Major Update v0.8.2 - Live Now!

Major Update v0.8.2 – Live Now!

The seas are calling louder than ever—Update v0.8.2 is now officially live for all players! After a successful round of public testing, we’re thrilled to bring this feature-packed update into the main game.

This major release introduces a range of immersive systems, including:

• A redesigned main menu with a new background, UI stages, and updated icons

• Lighthouse repair and maintenance operations

• Remote gear hauler support

• Dynamic weather adjustments during gameplay sessions

• Expanded keybinding customization

• An overhauled XP and rewarding system

• A reworked whale observation mission

• Improved highlighters for interactable objects

On top of that, we’ve implemented numerous bug fixes, stability improvements, and quality-of-life enhancements to make your maritime experience smoother and more engaging.

While Update v0.8.2 introduces the foundation for NPC crew management, there’s more to come.

Players can now hire crew members and assign them to Tier 3 fishing vessel at this moment—an essential first step toward deeper crew functionality in future updates!

However, the ability to assign specific tasks to your crew while out at sea will arrive in the next update, v0.8.3. We're taking the time to refine and test this feature carefully, especially to ensure it performs reliably in multiplayer and under dynamic conditions.

Thank you for your continued patience and support as we build out the full crew system, one step at a time!

Redesigned Main Menu, Background & UI Stages

With Update v0.8.2, we're launching the next major phase of our UI overhaul—starting right from the main menu.

This update brings a fully redesigned main menu experience, featuring a refreshed background, cleaner layout, and a more intuitive structure. Core sections such as the Friends List, Settings, Profile Manager, Save Slots, and Load Game screen have all been revamped to improve clarity and usability from the moment you launch the game.

We’ve also rolled out updated mission icons, making objectives easier to recognize and adding visual consistency across the board.

As part of this update, we’re also ensuring the new UI is fully optimized for gamepad support, introducing a modernized set of keybinding icons, and adding adjustable controller vibration intensity settings—all in support of a smoother, more accessible experience for every type of player.

New Certificate Card

Save Management Update

The Load Game menu now features two dedicated tabs—one for Manual Saves and one for Auto-Saves—making it easier to organize, access, and manage your game progress at a glance.

Enhanced Controller Support & Vibration Settings

This update continues our commitment to improving gamepad functionality by introducing a new setting for vibration intensity. Players can now adjust how strong or subtle the feedback feels, offering a more tailored and immersive experience.

Currently, vibration is supported during the gutting fish mechanic, with more gameplay scenarios to follow in future updates.

This is part of our broader effort to make Ships At Sea fully playable with a controller. As we roll out each phase of the UI overhaul, we’re also refining menu navigation and interactions to ensure they feel smooth and intuitive on gamepad.

Expect further enhancements to controller support in the coming updates.

New Customizable Unit System

We also introduce a fully customizable unit system, giving players greater flexibility over how measurements are displayed in Ships At Sea.

You can now choose from:

• Metric

• Imperial

• Nautical

• Custom – freely mix and match units to fit your own style

Whether you prefer navigating in knots or hauling by pounds, you can now tailor the game’s measurements to match how you play.

We’re also working to ensure all in-game instruments, HUD elements, and digital displays fully align with your selected unit mode. Full integration will continue in upcoming updates.

AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution – Now with FSR 4 Support

We’ve upgraded our AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution support from FSR 3 to FSR 3.1, offering improved upscaling performance and enhanced image clarity for a smoother experience across a wider range of systems.

We're also taking things further by adding FSR 4 support. This next-generation version is handled entirely on the driver side and is available exclusively for players using compatible AMD GPUs—such as the latest RDNA3-based graphics cards.

If your system supports it, FSR 4 will be automatically detected and managed by your GPU driver. Players with supported hardware can choose to enable or disable FSR 4 through their driver settings. If preferred, you can fall back to the in-game FSR 3.1 for performance tuning that best suits your setup.

Note: The following driver update from AMD will enable FSR 4 for Ships At Sea!

Take Control of the Weather – Now Live in Update v0.8.2

You can now customize the weather in your current session—giving you full control over the environment. Whether you're battling rough seas, testing navigation tools in dense fog, or capturing dramatic in-game moments, the system puts the environment in your hands.

🌦 Accessing Weather Settings
Open your Logbook and navigate to Weather Settings to experiment with a range of sliders that adjust key conditions:

• Wave Height – Increase wind strength to generate rougher sea states

• Snow – Drop the temperature below 0°C and add snowfall for wintry atmospheres

• Rain – Adjust precipitation and surface wetness for rainy conditions

• Fog – Lower visibility for a more challenging navigation scenario

Time of Day Control
Weather changes don’t affect the in-game time. To change the time of day, use the rest function at the clock gauge in the wheelhouse. Once time advances, weather settings remain fully customizable.

What’s Next?
Further improvements to the weather settings, including enhancements to the weather system, are in development and will be introduced in future updates.

Crane Keybinding Customization Now Available

Crane controls are now fully customizable—players can assign their preferred keys for a smoother, more intuitive experience. This is especially useful for those using alternative keyboard layouts, such as AZERTY.

This marks the first step toward a broader overhaul of our input and interaction system. More keybinding options and deeper customization tools are already in development.

HUD Update – Wind Direction & Weather Alignment

To bring Ships At Sea closer to real-world maritime standards, we’ve refined how wind direction is represented and how it affects environmental elements in the game.

The HUD’s wind direction arrow now accurately indicates the source of the wind, just like real-world navigation instruments. This means if the arrow points north (0°), the wind is blowing from the north, and environmental effects like waves, clouds, and rain will now move southward.

This improvement not only enhances immersion but also ensures that weather behavior aligns with authentic nautical expectations, giving players a more intuitive and realistic experience at sea.

Improved Save System

We’ve upgraded the save system to ensure that all existing save files are automatically converted to the latest format. This change helps prevent specific crashes that could occur when a client joins a multiplayer session loaded from an older save. It’s part of our ongoing work to improve save file reliability and eliminate edge-case issues related to mission persistence.

Furthermore, we added additional details to highlight older saves:

Lighthouse Repair & Maintenance – New Gameplay Arrives

A brand-new hands-on activity has been introduced with Update v0.8.2: Lighthouse Repair & Maintenance.

Players can now step inside the lighthouse and take responsibility for keeping it operational. You’ll be tasked with maintaining key systems like the lantern room and main power supply, which ensure both the beacon and interior lights stay functional. This feature brings new interactivity and purpose to coastal landmarks, adding to the game’s realism and depth.

🛠 While the core mechanics are already implemented, the full mission structure for lighthouse upkeep will be introduced in upcoming updates, so stay tuned as we continue to expand this gameplay!

Main Power Switchboard - Full Electrical Integration Now Live

All onboard instruments and equipment are now fully wired into the remaining circuit breakers on the main power switchboard, located in your ship’s technical room. This includes key systems like the radar, sonar, crane, and other powered tools, making them part of the ship’s unified electrical infrastructure.

If any system unexpectedly shuts down, don’t worry: head to the switchboard and check the circuit breakers. This should now be your go-to troubleshooting step, reinforcing the immersive, hands-on ship management experience at the heart of Ships At Sea.

Note: Additional improvements, such as visual effects and sound cues when a circuit breaker trips, are planned for an upcoming update.

Mission Reward System Overhaul

With Update v0.8.2, we’ve completely reworked the mission rewarding system to move beyond the previous flat model that rewarded players solely based on travel distance.

This new system introduces a dynamic, effort-based structure that recognizes meaningful contributions during missions. Rewards are now influenced by:

• Individual participation and proportional effort

• Cargo condition upon delivery

• Mission completion speed

This redesign offers a more immersive and fair progression system that better reflects player performance and teamwork. It also lays essential groundwork for balanced reward distribution in co-op company play, ensuring that every team member is compensated in proportion to their actions and impact.

Expect further tuning and mission-specific balancing in future patches as we expand the system to new mission types.

Note: The mission completion widget currently does not display the updated XP and rewards structure. A full breakdown of achievements, XP gains, and payouts will be introduced in a future update for a more satisfying post-mission summary.

XP System Reworked for Fair Co-op Progression

We’ve reworked the core XP distribution system to create a more balanced, rewarding, and team-driven experience, especially in co-op play. The new system features smart XP sharing, designed to reflect both individual effort and collaborative success across a wide range of gameplay activities.

Our Goals:

• Provide fair XP rewards

• Ensure all players in a co-op company gain meaningful progression, regardless of whether they focus on fishing, cargo, or service tasks.

• Support long-term engagement by making teamwork and task diversity feel equally valuable.

More XP is distributed across the game, and additional fine-tuning will continue in future updates as we expand the system to cover even more gameplay scenarios, mission types and co-op play!

Where further XP is now earned:

• Casting and hauling nets, XP increase in rough weather

• Gutting fish, with XP scaling based on fish size

• Manual fish sorting

• Untangling fish caught in nets

• Travel distance—but also XP is awarded to all crew members aboard the vessel

• Repairing overheated circuit breakers or fuses

• Setting or hauling fishing gear

• Baiting longlines, and so on...

New: Interactable Object Highlighting

To improve player guidance and make interactions more intuitive, we've introduced a visual highlighting system for interactable objects. This feature helps players quickly spot usable items or controls in the environment, reducing confusion, especially when learning new systems or exploring complex vessels.

As ship systems become more advanced and detailed, precise interaction becomes even more important. This new system will continue to evolve, with future refinements focusing on specific buttons, levers, and control points to ensure you always know exactly where to interact.

Highlighting will also be paired with tooltips and other visual cues in upcoming updates, making gameplay actions more accessible and easy to understand at a glance.

Gear Remote Control – New Upgrade Now Available

The Gear Remote Control is now fully implemented as a dedicated boat upgrade. Players can purchase and install the Gear Remote Control via the Shipyard Upgrade menu. Once equipped, this upgrade allows you to remotely initiate both longline and net hauling via the N-hint key.

Physical interaction with the gear remote controller device is not yet supported—the feature currently functions via key input only. Further improvements and interactivity are planned in future updates.

Important Note for Net Fishing:

To use the Gear Remote Control for net hauling, you must first mount the hauler and close the hatch. Once activated the remote control from the wheelhouse, the player will be automatically teleported behind the processing table, where the untangling fish mechanic begins.

Mission-Specific Cargo Tracking ID Now Implemented

Managing multiple deliveries is now more intuitive. In response to community feedback, we’ve resolved the confusion that arose when delivering cargo tied to different missions at the same destination. Previously, players could unintentionally drop off items unrelated to an active mission—resulting in lost XP and unclear outcomes.

With Update v0.8.2, all mission cargo now includes a clear tracking ID, showing exactly which mission it belongs to and whether that mission is currently active. This makes it easier to manage multiple objectives and ensures that every delivery counts.

Icon Overhaul for Shop & Inventory

To improve visual consistency and item recognition, we've begun replacing all icons in the shop and inventory with in-game renderings of the actual items. This ensures that what players see in the UI directly reflects what they interact with in the world, creating a more immersive gameplay experience. Additional icons—such as for gutted and ungutted fish—will follow to a later point!

Looking ahead, update v0.8.3 will introduce a redesigned inventory systems, an overhauled logbook with organized tabs, and an improved mission progression window to streamline gameplay management further.

Upgradable Knives Now Available at the Tool Shop

A new layer of progression has arrived—players can now purchase and equip upgradable knives from the tool shop to boost their gutting performance. Each knife tier offers increased precision and speed, enabling you to handle fish more efficiently and enhance your overall processing flow.

This is just the first step in a broader upgrade system. Future updates will introduce more upgradeable tools or ship-related systems, giving you greater control over how you refine your workflow and optimize operations at sea.

Master Bigger Catches with Upgradable Hooks

Upgradable hooks are now available to enhance your longline fishing experience. Higher-tier hooks allow you to secure larger catches and handle longline gear with greater efficiency and reliability.

This is part of our broader upgrade system, which will continue to expand in future updates. Players can look forward to more ways to improve their gear and vessel performance, offering deeper progression and customization across all career paths.

Whale Observation Mission Returns

The whale observation mission has been reworked with smoother gameplay and greater immersion. Head out to sea, explore the waters, and witness unforgettable encounters with these majestic creatures.

And don’t forget your binoculars—you won’t want to miss a moment.

Changelog v0.8.2.1392

• Fixed an issue where client could not remove crew member from boat

• Fixed an issue with incorrect time conversion for auto-repair fish farm

• Fixed switch between scan STBY mode and Transmission mode on Tier 2 radar

• Fixed wrong icon for Tier 2 engine upgrades

Changelog v0.8.2.1387

Features

• Added the ability to intercept boat towing – the previous player will now be automatically detached

• Added a smoke effect to the lighthouse light bulb when it is broken

Improvements

• Improved lighthouse gameplay: Connected circuit breakers to the lighthouse system (lens and lights), with accurate status reflected on the main power switchboard

• Improved whale observation mission

• Improved further object highlighting logic

• Improved fish physics to better stay on the conveyor belt in rough seas

Bug Fixes – Gameplay

• Fixed an issue where fish would not follow the hook during the hooking animation on the Tier 2 fishing boat

• Fixed an issue where gutted fish could be sent back into the production line, making them unrecoverable

• Fixed issue where players could only refuel once per session

• Fixed issue with fish markers not displaying for the client

• Fixed issue where fish stored in the blue box after sorting were only visible to the host after loading a save

• Fixed issue where fish on the Tier 3 fishing ship's table was only visible to the host, while the client saw them underneath the table

• Fixed issue where client still sees interaction prompts after moving fish to the production line

• Fixed issue with inconsistent storage box lever behavior between host and client on the fish production line

• Fixed issue with boat distress icon being towed along with the vessel

Bug Fixes – Systems & UI

• Fixed an issue where switchboard indicators on boats did not work on clients

• Fixed an issue where the red indicator lights on the main power switchboard appeared broken for the client

• Fixed issue where certain buttons on wheelhouse instruments were not functioning

• Resolved issue where Tier 1 sonar could not be turned on

• Resolved issue where sonar brightness could not be adjusted

• Resolved issue where autopilot brightness could not be adjusted by the client

• Resolved issue where radar range button could not be adjusted from the client

• Resolved issue where autopilot buttons (NAV, SET, STBY) could not be interacted with

• Fixed issue where weather settings (e.g., pressing rain or sunny button) did not work

• Fixed issue where mission markers did not display correctly for global missions

• Fixed issue where Game Settings displayed x16 time speed instead of x8 after loading a save

• Fixed an issue where a toast message occasionally appeared with icons but no text

• Fixed an issue where switching company while in the shipyard would teleport the boat out of it

• Fixed issue where selling a ship with crew assigned prevented the player from reassigning, firing, or removing the crew

• Removed blocking overlaps that prevented interaction with the wiper button on Tier 2 service boats

• Fixed issue with camera angle when sitting in the chair on Nordland—player could not reach the throttle

• Fixed issue where dual water cannon did not work on the Tier 3 service ship

• Fixed issue where the lighthouse beacon was not working for the client when nearby

Crash Fixes

• Fixed a crash when activating/deactivating a boat with a switchboard multiple times

• Fixed a crash related to corrupted save data

• Fixed crash for the host when client disconnected mid-session

• Fixed a crash when trying to change settings in-game

Changelog v0.8.2.1374

New Features & Improvements

• Added support for remote net hauling, enabling players to haul gear without standing at the hauler.

• Added dual water cannon rigging for the Tier 3 service ship

• Adjusted cargo area on the Conquest and Fixer vessels for improved capacity

• Reworked cargo delivery locations at Kveldsbeita, Lyngvær, and Kårøya to prevent boats from getting stuck at the pier when loading a save game

• Refactored remote hauling to function as a purchasable boat upgrade via the Shipyard upgrade menu

• Corrected a mismatch between the wave direction and the wind direction indicator on the HUD to ensure visual alignment with weather data

• Disabled the "Start Storm" button temporarily in the Weather Settings due to functionality issues (will be addressed in a future patch)

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a crash related to loading ports

• Fixed a crash related to fish hook mechanics

• Fixed a potential crash when managing missions

• Fixed an issue where save games with active cargo missions from older versions could not load correctly

• Fixed a bug causing event map icons to persist after completing a mission

• Fixed issue preventing players from closing mission complete or cancelled message popups

• Fixed a bug with the throttle upgrade on the Fixer

• Fixed an issue where wave multipliers would not save correctly in the settings

• Fixed an issue where clients would incorrectly spawn on the gutting table aboard the Tier 2 fishing boat when joining a multiplayer session

• Fixed an issue where event map icons remained visible even after the associated mission was completed

• Fixed issue where the lighthouse beacon was not visible to the client

• Fixed a bug with the fuel station UI where interface elements were misaligned or missing, preventing interaction

Gameplay Enhancements

• Improved save game handling for better reliability

• Improved longline setting—boat speed is now factored in during gear deployment

• Improved interaction highlight system for better clarity during gameplay

• Connected the radio system to the ship’s electrical circuit for realistic failure conditions

• Updated weather settings help documentation for improved guidance

• Updated localization (loca) with new and revised translations

Changelog v0.8.2.1360

• Added build version to in-game HUD

• Added controller vibration settings

• Added crew, while tasks will follow in the next update

• Added fish size scale

• Added markers for Medium and Large cargo areas at ports

• Added message when events becomes available

• Added mission cargo ID’s

• Added new hook upgrades to haul fish from longlines

• Added new knife upgrades for gutting fish

• Added new lighthouse repair

• Added new main menu, profile manager, certificate and settings menu

• Added new shop and inventory icons

• Added new XP logic system

• Added Mix97FM and StreetzFM as default radio channels

• Added option to change weather during single and multiplayer sessions

• Added remote hauling option using “N”, now you can start the longline hauling process without being at the hauler

• Added whale watching mission

• Added XP when baiting, gutting fish, sorting fish, setting and hauling gear, untangling fish from nets and distance travelled for all players

• Adjusted 100kg fish food sack, should not float in air anymore

• Blocked joining a game without making a player profile

• Blocked usage of handheld radio when inside Shipyard and on top of fish feeder, as it was causing various issues

• Fixed a crash related to slots, when boat tried to reassign a player onboard a boat from another company

• Fixed an issue with invalid GameplayTag

• Fixed an issue when opening a hatch while standing on it causing various issues

• Fixed an issue where weather was not saved

• Fixed issue with buoy that could sometimes get stuck on boats when hauling or hitting it

• Fixed issue with camera behaving erratically after equipping jigger on rowboat

• Fixed issue with camera shaking when switching between 1st and 3rd view on Nordland

• Fixed issue with camera shaking for the client when onboard the same boat

• Fixed issue with client not teleported back to port if boat was deactivated

• Fixed issue with client gets spawned under the map after re-entering a session

• Fixed issue with collision on captains chair on Tier 3 ships

• Fixed issue with collision in the front of Fixer, causing boat to capsize

• Fixed issue with character is facing wrong direction after exiting driving position

• Fixed issue with character holding certain items draws debug boxes on the item when loading a savegame

• Fixed issue with character can get stuck in fish box or if jumping on gutting table on Conquest

• Fixed issue with gutting next fish, not working for client

• Fixed issue with refuel station in Teist Hammeren, not detecting boat docked

• Fixed issue with handheld radio that could be lost if selling boat with it onboard, handheld radio cannot be moved outside player inventory anymore

• Fixed issue with popup message on failed rescue missions

• Fixed issue with player characters head that was visible and casted shadow during gutting

• Fixed issue with player characters rotation being wrong when driving a boat

• Fixed issue with player not being able to get back into Tier 2 or Tier 3 ship if they fall into the ocean

• Fixed issue with radio not working on Fixer

• Fixed issue with Tier 3 ships being damaged when docked at Stavøya when loading a savegame

• Fixed issue with water cannon lags in burning boat mission

• Fixed issue with some part of help text in Norwegian

• Improved and optimized splash effects, should create less water spray inside boats

• Improved buoy physics

• Improved character movement on ships, should behave better in multiplayer sessions

• Improved distance tolerance for docking locations, should make it easier to dock with Tier 3 ships

• Improved interactions and equipment, should be able to unequip and change items while hovering over any interactable objects

• Improved key bindings throughout the game

• Improved map icons and text for missions

• Improved net fishing and untangling fish

• Improved units settings

• Improved volt gauges to work with new electrical system

• Improved wheelhouses in Nordland and Skomcat, added more assets

• Reduced prices for all baits, to reflect real prices

• Technical Failure: Connected autopilot, sonar, net hauler and cranes to electrical system

• Technical Failure: Added panel in wheelhouse showing status lights for each switchgear component

• Overall a lot of minor improvements

• Updated all languages

Thank you for being part of this journey with us. Update v0.8.2 marks another big step forward in shaping the future of Ships At Sea, and your feedback continues to play a vital role. Whether you're managing the lighthouse, exploring new UI improvements, or using the remote gear controller, every moment you spend helps us refine and expand the experience.

Stay tuned for v0.8.3 as we build on this foundation with even more systems, new gameplay, and polish. Safe sailing, everyone!

• Team Ships At Sea