to their full potential.Features and improvements we are actively working on:Color picker will be included in undo-redo for paint gun in a future updateCharacter is not holding a Gun correctly while using the jetpackAfter entering a cockpit for the first time after starting the game, the character may peek through the cockpit - this will be fixed in an upcoming update.Keyboard and mouse controls are not customizable yet, but they will be!Toolbar block groups and sizes (block selection via R key) are a temporary mechanism and will be redesigned in a near update.We’re aware of incompatibility at launch of Space Engineers 2 on Intel Arc A-Series and Core Ultra Series 1 built-in Arc GPUs. We are working with Intel to enable the game experience and will provide relevant updates as development progresses.PerformancePerformance optimization is ongoing. For Alpha release, we’re targeting 16x Red Ship grids at 60 FPS on recommended hardware.Autosave may cause brief lags during gameplay.Performance optimizations of ship collisions and destruction are ongoing, so it won’t be lag-free at this moment. We will be continuously improving it in the following updates.PCU values per block may appear higher compared to Space Engineers 1, reflecting SE2's increased detail and more precise performance measure

Apr 14, 2025 - 18:41

Space Engineers 2 Alpha: Vertical Slice 1.2 released!

SUMMARY:

Target-based Grid Control
Off-center 3rd Person Camera
Paint Gun Undo-Redo
Improved Visuals for Partial Copy/Paste
Jetpack 2.0
…and much more!

Hello, Engineers!

This is our first Vertical Slice update since the Space Engineers 2 Alpha release, and we’re excited to bring you a whole set of new features - and improvements based on your feedback. This update adds in-game UGC Workshop support with Steam Workshop integration, making it easier to share and discover Blueprints and Worlds. We’ve also introduced mouse sensitivity controls, an inverted mouse axis option, and a new grid pasting mode with improved pivot controls.

On top of that, we’ve added advanced world settings for all saves and improved performance when pasting and placing grids. We’re just getting started, and there’s plenty more to come!

Vertical Slice 1.1 Features

Off-center 3rd Person Camera

The new off-center third-person camera gives you better visibility and more control when piloting ships or moving on foot.

By default, the camera is set to the right side, but you can cycle between right, center, and left using ALT+V.

We’ve also lowered the minimum camera distance, making it easier to see in tight spaces without switching to first-person.

Target-based Grid Control

We've added target-based grid control to make flying ships feel more responsive and intuitive. When you rotate your ship toward a point in space using the mouse, new on-screen UI indicators are showing your current rotation and orientation.

This makes precision piloting and maneuvering easier than ever. Unlike the previous version, which directly translated mouse movement to ship torque (making heavy ships require excessive mouse movement and feeling unresponsive), this new system ensures your ship responds consistently regardless of its mass.

Paint Gun Undo-Redo

The paint gun now supports undo and redo, letting you quickly revert or reapply recent color changes. Whether you're experimenting with new designs or fixing mistakes, this feature makes painting more user friendly.

Improved Visuals for Partial Copy/Paste

Partial copy/paste now has improved visuals, making it easier to see exactly which blocks you're copying and how they'll be placed. This helps with precision building and reduces guesswork when working with complex structures.

Jetpack 2.0

Jetpack 2.0 brings a more refined and responsive feel to movement. Boosting now has a short charge-up time, with a new charging indicator on the hydrogen bar and an orange highlight when ready. We've also added improved visual effects like camera shake and enhanced sound effects to make jetpack movement feel more powerful and immersive.

Additional Improvements

Added Debug Gun model, muzzle effects

Debug gun now damages Voxels

Added scroll through toolbars (CTRL + ALT + Mouse Wheel)
Added multiple sound effects (example: GUI/UI sounds, toolbar sounds, radial menu sounds, grid impact sounds, explosions)
Added visual icons to Dynamic Hits
Added multiple first-person and third-person animations (jumping, debug gun, paint gun)
Improved Voxel destruction effects
Shifted 3rd person camera view when sitting in the cockpit
Added First Person view character shadows
Added Inverse Kinematics for character model (still work in progress in edge cases)

There are many additional improvements and fixes in Vertical Slice 1.2 - you can explore everything included in the detailed Changelog.

Work in Progress / Ongoing Improvements

While your feedback is invaluable, some features are not yet ready for your input. These systems and mechanics are temporary solutions or placeholders, and we’re already hard at work redesigning and refining them. We ask for your patience while we bring these elements to their full potential.

Features and improvements we are actively working on:

Color picker will be included in undo-redo for paint gun in a future update
Character is not holding a Gun correctly while using the jetpack
After entering a cockpit for the first time after starting the game, the character may peek through the cockpit - this will be fixed in an upcoming update.
Keyboard and mouse controls are not customizable yet, but they will be!
Toolbar block groups and sizes (block selection via R key) are a temporary mechanism and will be redesigned in a near update.
We’re aware of incompatibility at launch of Space Engineers 2 on Intel Arc A-Series and Core Ultra Series 1 built-in Arc GPUs. We are working with Intel to enable the game experience and will provide relevant updates as development progresses.
Performance

Performance optimization is ongoing. For Alpha release, we’re targeting 16x Red Ship grids at 60 FPS on recommended hardware.
Autosave may cause brief lags during gameplay.
Performance optimizations of ship collisions and destruction are ongoing, so it won’t be lag-free at this moment. We will be continuously improving it in the following updates.
PCU values per block may appear higher compared to Space Engineers 1, reflecting SE2's increased detail and more precise performance measurements. While the current total PCU limit is set at 400,000 in VS1, we plan to raise this threshold in future updates as we implement scheduled optimization improvements.

Space Engineers 2 Workshop

In-game Blueprint interface - Additional features and improvements will be introduced based on player feedback.
Displaying Steam Workshop Collections in-game is planned.
Blueprint screen refresh can be slow in some cases - it should be fixed in the next update.
Your owned Private items are not currently visible in the in-game Workshop browser.
We are addressing edge cases where re-publishing, renaming, tag display in the Steam interface, and sorting may not work as intended.
Offline mode improvements - we are working on better handling when Steam is offline.

The current GUI (Graphical User Interface) and HUD (Heads-Up Display) are works in progress. Our team is prioritizing core functionality first. Once we've confirmed all features are working as intended, we'll enhance the visual design and overall aesthetics.
Some blocks are decorative-only for now (for example, the Assembler is present but cannot produce components)
The inventory system will be implemented in a future update
Fracture models will receive additional visual updates in future versions.
The paint tool’s limited palette is temporary; future updates will include RGB/HSV color settings and custom palettes.
Work on enhanced sound effects is ongoing, including jetpack audio
The Alpha releases in English language, more localizations will follow
Tutorials will be added closer to the end of development.

This is just the start of an incredible journey, and we want to thank everyone who’s joining us on it. Your creativity and passion are what make this community so special.

What’s Next

Additional Vertical Slices will follow in the months after, each expanding the game's features and content. This development process will continue over the next few years until we achieve our full vision for Space Engineers 2.

We are now working on Vertical Slice 1.2, which will include improved mechanics (for example Jetpack “2.0”), interface refinements, and many small features based on your feedback. After that comes Vertical Slice 1.5, with modding support as the main feature. We’ll be releasing our VRAGE3 tools, and we can’t wait to see what you create with them!

How to share your feedback?

The best way to provide your feedback is through our Support Portal. You can always find a direct link to the support portal from within the game - just press F1 to access the help screen!

This platform is your direct line to the developers and the Space Engineers community. Here, you can:

Create a Bugreport
Create a ticket with your Feedback/Idea
Vote on other ideas or bug reports
Comment and Interact with fellow players
Suggest solutions and provide valuable feedback to help shape the future of Space Engineers 2

Suggestions

If you have ideas or suggestions for the game, we want to hear them! Your feedback has been instrumental in shaping the Space Engineers experience, and your contributions will be just as crucial for Space Engineers 2.

Take a moment to share your ideas and help us improve - we value your time and input!

Bug Reports

Encountered a technical issue? Let us know by submitting a bug report.

When reporting bugs, please:

Provide a thorough description of the issue.
Include reliable reproduction steps if possible.
Attach any relevant log files, screenshots, or videos.
Share a save file of your world, if applicable, to help us investigate further.

These details are essential to help us resolve issues effectively. Even if you can’t provide reproduction steps, the more information you include, the better!

Don’t Forget to Vote!

Before submitting new feedback or bug reports, use the search feature to see if a similar topic already exists. If you find one, don’t hesitate to vote for the topic to show it’s important to you!

If you don’t find what you’re looking for, feel free to start a new topic. Every vote, suggestion, and report counts and helps us prioritize updates and improvements.

The support portal is the best and most direct way to help shape Space Engineers 2. We’re looking forward to hearing from you

Post-release Support

We will continuously monitor Space Engineers 2 stability after the release and fix any problematic cases that lead to game issues.

Marek’s Dev Diaries

Marek Rosa - Keen Software House founder, CEO, and Game Director shares a weekly Dev Diary every Thursday, offering a behind-the-scenes look at Space Engineers 2 development.

These diaries dive into the latest challenges, solutions, and ideas shaping the game. They are Marek's unfiltered thoughts, meaning details may change as development evolves. If you enjoy insights into game creation (and don’t mind potential spoilers), be sure to check them out!