Ahoy, Tinkerlanders!
We know you’ve been waiting for the next major update for a while now, but it is very much in the works. Our goal is simple: we want this update to be as fun, stable, and polished as possible when it reaches everyone.
And with the amount of new content we’re preparing (new islands, new systems, new enemies, new tools etc.) - this is not exactly a tiny patch we can simply send out into the wild. Tinkerlands is growing fast, and we want to make sure it grows in the right direction.
That’s why we’d like to ask for your help and also give some of you a chance to try the update early.
The Upcoming Community Playtest
We’re planning to run a closed Community Playtest for some of the most dedicated and curious Tinkerlanders from our community. These players will be among the first to try the upcoming update and help us improve it before the public release. Their feedback will be incredibly valuable for balancing, bug fixing, polishing, and catching the kind of strange issues that only appear when real players start doing real player things.
The closed Community Playtest will take place in our Discord in early October. Stay tuned - we’ll share the registration details very soon!
Global Playtest Registration Is Opening Now
If you’d like to try the upcoming update for free, we’re also opening registration for a Global Playtest that will take place shortly before the update release.
This playtest will include the full game with the new update and will be available through Steam for players who request access. So if you have friends who still haven’t tried Tinkerlands, this will be a great chance for them to jump in, explore the world, and see what the game is all about, and all for free!
Registration is opening now, and we’ll announce the exact playtest dates later!
August Development Focus
As for development, August was mostly dedicated to fixes, improvements, and quality-of-life work. Not every important change makes for a flashy GIF, but these are the things that make Tinkerlands smoother, clearer, and simply nicer to play.
Here are some of the improvements we worked on this month:
Vanity Slots Tooltips
We’ve added text tooltips to certain items and UI elements. For example, Vanity Slots now explain that items placed there won’t provide bonuses. This should help avoid confusion and make the system easier to understand at a glance.
Pixel / Smooth Shadows
We’ve added a new shadow option. Pixel shadows are lighter on the GPU, which should help performance, while smooth shadows remain available for players who prefer that look. Better performance or prettier shadows - now it's your call!
Thunder Lighting
A small but lovely community suggestion: thunder now affects global lighting. It’s a little detail, but it makes stormy weather feel much more alive.
Metal Detector VFX
The Metal Detector visual effect has been toned down. This was suggested several times, and we agree: useful feedback should not feel like the game is trying to hypnotize you.
Inventory Sorting
Container sorting had been bugged for quite a while, but now it works properly again. Finally, your storage chaos can become slightly more organized chaos.
Community GUI
The old Community GUI was a bit too small and clumsy, so we reworked it. The new version is clearer, easier to use, and includes helpful tooltips for newer players when building houses.
Better Portals
Portals are now instant and no longer require cutscenes. Traveling between places should feel much faster and less cumbersome.
Chest GUI
We also improved the chest interface. Some players mentioned that the slider in bigger chests felt annoying, so the new GUI solves that issue. This will become the new default chest interface, but players who prefer the old version will still be able to switch back to it in the settings.
Community Mods Spotlight
While we’re preparing the upcoming playtests, our modding community has been busy creating some really cool things for Tinkerlands!
Recently, we’ve seen new mods focused on making the game more convenient and easier to navigate - including better inventory organization, improved map tools, NPC tracking, and other helpful additions for everyday adventuring. Here are some of them that deserve a shoutout:
GPS Radar by telles0808
Improves the ingame map functionality with a configurable radar that marks NPCs, enemies, chests and much more. It also includes functionality to add and remove pins in the minimap, with a toggle to auto-add a tombstone pin on player death.
Better Map by Spucio
Another map mod that adds more functionality to the map. This one includes the option to increase the minimap size and include all nearby entities among other functionality.
Better Organizer by telles0808
Adds filters to all containers that can be set on or off, and a new "Quick Stack" button that moves items to the near containers based on their filter settings.
If you’d like to check them out, you can find and download community-made mods in the dedicated modding section of our Discord. As always, please keep in mind that mods are created by the community, so use them with care and make sure to read the instructions from their creators.
Huge thanks to all modders for spending their time making the game better, funnier, stranger, and sometimes dangerously convenient!
That’s all for August!
Thank you for your patience, support, bug reports, suggestions, and enthusiasm. We know you’re waiting for the next big update, and we’re doing our best to make it worth the wait.
If you want to help us test the update early, keep an eye on our Discord and Steam page for the Community Playtest announcement. Or if you want to try the full game with the upcoming update, don’t forget to request access to the Global Playtest on Steam!
And as always, our Discord is open for feedback, questions, bug reports, and finding co-op partners!
Enjoy your adventure in the Tinkerlands and stay tuned!
~The Tinkerlands Team