Hi all, YYZ here.
It’s been awhile. This will be a long post - there are 2 things I would like to talk about.
- Challenges faced this year
- Havendock updates (finally!)
Before announcing the massive updates that I’ve finally been cleared to release, I’d like to apologize for the lack of updates/communication earlier this year.
As a solo developer, this journey has been both incredibly rewarding and challenging.
Havendock is a game I’ve poured my heart and soul into. What makes it truly special for me is the joy of being able to build the game alongside my community (which resulted in whacky touches like hamburger farms and pooping penguins).
However, what I didn’t expect was the business/commercial aspects of game development. Earlier this year, I faced a number of challenges that needed to be resolved, ultimately restricting what I could say and do with Havendock.
Until these issues were resolved, I was unable to push updates to Steam or communicate and this dragged on much longer than anticipated. It was incredibly frustrating not being able to share more with you guys - the very people I was so excited to build this game for.
For those who have continued to support the game, I thank you deeply from the bottom of my heart, and for those whom I’ve disappointed, I am sincerely sorry.
I will share more about my personal journey and reflections in a follow-up post on Saturday.
For now, it’s with a much lighter heart and deep excitement that I’m announcing that matters have been resolved and we’re ready to finally move towards Havendock 1.0!
Havendock Updates
First of all, a new update has been released onto the main branch!
The v0.72 update includes improvements to fishing village settlement stats, the addition of ambient ocean music, and the introduction of Havencat!
Improvements have also been made, such as making resource numbers easier to see.
Full changelog at the end.
Next, let's dive into what’s coming up. Several updates are in the works, and I’m thrilled to give you a preview of upcoming content:
Content Update #1 - Soon available in experimental!
Discover underwater wonders as you meet new sea friends.
Expand your underwater base with fresh buildings while farming clownfish.
This update, part of the v0.73 update, will soon be available on the experimental branch! Anyone can opt in, instructions below.
Content Update #2 - Kewi Traits
The addition of new islands will require advanced inter-island transport and reliance on Kewis, so to prepare for them, we are introducing Kewi Traits, which enhance your loyal Kewi birds with specialized abilities.
Content Update #3 - Astronomy Island
Unlock the next tier of automation with drones.
As well as a new NPC who has lost his memories…is he human or robot? Recover his memories and you’ll learn more about the world of Havendock and the “object” under the sea.
Rebuild the broken antenna and recover the island’s lost mission logs!
Here’s a Tip:
If you’d like early access to upcoming updates and want to contribute to development, consider opting into the experimental branch! Updates in this branch will be released about a month ahead of the main branch, allowing you to test new content early and share your feedback.
Q: How do I opt into experimental?
A: Anyone who bought the game can opt in but do note that that the experimental branch may not be stable and frequent changes will be made. While playing, you are advised to save your game as a separate file so you can always opt out and load your old save! If this scares you, you may consider waiting until it's ready! To opt in:
1) Right click on Havendock in your steam library > Properties > Beta
2) In the dropdown, select experimental (no code is required)
But that’s not all—there’s even more exciting content in the works.
What to expect - Features
Fancy riding some quirky boats? How about a duck, on a duck, on a duck?
More upgrades! Several buildings will have new upgrade tiers added to them. Now you can have a super overpowered base. These will require the new materials from Astro Island.
Supercharge your seed production...
New research branches will be unlocked as well! Ever wanted to spy on arriving settlers’ traits? Well, soon you’ll be able to!
Tired of having to run to piers to use a boat? Consider a more convenient way to reach islands, but beware, it costs fuel!
A strange island with mystical wizards.
Maybe meet pizza-loving vampires?
And maybe at the end…you can find your destiny.
More content details will be revealed over the coming months. For now, I’d like to avoid sharing too much and making promises I might not be able to keep.
Instead, how about a sneak peek at some fun and funky experiments currently in development? Keep in mind that these are just experiments. They may or may not make it into the game. No guarantees!
One of my favorites is Golden Buildings—extremely powerful versions of existing structures that require gold, an ultra-super-duper rare resource in Havendock.
Pretty Pictures!
Friend: What is your favourite colour?
Me:
I have one last thing hidden for Havendock, but I think it would be nice if some things are kept a surprise.
Stay tuned!
-YYZ
v0.72.0 changelog (Windows only for now):
- Add Havencat
- Settlement Stats now change on Fishing Village
- Seagulls now follow player at the correct height
- Add ocean soundtrack that plays intermittently between music tracks
- Building info panel resource numbers are now easier to see
- Changed potion cauldron sound effect
- Fix outfits being sold by traders (leaked content)
- Fix Aquaman visibly floating in builds without Astro island
- Reduce chance of wrong respawn when falling at edges of Polar Bear island
- Fix warning and idle texts appearing in civilization panel
- Fix Josh's Grill being able to be looted by kewis
- Fix MouseToMove popup appearing on second savefile
- Fix missing face textures on Kewi Birds for real
At the beginning of this post, I wanted to talk about three things. You'll notice this post has only two as it got too long. Thus, I'll be making another post on Saturday.