Merchant of the Skies News

Hey merchants!



This update, we've focused on rebalancing and adding depth to the game. Also, to get something out of the way: we were finally allowed to introduce cards into Merchant of the Skies :) The foil badge is pretty epic.

We are also starting to look for community translations: there's a special website to do the translation in a straightforward manner, but please join our discord to discuss this further if you want to help ( you don't have to do the whole translation, it's a simple interface with entry fields vs original text in english; every bit helps).

Anyway, here goes the actual patch notes:


> week indicators (I - VI numbers under calendar), after week 4, trade post prices are refreshed (either by 1 index up or 1 index down, never changes too much)


> average price which you've paid for the item at trading posts is saved now
> trade posts have limited amount of money; money is refreshed on trade post "resupply day"; the more you trade with a tradepost, the more money it has on refresh days.


> selling items with a profit on trade posts gives you exp
> demand bar at the bazaars: if you sell the items too much, the min/max value for which you can sell is lowered

> bazaar demand goes up a bit by every week (so if you stop selling an item, it will go back to normal after a few weeks). Alternatively, selling multiple different items makes sure the demand is balanced.
> price index based on zoning (each trade post resource has the "origin" point on the map, the further trade posts are from that point, the higher the price). This should allow for improved trade routes / deeper planning and less exploits. You don't see the zones in-game, at least yet. Just letting you know how the pricing works now.


> Spyglass is now unique (can't install multiple spyglasses on one ship)
> Modules transfer on ship purchase
> level bar added in skill menu
> After you close the container, the items are optimized/autoarranged (you won't be getting rock stacks of 2,3,5 amounts spread out through different slots)
> Holding ctrl on keyboard hides the "Visit" button on the map
> Quest log rework
> Changed how quest indicator looks on the map

Community translations! There's a website with simple inputs that allows to run community translations. If you want to help translate the game to your language - join the discord and find out more.


Bread base cost: 12 -> 35
Glass: 100->50
Glass Bottle: 40->30
Gear: 90->70
Medicine: 100 -> 150
Apple Juice: 80->120

Island prices:
* Apple Island 100->500
* Forest Island 200->425
* Gem Island 1000->4250
* Iron Island 500->1050
* Stone Island 350->600

Buildings:
Oven: wood/stone requirements up to 15 from 5
Forge: brick/iron requirements up to 15 and 9 from 5 and 3
Alchemist: brick / lumber requirements up to 8 from 5

Gem Mine Base gold cost 700 -> 1000
Reduced module costs for iron pickaxes, axes, baskets by 2 times

After this update we're going to fully concentrate on caravans/automation. But as usual - if you encounter any bugs or issues - let us know asap. QoL suggestions are also appreciated. Cheers and keep the feedback coming!
Best,
Vladimir

Hey Merchants,



During the launch week it has become clear that the quests feel repetitive and not rewarding enough. In this update, we are addressing this. Expect it to be a start, not a final state. But it should set the direction where we want to go :)

• Tourism quests added to houses
  
• Item fetch quests become progressively harder (and progressively more rewarding) as you gain reputation with the trade guils
  
• Item fetch quests can ask you deliver items to other islands (before that they ask you to deliver stuff to the same island only)
  
• Shipwright lumber delivery quests (take them at the shipwrights) - reputation decreases ship prices.
  

Awarded for completing the quests. Can be:
1) Spent to purchase Special modules (at new island, see the picture above!)
2) Tradeed in for reduced tax @ trade posts

• Spyglass (increases your view range in navigation view and allows you to see the buildings on unvisited islands)
  
• Sturdy pickaxes (mine all resources as lesser wear)
  
• Magic Sails (move 25% faster, stacks with stronger sails)
  
• Autocharger - charges your ship automatically when you visit port (and actually takes the money for that, so be careful; luxury item)
  

• When you buy a new ship, it has 50% charge now (no more sudden bankrupcies!)
  
• Bottom ship panel status is saved across screens and game restarts
  
• Moved reputation panel to the right (will no longer interrupt picking new quest / interacting with the building)
  
• Carrot will show reputation growth even when you don't gain levels (you could increase reward levels before if you participated in minigame)
  
• Carrot will now talk to you in the interaction menu (we're experimenting)
  
• Changed resolution of main objective goal mark in map ui
  
• Whenever you hire crew at a house, the people will march towards your ship
  
• Bumped the gold game objective numbers (increased each roughly by 2 times)
  
• Can only have one lumberjack / apple gatherer on an island from now on
  
• More city names as suggested
  
• "When is the next update" panel so you can be informed. Expect bi-weekly content updates (unless something huge is planned). Also hotfixes will be released ASAP and don't match this schedule.
  

• Bazaar no longer "eats" surplus items that it has no slots for
  
• Bazaar will correctly display stack price on multiple stacks of the same item
  
• Visual look of ship upgrade menu changes: now module buttons won't go over borders when upgrading bigger ship
  

The old saves are going to work, but new quest island content (trading hub) is going to be available only on newly generated maps. You also won't always be getting the travel quests (not all travel objects are on the old maps). So yes - if you can, please start a new session.

Apart from that - we were overwhelmed by your feedback, but were really happy to receive it. Keep the reports/suggestions coming :) we might not implement it right away, but we sure appreciate hearing from you and try to gradually improve the game.
Best,
Vladimir

Hey!

Remember I told you there won't be a patch until Aug 9? Well I think I was wrong.

Here's the bugfix list for today:

• Capped the frame rate (should prevent from GPU overheating / using max possible power).
  
• Bottom menu is turning off correctly on Y (gamepad) / TAB press in map navigation scene
  
• After completing lighthouse objective, option to upgrade will not show
  
• Made horizontal scrolling with keyboard keys smoother
  
• Fixed the bug which would sell repeated stacks of items at the bazaar for zero
  
• Nerfed the bazaar max price (min remains the same); you all are right, it is too strong right now. Treat it as a temporary solution for further rebalancing.
  
• Victory window will no longer reopen multiple times if you are traing at the bazaar
  
• Fixed the rare issue when quests would point to a broken locations without trade guild / become impossible to complete
  
• Added some city name variations (thanks Moetel and Lukalot, if anyone has any name prefix (Sea, South, Land) or postfix (-shire,- ham, -etc) suggestions - post them under this thread).
  

Hope if helps :) If you were affected by any of these - really sorry. I'll be still addressing the most urgent things, but mostly I'll be spending my time working on a quest update/rework. Expect it on Aug 9.
Best,
Vladimir

Hey Merchants!

Due to some good feedback, I'm introducing the patch 1.0.4, "too big to fail":

Two major changes:
1) You can continue after finishing the game. Just go back to the same game from the menu. If you don't want to continue the old game, just pick "no" when it asks you to continue the game and then "yes" when it asks if you want to start the game anew.

2) If you go bankrupt, the bank will bail you out:
2.1) If you have enough money in the bank, those are taken, you owe nothing
2.2) If you don't have enough money in the bank, the bank loans you the money, but you need to pay it back. If you don't pay it back and go bankrupt again - the game is lost permanently.

I think this should solve two major ux issues:
sudden loss and expectations to continue the game after clearing the main goal :)

Minor bugfix:
- one day will actually pass now (after you trade in Bazaar and return to map)

Hope you enjoy it.
Best,
Vladimir

Hey Merchants!

Thanks to your feedback, I am able to improve the game :) Patch 1.0.3 is live. First of all, feature adjustments:

• fast-forward button on map screen
  

it was a popular request so it only makes sense to add it :) Fast-forward time at 4x speed without actually moving your ship.

• significant bazaar buff: minimum price is set to a base price of the item (up from zero), chance to sell it is 95%. Max price is 3x actual price of the item. The sale chance in that case still remains the same as before, 5%.
  

Some other adjustments:

• crafting bug fixed (resoruces will now be used properly). This would also probably lengthen the playthrough time :)
  
• sails don't stack, can only install one
  
• enable opengl rendering on windows (in case the game shows blank screen or crashes, go to steam library -> find merchant of the skies -> properties -> set launch options -> write "-force-glcore -force-glcore42" without quotes -> run the game through steam)
  
• ui changes to allow for different resolutions
  
• balancing: significantly increased gem island price (2500 from 1000) because as it is now, it breaks even _very_ fast
  
• right click to mark items in ship storage display (from bottom left menu) works properly now
  
• fix biggest ship storage so it does not overlap tax panel
  
• increased island name variety a bit
  
• increase the island storage upgrade levels by 2
  
• improved bazaar purchase visual effect
  
• bugfix: you could only check out other island info (by hovering mouse) only when your ship was on top of another island already
  

I'm going to take a break over the weekend, so expect slower reply times :) Thank you for your help and support during the release. As usual, if you enjoy the game - please consider leaving a good review as this helps with store visibility. More than anything, hope you enjoy the changes and keep the feedback coming!

Best,
Vladimir