Against the Storm News

[h3]Greetings, Viceroys![/h3]
Unearth the secrets of Scarlet Orchard in the new bi-weekly update. Here's what's new:

• Scarlet Orchard visual revamp
  
• Scarlet Orchard’s unique biome mechanic
  
• New building: Archeologist's Office
  
• New Citadel Upgrade
  
• Community-inspired changes
  
• Available on GeForce NOW
  
• And more!

We hope you'll enjoy the new changes and share your impressions with us!

And if you've already picked up Against the Storm and have been playing it, make sure to leave a Steam review. Every opinion matters to us!

[h2]DEVELOPER NOTES[/h2]
Let us start with a huge thank you to everyone who decided to join us in Early Access. We are grateful for all your suggestions, reports, and reviews. They help us a lot! This has been a mind-blowing week and we're excitedly looking into the future.

Although we are not able to engage in every conversation, we do our best to read through all your messages and take notes. We shared an FAQ article in which we answered some of the most frequent questions. We also recommend using our community tools:

• Feature Request Board - suggest new features and vote for ideas you care about
  
• Public Bug Tracker - check the status of player-reported issues
  
• Knowledge Base - a growing list of troubleshooting articles

We hope that in a few days, things will calm down a bit and we'll be able to interact more with you. Now, let's move on to the overview of the Royal Archeologist Update.

Revamped Scarlet Orchard.

First off - the Scarlet Orchard. Until now, this biome was the only one in the game that had no unique mechanic and a very limited visual identity (it was way too similar to the Royal Woodlands in that regard). We decided to change that.

From now on, the Scarlet Orchard will be a region revolving around archaeology and exploration. When settling there, expect to stumble upon ancient excavation sites - big multi-stage events that require a lot of work and resources to be completed, but also give special and generous rewards. To help you find them, you can use a new upgradeable building that is only accessible in this biome - the Archaeologist’s Office.

Archaeologist's Office.

Archaeological Excavation.

Our vision for this biome was to give players a “big archaeological project” to work on while establishing a settlement, as well as offer a glimpse at some more lore and information about the world of Against the Storm.

Fully completed excavation.

Other significant changes are numerous UX and UI improvements inspired by the community. During the last week and a half, we’ve been meticulously writing down all the feedback and feature requests we received on Discord, Reddit, Steam, and through the in-game reporting tool. We are extremely grateful for every single piece of feedback, and we are taking all of it to heart. While it’s impossible to implement everything right away, we will slowly introduce as many of them as is feasible over the coming months.

Some of the highlights for today’s update are:

• Changes to Citadel upgrades,
  
• Copy building feature,
  
• Rotate and move buildings without opening their UI,
  
• Ore displayed in the resource overlay,
  
• Hotkeys for inverting tree marking modes,
  
• More info in the in-game encyclopedia,
  
• And more (full changelog below).

Last but not least - bug fixes. Although our launch was a rather smooth one, there were bugs that inadvertently cropped up over the last week and a half. With your help, we managed to track a lot of them down and fix them. We also improved how the game catches and communicates different error messages - for example when a file is corrupted after installation, the game will catch that and prompt the player to verify game file integrity on their platform of choice.

We hope you’ll enjoy all the new changes!

Have fun and may the storm be gentle on you,
Eremite Games

[h2]CHANGELOG[/h2]
Changes marked with ⚡ were inspired by the community.

[h3]New content and features[/h3]

• Revamped the entire Scarlet Orchard biome.
  • The biome is themed around archaeology and exploration. Every Scarlet Orchard map has archaeological discoveries hidden in its glades.
    
  • Archaeological discoveries are unique, multi-stage events that require a big investment to solve. They are not dangerous and will offer a very generous reward if fully reconstructed.
    
  • Added a new essential building - the Archaeologist’s Office. It can be upgraded to unlock special new effects (like showing the location of an archaeological discovery or boosting the settlement’s exploration capabilities).
    
  • There are three levels of upgrades in the Archaeologist’s Office, each with 2 different effects. Only one effect can be chosen per level.
    
  • Revamped the visuals of the Scarlet Orchard biome, as previously it was very similar to the Royal Woodlands. There are new trees, improved shrub models, refreshed ground textures, etc.
    
  • Added 3 completely new music tracks that play only in the Scarlet Orchard.
• Added a new Citadel upgrade - More Farm Range. This upgrade can be unlocked by buying the First Dawn Company Level 6 upgrade.

[h3]Balance[/h3]

• ⚡ Merged the Embarkation Range and Citadel Vision upgrades into one.
  • Embarkation Range now allows players to move one field further, as well as see more of the map at the beginning of the cycle.
• ⚡ Rebalanced the cost of some upgrades in the Citadel.
  • Removed Artifacts and Machinery requirements from the earliest upgrades (Brass Forge Level 1, Pioneers’ Gate Level 2, Dim Square Level 2)).
    
  • Lowered the price of the Vanguard Spire Level 1 upgrade from 6 Machinery to 3.
    
  • Moved the cost (6 Artifacts) of the Pioneers’ Gate Level 3 upgrade to Level 4.
    
  • Removed Artifacts and Machinery from the Obsidian Archive Level 7 Upgrade, to make it easier to reach some of the most essential unlocks (like the Daily Expedition).
    
  • Increased the Food Stockpile cost of the Pioneers’ Gate Level 2 from 12 to 24.
    
  • Changed the cost of the First Dawn Company Headquarters Level 7 upgrade from 18 Artifacts and Machinery to only 24 Artifacts.
• ⚡ Slightly increased the rewards for some World Map modifiers.
  • Ancient Battleground - added 4 Machinery to rewards.
    
  • Corrosive Torrent - increased the number of Machinery from 3 to 4.
• ⚡ Added Infused Tools as possible payment for upgrading the Mine.
  
• ⚡ Increased the Hostility requirement for the Greater Threat Forest Mystery (-2 Resolve for Dangerous Glades during the storm) from Hostility level 1 to Hostility level 2.
  
• ⚡ The Levitating Monument modifier now makes moving builds free.
  
• Coppervein trees in the Scarlet Orchard now drop pigment instead of resin (as an additional resource).
  
• The Workshop is no longer moveable.
  
• Removed Simple Tools from the first upgrade level in the Mine.
  
• Shortened copper ore mining time by 10 seconds.
  
• ⚡ Reshuffled a few upgrades in the Citadel.

[h3]UX/UI improvements[/h3]

• ⚡ Added an option to copy existing buildings. Simply press Shift when hovering over a building.
  
• ⚡ Added an option to rotate buildings on the spot (for free). Simply press the rotation hotkey (R by default) when hovering over a building. The building must be moveable to perform this action.
  
• ⚡ Added an option to move buildings without needing to select them. Simply hover over a building and press the move hotkey (M by default).
  
• ⚡ Added a hotkey to change the tree marking mode. Simply hold Alt when marking trees, and you will start removing the markings (and vice versa).
  
• ⚡ Ore deposits are now shown in the resource overlay. They are also highlighted when building a mine.
  
• ⚡ Added an option to change the volume of the intro voiceover in the settings menu.
  
• ⚡ Added a warning pop-up when a player decides to continue playing after a game has already been won. This warning occurs only once and informs the player that they won’t get additional experience points, citadel resources, or deeds.
  
• ⚡ Changed the wording in effects that stack Resolve modifiers (like Melancholy). It now states that “a stack of this effect is added every 60 seconds”, instead of “the Resolve bonus multiplies every 60 seconds”.
  
• ⚡ Changed the wording in notifications that appear when woodcutters can’t cut trees (to make it clearer that this can also be the result of settings in the woodcutters’ camp).
  
• ⚡ Changed the warning tooltip displayed when a blueprint is already a reward in an Order the player has (it previously only read “orders” without much explanation).
  
• ⚡ Changed the objective text in orders that require fulfilling needs to avoid confusion. Instead of just showing the resource name, they now say “need for X fulfilled”.
  
• ⚡ Added information about building size to the in-game encyclopedia.
  
• ⚡ Added information about whether a building is movable or not to the in-game encyclopedia.
  
• ⚡ Enabled the “right-click to look up in encyclopedia” function for all buildings in the construction menu.
  
• ⚡ Disabled the warning pop-up about leftover Embarkation Points if the player has picked all Embarkation Bonuses available.
  
• ⚡ Added an option to the settings menu to turn off screen fog.
  
• ⚡ Added a biome preview button in the cornerstone selection pop-up.
  
• ⚡ Added a warning pop-up when starting the demo after playing the full version.
  
• Locked difficulty levels are now displayed in the difficulty dropdown menu.
  
• ⚡ Disabled the “upgrade” section in the UI panel for buildings under construction.
  
• ⚡ Recipe panel search filters are now cleared after closing the recipe panel. This can be changed in the options menu.
  
• ⚡ Increased the limit for the manual FPS slider in the options menu to 144.
  
• ⚡ Alert options were moved to a separate tab in the options menu.
  
• ⚡ Added new tooltips to the move button in building panels. These show up when a building can’t be moved due to any reason.
  
• ⚡ Added a menu button to the World Map HUD.
  
• ⚡ Added the option to search for deeds by description.
  
• ⚡ Changed the warning that appears when trying to remove resource nodes and construction sites (when no resources are refunded).
  
• ⚡ Added a notification informing the player when they have a high Hostility level during the storm (and what they can do about it). It's only displayed in the first few games after the tutorial.
  
• ⚡ Added a new entry about the Blightstorm Cycle to the in-game encyclopedia.
  
• ⚡ Added a confirmation pop-up that appears after selecting the “move on'' option in the ESC menu (after winning a settlement and staying on the map).
  
• Changed the default hotkey for excluding glade edges when marking trees. It’s now Ctrl instead of Alt.
  
• Locked difficulty levels are now displayed in the difficulty dropdown menu.

[h3]Bug fixes[/h3]

• ⚡ Improved how the game communicates in error situations.
  
• Added a system that catches missing files when trying to play the game, and shows the player a message about the need to verify file integrity.
  
• Added contact info to all other error pop-ups.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug that made it possible to open reward chests hidden in the fog on the World Map.
  
• ⚡ Fixed an issue with the farm UI counting fertile soil patches hidden in undiscovered glades.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug with multiple UI windows appearing on top of each other when switching between trade routes, the trader panel, the recipes panel, etc.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug that caused species-specific house ruins to spawn on maps when a given species was not present or unlocked.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug that caused the Forest Offerings effect to trigger even after solving a non-dangerous event (giving the player random food items).
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug with the Clay Pit blueprint being offered in maps without Fertile Soil.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug that caused the S key to not work properly when holding down Shift.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug with resource numbers on tooltips not matching the actual amount stored in a settlement’s warehouse.
  
• ⚡ Fixed an issue with haunted ruins not counting as ruins in orders and perks.
  
• ⚡ Fixed an issue with the preview button in the recipe panel being inactive for some rebuilt ruins.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug with the game automatically unpausing after closing the feedback window.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug that caused mystery box pop-ups to appear behind the trading window.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug that caused some glade events to display an incorrect prompt when applying their Impatience penalty.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug with the minecart not disappearing when destroying a mine.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug with the Flawless Rain Mill not having copper ore as an option in the Pack of Building Materials recipe.
  
• ⚡ Fixed an issue with text in the score summary being slightly cropped.
  
• ⚡ Changed the “WSAD” text to “WASD” in the tutorial.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug with the Wine Shortage daily modifier being drawn even if there are no Beavers in the game.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug with some species having incorrect attributes in the in-game encyclopedia.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug with the camera losing focus when zoomed out.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a missing “no worker” alert above the Small Hearth.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug that caused farmers to restart their work after loading the game.
  
• Fixed an issue with mouse button prompts in building tooltips not being localized.
  
• Fixed a rare crash that occurred when quitting the game.
  
• Fixed the title displayed next to the trader Dullahan Warlander. It’s supposed to be Hooded Trickster and not Wandering Merchant.
  
• Fixed an issue with the Converted Harmony Spirit Altar and rebuilt haunted ruins not being present in the in-game encyclopedia.
  
• Reimplemented some missing UI sounds when changing building tabs.
  
• Fixed incorrect UI sounds in the encyclopedia.
  
• Fixed a rare bug that caused sound effects to play on repeat when they triggered at the very moment a game was won.

[h3]Other[/h3]

• ⚡ Improved the overall quality of text in English.
  • Fixed a lot of typos and errors.
    
  • Changed word capitalization for more consistency.
    
  • Changed “storage” to “warehouse” to avoid confusion between the structure and the internal storage in all production buildings.
    
  • Changed “embark points” to “embarkation points” (same with bonuses and range).
    
  • Changed “atlas” to “encyclopedia”.
    
  • Changed “invert mouse x-axis” to “invert mouse rotation”.
• ⚡ Changed multiple lines of text, fixed typos, and improved localization quality in languages other than English (mostly based on player reports).
  
• ⚡ The game is now available on GeForce NOW.
  
• Rebalanced default volume levels in multiple places in the game.
  
• Changed the color of the Scarlet Orchard on the World Map.

[h2]Community Corner[/h2]
Let’s end with some of the latest community memes:

One of a kind by Jhazrun.

Absolute win by Flixor.

My Beloved by sebseb.

That's it for today, have a great weekend everyone!

[h2]Discover the upcoming features:[/h2]
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/3373785601484084345
[h2]Check our FAQ:[/h2]
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/3385045248732042792

[h3]Greetings, Viceroys![/h3]
The first content update on Steam is coming tomorrow (November 10, sometime around 2 pm - 4 pm UTC). Let’s get ready!

In this article, we share a couple of tips on how to prepare for updates and what you can expect from the Royal Archeologist Update.

[h2]How to prepare for the Update[/h2]
We release new content Updates every two weeks on Thursdays around 2 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]How saves work in Against the Storm[/h2]
We did our best to ensure that the Early Access program is as convenient for the players as possible.

The game keeps separate save files (and their backups) for different layers of the game:

• Current settlement
  
• Current World Map cycle
  
• Meta progress

No update will ever erase your meta progress - you will keep your experience and Citadel Resources across every update and the full launch. If we change specific Smoldering City Upgrades or remove them, you will get the invested resources back and be able to spend them on other Upgrades.

Your current World Map cycle (the distribution of your settlements on the World Map, other Factions’ settlements, chests, modifiers, etc.) is unlikely to be reset often.

However, your current settlement will have to be force-finished every two weeks when we release new updates. In return, you will be reimbursed with Citadel Resources which you’d normally get for the settlement.

[h2]Royal Archeologist Update sneak peek[/h2]
We’re happy to unveil that Scarlet Orchard is getting a new look and its unique biome mechanic!

From now on, the Scarlet Orchard will be a region revolving around archaeology and exploration. When settling there, expect to stumble upon ancient excavation sites - big multi-stage events that require a lot of work and resources to be completed, but also give special and generous rewards. To help you find them, you can use a new upgradeable building that is only accessible in this biome - the Archaeologist’s Office.



Additionally, you can expect many improvements and fixes, many of which were directly inspired by your feedback and reports. Here are some examples:

• We’re merging the Embarkation Range and Citadel Vision upgrades into one. Embarkation Range will allow players to move one field further, as well as see more of the map at the beginning of the cycle.
  
• We’re adding an option to copy existing buildings. Simply press Shift when hovering over a building.
  
• We’re adding an option to rotate buildings on the spot (for free). Simply press the rotation hotkey (R by default) when hovering over a building. The building must be moveable to perform this action.
  
• We’re adding a warning pop-up when a player decides to continue playing after a game has already been won. This warning occurs only once and informs the player that they won’t get additional experience points, citadel resources, or deeds.
  
• We’re adding an option to the settings menu to turn off screen fog.
  
• And many many more.

We’ll share the full changelog and our update notes tomorrow.

May the storm be gentle on you,
Eremite Games

[h2]Discover the upcoming features:[/h2]
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/3373785601484084345
[h2]Check our FAQ:[/h2]
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/3385045248732042792

[h3]Greetings, Viceroys![/h3]
We’re extremely grateful for your warm reception of Against the Storm - your support and love are highly appreciated.

We’re doing our best to keep up with all the messages we receive and to respond whenever possible. We also decided to prepare an FAQ to keep answers in one place.

You can find the FAQ thread (which will be updated as more questions appear) here:

[h2]FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)[/h2]

We will also present you the opportunity to ask us some questions during a live stream which we’ll host on our Twitch channel on November 9 at 4 pm UTC (8:00 am PT / 5:00 pm CET). What are the origins of the game? What’s our favorite Polish food? Wait, you guys are from Poland? All these and other questions will be answered, so come hang out with us!

You can also expect a little sneak peek of the upcoming update which we’ll release on November 10 (make sure to finish your settlement before the update goes live!).

May the storm be gentle on you,
Eremite Games


[h2]Discover the upcoming features:[/h2]
https://steamcommunity.com/games/1336490/announcements/detail/3373785601484084346

[h3]Greetings, Viceroys![/h3]
We just released a small hotfix addressing a few issues that cropped up after the game’s release. The changes are now available in the Early Access version and the demo.

[h2]Changelog:[/h2]

• Fixed a bug with some leveling rewards being incorrectly unlocked when earning experience points through Deeds.
  
• Fixed a bug with the Corsair iCUE RGB implementation not changing states correctly.
  
• Fixed a bug that caused empty tooltips to appear when hovering over recipe stars in building panels and the Atlas.
  
• Fixed an issue with search bars not accepting accent letters and special characters.
  
• Fixed an issue with the game reacting to keybinds when writing a report in the feedback panel.
  
• Fixed a bug with incorrect popup order when attacking the Hooded Trickster trader.
  
• Fixed a bug with the Hooded Trickster trader only having 3 Mystery Boxes on sale, even if the player has Citadel Upgrades increasing the trader merchandise amount.
  
• Fixed a mistranslation in Portuguese (“Colônia Concluída!”).
  
• Fixed a few typos in the Atlas (like in the description of the First Dawn Company).
  
• Improved the wording of some Glade Event effects (like Fishmen Rituals).
  
• Rebalanced the Gathering Tools perk. It now giver 6 Packs of Provisions per glade (instead of 3).

Please make sure your game is updated to version Early Access 0.36.14R.

We are immensely grateful for your prompt and detailed reports. We also want to thank you for such a positive reception of Against the Storm!

If you've already picked up the game and have been playing it, we’d be grateful if you left a Steam review. Every opinion matters!

We read all your posts and you can expect the first batch of community-inspired changes to be added to the game on November 10. Stay tuned!

May the storm be gentle on you,
Eremite Games

Important: If you get a "We failed to restore your settlement" message, please verify integrity of game files.

[h2]Discover the upcoming features:[/h2]
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/3373785601484084345

[h3]Greetings, Viceroys![/h3]
Rebuild a fallen world in the face of never-ending storms - Against the Storm is AVAILABLE NOW in Steam Early Access!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h2]About Against the Storm[/h2]
You are the Viceroy – a leader charged by the Scorched Queen to reclaim the wilderness and discover lost riches for the Smoldering City, civilization’s last bastion against the Blightstorm that destroyed the old world. Unlike most survival city builders where your focus is on a single city, in Against the Storm you must build a vast, prosperous network of settlements populated by diverse fantasy races, each with their own specializations and needs.

But the wilderness holds many hidden dangers, and never-ending storms will batter your population into submission. If your settlements should fall, then the expedition may end – but not the game. Against the Storm is a roguelite city builder, meaning you will carry forward the resources, upgrades, and experience of your past expeditions each time you set off for a new journey into the wild.

[h2]Early Access[/h2]
We estimate the Early Access programme to last for approximately 6 months (subject to change). During that time, we are committed to delivering bi-weekly updates with new content, improvements, balance changes, and fixes.

We prepared a roadmap which outlines our plans for the upcoming features:



We work on Against the Storm in the spirit of community-driven development, so we provide you with multiple tools to influence and monitor the development:

• Feedback channels on Steam and Discord
• Public feature request board
• Public bug tracker
• In-game reporting tool (F11)

We read all your feedback and reserve significant amount of development time to work on things that matter to you. We hope you’ll join us on this exciting journey!

May the storm be gentle on you,
Eremite Games

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1336490/Against_the_Storm/