Last week we skipped our ‘Meet the Devs’ blog because we were busy at Gamescom with our Shadow Merge video featuring in the Future Games Show - but when we got back to the office we found it had gone to the dogs! And the cats!
So, as a special bonus finale for the series, we’re very happy to introduce you to the Pets of the Devs of Ereban!
--------------------------------------------- Bella - (Elena Gómez - Environment Artist) Bella arrived in our lives when she was seven months old. Her first family couldn't take care of her anymore so we decided to adopt her.
She has always been a calm dog and she likes to spend hours on the sofa with her owners to receive love and cuddles. She gets crazy around food and she may scratch your leg in order to ask for some ham, but obviously she has her own inside the fridge. However, she has to earn it sometimes so we’ve trained her to do some little tricks.
I like to call her princess because sometimes I feel like she is the owner of everything in the house, she has right of way around the whole place, she sleeps where she likes, etc… Oh, and don't you dare to give her bread only, she might not take it.
In conclusion, she is one more of the family and personally it's so good to have her close to you when you need to have a quick break from your duties. Although we lost some socks and flip flops during those years, it was totally worth it.
Charly - (Andrea López Tur - Producer) This is Charly! He's been with me for almost two years, and the truth is that he’s the result of a foster fail!
Since I’ve been volunteering as a foster home for a local animal shelter, it has always been fine when the cats leave for their new home. However, with Charly it was different: he stayed with me way longer than usual due to the pandemic and I fell in love with him, so in the end… I decided to adopt him myself!
He's a very good boi that scratches everywhere but never breaks anything, he plays a lot with his foster siblings, and always keeps me company! He also loves his wet food and attending our online meetings when I work from home hahaha.
Ciri - (Alejandro Márquez - Game Director) This is Ciri, a stray cat my brother rescued from the street.
She was only weeks old, was missing part of her ear and had her belly wounded. However, as the character we named her after, she was tough and managed to survive, and lived with us for many wonderful years.
She was really playful (was known for her bites) and smart, and whenever we had a visit, she always wanted to be in the middle of the conversation. Also, as you see in the picture, she really loved to lay down in the sun.
Unfortunately, she left us during this development, but in our family we'll remember her forever <3
Cleo - (Oriol Rubiano - Animation Director) This is Cleo! She's a 9 years old jack russell and she's my niece.
During the day she's calm and friendly, but when night comes she transforms into a monster and starts barking at blind rollers and showing her teeth to anyone who wants to sit on the sofa too close to her. She's always the queen of wherever she is.
She hates firecrackers and other dogs, and loves the beach and unpacking presents. As you can see she always poses for photos, knowing she's a beauty. She even has an Instagram account!
Maya - (Jessica Adam - 3D Animator) This is Maya! She's been with me and my family for over six years now, since we adopted her.
She is like a shadow following me around wherever I am, keeping me company at all times. I adore those moments when I'm working, turn around to check on her and I can see her sleeping so peacefully, it soothes me to the soul.
Sometimes we can see her, out of the blue, jumping on walls and running at lightning speed like she has been possessed or something - we need to be careful while stepping out of the room, or we might get run over by a crazy cat!
Niru - (Fernando Barroso - Level Designer) Adopted in Madrid after being found inside a trash can when she was just a baby, Niru started her second life by my side, and it didn’t take long until she embraced the Andalusian roots of her owner.
Highly sociable, when she’s not napping, she often asks for cuddles – even to strangers! She always gives them a warm welcome. Niru also loves to play, but ironically, she rarely uses the toys I buy her, and ends up entertaining herself with the first random thing she encounters.
Her personality brings peace and warmth at home, apart from lots of laughs, and she is one of those cats you always have to be ready if you want to capture her funny poses and bizarre behavior!
Roma and Tyrion - (Juanlu Pinto - Art Director) This is Roma (the fluffy shar pei) and Tyrion.
We adopted Roma when she was 4 months old and Tyrion was 4 years old. Sadly, just when they started getting along, Tyrion got sick and passed away. He was really funny, always outside the cage, running, jumping, eating frame doors (not that funny), sleeping in places where he could see us. He used to follow me everywhere, He was like our first dog. Rest in peace my dear friend.
Roma is one of a kind. When she arrived home, we were a bit concerned because she spent around 20 hours sleeping (she has the spirit of a Koala), apparently something normal for a puppy shar pei. But now that she’s 1 year old, she is not like that anymore. Now she sleeps around 18 hours. She’s the laziest and cutest dog of the neighborhood.
She loves being around other people and dogs. She’s really friendly. When she sees someone she knows, she runs to say hello moving her tail and butt. But watch out!! Sometimes she gets super excited and she starts biting (gently) your legs. She’s part of the family and part of the Baby Robot Team, coming to the office from time to time just to make our day funnier…for some of us…
Shira - (Alberto Sánchez - Technical Director) This is Shira.
She's been part of my family for more than eight years. She was only a few weeks old when we found her alone, wandering the streets of my mother’s hometown. We immediately decided to adopt her and bring her back with us to Barcelona.
She is very friendly and never barks, even if she doesn't know you. While I am at home, she is always around me, following me everywhere. She enjoys our company, and we enjoy hers.
Although she is not a puppy anymore, she is still very playful and loves running and meeting other friends from our neighborhood to play together.
--------------------------------------------- Well now you know the ENTIRE Baby Robot Games team! Just in case you missed them, you can read more about the other team members here:
If you like the game and wish to know more about the shadow powers and many other features of the game, make sure to wishlist us and follow us on our social media to get all our updates!
I will be livestreaming Mage and Monsters Wednesday and Friday during the upcoming Steam Next Fest and answering questions about the game and development. Come say hi!
- Fixed: Performance loss in woods - Fixed: Displaying the wrong age class of animals (new hunted animals will show correct age but those already in the hunting log will not have correct age; this will be fixed in 1.17) - Fixed: Removing the last purchased item after loading - Fixed: Territory pass recovery after broken save - Fixed: Puskin (Red deer with rifle stuck in antlers) sometimes spawning without one antler - Fixed: Incorrect wolf meat degradation even if shot with recommended energy - Fixed: Animals disappearing when hit - Fixed: Animals spawning next to the player during gameplay - Fixed: Binoculars animation with FOV above 110 - Fixed: Crash on load resulting in a Fatal Error - Fixed: Crash after an infinite reload in Photo mode resulting in a Fatal Error - Fixed: Crash during “Ain't no cinnamon when sky's gone” cutscene resulting in a Fatal Error - Partially fixed: Stability issues in Swamps resulting in a Fatal Error - Fixed: Riddle me this Part III progress blocker - dialogue can be re-triggered by interacting with the photo/dialogue will play automatically after player respawn following player death or exiting the game
Known issues:
- Crashes can still occur with low probability while shooting waterfowl for an extended period of time - Previously disappeared mission animals will not reappear. We hope to be able to bring them back in a later patch, but unfortunately, right now the only way to progress is from the beginning, by deleting the current save file. Some players may experience certain story dialogue playing after every game load - holding Enter will skip it. - During the mission "Not a huffle badger", badgers may disappear from the designated location. Resting until the following day should respawn them. - Missing ladder sound
- Fixed: Performance loss in woods - Fixed: Displaying the wrong age class of animals (new hunted animals will show correct age but those already in the hunting log will not have correct age; this will be fixed in 1.17) - Fixed: Removing the last purchased item after loading - Fixed: Territory pass recovery after broken save - Fixed: Puskin (Red deer with rifle stuck in antlers) sometimes spawning without one antler - Fixed: Incorrect wolf meat degradation even if shot with recommended energy - Fixed: Disappearing animals - Fixed: Animals spawning next to the player during gameplay - Fixed: Binoculars animation with FOV above 110 - Fixed: Crash on load resulting in a Fatal Error - Fixed: Crash after an infinite reload in Photo mode resulting in a Fatal Error - Fixed: Crash during “Ain't no cinnamon when sky's gone” cutscene resulting in a Fatal Error - Partially fixed: Stability issues in Swamps resulting in a Fatal Error - Fixed: Riddle me this Part III progress blocker - dialogue can be re-triggered by interacting with the photo/dialogue will play automatically after player respawn following player death or exiting the game
Known issues:
- Crashes can still occur with low probability while shooting waterfowl for an extended period of time - Previously disappeared mission animals will not reappear. We hope to be able to bring them back in a later patch, but sadly, right now the only way to progress is from the beginning, by deleting the current save file. Some players may experience certain story dialogue playing after every game load - holding Enter will skip it. - During the mission "Not a huffle badger", badgers may disappear from the designated location. Resting until the following day should respawn them. - Missing ladder sound
We're heading into the second month of Season Seven with foxes in the Emporium and fixes far and wide. Yes, new pets form part of our fresh Pirate Emporium offerings, while elements of Captaincy and beyond get serviced with improvements and adjustments. If you missed last month’s Seasonal debut, let the full trailer fill you in!
There's still time to brush up on last month’s momentous release notes too, but if you’re already acquainted, let’s push ahead with what’s new right now...
Pirate Emporium
Those foxes you spotted in the Season Seven artwork have arrived! And as these new pets proliferate across the seas, the Emporium also offers a Mandrake collection comprising a ship set, costume, weapon bundle and speaking trumpet, plus emotes for Admirals and axe enthusiasts...
Season Seven Plunder Pass
Anyone wishing to take full advantage of Season Seven rewards can still buy the Plunder Pass. Any rewards unlocked will become available upon purchase, so players who have raised their Renown throughout Season Seven can instantly see their hard work rewarded before the Season ends.
This Season’s Plunder Pass offers early access to the complete Beachcomber's Bounty ship set and the evolving Baleful Bloom Costume, and can be purchased at any time through the Pirate Log, Pirate Emporium or Steam Item Store.
What Does the Fox Say?
Head to the Pirate Emporium to pick up a wily new fox sidekick! These clever critters provide a perfect pirate partnership. Players can pick from five varieties of fox: Auburn, Snowdrift, Veiled, Slate or Shoreline.
Mandrake Ship Collection
This ship set will appeal to anyone with a green thumb and love of the eerie side of nature. In addition to the main bundle, a very snappy Collector’s Figurehead and Collector’s Sails can be purchased separately.
A Mandrake Essential Ship Bundle is also on offer, including just the core ship cosmetics at a discount.
Mandrake Costume
Half human, half plant, all deadly – form a bond with the mysterious Mandrake plant by wrapping up in this leafy outfit.
While wearing the Mandrake Costume, players can perform the Personal Growth Emote.
Mandrake Speaking Trumpet
Pirates swear that this bristly speaking trumpet is whispering for someone to feed it.
Mandrake Weapons
Every rose has its thorn, and these spiky weapons also have blades and barrels.
Admiral Weapon Pose Emotes
Posture like a regal Admiral by employing these efficient emotes.
Axe Me Anything Emote Bundle
Live out your lumberjack fantasy with a set of tricks relying heavily on axe-handling agility.
Torch Twister Emote
Show off your circus background and fearlessness around fire with this sizzling emote.
Freebie Reluctant Wave Emote
A coy little hand wave that might be covering a deep reluctance to get trapped in a conversation with someone.
Beautiful but Deadly Bundle (Store Only)
Available only from the Steam Store, this bundle contains the Mandrake Costume, Speaking Trumpet and Weapon Bundle, 550 Ancient Coins and a free 25,000 gold bonus for use in the Outpost shops! Head to the Steam Item Store to find out more.
Baleful Bloom Costume Emote Change
With the Baleful Bloom Costume equipped, Season Seven Plunder Pass owners can now perform the Petal Storm Emote as designed. The previously included Torch Twister Emote was not intended to be part of this costume.
However, owners of this costume who enjoyed the Torch Twister Emote will still be given the use of this emote at any time via their Vanity Chest (please allow a few days for this to appear). All other players will be able to purchase it separately from the Pirate Emporium.
Captains of Adventure
Captain’s Stash Voyages
A set of new Captain’s Voyages has landed in the shipwright’s shop: Captain’s Stash Voyages. These give Captains and their crew the chance to find a range of items and crates that will prove useful to any professional pirates out there on the Sea of Thieves.
Players have a chance to find Resource Crates, Firebomb Crates, Ammo Crates, Gunpowder Barrels, Tridents, Ashen Winds Skulls and even emergent Voyages.
Previously Disabled Milestones
Captains and their Crew can now earn progress towards a number of previously unavailable Player and Ship Milestones:
Completing Quest Board Maps now progresses the Quest Board Maps Completed Ship and Pirate Milestones.
Discovering Captained Ships now progresses the Captained Ships Spotted Ship and Pirate Milestones.
Selling items to The Hunter’s Call now progresses the Provisions Sold to The Hunter’s Call Ship and Pirate Milestones.
Ransacking Sea Forts now progresses the Sea Forts Conquered Ship and Pirate Milestones.
Performing essential ship maintenance now progresses the Repairs Made Pirate Milestone.
Skeletons Vanquished Milestones
An issue was identified causing the Skeletons Vanquished Pirate Milestone and Skeletons Vanquished by Crew Ship Milestone to progress faster than intended with larger crews. While this issue has now been resolved, with update 2.6.1 the individual tallies have been reset to ensure the totals are correct for all players moving forward.
Events
Twitch Drops
Continue to unlock even more cosmetics throughout Season Seven with Twitch Drops! Stay tuned to Sea of Thieves social channels to find out when Twitch Drops will be active for Partnered streamers, allowing players to earn Eastern Winds Sapphire items. Find out how to link your accounts and more on our dedicated Twitch Drops page.
Updates
Hit Registration Networking Improvements
Networking improvements have been made to the location and timing of player shots, providing a small improvement to hit registration for ranged weapons when firing at players on islands.
Sunken Merfolk Statues
Crews storing treasure in Sunken Merfolk Statues while beneath the waves will find upon surfacing that the friendly merfolk now appear closer to the ship for easier treasure retrieval.
Feed the Pigs!
Captured pigs will now take a little longer before becoming hungry, and the time before these hungry pigs subsequently perish has also been increased.
Fixed Issues
Gameplay
The Breath of the Sea can now be found on the plinth in the Shrine of the Coral Tomb after completing the intended actions.
While fishing, nameplates now appear on any caught novelty items and if narration is enabled will also be narrated.
Captains of Adventure
Players will no longer be able to delete items that are placed inside Collector’s Chests while holding another Captain’s Logbook.
Captain’s Voyages can now be discarded from the Captain’s Bookshelf and will no longer return when starting another Captained session.
As Captains set sail in a new gameplay session, they will now find that the ship’s history in the Captain’s Logbook shows the correct value for Days at Sea.
Players will now experience a cooldown time when buying supplies from the shipwright at Dagger Tooth Outpost.
Captains sailing on Steam should no longer receive a notification that the Captain has left the crew when the Captain is still present.
The ship’s name will now appear correctly when proposing a Voyage on the Captain’s Table.
Players who join a Captained session in progress will now be able to see other Ship Banners when viewing other ships.
When multiple crew members equip different Ship Banners, now only the last selected will be displayed.
The Ship Banner that players receive when they equip a new banner will no longer play while they are still in the Customisation Chest.
The correct sails applied to the ship will now be displayed within the Ship’s Log menu.
The correct audio effects can now be heard when saving items within the Ship Customisation Chest.
Scrolls on the Captain’s Bookshelf will no longer disappear from view after migrating across servers.
If a Captain leaves the game, one of the crew members will no longer show as the Captain in the Logbook.
Mermaids should no longer appear near the Sovereign marquee at Plunder and Sanctuary Outposts when players approach the edge of the Island.
After an Uncaptained ship sinks and is recovered, the Ship Customisation Chest and Flag Box will no longer show saved icons from the previous Captained session.
The Voyage Complete banners will now only appear when a Cargo Run Voyage has actually been completed and not when the player is picking up the cargo required.
Players should no longer experience a delay when interacting with the Captain’s Logbook while travelling through the Tunnels of the Damned for the first time.
Players disabling ‘Auto-vote on Voyage Proposal’ will now find that proposing a Captain’s Voyage will no longer auto-vote on the Voyage.
Completing the Captain's Voyage entitled A Commission of the Ancient Veil now counts towards the True Legend Commendation.
Lunging with a sword at the Captain’s Table and then trying to interact with the Captain’s Logbook will no longer cause players’ vision to become blocked.
Ship names using special characters now display the correct capitalisation on ship announcement banners.
The Trinket spot on the wall of a Galleon’s lower deck no longer overlaps with a hull damage point.
Captains selecting the ‘Sea of Thieves: A Pirate's Life’ option from the front end will now arrive near the Castaway.
Athena’s Fortune treasure can now be consistently recovered from a Commission of Ashen Fortune Voyage.
Sovereign Barnaby’s dialogue has been updated to use the intended text.
Players’ ship names will no longer appear on another crew’s Voyage proposal.
Ship names should now be more easily read when bright ship cosmetics are applied.
The Voyage entitled A Prized Merchant Alliance Commission now displays the correct icon.
The chains that appear over locked content now show up as intended.
Players experiencing an unsuccessful ship purchase will no longer be returned to the Ship Type selection screen.
Captains with a customised Logbook will continue to find their Logbook displaying correctly after migrating across servers.
Players should no longer become locked in place when exiting the Ship Customisation Chest via the ‘view’ option on a controller.
Sound effects can now be heard when players place, remove, nudge or straighten Trinkets in ships and taverns.
Captains of Adventure – Milestones
Some Milestones no longer progress more than intended when multiple crew members are in the session.
Completing Skeleton Forts will no longer incorrectly update the Fort of the Damned Completed Milestones.
Repeatedly burying and digging up one piece of loot will no longer help players to achieve Quest Board Maps Milestones faster than intended.
Completing ‘The Legendary Storyteller’ Tall Tale will now update the correct Milestones.
The Krakens Defeated Milestone can now be earned by fellow crew members.
The Treasures Sold Milestones will now update correctly and consistently for both the Captain and crew.
The Ships Captained Milestone will no longer update incorrectly when using a new Captained ship for the first time and then migrating servers.
Completing an Ashen Captain’s Voyage will now increase the Devil’s Roar Quest Completed Milestones as intended.
The Days at Sea Ship Milestone Class notification now shows the correct text.
The Skeleton Forts Conquered Milestone now updates consistently when a crew unlocks the door to the Vault.
Completing a Cargo Run Voyage for Athena’s Fortune will no longer incorrectly update the Athena’s Fortune Quests Completed Milestones.
Handing treasure to the Sovereigns will no longer only update the Handed In to the Sovereigns Milestone but will also update corresponding Trading Companies’ hand-in Milestones.
Completing An Ashen Mercenary Order for Captained Ships or A Commission of Ashen Fortune now updates the correct Milestones.
Burning meat or fish will now correctly update the Provisions Cooked Milestone.
When the Days at Sea Milestone is pinned, it will now display the correct icon within the Captain’s Logbook.
The notification banner for earning a Class in the Trips to the Ferry of the Damned Milestone now contains the correct text.
Environment
Players will no longer be able to walk up some of the walls of the Ghost Garrison during the Legend of the Veil Voyage.
Players who get stuck under the pier near the shipwright at New Golden Sands Outpost will no longer appear underneath the map.
Players can no longer become stuck between two rocks at Sunken Grove.
Players can no longer pass through a wooden railing in the Tavern of the Damned.
Players can no longer go under the stone textures of the southern cliffside at Lookout Point.
Players can no longer intersect with part of a wooden fence near The Reaper’s Hideout entrance.
Players can no longer intersect with the fence on the stairs leading to the top deck of a Sloop.
Players will no longer be able to get through the doors to the Coral Fortress while using a Rowboat with a harpoon.
Small items placed or dropped on Rum Runner Island will now be more visible to players instead of appearing beneath the sand’s surface.
Players can no longer become stuck between two palm trees at Ancient Spire Outpost.
Players will no longer be buffered when exploring around trees at Old Brimstone Fortress.
Players will no longer become stuck on palm trees near the Order of Souls tent at Morrow’s Peak Outpost.
Visual and Audio
When Ashen Lords lunge at players, their movements are now smoother.
The voting dagger should no longer be seen floating above the Captain’s Table.
The leaves on the Forgotten Temple Ship’s Crest now move in a more natural way when players are sailing.
Completely repairing the Party Boat Wheel will no longer make the repairs appear on the opposite side.
During ‘The Sunken Pearl’ Tall Tale, stones within the Siren Shrine will no longer change shape and level of detail when seen at a distance.
After migrating across servers, players should no longer be briefly displayed with an incorrect gamertag.
Accessibility
The screen narration feature now correctly narrates the Name Your Ship and Rename Your Ship menus.
User Interface
Players with an Arena battle record will no longer find that swapping between Sea Dogs and The Hunter’s Call Commendations causes the incorrect Commendation summary to be shown.
Text and Localisation
When speaking to Catherine at Three Paces East Seapost, her dialogue now displays correctly.
The word ‘Prompt’ is now spelled correctly within the Gameplay Settings.
A once notoriously quick Skeleton Captain can no longer be found appearing on islands across the Sea of Thieves, thanks to his moniker unintentionally contravening the new naming filter introduced with Captaincy...
Performance and Stability
Improved client performance when moving around Captained ships that are heavily decorated with Trinkets.
Improved server stability to reduce scenarios where crews are removed from a game session.
Improved client memory usage by only loading fishing animations when needed.
Known Issues
Legend of the Veil Shipwreck Graveyards Temporarily Disabled
Following reports of server instability and potential economy impact, crews taking on a Legend of the Veil Voyage will temporarily no longer find themselves directed to a Shipwreck Graveyard as part of their Voyage. The team are working on a resolution and intend to return this experience in a future update.
Saved Ship Customisations Not Persisting
Captains may find that saved customisations such as ship liveries and decorations do not always persist between sessions.
Reduced Server Performance
Players may experience scenarios where they encounter ping spikes at random while playing, resulting in rubberbanding or client stutters. While improvements were most recently released in update 2.5.3, the team continue to work on further improvements for future updates.
Ranged and Melee Weapon Hit Detection
In areas of intense action, players may find themselves firing shots or landing strikes that do not cause damage to their targets. While small improvements continue to be delivered during our regular updates, we are continuing to investigate and identify further improvements to the player combat experience. To learn more about known issues in Sea of Thieves currently being tracked and their status, head over to our Known Issues support site article.