Space Engineers "Contact" Update: Prototech Thruster | Sneak Peek and Testing

[@SpaceEngineers]

It IS Big 😄

[@redhavoc4144]

did you make different people review different parts of the update?

[@JUNIsLuke]

@@redhavoc4144yupppp and it’s fukn awesome I love how they do it

[@sverhrazum4935]

Please make a prototech version of the resource radar. Otherwise, the usual range is too short for space, and you have to install mods

[@TheNoobYouHATE]

THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID!!!!! But not to me 😢

[@gers.g.5707]

@@redhavoc4144 they made different parts of the update review different people

[@florians.849]

That thruster is still an ion engine... Just one thats so absurdly powerful that it can overcome the built in thrust reducing.

[@kuhljager2429]

Super capital class ships, here we come!

[@falcon5751]

@@kuhljager2429 imagine landing one of those ships on a planet just to find out those few extra burritos didn't help...

[@gavinthejanitor]

very important detail, because in atmosphere it's not particularly impressive at all for its size

[@florians.849]

​@@gavinthejanitoryes. It's pretty much a downscaled titan thruster with some new components.

[@MrTrilbe]

@@florians.849 All the new stuff is old mods that they tweaked, Hyperdrive, Titan Engine, enclosed Gyro, small ship jump drive, large drill, chances are it's because most staff are working on the SE2 engine now.

[@creeloper27]

Really smart by Keen to split up the teasers by giving each youtuber a small part to showcase, really looking forward to this update! Also, THAT'S A THICK BOY THRUSTER AHAHAHAHAHHA HOLY MOLY! Can't wait to fly this thing with a single Prototech Gyroscope, a Battery and a Cockpit 😆. The addition of this block makes we wonder, we should get 3x3 armor blocks as well I feel like, to keep PCUs lower on bigger build on parts where you do not need that much detail maybe!

[@tael3081]

At 67MW of power usage you'll probably need more than a battery.

[@illliiiiillliii6265]

@@tael3081 looks like we need a prototech reactor

[@creeloper27]

@@tael3081 A few of the new large grid prototech batteries should do the trick :D

[@Zer0sLegion]

I love big thrusters and I cannot lie.

[@WelshProgrammer]

You other brothers can't deny, that when a ship warps in with an itty bitty jump drive and a Ion thruster in your face, you get dunked.

[@Canoby]

Note to self: start a successful Space Engineers channel to get sneak peaks like this

[@Beeblebum]

Love the scene you set up for the showcase! That thruster looks sweet!

[@leopard2a4maxupvetter]

*laughs and brings prototech drill* (loved your video)

[@Mr-BeeMonster]

hope there is a prototech battery or reactor because these things will drain you dry real fast

[@strategyfirst2414]

Yes captin Jack found the prototech battery

[@tackyinbention6248]

There is! In captain Jack's video they found a prototech battery

[@interstellarsnow]

@@strategyfirst2414 keep in mind that was small grid

[@StarWarsExpert_]

Hi Andrew, something which you got wrong. The regular ion thrusters do work in atmosphere as well, it's just that they are VERY inefficient in atmosphere, depending on how low you are in the atmosphere. The higher you go, the more efficient they get.

[@AndrewmanGaming]

Thank you for the clarification!

[@thelaughingmanofficial]

You almost need the Prototech Battery for those Thrusters because the Prototech Thruster needs a lot of power. Also the Prototech Batteries double as space-saving batteries because you only need a few of them rather than a ton of the normal batteries.

[@jasonfabrick9308]

From the pic at 7:15 it looks like the update will have a new small grid cockpit, recessed gyro, and new batteries. I just saw after posting that LastStandGamers got to make a video about the new gyro. I like the thrust plume.

[@specialist_yeti3307]

That was a great intro, definitely the best I’ve seen so far from the group creators showing the blocks off.

[@Aikagi000]

Now.......... can we get the hydrogen thrusters to have those flame trails?????????? I mean.... fire and violence coming out of a rocket engine isn't usually as gentle as what we have lol.

[@Grottogoob]

I would advise getting either Hydrogen+ or Mexpexs' Hydrogen Thruster VFX mod. Both have given some pretty good results, and I even use them at the same time.

[@indy1139]

The first 3 minutes with the rocket sled remind me of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal skull, if you know you know

[@wehappygamers4206]

Congratulations Andrew, amazing video, very excited for the dlc

[@joyhoward6105]

10:27 it’s doing that because it’s an ion thruster, but it’s thrust with 1g gravity is still high enough to move the craft a significant amount

[@JohnyTehpr0]

Hey Andrew, so nice to see you getting acknowledged by Keen. You're easily my favorite SE channel. Always looking forward to new videos. Also the secret facility scene was epic.

[@AndrewmanGaming]

Thank you :)

[@leandersearle5094]

@@AndrewmanGaming You always do great scene-setting.

[@redhavoc4144]

They made different KZbinrs, review different parts of the dlc

[@MANU-dw9dh]

Yeah si great idea for keen

[@TheMhalpern]

can definitely see practical use of tilt thruster set ups with this thing,

[@MANU-dw9dh]

Aside from the great thing about this update, it was great to see most of the channels that are about Space all showing something different each.

[@jimclayson]

I may be in love... ♥ Of the handful of Prototech blocks I've seen, this one's my favorite so far. Brute force Ion Thruster with enough output to make it viable in atmosphere, if you have the energy to keep it running... and more than enough output to out-accelerate anything else in space. Nice.

[@AndrewmanGaming]

This block is a beast for sure!

[@mattstorm360]

Is this one of the encounters? Because if it is, what an amazing way escape with the new thruster!

[@AndrewmanGaming]

I wish! This is just a little scene I put together to show off the thruster. But maybe keen will make a similar encounter!

[@Moac5589]

Cafenator got an upgrade XD

[@warriorsabe1792]

The atmospheric thrust vs space thrust ratio actually seems basically the same as the regular ion thrusters - they're just so powerful to function anyways entirely via brute force

[@TheRealPhilG]

Can't wait to see how you find and use these

[@RedPenDragon3]

It's so cool that Keen gave a bunch of y'all a different piece so we introduced to new people

[@AndrewmanGaming]

It was a really neat way to showcase the new blocks!

[@RedPenDragon3]

@@AndrewmanGaming I hope they keep it up. Also subscribed

[@jedicrafter1767]

I've now seen the thruster, the encounters, and this. I've seen a prototech battery which I imagine is what we'll want to power these things, however I'm wondering whether there will be something that produces power like a solar panel, reactor, wind turbine, or something new to generate more power for this, or if nothing will be added for those and we'll just be left recharging what is bound to be new capital and super capital ships

[@Pumciusz]

I think the small thruster will bring a lot more remodeling of ships tbh.

[@jmatya]

Glad you came back to SE, happy about the sneak preview and also the Kana co-op ❤

[@creeloper27]

This is going to be a great cooking fire to trap friends in rooms with XD

[@tarab9081]

If that sucker takes 67mw of power are we getting a prototech reactor too?

[@gamerelite3989]

hmmm that would be really nice protoreactor O.o you sir are a genius

[@theminerboy5694]

I think it will accelerate you so fast that continuously powering it will be unnecessary in vanilla.

[@adamjenkins7653]

As a result of all these blocks, we are going to see some crazily effective small grid ships. Now if they could fix decoy's I'll be happy.

[@TarisRedwing]

very cool they have different efficiencies for in and out of space.

[@incrediblebat]

ok now im really excited for this update, bigger thrusters is something ive need for a long time. now my larger ships wont look so silly with thrusters that fit the scale more accurately

[@patrlim]

the ship you built is very starfield-esque

[@tackytrooper]

Finally a real reason to have a phat reactor on a ship.

[@leandersearle5094]

But does the frame hand-grind?

[@ultmateragnarok8376]

You know what's most curious to me? This, based on its blue flame and its description copied from the ion thruster, and functioning off of power and not hydrogen fuel, is a variant on the ion thruster. But it provides some thrust in atmosphere - only a portion of its power, but still a significant amount compared to its ineffective alternatives. (And, of course, you go on to test that after I write this.) I did also notice your power max out real quick once you reached space - curious what sort of power solutions prototech may offer to combat that. Though ion and atmospheric thrusters out of their intended environments have always drawn less power when unable to provide full thrust - that system is not unique to prototech. Its size as what looks to be 3x3x8 reminds me of the oldest days of SE, the schools of thought of thruster stacking in large pods and modded thrusters balanced around significant length to require a sizable ship for effective use. Some of the first mods I remember ever seeing from the community, though I'm sure some predate them. Eagle-eyed viewers will spot the small grid prototech thruster on the back of the craft in the release date image.

[@jedicrafter1767]

If you've seen captain jack's video, during his raid on the space encounter there was a prototech battery block, so I imagine that will provide the power output needed as well as the power capacity. What I want to know is if they have any blocks that produce power to make up for how large ships are going to become

[@sierra1513]

it provides the same relative power of an ion thruster in atmosphere, its just so powerful that it doesn't matter much on a ship that size

[@deltacx1059]

0:42 i play with a good fusion mod so im used to seeing the bigger thrusters

[@JamesAlexanderMartin]

I'm absolutely loving this contact preview spam. Like 5 channels simultaneously releasing goodies? Yes please. Also, is that thruster working in atmo or is it just so powerful it doesn't matter? Definitely smaller flame in space so looks like it also looses effectiveness in atmo.

[@florians.849]

Its pretty much a vanilla version of the old titan thruster with some super sneaky non buildable components. That one worked in atmosphere and in space because its max power was high enough that the thrust reducing mechanic of ion doesnt matter anymore.

[@bagofsunshine3916]

They're not spoilers, they're previews and it's all orchestrated by Keen software themself.

[@JamesAlexanderMartin]

@@bagofsunshine3916 Yeah, that's pretty obvious. And I didn't say spoilers.

[@bagofsunshine3916]

@@JamesAlexanderMartin you did tho, you just edited your comment lol.

[@JamesAlexanderMartin]

@bagofsunshine3916 I edited it to add the smaller flame comment as I watched more of the video, literally nothing else.

[@pagliaccio5082]

in thrust we trust

[@wtftolate3782]

Are you coming out with another normal episode?

[@wedgedmouse5020]

has anybody notice the new cockpit in the update snapshot picture thing in the top left 7:19

[@sdfgsdfg3789]

so everybody gets a block to review?

[@AndrewmanGaming]

Yep! That's how Keen approached this update it seems :)

[@protocolpalpatine]

When is it coming out

[@DonnaPinciot]

The tooltip of the block at 4:16 says that it's less effective on a planet directly, but it specifically mentions zero-gravity. Is that an error in the tooltip, or does the thruster actually change effectiveness based on gravity instead of atmosphere like ions do? I _feel_ like it's an error, because it was getting more powerful the higher you went before gravity even started decreasing, so it's probably just ion rules, based on atmosphere.

[@death13a]

There was insanely large thruster called Titan Engine. For REALLLLY LARGE ships. This is what reminds me of. 😊😊😊

[@ZeratKJ]

Definitly an inspiration :)

[@HouseofKlang]

So what s about the place you find the thruster? Is it a new poi? A global encounters things?

[@joyhoward6105]

5:12 “you need like a massive ship” Would you like my 1.7km long frame?

[@joyhoward6105]

For anyone wondering how it was propelled before, I used the nuclear thrusters mod, which, with a total of 6 thrusters (2 each axis), had an acceleration of 20km/s^2 (I have a plug-in that tells me, also I play with no speed limit so I can use this speed)

[@ashersanders6054]

will base be in workshop?

[@DobbsyLondon]

40 floors down, guessing there's a skyscraper out of frame ;D ?

[@Reoh0z]

I'm Keen to find out more.

[@Chronostra]

I see what you did there

[@HouseofKlang]

Are there much thing that aren t revealed yet in this update? Like npcs? Or end game?

[@Chronostra]

I saw the new encounter vids on Splitsie's. I think Keen gave different parts to different channels.

[@CloudHindlen]

I so want to see these engines on the AMG SnowStorm 😂

[@Ciboullete]

Damn thats rlly cool. Also how do you make a ship a blueprint and load any blueprint you want, please?

[@thecodeking91]

CTRL+B blueprints a ship. You can spawn blueprints in creative with F10, or build them with a projector in survival

[@Ciboullete]

@@thecodeking91 ty :D

[@Ciboullete]

@@thecodeking91 also, how do you unlock/research stuff, please?

[@JustAnODSTyt]

Man, imagine drunk driving one of these things

[@MrQuantumInc]

They have the same "efficiency" in space and atmosphere as the ratio of input electricity and output thrust stays the same. The performance of the part is vastly better in space.

[@hyperforce]

Is this an Ion thruster that works in atmosphere ?

[@AndrewmanGaming]

That seems to be the case!

[@terran046]

I might end up building my ships around the prototech blocks rather then bolting them on. That way i can put the key stuff in armored boxes.

[@patrickshores4118]

This is gorgeous

[@WelshProgrammer]

Reminded me of NVIDIAs Rocket Sled Demo from way back

[@fredpryde8555]

these are huge there is going to be some massive ships being buil but will save having to put 20 engines on a ship they will need a reactor to run them i am so looking forward to this update

[@mleise8292]

Now let's add Xenon as ion thruster fuel that we can only filter out of a high gravity gas giant's atmosphere. 😊

[@randallvolk8437]

I would like to see you do a mod showcase of the ‘xeno-tech dragon-wing modular ion thrusters’.

[@SpelNoGud]

I imagine the protothruster could be used in mega-ships, mobile-bases, or even artificial planets. (Eyeballing sphere gravity-gen)

[@2005Guyver02]

(a little confusion) with the background sound track, are you using the track from Planet Nomads?

[@robinchwan]

i'm thinking prototech thrusters makes it so you need less thrusters to leave a planet as well right ? no more overly used thrusters on ships is what i'm thinking. also it sounds like it's producing plasma jets to move forward. meaning using energy to create plasma thrust in one direction otherwise i couldn't think of any other way for it to get really good thrust.

[@mobiuscoreindustries]

This is likely not going to be something easily craftable from planetary resources though I guess with enough encounter looting you may do so. It looks like a strong thruster for capital ships, due to its extreme thrust and energy requirement. Its use on planets seem like not the primary feature though unlike ion thrusters it is so gormlessly powerful as to still be usable there

[@rorythomas9469]

You will need approx 3 prototech thrusters for the same thrust as 2 large hydrogen thrusters at ground level.

[@AceTheBirb]

​@@rorythomas9469 but on the positive side, less fuel will be required which can be used for power cells. Purely Atmo-Ion craft will be more viable in game with less thrusters.

[@rorythomas9469]

@@AceTheBirb I think if you’re spending a lot of time flying at low altitude, atmo/prototech will be viable. If you’re just transiting up and down the gravity well, hydrogen thrusters might be more useful just to get through atmosphere. Although I think availability of prototech blocks is going to be a bigger design restriction than any theoretical optimisation. Less building from blueprints and more modifying existing ships

[@Sasaking999]

That’s really cool! I’m kinda disappointed in the performance but it looks amazing!

[@jmatya]

You could name the station Farpoint 😏

[@hyperiushd5910]

Is this the update with the new ai?

[@GhostOfSnuffles]

If they offered as much thrust in atmo as they did in space i's say their size and the effort you have to go through to make them would perhaps be justifiable but all of that work for what amounts to a rip of of the titan thruster just feels under whelming. The model looks really neat though. I guess of they're PCU is the same as a regular ion thruster they'll be useful for really large ships since you could probably use 1/3 the amount of thrusters for the same thrust. If course they require special components to make and repair so you'd have to bury them very deep within the ship to keep them protected.

[@memethief4113]

Ion thrusters only use 20% of their maximum power in atmosphere, so that’s why the thrust and power usage is much less on the planet Also as well as it only using electricity, it’s “flames” are blue so it’s pretty obviously an ion thruster

[@Akell_o7]

That's amazing ! 😃

[@sierra1513]

Fusion drives are vanilla now

[@mysterymayhem7020]

Works in both atmo and space without hydrogen. Let that sink in people.

[@CMDR-V-UncleJ]

knda disapionted you did not drive the sled around .. but nice vid

[@BastianJahn]

Isn't the speed limit somewhat around 100/110 meters per second? How did you fly so fast or did I miss a change in the past :o

[@rorythomas9469]

He’s got an unlimited speed mod installed.

[@AndrewmanGaming]

Yep, vanilla speed is around that. I was running the unlimited speed mod in the showcase.

[@Faither011]

Why does the thruster just act like a bit more competent version of the ion engine? It has the power of 2 hydrogen thrusters while taking up the space of 2 hydrogen engines. I expected more from a faction that prides itself on being technologically advanced.

[@one-stopkilling2236]

The fact that it even does anything within a planet is a feat of its own for a ion thruster

[@rorythomas9469]

It provides twice as much thrust for the same area, which is advantageous for larger ships because of the square cube law. It also consumes power,not hydrogen, which is much more energy dense in SE.

[@AceTheBirb]

These thrusters will save on room for hydrogen, to be fair. With these, you likely would need less thrusters for whatever direction you want... and likely would benefit from turn and burn inertial dampening depending on how you design the craft.

[@ZTRCTGuy]

The drill is quite nice but the thruster is actually a bit disapointing imo. You get a doubling in size but less than double the thrust for the large grid one. So it isn't that efficient. With the blue flame it should've been obvious from the start it's an ion based thruster. They do look very good though.

[@CyberKeith]

blooper reel lol

[@nicolasmousten9685]

i don't think they seem that endgame, they take more power, they take more space, but they don't give that much more performance.

[@kubel83]

I only play in creative mode because well I love building. Can these be used in creative mode? Thx in advance😊

[@AndrewmanGaming]

Absolutely! In survival you have to find these things and steal em, but in creative you can plop down as many of them as you want! Go wild :)

[@kubel83]

@@AndrewmanGaming thank you 😊

[@oleksandr4371]

so it has thrust of 2 large hydrogen thrusters [approximately], and consumption of 2 large ion thrusters (in space) [exactly] , while in atmosphere it only has thrust of a 1 large ion thruster (in space condition)[approximately], and consumption of 0.5 of a large atmospheric thruster [exactly]. How did I calculate consumption in atmosphere ? - in space @AndrewmanGaming shows in stress test power consumption of 83 (3 static + 80 when prototech thruster is on), while in atmosphere it's 13 (3 static + 10 when prototech thruster is on), so with max consumption of 67.2 MW and 1/8 of power in atmosphere we have 8.4 MW of power consumption which is [exactly] half of a large atmospheric thruster (16.8 MW)

[@HORNOMINATOR]

would have been cool if it used both hydro and electro, like a real ion engine

[@gamerelite3989]

theres still so much more that is going with release people will be like waaaaaaaa?????? omfg!!!! than in the videos i mean :) this showcase is nice :)

[@Assassinwar]

How many "that's what she said" statements did you say at the start? Lol

[@AndrewmanGaming]

I only realized after I finished recording it all lol

[@dragonfish3596]

I like the look but I hope that there is a hydrogen version too,its not fun if its just a flat upgrade on the hydro with no fuell nead

[@matgregory366]

Torch drive. :)

[@spacepiratecaptainrush1237]

vanilla Epstein Drive. but it is very pretty and absolutely looking forward to it

[@Benjimains]

its better in space, but useful on planet, THATS FREAKING AWESOME! time to build super capital giants of 50 million kg :D

[@goku445]

nice

[@hydroblobber]

Lightsaber

[@robertwoodford1180]

Will we see weapons in New update if not would be a waste of our times

[@deviantgaming9726]

that thruster reminds me alot of the Epstein Drive, from the aryx systems mod. aside from not needing fuel lol

[@neonpinhead8079]

Just like the Ions they are only 20% in atmosphere

[@janedoe4586]

no Ion thrusters always worked on Planet too .. they are just very weak

[@camer5371]

tbh i am not a fan of the flame from the thruster it looks like it was made by an apprentice or something i dunno

[@DoremiFasolatido1979]

The problem with Prototech stuff having to be found...isn't that it has to be found... It'll be the RNG of how LIKELY you are to find it. If the stuff is guaranteed in particular POIs and those POIs are themselves guaranteed to be at particular locations every time...then it's worth it. If we gotta roll the fuckin dice constantly...it's shit and I hate it. If I wanna gamble, I'll go to the fucking casino. You want me to go on an adventure for the parts...great, let's do it. You make up a place for me to go get 'em, and I'll adventure my way through whatever it is for it. You make me shoot craps or roulette for them all the fuckin time...I'm out.

[@ericseidel4940]

Pff like any ION thruster, only 20% effectiveness in gravity field..... You should know that.

[@latenightideas7030]

woooooo!!! new video

[@Nurhaal]

I am so vehemently against blocks like this. The only game loop this adds to is to increased grinding for more resource types and that is it. This thruster should be broken down into sections and each section changes how the thruster operates. The whole point behind SE is solving problems. Grinding a cache if reagents to build a 1 and Done block is not the way to go.