Against the Storm News

[h3]Greetings, Viceroys![/h3]
We released a small batch of fixes to resolve the issues that occurred after yesterday's update. We're super grateful for your reports and feedback!

Changelog:

• Fixed a game-breaking bug caused by building a Small Warehouse with the "Hauling Cart" perk active (and without Small Warehouse haulers unlocked).
  
• Fixed Hauler-related perk issues. They should now only show up for players with the Haulers - Main Warehouse upgrade unlocked in the Smoldering City, not the other way around.
  
• Fixed an issue with villagers being able to carry more resources than intended.
  
• Fixed an issue with Hauler slots incorrectly showing up in the Small Warehouses with only the Haulers - Main Warehouse upgrade unlocked in the Smoldering City.
  
• Fixed an issue with Creeping Shadows Forest Mystery not being displayed on HUD.
  
• Fixed an issue with Sparkcaster still being offered in the cornerstone pool (in the Coral Forest).
  
• Corrected the Italian translation of Kiln in the Biscuit Recipes perk description.
  
• Added the missing description of the Firelink Ritual and Work Safety Guide cornerstones in the Polish version.
  
• Corrected a typo in the Polish description of the Stormbird Feathers Ancient Guardian part.
  
• Fixed an issue with the old version of the Value Added Tax still being offered as a reward for some orders.
  
• Fixed the "Severity" label being off-centered in the Embark panel and the Daily Expedition popup.

We wish you a great time with the new update!

May the storm be gentle on you,
Eremite Games

[h2]Previous Updates[/h2]
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/3705956511769216350
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/3698073943481096752
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/3646281279368578532
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/3650783611399924712

[h3]Greetings, Viceroys![/h3]
We’re back with yet another portion of features, UX improvements, and balance changes to keep you on your toes.

What’s new:

• Haulers revamp
  
• New perks
  
• New Forest Mysteries
  
• Storage reserve (lower limit)
  
• Cornerstones rebalance
  
• Recipe distribution rebalance
  
• And more!

Continue reading for our design notes and a full changelog.

[hr][/hr]
[h2]DEVELOPER NOTES[/h2]
In today’s update, we bring you a revamp of the hauler system (boy that was quick), a little bit of new content in the form of new perks and Forest Mysteries, some much-needed balance for Cornerstones, building, and Citadel Upgrades, and of course the cherry on top - community inspired UI improvements. So without further ado, let's jump right into the nitty gritty details!

First off, the hauling revamp. In the last update, we introduced dedicated haulers together with two new buildings - the big and the small hauler stations. While this was a community-requested feature, we didn’t really manage to deliver it up to a satisfactory quality level. The main problems with this feature were the added blueprint bloat and the lack of a substantial boost or gameplay change offered by this new building type. In plain English - it was weak and unfun.

Now you might be wondering - why did we try this in the first place? Our initial goal with the hauler stations was to introduce a new type of choice in the game, a gameplay style less focused on a wide array of production buildings and oriented more in the direction of logistical optimization. But it quickly turned out that this wasn’t really feasible, and the original design goal felt forced in the end. That’s why we decided to revert this change and find a new place for haulers in the game.

After a few experiments, we arrived at a solution we think is both fun and rewarding, namely haulers being assigned to warehouses. This way we don’t add to the blueprint pool, and we introduce a system that is always accessible and easily balanced because of the worker investment (plus it’s just logical for haulers to be working in warehouses). We also considered some other solutions, like free workers carrying goods automatically, but that caused a lot more problems than it solved, both technically and in terms of user experience (as most of the game is built around the workplace system and dual/floating professions wouldn’t really work with existing mechanics). Additionally, to make things a bit more interesting, we introduced some new dedicated hauler perks into the mix.

Warehouse with Haulers and Hauling Cart

Speaking of perks - let’s move on to the new content. We added 4 new Cornerstones and 2 new trader/order perks to the game. Most of these are focused on haulers, like the Dual Carriage System Cornerstone, which adds 2 mechanized, autonomous hauling carts to the Main Warehouse. Additionally, we introduced 3 new Forest Mysteries (two negative ones and one positive) and 2 new Citadel Upgrades.

In this update, we also took some time to rebalance a few aspects of the game. Most importantly, we took a closer look at Cornerstones, trying to make some underwhelming ones a bit more attractive, while also nerfing two or three very powerful ones to make them less oppressive. Additionally, we decided to switch up some rarities and drop rates. After this patch, you might notice some “early game” effects having a slightly higher chance of appearing in the first few years of a run (and a slightly lower chance in late game). We also removed certain weak perks (such as Force of Nature or Blight Filter) to make the Cornerstone pools more balanced in general.

But that’s not all in terms of balance. There are also some changes to production buildings (recipe swaps and a shorter production time in the Clay Pit), as well as a cost rebalance in the upgrade tree in the Smoldering City. This last change is mainly aimed at new players, making some lower unlocks a bit cheaper to buy and speeding up early progression. This is just the first step, as we plan on doing a more extensive balance pass on upgrades once we’re closer to the 1.0 launch.

Let’s now move on to UI improvements. Probably the most exciting one is the ability to set a lower limit for a resource in the warehouse. This was requested multiple times by the community, and we finally came up with a way of allowing players to “reserve” a good. From now on, you can set a minimum amount for an item in the warehouse, and crafters won’t touch it unless there is an excess of it. However, scouts, hungry villagers, and builders will still take the item even if there is a limit set (but these interactions can be controlled through other means, like consumption control or selecting resources in the event UI).

Small Warehouse reserve

There are also multiple smaller UI changes in this update, like a recipe/ingredient toggle in the recipe panel, a new tier 0 recipe icon, a checkbox for needs in service buildings (so workers don’t stockpile goods unnecessarily), or the option to unassign just one woodcutter using the “unassign woodcutters” button on the HUD. And, as is tradition with every patch, we fixed a lot of bugs, typos, and inconsistencies.

Services checkbox

Tier 0 recipe

As always - thank you all for providing feedback and suggestions for the new update. If you’d like to share your ideas for upcoming updates, here are some useful links:

• Steam Discussions, Discord, Reddit - discuss the game with the community and share your impressions
  
• Feature Request Tool - suggest specific new features

May the storm be gentle on you,
Eremite Games

P.S. One of the best things you can do to help indie games is to leave a Steam review. If you’ve had a chance to play Against the Storm, we’d love to hear any feedback, positive or negative. Thanks!

[hr][/hr]
[h2]CHANGELOG[/h2]
Number of changes: 98
Inspired by community: 83%

Changes marked with ⚡ were inspired by the community.

[h3]New content and features[/h3]

• ⚡ Haulers are now assigned to Warehouses instead of Hauling Stations.
  • The Main Warehouse has 3 workplaces for haulers, and the Small Warehouse has 2.
    
  • Haulers work the same way as they did before - they transport production yields and ingredients between buildings.
    
  • Haulers (in both Warehouse versions) now have a much larger range - 25 tiles instead of 12.
    
  • Both small and big Hauler Stations have been removed from the game. They will no longer be offered as blueprints or appear in glades.
    
  • Haulers are now unlocked via the upgrade tree in the Smoldering City. They are divided into two separate unlocks - for the Main Warehouse and for Small Warehouses.
    
  • Both unlocks are new and can be found in the First Dawn Company branch of the upgrade tree.
• ⚡ Added 4 new Cornerstones.
  • Hauling Cart (Legendary) - An automated rainpunk cart will be assigned to every warehouse in the settlement to help transport resources between buildings.
    
  • Dual Carriage System (Legendary) - Two rainpunk hauling carts will be assigned to the Main Warehouse to help transport resources between buildings.
    
  • Reckless Plunder (Legendary) - Scouts are so focused on looting that they unintentionally damage the environment. Increases the chance of bringing back twice as many resources from Abandoned Caches by 100%, but newly discovered resource nodes have fewer charges (-5 charges to small deposits, -15 charges to large deposits).
    
  • Travel Rations (Epic) - There is no need to return to the Hearth when you have provisions with you. Time between breaks for Haulers is increased by 50%.
• Added 2 new perks that can be acquired from traders, orders, or glade events.
  • Specialized Workwear (Rare) - Specialized equipment enhanced with rainpunk technology. Haulers move 25% faster.
    
  • Safety Ropes (Rare) - A set of strong ropes to secure any shipment. Haulers and mechanized carts can carry 5 more goods at once.
• Added 3 new Forest Mysteries.
  • Unnatural Erosion (Storm) - The wind and rain in this region seem more destructive than usual. Pay 5 Oil with each storm (multiplied by the number of years played). If you don't, 2 random resource nodes will be destroyed.
    
  • Shifting Paths (Storm) - The road to the village is long and winding, so some newcomers need a bit of extra motivation. Pay 2 Packs of Luxury Goods with each storm (multiplied by the number of years played). If you don't, the next newcomer group will arrive 50% slower.
    
  • Inspiring View (Drizzle) - The astonishingly beautiful view motivates villagers to work. The time interval between breaks is increased by 25%.
• Added 2 new Smoldering City Upgrades.
  • First Dawn Company Headquarters Level 10 - unlocking Haulers for Small Warehouses and giving a passive double yield chance increase.
    
  • Vanguard Spire Level 5 - giving Bricks as a guaranteed starting bonus and increasing the total amount of node charges.
    
  • The hauler unlock for the Main Warehouse was squeezed in into an existing upgrade (and other upgrade rewards were reshuffled - you can find out more about that in the balance section of this changelog).
    
  • Due to this change, some players might be missing an upgrade or two after installing this update. This is because we inserted new unlocks in the middle of the upgrade tree, thereby bumping some existing upgrades higher up.

[h3]Balance[/h3]

• ⚡ The Rotten Rain Forest Mystery no longer spawns Blood Flowers on farm fields. It now simply spawns them in a random place in the settlement (close to the Main Hearth if possible).
  
• ⚡ The Waterskin recipe now requires one less Oil on every tier.
  
• ⚡ Rebalanced multiple Cornerstones.
  • Local Taxes (Epic) - now gives 12 Amber every 50 Ale produced instead of 20 Amber every 100 Ale produced.
    
  • Force of Nature (Epic) - this perk was removed from the game.
    
  • Well-Rested Workers (Epic) - increased the chance for double yields from 20% to 25%.
    
  • Value Added Tax (Epic) - instead of giving 2 Amber for every 6 Packs of Trade Goods produced, this perk now increases the sell price of Packs of Trade Goods by 25%.
    
  • The Sparkcaster (Epic) - changed the rarity of this perk from Epic to Rare and removed it from the Cornerstone pool. It can now be acquired from traders, orders, or events.
    
  • From the Ashes (Legendary) - increased the number of Wildfire Essences given for solving dangerous events from 1 to 2.
    
  • Market Shift Plan (Legendary) - decreased the number of trade routes needed to remove the trade block drawback from 8 to 5.
    
  • Rich Glades (Legendary) - lowered the number of extra big node charges from 20 to 15.
    
  • Hidden from the Queen (Legendary) - moved the Impatience penalty from year 8 to year 9.
    
  • Blight Filter (Legendary) - this perk was removed from the game.
    
  • Counterfeit Amber (Legendary) - lowered the amount of rainwater required to generate Amber from 75 to 50. Changed the Blightrot Cysts growth increase from 20% to 25%.
    
  • Firelink Ritual (Legendary) - changed how this perk’s bonus is calculated. Instead of removing 25 Hostility for every 5 villagers with a need fulfilled, it now decreases Hostility by 5 for every 1 villager.
    
  • Work Safety Guide (Legendary) - changed how this perk’s bonus is calculated. Instead of increasing global production speed by 25% for every 5 villagers with a need fulfilled, it now increases the production speed by 5% for every 1 villager.
    
  • Obsidian Runestone (Legendary) - removed the drawback from this perk, changed its rarity to Epic, and decreased the HEarth Resistance bonus from 500 to 400.
    
  • Queen's Gift (Legendary) - changed how this perk works. Instead of giving Hearth Resistance for Impatience points, it now increases the Hearth Resistance by 250 for every 2 woodcutters in the settlement.
    
  • Alarm Bells (Legendary) - increased the double production bonus chance from 20% to 25%.
    
  • Trade Hub (Legendary) - changed the Resolve to Reputation growth speed reduction from a 50% to 75%.
    
  • Prosperous Settlement (Legendary) - increased the amount of Amber required to trigger the Resolve bonus from 45 to 50.
    
  • Protected Trade (Legendary) - changed the Hostility reduction from -15 to -10 for every 30 Amber traded.
    
  • Farsight (Legendary) increased the time limit of the working speed bonus for discovering small glades from 120 seconds to 180 seconds.
• ⚡ Tweaked the drop rates of multiple Cornerstones in the game.
  • Some Cornerstones are more beneficial when offered early during a game (like bonuses for opening glades or non-retroactive trade route effects), while others might be more attractive later on.
    
  • That’s why we decided to slightly increase the drop rates of “early” Cornerstones in the first few years of a game, and slightly reduce their drop rates during late game.
    
  • The Cornerstone pool is still the same, so it will still be possible to get an early Cornerstone near the end of the game (but it should happen less frequently).
    
  • As with every balance change, we will monitor its effects. If at any point the drop rates become too skewed in any direction, we will adjust.
• ⚡ Rebalanced the recipe distribution in a few buildings.
  • Artisan - removed the Pigment recipe (★★) and added the Packs of Luxury Goods recipe (★★).
    
  • Cooperage - removed the Training Gear recipe (★★) and added the Coats recipe (★★). The Flawless version of this building was also changed accordingly.
    
  • Leatherworker - removed the Pack of Luxury Goods recipe (★) and added the Pigment recipe (★★). The Flawless version of this building was also changed accordingly.
    
  • Smithy - removed the Coats recipe (★★) and added the Training Gear recipe (★★).
    
  • Clay Pit - decreased the production time of Clay and Reeds from 84 seconds to 60 seconds.
• ⚡ Rebalanced Citadel Upgrade prices. Some early unlocks were not aligned with the pricing pattern from other branches. At the same time, we wanted to slightly speed up the first 2-3 levels and make it easier for new players to get early upgrades.
  • Obsidian Archive Level 3 - lowered the cost from 24 to 12 Food Stockpiles.
    
  • Obsidian Archive Level 4 - lowered the cost from 24 to 18 Food Stockpiles.
    
  • Obsidian Archive Level 5 - lowered the cost from 30 to 24 Food Stockpiles.
    
  • Obsidian Archive Level 6 - lowered the cost from 36 to 30 Food Stockpiles.
    
  • Pioneers’ Gate Level 3 - lowered the cost from 36 to 30 Food Stockpiles.
    
  • Brass Forge Level 1 - lowered the cost from 24 to 18 Food Stockpiles.
    
  • Brass Forge Level 2 - lowered the cost from 30 Food Stockpiles and 6 Artifacts to 24 Food Stockpiles and 3 Artifacts.
    
  • Brass Forge Level 3 - lowered the cost from 48 Food Stockpiles and 6 Artifacts to 36 Food Stockpiles and 6 Artifacts.
    
  • Brass Forge Level 10 - increased the cost from 132 Food Stockpiles and 40 Artifacts to 144 Food Stockpiles and 40 Artifacts.
    
  • Dim Square Level 1 - lowered the cost from 24 to 18 Food Stockpiles.
    
  • Dim Square Level 2 - lowered the cost from 30 to 24 Food Stockpiles.
    
  • Dim Square Level 3 - lowered the cost from 36 to 30 Food Stockpiles.
    
  • First Dawn Headquarters Level 2 - lowered the cost from 24 to 18 Food Stockpiles.
    
  • First Dawn Headquarters Level 3 - lowered the cost from 36 to 30 Food Stockpiles.
    
  • Vanguard Spire Level 1 - lowered the cost from 24 to 18 Food Stockpiles.
    
  • Vanguard Spire Level 2 - lowered the cost from 36 Food Stockpiles and 6 Machinery to 24 Food Stockpiles and 3 Machinery.
    
  • Vanguard Spire Level 3 - lowered the cost from 36 Food Stockpiles and 6 Machinery to 30 Food Stockpiles and 6 Machinery.
    
  • Vanguard Spire Level 4 - lowered the cost from 48 Food Stockpiles and 6 Machinery to 36 Food Stockpiles and 6 Machinery.
• Reshuffled a few Citadel Upgrades.
  • First Dawn Headquarters Level 3 - removed starting Bricks (moved to the new upgrade in the Vanguard Spire branch), added the Herbalists’ Camp Embarkation Bonus.
    
  • First Dawn Headquarters Level 5 - removed the Herbalists’ Camp Embarkation Bonus, added the Main Warehouse hauler unlock.
• Reshuffled a few level up rewards.
  • Level 12 - removed the Hauling Station blueprint, added the new Hauling Cart Cornerstone instead.
    
  • Level 17 - added a new unlock, the Reckless Plunder Cornerstone.
    
  • Level 18 - added a new unlock, the Dual Carriage System Cornerstone.

[h3]UX/UI improvements[/h3]

• ⚡ Added the option to set a lower limit for resources in Warehouses.
  • To set a lower limit, simply select a Warehouse, find the resource you need, and type in a value. The lock icon next to the text box will change automatically.
    
  • Once a limit is set, a lock icon will also appear on the HUD, on top of the resource icon.
    
  • The limit is a lower limit, meaning that workers will only use the surplus for production. Everything below the limit will not be touched by them.
    
  • The limit only applies to production. Scouts will still be able to take a limited resource, villagers will still eat it (unless told otherwise in the consumption control panel), and finishing orders will still take a limited good from the warehouse. Same goes for Firekeepers and builders.
    
  • You can quickly turn a limit on and off by clicking the lock icon next to the resource in the Warehouse panel (without needing to manually remove the value from the text box).
    
  • Just like tracked goods, lower limits in the Warehouse are automatically saved and loaded between subsequent runs.
    
  • Due to this change, the Warehouse panel had to change from a collection of resource icons to a scrollable table. This also means that the way you track resources now is not by clicking on the icon, but by using the “track” checkbox in the same row as the resource.
    
  • There is also a search box in the Warehouse panel to make it easier to find certain goods.
• ⚡ Changed the recipe/ingredient dropdown in the recipe panel to a toggle button.
  
• ⚡ Changed the tier 0 icon to a star outline (instead of a vague gauge/meter symbol) to bring it closer to the other tier symbols.
  
• ⚡ Added a checkbox to needs in service buildings. Unchecking it will prevent workers from stockpiling resources in these buildings.
  
• ⚡ Added a new option to the woodcutter button on the top HUD. Now using the middle mouse button, you can unassign a single woodcutter.
  
• ⚡ Improved the wording in the description of the No Strangers Deed.
  
• ⚡ Improved the wording of some effects blocking trader arrival. They now also state that traders currently residing in the settlement will leave.
  
• Changed the wording in the description of the Prestige 1 difficulty modifier to make it shorter and clearer.
  
• Added a custom label to archaeology events in the Scarlet Orchard.
  
• Added a unique thumbnail illustration for Sealed Forest settlements in the trade route and game history panels.
  
• Added a cart UI panel. You can now click on hauling carts or mine carts to see a short description and the goods that are being carried.

[h3]Bug fixes[/h3]

• ⚡ Fixed a bug with Blight Fighters destroying ingredients when they are unassigned from their workplace in the middle of transporting them.
  
• ⚡ Fixed an issue with Inscribed Monoliths not giving resources when removed.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a few inconsistencies with the Training Expedition panel (wrong UI header, incorrect text formatting).
  
• ⚡ Added two missing town labels for trade route tooltips (for Cursed Royal Woodlands and Sealed Forest towns).
  
• ⚡ Fixed an issue with some buildings being incorrectly listed as “unlocked by deed” in the in-game encyclopedia.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug with Daily Expedition town names not being displayed correctly in the Game History panel.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a missing tooltip when hovering over the Orders button.
  
• ⚡ Fixed an issue with background blends having different alpha levels in different UI panels.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug that caused the Ominous Presence and Flooded Mines modifiers to be generated next to each other during some Cycles.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug with the Beacon Tower being shown as locked in the in-game encyclopedia.
  
• ⚡ Fixed an animation glitch in the Seal closing animation.
  
• ⚡ Fixed an issue with redundant minus signs in negative cycle effects that remove embarkation goods.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug with the sacrifice alert in the top HUD being covered up by the year counter.
  
• ⚡ Fixed an issue with the Cycle warning text having an incorrect font.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a typo in the Russian description of the Exploring Expedition Cornerstone.
  
• ⚡ Fixed an issue with the Kiln and the Furnace being translated to the same name in Italian.
  
• ⚡ Fixed an incorrect translation for Porridge in the Ukrainian version of the game.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a typo in the Korean description of the Guild of Traders, or Thieves? modifier.

[h3]Other[/h3]

• ⚡ Added a new music track to the Marshlands (Drizzle).

The current game version is 0.60.1.

[hr][/hr]
[h2]COMMUNITY CORNER[/h2]
Check out some of the best community city designs, artwork, and memes from recent days. Click to unfold:
[expand]

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3035445451
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3035445451

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3039815763
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3039815763

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3032049966
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3032049966

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3040268666
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3040268666

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3035251769
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3035251769

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3028161399
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3028161399

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3040936627
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3040936627

[/expand]
For more artwork, memes, and screenshots visit Steam, Discord, and Reddit.

We wish you a great time with the new update and a happy weekend!

[hr][/hr]
[h2]PREVIOUS UPDATES[/h2]
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/3698073943481096752
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/3646281279368578532
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/3650783611399924712
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/3658663641148118403

[h3]Greetings, Viceroys![/h3]
Against the Storm’s new Logistics and Balance Update is set to be released tomorrow - September 28 - between 1:00 pm UTC and 4:00 pm UTC.

Aside from numerous balance changes related to cornerstones, recipe distribution, and Citadel Upgrades costs, the update will introduce significant changes to the recently added Hauler profession.

Here’s a short excerpt from tomorrow’s update notes:

• ⚡ Haulers are now assigned to Warehouses instead of Hauling Stations.
  • The Main Warehouse has 3 workplaces for haulers, and the Small Warehouse has 2.
    
  • Haulers work the same way as they did before - they transport production yields and ingredients between buildings.
    
  • Both small and big Hauler Stations have been removed from the game. They will no longer be offered as blueprints or appear in glades.
    
  • Haulers are now unlocked via the upgrade tree in the Smoldering City. They are divided into two separate unlocks - for the Main Warehouse and for Small Warehouses.
    
  • Both unlocks are new and can be found in the First Dawn Company branch of the upgrade tree.

We’re also adding new perks that can increase Haulers' efficiency or add automated Hauling Carts to Warehouses.

Small Warehouse with Haulers and a Hauling Cart

On top of that, you can expect multiple UX improvements and bug fixes.

As always, we remind you to finish your current settlements before the update goes live. For more information, please check the section below.

May the storm be gentle on you,
Eremite Games

[h2]How to prepare[/h2]
We release new content Updates every two weeks on Thursdays around 1 pm – 4 pm UTC. As we make multiple changes to the game’s systems, balance, and content, the game needs to force-finish any settlements that are in progress when you download the update. This aims to prevent various game-breaking bugs that could occur otherwise.

IMPORTANT: If you have a settlement in progress, it will have to be force-finished when you download the Update. You will be reimbursed with Citadel Resources but you will have to start a new settlement. Your meta progress (that is: Experience, Level, completed Deeds, unlocked Upgrades, Citadel Resources, etc.) will remain intact.

In the main menu, under the “Play” button, there’s a countdown to upcoming Updates. Please finish your current settlement before the update day if you don’t want it to be completed automatically.

[h2]Previous Updates[/h2]
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/3698073943481096752
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/3646281279368578532
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/3650783611399924712
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/3658663641148118403

[h3]Greetings, Viceroys![/h3]
We just released a hotfix that deals with the reported issues and should help with crashes on Linux.

We're also aware that many of you were dissatisfied with Hearth's Hub Level section being moved to a separate tab and unsure why we made this change.

Over time, the Hearth's panel grew taller and taller with the introduction of tabs, upgrades, effects, building type tags, etc. Eventually, it stopped fitting the game's screen on higher UI Size settings in particular aspect ratios, mainly the 16:10 - which the game officially supported since its launch. As a result, we moved it to a separate tab.

However, as you correctly noted, this was a UX downgrade and made it burdensome to operate. We decided to move it back to the primary tab and seek compromise elsewhere - mainly in the size of decorative elements of the UI.

Changelog:

• Moved the Hearth's Hub Level section back to the Hearth's primary tab and reduced the size of decorative elements.
  
• Added "Virtual Machine Mode" setting to the game's Options (General tab, Control section). It's disabled by default. If you're playing on Linux or a virtual machine, enabling this option should prevent certain crashes. Unfortunately, the game doesn't support Linux and MacOS, so our options are a bit limited when it comes to troubleshooting both operating systems.
  
• Added "Input Auto Focus" setting to the game's Options (General tab, Control section). It's enabled by default. By disabling it, the Steam Deck's virtual keyboard won't be automatically invoked upon interacting with the goods in the Trader Panel (and a few other places).
  
• Increased stability and reduced freezes and crashes when canceling building placement on some CPUs.
  
• Fixed missing town names in the Game History tab. This change won't work retroactively, so, unfortunately, the affected town names will remain unchanged in the Game History tab.
  
• Fixed incorrect (too high) reward multiplier on Prestige 2 difficulty.
  
• Fixed an issue with the last Dim Square upgrade not appearing in the Smoldering City. This upgrade unlocks the Extra Merchandise effect (All traders will have +1 cornerstone or blueprint to sell) and was moved up the ladder due to adding a new Dim Square upgrade.
  
• Corrected the House Upgrades tooltip.
  
• Corrected some typos in the Polish language (that we, a Polish studio, somehow omitted).

We wish you a great time with the new update and a relaxing weekend!

May the storm be gentle on you,
Eremite Games

The current game version is 0.59.4.
[hr][/hr]
[h2]Previous Updates[/h2]
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/3698073943481096752
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/3646281279368578532
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/3650783611399924712
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/3658663641148118403

UPDATE (September 15): We just released a hotfix that deals with the reported issues and should help with crashes on Linux. We also tweaked the Hearth's panel to fit the Hub Level back into the primary tab. Learn more:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/5368909498004266508
[hr][/hr]


[h3]Greetings, Viceroys![/h3]

We're introducing the Hauler Station - a new non-essential building - because even in a world tormented by apocalyptic storms, someone needs to carry the groceries. Your settlers can finally take a load off, literally!

What's new:

• New buildings: Hauler Stations
  • Small - a ruin found in small glades
    
  • Big - a possible blueprint choice
• 16:10 resolution readability improvements (Steam Deck)
  
• New default town names
  
• And more!

Also, we recently created a video guide that presents the latest Ancient Seals mechanics and showcases the Sealed Forest biome:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
While you’re there, please consider subscribing to our YouTube channel.
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[h2]DEVELOPER NOTES[/h2]
We’re hot off the heels of the Sealed Forest release, and jumping right into yet another update! This time we bring you a brand new non-essential building type — the Hauler Station — as well as a whole host of UI improvements inspired by you - our great community. And of course, as always, some balance tweaks and bug fixes. Let’s jump into it!

First off, the Hauler Station. As you might have guessed by the name alone, we’re finally adding dedicated haulers to Against the Storm. Though, we’re not overhauling the game’s logistics to do so. Everything still works the same as it always had - workers assigned to production buildings will still fetch their own ingredients and deposit production yields themselves. The Hauler Station is just a bonus, another way of boosting your settlement's productivity. Think of them as something similar to the automated mine carts in the Mine.

So how does it work? Simply put, you assign workers to the Hauler Station as you would to any other building. Once employed, the haulers will start transporting both production yields and crafting ingredients between buildings and warehouses, in a similar vein to how normal workers assigned to those buildings would. There is a small caveat though - the Hauling Station has a limited range, and haulers will only service buildings within that range.

Big Hauler Station Panel

There are two different Hauler Stations in the game right now - a small one and a big one. The Small Hauler Station has one worker and can only be found as a ruin in small glades. The big one has three workers and is given to players as a possible blueprint choice when gaining reputation (and can also appear in dangerous glades). We didn’t want to simply give these new types of buildings as essential blueprints, because this new system is not really an essential part of the game’s economy - it is really just another tool to increase the proficiency of the player’s settlement and to further optimize production chains. We also feel that having the Hauler Station in the same pool as other production buildings will create some interesting choices in the future.

Small Hauler Station

Let’s move on to some cool UI changes coming with this update. Most notably, we added the option to cycle between glade events of the same type (instead of just cycling through events with the same name), we changed the alert for depleted ore (it will now tell you if you can upgrade the mine), we improved the Citadel upgrade window (it now auto-scrolls to your last position and shows missing resource numbers in red), and we added a new in-game encyclopedia article about prestige difficulties and the Forsaken Altar. Of course, there are also multiple smaller changes, like wording improvements in World Events and a removal confirmation when deleting decorations.

Now, let's delve into balance. We changed the Essence of Corruption objective (burning Blightrot Cysts) in the Ancient Seal to be retroactive, and we added a new early Citadel unlock with Mine upgrades as a reward. This is by no means a new system, we just wanted to move this mechanic to a spot, where it would have to be consciously picked/purchased. By doing so, we hope that players will organically learn what building upgrades are and begin to play around with them during subsequent runs. Additionally, hiding this system behind a Citadel unlock removes some of the mental load beginner players might experience early on.

Lastly, this update also brings some new sound effects, custom-translated town names on the World Map (generated when players don’t name their settlements), numerous localization improvements, and a whole host of bug fixes.

But wait… in our last dev notes, we promised to give you some more information about our future plans and the next big update. While we can’t give you any specific dates or details just yet, we can reveal that the next big feature on our roadmap is “Guidance & Lore”. This will be another step in fleshing out the game's meta layer by adding more structure to it and giving new players a clear sense of direction. We also want to focus a bit more on worldbuilding, so that the lore enthusiasts among you will have more to speculate and talk about.

Thank you for providing us with feedback and suggestions for the new update. If you’d like to share your ideas for upcoming updates, here are some useful links:

• Steam Discussions, Discord, Reddit - discuss the game with the community and share your impressions
  
• Feature Request Tool - suggest specific new features

May the storm be gentle on you,
Eremite Games

P.S. One of the best things you can do to help indie games is to leave a Steam review. If you’ve had a chance to play Against the Storm, we’d love to hear any feedback, positive or negative. Thanks!
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[h2]CHANGELOG[/h2]
Number of changes: 64
Inspired by community: 84%

Changes marked with ⚡ were inspired by the community.

[h3]New content and features[/h3]

• ⚡ Added a new non-essential building type to the game - the Hauler Station.
  • Hauler Stations are special structures that employ haulers - a new type of worker who transports resources between buildings (including warehouses).
    
  • Haulers transport both production yields and crafting ingredients.
    
  • Haulers work only within a certain range of the Hauler Station. The connected buildings are indicated after selecting the station.
    
  • There are two Hauler Stations in the game right now - a small one, found only as a ruin in small glades, and a big one, given to players as a possible blueprint choice.
    
  • The Small Hauler Station has a range of 8 fields and can employ 1 worker. The Big Hauler Station has a range of 10 fields and can employ 3 workers.
    
  • The Big Hauler Station costs 4 Planks and 4 Bricks to construct.
    
  • The Big Hauler Station blueprint is unlocked after reaching level 12. Before that Hauler Station ruins can still be found in glades, and the blueprint can be bought from traders.
• Added a new Citadel upgrade to the Dim Square branch.
  • The new upgrade was added to the beginning of the upgrade tree and is accessible at level 5.
    
  • The upgrade unlocks guaranteed Planks with every embark (moved over from Brass Forge Level 2) and a global production speed increase.
    
  • Due to this addition, the last upgrade in the Dim Square branch was pushed a bit higher up the tree.

[h3]Balance[/h3]

• ⚡ Changed the objective for the Essence of Corruption in the Ancient Seal. It now requires burning 10 more Cysts, but the progress is counted retroactively.
  
• ⚡ Rebalanced trade routes for settlements established in the Cursed Royal Woodlands. Previously, these settlements would have the same desired goods as towns built in the regular Royal Woodlands. From now on they will have a unique mix of resources they are ready to buy.
  
• ⚡ Removed the longer storm modifier from the Viceroy difficulty level.
  • We’ve gotten quite a lot of feedback about the recent change made to Viceroy, so we decided to remove the storm duration modifier from this difficulty level. And while this effect didn’t really affect prestige players, people who were just starting to progress through the difficulty ladder experienced an unnecessarily steep difficulty increase (as they got a longer storm in addition to more hostility, harsher Forest Mysteries, harder orders, etc.).
    
  • The longer storm duration effect was moved to Prestige 2, and all Prestige levels above that were bumped up accordingly. There is no P21 however, as Prestige 11 was merged with Prestige 1.
    
  • Prestige 11 was merged with Prestige 1, resulting in a new combined effect: increased Reputation cap and Order difficulty.
    
  • We hope that with this change, we can smooth the difficulty curve a bit (at least before Prestige games), allow more relaxed games for players who up to the last update enjoyed them on the Viceroy level, and give players a better entry to the difficulty climb in general.
• Changed the unlocks in the Brass Forge Level 2 upgrade in the Smoldering City.
  • The guaranteed Planks were moved to the Dim Square branch.
    
  • In place of the guaranteed Planks, Brass Forge Level 2 now unlocks Mine upgrades.
    
  • We decided to do this, because we wanted to make the unlocking of Mine upgrades a conscious decision on the player’s part. We realized that a lot of players didn’t even know upgrades existed and were confused when ore deposits would not disappear after depletion (they would stay on the map, as they could still be deepened using upgrades). We hope that with this change some of this confusion surrounding ore will dissipate.
• The Rich Glades Cornerstone is now unlocked at level 2 instead of level 12. The Big Hauler Station has taken its place as a level 12 reward.

[h3]UX/UI improvements[/h3]

• ⚡ Added a new in-game encyclopedia entry about Prestige difficulties and the Forsaken Altar. This article will automatically be linked in the “Read More” section of the HUD when a player starts a Prestige game for the first time.
  
• ⚡ Changed how cycling through glade events works. From now on, pressing the arrow buttons next to the event name or using the arrow keys will no longer go through all events with the same name, but rather through all events of the same type (for example all caches regardless of size).
  
• ⚡ Added a “perpendicular camera angle by default” setting to the options menu. Enabling it will automatically align your camera to a frontal view of your settlement when pressing H (reset camera hotkey) or starting a new game.
  
• ⚡ Added the removal confirmation popup to all decorations.
  
• ⚡ Improved the wording in the description of the converted Altar of Decay to better explain its effect.
  
• ⚡ Unified the naming of small glades across the game (they were previously called “regular glades” in some circumstances).
  
• ⚡ Improved the wording of the “order recipes by priority” setting in the options menu to now also refer to fuel priority in the Hearth.
  
• ⚡ Improved the wording for Reserve Embarkation Point rewards in some World Events (like Mosquito Nest and Forsaken Gods Followers).
  
• ⚡ Improved the wording in the description of the Secure Perimeter Cornerstone to clearly indicate that Hostility gains from Forbidden Glades are also reduced.
  
• ⚡ Improved the wording in the description of the Stormwalker Tax Cornerstone to clearly indicate that the effect only triggers when accepting newcomer groups from the Citadel.
  
• ⚡ Changed how “ore depleted” alerts work.
  • If an ore deposit is depleted, and the Mine can no longer be upgraded (or upgrades are not yet unlocked in the Citadel), the alert will simply say “Mine has no available ore”.
    
  • If an ore deposit is depleted, but it can be upgraded, the alert will say “Upgrade mine for more ore”.
• ⚡ Changed the ore tooltip. It now always shows the full number of charges for a given deposit (with all the upgrades).
  
• ⚡ Citadel Resource numbers on upgrades the player can not afford are now marked in red.
  
• ⚡ Changed the order of the buttons in the upper right corner of the HUD to reflect the order of tabs in an open UI panel.
  
• ⚡ The upgrade window in the Citadel now automatically scrolls up to the last purchased unlock.
  
• Added a custom game result screen to Sealed Forest games (both when the game is won and lost).
  
• ⚡ Changed some UI elements so the game is more readable in 16:10 resolutions, with maximum supported UI size enabled (mainly for the purpose of playing on the Steam Deck).
  • The Steam Deck version of the game now automatically launches with the maximum supported UI size.
    
  • Increased the font size in numerous UI panels to help with readability on the Steam Deck.
    
  • Moved the upgrade section in the Ancient Hearth to a new tab in the building’s UI panel.
    
  • The virtual keyboard is now automatically invoked when selecting a text box on the Steam Deck.
    
  • Slightly changed the layout of the Embarkation Panel to not cover any vital information with UI frames when playing with maximum supported UI size and 16:10 resolution.
    
  • Adjusted multiple elements on the HUD to reduce instances of overlapping UI when playing with maximum supported UI size and 16:10 resolution (perks, species panel, resources).
• Changed the NPC and dialogue in the “pick a cornerstone” window when getting an Epic Cornerstone for acquiring a guardian part in the Sealed Forest.
  
• Added special labels to all building and event panels to more clearly state their type (for example “service building”, “production building”, “glade event (cache)”, or “dangerous glade event”).
  
• Updated the encyclopedia entry about Ancient Seals with more up-to-date information.
  
• Changed the location of the “move” button in the UI panel for all movable buildings.

[h3]Bug fixes[/h3]

• ⚡ Fixed a bug with some dangerous glades not being revealed correctly.
  
• ⚡ Fixed an issue with the Escaping the Shadows tooltip showing incorrect information.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug with the upgrade tab in houses having an incorrect tooltip.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug with a missing tooltip text in the Forsaken Gods Followers World Event in the Japanese version of the game.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug with the Spiced Ale perk showing an incorrect Resolve value in its tooltip (1 instead of 5).
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug with the Inspiring Work effect not stacking Resolve bonuses correctly after at least one stack has been removed.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug with the Woodcutters’ Camp sometimes breaking when being moved.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug with the Looming Darkness effect sometimes not being removed correctly after a Storm.
  
• ⚡ Fixed an issue with the Unyielding Corruption Forest Mystery being drawn in games with the Monastery of the Holy Flame modifier.
  
• ⚡ Fixed an issue with the Gentle Dawn Forest Mystery being drawn in games with the Forbidden Lands and Dangerous Lands modifiers.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug with glade events spawned by the Plague of Fishmen appearing in undiscovered glades.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug with the Blood Sorcery working effect (Fishman Soothsayer) not displaying the number of killed villagers in its tooltip.
  
• ⚡ Fixed an issue with tracked resources not appearing on the HUD after being acquired for the first time in a given game.
  
• ⚡ Fixed an issue with duplicated Modifiers being pickable in the Sadrath The Wise World Event.
  
• ⚡ Fixed an issue with some Blightrot Cysts in the Brickyard spawning in the wrong place.
  
• ⚡ Fixed an issue with the Stormforged version of the Flame Amulets Cornerstone having the flavor text mixed up in the description of the mechanics.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug with flickering ingredient tooltips in production building panels.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug with the Twitch minigame UI overlapping the Orders HUD.
  
• ⚡ Fixed an issue with the Herbs order being called incorrectly in-game.
  
• ⚡ Fixed an issue with a missing space before the percentage sign in the French description of the Frequent Caravans perk.
  
• ⚡ Fixed an issue with percentage signs in the Game History tab being displayed incorrectly.
  
• ⚡ Fixed multiple typos and inconsistencies in the Simplified Chinese version of the game. Most notably in building descriptions, Forest Mystery tooltips, World Events, update news, Seal Keeper dialogue, encyclopedia entries, and various UI elements.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a few typos and errors in the Japanese version of the game (Gambler World Event description, Exploration Expedition tooltip).
  
• ⚡ Fixed a typo in the Rainpunk Drill glade event description.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug with some resource tooltips having two dots at the end of their description instead of one.
  
• Fixed an issue with inconsistent line spacing in the options menu.
  
• Fixed a bug with builders taking twice the amount of goods when the game is reloaded during their trip to the warehouse.

[h3]Other[/h3]

• ⚡ Added some new custom sound effects to the game.
  • When opening the UI panel of the Forsaken Altar.
    
  • When sending goods back to the warehouse.
    
  • When decision popups appear.
• Changed the randomly generated town names that appear on the map when players don’t name their settlements. These names are now more unique, tied into the lore of Against the Storm, and translated into all supported languages.

The current game version is 0.59.2.
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[h2]COMMUNITY CORNER[/h2]
Check out some of the best community screenshots, artwork, and memes from recent days. Click to unfold:
[expand]

We were joyous to receive a fanart from Armin, who appreciated Damian's (graphic designer) work on the game's visual aspects. Thank you!

The Artwork and Screenshots sections of our Steam Community Hub were also filled with fantastic creations and inspirational designs!

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3034574348
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3034574348

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3031203620
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3031203620

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3030152114
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3030152114

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3032721555
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3032721555

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3032050023
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3032050023

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3031422777
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3031422777

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3030083020
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3030083020

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3028927671
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3028927671

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3033607330
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3033607330

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3035251769
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3035251769

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3026446048
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3026446048

[/expand]
For more artwork, memes, and screenshots visit Steam, Discord, and Reddit.

We wish you a great time with the new update and a happy weekend!
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[h2]PREVIOUS UPDATES[/h2]
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/3646281279368578532
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/3650783611399924712
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/3658663641148118403
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/3650781073918695896