Lost Isle News

[h2]What's New?[/h2]

[h3]Factions[/h3]

The survivors found on the Lost Isle are truly a hardy folk. Regardless of their occupation or station in life, they've endured countless trials of devastating loss and have come out the other side stronger for it. These people are the faction NPCs you'll encounter during your adventures.

Gaining reputation with factions is not necessarily a groundbreaking mechanic, but how exactly this system will work in an open world multiplayer survival game like Lost Isle is worth diving into.

NPCs will spawn all throughout the world - some will spawn statically in certain locations and others will travel along the roads - but their functionality will more or less be the same. Each NPC will belong to a faction. Completing quests offered by the NPC and/or gifting them appropriate resources will increase your reputation with their respective faction and unlock increasingly useful tiered perks.

An important note is that all interactions with NPCs are completely optional. Lost Isle is designed to be played pretty much any way you like, ignoring them altogether if that's your preference. You will as a baseline be able to craft the survival necessities, and maybe you'll get lucky and find powerful items in loot containers scattered all over the island. However, some of the perks might be too enticing to pass up...

For example, below is a screenshot of the Forge Masters Guild who's specialty is blacksmithing. Increasing your reputation with that specific faction will unlock the ability to craft advanced tools, weapons and armor. If the idea of making your own top tier weapons and armor sounds appealing to you as a player, then interacting with NPCs of that faction will be well worth your while.



If you're playing solo you might become a jack-of-all-trades master of all.

Or if you're playing together with trusted player allies you might go with a divide and conquer strategy - each raising reputations with different factions and coming together to collectively share the unique unlocked perks.

The 8 existing factions of Lost Isle are:

• Forge Masters Guild - Blacksmithing
  
• Epicurean League - Cooking
  
• Builders Alliance - Construction
  
• Earthen Core - Mining
  
• Stitchers Union - Cosmetics
  
• Nomadic Circle - Mounts and Relics
  
• Order of the Watchmen - Combat
  
• Arcane Assembly - Magic Spells and Enchantments
  

The details for the specific tiered perks of each faction are forthcoming, but in the meantime here's a short clip of a miner NPC greeting the weary traveler:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
"A good day is it?"

A good day indeed!

[h3]Other Notable Changes[/h3]

• Open world procedurally placed major and minor landmarks (monuments)
  
• Magic combat system rework
  
• Rain and snow weather manager
  
• Factions, research, and general UI reworks
  

[h3]Stay in the Loop[/h3]

Don't miss out on important updates - make sure to wishlist Lost Isle here on Steam, join our Discord community, and follow us on X!

Happy New Year!

It's 2024. New year, new stuff. Here's what we've been working on this month!

[h2]What's New?[/h2]

[h3]Traveling NPCs[/h3]

The roads of the Lost Isle will often be quite dangerous, but will also be ripe with opportunity! We're adding traveling NPCs that will offer optional quests and rewards, as well as additional functionalities like selling unique items and offering repairs.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h3]Tech Tree UI[/h3]

There's just something satisfying about progressing through a good tech tree. You'll have the opportunity to play the game however you like - working with friends each specializing in a particular branch, or becoming a jack of all trades unlocking everything the tree has to offer for yourself.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h3]Enemy AI Base Raiding[/h3]

Players are going to have a love/hate relationship with this feature. AI enemies will now raid your base! Don't freak out just yet... they'll only occasionally attack, and only while you're home, so there's no need to worry about coming back from resource gathering or being offline to your base destroyed. We can't say the same thing about enemy players, however.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h3]Cloth Physics[/h3]

In the pursuit of making Lost Isle as immersive as possible, we've been focusing on some of the smaller details - in this case, cloth physics. Cloth armor, cloaks, flags, banners, etc. will be subject to the physics of all manner of movements.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h3]Other Notable Changes[/h3]

• Asynchronous World Streaming with constant time performance - meaning we can now build the world as big as we want without impacting frame rate
  
• Polished new iterations on HUD/UI
  
• Network, server, mesh and material optimizations
  
• Air Drops (video coming soon)
  
• Underwater and floating aquatic loot piles
  
• Traveling NPC cart variations
  
• Interior NPC functionality
  

We regularly upload videos and images to our socials @playlostisle that showcase new features, so if you want to stay in the loop about updates and progress make sure to give us a follow!

Hello all!

The holidays are upon us and we're squeezing in as much fresh development as possible before the end of 2023. Here's what the team has been working on this past month!

[h2]What's New?[/h2]

[h3]Vehicles[/h3]

Still in early development, this exciting feature will allow players to travel across the vast open world in both speed and style. For now we're starting with the classic horse on land and rowboat on water, with more varied options on the road map.


[h3]Enemy AI Overhaul Cont.[/h3]

The overhaul continues with some interesting modifications. A new stat system for damage calculations, limb colliders for more dynamic combat, and new AI models with unique behaviors, including:

• Dark Summoner - a type of necromancer who continuously summons the dead to fight for him as long as he lives
  
• Skeleton Rogue - a stealthy backstabber that becomes skittish if you see it coming
  
• Skeleton Defender - a shield bearer specializing in blocking incoming attacks
  

There are now patrols of diverse skeletal warriors - the Forces of Mauroth - who patrol the roads and guard loot piles. And lest you make the mistake of assuming they might be pushovers like I did, I assure you after meeting my end at their hand many times that they are formidable foes.

[h3]Lore Primer[/h3]

Our collection of lore for Lost Isle has long been gathering dust, and the time for it to finally come forth is now! We've started production on a lore teaser video that will premier early 2024, but in the meantime we'll be dropping some bite size chunks like this brief history overview.


[h3]Other Notable Changes[/h3]

• Now possible to toggle between building and upgrading when building hammer is equipped
• Automatically utilize upgrade resources from anywhere in your inventory
  
• Crafting, audio mixer, and tooltip UI improvements
  
• Added cloth physics to player armor and NPC models
  
• Harvestable trees and rocks, and breakable loot containers now break into many pieces when harvested or destroyed
  
• Bug fixes related to maps, door keys, consumables, and deployables
  

We regularly upload videos and images to our socials @playlostisle that showcase new features, so if you want to stay in the loop about updates and progress make sure to give us a follow!

Hello all!

The team has been hard at work this month making improvements to existing systems and adding lots of new and exciting features. Let's dive right into it!

[h2]What's New?[/h2]

[h3]Enemy AI Overhaul[/h3]

A total AI overhaul is underway. This AI will be much smarter and have more dynamic combat. The core enemies in the game will be the mysterious Forces of Mauroth and the Goblin Tribes. These factions are at odds with each other and with the player survivors. It won't be out of the ordinary for a player to encounter a battle between these two groups.

These two groups will be much more active in the open world, with several different main behaviors:

• Monuments - enemies that patrol and defend monuments
  
• Road Patrols - groups of enemies that march along the roads
  
• Loot Piles - enemies guarding various loot piles
  
• Raiding Parties - enemies that will attack player structures (only if a base owner is home and online)
  

The AI also has new high fidelity models and animation technology. It'll look and feel a lot better in game. Along with the new behavior system, enemies will feel smarter and will be much more of a threat.

Check out the progress in the preview below:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h3]Wild Animal Enclosures[/h3]

With this new feature you'll be able to place a cage trap anywhere in the wild, put food inside as bait, and eventually catch animals like foxes, squirrels, frogs, and rats. If you're starving and resource deprived, maybe these critters will turn into your next meal; however, if you decide to keep them around as a pet and feed them properly, they will produce items for you. A well-fed fox, for example, will produce fur.

[h3]Open World Loot Piles[/h3]

Littered throughout the Lost Isle you'll be able to find around 10 different variations of miscellaneous loot piles. It may be an odd looking stump, a broken cart, or a few arrow-filled corpses lying around with their bags just sitting there for the taking. Over time you'll want to train your eyes to quickly locate these valuable items that will give you an advantage over the other survivors on the island.



[h3]Other Notable Changes[/h3]

• New radial view for most deployables with fresh 3D icons and corresponding actions
  
• New door and window model variations for building
  
• New voice and FX packs for new AI models
  
• New Well minor monument
  
• New Northern Port major monument
  
• Equipped gear on player corpses now updates as you loot them
  
• Some items have a "Take All" button now for quicker looting
  
• Improved countdown timers and other feedback on item conversion devices
  

And the list goes on!

We regularly upload videos to our socials @playlostisle that showcase new features, so if you want to stay in the loop about updates and progress make sure to give us a follow.

To everyone who celebrates it, have a very happy Thanksgiving tomorrow! The Lost Isle team is thankful for people like you taking this development journey together with us.

Hello All!

It's been a crazy last few weeks. Thankfully the good kind of crazy. While a few things have changed about how and when we can give you access to the game, our goals for Lost Isle itself have not changed. You’ll see more details here, on our socials, and in our Discord as we nail those details down into some kind of roadmap or schedule.

In the meantime, we have a few new things that we’ve added into the game. The kind of details and gameplay we’re hoping you’ll enjoy in an upcoming playtest.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

First we’re adding adobe to the classic building materials of wood, stone, and metal. Making the adobe bricks is a bit more involved than stabbing a rock with a dagger, so these new walls are going to be stronger than stone. It might not outright stop every arsonist and raider that comes knocking, but it will make their lives harder.

We’ve also got the realization of my farming sim dreams up and running. You can now plant crops and trees, watch them grow, then cut them down for those sweet, sweet resources. There may not be enough room on the Isle for everyone to become an industrial farmer, but there’s more than enough room to become self-sufficient.

Next, our answer for turning your 2x2 shack into a 2x2 home. Chairs, fireplaces, tables, rugs, and more storage have been added to our list of craftable items. While some of these items may not have a direct impact on your gameplay, they really help build out the fantasy. Just make sure that you’ve got strong walls and defenses before you craft yourself a little table to eat on.

What isn’t in the latest update? So much processor usage. Our team has spent an unholy amount of time optimizing the game so that it runs better and faster on your machine. Individual mileage may vary, but you definitely won’t be hitting loading screens every time you open a door. Which has got to be a plus.

For those of you who have already jumped in, we’re hoping the increased performance also allows you to notice some of the UI improvements. INCLUDING world markers on lootable items. No more losing copper nuts and bolts in the grass. Everything that can be picked up now has a beam of light above it.

Thank you to everyone who has joined us in the last couple of weeks. We saw an incredible response to the PC Gamer article and we’re very, very glad to see you here. We’re even glad to see those of you who came over from the “Loot Isle” article. Stay tuned, there’s more Lost Isle on the way.

- Patchwork from Wunder Entertainment