Hi everyone, Update 1 is close to complete, and as this is a pretty big set of changes I'd like to try making a beta available for a couple weeks before the update goes out.
If you have the game on Steam and would like to opt-in to the beta, you can do so by right-clicking the game in your Library, selecting Properties > Betas, and choosing `public_preview` from the dropdown.
It is very important to note that if you do this your save file will become incompatible with the old version! The game will automatically create a backup of your original save on load, which can be found on Windows at %appdata%\..\LocalLow\Festive Vector\Sail Forth\boat-game-old.save
If you want to return to playing the old version before the update is released, replace `boat-game.save` with `boat-game-old.save` Otherwise you can continue playing your save in the public preview branch until the update is fully released.
If you find a bug you can now report it directly from the game, using the 'Feedback' option found in the pause menu. This is helpful for me as it includes a copy of your save file, the log, and a screenshot which make it much easier for me to find and fix the bug.
Update 1 Changelog
Fleet Management - The Dock
- Boats can be stored at a dock, accessible from the fleet management menu whenever not in combat
- Unlimited boats can be stored at the dock along with their crew and loadout
- If your entire fleet sinks but you have docked boats, you can undock them to continue the fight
- If you get a new boat and have no room in the fleet it can be added to dock automatically
Fleet Management - Orders and AI
- The 'set order' functionality of previous demos has been restored and updated
- Fleet boats can be told to Escort, Hold Position, or Hold Fire
- Can also issue one of these commands to the entire fleet at once
- Greatly improved navigation AI
- Your fleet (and other AI boats) should be much more adept at avoiding collisions
- Your fleet will attempt to escape combat and return to your flagship if you are not close by
Progression Balancing
- Based on feedback many of the boats in the game have had their balance tweaked, in addition to a revised unlock progression
- Each new Shipshape Shop encountered will unlock a new boat of that chapter’s tier
- Larger ships are now unlocked later in the game and have had their prices updated to reflect this
- Removed boat selection from tutorial sequence to curate a more consistent intro experience
Content Updates
- Hostile locations such as forts have a chance to spawn new enemies each day
- Updated Croaker Bounty encounters which now scale in size and difficulty
- Introducing the Tekk Clan Speedboat: a fast and lightly armed engine-powered vessel
- Tekk Subs are now implemented as proper 'boats' in game terms, giving them better physics and AI
- Tekk Destroyer weapon slots increased to 4
- Updated visuals for Lightkeeper Flagship: Based on feedback the design of the ship has been revised with a more realistic and better looking sail rig
- Crew color customization: Your crew’s color scheme is now chosen separately from the sail colors
Tutorial Updates
- Updated tutorial system: The old tutorial system felt a bit heavy handed as it would frequently pause the game and force you to do something that you potentially already know how to do
- Tutorials now use a 'checklist' system that never pauses the game, and are much less intrusive
- New tutorial added for camera zoom controls
Other fixes and changes
- Many smaller bug fixes and tweaks, too many to enumerate here