This week's update may be feature light but has laid the framework for some massive terrain improvements. Burrow, the new island appearing on the archipelago this update, has been created with a new custom terrain tool. This tool greatly decreases the time it takes to make good terrain and allows for more novel terrain designs. Previously, overhangs, interiors, and cliff faces were difficult to create so islands featured few of them. All future islands will be created with this tool so the extreme features that make piloting airships fun can be used to their fullest.

Burrow hosts no natural airships spawns and a placeholder installation while a custom spawn set is being prepared.



Airmen 1.12.13 also adds a new weapon, the Seeker Cannon. This weapon is a Barrage Cannon variant that trades raw explosive power for a strong guidance effect on all projectiles. The Seeker Cannon can only be obtained by completing the quest "A Mysterious Weapon".

Join us on Discord for public playtests Friday at 12pm ET, Saturday at 3pm ET, and Monday at 7pm ET.

1.12.13

• Added a new island, Burrow, in the eastern part of the map.

• Added the seeker cannon. This weapon can only be obtained by completing the quest "A Mysterious Weapon".
  
  
• Adjusted the length of some of the peskier jet streams.

A new weapon is available to research in Airmen 1.12.12. The Barrage Cannon is a new AoE focused turret cannon. It fires slow moving explosive rockets with a medium range matching the twin cannon. This weapon's strength is in its blast radius but its slow speed and wobbly movement make hitting light ships difficult. It's AoE is only triggered after travelling 50 meters so be sure to keep a respectable distance for maximum effectiveness or you'll be better off with volleys and gatlings.



Join us on Discord for public playtests Friday at 12pm ET, Saturday at 3pm ET, and Monday at 7pm ET.

1.12.12

• Added the Barrage Cannon. The Barrage Cannon is a turret mounted cannon that fires 8 slow moving rockets with a chaotic trajectory.

• Added tips to the syncing ships overlay.
  
  
• Added adjustable gatling guns.
  
  
• Shrunk the gatling gun hitbox so they can be placed side by side.
  
  
• Increased volley cannon damage by 5.

• Fixed parts appearing in red if they are restored with undo/redo while red.
  
  
• Fixed a big performance drain caused by oil bubbles being on screen.
  
  
• Fixed sometimes spawning in at your captain's fort.

Airmen 1.12.11 expands on the archipelago's synthetic wild life with robot sky whales. These creatures appear all across the archipelago and most frequently in its northeastern reaches. Once the majesty on these great creatures wears off, you can viciously poach them by targeting their weak points breaking off parcels of hardened aetherium and resonant magnesite.



No whales were harmed in the making of this update.

Join us on Discord for public playtests Friday at 12pm ET, Saturday at 3pm ET, and Monday at 7pm ET.

1.12.11

• Added robot sky whales. Damaging their vital components drop parcels of hardened aetherium and resonant magnesite. Whales spawn most frequently in the northeast.

• Added extra scaling to installations increasing the HP of every ship in the installation.
  
  
• Improved the AIs long distance travel piloting abilities.
  
  
• Changed the first person lever action grip animation.

• Fixed harvests using reverse difficulty for determining the required amount of delivered parcels.
  
  
• Fixed reactivating the teleporter launch button resetting the charge.

Airmen 1.12.10 introduces a new form of vertical propulsion, tilt controls. The tilt module can be placed anywhere on your ship and toggled using a weapon group. While activated, rear vertical propulsion inverts allowing a strong torque to be applied by a evenly distributed vertical propulsion setup. This change can massive increase the maneuverability of an airship so I'll be watching the power levels are parts that synergize well with it.



Autohammers are also receiving a serious change to help eliminate the necessity of autohammer spam. While autohammers are essential to a top of the line ship, the extent of their use has gone too far. All autohammers now consume 200 pressure while their weapon group is active and for 1.25 seconds after their weapon group is disabled. This new cost does not stack with their normal 800 pressure cost 10 seconds after performing a repair.

Join us on Discord for public playtests Friday at 12pm ET, Saturday at 3pm ET, and Monday at 7pm ET.

1.12.10

• Added the airship tilt controller. Enabling the tilt controller causes your vertical propulsion to control ship pitch rather than vertical thrust.
  
  
• Autohammers draw 200 pressure if their weapon group was active in the last 1.25 seconds and they have not repaired in the last 10 seconds. (Autohammers already draw 800 pressure for 10 seconds after repairing).

• Added the armored half drum balloon.
  
  
• Added the airship roll corrector. This component will attempt to roll your ship upright when its weapon group is active.
  
  
• Reduced the torque applied by ballasts.
  
  
• Reworked the ballast torque negation method. Some ships may now tilt or not tilt when ascending/descending when they previously did not.
  
  
• Improved the speed and reliability of the server browser.
  
  
• Added a new installation on horizon with a deadly fort. This installation's ships were built by community member Radolth.
  
  
• Undefeated installation ships are marked on the compass when nearby.
  
  
• Adjusted contract and installation rewards to better match the difficulty of mining or looting the reward resource. Aetherium and wood rewards are unchanged while others are lowered.
  
  
• Added some of the new installation AI ships as hunt quarries.

• Fixed the hangar stats for large armored balloons listing a lower lift value.
  
  
• Fixed not being able to loot resource caches in solo expedition.
  
  
• Fixed AI rams counting as player damage.
  
  
• Fixed other players sliding into position when respawning.
  
  
• Fixed non dedicated hosts of expedition not appearing in the server browser.
  
  
• Fixed joining servers by steam friends or steam invites not functioning.
  
  
• Fixed not spawning on your captain's original homeship sometimes.
  
  
• Fixed single auto turrets not showing draw percentage in their hangar mouse over tool tip.

Enemy installations arrive at the archipelago this update. Installations are a new way to encounter enemy AI in larger numbers than ever. Installations are groupings of up to 7 forts, outposts, or airships that spawn across the map randomly. The difficulty and rewards for defeating installations rise based on the mass of ships allied to the ship that spawns it. Rewards for defeating an installation can be claimed from resources caches marked in your HUD and are distributed to all allied teams.



1.12.9

• Added enemy installations. Installations spawn across the archipelago and feature a group of forts, outposts, and airships. Installations also spawn resource caches that unlock when all installation ships are defeated. Harder installations with higher rewards spawn for higher amounts of allied ship mass.

• Mousing over map markers will display relevant text at the bottom of the map such as island names or contract fort names.
  
  
• Shrunk and enlarged some island map markers for better clarity.

• Fixed Mechalodon drones intended to target players never deploying.
  
  
• Fixed drone bays not deploying drones until their target changes if their only deployed drone is destroyed.
  
  
• Fixed player firearms doing critical damage to some parts in some locations. Notably this includes the Mechaldon drone.
  
  
• Fixed siege ships not syncing their bounty when spawned.
  
  
• Fixed some siege fort parts spawning discolored and infinitely repairable.
  
  
• Fixed sometimes failing to load into a siege in solo expedition.
  
  
• Fixed the player's fort disappearing when transitioning to a solo expedition.
  
  
• Fixed the visual spark effect of planting a boarding charge.
  
  
• Fixed jittering of the firearm part hit spark effect.
  
  
• Fixed sometimes spawning off the map when you have a fort already present or are bringing a fort.

This weeks's update unlocks the final form of the Mechalodon. Everyone's relentless slaughter of the innocent sea creature has (hopefully) helped iron out the last of its issues and its back with a vengeance.



The seafaring kaiju has picked up some new tricks over the week but primarily a fleshed out reward system. Destroying any of the Mechalodon's vitals now provides a resources reward to every attacking crew and a new quest series can be completed to unlock cosmetics and a unique pontoon.



Other changes clean up miscellaneous bugs, further improve airship rendering performance, and rein in the indomitable pressure wells with a damage-causes-drain mechanic.

Join us on Discord for public playtests Friday at 12pm ET, Saturday at 3pm ET, and Monday at 7pm ET.

1.12.8

• The Mechalodon gives a resource reward for every part destroyed before its destruction rather than a single reward at destruction. The reward also contains resources other than Arcenite depending on the part destroyed.
  
  
• Added new cosmetic rewards for Mechalodon related challenges.
  
  
• Added the domestic Mechalodon, a reward for completing the Mechalodon Mastery quest.
  
  
• Performance improvements for rendering airships.

• The Mechalodon corpse will despawn after 2 minutes.
  
  
• Removed the glowing barrel effect on fixed cannons. This caused performance issues.
  
  
• The angular velocity cap scales down with mass.
  
  
• Improved drone laser visuals.
  
  
• Swapped the Mechalodon drone for a new unique variant. This version has higher damage output, is more durable, and features a large critical spot on its back.
  
  
• Increased Mechalodon lance damage.
  
  
• Increased the amount of parts the Mechalodon can hit with its nose ram.
  
  
• Some of the Mechalodon drones will target nearby players.
  
  
• Reduced vertical axis drag torque cause by buoyancy parts in water.

• Fixed drones not arcing out of deploying.
  
  
• Fixed dying while mining nitranite causing instant recoil on the next weapon swing.
  
  
• Fixed dead body parts spawning at high speeds.
  
  
• Fixed the Mechalodon sometimes ramming its own parts.

The Mechalodon is on the loose in Airmen 1.12.7. The Mechalodon is a new boss tier enemy you can challenge by ringing the summoning bell on Table. This boss is unlike any other airship encounterable on the archipelago and will use a massive drone swarm, a unique missile variant, its own body as a ram, and its ability to dive deep below the sea.

While the Mechalodon may be accessible this update it still requires further development. Its difficulty will be tuned along with additional rewards beyond posterity.

To complement the watery grave many airmen will meet at the jaws of the Mechalodon, a number of improvements have been made to water related systems. The improved undersea visibility coupled with the tripled ocean depth will be a powerful tool for submersibles so be sure to watch the seas along with the skies.



Join us on Discord for public playtests Friday at 12pm ET, Saturday at 3pm ET, and Monday at 7pm ET.

1.12.7

• Added a new boss encounter, the Mechalodon. This encounter is in a very early stage and still needs its difficulty and stability thoroughly tested. Once this point is reached, rewards for killing it will be added.
  
  
• Open ocean is now three times as deep.

• Improved submersion transition effect to prevent being under the waves but capable of seeing perfectly.
  
  
• Increased underwater visibility distance by a factor of 4.
  
  
• The underwater effect gets darker at night.
  
  
• Added ambient ocean noises.
  
  
• The ghost ship can be summoned whenever there is no an existing ghost ship rather than every few days.

• Fixed distant fog incorrectly shading the skybox at high altitude.
  
  
• Removed a problematic ship from the Copse siege that disappeared and caused collision errors after being damaged.

Player fort contracts help bring fort development back on track by allowing players to equip their forts with contract boards for each of the three contract types. These special contracts function like any other but do not grant fort reputation. Any captain can grab contracts from these special boards so be sure to share!



A whole slew of sandbox features are now accessible through a new small window in the menus. These new features cover some existing capabilities such as spawning AI, add user interface for some chat only functions such as spawning any saved ship, and add new functions such as spawning ships on your camera position and adding AI gunners.

Ally functionally is also expanded with some small features. Mutual allies can now repair each other and activate ship parts in a timely manner. Allied ships gain a special shield icon instead of a circular blip.

Join us on Discord for public playtests Friday at 12pm ET, Saturday at 3pm ET, and Monday at 7pm ET.

1.12.6

• Added a sandbox function menu to spawn ships and more.
  
  
• Added contract boards for forts.

• Added aggressive and defensive targeting orders to the captain orders menu.
  
  
• Added ship markers for allied airships.
  
  
• Taking a contract now only rerolls the contract in the slot taken from, rather than all the contracts in the fort.
  
  
• Player ships with bounties now display the amount above their ship marker.
  
  
• Mutually allied teams can now repair each other and activate their ship components at full speed.

• Fixed Dragon Tails animating in the reverse direction.

This update completely overhauls the way sieges are started. Now, instead of wandering around the archipelago in search of one, you opt into them in the lobby. Siege players will also spawn on the siege fort with AI crew members so no ship is required. This will open up sieges to new players unwilling to risk resources or unable to build a ship sturdy enough to survive the archipelago.



Join us on Discord for public playtests Friday at 12pm ET, Saturday at 3pm ET, and Monday at 7pm ET.

1.12.5

• Sieges are now started by opting into one in the lobby. Siege players spawn on the siege fort as their homeship.

• Small performance improvement for rending airships.
  
  
• Improved camera movement smoothness.
  
  
• Added small armor skinning and small armored balloons.

• Reduced fort teleportation lag spikes.
  
  
• Fixed some square rudders breaking the builder when shifted.
  
  
• The player map marker now appears above other map features.
  
  
• Fixed the scoreboard crew kick button appearing offset and being hard to click.

Airmen 1.12.4 brings new parts, new cosmetics, new quests, a new island, a popularly requested lobby feature. Captains can now adjust the share count they and crew members will receive. Captains can set share counts between 0 and 5 for themselves and the crew.



Square rudders and fan propellers also become available. These new components are unlocked by completing the new set of contract introductory quests. Square rudders are heavier, more durable, and offer higher stabilization forces than the existing rudders. Fan propellers introduce a new shape for propulsion parts.



This update also crams a new island between Glacier and Ridgeline. The island favors spawning drone equipped enemies. Be sure to swing by and explore to unlock the new cosmetics added this update.

Join us on Discord for public playtests Friday at 12pm ET, Saturday at 3pm ET, and Monday at 7pm ET.

1.12.4

• Captains can now set the reward shares for themselves and crew mates as a whole.
  
  
• Added introductory quests for delivery, harvest, and hunt contracts.
  
  
• Added the fan propeller. The fan propeller is unlocked by completing the delivery intro quest.
  
  
• Added 3 new rudders styles. They are heavier, more durable, and offer higher stabilization force. These rudders can be unlocked by completing the delivery intro quest.

• Added a new island adjacent to glacier, Hollow. Hollow spawns drone ships at a high frequency.
  
  
• Increased dragon tail spool time from 2 seconds to 6 seconds.
  
  
• Improved performance cost of auto turret target acquisition.
  
  
• Drones deploy and travel in their deploy direction for a short period of time to increase the reliability of deploying.
  
  
• Challenge shortcuts can now be advanced by destroying related parts using tools.
  
  
• Crew can no longer launch before their captain to prevent other issues.
  
  
• Added a new cosmetic for the pickaxe, axe, and knife.
  
  
• Added new challenges and cosmetics for destroying laser and demo drones.

• Fixed the browse HUD button being misaligned on some resolutions.
  
  
• Improved auto turret target acquisition time.
  
  
• Fixed auto turrets rapidly switching between subtargets on a ship