Greetings, Captain! It's been two weeks since Boat Crew was released on Early Access, and we figured it would be a good time to talk about what has happened in the two weeks after launch. Before we begin, we'd like to direct your attention to the updated Roadmap.
We noticed that the original Roadmap had some issues in chronology, and we are sorry about those errors! They have now been corrected. There's no practical change other than that the Campaign Alpha release has been postponed to a more realistic 2nd week of September release as we wanted to put more time into improving customization and Wave Survival, now called Fleet Endurance.
Beyond that, the game is still scheduled for completion by November and our changes have mostly been in correcting awkward typos or mistaken dates that don't correspond to every second Monday. Now, without further ado, let's move on to what's changed within the game!
Roadmap:
1st of August - Early Access Launch
- Tutorial and 15 Challenges to play though
- Complete Combat Mechanics
- Campaign Tech Preview as a Spectator Mode
15th of August - 1st Checkpoint (*)
- Preliminary Customization
- Fleet Endurance Mode
- Routine Unit Additions
29th of August - 2nd Checkpoint
- Customization Improvements
- Fleet Endurance Improvements
- Routine Unit Additions
12th of September - 3rd Checkpoint
- Customization Improvements
- Campaign Alpha Release
- Routine Unit Additions
26th of September - 4th Checkpoint
- Crew Skills and Progression
- Tech Tree
- Routine Unit Additions
10th of October - 5th Checkpoint
- Enhanced Weather Mechanics
- Larger Boat Classes
- Campaign Map Expansion
24th of October - 6th Checkpoint
- Level Editor w/ Guide
- Routine Unit Additions
- Campaign Improvements
7th of November - Final Checkpoint
- Final retouches
- Preparation for Release
- Early Access Reward
Bonus - Post Release Modding Tools
Current Situation:
First of all, we've added new graphics settings to support lower-end or older computers. Level of Detail can now be customized to adjust model detail; it's a slider that can be adjusted on the go so feel free to use it on the go. Similarly, display resolution can also be changed on the go with a slider, though the game should automatically default to your native settings if possible. Still, if you wanted to adjust the display resolution, the option is now there.
As an experimental setting, we've also given the option to adjust the rotation assist impulse for your boat. Normally in Boat Crew, when you try to turn your boat, an additional impulse is provided to make the rotation smoother. This makes the boat feel nimbler, but it also makes the boat feel lighter, so to speak. This impulse is now adjustable as an option, and can give you a heftier boat feeling when reduced or turned off. It's normally a game mechanic and the impulse as well as the tuning of it will be included in the Campaign as a progression element, but for now, we have an experimental slider to adjust it in Options.
We also now have mouse sensitivity settings, adjustable zoom speed, and the ability to toggle the targeting mode instead of having to hold it down. You also now have the option to enable free rotation of the camera in the targeting mode, without having to hold a button down. Overall, we can say that this week has been quite productive in improving the ways in which the player can adjust the game controls to their liking. If you have any further suggestions on this or about Boat Crew in general, feel free to make Community Hub thread or hit us up at our Discord channel.
Besides these changes, there have also been changes, content-wise. The mission Dangerous Waters has been updated to have more depth charges; and have the player start out at a greater distance. The search area for the submarine has also been widened.
Previously, the mission already had a secret mechanic to encourage experimentation; if you took a detour and went around the other side of the first island instead of taking a straight path, you wouldn't encounter enemy scout planes, which immediately started a countdown to spawn more enemies to disrupt your sub hunt. This option is now communicated to the player in an in-game message, so if you would like to have notably less resistance during your sub hunt, you're now made aware that taking a detour will help you with this.
The pacing issues in this mission have been brought to our attention by our players, so thanks again for the feedback. After these changes, we feel that these issues have been resolved and the pacing of the mission has been improved. If you haven't tried this mission before or if you're simply in the mood for some sub hunting, make sure to try the new and improved Dangerous Waters out!
We also have a brand new mission; a 2-star mission called the Free Fire Zone. Using the cover of the night, you're expected to take a lightly armed but fast boat to evade enemy patrols and destroy AAA positions around the enemy airfield. Doing so will allow a friendly carrier air wing to conduct their attack. This mission is supposed to act as an introduction to our Stealth mechanics, which are functional if admittedly incomplete at the moment. You don't have enough ammunition or repair kits on you to clear the map out, so you're expected to focus on the primary targets and avoid combat whenever possible. We feel that these skills will be useful to cultivate for the future Campaign. Overall, Free Fire Zone is a fun night mission with a simple objective that nevertheless gives you room to think in its execution. We've had a lot of fun making and playing it; we hope you will have fun with it as well.
We've also changed the targeting sound to something a little more serious. Previously, our sound was a pitch-shifted sample of a Japanese flute playing on loop. Though attention catching, it was a little bit goofy for our taste and so was changed to a mechanical wind-up sound. It feels more serious and less distracting, so we hope you'll agree with us that it's a change for the better.
Our Lead Developer Cotanius was annoyed that he was unable to determine whether a target is within in lock-on range at a glance. Fortunately for him, he was in a position to do something about it and so added the range line, which is a dashed circle around the player's boat that shows the lock-on range. Since our weather and time system directly affects the lock-on range, we found this to be quite useful, though it can always be disabled in the options.
So that's how our launch week has gone. A new mission, some tweaks to existing ones, a whole bunch of quality of life changes and expanded options. Our launch sale also came to an end after the first week, with Boat Crew reaching the price it's meant to have until halfway through Early Access.
Our second week, in some ways, has been more exciting! Fleet Endurance, or Wave Survival as we've called it in the previous Developer's Diary, is due to be released on Friday into the experimental branch. It is almost done and we're currently doing the final retouches on it, and if we may say so, are quite excited for it too as customization is finally making its way into the live version of Boat Crew.
As for our routine unit additions; we've added our first Heavy Fighter to the Japanese roster: the Ki-45 Dragonslayer! This tough opponent is not easy to kill and will have devastating strafing attacks with its 37mm cannon, but it also turns slowly and is easier to avoid than light fighters. Be careful though, as they will make short work of allied surface targets if left alone and can definitely cripple you with a few good hits if you get careless!
Ki-45 is currently not available in any Challenges as an opponent, but will be available in Fleet Endurance, so you'd better drill on your evasive maneuvers!
Goals for the Next Cycle:
Firstly, the Campaign's release may have been postponed by two weeks, but that doesn't mean the work on it won't be continuing in the background. In the next two weeks, most of our effort will be going into expanding and improving the Campaign, preparing it for release.
Customization will be further improved and expanded as well. We intend to routinely add further customization options throughout Early Access, and with the release of Fleet Endurance, we will finally have a platform to present these options before the release of the Campaign. Routine unit additions will also continue; perhaps something for the blue team this time?
Closing Remarks:
That's our report for the last two weeks, Captain! We hope that you've enjoyed Boat Crew so far and are sharing our excitement for what's to come in the future! The release of Fleet Endurance is imminent and the mode will get its own announcement upon release, so stay tuned!
Fair winds, Captain!
T.T.