[Update] July 8, 2024
[Update] May 22, 2024
Hi Everyone,
We have made our future minimum part density of 0.0001 available as opt-in for anybody excited to try the new air buoyancy capabilities. This enables creating exciting experiences involving lighter-than-air parts, such as hot air balloons, for aerodynamics-enabled gameplay!
We are releasing this capability via a phased rollout meant to enable eager creators to try this new minimum density while providing a buffer for creators who need to fix existing experiences that incorrectly clamp lower density values.
Phased Rollout Details
During the rollout, you will be able to control the minimum part density in your experience via the Workspace property “DecreaseMinimumDensityMode” with three options: Default, Enabled, and Disabled.
During the first phase (April 11th, 2024 - May 12th, 2024), these choices will map as follows:
- Default = Opt-Out, minimum density remains 0.01
- Enabled = Opt-In, minimum density will lower to 0.0001
- Disabled = Opt-Out, minimum density will remain 0.01
During the second phase (May 13th, 2024 - June 9th, 2024), these choices will map as follows:
- Default = Opt-In, minimum density becomes 0.0001
- Enabled = Opt-In, minimum density will lower to 0.0001
- Disabled = Opt-Out, minimum density will remain 0.01
Starting June 10th, 2024, you will not be able to opt-out. The minimum part density for all experiences will be 0.0001.
Who This Impacts
As mentioned in the original post, this change will affect those who set any part density to a value less than 0.01 within a script. Currently, values below 0.01 are clamped to 0.01, but with the new minimum density, these values will be set between 0.01 and 0.0001 depending on the value used within your script(s).
For example, if you currently have a part’s density set to 0 within a script, then this change will make it so that the density of that part changes from 0.01 to 0.0001, the new minimum part density. However, if you currently have a part’s density set to 0.001 within a script, then this change will make it so that the density of that part changes from 0.01 to 0.001.
Please note that these effects will only exist if the minimum part density of your experience is 0.0001 (i.e. if you opt-in during the first phase, if you don’t opt-out during the second phase, and for everybody starting June 10th, 2024).
The phased rollout is meant to help you test whether or not this change will eventually affect your experience while also giving you time before June 10th, 2024 to make any necessary changes.
Why Should You Care?
If your experience is setting the density of any part to a value lower than 0.01, then this lower minimum density will cause a change in user experience. For example, if you currently have the density of any part set to 0, then this change will make that part start floating since its density will change from 0.01 to 0.0001, where 0.0001 is lighter than the density of air (0.00129).
Identifying and Addressing Issues
A few ways to check if your experience will be affected include:
- Setting “DecreaseMinimumDensityMode” to Enabled and playing your experience
- Checking for the Studio warning message regarding clamping of all Physical Properties
- Combing through all your scripts using the Find All function workflow described here
Note: if you are using any A-Chassis models and haven’t modified them already, it is likely that your experience will be affected. Read more here.
If you identify that your experience is incorrectly clamping Physical Properties, we recommend you update your scripts to specify explicit values within the current allowable bounds. This proactive approach will prevent inadvertent clamping of values during runtime.
For this specific change, all you need to do in order to keep your experience’s gameplay the same is change any lower density clamping to 0.01, the original minimum density. Read more here.
Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns - we’re excited to see all the creations to come from this new ability!
Best,
M0bsterLobster
