Ahoy Captains!
After a successful run on the Public Test branch the last weeks, we’re excited to announce that Update v0.8.3 is now live for everyone! This update brings a mix of new features, gameplay improvements, and important fixes based on your feedback during testing. Thank you to all who joined the Public Test and helped us polish the experience — now it’s time for the whole community to set sail with the latest changes.
Before we dive into the exciting details of Update v0.8.3, there’s something important we want to highlight.
💾 Updated Save System
Your progress matters to us, and we want to be transparent: save files from version 0.7.5 are not compatible with the new system introduced in v0.8.3. To make sure you can continue your journey, we’ve prepared a branch that lets you safely upgrade your old saves and profiles with the official release of v0.8.3:
How to upgrade your save:
Switch to the branch v0.8.2 on Steam
Password: ZeroEightTwo
Load your old save in this version and save it again
Upgrade to v0.8.3 and continue playing with your updated save
We understand that this adds an extra step, but reworking the save system was necessary to provide us with the flexibility to introduce more complex features, resolve long-standing issues, and deliver a more reliable and stable game moving forward.
🌍 Expanded Language Support
We’re thrilled to announce that Ships At Sea now supports even more languages! With this update, you can set sail in Polish, Turkish, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Brazilian Portuguese.
This expansion makes the game more accessible to players worldwide, and we’re excited to welcome many new captains into our growing maritime community.
In addition, we’ve improved localization across the game by refining German, French, Italian, Spanish, and Russian translations for greater accuracy and clarity.
Reworked Mooring System – Dock Anywhere!
With the reworked mooring system, docking is no longer tied to fixed black markers — you can now moor at any available point around the map. We’ve also added more mooring points across ports, giving you greater freedom when bringing your ship into harbour, including the ability to overlap mooring if needed.
You still have the option to start your engine while docked, giving you the manoeuvring ability when departing from the moorings, like in real life. This update improves save stability as well, fixing issues such as ships tilting after loading a save too close to the harbour.
Note: Fixed markers remain at fish farms for now as placeholders, simply showing that docking is possible even though the new system is active there.
Harbors now feature three distinct mooring types for small, mid-sized, and large vessels, enhancing authenticity. In upcoming updates, realistic mooring ropes will dynamically connect ships to shore, eliminating the “floating” effect and adding new immersion to docking and towing. We’re basing this on real practices: ropes tied with a cleat hitch on smaller piers, or secured with a round turn around a bollard at mid-sized ports. These details will make docking feel both complete and true to real harbour life.
Improved Crane Handling & Physics
With Update v0.8.3, we’ve improved cargo operation physics, enhancing crane handling as well as loading and unloading. Issues where cargo behaved unpredictably on the hook or clipped through the ship or port floor have been resolved. Crane operations now feel smoother, more stable, and much closer to an authentic cargo-handling experience.
Improved Interaction System
The interaction system has been reworked to feel clearer and more responsive. Objects you can interact with are now easier to spot thanks to new visual cues like interaction dots and highlighters, while updated tooltips provide better guidance when engaging with different elements.
For greater flexibility, you can now customize exactly how these features appear — toggle interaction indicators, object names, and backgrounds on or off, adjust highlighter brightness, and fine-tune the radial fade-out effect. Whether you prefer a clean, minimal interface or prominent prompts, the choice is yours!
This isn't just a visual update—it's the foundation for smarter, more intuitive interaction across the entire game as we head toward larger, more complex ships and deeper gameplay systems.
Crew System – First Iteration
With update v0.8.3, we’re introducing the very first iteration of the Crew System, starting with the Tier 3 fishing ship. This is a long-awaited feature, especially for players who enjoy single-player mode and want extra hands on deck.
Crew members can now take over essential tasks, such as:
Hauling and hooking fish
Gutting and sorting fish
Baiting and preparing longlines (the player still decides when to deploy them)
Note: Tier 1 and Tier 2 boats do not support NPC crew due to limited space. Larger vessels provide more room and greater responsibility — just like in real life.
How does it work?
To hire NPC crew, first activate your Tier 3 fishing ship, rig it for longline fishing, and then visit the office. Once hired, crew can be assigned directly to your vessel through the Crew Chart and Assignment Tab in the company logbook. These systems are still a work in progress, with visuals and functionality to be refined in future updates.
You’ll need two crew members for each task slot — one as the supervisor and one as the worker. Make sure your boat’s inventory contains all the necessary items (bait, knife, hook, etc.), so your crew can equip themselves and carry out their tasks properly.
Finally, simply drag and drop the desired task onto the crew slot, and they’ll get to work.
Note: If the hauling task is started by the player (e.g., using the remote gear control), crew members will not continue it. This is known and will be addressed in an upcoming updates.
You can already hire crew for Tier 3 service and cargo ships, but they don’t perform tasks yet — rest assured, this functionality will be added in upcoming updates!
We’ll continue to refine the crew system, enhance the interface, and improve navigation and pathfinding to make tasks feel more natural and seamless. Once the core character mechanics are complete, we’ll also add task-specific animations to enrich the experience further.
We also plan to extend the system to support NPC-controlled vehicles and vessels — not only for the upcoming ferry operations, but also to make the seas feel even more alive.
Unloading Fish Boxes – Mast Crane Integration
Tier 3 vessels now support unloading fish boxes at the harbour using the mast crane — an important new step in the fish production line. Blue fish boxes are treated as medium cargo and can be dropped off in the designated medium cargo area or at the fishery.
At this stage, interaction with individual boxes (to select and trade specific fish species at the fishery) is not yet implemented. For now, all sorted boxes will spawn in the unloading area beneath the hatch. The fishery UI features a temporary sell button, which will later be replaced with a proper shop interface. If the sell button is greyed out, it means there are currently no fish available to trade.
We’ve also added a small detail for extra realism: the small hatch under the bleeding box now animates, opening and closing as fish are moved from the bleeding box into the production line.
How it works:
Sort 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 them at the port (ship must be docked)
The hatch will not open if crew or obstructions are in the way — safety first!
Passenger Transport Missions Arrive
Passenger transport gameplay has now officially launched with Update v0.8.3, following its successful run in the Public Test branch.
To begin, visit the office at one of the ports (Røst, Værøy, Skomvær, and Mosken) and accept a passenger transport mission. From there, meet your passengers at the dock, interact with them, and guide them aboard your vessel.
Once on board, NPC passengers will take their seats in the passenger area and perform fitting animations during the journey, bringing new life and activity to your ship. This marks the first step in passenger transport; future features will expand tasks to include operating a kiosk on the Tier 3 service vessel, ultimately leading to full-scale ferry operations on the upcoming Tier 4 ferry vessel.
Known Issues:
Passengers may clip or fail to re-board after visiting the shipyard.
Multiple missions, combined with save/load, can cause incorrect counters, result in all passengers being delivered to a single port, or lead to premature mission completion.
Mission rewards currently appear doubled.
We’re aware of these issues and will address them in upcoming updates.
🏢 Warehouses
With Update v0.8.3, every port now features a warehouse with unlimited storage, managed by an interactable NPC worker. You’ll find the warehouse worker outside, giving you direct access to your stored cargo.
Warehouses provide greater flexibility for cargo missions:
Move cargo into the warehouse – Request to store your own cargo, or even another company’s cargo, from the port’s cargo area. If at least one active player is present, a vote will begin, and once confirmed, the cargo will be transferred into storage.
Transfer cargo back to the port – Request unloading from the warehouse, and the cargo will be placed in the first available cargo area.
Delete cargo – You may permanently remove your own cargo from storage if needed.
One of the biggest advantages: if you sell your boat with loaded cargo during an active mission, your cargo items won’t be lost. Instead, they are automatically transferred to your company's warehouse, allowing you to continue your mission with another cargo vessel.
Note: Leaving companies does not transfer items to the new company.
Interactable NPC Warehouse Worker
Moving Cargo to the Warehouse
Transferring Cargo Back from the Warehouse to the Port
Dynamic Markers
Mission markers have been reworked to reduce clutter. Previously, all icons — including pickup, drop-off, and destination points — appeared both in the world and on the compass at once. Now, the compass only displays markers for distant objectives outside your visual range, while nearby objectives show their world icon instead. Markers now update dynamically.
We’ve also added new mission icons for better clarity. Please note that the UI will continue to evolve as the game develops, even after version 1.0 is released.
Longline Length Deployment
We have improved the longline setting, where the displayed line length decreases if the captain zigzags or turns back toward the first buoy. The system had been measuring straight-line distance instead of the actual gear spooled out. This has now been improved — the longline continues to unspool correctly regardless of the vessel's heading.
Rust Build-Up Adjusted
We’ve modified the rust system across all ships so that dust and rust accumulate more gradually, making it take much longer for vessels to appear worn.
Handheld Radio
The handheld radio is functional, but at certain distances it may not work reliably. Please keep this in mind when using it — the issue will be addressed with the upcoming map update.
Changelog v0.8.3.1510
Added information in the help for crew management
Fixed the issue with the crew that can get stuck on the ladder on Turbo
Fixed missing translation in Weather Settings for storm
Changelog v0.8.3.1506
Added logging for upgrading the save game crash
Adjusted the rust modifier on all ships, it should take a lot longer for the boat to become rusted
Fixed issue with radio not being interactable on Fixer
Changelog v0.8.3.1503
Added passenger missions to Skomvær, Stavøya, Værøy, and Mosken
Adjusted XP rewards for passenger missions
Adjusted XP rewards for trash missions
Added information in help for passenger missions, processing fish and unloading fish boxes at port
Fixed the crash with the boat boarding component
Fixed a crash when the mission was expiring during time skipping
Fixed the issue with the client not being able to refuel the external fuel tank
Fixed the issue with the jigger UI that duplicates and persists each time the jigger is equipped
Fixed issue with mission completion window in co-op
Fixed the issue with not being able to sell fish boxes at Værøy port
Fixed issue with NPC crew not able to bait longlines
Fixed issue with NPCs around ports appearing slouched
Fixed issue with Skomcat sometimes being undocked after loading a savegame
Fixed the issue with throttle control when viewing the map
Fixed distance not showing correctly for cleanup missions after mission completion
Fixed the missing icon for the place cargo
Fixed missing nets after loading a save game
Fixed some typos in the Norwegian language
Improved light in ports and on ships
Improved NPC crew reactions to tasks
Improved NPC crew navigation to prevent getting stuck
Improved passenger missions
Removed XP for whale missions, this is just temporarily as there is some issues with how its handled
Changelog v0.8.3.1480
New Features
Added crew hire in Værøy port
Added dedicated fish unloading areas in Værøy and Røst port
Added details to passenger transport missions
Added save support for passenger transport missions
Added the ability to start the engine while your vessel is docked at the moorings
Improvements
Improved compass and markers with dynamic icons and clearer world markers for missions
General improvements to lightning
Improved NPC behaviour (no longer sitting in the air)
Passengers are now correctly linked to their respective missions in multiplayer sessions
Localized weather settings
Increased passenger capacity on Skarven and Skomkat
Increased number of passenger missions
Increased distances for XS and Small cargo missions
Fixes
Fixed a crash when loading a save game with partially delivered cargo
Fixed a crash when the tracked mission was not replicated for the client
Fixed several other crashes
Fixed an error where a crew member could get stuck when using the hook
Fixed delivery missions not saving inactive cargo
Fixed client interaction issues where double input was required
Fixed longlines taking the wrong amount of bait
Fixed overlapping UI at fuel stations
Fixed inventory operations when baiting longline buckets
Fixed storm weather desync between the host and client after starting a storm
Fixed missing delivery mission details in the company widget after loading a save game
Fixed NPC passengers not spawning in port after loading a save game
Fixed saving for partially deployed longlines
Resolved an issue where fish habitat settings were lost after loading a save
Fixed mission completion window showing incorrect rewards in multiplayer
Changelog v0.8.3.1463
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 a 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 a 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 the shipyard
Fixed the incorrect clock display on boats
Fixed propeller placement on Skomcat (Tier 3 Service Ship)
Fixed the issue where the player could get stuck in the Conquest (Tier 2 Fishing Boat) hatch
Fixed the issue where clients could not gut fish or interact with the wheelhouse equipment
Fixed the issue with boats rolling after loading a save
Fixed Conquest (Tier 2 Fishing Boat) jitters when rigged with a remote control hauler
Fixed the issue where the client could not see the 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 does not work
Fixed inconsistency with shared XP between host and client
Fixed interaction through walls while driving
Fixed the jigger UI showing for all players in the session
Fixed lobby info not displaying correctly
Fixed the map being opened multiple times in the driver position
Fixed issue where player could walk through door on Røster (Tier 1 Cargo Ship)
Fixed missing XP when completing the boat rescue mission
Fixed missing XP when loading a 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 the 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 a 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)
Behind the Scenes
We’re already working on the next set of features and improvements. As a brief teaser, we’ve included a video of our new map, showcasing a redesigned office layout, enhanced environments, and a new weather system to boost immersion. The map also brings improved graphics and overall lighting, along with new ports to dock and explore.
In addition, we’re working on dedicated server support that goes beyond the current friends list system, making it easier to connect with players worldwide and grow your own maritime community. We’re also refining ship physics and steering, improving boat capacity so you’ll always know exactly how much your vessel can carry, enhancing the UI, and much more still to come.
Stay tuned, captains — we’ll keep shaping Ships At Sea together and look forward to what’s coming next!
Fair Winds and Happy Sailing.
Team Misc Games