Seablip News

[p]Ahoy everyone! Thank you so much for all the incredible feedback on the new Castle Update - it makes my job 1000 times easier when you are so good at sharing bugs, explaining what you like and dislike about the game, and discussing what you wish I would add and change. I think it is time for me to make an update on Seablip’s Roadmap. [/p][p][/p][h3]Just a quick recap first on Seablip’s milestones: [/h3]

• [p]17 May 2024 - Seablip released in Early Access [/p]
• [p]October 2024 - Wizard & Flag Update[/p][p][/p]
• [p]December 2025 - Castle Update[/p]

[p][/p][p]I know some of you didn’t like the long wait between the Wizard & Flag to this Update. I understand you! In my defense: I have two kids now. Life has been hectic - luckily, they are a little older now, and I have more time (less sleep) to concentrate on new updates. I am fully dedicated to getting Seablip to 1.0![/p][p][/p][p]I also know some people are asking when gamepad support will become better. Some Steam Deck players are already happy, but I know many don’t like it at all as it is now. I am sorry - I just don’t have enough arms to work on everything at once. I will continue to improve the gamepad support, but you have to understand that I will prioritize content and bug support and try to sneak in improvements whenever I have that extra energy and time. I don't have a team behind me, so I can't just delegate this task to anyone else.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]The path forward[/h2][p]Seablip’s 1.0 release is not that far away. With the Castle Update now out, I will say the most important game mechanic I wished to develop is finished (I will still improve it). [/p][p]From the feedback, I understand that many are looking forward to more quests and the story expansion. I know there are many that don't like that they miss Grandpa's funeral because it can be difficult to find it in time (this will be patched so that player get an option to "teleport" to the funeral or choose to skip it themself).[/p][p][/p][p]I have made some changes to the earlier Roadmap I posted and merged the last two updates into the 1.0. This helps me concentrate on making Seablip more polished and finishing loose ends.[/p][p]I plan to focus more on story and quests for the 1.0. I want the story to be connected to the game's core mechanics, and since I still have a few plans left, you will need to wait some more for this content. [/p][p][/p][p]That means there is only one last Major Update before the 1.0 release! The next Major update includes Captain Battle, more fishing (the missing content for the guy that sells fish equipment), and maybe «land battle» against pirates. I say maybe, because I really only want to add it if it feels fun, but I don't want to get stuck too long testing different systems, as I did with the Castle Update. In the worst-case scenario, I have to focus on this after 1.0 if I see it takes too long to find the right way to do it. [/p][p]The 1.0 release. This will finish the Main Story (with a boss fight or two) and expand with lots of new quests. This update will probably change the world map significantly (giving both new and experienced players lots of new things to explore), and I will focus on adding more trade routes and life to the world. Redcoats' main island will be fully open, and many more key islands will be added to the game. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Fish & Fight Update[/h2]

• [p]Captain Battle (instead of a ship battle, you can sometimes choose to do a "Captain Battle". Your crew and enemy crew are gathered around in a "circle" to see which captain is the best)[/p]
• [p]Land Fighting (WASD)[/p]
• [p]Fishing[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h2]1.0 RELEASE[/h2]

• [p]Main Story (This includes at least two boss battles)[/p]
• [p]Side Quests (Like delivery quests, Rescue Mission, and more)[/p]
• [p]Merchant sail routes[/p]
• [p]World Map Update (Expanded map, and more)[/p]

[p]NEW[/p]

• [p]Game Difficulty setting!! (Easy, normal, hard) - This is a work in progress. I might need to adjust a lot! I am trying to balance the normal version most. The Easy and Hard settings have not been tested much. Any feedback on the difficulty settings is very valuable for me, so I started a new Steam Thread for this: Seablip Difficulty Feedback[/p]

[p]Changes[/p]

• [p]Repairing a captured ship only costs wood and, in some cases, wood and iron (Meaning it is easier to capture a new ship).[/p]
• [p]Enemy skill point balance change: reduced skill points[/p]
• [p]Enemy Crew Level reduced slightly for ship/castle battle[/p]
• [p]Crew Attack Damage is reduced slightly. Defending crew has +1 attack damage more than the boarding crew (previous +2)[/p]
• [p]Crew attack speed is removed, and is currently equal for everyone[/p]
• [p]Double Barrel Cannon reload speed increased (fixed from version 0.8.025)[/p]
• [p]Potion Lover skill has changed. This skill now revives the crew with half health if the crew dies because of crew damage. [/p]
• [p]Skeletons start with half health on revival[/p]
• [p]Double Barrel Cannon has a longer repair time if broken.[/p]

[p]Bug fix[/p]

• [p]Finding a treasure without a crew following you could try to create a crew reaction, leading to a glitch (fixed from version 0.8.025)[/p]
• [p]The player could not level skill points above 10 (forgot to remove the old "cap") (fixed from version 0.8.025)[/p]
• [p]Bomber Parrots could drop bombs on destroyed (removed) castle modules.[/p]
• [p]Visual: The spell: Curse Damage showed x2 - changed to +1 (since this spell gives +1 damage)[/p]
• [p]Visual: Obsidian stone had a shiny iron animation.[/p]
• [p]Enemies could have multiple demonic altars for resurrection; this is now limited to 1.[/p]
• [p]Visual: Double Barrel Cannon had a sprite mask issue[/p][p][/p]

[p]Known Issues (some of them)[/p]

• [p]Confusion Cannon and Magnet can sometimes bug the crew[/p]
• [p]Sometimes, when you have destroyed a castle (no more castle parts left), there is no victory option (you have to win by enemy crew damage). Seems to only happen with pirates(?) (Will add a fix soon, trying to find the source)[/p]
• [p]Moving back and forth could potentially lead to a better attack speed for the crew (will add a cooldown).[/p]
• [p]Changing the ship while in the map challenge will not update ship's health correctly.[/p]
• [p]Visual: Castle victory menu shows the wrong crew leveled up[/p]

[p][/p]

[p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]Ahoy everyone! At last, the new Castle update is now out! Thank you for all the feedback from the Unstable version. I am excited to hear what you all think. This new update brings along a lot of new content, but also a massive change in balance, hopefully giving a better experience for everyone. I will follow up closely for any feedback on this new update and start working on the next major one. I will also give you an update on the roadmap soon with more info on how we are closing in on the 1.0 release.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]This new expansion brings more than 139 castle parts, companion crewmates, and reimagined enemy balance to Seablip. [/p]

• [p]Utilize 139 unique castle parts to design and fortify your island, and prepare to defend against enemy sieges[/p]
• [p]Attack 35 massive enemy castles belonging to six factions, each featuring a unique design and challenge (3 legendary!!)[/p]
• [p]Choose one pirate companion who will now follow you on land adventures and assist you on your home island[/p]
• [p]Discover new cannons and equipment for both your ship and castle[/p]
• [p]Jump into a game with new enemy AI, skills, and systems, ensuring a more dynamic and challenging experience[/p]
• [p]Test your mastery with new Steam Achievements[/p][p][/p]

[p][/p][p]New random layout generator for enemies! The enemy is rebalanced and adapts to player progress (both ship and castle). They have more variation in equipment layout, and each faction now has 1 or more unique weapons that only they can use (ofc the player can too) —smarter enemies with new AI priority balance changes.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Turtle Cannon is a new legendary cannon. It is super slow, but it does devastating damage. A weapon commonly used by Goblins. This is one of several new equipment added to the game. Some old equipment also has some changes in behaviour. Healing room now heals a lot more, but has a slower speed.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Choose one pirate companion who will follow you on land adventures and assist you on your home island. In the future, the companion will help fight against land enemies![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]You can now level up every sailor (including the player) to level 20. Crew skills are now learned on levels 5 and 10. Enemies now also utilize skill points much more smartly. Each faction has its own focus on skill points and offers different challenges in battle.[/p][p][/p][h3]Screenshots[/h3][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p]

[p]Note: Since the Unstable Castle Update was released, several patches have been shipped, so you might have already tried some of these changes, but here is a small overview.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]Language[/p]

• [p]Spanish and Russian versions can be tested (community translated, and still WIP)[/p]

[p]
[/p][p]New:[/p]

• [p]Castle chest update: Item quick stack both ways (not dragged)[/p]
• [p]Hold shift to send 5 stack[/p]
• [p]Right click to send 1[/p]
• [p]Crew can go to level 20![/p]
• [p]Crew learn skills on level 4 and level 10 (previous level 2 and 5)[/p]
• [p]Crew experience (XP) is raised per battle, and rebalanced (you can get more experience with higher intelligence)[/p]
• [p]8 more enemy castles (including some from the Octopus faction)[/p]

[p]
[/p][p]Changes:[/p]

• [p]Very Hard enemies are slightly stronger if you are also strong[/p]
• [p]Enemy wizards are somewhat slower, and are even slower if they have many wizards[/p]
• [p]Enemy wizards use a new spell layout (less likely to spam the same spell)[/p]
• [p]Enemy steals less gold if they win a siege (it will still hurt)[/p]
• [p]Some spells now have more duration before the effect is removed[/p]
• [p]Crew walk speed is lowered on lowest level[/p]
• [p]Various other crew stats change[/p]

[p]
[/p][p]Bug Fix:[/p]

• [p]Game crashed if crew reached level 11[/p]
• [p]All castle decor modules are destroyed when the first module is destroyed [/p]
• [p]Crew follow in caves with trapdoors and elevators. The crew that follows you now waits if you fall down a trapdoor, and can follow you in elevators.[/p]
• [p]Safety behaviour (prevent soft lock) for crew follows: if they have no path to rowboat, they will teleport.[/p]
• [p]Death touch spell did not always work on enemies[/p]
• [p]Player could be stuck if holding movement down while exiting rowboat[/p]
• [p]Player sometimes moved wrong direction after a vertical movement[/p]
• [p]Player could walk off the screen when inside[/p]
• [p]Sometimes Castles have 1-2 health when all modules are destroyed[/p]
• [p]Player crew did not deselect enemy castle target if the castle wall is destroyed (removed)[/p]
• [p]Permanently losing equipment if exiting Castle HUD using ESC while holding equipment[/p]
• [p]Redcoat castle without interaction: Mistake in build. It will be a feature castle position. [/p]
• [p]Rare bug when exiting Castle HUD using both buttons and at the same time using ESC[/p]
• [p]Enemy wizard's spell Silence did not work against player[/p]
• [p]Castle Bridge could use Decor as horizontal support[/p]