Hello mates, The Baron here with a U11 status report that is perhaps not exactly what you were hoping to hear. So here it is guys — U11 is not ready for release. ːsteamsadː
We thought about it and thought about it, but in our hearts we just don't feel comfortable to release U11 in it's current state as we feel it still needs significant polish to be considered complete, not to mention we are not satisfied that enough bug-testing was done.
Really sorry about this, guys. To give some context as to how/why this is happening, there are just so many new and major mechanic frameworks added to this update, all of which are new and untested, so we really want to avoid a U8 type situation and release something half-baked.
However, we know how hyped you guys are and how long you have waited, so since we have a build that we are playtesting, we decided this — Let's do an open beta.
This way, hardcore fans who are simply dying to play but also have the sensibilities to know that this is a hardcore WIP with fully to-be-expected bugginess and other jank can join us by getting into the weeds in providing some constructive feedback on the new systems, which we will actively tweak throughout the beta.
Meanwhile, more casual players who are not interested in the development of the game, don't really follow B&S news, or are more just interested in the final finished product can stay on U10 and keep using mods. Most of these type players will probably not even be aware of the beta, since it will be an active effort to opt into it, as opposed to it being an automatic update that everyone is auto-opted into.
So, there will be a PCVR open beta sometime next week. I know Nomad players also read PCVR Steam news to stay informed, so Nomad folk, I know this beta news will be disappointing for you; I added some more Nomad specific news here - (link) which also has some info on the long awaited scripted modding.
Next week I'll post a Steam news that will have the code for anyone who wishes to access the beta, along with instructions for how to do this. That news will also have a brief overview of what to expect in the update, so you can know what to test out and so forth, and I'll probably have a link to some kind of a central location (maybe reddit or a google form) so people can post their feedback and we can collect it effectively.
Performance
Split terrain detail textures up to prevent rendering stalls, can save 30-50ms when Raining
Learning
Don't gate use on unlearned Prerequisites
Automatically learn prerequisites as part of a Task
Toggle Roofs
Fix bug that prevented hot key introduction in existing Guided Experience games
Lighting
Increase Moonlight intensity
Fire
1.5x rate of growth
2x rate of spread
2x rate of burning Straw Props
1.5x rate of burning Ramshackle Props
Don't leave burned husks for Ramshackle or Straw Props
UI
Resolve some edge cases around [ESC] usage
BONUS UPDATE: Scrapman has created a video highlighting all the new features, so please check it out to get a better idea of what's new:
Last week I mentioned taking a break from editor work to add some new parts or otherwise improve the game side of things. I was just planning on adding a few cool new parts, but the first day of work in that area didn't go as planned. The parts I initially looked into were old ones that I hadn't worked on in a while, and each had some little problems that weren't obvious how to address.
The next day I decided to work on something else instead: Adding the ability to set a starting position for the various pistons, swivels, and pivots in the game. It took a while to work out all the issues, but it become obvious that the possibility space for vehicle and machine designs would be drastically increased.
It was also obvious some new parts would be needed, and the Locked Connector become the Flex Swivel, the Flex Pivot was added, and I began work on the variable length beams (now called Flex Beam and Flex Beam Heavy), something I hadn't planned to add for a while. These new beams allow you to create nearly-arbitrary beams in your vehicles, and they complement the variable angles that are now available from other parts. They reside in the Rope category for now, but they only vaguely work like ropes on the game side of things.
With those two difficult tasks handled, I returned to the parts I'd put to the side, and decided to tackle the previously-named Suction Cup. I ended up going with an extending hook and calling the piece Attacher since that's what it does. You can attach to almost anything, including other parts of your vehicle, the ground, objects like containers, and of course buildings. Attaching to buildings is probably the least useful of those, because you're just as likely to attach to the structure you're aiming for as you are to destroy part of it. The controls for the Attacher are still a work in progress, so expect additional modes and tweaks soon.
That's a good amount of stuff for a big update, but I had to add more thing...
I've never coded a laser weapon before, despite having worked on a lot of action games. I've created a ton of projectile-based weapons, but nothing that instant hits. It wasn't as scary or difficult as I feared it might be, though I did manage to launch the initial version with a bug that would crash the game if you used more than 2 lasers at once. Lasers are not cheap (performance-wise or budget-wise), and they aren't unlocked in the campaign 'til you reach level 20. But they are also pretty unique and very fun to use without requiring high-level vehicle building skills.
So between the Red Laser, Attacher, Flex Beams, and improved functionality/design space for jointed parts, there's a lot more to play with for your vehicle building adventures.
I'll still have one more medium-sized update to do to 0.118 before moving back to island editor work, but I'm anxious to get the editor suite finished so I can focus on expanding the game's content some more. That will mostly consist on new islands, but I expect to add other new features/content to make the Play Mode gameplay more exciting/challenging.
Fishing has been added to Past Fate. By fishing players are able to get fish needed for cooking and weeds needed for alchemy. Fishing is going to be improved over time and we are going to add rare world bosses that can be lured out with fishing.
Blackfang Village and Ironbanner Docks has been added to become playable in the game. These areas contain much more deadlier foes and are considered as world dungeons. Gather your groups and complete elite quests added to Blackfang Village and Ironbanner Docks.
Swamp in Westborough got huge improvement and has now more quests and secrets for players to experience.
Kingswall outskirts is now playable and offers quests and secrets for Morsath faction.
Keep in mind these changes are currently for Morsath faction only
Game Improvements and changes summary:
Fishing added
Kingdom of Edaria offers a lot more quests and secrets to explore
Westborough swamp remade to fit better for the setting
Hello Calico pals! We're really excited to be working with Makeship to bring you a Pudgems plushie! You have 17 days to preorder Pudgems, and if we hit the goal they'll be made!
Keep a lookout for more announcements about a huge update coming up in the summer! We've been working very hard to add more polish, more gameplay, and more animals! Thank you as always for supporting us. 💖
Scottie here, just pushing an updated build for the game that addresses a few things.
First, apologies to anyone who couldn't get the fishing downpat at the start, this is my fault as I haven't made the controls clear. The game now starts with a control screen!
I've also fixed a few minor bugs that have been brought to my attention. If at any time you come across any bugs or glitches, please feel free to let us know! We'll try our best to squash them as soon as possible.
Thanks to everyone that has given the game a chance, we appreciate you all so much!!
Hello everyone from a new update of Winter and People!
In this update, we made some system, logical and visual fixes and additions.
- To build a structure, you had to select it again each time. Now when you select a building, you can build it continuously until you stop building it.
- The sounds of the towers were becoming more and more disturbing as their numbers increased. But in this version you can hear them whenever you want. You won't hear their loud noises unless you put your camera in close mode and get close to them.
- The best way to tell when enemies are coming is to hear their footsteps. These crowded footsteps were repetitive. With a little tweaking, we were able to achieve a more realistic footstep sound.
- We noticed that the enemies were coming very fast and got some feedback. That's why we've made some changes to the duration of enemy raids. They won't come as fast as before!
- We know that many players have difficulty assigning their workers' occupations. In this version we have added an infobox that shows you how to assign workers to their jobs.
- You may have noticed that when you click on a hut to assign a profession, it sometimes doesn't detect it. We have stabilized this system and you can assign professions to your people very easily.
- You remember that when you click on a person's home and place of work, they say "my home" and "my work". We realized that it was very ugly and we completely redesigned it. From now on, his home or workplace will be self-revealing by flashing.
- The menu background is now replaced with in-game visuals. You may encounter images of cities randomly.
And that's all.
We continue to develop it so that you have more fun and better times.