Salt 2 News

Co-op Testing Branch Available

[h2]Co-op[/h2][p]We've been working on adding co-op functionality to the world of Salt alongside regular updates for quite some time. We feel it is finally to a point to where it is ready for some external testing to help us find bugs and get feedback on features that need polishing.[/p][p][/p][p]If you have friends that play, we would love your help testing the new multiplayer features. Keep in mind bugs and possible disconnects are likely in this testing phase. As you find problems, please use the in-game bug report feature to let us know about them. Instructions on how to access the Steam branch containing this update can be found at the bottom of this section.[/p][p][/p][p]Note that if you switch to this beta branch, you can switch back to the default branch at any time. However, if you obtain any newly added items that do not exist yet on the default branch, those items will be lost. To avoid this, you can remain on this new branch until the changes have been pushed to the default branch.[/p][p][/p][h3]How To Play Together[/h3][p]In order to start a co-op session, select the Multiplayer option either in the main menu or in the escape menu in-game. You can create a lobby and invite your Steam friends from a list. If they are in the game, they will receive an invite notification they can accept.[/p][p][/p][p]You can invite up to 5 other friends to play with you. You can alternate between single player and multiplayer on the same save, so no need to create a new game for this. You and your friends can play together as long as both saves use the same world seed. It is recommended that players be a similar level as the world difficulty scales with the host. [/p][p][/p][p]Multiplayer sessions are hosted by the party leader--there are no dedicated servers. Party members are required to stay relatively close to each other. If someone gets too far, they will automatically teleport to the leader after a short time. This prevents the host from having to spawn and simulate too many islands at once.[/p][p][/p][p]You can teleport to other party members at any time. To do so, open your inventory and click on the health frame of the player that you wish to teleport to.[/p][p][/p][p]Although we may support damaging other players in the future, that is not yet implemented. You can currently only attack NPCs within the world.[/p][p][/p][p]You can chat with them in game by pressing Enter. Note that the chat is currently unavailable in the main menu, but this will be fixed in the future.[/p][p][/p][p]To avoid breaking quest progression, some quest areas require all party members to meet the entry requirements. If a player hasn't reached a required quest stage, they must progress before entering.[/p][p][/p][h3]How to Access the Steam Multiplayer Branch[/h3][p]This update is currently only on the multiplayer_beta branch. To access it:[/p]

[p]Right-click Salt 2 in your Steam library and select "Properties". [/p]
[p]In the window that pops up, select the Betas tab on the right. [/p]
[p]Under the private betas section, there is an input field. Enter the code doubletrouble and press the Check Code button. [/p]
[p]Press the button that appears asking you if you wish to opt into the beta.[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]New Content[/h2][p]In addition to co-op, some new content, features, and fixes are also included in this update.[/p][p][/p][h3]New Islands[/h3][p]A few new hand crafted islands have been added, each with unique backstories and loot to discover.[/p][p][/p][h3]Seasonal Merchants[/h3][p]Some seasonal merchants have been added to the world. They only show up at certain times of the year and sell some unique items. A Lunar Calendar can be purchased from a Stargazer NPC to track the seasons.[/p][p][/p][h3]Combat Log[/h3][p]An optional on-screen combat log can be enabled in the settings. It displays recent incoming and outgoing damage numbers.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Patch Notes[/h2]

[p]Added Co-op.[/p]
[p]Added seasonal merchants, which only appear at certain times of the year.[/p]
[p]Added new weapons and armor.[/p]
[p]Added some new unique islands.[/p]
[p]Added an emote wheel that you can access from the item wheel. [/p]
[p]Added an option to enable a combat log, which will show recent damage numbers.[/p]
[p]You can now see your passive armor effects and duration effects on the stats screen.[/p]
[p]Added a talent to the armor talent pool that increases your damage with spears.[/p]
[p]Added controls option to main menu and added background to it.[/p]
[p]Added flare gun item.[/p]
[p]Updated the appearance of some UI windows.[/p]
[p]Bears can now attack other wildlife.[/p]
[p]Updated some sound effects to higher quality versions.[/p]
[p]Disabled buy quantity input if you can't afford to buy more than one of an item.[/p]
[p]Reduced the cost of some pickaxe recipes.[/p]
[p]Adjusted some merchant recipe loot drop rates.[/p]
[p]Fixed unlocked doors re-locking after dying and respawning in a dungeon.[/p]
[p]Sound effects in caves and dungeons now have a slight reverb effect.[/p]
[p]Infused elixir no longer says it replaces the current potion effect.[/p]
[p]Fixed talent effects not applying or removing when changed on an equipped item.[/p]
[p]Added subtle smoke poof when destroying mining rocks and breakable cave walls.[/p]
[p]Increased the amount of moonrock that can spawn on marshland islands.[/p]
[p]Fixed getting stuck if you replace your boat while using the ladder.[/p]
[p]Increased the chance to get more meal recipe drops early on.[/p]
[p]Increased the difficulty of various bosses.[/p]
[p]Improved stats on a number of unique weapons.[/p]
[p]Bombs no longer say they are a dexterity weapon.[/p]
[p]Fixed some handheld items receiving decals.[/p]
[p]The unburied state of buried treasure is now saved.[/p]
[p]Fixed some translation issues.[/p]
[p]Fixed portcullis at Redwood Island POI being too short and causing tall pirates to bonk their heads.[/p]
[p]You can now hear enemy footsteps from further away.[/p]
[p]You can now sell Ignis weapons.[/p]
[p]Fixed Moonrock Sword showing its attack bonus description twice.[/p]
[p]Fixed an issue with some item talent effects not stacking properly.[/p]
[p]Fixed a number of cave ambiance sounds that didn't respect volume settings.[/p]
[p]Fixed particles in Astrologers Cave not rendering sometimes. [/p]

Update: Sky Visuals and Treasure Maps

This update introduces more realistic Sun, Moon, and other sky mechanics as well as treasure maps that visually hint at the locations of buried treasure.

Sky Mechanics

Note: the new sky mechanics are covered in more detail in this announcement. Check that out if you are interested.

The sky has been updated with some new visual features. The positions of the Sun, Moon, and (newly added) planets in the sky now follow somewhat realistic models, as if the Salt planet is revolving around the Sun in a solar system. The moon has its own orbit around the planet and therefore will go through phase changes throughout the month.

A waning crescent moon and a planet in the sky just before sunrise.

Other planets are now visible at night and early morning. These appear like bright stars, and can be used in addition to the Sun and Moon as a target for your Sextant to determine your world location. They also have their own orbits and so their positions in the sky will change throughout the year accordingly.

You also have a chance of catching sight of a shooting star at night time. These are fairly uncommon unless the planet happens to be passing through some comet debris.

Some meteors falling over the ocean.

[h2]Lunar Calendar[/h2]
If you want to keep track of the progression of time throughout the Salt year, you can now purchase a Lunar calendar from the Stargazer, a new NPC, whose ship can rarely be found out at sea. Once you've obtained one, place it on your ship and interact with it to open it.

Viewing the lunar calendar in-game

Treasure Maps

Treasure maps can now be rarely discovered in various places throughout the world. If you find one, interact with it in your inventory to view the map. They hint at the location of a nearby buried treasure.

There are currently a total of 27 unique treasure maps to discover and more may be added in the future.

Viewing a treasure map in-game

Co-op Progress

The implementation of Co-op is progressing along very well. The logic to sync most of the elements of the world has been completed. We are now finishing up some of the last necessary features and will start doing some heavy internal testing. After we feel that it is stable enough, we'll release it on a Steam branch for more broad community testing and continue to polish it there for a bit. There is no ETA on this yet as it depends on the quantity and severity of problems we find as we stress test it.

In parallel to co-op work, additional content, fixes, and polish will still continue.

[h2]Patch Notes[/h2]

Added moon phases.
Added planets that can be seen in the night sky and also used along with the sextant to determine your position.
Added shooting stars that can rarely appear in the night sky.
Adjusted the sun rise and set position that changes seasonally.
Added a new Stargazer NPC that will tell you about the sky and sell you a calendar.
Added treasure maps to various places in the world.
Updated the treasure dig sound.
You can now hotkey treasure maps.
Fixed an issue with controller scrolling the UI too fast in some cases.
Fixed clicking on a dialogue option sometimes choosing the first option no matter what you selected.
The Vault Key can now be crafted at any forge in addition to the anvil in front of the vault entrance.
Fixed a bug where the Breath Bar would show up when starting the game if you had an item or talent that increases your max breath stat.
Fixed the vault key stone description wrongly saying you need three instead of two to craft a key.
Fixed a lever being in the wrong position in a storage cave.
Fixed some merchants having the wrong greeting sounds.
Fixed an issue where using a sextant past the 1000 unit mark would not unlock the achievement.
Fixed some discrepancies in commission quest descriptions and their actual requirements.
Fixed some areas in dungeons where you could get out of the level bounds.
Fixed rain coming through ship cabins.
Fixed different pickaxes sharing the same appearance.
Fixed an issue with some levers in the Marauder's Guild Cave not working correctly.
Fixed framerate dependent zoom speed on map.
Fixed rotating avatar in inventory too slow on gamepad.
Moved female health bars higher.
Updated exploration log discovery text to say the name of the place you've discovered.
Fixed not being able to get a sextant reading at the Village of the Marsh island.
When looting lava stones you now have the chance to get more than one.
You can now get lava stones from excavation caves in addition to smoldering cavern dungeons.
Fixed some typos.
Herbalists now sell more plant and mushroom materials.
Increased the amount of plant fibers that can drop.

Beta Branch Update: Sky Visuals and Treasure Maps

Space and astronomy have been interests of mine since I was little. Those of you who played the first Salt game saw a bit of that passion shine through into my game development work with the realistic moon cycle mechanics. Not only does it add a bit of realism and depth to the world, but it’s also a teaching tool for our younger players. I remember getting a number of bug reports during the development of Salt 1 letting us know that the moon was out during the day.

A more mechanically deep night sky is something that I also wanted to have in Salt 2, but I hadn’t yet prioritized it over other tasks. I couldn’t stand it any longer so I spent a bit of time to make some updates.

Additionally, we have also added treasure maps that can be found throughout the world. These will hint at a location of a nearby buried treasure, so keep a shovel handy in case you run across one while adventuring.

These changes are now on the beta branch. Instructions on how to opt-in can be found here: How to access the Beta Branch

[h2]Stars[/h2]
First of all, the visuals of the background stars at night has been updated. Up until now, the stars image was a free placeholder sky that I threw in early on. It wasn’t bad, but it was a little sparse for my liking. Using a somewhat realistic distribution of star sizes and brightnesses, I generated a new one that has a much higher density of tiny, super-faint stars deep in the background. To me, this makes space feel way more vast and mysterious.

I experimented with making the stars more dense and bright along a line to simulate being inside a galaxy similar to our own Milky Way, but I wasn’t very happy with how it looked. Also, my generation process was suffering from some artifacts when mapping the stars to the skybox. So I decided to put that off for maybe another time.

The old skymap compared to the new.

[h2]Solar System Simulation[/h2]
I wanted the moon cycle to be very realistic; not only with varying phases, but also with its position and movement in the sky. Earth is tilted on its axis by 23.5 degrees, and the Moon’s orbit is slightly tilted relative to the ecliptic, the imaginary plane in which Earth revolves around the Sun. All of this adds up to fairly complicated positioning of the moon. Since I also wanted to make the angle of the sun more accurate as well as add in some additional planets, I decided to completely model a little solar system.

While I was developing the mathematical model, I created some spheres with simple textures to represent all of the celestial bodies to help me visualize if I was doing things correctly. This graphical representation of the model won’t show up anywhere in the actual game, but it helped me to ensure that the way things were working seemed reasonable.

A visual representation of the solar system model while I was working on it.

The solar system model gives me the ability to define orbits of any number of planets and moons. These orbits can be spherical or elliptical. The orbits can also be inclined to any angle. In addition, each celestial body can have a varying rotation speed and axis tilt. This gives me all of the tools that I need to make a simple but somewhat realistic representation of a solar system.

Note that the simulation is not completely accurate to real life orbits. Gravity of planets do not affect each other and the orbital speed vs distance of planets from the sun is not constrained to realistic physical values, but I was happy enough with it being a decent approximation.

[h2]Simulating The Sky[/h2]
The purpose of the solar system simulation is to figure out where to show these celestial bodies (Sun, Moon, and planets) in the sky relative to the player. To do so, I define a planet in the simulation that the player is on, along with their latitude and longitude on that planet. From there I can do a bit of math and figure out exactly at what position in the sky each other celestial body should appear.

A waning crescent moon and a planet in the sky just before sunrise.

The cool and intended side effect of using an actual solar system model to drive the position of these objects in the sky is that they behave in a manner more consistent with what we would see on Earth. Since I tilted the Salt planet on its axis and gave the moon a slightly tilted orbit, the way they move across the night sky from day to day will vary over time. Though there will be no actual winter in the world of Salt, if you pay close enough attention to the Sun, you can figure out what season of the year it theoretically is. The sun will rise and set in a more southward direction in the winter. The Salt year is 12 moon cycles of 8 days each, totaling 96 days.

For those who are curious, I’ve placed the player at a latitude of 20 degrees north (which is about the same as the Caribbean). Note that this latitude and longitude are currently fixed. Traveling will not change it at all.

This is how far north of the equator the player is for the night sky simulation.

[h2]The Planets[/h2]
Not only did I want to simulate planets in the night sky, but they also serve a purpose. With the recent completion of the sextant mechanics, the player is required to find a celestial object to take a proper reading of their world location. Previously, the moon would always rise precisely when the sun would set so there was always something out there to use for a reading.

With the introduction of the moon phases, this is no longer the case. Part of the month the moon will be on the same side of the planet as the Sun is, leaving the night sky without anything to use your sextant with. Players who love realistic simulation may not mind that constraint so much, but I didn’t want to introduce that much friction to a mechanic that is so often required. Especially for those of you who aren't as interested in the sky mechanics and just want to navigate to the next pirate cave.

So, a solution was to allow the sextant to take a location reading using planets as well. This was only a partial solution though. Since the planets have their realistic orbits, it is sometimes the case that all of the planets are on the Sun-side, leaving the night sky completely void of anything with which a location can be determined.

To solve this hitch, I made one planet that both has the same orbital angular velocity and is further away from the sun than the Salt home planet. This causes it to always appear directly opposite of the Sun in the night sky, so it will always rise as the sun sets and be available in the night sky for navigators.

There are four planets other than the Salt home planet. One is closer to the sun and the other three are further away. The only one I’ve named so far is Echo, the planet that always rises opposite of the sun.

The slightly brighter blue and orange dots are two planets on the horizon.

[h2]Shooting Stars[/h2]
One of my favorite childhood memories is lying outside at night at my Granddad’s house watching a meteor shower. These days I still try to catch them when I can. This sometimes means getting up really early before the sun rises, for the best chance of seeing some.

Meteors are now a part of the Salt night sky. There is always a chance to see one although not too many will fall on an average night. However, twice per Salt year, the planet passes through the debris trail of a comet, allowing for a night or two of showers when meteors will be very common.

Some meteors falling over the ocean.

Since there are exactly 12 moon cycles (months) in one Salt year, it has been the practice of its denizens to use the moon's phases to mark the passing of time. Here, it is customary to celebrate the new year on the full moon of the summer solstice, so that is where the Lunar calendar begins.

Working on these sky updates has been a fun project. Of course that comes from my own love of space, but I hope it brings a bit of that same wonder and enjoyment to others as they play.

[h2]Treasure Maps[/h2]
Treasure maps can now be discovered rarely in various places throughout the world. If you find one, interact with it in your inventory to view the map. They hint at the location of a nearby buried treasure.

There are currently a total of 27 unique treasure maps to discover and more may be added in the future.

Viewing a treasure map in-game

[h2]Patch Notes[/h2]

Added moon phases.
Added planets that can be seen in the night sky and also used along with the sextant to determine your position.
Added shooting stars that can rarely appear in the night sky.
Adjusted the sun rise and set position that changes seasonally.
Added a new Stargazer NPC that will tell you about the sky and sell a calendar.
Added treasure maps to various places in the world.
Updated the treasure dig sound.
Fixed an issue with controller scrolling the UI too fast in some cases.
Fixed clicking on a dialogue option sometimes choosing the first option no matter what you selected.
The Vault Key can now be crafted at any forge in addition to the anvil in front of the vault entrance.
Fixed a bug where the Breath Bar would show up when starting the game if you had an item or talent that increases your max breath stat.
Fixed the vault key stone description wrongly saying you need three instead of two to craft a key.
Fixed a lever being in the wrong position in a storage cave.
Fixed some merchants having the wrong greeting sounds.
Fixed an issue where using a sextant past the 1000 unit mark would not unlock the achievement.
Fixed some discrepancies in commission quest descriptions and their actual requirements.
Fixed some areas in dungeons where you could get out of the level bounds.
Fixed rain coming through ship cabins.
Fixed different pickaxes sharing the same appearance.

Happy adventures,
John Gamble

Bug Fixes

[h3]Changes[/h3]

Fixed an issue where the lockplates in the Temple of Light were in the wrong position.
The sextant no longer applies a color filter at night, making it a little easier to see.
Fixed an issue that could rarely cause you not to be able to load into the game.

Minor Fixes

[h3]Changes[/h3]

Fixed issue where remote levers for gates were not showing up in some dungeons.
Adjusted night sky appearance slightly.
You can now blow up gunpowder kegs with arrows.
Reduced the cost of buying some meals.
Innkeepers now carry more food items.