Keen Software House has shared the latest installment of Marek’s Dev Diary, giving players an inside look at key development progress on Space Engineers 2 as the alpha builds continue to evolve. The diary highlights improvements across gameplay systems, visuals, controls, and more, offering a detailed snapshot of what’s shaping up in the next major sandbox engineering title.
Fine-Tuning Gameplay and Motion
This week’s playtests focused on refining animations and control feel. Developers identified an issue where weapon and tool motions lagged behind the player’s viewpoint — something they’re actively tuning to create smoother, more responsive interactions.
Asteroid Rings and Loot Systems
One of the exciting additions now integrated into the internal build is asteroid rings. Visually rendered first as a foggy band from afar, individual asteroids become distinct as players approach — adding grand scale and navigational depth to the Verdure system.
Complementing exploration, the loot system has also been implemented. Players can now find loot and datapads during encounters or missions, with the latter providing lore snippets that enrich the game’s narrative layers.
Danger Zones and Environmental Effects
The diary reveals that hazardous areas — like the killing field around Delfos — are now in place. These zones produce intense particle effects, such as dusty fire clouds, and pose lethal threats to players and ships alike.
In addition to danger zones, speed particles have been enhanced to increase the sensation of motion when traveling at high velocities — an important visual cue for immersion.
User Controls and Accessibility
Expanded custom control options are part of this update, allowing players to remap keys and tailor their inputs. A new Tools Volume setting gives players control over audio levels for specific activities like mining, giving greater flexibility over their audio experience.
Combat & Systems Integration
Automated turrets are now functional, engaging hostile grids when set up properly. Although collision shapes for turrets still need refinement, this marks a meaningful step toward deeper combat and base defense mechanics.
The update also progresses trading systems, enabling buying and selling of items, and early implementations of toolbar actions — such as toggling lights or opening doors via numeric shortcuts — are beginning to take shape.
Mission Scripting & GPS Tools
Improving the First Time User Experience (FTUE) is a key focus. Developers are tightening mission logic to prevent frustrating dead-ends — for instance, missions that fail to recognize already completed objectives — and exploring sandbox-friendly overrides to preserve essential mission elements.
Alongside this, GPS systems are being expanded with quality-of-life features like adding markers from current position or importing them from the clipboard, and organizing markers into groups.
Visual Polish and Planet Atmosphere
Big strides are being made on environmental visuals as well. Cloud and fog experiments are shaping up into powerful tools for establishing mood and planetary identity. These visual systems allow for dramatic atmosphere modulation, from claustrophobic low clouds to expansive high layers that emphasize vastness and mystery.
Looking Ahead
The January 29 diary reflects a shift from foundational vertical slice systems into deeper, more complete features that will define what Space Engineers 2 feels like to play. As Marek notes, the team is refining systems built in earlier development stages while expanding content that adds playability, immersion, and narrative depth.
Stay tuned for more weekly updates from Keen Software House as Space Engineers 2 continues its evolution through alpha development.
You can find the full Dev Diary post here.
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