Conch here, bringing the latest edition of Atlas Community Q&A with the Devs! While murky waters and stormy seas may alter the exact timelines in the future, the Atlas crew will continue to provide more engagement opportunities during the off-weeks between patches. It may be through Q&A or may be a fun community event or two, but like a pesky barnacle on your broadside, we'll be making it tough to leave us in the wake.



Well, thanks to my parrot postal friend, this image just landed on my shore. Apparently, she was recently spotted out in the deep sea, headin' our way! She's definitely a beauty... so, can anyone spare a coin or two so I can take her for a test sail? Shells don’t get a lot of loot these days.



As a reminder, before we get into Q&A, with all the new features we provide, there is also significant development going on with optimization and maintenance of the current game. Again, these teams work in tandem and you can expect the major patches with overhauls or additions to some of the major gameplay components to come in due time. Meanwhile, to make sure our fellow pathfinders don't feel like they're overboard without a life preserver, we'll be releasing additional smaller content continuously until the big items we’re working on are ready to set sail.
The ships to a better ATLAS have already charted their course and shoved off, but until then, doesn't mean we can't take a ride on a dolphin or seahorse and enjoy the voyage.



Without further ado, here’s our Q&A! Hang out at our Discord for a chance to get your questions answered in the next Q&A!


Does the dev team have any thoughts on merging EU and NA pvp or maybe merging all of the servers to make 1 big megamap?
Yeah. We understand that this would be a lot of fun from the perspective of increasing the populations, but we're not ready to do this yet for two reasons:
1. We are concerned about lag when people are playing in distant servers (we locate the servers near where people are playing, so EU servers are in EU and any NA players going to those servers would suffer more lag).
2. There would always be a time when roughly half the population would be sleeping and thus easy pickings. Overall, we think that this will add to frustration until we have implemented ways of players protecting their stuff when offline.

Have you thought about making less planks needed on the lowest layer of ship building?
Yes. The new ship system will handle this much better once it rolls out.

How does the team feel about setting minimum stat values for blueprints at each rarity and adjusting the maximums, so that 300% cannons as an example cannot exist and so mythical blueprints that are no better than common ones don’t exist either?
There is a huge balance pass in progress for blueprints right now. Please let us know what you think once it's done.

Are there any plans to reduce stun duration with shield bash or even use a diminish return so it isn't an indefinite lockdown?
Yes. There is a lot about combat that really bothers us and stun locking is number one. It's on the list.

Are there any plans for more "old style" ships to be released (build from frame up ones) or will all future ones at this point be prebuilt?
The new system contemplates a more modular design that isn't as intricate as the old system and isn't "prebuilt". For now they are as we work on the system, but ultimately it will be a modular system that allows you to swap components and create ships with different functions without allowing for the crazy exploits that the current system permits. It will also be more performant which should improve frame rate.

Any plans for bigger structures, like sea-walls/gates? So there's less need of overbuild harbours with thousands of structures?
Absolutely. We have this on our radar and will be looking into it as soon as time allows. We hear you.

When can we expect more pvp balances to come?
It would be great if players could provide a detailed list of changes they would like to see in the Discord channel. We have a long list of things we're fixing from the old team and putting a complete and forward thinking list up in the discord channel is the single best way to be heard. This goes out to all our players, not just Official PVP. :) (For example, last week’s survey was based on a compiled list of player concerns)

When will the SoTD loot table be fixed? Also the instant/infinite respawn of Sea Fort tax banks? Will there be some tweaks also to the market/warehouse/farmhouse structures to limit companies from spamming them so that new/returning players can have a chance to get their markets up?
Consider them all added to the list. Cheers!

Will we see a new bossfight anytime soon?
Not for a while. We have to fix all the broken stuff and introduce new features first. In general, Bossfights didn't work well and were easily exploited.

Will Seahorses and Dolphins eventually be able to follow behind ships?
Yes. We are also looking into having them pull ships for speed and maneuverability.

Any update on tradewinds?
They are coming. :). We are still working on them and they should be here at the end of Q2 beginning of Q3. It might be sooner but don't want to promise it sooner than that.

Any ETA on some bug fixing and stability patches?
We run patches roughly every 2 weeks. There are a number of fixes associated with each patch so we are doing this constantly. If your particular issue isn't being surfaced, please join our discord and let it be known there.



Again, we would like to emphasize that ATLAS is still in Early Access, meaning many things can and will likely continue to drastically change - even in the middle of development. Anything discussed is only up to date as of the moment it is posted. Features and changes that ultimately make it to the next patch, as well as timing, may be different from what was previously discussed.
As always, we appreciate the suggestions and feedback from the community. Please keep them coming! Thank you for all of your support! :)


Happy Sailing,
- ATLAS Crew

For the latest dispatch on #playATLAS keep yer one good eye trained on this here information
Natter n' chatter on Discord: https://discord.gg/playatlas
Hear ye, hear ye on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sailtheatlas
Watch us scallywags on Twitch: http://twitch.tv/sailtheatlas
Plus ye can band with us Pirates on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/playatlasgame

Ahoy Pathfinders!

There have been reported sightings of a strange and mysterious creature, often alluded to but frequently brushed off as nothing more than a sailor’s tale! It appears these majestic Seahorses have found their way to the seas of Atlas! From what we’ve observed, it appears these creatures are quite fond of Seaweed and Sea Grapes! Once a Pathfinder has gained its loyalty, the Seahorse may allow them to travel the waters on their back. With its natural poison, the Seahorse is a powerful ally. Just be sure to have an antidote ready in case of any mishaps!

Not to be outdone by Seahorses and their poisons, Dolphins have learned how to harvest Coral and Seaweed for their masters! Do we sense a Dolphin vs Seahorse rivalry in the makings?
Various changes were made to the Glider to make it more fun and useful while trying to address some previous exploits. It will likely undergo more changes as we hear feedback and discover abuse cases.
Please see the full patch notes below for additional details and other exciting changes - including the Flame Ballista Bolt buff, new blueprints for farmhouse variants, resource and loot drop changes, among various bug fixes as well!



We will be publishing a series of surveys on different topics in an effort to better gauge and quantify Community Feedback. Surveys may range from balancing, to design, to community/social initiatives, and more! Some surveys may be more geared towards specific audiences than others, but we will try to hit a variety of different topics and niches - so don't worry if your concerns are not addressed in the current survey. We understand how diverse our player base is and we want ATLAS to be accessible and fun for everyone! However, we are a small team, so we cannot roll everything out at once.

While this first survey is focused on PVP Balance, please rest assured that we are working on many different things at the same time in the background. We aren't forgetting PVE, or Private Servers! A lot of things that you may not see being discussed are either already being worked on or already on our radar/to-do.

These surveys do NOT mean that we are only taking feedback in this way. We are continuing to take feedback from all sources. These surveys are only meant to help us pinpoint and gather further details from community data.

Please find the Survey here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeTCwgHFfxeOLpgTlRjeTRDUaOY5r7CbY7V_EOPDWVvi5RcJQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

Although we cannot promise to commit any specific change, we would want to be able to quantify which issues players care about most by using this survey to reach as broad an audience as possible.

We appreciate your support! Thank you!


New Creature: Seahorse
Found in the depths of the Trenches, Seahorses are a new creature that can be tamed and bred after unlocking the Underwater Taming skill in the Beastmastery tree.

• Favorite Foods: Seaweed and Sea Grapes
  
• Taming Style: Passive
  
• Saddle: None
  
• Primary Attack: Venomous Bite
  
  • Gives the target the Poisoned debuff which deals 20 damage over 15 seconds
    
  • The Poisoned debuff can be negated by using an Antidote
• Secondary Attack: Acid Spit
  
  • Fires an arcing projectile that deals extra damage to Submarines and increased durability damage to armor

New Medicine: Antidote
The Antidote can be crafted at the Mortar and Pestle after learning the Basic Medical Studies skill in the Medicine tree.

• Grants the user a buff that removes the effects of Seahorse poison and prevents them from being poisoned again for 20 seconds
  
• Crafting Resources: 5 Medicinal Herbs, 2 Organic Paste

New Tool: Crude Tool
Players now start with a simple recipe to make a tool they can use to collect wood. No more bloody fingers!

• About 1/4 as effective as a Hatchet
  
• Loses Durability very fast
  
• Crafting Resources: 1 Stone, 10 Fiber

Dolphin

• Dolphins can now harvest Coral and Seaweed
  
• Bug Fix: Water Temperature Fortitude bonuses from the skill tree are no longer removed when riding creatures underwater
  
• Bug Fix: Resolved issue where Dolphins would occasionally die when near the surface

Flame Ballista Bolt

• Deals increasing damage to Sails every 2 seconds
  
  • Example: 20/40/60/80 damage at 2/4/6/8 seconds
• Hitting a Sail with a second Flame Ballista Bolt adds 100 to the current amount of damage
  
  • Example: A Sail is hit with a second Bolt after it has already been on fire for 2 seconds. The amount of damage received by the Sail increases from 20 to 120
• Fires can be extinguished by closing the Sail, using an Olfend's water spray, or by dumping a Water Bucket on the Mast

Glider Suit
Various changes were made to the Glider to make it more fun and useful while trying to address some previous exploits. It will likely undergo more changes as we hear feedback and discover abuse cases.

• Restored the ability to control pitch so you can now glide up and down
  
• Increased the max height to activate from 100m to 400m
  
• Slowed the base glider speed down by around 40%
  
• Added a drag component to the speed updates
  
• The faster you are going, the more drag will slow you down
  
• Prevents maintaining high speed for a long time after a dive
  
• Reduced the minimum speed you can glide at before you stall to about 2m per second
  
• Changed the dive angle and required dive time
  
• Glider Known Issues:
  
  • You can still gain height but it's slow
    
  • You can still glide across half a server if you jump off a 400m spot
    
  • It's hard to tell when you are about to stall
    
  • Sometimes at super slow speed you inexplicably corkscrew
    
  • Pressing the 'Dive' button (Shift by default on PC) results in a weird sideways dive

Loot Drops

• Blueprints for Lumberyard, Quarry, and Mine now drop. They have two new stats on them: Capacity (how much weight and stacks they can hold) and Gather Rate
  
• Coffee and Coffee Seeds may be found in place of other food drops

Resources

• Fish Oil drops from some fish which previously did not drop it
  
• Stone Harvesting nodes in the Copper Region (Northwest) have been rebalanced and a set of changes are being tested
  
  • Iron is the most common metal now, and may be found in rocks in place of whatever metal may have been used before. Copper is the less common metal found primarily in this region
    
  • Geodes may now drop from rock. Using a Geode will destroy it and may give some limestone, rock salt, and/or a small amount of different gems and crystals. Geodes may only be gathered by hand or with Tames, not with the Quarry or Farmhouse
    
  • These changes will be moved to all regions after a period of testing

Ships

• Bug Fix: Third person view can no longer be obstructed by structures built near the ship's wheel
  
• Bug Fix: Ship levels 46-50 are no longer purchasable on ships with a level cap of 50
  
• Bug Fix: Cannons on the Ramming Galley now have wheels

Tames & Creatures

• Carried Rabbits now give a 20% speed boost while the player's stamina is at or above 90%
  
• Creatures' torpor bars are now displayed after receiving torpidity damage
  
• Seaweed can now be placed in the Trough

Misc

• The Seed Vendor's inventory now rotates every 12 hours
  
• Decay Times on Market, Warehouse, and Kiln have been set to the standard 10 days
  
• Fixed some instances where Markets get out of sync
  
• Bug Fix: Structures can now be built next to the sides of Armored Docks
  
  • NOTE: There is still an area near the entrance and exit where structures cannot be placed
• Bug Fix: Resolved issue where Markets, Farmhouses, and Warehouses become invisible in Single Player

Again, we would like to emphasize that ATLAS is still in Early Access, meaning many things can and will likely continue to drastically change - even in the middle of development. Anything discussed is only up to date as of the moment it is posted. Features and changes that ultimately make it to the next patch, as well as timing, may be different from what was previously discussed.

As always, we appreciate the suggestions and feedback from the community. Please keep them coming! Thank you for all of your support! :)

Happy Sailing,
- ATLAS Crew

For the latest dispatch on #playATLAS keep yer one good eye trained on this here information

Natter n' chatter on Discord: https://discord.gg/playatlas
Hear ye, hear ye on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sailtheatlas
Watch us scallywags on Twitch: http://twitch.tv/sailtheatlas
Plus ye can band with us Pirates on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/playatlasgame

Ahoy Pathfinders!

This week we have another Q&A with the Devs for you all as we wait for next week’s Patch! Moving forward, Pathfinders can expect a patch every other week barring any unexpected circumstances or changes in tide.

Some of ye on our Discord may have noticed a new hand on Deck! Let’s get an official introduction to our new community manager!

*Washes up on to shore*

Hey y'all, I'm Conch. I'll be joining the crew as Captain Nami's first mate. I'll be handling most of the dialogue here in the Discord going forward and I'm look forward from hearing from you all. I'll say now I cannot make promises on where our journey may take us but I will do my best to relay your concerns and make our voyage as enjoyable as possible.

You'll shortly see that my sarcasm is my sword and will be wielded often for the forces of good-natured humor (*Trolls Beware*). Other than that, I'm a BIG e-sports fan (*cough* TSM *cough*) so if it's been streamed I've probably watched some of it. Still waiting for competitive Atlas to take off *crossing fingers*.

So if you find yourself in need, I'll be here. Here's to smooth sailing ahead! Cheers!



It’s a new year, and we know some curious Pathfinders may be wondering how ATLAS is going to continue to shape out from here. We are still very much continuing development across all the features and mechanics we have introduced so far. The Trading System and the pieces dependent on it are still in the early stages; and there are still a line of new and unique ships to come! The claiming system rework is still in the testing stages as well. As we work on refining these systems we have put in place, we are also getting closer to defining the direction that we’d like to take ATLAS. We’re still planning it out, and once we have a more cohesive structure in place, we’ll roll out more information to the community. :)


Ehhhh? What’s this!? We’re not seahorsin’ around!

The Tameable Dolphins were only the first of the new underwater tames, which are going to be a part of a taming/breeding rework. Not to fear! This isn’t taking away from our development time in other areas. It is a smaller project that we are doing on the side to add a bit more fun and flavor out in the waters.

We would also like to stress that we are not neglecting optimization and bug fixes in favor of new content. We hear your concerns and understand that there is a lot we need to continue to fix and improve. The team of engineers who work on optimization and fixes are different from the team of designers that implement new content. We are fixing elements of the game while developing new content in tandem. Oftentimes, optimization and bug fixing are a multifaceted issue and require more time and resources to address. Other times, these coding updates may be an under the hood improvement. We’re taking things step by step, and it may take multiple patches for certain fixes, and even new content, to reach the stage we want it. We thank you for your support and patience!



Without further ado, here’s our Q&A! Hang out at our Discord for a chance to get your questions answered in the next Q&A!

What is the next step in the new ship lego project?
For now, we will continue to make unique ships built with a growing selection of unique modules. Further down the road we are looking into allowing players to buy / craft their own modules and build their own ships.

Will the team be addressing or nerfing large walls spamming ? So we might actually be able to destroy a 50 layer wall of them or an entire island spammed with it.
Yes. This is on the list

How is the progress on the claim system? Are you able to reveal more details on it now?
While the focus of the game is, indeed, to get more focus on the sea, we can't ignore the land play. The "new" claiming system is an attempt to balance land play and make it more fun. In general, the team has found bandaid on top of bandaid in this department and we want to remove those layers and get to a cleaner code base and more fun gameplay.

Where in Development is Mech Monkey?
I'll never tell.

Any plans for new servers? Modes?
Yes. We have lots of things planned. We have hit upon a theme for the game that we really like and lots of other wonderful things that are really going to make this game pop in 2021. To answer your question a bit more I can tell you that we're beginning design for small, temporary worlds that you get to via maelstroms that appear on the map. They will only be available for a bit of time and will typically have something cool on them. This is really early but lots more really cool stuff is in the works.

Any word on improving armored docks? Like maybe enclosing them so NPCs are safe? Also, having repairs inside armored dock would be helpful.
Yes, this was always the plan, we just need a little more time to get there.

Can you tell us more about the direction tames/breeding is headed?
For now, we are looking at cleaning up the tame system and adding some more tames to the water. Beyond that, it's fuzzy. The more work we put into tames the more people want to stay on land, but the tame system is only a fraction of what is possible and who are we to stop that. I wish I could tell you more, but we really need more time to come up with something fun, deep, and different.

When will there be a sail revert/rebalance and perhaps a buff to weight sails to make them usable?
A major overhaul of the sail system is on the books. It's another example of the layering of issues that we are now stripping off to get to the fun of the game. No word yet on the timing.

In the steam page, the responses from the devs, and older interviews seem to emphasize a focus on player immersion and faction building with a pirate/colonial aesthetic. The actual design seems to be more of a min/maxer grind fest with theory crafting elements. What’s the actual intended experience for the game?

I hear you. Let me clear things up if possible.
- Atlas isn't where we want it. The game has a long history already and I don't want to spend time there. Just know that where we are today is not where we want to be.
- Vision is about destination. When we talk about vision, we're talking about where we want to be, not where we are today.
- Finally, remember that the game's development is a cooperative experience. We put a bit of something out and then see how you like it and then we adjust to that.

All that said, this is where we are today...

We have hit on a theme for the world that is going to give it more cohesion, remove some of the more annoying limitations of the game, and open it to more possibility. If allowed, we'll be introducing this theme a bit at a time (the way a new idea would be introduced IRL) and then grow it from there.
For a period of time last year, we were guided to add a new strategic layer to the game to give companies new tracks to explore. The aesthetic and realism boundaries of this have expanded a bit and we're very excited for what's being planned for 2021.


Again, we would like to emphasize that ATLAS is still in Early Access, meaning many things can and will likely continue to drastically change - even in the middle of development. Anything discussed is only up to date as of the moment it is posted. Features and changes that ultimately make it to the next patch, as well as timing, may be different from what was previously discussed.
As always, we appreciate the suggestions and feedback from the community. Please keep them coming! Thank you for all of your support! :)


Happy Sailing,
- ATLAS Crew

For the latest dispatch on #playATLAS keep yer one good eye trained on this here information
Natter n' chatter on Discord: https://discord.gg/playatlas
Hear ye, hear ye on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sailtheatlas
Watch us scallywags on Twitch: http://twitch.tv/sailtheatlas
Plus ye can band with us Pirates on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/playatlasgame

Ahoy Pathfinders!

We hope you all have had a wonderful start to the New Year so far! ATLAS’ first patch of the year is now here and we thank you for your patience!

Since we have renewed the ATLAS journey last Summer, there have been many changes and we are continuing to further develop the features and mechanics that are starting to take shape. Farmhouses, Warehouses, Markets, and the Trading system will continue to be tweaked and refined. We have plenty in store for the specialized ships within the Ships for Gold system as players will be able to customize these ships as more are released and the system becomes more sophisticated.

We are still testing a new claim system and Tradewinds are still on our agenda. We also have a few new things on the horizon for ATLAS. Not to mention, we are continuing to work on optimization and server improvements in the background! We hope you stick with us, it’s gonna be an exciting ride!




Tired of travelling by ship? Dolphin riding is now an alternate form of water traversal! Dolphins are the first underwater creature that can be tamed and bred by unlocking the new Underwater Taming skill in the Beastmastery tree. They can be tamed passively by feeding them meat, in particular, the new Squid Tentacle which can be obtained by defeating Squids. As part of an overall initiative to revamp and bring new purpose to tames, Dolphins are the first of a slate of new underwater tames that will have specialized functions. Afterall, as a pirate game, we would expect there to be more interactions with creatures at sea. Pathfinders can expect small changes to tames and breeding to slowly roll out in tow with some patches. We hope to elevate the taming system in ATLAS to be more viable and fun as other mechanics may change how some tames were used before.




Business is booming, and a new vendor has set up shop at the Freeports! Working on your farm and looking for a particular crop? The Seed Vendor is your one stop shop! Most seeds can be purchased at a rate of 10 gold for 5 seeds.

With new business, also comes a new crop! Coffee Seeds can be purchased from the Sea Vendor at 20 gold for 5 seeds. Fight away sleep in real life and in game! Coffee Beans can be brewed to create Coffee! Drinking coffee will give pirates the new buff, Caffeinated, which reduces incoming torpor damage.
Embrace the power of coffee! Do we smell a Starfishbucks empire coming up?


Last patch we introduced the Lumberyard, the first of the new Farmhouse variants as we continue to refine the Farmhouse system. These variants are specialized Farmhouses that will gather certain resources at a faster rate. We are now introducing the Mine - a farm that will only gather Metals and Gems, and the Quarry - a farm that will only gather Stone, Crystal, Salt and Flint. They both share the same placement restrictions as other Farmhouses, but require different resources to craft as detailed in the Patch Notes.

All Farmhouses are undergoing changes in preparation for adding Blueprints. Gather rates have temporarily been normalized at a lower rate across all types. Quality Blueprints with stats will increase this in a future patch. Other changes made to Farmhouses include base inventory size and base inventory slots increase. Based on feedback, decay time of Farmhouses has been changed to 10 days.


New Structure: Mine
The Mine is a farm that only gathers Metal and Gems. It can be crafted at the Smithy after learning the Advanced Automation skill in the Construction & Mercantilism tree.

• Shares placement restrictions with other Farmhouses
  
• Crafting Resources: 800 Wood, 600 Thatch, 320 Fiber, 280 Metal, 100 Hide

New Structure: Quarry
The Quarry is a farm that only gathers Stone, Crystal, Salt, and Flint. It can be crafted at the Smithy after learning the Advanced Automation skill in the Construction & Mercantilism tree.

• Shares placement restrictions with other Farmhouses
  
• Crafting Resources: 800 Wood, 600 Thatch, 320 Fiber, 280 Metal, 100 Hide

New Shop: Seed Vendor
A new vendor has arrived! The Seed Vendor can be found in Freeports and provides all the seeds required for your farming needs.

• Coffee Seeds: 20 Gold for 5 Seeds
  
• All other Seeds: 10 Gold for 5 Seeds

New Drink: Coffee
Coffee can be brewed at either the Cooking Pot or Grill after learning the Intermediate Recipes skill in the Cooking & Farming tree. After drinking, pirates are given a new buff, Caffeinated, which reduces incoming torpor damage.

• Incoming torpor damage reduced by 15%
  
• Buff lasts for 10 minutes
  
• Ingredients: 1 Water, 30 Coffee Beans

New Vegetable: Coffee Bean
Since Coffee Beans are not native to the Atlas, they can only be grown from seeds. Pirates who prefer adventuring over sleep will always want to keep Coffee Beans on hand!

New Seed: Coffee Seed
Coffee Seeds can only be purchased from the Seed Vendor. They are required for growing Coffee Beans.

• Can be planted in Tropical, Temperate, and Equatorial environments

New Tame: Dolphin
Dolphins can be tamed passively by hand feeding them meat. In particular, they enjoy fresh Squid Tentacles, Fish Meat, and Crustacean Meat. By grabbing hold of their dorsal fin, pathfinders can ride them as they speed and jump through the ocean.

• Favorite Food: Squid Tentacles
  
• Taming Style: Passive
  
• Saddle: None
  
• Primary Attack: Bite
  • Secondary Ability: Jump
    
  • Gives nearby pathfinders the Dolphin Intellect buff
• Increases intelligence stat for 10 minutes

New Meat: Squid Tentacle
Squid Tentacles are a new type of meat that can be obtained by defeating Squids. They can be eaten raw and don't spoil. Instead, they dry out over time and remain safe to eat!
Dried Squid Tentacles will soon have a special use, so you may want to start collecting them now!

Bola

• Players can no longer stand while entrapped by a Bola
  
• Duration of player Bola entrapment reduced from 5.5 to 2.5 seconds
  
• After recovering from entrapment, players cannot be entrapped by a Bola for 10 seconds

Combat

• Headshot multiplier reduced from 2x to 1.5x
  
• Bug Fix: Critical Strike can no longer be used with weapons other than the Sword

Explosive Barrels

• Cannons, Large Cannons, Swivels Guns, and Ballistas are now immune to AOE damage from Explosive Barrels
  
  • NOTE: These weapons can still be damaged by a direct hit from an Explosive Barrel fired from a Catapult
• Explosive Barrel damage to players and creatures greatly reduced
  
  • Deals 120 damage to pathfinders
    
  • Deals 135 damage to creatures

Farmhouse Variants

• All farmhouse variants are undergoing iteration in preparation for adding Blueprints
  
  • Stats changed and inventories wiped at restart
    
  • You can cheat spawn high quality variants with better stats (bigger inventory and faster gathering)
• Base Inventory Size has been increased from 8k to 10k
  
• Base Inventory Slots have been increased
  
• Decay time changed to 10 days
  
• Gather Rates have temporarily been normalized at a lower rate across all types
  
  • Quality Blueprints with stats will increase this in a future patch.

Ramming Galley

• Increased number of additional structures that can be placed on the ship from 8 to 40
  
• While turning, only one side of rowers will row, increasing the Ramming Galley's turn speed when rowers are active
  
• The leak rate of damaged ship components now increases as the component's health decreases
  
  • Leaking begins at 25% health and the leak rate increases until the component reaches 0 health
    
  • The maximum leak rate has not changed
• Bug Fix: Fixed an issue where the prompt for opening the command wheel would appear on parts of the ship after they had already been demolished

Ships

• Added the option to purchase ship levels 56-60 at a rate of 75 Gold per 1,000 XP
  
• Levels can be purchased when viewing the ship's stat menu
  
• NOTE: Ships can still reach max level by earning XP normally
  
• Ship Gold cost now scales with ship quality
  • Minimum price is used for ships constructed at 100% durability Shipyards and maximum price is used for ships constructed at 225% durability Shipyards
    
  • Price Ranges
    
    • Schooner: 5,000 to 10,000 Gold
      
    • Brigantine: 18,000 to 36,000 Gold
      
    • Galleon: 50,000 to 100,000 Gold

Tames

• Torpor damage from Horse's rear kick attack reduced by 40%
  
• Rabbits can now equip hats
  
• Bears and Rabbits now only receive 10% of the stat bonus from equipped hats

Misc

• Increased Grill ship structure weight from 1 kg to 12 kg
  
• Wood Doors, Wood Pillars, Wood Staircases, Wood Fence Supports, and Wood Ladders can now be crafted at the Smithy
  
• Winter Event items are no longer craftable at the Smithy or purchasable from the Cosmetic Vendor
  
• Fixed some cases where Trade Routes get reset or modified
  
• Bug Fix: Fence Supports can no longer be placed without a connection to the ground
  
  • NOTE: Any floating Fence Supports placed prior to the patch will be destroyed
• Some Crashes Fixed

Known Issues

• Levels 46-50 can be purchased on ships with a level cap of 50
  
• Trade Route Range was increased between patches to include nearby servers. These farther routes are getting reset on server restarts and may be having other issues.
  
• Riding a Dolphin at or near the surface will occasionally cause it to die
  
• Tamed Dolphins may no longer be able to jump after crossing grids
  
• Farm Variants have floating fires near them

Again, we would like to emphasize that ATLAS is still in Early Access, meaning many things can and will likely continue to drastically change - even in the middle of development. Anything discussed is only up to date as of the moment it is posted. Features and changes that ultimately make it to the next patch, as well as timing, may be different from what was previously discussed.

As always, we appreciate the suggestions and feedback from the community. Please keep them coming! Thank you for all of your support! :)

Happy Sailing,
- ATLAS Crew

For the latest dispatch on #playATLAS keep yer one good eye trained on this here information

Natter n' chatter on Discord: https://discord.gg/playatlas
Hear ye, hear ye on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sailtheatlas
Watch us scallywags on Twitch: http://twitch.tv/sailtheatlas
Plus ye can band with us Pirates on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/playatlasgame

Ahoy Pathfinders!

The next patch will be scheduled for 1/13 7:00 PM PT.

It includes a variety of balance changes and as a heads up, please note:

Grill ship structure weight will increase from 1kg to 12kg.
Please be aware and take care!

Full patch notes to be released tomorrow!

Meanwhile, here's an additional sneak peak at the tameable Dolphins coming as part of the next patch:

Ahoy Pathfinders!

We're ending the year and starting the next one with a rate up event! From now until January 4th, enjoy 3x Gold, Taming, and Harvesting, and 2x experience! Thank you all for supporting us these last 6 months as we have renewed the ATLAS journey. Looking forward to 2021!

Stay safe and healthy! Happy Holidays! Yo ho ho ho🎅


Happy Sailing,
- ATLAS Crew

For the latest dispatch on #playATLAS keep yer one good eye trained on this here information
Natter n' chatter on Discord: https://discord.gg/playatlas
Hear ye, hear ye on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sailtheatlas
Watch us scallywags on Twitch: http://twitch.tv/sailtheatlas
Plus ye can band with us Pirates on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/playatlasgame

Ahoy Pathfinders!

Last week was quite a ride and we would like to thank you all for continuing to sail along with us! It has been about 6 months now since we have renewed the ATLAS journey, and now the last scheduled patch of the year is upon us! 

We have made several fixes to the Ramming Galley, Armored Docks, and more. This includes a fix for Explosive Barrels so they no longer deal damage in Freeports and removing some bad maps from Treasure Map spawning. Christmas Trees and Ship level caps have also been fixed. We have also included a few changes, like the much requested increase in reverse sailing speed, which has now been increased by 200%. The Glider Suit may now only be activated under 100m height as well. As a little bonus, Bears can also now wear hats! For the full list of bug fixes and changes, please see the changelog.

Most importantly, we have also made some server reliability improvements that should also help to reduce incidents of losses. To fully address the issue will be a long-term process, as it is a multifaceted issue and touches many aspects of the code. We are touching on different symptoms of it throughout development as we continue to make our investigations and improve the code. Please continue to report these issues to us as they greatly aid in our efforts to optimize and improve the ATLAS experience. Thanks for your patience, understanding, and support!

Tonight’s patch has quite a few new things in store! First up - we have the Lumberyard, a farmhouse variation that gathers only thatch and wood. All of the systems we have been implementing will continue to see development and improvements as we refine them based on feedback and observation. This is the first step towards the next iteration of the farmhouse system as we introduce specialized variants. Regular farmhouses will still continue to collect Wood and Thatch for now. However, Lumberyards will gather them at a much faster rate.

Aye, and were ye looking for a way to store all yer drinks for the holidays? The new Keg is the perfect way to store and transport your alcohol. Afterall, drinks taste best directly from a Keg, don’t they? The Keg can be crafted at the Smithy after learning the Secrets of Cooking skill in the Cooking & Farming tree. For only 30 fiber, 5 metal, 50 thatch, and 60 wood - you can build a Keg and be able to store any alcohol items in stacks of 50. Drinks for everyone!

Having trouble taming some creatures? Might we recommend the new Tranq Arrow? The Tranq Arrow is a new ammo type for the Bow that deals high amounts of Torpor and little physical damage. It can be used to put creatures to sleep, allowing pirates to more easily contain them for taming. Tranq Arrows can be crafted in the Mortar and Pestle after learning the Taming Tier 2 skill in the Beastmastery Tree.

Last week the first of the new ships that can be bought for gold, the Ramming Galley, hit the shores of Atlas. We were excited to see our baby in action and have made a number of changes to help it create more of a splash. We increased its base speed by 40% and have also increased its turn speed while sails are closed. As a ship meant to directly attack and charge into others, it needed more oomph so we increased the damage of all cannons on the Ramming Galley from 100% to 125%. Ramming Galleys will also now deal damage to NPC ships.

To compensate its strength a bit, the Ramming Galley now costs an additional 75 Rhino Horns, a new resource type obtained from defeating Rhinos, to purchase.

In addition to these changes, we also made a number of bug fixes to the Ramming Galley, which can be viewed in the full Changelog that follows.

As with all the features and mechanics we have so far introduced, we will continue to balance and refine the Ramming Galley.

Previously we discussed a rework on the Claim System. Originally, we intended to introduce this by the end of this year. As things move in development and new challenges present themselves, timelines and ideas can often change. We are still working on the new Claim System’s implementation and testing it. It will likely not be introduced until early next year. Many were concerned that a rework of the Claim System would bring about a wipe. Although wipes are inevitable in EA, we also do our best to wipe only when it is absolutely necessary. At this time there is no estimated or set date for a wipe and we will keep the community updated if that changes.

As the last patch of the year, the ATLAS team will be setting sail for a small holiday break. The next scheduled patch will be the week of January 11. However, we will continue to perform daily server restarts and we will have our spyglass handy to watch out for any urgent issues that may require our attention. Otherwise, pass us your Kegs and some glasses please! Happy Holidays!

v519.5

New Structure: Lumberyard
The Lumberyard is a farm that only gathers thatch and wood. It can be crafted at the Smithy after learning the Advanced Automation skill in the Construction & Mercantilism Tree.

• Shares placement restrictions with other Farmhouses
  
• Gathers about 1/3 more wood and thatch than a regular Farmhouse
  
• Crafting Resources: 800 Wood, 600 Thatch, 320 Fiber, 280 Metal, 100 Hide

New Structure: Keg

• The Keg is a new storage container used to store alcohol. It can be crafted at the Smithy after learning the Secrets of Cooking skill in the Cooking & Farming Tree.
  
• All alcohol items can be stored in stacks of 50
  
• Crafting Resources: 30 Fiber, 5 Metal, 50 Thatch, 60 Wood

New Bow Ammo Type: Tranq Arrow

• Tranq Arrows are significantly more effective against tameable creatures
  
• Players and NPCs are immune to Tranq Arrows
  
• Crafting Resources: 1 Stone Arrow, 20 Berries
  

New Keratinoid Resource: Rhino Horn

• Rhino Horns can now be obtained by defeating Rhinos

Armored Docks

• Updated UI text on Armored Docks to clarify that only 1 Gold is consumed when the timer expires
  
• Bug Fix: Armored Docks no longer stop working for a period of time after server restarts
  
• Bug Fix: Armored Docks no longer consume all Gold in their inventory after server restarts

Ramming Galley

• Added 75 Rhino Horns to cost
  
• Base speed increased by 40%
  
• Increased turn speed while sails are closed
  
• Increased damage of all cannons on ship from 100% to 125%
  
• Ramming NPC ships with the Ramming Galley now deals damage
  
• Players can now swim through some large holes in the Ramming Galley after it sinks
  
• Bug Fix: Health is no longer displayed for undamageable parts of the ship including weapons
  
• Bug Fix: Demolish option no longer appears for components that have already been demolished after the ship sinks
  
• Bug Fix: Ramming Galley can no longer be crafted in the Large Shipyard
  
• Bug Fix: Forward-facing Large Cannons are now correctly assigned to the Front Station Group
  
• Bug Fix: Oars will now always automatically retract after idling for 10 seconds
  
• Bug Fix: Sail rigging now previews correctly when placing new sails

Ships

• Max reverse speed for all ships increased by 200%
  
• Bug Fix: Level cap for max quality ships restored to 60
  
  • NOTE: The max level of ships built during the previous patch won't change

Winter Event

• Christmas Trees now produce gifts every 12 hours
  
• Bug Fix: Santa Hat skin will no longer disappear from player inventory
  
• Bug Fix: Santa Hat is now properly positioned on Monkeys, Parrots, and Penguins
  
• Bug Fix: Resolved issue where Stockings and Christmas Trees would stop producing coal/gifts after server restarts

Trade

• Fixed some cases where Markets would break
  
• Limited the number of Trade Offers Markets can have to 20.

Misc

• Made some server reliability improvements
  
• Bears can now equip hats
  
• Glider Suit may now only be activated under 110 meters height (about the height of the lighthouse)
  
• Reduced Grill's damage resistance
  
• Sea Fort walls now swap to a damaged mesh when destroyed rather than disappearing
  
• Bug Fix: Explosive Barrels can no longer deal damage in Freeports
  
• Bug Fix: Removed some bad maps from Treasure Map spawning
  

Again, we would like to emphasize that ATLAS is still in Early Access, meaning many things can and will likely continue to drastically change - even in the middle of development. Anything discussed is only up to date as of the moment it is posted. Features and changes that ultimately make it to the next patch may be different from what was previously discussed.

As always, we appreciate the suggestions and feedback from the community. Please keep them coming! Thank you for all of your support! :)


Happy Sailing,
- ATLAS Crew

For the latest dispatch on #playATLAS keep yer one good eye trained on this here information
Natter n' chatter on Discord: https://discord.gg/playatlas
Hear ye, hear ye on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sailtheatlas
Watch us scallywags on Twitch: http://twitch.tv/sailtheatlas
Plus ye can band with us Pirates on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/playatlasgame

517.7 (server)

• Clear unwanted structures on Freeports and GA
  
• Freeports and GA Servers are no longer crashing on startup

We are continuing to work on additional hotfixes for other crashing issues and the map that we hope to push out tomorrow.

V517.6 (server) hotfix:

• Bug Fix: being able to build on Freeports and Golden Age islands.
  
• Freeport Structures that are not normally allowed will be destroyed with the update
  
• Bug Fix: being unable to spawn in beds

We are continuing to investigate the crashing and other issues that have been reported. We hope to have another hotfix out for some of them by the end of the week.

For a workaround (until fix is out), for crashing caused by keybinding issues, please see here: {LINK REMOVED}https://bit.ly/3oQPgUH

If you are continuing to experience any issues or have further details, please report to us here: https://forms.gle/pYZuMuZCuCC2ZHEf6

Thank you for your patience and understanding!

We are looking into the issue where beds that were placed on land before the patch are now out of claim. Thanks for your reports and patience!

----------------------------------------------------------
Ahoy Pathfinders!

The holiday season is here! In the spirit of the Holidays, we set sail for a little trip up to the North Pole to bring back some Holiday loot and festivities to ATLAS! Sail the Seas in a fancy new Santa Hat or Top Hat, and craft festive decorations! Safely have a “Company” Holiday Party here on ATLAS! ;)




Looking for the perfect gift? How about the new Ramming Ship? That’s right, the Ship Salesman is now officially open for business! He can be found selling our latest ship - the Ramming Galley - on his island in the center of Freeport grids. The Ramming Galley features rowers, 20 cannons, and a ram that deals bonus damage when ramming other ships.

Rowers, a new feature currently unique to the Ramming Galley, give a burst of speed to intercept and ram other ships. Using rowers requires use of the ship's Rowing Stamina. Once Rowing Stamina is depleted, rowing will cease and the stamina will regenerate over time.

As the first ship using our new ship system, the Ramming Galley will function a bit differently from previous ships. In addition to HP numbers changing, holes will appear in parts of the ship as they become damaged. As the damage worsens, the holes will grow, giving pirates a better visual indicator to determine how damaged each part of their ship is! Be sure to keep your ship repaired since rowers and weapons will only function if the part of the ship they're on has sufficient health.

Repairing the Ramming Galley will require the use of a new item: the Patch Kit. No longer will you need to haul planks and raw resources to ensure your ship stays in pristine condition!

Since the Ramming Galley already comes equipped with a large arsenal of weapons, players will not be able to build additional weapons on it. Workstations and furniture can be constructed freely, and existing stairs, doors, and sails can be switched out with player-made variants. Although walls and other structures cannot currently be constructed on ships, we would like to iterate on this in the future to allow pirates to customize their ships with a variety of rooms below deck.



We hope you enjoy the new Ramming Galley and Holiday festivities! We are still hard at work continuing to fine-tune the Markets and Trade system, among other optimization and performance improvements. It’s a long-term process, and we want you to know that even if certain changes are not seen right away - we are taking the steps to move these things along. Thanks again for all of your support and feedback!

v517.5

• Cost: 22,000 Gold
  
• Weapons: 18 Standard Cannons, 2 forward-facing Large Cannons
  
• Special Features: Rowers, Ram
  
• Max Level: 60
  
• Sail Points: 4.0
  
• Repair Resource: Patch Kit

The Patch Kit is a new item used for repairing the Ramming Galley. It can be crafted in the Smithy after learning the Shipwright skill in the Seamanship tree. To use, approach a damaged part of the Ramming Galley and use the Repair Hammer. Once the repair is complete, the Patch Kit will be consumed and the repaired component will have 1,000 health restored.

• Healing: 1,000
  
• Crafting Resources: 100 Fiber, 120 Thatch, 200 Wood

The Kiln is a new workstation used for rapidly creating coal out of wood. Add wood to the Kiln inventory and activate it, and it will burn one into coal every second. Kiln crafting is learned in the Secrets of Building skill in the Construction tree, and can be done at the Smithy.

• Crafting Resources: 500 Stone, 200 Flint, 25 Metal

• Two new hat skins are available for purchase from the Freeport's cosmetic vendor for a limited time
  
  • Santa Hat: 200 Gold
    
  • Top Hat: 200 Gold
• Seven new items available for crafting at the Smithy for a limited time
  
  • Christmas Tree: Produces a random gift every 24 hours!
    
    • Crafting Resources: 250 Wood, 200 Fiber, 250 Thatch
  • Festive Lights: A decoration that can be hung on walls
    
    • Crafting Resources: 20 Wood, 10 Thatch, 1 Metal
  • Holiday Gift: A festive variant of the Small Storage Box
    
    • Crafting Resources: 44 Wood, 40 Thatch, 15 Hide
  • Sleigh: A festive variant of the Wooden Chair
    
    • Crafting Resources: 100 Wood, 100 Thatch, 50 Fiber
  • Snowman: A new friend that can be placed on ships or floors
    
    • Crafting Resources: 2 Wood, 12 Coal, 1 Carrot, 50 Fiber, 30 Ice
  • Stocking: A decoration that can be hung on walls. Produces one Coal every five minutes
    
    • Crafting Resources: 40 Fiber, 30 Hide
  • Wreath: A decoration that can be hung on walls
    
    • Crafting Resources: 20 Fiber, 10 Wood, 20 Thatch

• Bug Fix: Gold upkeep status now only shown for the owning company
  
• Bug Fix: Upkeep timer now correctly updated on the UI
  
• Bug Fix: Ships in Armored Docks no longer stay protected after the owner of the Armored Dock or the ship changes

• Market Logs now have paging, allowing all logs to be displayed for each Market
  
• Bug Fix: Suspend and Unsuspend Market are now working correctly

• The Ramming Galley's Railing Gunports and Castles can be damaged, but don't update their meshes to reflect this damage (their HP updates accordingly and they can be repaired)
  
• The Ramming Galley's forward-facing Large Cannons are in the Right Station Group by default
  
• HP for undamageable parts of the Ramming Galley can be viewed and will always display as 100/100
  
• Cannons on top of the Ramming Galley's Front Castle clip through the castle when aiming left and right (this doesn't prevent them from firing)
  
• Sail Rigging does not preview correctly when placing sails on the Ramming Galley
  
• Many map tiles are black when viewing the map through the Atlas or when spawning

Again, we would like to emphasize that ATLAS is still in Early Access, meaning many things can and will likely continue to drastically change - even in the middle of development. Anything discussed is only up to date as of the moment it is posted. Features and changes that ultimately make it to the next patch may be different from what was previously discussed.

As always, we appreciate the suggestions and feedback from the community. Please keep them coming! Thank you for all of your support! :)


Happy Sailing,
- ATLAS Crew

For the latest dispatch on #playATLAS keep yer one good eye trained on this here information
Natter n' chatter on Discord: https://discord.gg/playatlas
Hear ye, hear ye on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sailtheatlas
Watch us scallywags on Twitch: http://twitch.tv/sailtheatlas
Plus ye can band with us Pirates on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/playatlasgame