Hello everyone, I’m Zig, the developer of NavalArt.
I would like to say a few words about the recent events in our community. After learning what happened and reading the community's feedback, I have been deeply troubled. Seeing familiar players and creators express their disappointment has made me reflect seriously on how a game that has come this far with your help could, through its own official communications, make its supporters feel that their contributions were not respected.
First, to the creators hurt by the inappropriate remarks, and to the players we have disappointed: I am sincerely sorry. We handled this badly and let you down.
Before explaining what happened and what we will do next, I want to talk about what this community has meant to me and to NavalArt over the years.
In 2018, I worked on《Process the Battleship：Reunion》. Later, disagreements over the direction of its development for mobile led me to leave and begin developing NA independently. At first, it was more of a hobby project driven purely by enthusiasm. Over the long course of development, however, I was fortunate to meet many like-minded friends and volunteers. Whether through discussions about the game’s underlying systems, day-to-day community management, generous contributions of high-quality game assets, or early financial support, your help has kept this game moving forward.
There have been many changes in my personal life over the years, and several times I came close to being unable to continue updating the game. Each time, the community’s support helped me persevere. Some longtime players will remember the old update schedule, which earned me the affectionate nickname “the pigeon”—Chinese slang for someone whose promised updates keep getting delayed. From those early versions to the increasingly complete game we have today, updates have become more frequent, and we are working toward leaving Early Access in the near future. Thank you sincerely for your support. Looking back on nearly a decade of persistence, I can honestly say that I have tried my best to realize our shared vision: a naval sandbox with a one-time purchase, freedom to create, and a community eager to share.
I still remember how basic the game was when it first launched. With every update, I worked hard to bring you the things you hoped for, both to make the game what I imagined it could be and to live up to your expectations. There were no AI coding assistants like today’s; many of the underlying features took painstaking work and experimentation on my own. Some of my happiest memories from those years are of staying up late to finish a new feature, posting it in our QQ group, and seeing the excited discussions and memes fill the screen. Your genuine enthusiasm and encouragement are what have kept me developing the game to this day.
As development expanded, I also came to recognize the limits of what one person could do. In the middle of last year, I invited ZheSheng, who had previously been a community volunteer, to join me. He helped advance development and took on announcements, community communication, and moderation. He helped drive work on sound effects, the campaign, and other content, and gathered requests for features players wanted. But those contributions do not excuse the mistakes made in this incident. I am also responsible for how our team communicates and operates. ZheSheng has recognized his mistakes and wishes to offer a sincere account and apology. I have included his statement at the end of this announcement.
Yesterday, at around 6:30 p.m., after a day of development work, I learned that a serious dispute had broken out in the community. As I looked further into it, I learned that it began when a new player modified a player-contributed preset ship and uploaded the modified version to the Steam Workshop. A disagreement with the original creator followed and gradually escalated into a hostile argument in the community.
Some of the game’s preset ships were contributed by players. We have always retained author credits in the save interface so that players know who created these ships and to express our appreciation for their willingness to share them. When disagreements arise over modifications, reuploads, or attribution, we should communicate calmly and help clarify the issues. Instead, when ZheSheng intervened in an official capacity, his comments in the QQ group and the announcement that followed used seriously inappropriate language, reflected immature emotional reactions, and fell short of the professionalism expected of him. Rather than resolving the conflict, these statements made many creators who had invested time and care in the game feel that their work was not respected, and disappointed players who trusted us.
I was not aware of those actions beforehand, but that does not absolve me of responsibility as the developer and person in charge. When statements are made in an official capacity and announcements are published in our name, I am responsible for addressing and correcting them. The fact that the dispute began between players is no excuse for our own misconduct.
In addition, yesterday in the “港区茶会” (“Harbor Tea Party”) group, I made inaccurate judgments before I had understood the full situation. I also apologize to the players affected by those remarks. This is something I personally need to reflect on and correct.
Since last night, I have spent considerable time understanding the events, reading feedback, and collecting my thoughts. What hurts is not simply the negative reviews. It is that people who once helped NavalArt and willingly shared their creations now feel they must resort to these measures to make us take their concerns seriously.
I have not forgotten what you have done for this game. Contributions of preset ships and part models, development assistance, community maintenance, feedback, and financial support are never things we should take for granted. You participated because you cared about the game and believed we could make it better. We should value that trust and demonstrate it through our communications and actions.
I have always been more comfortable keeping my head down and working on the game, believing that if I made it good enough, players would naturally recommend NavalArt to others. This incident has made me realize that we must take every official communication just as seriously as development itself. I also want to apologize to those who simply wanted to enjoy the game and share their creations but found themselves caught up in this dispute. I hope you will continue pointing out our mistakes, and I hope discussions can return to the issues themselves without escalating into personal attacks or people piling on one another. We must be the first to uphold that standard.
The events of the past two days have left me exhausted. I need some time to recover and reorganize our development and community communication arrangements, so upcoming updates are expected to be delayed by one to two weeks. During that time, I will continue handling the aftermath of this incident rather than setting these issues aside. Respect for creators must extend beyond this announcement. To that end, I will gradually implement the following measures in the coming period and future updates.
Changes to Model Export
I will remove the in-game model export feature in a future update to reduce instances of creations being exported through this feature and used elsewhere without consent.
This change cannot prevent every unauthorized use of a creation, and it will inconvenience some players who use the export feature legitimately. However, given the current limitations in how we protect contributed models, I want to begin by reducing this risk.
Improved Attribution and Contributor Recognition
Building on the existing credits, I will improve how we recognize preset ship creators and part model contributors:
Clearer preset ship attribution: Preset ships will receive clear original-creator labels and author credits, making their origins easier to identify.
Expanded contributor credits: The Credits will include a dedicated section for part model and preset ship contributors. I will review and supplement the author list. If anyone is missing or a credit needs correcting, please contact me by email.
Dedicated contributor badges: I will create separate in-game badges for preset ship creators and part model contributors. Everyone whose previous submissions were accepted will also be included. I will also consult Steam about the rules and feasibility of dedicated Steam Community badges and profile showcase items. These badges and related display features will take time to develop; I will explain their design and release plans in future updates.
Preset Ship Watermarks and Source Attribution
To address preset ship creators’ concerns, I am currently exploring an approach that would preserve the original author’s information in the data of saves derived from preset ships. When those saves are uploaded to the Workshop, the game would, where possible, automatically include credit to the original creator or apply a label identifying the upload as a modified work. The aim is to prevent unnecessary misunderstandings caused by omitted attribution.
I am still working out how to implement this in a way that preserves the enjoyment and freedom of modifying ships while properly respecting their original creators. Testing the code and Workshop integration will take time. Once I have a workable solution, I will keep you informed of the progress.
Withdrawing Contributed Preset Ships
I am deeply grateful for everyone’s contributions of preset ships and part models, and I sincerely hope these creations can remain part of NavalArt as it continues to grow.
I especially want to thank USS Louisiana BB-71, the members of Crux Shipyard, 魂现猫亡, 昨叶青何, Silyn, 东方树叶, 提摩西, 整中大飞柱、:D、 G.Anvoir, and our other part model contributors. Your carefully crafted models have expanded NavalArt’s creative possibilities and have been a source of inspiration and enjoyment for many shipbuilders. I have not forgotten those contributions, and I sincerely hope we can continue working together so that more players can discover and appreciate your work.
NavalArt has always been a very niche game. Given our current development scale and budget, I cannot afford to purchase all existing contributed preset ships and part models. What I can promise, and will work hard to deliver, is proper attribution, acknowledgments, source tracking, and contributor recognition, while respecting each creator’s wishes about whether their work remains in the game.
If you have concerns about the continued use of your work, please contact me at the email address below. If you ultimately wish to withdraw it, I will respect that decision and discuss the arrangements with you, taking into account how any affected parts are used by existing ships. I deeply hope these excellent creations, into which you have poured countless days and nights, can stay in this sandbox as NA moves toward its full release, to be seen, remembered, and appreciated by future players.
Contact email:
To request the removal of a contributed preset ship, please use the subject line “Preset Ship Withdrawal Request” and include:
The name of the ship;
Your creator name and a link to your Steam profile;
The original submission record or other information that can help verify your identity.
Within two weeks of receiving your email, I will complete the verification and reply with a specific removal plan. If more information is needed, I will contact you within that same period. Ships confirmed for removal will be removed from the official presets in a subsequent version.
Improved Workshop Community Guidelines
We want the Workshop to be a place where creators can share confidently and new players can comfortably learn and experiment. To reduce misunderstandings, we encourage the following three basic courtesies, which will also appear in the dialog shown before uploading to the Workshop:
When publishing a modified creation, clearly credit its source. If you modify someone else’s work and publish it, please prominently name the original creator and link to the original Workshop item in the description. Modifying existing creations is often a new player’s first step toward learning, but giving credit is a basic courtesy toward the effort behind the original.
Read the original creator’s instructions before publishing. If the description explicitly states that modified versions must not be reuploaded, please respect that request. Keep your modified version for personal, local use rather than uploading it publicly.
Keep disagreements focused on the issue. If questions arise about attribution or a creation’s source, please try to resolve them through friendly communication first. If you cannot reach an agreement, contact us by email so we can help check the facts. Whether you are the original creator or the person modifying a creation, please avoid mockery, personal attacks, and hostility between groups.
Improved Official Communication and Moderation
We must begin by correcting our own conduct. Going forward, I will enforce the following internal requirements:
All announcements will be reviewed: Every game update announcement and important community notice must be personally reviewed by me before publication. Official responses to community disputes must first establish the facts and then provide a consistent, objective account.
Consistent moderation standards: Insults, attacks, and other violations within our official groups and community spaces will be handled under impartial rules, regardless of a player’s seniority, contributions, or position in a dispute. Issues requiring follow-up will be handled through our contact email to avoid escalating emotions through fragmented group conversations.
I know that one announcement cannot immediately erase your disappointment. Every promise here must be fulfilled through the work and updates that follow. Some features and art assets will take time to create, but I will report progress honestly and address the issues that have already arisen.
Thank you for supporting NavalArt over the years, and thank you to everyone who has pointed out our mistakes during this incident. I still deeply value the connections this game has allowed me to make with you, and I hope our actions from here on can gradually rebuild the trust we have damaged.
I will take the time I need to regain my footing and continue making the game better. I hope we can spend more of our time together discussing new creations, new ways to play, and the enjoyment this naval sandbox can bring.
Zig
Developer of NavalArt
A Personal Statement from ZheSheng_1818
I am deeply sorry. I have betrayed the expectations and trust of Zig, my friends, community creators, and players.
On October 13, 2026, my comments in the Chinese community’s testing group and the announcement I published across our channels were arrogant, rude, and driven by emotional venting. They showed a severe lack of professionalism and personal decency. My statements caused serious, irreversible harm to the NavalArt community. My arrogance caused unforgivable hurt to friends and players who once trusted me. By publishing beyond my authority, I seriously damaged Zig’s reputation. By insisting on doing things my own way, I inflicted damage on NavalArt’s official credibility that will be difficult to repair. That this incident escalated as far as it did was a serious failure of my duties.
I am also a developer who came from this community. Looking back at what I said yesterday, I am profoundly ashamed.
I joined the NavalArt community in late 2020, gradually moving from player to community volunteer. I helped plan events, created artwork for community activities, produced artistic screenshots and promotional materials, and briefly served as a volunteer moderator. In June 2025, I accepted Zig’s invitation to become his full-time assistant on NavalArt. My responsibilities included game systems planning, campaign design, community management, factual research, fixing and importing contributed parts, writing announcements, and maintaining communication between the community and the development team. Having followed this path myself, I understand what community creators’ generosity and effort mean. I also understand how vile my earlier remarks were.
I learned about this incident relatively early. At 3:15 a.m. on October 11, I received a message from a community volunteer. I read it after waking up at 10:41 a.m. and learned that a user had invoked the preset-ship exemption in the new Workshop upload rules and then deliberately provoked the original creator. At 11:57 a.m., after receiving a detailed timeline and the concerns raised from a former community volunteer, I forwarded them to Zig along with some of my own views. I asked the community to wait for an announcement after we had reached an internal agreement.
However, I failed to ensure that the message was properly received. Only on the evening of October 13 did I learn that Zig had been dealing with urgent personal matters and had not logged into his social apps. On October 12, a workday, Zig was handling critical project matters while also under pressure from those personal circumstances. As a result, this conflict did not receive the attention it needed and was only briefly skimmed over. Many community volunteers were unhappy with our inaction and felt we were deliberately waiting for the issue to fade away.
Community volunteers and players trusted me, but I completely let them down. I failed even to assess the priority of the conflict properly or make its importance clear. The proper process for an important matter like this would have been to confirm that the recipient had received the message, call if they could not be reached, and speak to them in person if necessary. But because recent NavalArt updates had been well received, and because of my unwarranted confidence, I skipped that critical step. In an absurd chain of failures, the issue was left unresolved.
I also failed to stand firmly alongside the community volunteers.
Recently, I had been working to clarify the community’s copyright rules. I looked into relevant laws and user agreements for players whose work had already been infringed upon, and drafted the agreement displayed before Workshop uploads. My intention was to reduce recurring internal conflict over such situations. For a long time, dealing with these disputes had taken up substantial amounts of my work and rest time. I believed that preventing conflict, reducing infighting, and encouraging a healthy community atmosphere were responsibilities of a game developer. I also believed that poor rest would reduce work efficiency and, in turn, affect the quality and pace of development.
Because I had become disconnected from the community, and because of my arrogance, I failed to recognize how far my understanding had diverged from that of its current core players. I imposed my own views, treating my idea of what was normal as the only acceptable standard. Acting on that mistaken understanding, I disregarded community creators’ efforts, unilaterally sacrificed their interests, and categorized people who published modified works without proper attribution as casual players.
I also made an intolerable mistake: before the agreement went live, I privately changed it from the original draft to include unrestricted modification and republication of preset ships, without informing the affected authors in advance. After this dispute broke out, I arrogantly rejected suggestions to revise the copyright announcement in light of the problems it had exposed. Even after a former community volunteer clearly expressed dissatisfaction, I let a confrontational mindset take over. I lost sight of the central issue, became absorbed in my own narrative, and insisted on making numerous fundamentally wrong statements. In practice, I took sides unfairly and caused devastating harm to creators who had long supported the NavalArt community.
In trying to preempt potential copyright problems, I forced through my ideas without adequate community consultation or a trial period. I disregarded normal development procedures and made rules as I pleased. I deeply hurt preset ship authors’ feelings, treated a serious issue carelessly, and published an announcement in an official capacity without authorization, trampling on other people’s rights and dignity. The result showed that I was not capable of properly resolving these potential problems. My recklessness and ignorance seriously harmed the community as a whole. I had repeatedly urged people in previous disputes to resolve problems through rational discussion, but I failed to do so myself.
After publishing the initial announcement, I should have listened to community creators’ concerns, helped calm those involved, and reflected on my mistakes. Instead, I allowed the confrontation to escalate—and joined it.
During the emotional outburst that followed, I claimed to speak for the developer without any authorization, based solely on my own views, and said the astonishing words: “As far as the development team is concerned, preset ships were forced on us by the community.”
What I had intended to explain was that the current process for collecting and reviewing preset ships was handled entirely by the lead of our former community partner, Crux Shipyard. Because the NavalArt development team could not meet the community’s requirements for reviewing historical accuracy, we did not manage that process directly. Instead, we received preset ship packages prepared by Crux Shipyard’s lead and performed a limited set of checks.
But I did not explain it clearly as I have here. Instead, I said something cruel and misleading. Even that attempted justification is absurd: I should not have shifted responsibility onto a community partner, because this should have been part of my job. That statement laid bare my appalling arrogance and lack of decency, and instantly alienated a great many community creators and players.
In the discussion that followed, I also unilaterally decided that former community contributors’ requests to retain the ability to have derivative works taken down were unreasonable. When the other person responded that the current preset ship submission arrangement amounted to signing away their rights, I mocked them: “So the developer is buying your preset ships with special privileges? What a great deal.”
When they replied, “So you just want to get our work for free. Nice,” I answered, “Isn’t that obvious? Then why submit it?”
That disastrous remark caused an uproar. Although the circulated screenshot omitted the earlier argument about special privileges, there is no question that my understanding was wrong from the start. I should not have crudely dismissed community creators’ concerns as demands for special treatment and escalated the conflict. Regardless of the context, I should never have said those words.
I apologize to every player hurt by my remarks. I apologize to the community volunteers and Workshop creators who were treated unfairly because of my negligence and false accusations. I apologize to the community for my incompetence, to everyone waiting for updates for the disruption this fiasco has caused to development, and to everyone affected by the disorganized workflow surrounding update 1.6.1. I must face the appropriate consequences and do everything I can to address the aftermath and make amends.
I also thank everyone who argued with me over this incident, shared their feelings through different channels, or posted a negative review because of it. Your insistence on basic standards forced me to confront how wrong I was. I will remember this feedback, revisit my actions, and learn from them.
Going forward, I will correct my attitude, serve players more professionally and rationally, and accept the community’s scrutiny. To prevent another disastrous incident like this, I will clearly establish the limits of my authority and stop overstepping them in my dealings with community members. I will only publish announcements when authorized to do so.
I will also work to resolve the loss of moderation control over the Tieba forum and restore order there as soon as possible. We will introduce more consistent submission procedures for parts and preset ships, further revise the Workshop upload copyright notice in response to community feedback, and continue reviewing and addressing Workshop items that violate the rules.
If your work has been used without proper attribution or unlawfully reuploaded or redistributed, please contact me. If you were harmed by this incident and would like a further personal apology from me, please contact me as well.