Devlog #3: Full Sail
Hi everyone!
Two things matter most this time. The sea got a proper rebuild, and our first Community Alpha, a small closed test, is about to start. The last two weeks went into the kind of groundwork this genre runs on, so we will keep the rest brief.
The Sea, Rebuilt
We tore into the ocean, and it shows. Waves break on the beach now, foam gathers along the shoreline, and a wake trails behind your boat as you cut through the water. The whole sea is calmer and more natural, less of a churning mess and more like water you would actually want to sail. We also smoothed out the jagged waves and brought back the foam that used to vanish around anything floating in it. In a pirate game, the water is on screen more than almost anything else, so this was worth every hour.
Community Alpha: A Closed First Test
We are also opening our first Community Alpha, and this one is small on purpose. It is a closed test with a limited number of slots, and the only way in is through our Discord.
Testing starts next week. Because spots are limited, the sooner you are on the Discord the better your chance of getting in. Everything you need, the access details and the how-to, will go up there, so that is the place to be.
Join the Discord for your shot at a slot:
Land Combat
Fighting on foot got more solid. Enemies path around obstacles and square up to you properly now instead of shuffling in a line, blocking and dodges hold up in a real exchange, and there is a new improvised weapon, the Sailor's Club, for when that is all a desperate crew has. Hits land with damage numbers and a health bar up close, and a fresh set of combat sounds carries the swing, the connect, and the grunt when you take one.
Founding a Settlement
You can also take the first steps of founding your own settlement. It starts with a wreck and a fished-up anchor, and once you raise the Heart of Settlement you have a place of your own, with a map panel tracking its comfort, its beds and the people living there. This is the side of the game we care about most, and the one we will keep building on.
Polish and Fixes
Everything else was groundwork and polish. A big pass went over the interface and inventory, survival got retuned so hunger and food sit right, the game runs better, and we cleared out a long list of bugs, from water flooding into menus to buildings drifting out of place on save and load. None of it is flashy on its own, but it is the plumbing the rest stands on.
That is the update. The most important part is simple: get on the Discord this week so you have a shot at the alpha. See you!
~ The Pirates Republic Team
