Hi everyone,

The Colonists are back with some big updates! Here’s what new in V1.3:

Create, share and play custom maps using Steam Workshop.
Sculpt land and sea, place trees, rocks and resources, and set your own victory conditions.




Free your train network with the new elevated railway system!
Build tracks that carry your trains through and over buildings and across shallow bodies of water.




The large harbour can load and unload three boats simultaneously and has many more stackbots to help with the extra jobs. It also has two separate entrances to filter traffic more easily. The new lugger boat is made of iron and can hold more resources than the clipper.




You can now apply rules to individual stops for boats and trains, harbours and stations now have separate rule lists for importing and exporting. Trains now block each other and stations can support multiple train stops. Trains can now also transport construction materials to stations under construction.

• New Large Storage Yard - can store more resources, has two entrances and has a bot printer.
  
• Postcard Mode - create snappy screenshots of your colony.
  
• Map Improvements - fixed black lines, added double-click to go to location, more accurate panning and zoom uses mouse position.
  
• Each research technology now has its own icon.
  
• Road posts now have a darker colour if a rule is applied.
  
• Added notification icons when a new building or a new level of a building is unlocked.
  
• Many other small improvements.

Thanks to everyone who has been playing the game so far, all your feedback, suggestions and bug reports have been incredibly useful!

Please get in touch if you have any issues with the latest features, we'll be continuing to improve them as well as work on more updates including new campaign maps and AI/military improvements. Vote for features you’d most like to see on our roadmap and remember you can follow development progress as well as play the very latest builds on our Discord server.

Help And Bug Reporting: https://trello.com/c/2uryGdlJ

Roadmap: https://thecolonists.featureupvote.com

Discord: https://discord.gg/thecolonists

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

After a short break we're back with some updates!

Added best times leaderboards for campaign economy missions - optimise your colonies and compete for the fastest times.
Brand new robot model and animations for Forestry bot, Blast Furnace and Blacksmith bots and Baker bot.
Updated system for calculating how buildings are connected to road posts and other buildings. Each connection is now listed in a new building panel and can be visualised within the world. This refactoring also fixes some lags and freezing issues.
Forestries can now plant all types of tree available in the game with varying growth times and terrain requirements.
Updated Wheat Farm production stats and added animations for Wheat Farmer bot.
Fixed bug with Lumberbots and Minebots passing through rocks and potentially getting stuck on slopes.
Increased reputation gained per dollar transaction in the Sandbox Market.
Small improvements to tutorials in Mission 1 and 2.
[V1.2.1.1] Fixed loading old savegames which had other AI players
[V1.2.1.1] Fixed issue where building connections could get confused when removing roads
[V1.2.1.1] Fixed being able to sculpt a tile with a path on

In order to get lots more playable maps available for everyone I've been focusing on developing a Map Editor which will allow you to create, share and rate your own maps and scenarios. The first beta version has recently been made available on our development branch so if you'd like to check it out early and provide feedback and suggestions whilst it's refined please head over to our Discord for the full details.

We're also progressing on the next Transport Update which is going to include improvements to the boat and train systems as well as bridges! Look out for more news on this very soon.

Help And Bug Reporting: https://trello.com/c/2uryGdlJ

Roadmap: https://thecolonists.featureupvote.com/

Discord: https://discord.gg/thecolonists

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

Some new features, improvements and bug fixes have just gone live, here's a quick breakdown:

[NEW] Endless Sandbox Mode - Buy and sell resources at the Space Port building, increase your Trader Reputation and create ongoing colonies in Sandbox Mode
[NEW] Charcoal Burner - Convert Logs into Fuel as an alternative to Coal for all Coal-fired buildings
[NEW] Additional landscaping tools which allow you to tweak the terrain to your own aesthetics
[NEW] Custom Colour - In Sandbox Mode you can choose a custom colour for your colony
Removed slope restrictions for building placement
Construction and Research processes now consume resources by their delivery date resulting in more balanced resource demands
Fixed Export building not being removed when it's destroyed
Fixed Road Layer bot getting stuck sometimes
Fixed landscaping bug when removing Harbour
Fixed natural resources sometimes appearing dark
Fixed not being able to set individual storage rule to 'any'
Fixed a couple of incorrect L3 road/path junction tiles
Improved notification UI
Improved storage rule icon UI
[V1.2.0.1] Fixed loading a sandbox market-enabled game not showing Space Port as in the construction options
[V1.2.0.1] Fixed not being able to re-order Fuel building priorities
[V1.2.0.1] Fixed being able to navigate expedition boat before expedition resources had been fully loaded, leading to incomplete harbours
[V1.2.0.1] Fixed destroying a harbour with a single unconnected road post not resetting tile properly which could lead to future issues with building roads
[V1.2.0.1] Fixed Cow Farm production rates (now maxes correctly at 6/day) and fixed location of initial field when flipped

Up next I'm going to be looking at improvements to ports and train stations among other features and we're also in the final stages of a Mac version. If you'd like to check these out as they're being developed please drop into the development branch of the game and let me know your feedback on Discord!

Help And Bug Reporting: https://trello.com/c/2uryGdlJ

Feature Vote/Roadmap: https://thecolonists.featureupvote.com/

Discord: https://discord.gg/thecolonists


Thanks!

Hi everyone,

The newest patch has just gone live, here's what's new:

[NEW] Added ability to prioritise tiles for Surface Miners
Fixed expedition boat being allowed to leave before all expedition resources had been fully loaded
Fixed potential issues when destroying a building led to resources rerouting back to same building
Fixed bug where Stackbot would become stuck if resource it was picking up was manually destroyed
Fixed bug with Road Layer bots upgrading the same road tile and sometimes becoming stuck
Fixed transport rules being ignored in rerouting when harbour was initial transport node
Fixed bug where Orchard Field and Wheat Field couldn't be removed in certain situations
Fixed incorrect boat construction notification icon
Fixed high level mine buildings not showing up in resource production panel
Fixed maximum field tooltip showing incorrect text sometimes
Prevented farm fields from being rotated which led to incorrect field graphics
Wheat fields now burn properly
Making a new path now triggers idle Road Layers
Changed in-game time display to past tense to match time displayed elsewhere
Cow Farm's initial field now aligned to left edge of building
Sandbox - AI difficulty level can now be set or turned off complete on military maps
Mission 6 - tweaked fishing locations
Mission 4 - added underground Clay mine
[V1.1.2.1] Fixed bug with start military map without AI in sandbox mode

I'm still continuing to look at any issues that are reported but I'm also starting to look more at improvements and new features. Currently in development is the Endless Sandbox Mode, if you'd like to test it out head over to our development branch or ask in Discord.

Help And Bug Reporting: https://trello.com/c/2uryGdlJ

Feature Vote/Roadmap: https://thecolonists.featureupvote.com/

Discord: https://discord.gg/thecolonists

Thanks - back with more soon!

Hi everyone,

The mid-week patch has just gone live, here's what's new:

Fixed resources waiting at harbour not rerouting properly if their next sea route is removed
Fixed bug where loading a game which had a new colony harbour with no watchtower would not let you build a watchtower
Fixed bug where carrybot would get stuck if resource it was carrying was manually destroyed during drop off phase
Fixed bug where harbours on steep slopes could have their entrance land connection to the road post broken causing stackbot routes to break
Fixed error caused by loading a game in which a expedition boat had had its original harbour destroyed
Fixed cancelling and restarting upgrade potentially causing overflow in the progress bar
Fixed error caused by destroying storage yard
Fixed best time display on scenario screen
Halved Bakery coal consumption
Added ability to set import whitelists for storage yards
Added hotkey for skipping destroy warning (default is Left Alt)
Fixed Engineering showing negative number
Adjusted Cow Farm so it only needs one starting field and is indicated more clearly in placement footprint
Road Posts can now be placed at harbour entrances if the original is accidentally removed
Mission 3 - added more stone to starting island
Mission 5 - added more stone, more gold, removed green terrain which was not fertile
Mission 6 - added Casual mode
Mission 7 - added more coal
Mission 9 - added more fertile land and more resources
Mission 10 - added Casual mode and infinite stone resource for AI
[V1.1.1.2] Fixed issue with placing fishing huts next to other fishing huts sometimes
[V1.1.1.2] Fixed destroying a boatyard not resetting tiles properly

Thanks to everyone who has been in touch providing feedback, suggestions and bug reports, they all really help.

We've got some exciting things entering testing tomorrow, please head over to Discord if you'd like to try them out!

Help And Bug Reporting: https://trello.com/c/2uryGdlJ

Discord: https://discord.gg/3xD3BCe

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I've just pushed a new version live, here are the updates and fixes:

- [NEW] Sandbox Phase 1 - Explore layouts and experiment with your Colonists on any current map with customisable options including auto-research, optional fog of war, optional territory and free construction mode
- [NEW] Harbour/Station Rules - Apply blacklisting and whitelisting rules to harbours and train stations in the same way you can with road posts
- Improved resource routing along roads - routing now takes better into account blocked carrybots and busyness of road posts
- Implemented 'collapsing' watchtower state - once captured, watchtower repairs must start within a certain time or the building will be lost
- Fixed weaponry and repair demands not being flagged as urgent on occasion
- Fixed repair demands not showing up on resource demand list
- Increased watchtower projectile range
- Fixed bug where destroying a road without affecting road posts was not clearing formerly attached building's routes to road posts
- Increased stackbot path delivery distance, preventing issue where resources were assigned along long paths but not delivered
- Fixed error where savegame would not load
- Fixed edge case where stackbot fetching a resource from a building when the destination building is destroyed
- Fixed issue where you could end up with an unremovable solitary flag if it was connected to a harbour on the starting island
- Fixed bug where direct delivery of expedition resources from storage yard were not being delivered
- Fixed boat and train names force-including worker bot name
- Fixed bug where road tile would not be removed correctly if sharing a track tile leading to prevention of building placement
- Fixed error with orchard field being lost leading to watchtower capture failing
- Fixed Weaponsmith sometimes causing a game freeze
- Fixed error when placing wheat field on edge of map
- Removing track now longer has the possibility of deforming roads
- Fixed burning VFX on residences
- When placing buildings, switching level of building remembers rotation and flippedness
- Added underground Coal Mine to Mission 2
- Enabled unusual aspect ratios
[V1.1.0.2]
- Enabled Sandbox button
- Fixed incorrect mission links in sandbox map selection

If you continue to have any issues please follow the instructions here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/677340/discussions/0/1735468693695851518/ and I will look into them straight away.

If you would like to vote on what you'd like to see in a future version head over here: https://thecolonists.featureupvote.com/

And we have our Discord here: https://discord.gg/3xD3BCe

Thanks, keep the feedback coming!

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the great response to the game so far - all the comments, feedback and reports have been super useful and it's great to see all the different colonies that are being made!

Firstly, a new patch has just gone live with some fixes and updates:

[V1.0.3]
Fixed bug where clearing a boat route while boat is docked could prevent it from moving after new route is applied
Fixed bug where Harbour stackbots could become stuck if delivering resources to a boat whose route is cleared
Fixed bug where direct delivery of Harbour expedition resources from a Storage Yard could stall
Fixed bug where road post rules were ignored if road post was first node on route
Trains now wait until fully unloaded (if possible) before leaving station
When a Storage Yard's export building is destroyed, it is now automatically removed
Fixed incorrect Mission 10 scenario goal (applies to existing games)
Fixed water not being navigable in Mission 10 (new games)
Fixed camera angle for Large Monument mission completion
Added ability to customise last notification hotkey (middle mouse button)
Added Road Post advice when several roads are blocked
Added Steel to global resource icons
Fixed [No Resources] displaying on global Food and Alcohol resource icons
[V1.0.3.1]
Fixed camera going to last notification on middle mouse down, rather than on click (action is rebindable in settings)

I'm continuing to look at the remaining issues, including a few military edge cases, and will be patching those up as quickly as possible.

We also have the first of the Sandbox Mode under testing on our development branch so if you'd like to try it out, check our Discord channel for more info.

I really believe in the potential of The Colonists and that there's a lot scope to take the game further. I'd like your input on what you'd most like to see in a future update so there's now a feature vote where you can let me know your favourite ideas as well as a suggestions channel on Discord.

Feature Vote: https://thecolonists.featureupvote.com/

Discord: https://discord.gg/3xD3BCe

Optimisation Tips: https://steamcommunity.com/app/677340/discussions/0/1735469230215457061/

Help and Bug Reporting: https://steamcommunity.com/app/677340/discussions/0/1735468693695851518/

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

Thanks again for all the great feedback so far - we have a new patch with a few more fixes for you all:

[V1.0.2.3]
- Fixed bug where boats could leave a harbour while a stackbot was still interacting with it, causing the bot to get stuck
- Fixed cancelling colony expedition resource collection potentially causing an error
[V1.0.2.1]
- Fixed issue with listing savegames with PCs running certain regional calendar systems
- Fixed bug with storage yard being placed with shared path to harbour and then expedition resources being sourced from there
- Fixed bug when Residence completes upgrade and the stackbot happened to be delivering a resource into the residence, creating a chance it could stall later on
- Fixed harbour construction resources being incorrectly delivered to outgoing storage if delivered directly from another building
- Fixed edge case where boat would leave whilst harbour bot was on way to unload a resource, which could lead to issues
- Fixed Road Layer bot getting stuck sometimes when conflicting with another Road Layer bot
- Fixed Road Layer bot idle pose so it resets correctly after worker animation
- Fixed Salt description which had incorrect mine levels
- Fixed savegame not loading for people with unusual calendars

Development continues apace on the sandbox mode, you can head over into the Discord server to be able to try it out when it's first available -> https://discord.gg/3xD3BCe

Thanks!

Hi everyone, thanks for all the comments and feedback so far! If you haven't seen it yet we have a Discord you can join here: https://discordapp.com/invite/veqVRpe

An initial game patch has just gone live which fixes a few issues:

- Fixed HQ and cow farm resource ratio slider bug which could also halt production at that building
- Fixed issue where game wouldn't load if you were on a OS with an unusual calendar (e.g. Thai)
- Fixed Mission 3 location where harbour would not have enough room for queue buoys
- Fixed incorrect Mission 6 goal
- Fixed edge case bug where boatyard stackbot would not deliver the last Planks to the boat construction
- Fixed colony boat not immediately leaving boatyard if target harbour has only one boat and that boat is en route
- Fixed 'Find Coal' and 'Research Mining I' advice items not disappearing once completed
- Fixed sea animation speed carrying over from previous game
- Added more room in Mission 3 to the south east of the starting so a harbour has enough space for queueing boats

I've also begun working at getting a sandbox mode into the game - please see the pinned post in the Discussions for more info - and I'll be continuing to any look at any issues that get sent in.

Thanks - stay tuned for more updates soon!