This update adjusts the early-game BioPaste consumable and refines several item descriptions for better clarity and balance.

• BioPaste Recipe Buff: The recipe has been updated to require 1 Algae to produce 2 BioPaste. This makes BioPaste a much cheaper and more efficient early-game ration.
  
• BioPaste Composting Reduced: Reduced the amount of Organics received when composting BioPaste to reflect its lower resource input cost.

• KelpCrisp Tooltip: Corrected the description to list Bloating as moderate (was high).
  
• BioPaste Tooltip: Corrected the description to list Bloating as high (was moderate).

FIELD MANUAL 001-A
https://discord.com/channels/1320845400210411652/1415769150135210075/1431725716525027379

This update focuses on fine-tuning the balance of survival stats and warning signals.

• Bloating Warning Tweak: The Bloating warning icon will now appear slightly earlier, giving you more time to react before the debuff becomes critical.
  
• New: Auto-Healing Compensator: Added a new internal system to better manage healing rates and prevent issues with other active healing effects.

We have adjusted the damage values for being critically low on Food and Water:

• Food Damage Reduced: Reduced the damage taken when your Food level is zero (from 7 to 3).
  
• Water Damage Raised: Raised the damage taken when your Water level is zero (to 3).

This makes the immediate danger of dehydration and starvation equal.

This update focuses on polishing the main mechanics and introducing the long-awaited difficulty tiers via the new configuration setting.

• Consumable Lock Fix: Fixed a bug where a character remained with the "Helmet Open" status if they consumed an item while another item's effect was still running.
  
• Visual Enhancement: Implemented a smoother screen blink effect when the Sleep stat is critically low, making the warning less jarring.

We've added the new SurvivalControl setting to the server config, allowing admins and players to customize the HUD experience:

• 0 - Hardcore: No HUD bars or explicit stat numbers shown.
  
• 0.5 - Softcore: Adds the optional Health icon to the HUD (Default).
  
• 1 - Babymode: Enables the vanilla-like HUD, displaying full stat bars for Food, Water, etc.

• New Stat Tag: Introduced the DoNotTrack status value.
  
• Function: If a consumable has
  DoNotTrack = 1
  , this item will not count toward the system's diminishing returns penalty. This is primarily for modders who want to exclude certain items (like super food) from contributing to the item consumption penalty loop.

• Radiation Fix: Fixed a bug where Uranium did not emit radiation when stored in a dropped backpack.
  
• Visual Fix: Fixed several issues causing the Health icon to be missing from the HUD.
  
• UI Layering Fix: Fixed GUI Z-Levels and visual focus. The main mod UI will now correctly stay on top with functional tooltips!
  
• HUD Adjustment: Moved the icon for Radiation Immunity (the pill) to the center of the radiation cycle display (it was previously hidden behind the health bar).
  
• Cleanup: Fixed some mixed descriptions and minor localization errors (spelling and meaning).

This update focuses heavily on customizable client settings and improving the core HUD experience.

• New Server Setting: Added an option to enable or disable the optional Health icon display in the HUD.
  
• New Client Config File: Introduced a dedicated client configuration file, located in your local storage folder (
  %AppData%\Roaming\SpaceEngineers\Storage\3570977190.sbm_APEX.Advanced!\
  ). This file now controls:
  
  • Warning Icon Size: Define the size for warning icons (moved from server to client control).
    
  • Keybinding: Define your own keybindings for the UI (moved from server to client control).
    
  • Toggle Mode: Decide whether you want to use a "Hold to Open" or a "Switch/Toggle" key mechanic.
    
• HUD Fix: Fine-tuned the HUD to prevent the flickering display of the Radiation stat.

• New Default Key: The default key to open the UI is now N, using the Hold to Open mechanic.
  
• Key Use Note: The mod's UI is generally unresponsive to keystrokes while the chat or any active game menu (requiring mouse input) is open.

• New Critical Threshold: The movement debuff (inability to run) now triggers when the Food stat drops below 15% (CriticalLevel 0.15).
  
• Movement Effect:
  
  • Core Rule: The Food stat is the only status value that prevents your character from running.
    
  • Respawn Protection: Upon respawning, you immediately suffer the movement debuff. However, on planets, you are given a **small timeframe to run** to find food before the debuff kicks in fully. (In space, you retain jetpack movement.)
    

• Advanced Decay & Regeneration Control: Added four new options for granular control over stat decay and regeneration in cryo chambers and beds:
  
  • FullDecayInCryo
    
  • FullDecayInBed
    
  • SkipRegenerationInCryo
    
  • SkipRegenerationInBed
    
• UI Keybind Customization: Added a config setting that allows server administrators to customize the keystroke used to open the main GUI.

Since the base game treats both Beds and Cryo Chambers as the same entity (MyCryoRoom), the mod uses a workaround to differentiate between them:
The mod checks the block's internal SubtypeID. It applies the specific Bed or Cryo settings based on the keywords found in that ID (e.g., 'Bed' or 'Cryo'). This ensures your new settings are applied only to the intended block type.

NexusV3 testing is complete. The mod works, but consumed item states are not transmitted to the other server (this was expected).

Fixed another crash related to bot despawn

Small hotfix...

Fixed a bug that occurred when cryo chambers or beds were directly attached to medical rooms.

The following bug affecting Dedicated Servers and Clients has been resolved. (Local offline games were not affected by this specific issue.)

• What Happened: The mod's logic would fail if a character died mid-session. Regeneration stopped working because the stat tracking only initialized if the character was present at the world's startup.
  
• The Fix: I had to unfortunately rewrite the entire tracking logic. It was time-consuming, but extensive tests (including dying multiple times on dedicated servers and local games) have confirmed the fix is successful.

• Fixed an issue with the Composters' Block Variant Groups for smoother placement.
  
• Resolved a bug affecting the Food Production Block Variant Group. This ensures the group displays correctly regardless of whether the Vertical Farm Mod is installed, on both dedicated and local servers.

Please post any further problems you encounter! I will continue to address these issues until the mod reaches "Rock Solid" (Release) status!