It's only two short weeks until release! Time for me to take a little break from programming and give you one last update on what to expect!
WHEN IS IT COMING?
First things first, it is my pleasure to confirm that Slipways is releasing on Thursday, June 3rd, 2021 at 15:00 UTC! That's 17:00 CET, 11am ET, 8am PT and 23:00 in China. On release, the game will be available on two platforms (Windows and Mac) and in six languages: English, French, German, Polish, Simplified Chinese and Spanish.
HOW IS IT COMING TOGETHER?
The big features slated for release are 95% implemented. You'll be able to play standard runs (with optional quirks to mix the game up), the first act of the campaign (four missions, each introducing a significant twist to the gameplay), a chill endless mode and a competitive ranked mode (which is the last mode still under development).
I'm working around the clock to get Slipways in the best possible shape. The open beta gave me a lot to think about and I'm now prioritizing user interface, readability and game flow improvements based on your feedback. Unfortunately, prioritizing sometimes means cutting things. One unfortunate cut is Steam achievements: I can't make it for release, but they will be coming very soon after. The other feature that had to go is the "tough+" difficulty - this will be coming in the first post-release update.
WHAT NEXT?
Speaking of post-release updates, I have three of those planned at the moment. These are not DLC and will be freely available to all owners of the game. Here is a rough idea of what to expect:
The first big update will be focused on adding some features that I really want in the game, but couldn't get done in time for release: the tough+ difficulty mode, a more challenging endless mode (in addition to the existing sandbox version) a stats screen to keep track of your bests and various UI improvements to make the game play even better. If needed, this update will also contain changes based on player feedback, including rebalancing and suggested features.
The second update will deliver more content, expanding the campaign with a second act and adding new events, quirks, council tasks and technologies to make the game even more varied.
The third update will cap the campaign off with a final act and provide modding support so that anybody can extend and expand on the game.
Smaller patches will of course happen as well. Bugs are inevitable and fixing them will be a priority, not something pushed back until a large update comes. I'm blocking a chunk of time right after release to fix any issues that might crop up.
THAT'S IT!
Enough talking about Slipways, time to make some more of it!
Thank you for reading and see you around the galaxy!
EDIT 2021-05-20 21:05 CET: Edited to add information about the achievement cut. This was intended to be part of the original announcement, but somehow slipped out of my mind.