SpaceCraft’s latest playtest update is about to make resource management a whole lot messier—and more interesting—with the introduction of Liquid Resources.
What’s New in the Playtest
The December 18 patch, Feature Focus 1, adds Water and Sulfuric Acid as the first two liquid materials. These aren’t just visual flair; they come with entirely new mechanics for collection, transport, and storage. Here’s how they work:
- Collection: Scan geysers on planetary surfaces, wait for an eruption, then use the Hose Pump module to harvest liquids during the brief window.
- Future methods: Players will eventually be able to dip ships into liquid lakes (watch your hull!) or deploy the Deep Geo Pump structure for automated extraction.
- Storage: Ships use dedicated tanks; bases rely on cisterns. Each tank holds only one liquid type—so hauling both Water and Sulfuric Acid means equipping separate tanks.
- Bottling workaround: The Bottling Plant lets you package liquids into solid containers using crafted bottles. It’s less efficient but adds flexibility for logistics.
“Managing Liquids adds an extra layer of management: you can store multiple types of solids together in a cargo bay or warehouse, but each tank or cistern can only hold one specific type of Liquid.”
What This Means for Players
This isn’t just a new resource—it’s a new logistical puzzle. Expect to redesign your ship layouts and base setups to accommodate these single-purpose tanks. The Bottling Plant offers a clever bypass for mixed cargo runs, but the efficiency trade-off means you’ll need to weigh speed against capacity. For veteran players, this adds depth to expedition planning; for newcomers, it’s a steep but rewarding learning curve.
The Bigger Picture
The devs note the playtest is progressing smoothly, with hundreds of hours logged and major bug fixes under the belt. Next up: multiplayer features like corporations and a player-driven market, with a new invite wave in January. If liquid logistics are this detailed, the economic systems could be a real treat.
