And finally, Floating Sandbox 1.14.0 - aka "The Electrical Update" - has been released!

The major update in this new version is a set of new, interactive electrical materials that you may mount on your ships to make them move (Engines), to emit smoke (Smoke Emitters), to play sounds (Bells and Horns), and to control circuits (Switches).

These new materials expand the capabilities of true ship building, and we've started a blog tutorial to help you navigate through the new possibilities offered by using an electrical layer in your ship; the first installment is at https://gabrielegiuseppini.wordpress.com/2020/04/03/floating-sandbox-how-to-create-an-electrical-layer/, the second installment will come up soon!

At the same time, this update brings improvements to the thermodynamics simulation, with explosive materials, improved flames, and thermal expansion which, coupled with the new air buoyancy simulation, allows light materials to float also in air!

Here is the full list of changes in this release:

• Added new electrical materials:

  • Switches - interactive and water-activated

  • Engines - exert thrust on the structure

  • Engine Controllers - for controlling engines

  • Smoke Emitters - emit smoke particles when powered

  • Power Monitors - provide feedback on the state of a power line

  • "Instanced" Generators - provide feedback on the power they produce

  • Horns and Bells - play sounds when activated

  • ...and retrofitted some pre-existing ships, among which: R.M.S. Titanic (With Power), Carnival Dream, Cruise Vessel, Lifeboat, M.S. Costa Concordia, Passenger Tender

• Added in-game electrical panel to display and control switches and other electrical materials

• Added air buoyancy: materials lighter than air now float in the air!

• Added new "Hydrogen" material and used it with the Hindenburg and Goodyear blimps to make them lighter than air

• Added thermal expansion - the hotter the material, the lesser its density

  • ...and so heat now affects buoyancy!

• Added new "Explosive" material combustion type, and added four explosive materials: "Diesel", "Gunpowder Low", "Gunpower Strong", and "Hydrogen"

  • Added new test ship, "Imminent Disaster", showing the explosive materials in action

• Re-worked collisions with terrain

  • Impacts with ocean floor, land, and mountains are now more realistic than ever

  • Added new friction and elasticity settings for terrain

• Re-worked flames' and explosions' physics and graphics

  • Flames are now directional, adapting to the velocity of the particles that are burning

• Rain now floods exposed areas of a ship

• Slightly improved rigidity of structures

  • ...but more improvements in this area are yet to come!

• Repairing a ship's structure now also repairs its electricals

• Added ability to change color of lamp light

• Adjusted physical properties of ropes, which were too light and too strong

• Added new Paper, Concrete, and Water materials; fixed Cardboard material (which was lighter than air by mistake!) and Air material (which was watertight also by mistake!)

• Lego material has been improved and given its own sounds

• Added 14 new ships

• Removed some older ships that had been released with Floating Sandbox since version 1.0...

  • ...but don't worry, they are still available in the "Legacy Floating Sandbox Ships, Vol. I" _free_ ship pack at www.floatingsandbox.com!

• Added new background music track, "The Short Journey to the Seabed" by Soul Heater (https://soundcloud.com/soul-heater)

• ...and a few more small improvements here and there

• Musical theme for this release: Zeromancer