Merchant of the Skies News

Hey Merchants!

The huge 1.2 update is finally here! New combined campaign mode, much bigger map and module rework are all included in the base version of the game!



Here's a short video of me talking about it awkwardly while trying to play the game on a new map:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQXLc14jcC4

In case you are more into reading, here's the full changelog below!

Bigger Map:

• map is now at least 2x bigger; infinite (sandbox) mode allows to create 7 times bigger map than before
  
• map has random events/resource collection points appearing. There are 4 different occurable events now, we might add for more if you like them
  

New game mode, "Campaign":
> Combines all previous game modes into one map - we've heard you, you want it all together. The new map size allowed for it so it's our pleasure to add the combined "Campaign" mode that brings building a lighthouse, feeding the fish god, getting rich and supplying the inns together.

New biome, codename "Red":

• Different architecture and background (update screenshots btw)
  
• Different quests from "normal" guild, takes mostly tier-2 resources
  
• Can only get advanced ships there now
  
• Has no refueling posts, harder to reach / travel through from the start
  

New production chain and island type

• Wheat island added, can be encountered in red biome
  
• Two new buildings: wheat farm that gathers wheat, windmill that processes wheat into flour
  
• Bread is baked in the ovens from the flour (rather than straight from the wheat now)
  

Module system rework:
Based on your feedback, we understood that module system was not feasible with modules breaking and simply taking too much money / travels to re-install. We're addressing this today.

• Modules are no longer removed after they break
  
• Rather, you need to fix them by collecting scrap in the map view
  
• Six new ship modules added
  

For now, modules do not disappear after they've reached zero durability. We've also added some modules to interact with map events.

Ships

• 2 new ships added (faster, lower costs; perfect for small-scale caravans)
  
• Starter island has a shipwright now (with the two new ships)
  
• Ship rebalancing: increased amount of modules; increased prices; reduced fuel capacities. At the current stage it felt like you can buy the biggest ship and forget about refueling altogether, we wanted to change that. You will still be way better off with larger ships, but you'll still need to refuel now and then.
  

Just to add some ships more suitable for caravans due to their lower expenses. Carrying goods between islands (especially due to larger distances) should feel better now.

QoL

• Added game goal page in quest log
  
• current quests for this island are now shown in island info panel
  
• Objective indicator points towards the current quest target on the map
  
• Island info scrolling works with middle mouse button even when map is not hovered over it
  
• House sprite reworked (will be prettier now)
  
• Y(gamepad) / T(keyboard) button should properly close the bottom right travel menu
  
• Moved island name to quick navigation panel from ship panel (to open space for more modules)
  
• Space button / RT gamepad button will return focus on your ship in now-bigger map window
  
• Add scrollable functionality at price comparison table (and make clicking on an island actually go there)
  
• Improved Island info scrolling on map view
  

Bugfix:
Fixed captain visual effect (not visiting some islands properly)

Spanish language added

Thanks to Okazo, we've managed to add Spanish translation into the game. Thanks to our amazing community for maintaining other languages and making sure its possible to play Merchant of the Skies in 6 different languages!

Save compatibility saved, although I have no idea why would you want to play on older map :) As usual, thank you for sharing your thoughts and opinions with us. Every comment gives us a chance to improve the game.

To celebrate this patch, we're putting the game on 20% sale. We sincerely hope that you enjoy the new patch and we're even more excited for things to come next. Thanks for playing the game and supporting us all this time.

Yours,
Helen and Vladimir

Hey Merchants!

September 26th is here and it's time for a new patch. We've spent these two weeks on focusing on improving what we already have and adding Russian localization.



Here's the full change list:

• Prettier buying / selling / resources acquired effects, extra particles when gathering resources
  
• UX improvements, some storage/inventory windows have "move all" button that is context-dependant (i.e. sell all items @ trade post, store everything you can in storage)
  
• Improved caravan menu / route display on map (made it prettier and also increased performance significantly)
  
• Clicking on the outside of most windows closes them now
  
• Right clicking on most of the (non-critical) windows closes them now
  
• Addition of two new achievements (Built Lighthouse; Supply the Inns)
  
• Russian language support / translations
  
• Humans won't always have a hat now :)
  
• The amount of trade post items depend on trade post level (the more you spend at a trade post, the more item quantity are restored every week)
  
• Captain follows the camera now
  
• Fixed bug with building demolition that prevented the demolition of all other buildings
  
• Different map icon depending on ship owned
  
• Walking humans when you bring them to your base (VERY EXPERIMENTAL, PLEASE REPORT ISSUES AT DISCORD)
  
• Island view is scrollable with mouse wheel now
  
• Writing building level on building descriptors @ map
  
• Stone max stack increased to 16 from 10
  
• Added caravan ship maintenance costs to caravan costs (in addition to fuel costs); caravan fuel costs reduced by 2 times
  
• New Victory Screen
  
• Some hotkeys / gamepad button redrawing
  
• More island names
  
• Separate button for profile / progress deletion in main menu
  
• Scrollable island details window at the navigation screen
  

As usual, thank you for the extensive feedback. We couldn't implement everything, but it should be the step towards better UX / controls. Expect a big content patch next time :) See you in October and as usual, if you enjoy the game - please consider leaving a short review, this really helps us.

Also if you happen to know German language and can help us by translating a few lines - please let me know :) I won't trouble you too much, promise.

Best,
Vladimir

Hey Merchants!

We're happy to announce that the new caravan update is live now! The main thing it brings into the game is the caravan system.

The caravan system allows you to automate routes to transport goods between your bases, sell or buy them at trade posts and unload them at the inns to complete new objective.

The caravans are purchasable at a new building, caravan office, that you can build at the base.






Together with the caravans, we are adding a new game mode, "supply the inns." Inns, a new buildings, will be generated in towns (only on new playthroughs). You can bring bread and apple juice to them and they resell it further (for a hefty price!). if you keep bringing the bread and juice, they will be selling those over the next days. If you keep the supply steady, the loyalty factor with them will increase and you'll be getting bigger payouts.

The goal of the new game mode is to keep the inns happy by constantly supplying bread and juice. If you choose to supply 2 inns, it can probably be done manually. However, if you go for 3 or more, you'll need the automation system.



This game objective should be quite long and require a good amount of planning and patience, so we wish you luck and are eager to hear your feedback from it.


Finally, with the help of our amazing volunteers, we were able to translate the game into French and German. The translations run in experimental mode, so expect some possible mistakes, but we'll be hotfixing them ASAP if something comes up.

We're also increasing the price a bit to reflect more content the game has to offer now. Thanks to all who supported us! If you hurry - you can get the game for the old price at Humble store. We'll also try to arrange one discount closer to November to give you one more chance to grab the game at an old price.

As usual, we welcome all sorts of criticism and feedback, so if you encounter any bugs or have improvement suggestions - let us know. The next patch will focus on quality of life changes and graphical adjustments. Afterwards we'll focus on bringing you the bigger map.

Happy playing!


New Game Mode:
Supply The Inns - bring bread / apple juice. If you select 2 inns - you might complete it without caravans, but if you go for more - you'll definitely need the help of other ships.

New buildings:

• Inn - spawns in some cities (only in new games); bring it bread and apple juice so it can resell it over the days; as long as you keep supplies going - you get increased amounts of money.
  
• Caravan Office - Buildable building, 2000 gold, 20 bricks, 20 lumber. Used as a ship hangar and allows you to plot caravan paths.
  

Community Translations:

• German (thanks to Jovan, Somnium)
  
• French (thank to Moetel, KSS)
  

New Features:

• Can now sell ships for 40% / purchase the new ones from the money back.
  

Adjustments:

• Fast-Forward button now "eats" fuel (at 4x rate, but it equals to what you'd be consuming as if you were travelling); this was needed for better balancing/late-game
  
• Added automatic save backup in case something goes wrong (hopefully it won't, but we'll be able to try and restore your old save in case things went wrong)
  
• Max stack of wheat is up to 160 from 80; trade posts will have more of it. Expect this to go back to before when we actually introduce a way to grow wheat.
  

Bugfixes:

• Settings screen won't show under fast-forward button anymore
  
• Tab key won't open bottom menu anymore (to prevent conflicts with steam overlay); it was mostly used for gamepads anyway, but the new button is "T" if you were using it to navigate with keyboard for some reason
  
• If you were trying to sell resources for exactly the amount of money trade post had, it would reject you.
  

Hey Merchants!

As September 12 draws near, here's what the upcoming update entails. First of all, the long anticipated caravan/automation system. As we developed Merchant of the Skies, I always thought that it's going to be quite a late addition into the game, but since so many of you have been asking for it - we've decided to give it a go now :) Here's a brief look on how it is going to look:

Still work in progress, but you can see how it works

The patch is going to introduce a new building, caravan office.



As soon as it is built, the new ships you purchase can be stored in it and used to haul cargo.



You'll be able to plot routes to trade posts and back to your base. You can buy, sell, load and unload goods into your caravans, enabling basic resource trade and transportation between different islands.



With that, we're adding a new goal / game mode, "Supply the inns." A new building, inn, is randomly introduced in some islands. It consumes bread and apple juice daily. You need to make sure all of the inns receive their supplies and keep feeding their customers (you also get paid for that!).



We're also working on bringing French and German localisations into the game, will let you know once they go live.

Apart from that, I wanted to thank you for the amazing feedback we've been receiving. The new feature will increase the depth of the game, so we feel this is right to increase the asking price a bit. The new price is going to be 9.99 EUR or regional equivalent. It will be in effect on Sep 12.

Hey! Got some news about autostacking issues and finally found the reason. Patched it just now.

Brief list of changes:

• autostacking appears to be working as intended, won't go above the limit
  
• fixed the bug when bazaar demand would not go down every new week
  
• extended / fixed some translation line UI