Alpha 18 should show significantly better performance for Windows users, thanks to something called Native computation. Native mode essentially removes a layer from the physics computation, making the whole process much faster. It is enabled by default and effectively replaces the old Managed computation mode. Mac and Linux support for Native is coming in a future update.
New
Native Physics ComputationNative is the new default setting that replaces the old Managed physics computation for Windows, Mac, & LinuxRemoves a computation layer from physics calculations, resulting in vastly increased performance compared to old methodYou can switch back to Managed physics computation to see the differenceHome > Settings > General tab > Computation Device > ManagedCPUEnable ‘FPS Info’ in Home > Settings > Debug tab or press Alt + FWolf 1061 simulationsHome > Open > Wolf 1061 [or] Wolf 1061 with Eccentric OrbitsHome > Explore > Science > Wolf 1061Wolf 1061 Announcement & Paper Simulation Based On
Improvements
SimulationAdded back in RK2, PERFL, and ForrestRuth integration modesUI & UX (user interface & user experience)Changed “Astronomy” tab to “Science” in Home -> Explore Added additional tooltips to various controls and options
Fixes
Fixed issue with fragments never becoming colliders Minor fixes to climate tutorialFixed issue with preview window setting wrong lighting modeAnother attempt at preventing Linux audio-related crashesFixed issues with glows appearing when they shouldn’t beMinor sound fixesMinor position fix for value selectors in user interfaceFixed issue with particles disappearing at certain aspect ratiosFix which prevents window from resizing once app is loadedAttempted fix for missing background issue in LinuxFix for performance test results requiring email addressFixed issues with craters not appearing for smaller collisions (18b)
System Requirements:
MINIMUM:
Processor: 1.6GHz dual core
Memory: 1 GB RAM
Graphics: OpenGL, 512 MB Video Memory, Shader Model 3.0
Storage: 1 GB available space