tl,dr
- what's next for Exploration



Hey there, fellow ylanders!

Update 1.5 is finally out and boy, what a big one. We brought you a lot of optimizations, as well as some extremely handy Editor tools - especially the ability to add your own images to be used in your user interfaces, will help you create even cooler games.

For many of you, however, the most important in this update is something completely different - the first step towards reworked Exploration.

I know that it took us quite a long to make this first big step. I also know that no matter what we do this first step won't please everyone. But I consider it a new beginning, a clear signal that we're serious about this. And because since it's just the first step, let me tell you what our vision is. Please note that I'm talking about a vision and not about things "that are planned". That's because we will carefully listen to what your wishes and ideas are and even though it's obvious we won't be able to implement all of those, together we will make sure that we're addressing things that are important.

We see Exploration as a unique world filled with places you can visit, explore, where you meet your friends and strangers alike. Where there is ALWAYS a new place to go, new yland uncharted, new challenge to accept. Place where you build yourself a home, a place which you can make sure will be there and won't get wiped with any update. Place, where you can enjoy whatever new we introduce without starting a new game every single time.



A world where we care more about things that are broken than adding new features at all cost. That doesn't mean that there will be no new content by all means. Even though many of you believe we should add flying vehicles, trains, submarines and a thousand other things as soon as possible (just like we ourselves used to believe), we will primarily focus on making sure that what's already in the game works as expected. That it's fun. That you can live amazing stories with your friends.

Now let me get back to the update at hand. This update was huge, the changes we made under the hood were quite big so there were some issues that need fixing - for example the one that prevents players from eating under some circumstances. We've already found and fixed the most annoying issues reported and will be releasing a hotfix today or tomorrow.

Let me thank you again for your patience. Stay safe and classy, ylanders!

tl;dr
- Update 1.5 is OUT!
- Exploration revamped
- New Native American Assets
- Improved shooting and grenade throwing
- Custom Bitmaps



Explorers of Ylands rejoice! Update 1.5 - Enhancing Exploration - is finally out for you to try and enjoy, and it brings a host of new goodies and improvements for Exploration, many of which had been requested by the community for a long time.

We have reworked and revamped the Exploration experience from the ground up, offering a truly engaging and exciting adventure, in the veins and spirit of what we originally envisioned for Exploration many moons ago.

Players can now travel to and explore countless different islands, in different biomes on their trusty ships, linked to their person for the first time ever - creating a new bond between players and their vessels.

And this is just the beginning! Update 1.5 is but the first stepping stone for an amazing Exploration experience - over the coming months, we will keep updating Exploration until it is as good as we can make it and the community is happy with it.

Of course, we have packed this update with some other goodies, improvements and fixes as well - read on to find out more!

Update 1.5 - Enhanced Exploration - major features

Exploration update first phase: the beginnings of the new and improved Explore experience is here; players can now use the brand new world map to sail to different biomes, where they can explore (and exploit) procedurally generated islands. Ships will now be tied to players so they can use their favourite vessel to explore the high seas.




Native American assets: we have added a whole slew of new assets for both players and creators!




Custom bitmaps in the Editor: creators will now have the option to import their very own bitmaps into the game, opening up a brand new dimension of customization options.






Shooting weapon improvements: we have made major improvements to how bows/crossbows & grenades are handled within the game; make sure you try them out!




....and hundreds of fixes, improvements to every aspect of the game!




For more detailed information about the changes and additions, head over to our new Exploration Feedback section with a handy FAQ made by Aleš 😉 - we would love to hear what you think of the new Exploration and how we could improve it. Also, check out the changelog for all the juicy deets 😁

To keep track of all the latest news, follow Ylands on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Until next time, stay classy!

tl,dr
- New Assets
- Native American weapons
- Sunplate Armour
- New Monster
- New Random Encounters for Exploration un Update 1.6



Hey there Ylanders!

As with every update, 1.5 is bringing a lot of cool stuff, including revamped Exploration and custom bitmaps. But another great addition to the game will be the heap of assets, that are coming to Ylands.

The theme of our assets in 1.5 are Native American cultures and we have a slew of cool new items, that you'll be able to add to your games.

First off we have added some very neat weapons to the Native American tribes in Ylands, be it the feathered crossbow, bow or rifle and the Shaman will get a unique set of clothes. We have also added a new Chieftain headdress, which will be also craftable in Exploration. Another craftable additions are the new stone tablets depicting different creatures of myth and legend and a new totem block representing the Wendigo. The Wendigo is also getting his own statue, which you'll be able to craft in Exploration and will be a good way to warn adventurers off of a certain dangerous area 😉



But that's not all! We have also added a new Sunplate armour set to represent pre-Columbian cultures in Central America with their own choice of cool weapons to choose from. This will also include some new stone furniture to go with the aesthetic.



And finally, a new monster is joining the mix: The Totem Golem! A fearsome adversary that communes with nature and fiercely defends the natives from harm.



And the best thing about these additions is, that now our designers have them available and will be adding them to Random Encounters for update 1.6 so look out for these in the future 😁

And that's all for today, so until next time, stay classy Ylanders 👋

tl,dr
- Experimental Build for Creators to try out new Update
- Cool new features in Editor
- Sneak Peek into new Exploration at the end 😉

Hey there Ylanders!

1.5 is nearing its release and with it countless new adventures in our reworked Exploration, though a lot of work still awaits us to make the experience perfect 😊

But before we release 1.5, we wanted to give our Creators a chance (especially now with the competition still in progress) to try out their games in our improved and fixed Editor to make sure, everything works, as it supposed to. That is why we would be very happy if the brave among you dived into our Experimental branch and gave the Editor a spin. But beware, there are a few things you should be aware of before you do, so please read very carefully the Exploration Build post so you don't lose any of your data during transfer.

But what can you expect in this Experimental branch? Well you can check out the full changelog in the Experimental branch post itself, but just to name a few:

Improved profile page

We've improved the profile page (accessible by clicking character portrait in the Main menu). See your favourite games, your friends' Avatars or their friends.



Custom bitmap import

As you have already seen in last weeks Dev Diary, Creators can now import their own images to be used as game UI (panels, buttons, icons...) or even in custom particles. Please note that all custom bitmaps are checked before the game is made visible on Workshop.



Dynamic lights visible on mobile devices

We keep tirelessly working so that your mobile gaming experience is as close to PC as possible and made big improvements regarding lighting in mobile games.



Terrain roughen tool

Making a natural-looking terrain is so much easier with this new tool and with a couple of modes to try out too.

Unfortunately, we couldn't fit some of the bigger gifs unto Steam, so we are hosting them on gifyu.

https://gifyu.com/image/j0Ni
https://gifyu.com/image/j0NR

Controlling a non-player object

Two new instructions have been added: Get Horizontal Input / Get Vertical Input, which will return player X / Y controller input. They can be used in new Event Listener event - On Fixed Update to "animate" any object as if controlling the player. Please note that this feature currently works for SP games only.

https://gifyu.com/image/j0QJ

And much much more!

So please check out the post about the Experimental Build and see you in Ylands Creators and stay classy 👋

P.S.

Pst. Explorers. Come here. Don't think we forgot about you. I sneaked out a small sneak peek at the new map system just for you 🤫

https://gifyu.com/image/j0Nj

tl;dr
- Custom Images added for more personalised UI's
- Usable in Particle Effects
- Shareable via Compositions

Hey there Ylanders!

While we are working tirelessly on update 1.5, the first part of the big Exploration overhaul, our Editor team has also cooked up a pretty nifty new feature and as you might have seen in the video above, it will be a lot of fun 😁

We're calling it "Custom Images" and what this lets you do, is import your own images into the game and then use them in a variety of ways. So for example, as you have seen in the video, you can make the HUD much more personalised and add images, that aren't available in our catalogue. You can also use these images in custom windows or on custom controls when making a game for the mobile platform. 



But that's all still very much the domain of the UI, but another area, where you'll be able to use your Custom Images is in particle effects, so now you will have absolute control over the special effects featured in your game.

Adding new images will be done through a new Custom Image Library game logic and it will be very simple and straightforward and it won't work just in games, but also in Compositions. This way you can then share whole libraries via compositions.

Of course, there will be a system in place to make sure vulgar and inappropriate images aren't uploaded into the game and before the update, we will post here on the forums rules, on what is acceptable to upload and what isn't.

And that's it for today Ylanders, so let us know, how you are planning on using these new Custom Images and until next time, stay classy Ylanders 👋

tl;dr
- New Grenade and Bow improvements
- Better animations and aiming
- Coming in Update 1.5



Hey there Ylanders!

Some pretty exciting news today adventurers regarding bows and grenades. Yes it is a bit of a weird pair up but hear me out 😅

So first off we made leap and strides in bow shooting and in 1.5 we'll be introducing countless improvements, but the ones you'll probably notice the most is the appearance of the actual arrow while shooting the bow (and the crossbow btw and I will not get drawn into a discussion if a crossbow is technically a bow or not 😁) and the overall aiming improvements we made to the bow. For instance, you'll be able to see the trajectory after you fire the arrow, making it easier to correct your aim. Bow animations have been also improved, but maybe most interestingly, now when you hold the bow drawn for too long, your arms will get tired and your accuracy will suffer greatly, making your shot much more unpredictable. 

The second item on our list today are the grenades. Grenades are very powerful weapons but haven't seen too much use in Ylands, because they are cumbersome to wield and inaccurate. Well no more! Grenades now how two modes. The quick throw (which is the standard mode) lets you toss a grenade fast in the direction you are facing. The height of the throw is affected by the angle you are looking at the target. But if you press down the right mouse button, you enter the aimed throw mode, in which the trajectory of the grenade will be visualised and you'll be able to lob that exploding pineapple 🍍 exactly where you want it. 

Improvements to both the Grenades and the Bows are great fun and even our team of Designers made a small multiplayer map to try it out and had an awesome time with it 😁 So a lot to look forward to 😊

And that's all for today Ylanders, so don't forget to tune in into tomorrow's stream at 16:00 CET and until then, stay classy Ylanders!

tl;dr
- Streaming every Friday at 16:00
- Following the Competition
- Q&A's with Team
- Looking for talented Streamers



Hey there Ylanders!

This week we have more of a relaxed topic. We'll be talking about our new streaming sessions we're doing and what we're planning for the future.

So as you might have noticed, every Friday at 16:00 CET over at https://www.twitch.tv/ylands we stream for an hour or two talking about Ylands, right now about the Competition and overall having a good time. If you haven't seen our streams, you can check one out tomorrow!

But from the get-go we wanted you, the players and members of this fabulous community to have a say in what we stream, so if you have any suggestions of what you'd like to see, what games in Ylands you'd want to watch me play and what you would like to talk about, always let me know because I'd be more than happy to oblige 😊 What we are planning to do though is to keep monitoring the Competition and all the wonderful submissions we're already seeing pop up in the Workshop. We'll be playing these games predominantly and having a look, how they play, how they work, what we like and dislike and provide feedback to the Creators. And after the Competition finishes, we definitely want to feature the winning games on the Stream and if possible invite the Creators unto the Stream, to tell us something about the game, what was their inspiration and how they made it. It, of course, isn't a requirement of the Creators but it'd be really cool 😅

During this time we'd also love to have some live Interviews and Q&A's with members of our team, so you get to know them a bit more and we'd love to have a streaming party, where a bunch of our team members get together in one room to stream and talk about Ylands 😊 But that will probably have to wait, till it is safe to meet up in bigger groups again.

We are also looking into more ways to make the watching experience more enjoyable and how to enhance our streaming. So if you have any suggestions about that, they'd be really appreciated. And finally, we'll be looking into finding some fun streamers, that would also like to stream about Ylands and give them an opportunity to stream with us or even host them on our channel 😁

So look out for all that and until next time,

stay classy Ylanders!

tl;dr
- FAQ with our Project Lead
- New Update 1.5 news
- Ask your questions in thread below



Hey there Ylanders!

We have a very special Dev Diary today because Aleš swung by to tell us something more about update 1.5. We collected some frequently asked questions about the update on the forums and asked Aleš to clarify them for us and boy did we find out a lot of interesting and exciting stuff about Update 1.5 🤩

So read on and if you have any follow-up questions, don't hesitate to ask in the thread below and hopefully, Aleš will have time to answer them too 😊

Will travelling from one world to another involve travelling into other player worlds?
Yes, that's exactly what this means - although it doesn't need to be just another player's world. We plan to have dedicated servers for all biomes that players will be able to visit and explore. Our current working name for those ylands is "Sinking worlds" because after some time the original world will disappear and will be replaced by a newly generated one. This way there will always be places to explore and gather resources.


How will your starting world look? Which biome will it have? Will it have enough resources?
The starting world will be only one biome. You will be able to choose from a selection of biomes (not all since some would be too harsh for a newly arriving castaway). It will have resources that, among others, allow you to create a ship. To get resources not available in your world you will have to travel to different worlds with different biomes.


Will strangers be raiding players own personal worlds?
As long as your world has MP enabled and is not protected by a password then yes, this would be possible.

Will building a ship be much harder or will the basics stay the same?
No, it will be the same.


Will these changes (summon-able and temporarily invincible boats) affect all maps or just exploration maps? (Will boats in other mini-games also become invincible?)
No, these changes will be present only in Exploration.


Will ships that players have already built be compatible? Or do players need to wait till 1.5 to build a compatible vessel?
We are still looking into this. Technically it is possible, but it opens a door to certain kinds of exploits that's why we're still analyzing it.

How will the map from the concept art released a few Dev Diaries back be implemented into the new Exploration?
What you're referring to is a world map (please note that the final version you'll get in 1.5 will be visually slightly different) and it serves several purposes - firstly you use it to select in what biome your starting yland will be located. Secondly, you can use it (since it'll be accessible via your ingame menu all the time) to check ylands in other biomes and travel to them - if you are steering a ship and are located at the outer area of your current world.

How will the ship summoning mechanic work?
You will be able to summon your ship (if you have one) via a Radial menu button. It will appear in a nearby empty sea area. Also, you will see your ship's location on your map.


Will the number of players able to play together change?
The maximum will remain the same.


Will you revisit the trading mechanic in 1.5 or later?
This is something we're discussing. Definitely not in 1.5, but we might do some changes in 1.6 based on what we see happen in games.


Will the worlds you travel to be procedurally generated and in a way infinite, or will there be a limit to the number of different explorable worlds?
There will be a certain number of Yland maps per biome region - right now it's 20 in total. But some of them will change from time to time.

Will Update 1.5 be a polished final product?
No. While the core mechanics such as travelling between worlds will be fully functional, this is such a big change that we will need feedback and will very likely make some adjustments. We will be providing a list of features that will be temporary or subject to change. Also in 1.6 we would like to focus on the ylands themselves.

Will we ever see explore on mobile?
Bringing Exploration to mobiles is actually one of my personal priorities for 2021 but never at the expense of the PC experience. Mobile will have to work with PC standards and bypass them if necessary, not the other way round (dumbing down the PC version to facilitate the mobile version is a big No for me).


You mentioned 1.5 will be about "Exploration, Travelling and Socialization". What are the Travel and Socialization aspects of 1.5?
In order to get resources to craft everything, you will be required to travel and explore new places. You will get to meet new people - some of the ylands you discover might be someone's worlds and pay them a friendly (or less friendly) visit, you can meet with other players when gathering resources or exploring worlds that don't belong to anyone.


And that's it from us this week, but definitely leave a question if you have one and your feedback in the thread below and as always, stay classy Ylanders!

A big thank you for the questions goes especially to RedEagle_P1., Murcin, bojo2736, WijkagentAdrie and ocnoglittle. Thanks guys 😊

tl;dr
- Ship much more important in Exploration
- Travel worlds, visit friends
- Link your ship to your Avatar
- Bring friends with you
- New Exploration features ASAP = a bit rough around the edges

Hey there, fellow Ylanders, Aleš here!

We are working very hard on update 1.5 that will, among other things, mark what we believe to be the birth of a new generation of Exploration. I am sure you would like to hear something more about it so let me give you some detail.

1.5 will be about exploration, travelling and socialization. We will give you a world made out of various maps to explore and to do so, you will need a ship. Your ship. In the new Exploration, your ship becomes the single most important object. You and your ship will become one. You will sail it to different games to gather resources, meet and trade with other players (or steal their stuff 😅). After you store it on your ship you will sail back home... or maybe explore some other worlds?



You will always have one ship (well, after you build it or get it from someone else) that you will "link" to your avatar and which you won't be able to lose. You will be able to (un)summon it as you see fit via the radial menu. But what about your unfortunate friends that may not possess their own vessel? Just pick them up and go exploring the foreign lands together. Exploring in Ylands has never been so much fun.



And if you just want to live your happy life on your ylands and the idea of sailing the high seas scares you? Well, that is just fine. Having a ship isn't a must. You can still welcome your friends or random explorers who come sailing to your corner of the world. Even that sounds dreadful? Well, just keep your world multiplayer mode disabled and live the hermit life you always craved for.

As I said 1.5 will be the beginning of a whole new Exploration, with other new radical changes coming in 1.6 and every other following update bringing further improvements. We know that you have waited so long for Exploration to get back on track and because of that we decided to give you the first changes as soon as possible even if it means the experience will be a bit rough around the edges. So along with the update, we will present you with the list of what we expect to change (for example in 1.5 your ship will be invincible, which will later change etc.)  so that you can provide feedback and that we can, once again, continue making Ylands a cool, classy game together.



There's still a lot more to talk about but we'll continue some other time. Thank you for your patience and stay classy!

tl;dr
- Script Module to store scripts as compositions
- Streaming suggestions

Hey there Ylanders!

Today we’ll discuss a pretty neat feature we’re going to sneak into the Exploration 1.5 Update for Creators 🤫 It’s called the Script Module and we believe it will help out a lot of Creators in the future. In laymen’s terms, it is a kind of black box for scripts and game logics, which you can export and share with other Creators via compositions. So what will it do? Well, simply it will give a creator the ability to export any number of game logics with script as a single game logic thus saving a lot of space and helping to make the scripting more "clean" and manageable. This means the creator can then use the logics and scripts in a different map but ALSO other Creators can then pick up the composition and use it in their game, meaning you can then trade logics and scripts with fellow creators and learn from each other 😊 


Player Modules WiP

Also in scripting you’ll, of course, be able to reference a module as well incorporating it into your wider creation. And if an older version of the script and logics are detected, the module should be able to update itself while keeping all the original in and out script references, meaning, that the original creator can keep the module up-to-date and share the new version without any hassle 😁

Another topic I wanted to open today is the matter of our weekly streams. We’d love to hear from you, what YOU would like to see in our future streams. What you’re interested in, what you think should be covered and what should be addressed more. That is why you can now visit a new Topic here on the forum, where I’d love to hear your suggestions and comments to the streaming 😊

And that’s it for today, so until next time, stay safe and stay classy Ylanders!