Ahoy Skippers,
We’re excited to announce that the Public Test for Update v0.8.3 is now open!
This update introduces a wave of exciting new features and improvements — including support for five additional languages, a completely reworked mooring system, the first iteration of the NPC crew system, and a major step forward in the fish production line with the ability to unload your catch at the port.
To avoid any potential issues, we strongly recommend backing up your save files before switching to the Public Test version v0.8.3.
To find your Steam for Ships At Sea saves:
Press Win + E
Paste %USERPROFILE%/AppData/Local/Sas/Saved/SaveGames into the search bar.
To try the PUBLIC TEST, please follow these steps:
Open Steam
Right-click on Ships At Sea in your library
Select Properties
Go to the Betas tab
Enter the password: SaSPublicTest
Choose "public_test" from the "Beta participation" drop-down list
Wait for the game to update the files (if nothing happens, restart the Steam client)
Launch the game
💾 Updated Save System
We understand the importance of your progress, so we want to be fully transparent: save files from version 0.7.5 will not be compatible with the new system introduced in version 0.8.3.
To ensure you can continue playing with your old saves from v0.7.5, we will prepare a branch v0.8.2 that allows you to upgrade them safely when v0.8.3 is officially released to everyone.
We understand this may be inconvenient, but reworking the save system is a crucial step. It provides us with the flexibility to introduce more complex and exciting features, resolve long-standing issues, and make the game more reliable and stable going forward.
Reworked Mooring System – Dock Anywhere!
With the reworked mooring system, docking is no longer restricted to fixed markers — you’re now free to tie up at any available mooring point around the map. We’ve added more mooring points across ports, so docking is no longer limited to predefined spots, and even overlapping docking is possible, giving you more flexibility when bringing your ship into harbour.
Please note: The fixed visual markers are still present at the fish farms, even though they now support the new mooring system. These markers are only placeholders at the moment to guide you and indicate that docking at the fish farm is possible.
Harbours feature three distinct mooring types, preparing them for small, mid-sized, and larger vessels in a way that feels more realistic. This new system also improves save stability, preventing issues such as ships tilting when docked too close to the harbour after loading a save. Looking ahead, we’re working on realistic mooring ropes that will dynamically connect the ship to the shore, eliminating the “floating” effect and adding a new layer of immersion to the docking and towing of objects.
👨✈️ Crew System – First Iteration of Crew Task
The Tier 3 fishing ship can now hold crew members — a long-awaited feature, especially for those who play in single-player mode.
Crew can be assigned tasks such as:
Hauling and hooking fish
Gutting and sorting fish
Baiting and preparing longlines (with the player deciding when to deploy them into the water)
Note: Tier 1 and 2 boats do not support NPC crew due to their limited space. Larger vessels offer more room, greater responsibility, and the ability to hire a crew — just like in real life.
To hire an NPC crew member, activate your Tier 3 fishing ship, rig it for longline fishing, and visit the office. Once hired, you can assign them directly to your ship.
The Crew chart and Assignment tab can be accessed through the company logbook. It is still in mockup form — functionality and visuals are still in work in progress and will be improved in future releases. We welcome your feedback!
You need two crew members to assign to the slot; one serves as the supervisor, overseeing the tasks of the other crew members. Ensure that all necessary items, such as bait, a knife, or a hook, are placed in your boat’s inventory so the crew can equip themselves and complete their tasks!
Task-specific animations have not yet been added. Once the mechanics for the main characters are largely complete, we will extend support to include the NPC crew as well.
Unloading Fish Boxes – Mast Crane Integration
Fish boxes from Tier 3 vessels can now be unloaded at the harbour using the mast crane. Adding the next step to the fish production line. Blue fish boxes are treated as medium cargo and can be dropped in the medium cargo area.
This stage, which involves interaction with individual boxes to select and trade specific fish species (box) at the fishery, is not yet implemented. This means that, for now, all sorted boxes will spawn in the unloading area under the hatch. The fishery UI includes a temporary sell button, which will later be replaced with a new shop interface. If the sell button is greyed out, it means there are no fish available to trade with the fishery.
Finally, we’ve added animations for the lever under the bleeding box. As soon as you move fish from the bleeding box into the production line, the lever now opens and closes to transfer the fish into the production area, adding a bit more realism to the process.
How it works:
Finish sorting fish into boxes
Head to the work deck and press the button to clear the space around the hatch
Hatch opens and spawns fish boxes below
Use the mast crane to unload at the port (ship must be docked)
Hatch won’t open if crew or obstructions are in the way (safety first!)
Passenger Transport Missions Arrive
We’re excited to introduce the very first iteration of passenger transport gameplay! This new feature is available on the Tier 3 service ship.
To begin a mission, interact with the office at the port to accept your job. Once you’ve taken a passenger transport mission, you’ll need to meet the passengers at the port, interact with them, and guide them aboard your vessel.
Once on board the ship, the NPCs will take their seats in the passenger area and play fitting animations during the journey, bringing the ship to life in new ways. This is just the beginning of passenger transport, and we look forward to hearing your feedback as we continue to expand and refine this system.
Please note: saving for passenger missions is not yet implemented, so we recommend completing the mission before ending your session.
🌍 Expanded Language Support
We’re pleased to announce support for five new languages: Polish, Turkish, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, as well as Brazilian Portuguese. This update makes Ships At Sea more accessible to players around the world, and we’re excited to welcome even more captains into our growing maritime community.
In addition, we’ve enhanced localization across the game, refining languages such as German, French, Italian, Spanish, and Russian for greater accuracy and clarity.
Upcoming updates will introduce additional language options to make Ships At Sea more accessible to everyone!
🏢 Warehouses
With v0.8.3, every port will now feature a warehouse with unlimited storage, managed by an interactable NPC warehouse worker. You’ll find the worker in front of the warehouse, where they provide direct access to your warehouse inventory.
Warehouses give players more flexibility with cargo missions:
Move cargo into the warehouse – You can request to move your own cargo, or even another company’s cargo, from the cargo area into storage. If at least one active player is present, a vote will begin. Once confirmed, the cargo is transferred to the warehouse.
Transfer cargo back to the port – You can also request unloading from the warehouse. Once done, the cargo will be placed in the first available cargo area.
Additionally, you have the option to delete your own cargo from the warehouse permanently.
And here’s the big benefit: if you sell your boat with loaded cargo during an active mission, your cargo items are not lost. Instead, they’re automatically transferred into your warehouse inventory so that you can continue your mission with another boat or ship. (Note: changing companies does not transfer items to the new company.)
This system ensures that your progress is never wasted, while also enhancing authenticity and cooperation in cargo handling during multiplayer.
Interactable NPC Warehouse Worker
Moving Cargo to the Warehouse
Transferring Cargo Back from the Warehouse to the Port
Enhanced Interactivity at Your Fingertips
We’ve made significant improvements to the interaction system in general, adding new visual cues such as interaction dots and highlighters to make it clearer what objects can be interacted with in the world. New tooltips have also been introduced to provide helpful context when engaging with different elements.
To give players more control, we’ve added options to toggle interaction indicators, object names and backgrounds on or off, as well as adjust the intensity of the highlighters and the smooth radial fadeout of the indicators—making the experience as subtle or as visible as you prefer.
Resolved Issue – XP Reset to 0 for Clients
We’ve addressed an issue where players joining a session as a client could sometimes see their XP reset to 0 and be unable to gain more. This should now be resolved, but since it was a rare and inconsistent problem, we ask that you test it out and let us know if you encounter it again.
If you still experience this issue as a client, please send feedback through the in-game feedback system and include your log files so we can investigate further.
Note: Players who have already reached level 100 have completed the progression system and will no longer earn additional XP, which is working as intended.
Improved Crane Handling & Physics
We’ve also improved the overall physics for cargo operations, including crane handling, loading, and unloading. The previous issues where cargo items could behave erratically on the hook or clip through the ship or port floor have been addressed. With these changes, crane operations should now feel smoother, more stable, and much closer to an authentic cargo-handling experience.
Feedback Form
For feedback or bug reports, please use our newly designed in-game feedback form or leave a report in our Discord server - bug channel: https://discordapp.com/channels/887802577863975002/1245087354503299143.
When submitting, please ensure that you select whether you were playing as a host, client, or in single-player mode. Include a brief summary and the steps to reproduce the issue, and don’t forget to attach your log files—this will help us track down and fix problems much faster.
Changelog
New Features
Handheld radio now cancels any ongoing towing or hauling actions
Added animations for the lever on the bleeding box
Added company warehouse – find a warehouse NPC in each port
Added extension to the mast crane on Turbo
Added fish unloading feature on Turbo (store button removed)
Added indicators for interactable objects
Added key binding for thrusters
Added new supported languages: Chinese (Simplified), Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Polish, and Turkish
Added new mooring system to all ports and docking locations
Added passenger transport missions
Added reset key bindings button in Settings
Added rewards for cleanup missions
Added saving for weather state
Added setting to adjust or toggle highlighter and text indicators
Added Simulator Hits radio channel.
Added/fixed storm option in weather settings
Crew tasks expanded: gutting fish, baiting and preparing longlines, and hauling longlines
Circuit breakers can now trip periodically when overheated
Grant XP for onboard repairs
Fixes
Fixed crashes when changing settings or submitting feedback
Fixed fuel consumption conversion in HUD
Fixed sync issue with fish during net fishing for clients
Fixed incorrect cargo type display in shipyard
Fixed incorrect clock display on boats
Fixed propeller placement on Skomcat (Tier 3 Service Ship)
Fixed issue where player could get stuck in Conquest (Tier 2 Fishing Boat) hatch
Fixed issue where clients could not gut fish or interact with wheelhouse equipment
Fixed issue with boats rolling after loading save
Fixed Conquest (Tier 2 Fishing Boat) jitters when rigged with remote control hauler
Fixed issue where client could not see Global Mission icon
Fixed missing windows/rust on doors
Fixed fish farm quantity/text errors in UI
Fixed game speed resetting after multiple save loads
Fixed handheld radio sometimes not working
Fixed inconsistency with shared XP between host and client
Fixed interaction through walls while driving
Fixed jigger UI showing for all players in the session
Fixed lobby info not displaying correctly
Fixed map being opened multiple times in driver position
Fixed issue where player could walk through door on Røster (Tier 1 Cargo Ship)
Fixed missing XP when completing boat rescue mission
Fixed missing XP when loading save with longline casting
Fixed refuelling issue for clients
Fixed throttle adjustments while viewing the map
Fixed throttle delay in HUD for clients
Fixed dual water cannon on Skomcat (Tier 3 Service Ship)
Fixed XP showing as 0 for clients
Fixed Yarn Hook display issue
Fixed whale watching marker
Improvements
Improved boat spawning
Improved crane and cargo physics
Improved collisions on Turbo
Improved crew appearance
Improved docking at fish farms
Improved fuel station UI and interaction
Improved highlight interactors
Improved mission reward system
Improved port handling in missions
Improved radar feedback when mode change is not possible
Improved inventory management and tracking
Improved key bindings to support multiple actions
Improved lighthouse save state
Improved longline performance
Improved physics when fish are stored in fish boxes
Improved player feedback form and added additional fields
Improved UI throughout the game
Improved object and asset optimizations
Restricted cargo pickup to players outside your company
General performance improvements
Updated and refined all localizations
Updated save game system (note: saves from v0.7.5 are not compatible)
We can’t wait to hear your thoughts—jump in, put the new features to the test, and let us know your feedback as we continue shaping Ships At Sea together!
Fair Wind and Happy Sailing!
Team Misc Games