update · March 14, 2025
Icarus Update Week 171 Overhauls Shadows and Boosts Performance
Icarus Week 171 introduces Distance Field shadows for light-emitting deployables, significantly lowering rendering costs and increasing light radius across bases.
Week 171 brings a major performance optimization to Icarus by transitioning light-emitting deployables to Distance Field shadows. Alongside the shadow overhaul, light radiuses have been increased to brighten base interiors, and tamed creatures receive a blanket elemental damage resistance.
Distance Field Shadows and Performance
Over 100 light-emitting deployables now utilize Distance Field shadows instead of default rendering methods. This change replaces expensive triangle-based shadow calculations with simplified approximations, significantly reducing GPU cost. Light radiuses have also been increased across most sources since the performance penalty has dropped, making base lighting much more effective.
Creature and Combat Balance
All tamed creatures now possess a 40% elemental damage resistance, standardizing damage intake between physical and elemental sources. Assault rifles and existing firearms receive repair fixes, allowing them to be properly maintained on the correct benches. T4 Electronic Food Troughs now prioritize Processor inventories ahead of general storage when using QuickMove.
Great Hunts Boss Preview
The update details the three upcoming bosses for the Great Hunts campaign: the ice-armored Rimetusk, the chemically enhanced intellect of the Garganutan, and the mineral-consuming Quarrite. Each boss introduces unique combat challenges and biome-specific mechanics.
Why this patch matters
Week 171 delivers a rare kind of technical patch that directly improves framerates while simultaneously making baseline building features like lighting more useful.