Aloft News

[p]Ahoy, Sky Sailors! [/p][p]We’re delighted to announce that the Puzzles & Pyrologics update is now live! [/p][p]At the heart of this update lies the new puzzle system, which lets you take your endless creativity to new heights. There’s a new resource, logic system, building pieces, upgrades, combat improvements, animations, and much more.  [/p][p]Several of these new features and improvements are based on your feedback, and we thank you all for making your voices heard! [/p][p]As the Steam Summer Sale goes live later today, Aloft will be 20% off until July 10, so tell your friends and grow your own dream sky-village. [/p][p]Watch the Launch Trailer and soar smoothly into the new update: [/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]Get an overview of the new features below. Our team is already getting a head start on the next update, so keep on reading until the end to find out what's on the horizon! 
 [/p][h2]🧩 Puzzles & Pyrologics 🔥 [/h2][p]Using the new Emberstone resource, you can now build and power your own trapdoors, rotating walls, pressure plates, levers, timed triggers, and all sorts of clever contraptions. Mining Emberstone is a bit more involved than simply bashing it with a pickaxe. You’ll first need to break the exterior shell to uncover its red-hot core, then cool it with water to further mine and gather it. [/p][p][/p][p]This new resource can be used to power the Pyrologics system, which is how you design your own puzzles. Connect a resonator to a windmill to generate a field in which the new pieces can be placed, such as a pressure plate. The specific interactions and results you want can easily be tailored on the Pyrologic board (think of it like a circuit board). [/p][p] [/p][p]Ready-made puzzles can now also be found out in the world. Solve these ancient riddles to earn various rewards. Perhaps they’ll even serve as inspiration for your own puzzles! 
 
 [/p][h2]☁️ ️New Wonder Islands ☁️ [/h2][p]Uncover lost secrets on new Wonder Islands filled with puzzles to solve. Unlike the one-off puzzles you’ll find scattered across the skies, these are larger hand-crafted islands containing interlocking challenges, a story to tell, and Pyrologic pieces to sketch. [/p][p] [/p][p] [/p][h2]⚔️ Combat Improvements ⚔️ [/h2][p]Difficulty scaling is now based on the area of the map, rather than on how many islands you’ve cleansed, which should provide a smoother experience. We’ve also made improvements to balancing, visual feedback, and animations, both for enemies and for players (leap, block). And if you’d like a more peaceful experience, or a harsher challenge, check out our new difficulty settings, now found in the options menu. (Yes, peaceful mode is now truly peaceful!) [/p][p] [/p][h2]🛠️ Building Pieces & Decorations 🛠️ [/h2][p]In addition to the Pyrologic building pieces, we’ve added Emberstone lamps to brighten up your contraptions! This update also brings a variety of other new building pieces and upgrades, such as the new vertical windmill, designed to catch wind from any direction! There’s also the much-requested custom stretchable rope and various equilateral triangle building pieces.  
 
 [/p][h2]🤝 Player Contest Islands 🤝 [/h2][p]The results of the Island Creator Contest we held on Discord were incredible, and we’re including some of the best ones in this update! These islands will appear seamlessly in the sky like any other. Explore them to uncover their unique stories and reap hidden rewards waiting to be discovered. 
 
 [/p][p][/p][p]Check out the full Changelog for a more detailed list of changes. [/p][p] [/p][h2]🔭 What’s on the Horizon 🔭 [/h2][p]Peek through the spyglass for a glimpse at what we’re working on:  [/p]

• [p]New world generation, an improved system that will set the foundation for future updates [/p]
• [p]Sailing upgrades and wind lanes [/p]
• [p]Progression system revamp [/p]
• [p]Life trees tied to ecosystem restoration [/p]
• [p]New enemy and corruption tiers [/p]
• [p]New tools and weapons [/p]
• [p]New decoration options [/p]
• [p]Reward system and character customisation [/p]

[p]We can’t wait to share more about these features soon!  [/p][p]Aloft will be 20% off as part of the Steam Summer Sale, going live later today and ending on July 10. Soar the skies with your friends this summer.    [/p][p]See you in the clouds! 🌥️ [/p][p][/p][p][/p]

[h3]NEW CONTENT (REQUIRES A NEW WORLD)[/h3][hr][/hr]

• [p]Puzzles and Pyrologics[/p]
  • [p]New resource: Emberstone[/p]
    • [p]The player needs to break all 4 shells surrounding the core[/p]
    • [p]The core needs to be cooled off before being mined and gathered[/p]
  • [p]New vestige puzzle and pyrologic pieces: [/p]
    • [p]Pressure Plates (small & large)[/p]
    • [p]Levers (small & large)[/p]
    • [p]Button[/p]
    • [p]Targets (static & timed)[/p]
    • [p]Logic & Special Gates (and, or, not, equals, splitter, holder, breaker)[/p]
    • [p]Glider Rings[/p]
    • [p]Rotating Wall (wooden for now, will add others in a patch)[/p]
    • [p]Trap Floor (wooden for now, will add others in a patch)[/p]
    • [p]Lights & Decorations[/p]
  • [p]Only found on vestige islands:[/p]
    • [p]Moving Stone (1x per biome) & Vestige Walls[/p]
    • [p]Vestige Orb & Receiver[/p]
    • [p]Vestige Door[/p]
    • [p]Vestige Reward Sphere[/p]
  • [p]Resonator (small & large)[/p]
    • [p]The resonator is a new emberstone-powered machine that must be connected to a windmill in order to power nearby pyrologic pieces[/p]
    • [p]The large resonator has a bigger range, but requires more windmill energy, and has a higher building cost[/p]
    • [p]Pyrologic pieces can be connected to each other in their environment or using the pyrologic board[/p]
    • [p]Interacting with pyrologic pieces will warn the players if they are not inside the radius of a powered resonator and a temporary icon will be displayed[/p]
    • [p]The wave shader is grey when the resonator is not powered enough, or red when it is powered[/p]
• [p]New Islands[/p]
  • [p]2 Puzzle-focused Wonder Islands[/p]
    • [p]Pyrologics can be learned by sketching one pyrologic piece per each Wonder Island
      (half of the recipes are unlocked on the first Wonder Island, and the other half are unlocked on the second Wonder Island)[/p]
    • [p]A Knowledge Stone that unlocks all Pyrologic pieces has also been added to Red Cliffs[/p]
  • [p]91 Puzzle POIs[/p]
  • [p]5 Puzzle islands[/p]
  • [p]71 Regular POIs[/p]
  • [p]7 Regular islands[/p]
  • [p]3 Contest winner islands (modified by level designers)[/p]
    • [p]Fallen’s Rest by Drasticbubble12[/p]
    • [p]Forgotten Past by Orchideefan944[/p]
    • [p]Skymapper’s Astrolab by SuperDooM's Armada[/p]
• [p]New Building Pieces + Decor[/p]
  • [p]15 Equilateral triangle building pieces of various materials[/p]
  • [p]Vertical Windmills (leaf, wool, linen)[/p]
    • [p]Can catch wind from any direction[/p]
    • [p]Will provide less energy than the regular windmills[/p]
  • [p]Custom stretchable rope[/p][p][/p]

[h3]COMBAT BALANCING + IMPROVEMENTS[/h3][hr][/hr]

• [p]Node[/p]
  • [p]Increased Node’s core Hit Points[/p]
  • [p]Increased the speed at which the Nodes ascend, descend, open and close[/p]
  • [p]The Node's core is now vulnerable sooner after being revealed[/p]
  • [p]Reduced Weakpoints Hit Points[/p]

• [p]Guard[/p]
  • [p]Reduced attack speed[/p]
  • [p]Their attacks now are more telegraphed (wind up animation)[/p]

• [p]Coward[/p]
  • [p]Reduced attack speed[/p]
    • [p]Their attacks are now more telegraphed (wind up animation)[/p]
  • [p]Increased cooldown between attacks[/p]
  • [p]Increased gather duration[/p]
    • [p]They now “reload” more slowly[/p]
  • [p]Reduced projectile speed[/p]
    • [p]They should now be easier to dodge[/p]
  • [p]Increase projectile size[/p]
    • [p]They should now be easier to spot[/p]
• [p]Shrieker[/p]
  • [p]Significantly reduced their grab chance[/p]
• [p]Player[/p]
  • [p]Reduced blocking angle from 360 to 260 degrees[/p]
    • [p]Enemies are able to land hits when attacking players from behind[/p]
  • [p]Increased grace period after taking a hit[/p]
    • [p]Should prevent monsters from “stacking” damage on the player[/p]
• [p]Tools[/p]
  • [p]Increase base attack speed for every tools[/p]
    • [p]Base attack speed should feel better, less sluggish[/p]
• [p]Conditions[/p]
  • [p]Reduced the "Hydrated" attack speed[/p]
    • [p]Despite this nerf, the “Hydrated” attack speed of all tools should feel the same as before, because of their increased base attack speed[/p][p][/p]

[h3]COMBAT TWEAKS + COMBAT DIFFICULTY [/h3][hr][/hr]

• [p]Monster spawning pool is now per sector, not per individual progress[/p]
  • [p]Harder group of enemy will spawn on harder sectors[/p]
• [p]Player Blocking[/p]
  • [p]Players can interrupt their attack animation by blocking[/p]
  • [p]Different HUD visual feedback when blocking vs when being hurt[/p]
  • [p]Reduced the player push force[/p]
  • [p]Increased the enemy push force[/p]

• [p]Can leap on Node’s Weakpoints[/p]
• [p]Difficulty settings can now be chosen in the Options menu, under Gameplay[/p]
  • [p]Default, Low Threat, High Threat, Peaceful modes are available[/p]
  • [p]All damage received is altered[/p]
  • [p]In multiplayer, each player can choose their own difficulty setting[/p]
• [p]Peaceful mode [/p]
  • [p]Does not aggro monsters[/p]
  • [p]Does not spawn monsters in singleplayer games[/p]
  • [p]Does not trigger mushroom bombs[/p]
  • [p]Does not aggro corruption nodes[/p]
  • [p]Does not receive monster conditions[/p]
  • [p]Receives no damage[/p][p][/p]

[h3]BUG FIXES[/h3][hr][/hr]

• [p]Fixed an issue where the save system could prevent the despawning of a private island[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue that caused nodes to appear without weakpoints after its first phase[/p]
• [p]Fixed a crash when trying to place down beacon[/p]
• [p]Fixed building preview placement for: insect trellis, flower, rocky, pond, burrow, and perched habitats, as well as vivariums[/p]
• [p]Fixed a performance issue on title screen [/p]
• [p]Fixed vertical alignment of smallest wooden floor piece[/p]
• [p]Fixed a texture on the Pond Habitat's lily pads[/p]
• [p]Added missing Simplified Chinese characters[/p]
• [p]POI platforms now properly spawn randomly from the list of POI platforms[/p]
• [p]Hurricane shadow casting has now been optimised[/p]
• [p]Trendsetter achievement is now hidden on Steam (like the others)[/p]
• [p]Critter trellises hang better now[/p]
• [p]Curved stone floor piece now aligns properly[/p]
• [p]The moon bloom must be examined to show its message[/p]
• [p]Many assets’ material can be corruptable[/p]

• [p]Wooden cogs can now be placed in the wood stockpile[/p]
• [p]Red bats can now be placed in every perched biome[/p]
• [p]The term “Darkwood” is now spelled correctly throughout the game[/p]

[p][/p][h3]SMALL CHANGES[/h3][hr][/hr]

• [p]New sandpile asset in Red Cliffs[/p]
• [p]New + optimised vestige pieces[/p]
• [p]Equilateral triangle pieces can be found in some ruins in the world[/p]

• [p]Island reworks:[/p]
  • [p]LOOM fresco: new interior for optimisation[/p]
  • [p]WINDMILL fresco: added new vestige pieces and Glider challenge[/p]
  • [p]SAWMILL fresco: added new vestige pieces and Glider challenge[/p]
  • [p]Combat areas reworked on various islands[/p]
  • [p]Many other island minor island reworks: asset/reward/knowledge/node placement, clipping, and terrain collision fixes[/p]
• [p]Added a limit on the critters spawn rate to limit extreme scenarios [/p]
  • [p]Each critter can spawn a maximum of 5 times per island[/p]
  • [p]A global limit of 40 critters is set per island[/p]
• [p]Reduced the point light render distance of many assets (emberstone, lamps, moonblooms, etc) for optimisation[/p]
• [p]Adjusted the order of items in the build menu to include equilateral building pieces[/p]
• [p]Steam Achievements are now localised in all game languages[/p]

[p][/p][h3]AUDIO[/h3][hr][/hr]

• [p]Windchime SFX[/p]
• [p]Table-Map SFX[/p]
• [p]Pigment pool SFX[/p]
• [p]Pottery wheel SFX[/p]
• [p]Walking on and gathering leaf piles with dorkip SFX[/p]
• [p]All puzzle, pyrologics, and emberstone SFX[/p]
• [p]Turning on/off SFX as well as ambience for lamps and candles[/p]
• [p]Equipping and sampling with hammer SFX for building/decor pieces[/p]
• [p]Dismantle SFX for: Home Kite, doors, windows, workbench, and sails[/p][p][/p]

[h3]VISUAL EFFECTS[/h3][hr][/hr]

• [p]Puzzle and Pyrologics VFX[/p]
• [p]Updraft VFX has been added back[/p]
• [p]Sandfall VFX has been added to Red Cliffs[/p]
• [p]Leafpile VFX when gathered[/p]
• [p]Water in bucket VFX[/p]
• [p]New combat VFX: node hit, and node + enemy death[/p][p][/p]

[h3]USER INTERFACE AND EXPERIENCE[/h3][hr][/hr]

• [p]New cursor[/p]
• [p]Improved UI for the World Creation menu[/p]
• [p]Notification overlap fixed[/p]
• [p]Added a brightness slider in the Options menu[/p]
• [p]Added the Software category in the credits[/p]
• [p]Building menu: Windmills, Production Machines and Pyrologics are now subtabs of the Production tab[/p]
• [p]Construction titles in the building menu will automatically re-scale if they are too long[/p]

[h3]
ANIMATIONS[/h3][hr][/hr]

• [p]New critter idle and idle break animations[/p]
• [p]Changed critter orientation in 3rd person[/p]
• [p]Added button to display the critter in your hands[/p]
• [p]Added third person bird feed animations
  [/p]

[p]Ahoy, Sky Sailors!

We're kicking off summer with an awesome lineup of community content creators LIVE on our Steam page throughout the week! 🌞[/p][p][/p][p]Check out the schedule below to join us for the new Puzzle & Pyrologics update, as well as the chance to win an Aloft Steam Key! 🔑 [/p][p][/p][p]June 26: CuddleMonster86, Ravynia, Sate of Survival Podcast, BlinkBlinkGames, and Kodeations![/p][p]June 27: Caerlin, TechStomper, MizTracey, CozieSweets, Ptbench and MorningDarknes55![/p][p]June 28: Kroulin, TheBuckMcDancer, XoChop, Octarock, and Oneuptilsunup![/p][p]June 29: Toastbloke and CamillaPanda![/p][p]June 30: Terberri![/p][p]July 1: Everwynne![/p]

[p]Ahoy, Sky Sailors!

We just wrapped up our Island Creator Contest on Discord, and the results were outstanding! The level of creativity, detail, and talent on display absolutely blew us away.

Without further ado, let's take a look at the Official Selection Winners below:[/p][p][/p][p]🏅 Skymapper's Astrolab by SuperDooM's Armada!

Workshop Link[/p][p][/p][p]🏅 Forgotten Past by OrchideeFan944!
[/p][p]Workshop Link [/p][p][/p][p]🏅 Fallen's Rest by Drasticbubble12!

Workshop Link[/p][p][/p][p]And lastly, our community-voted Honourable Mention Winner:[/p][p][/p][p]🏅 Rift Warden by Mellanie!

Workshop Link[/p][p][/p][p]Congratulations to our winners! All of their contest islands can be found and added to your Aloft worlds via the Steam Workshop links above. And don’t forget: the three Official Selection Winner islands will soon become part of Aloft itself, fully explorable in the upcoming update![/p][p][/p][p]Thank you to all of the participants, it was a real joy to watch your submissions roll in and explore your custom islands. We look forward to hosting more contests in the future! 💙[/p][p][/p][p]See you in the clouds. ⛅

Hey there, Sky Sailors!

We’ve just revealed our next major update Puzzles & Pyrologics at the Best Indie Games Summer Showcase, and it’s coming to Aloft on June 26!

This update introduces an all-new puzzle system that lets you connect interactive building pieces to power up your creations. Think rotating walls, trapdoors, and more, all linked together by clever circuitry design.



At the heart of this system is a brand-new resource: Emberstone, which harnesses the power of heat-based energy to bring your contraptions to life.

Thanks to these new features, you will now come across puzzles on different islands, such as small trials on points of interest, and bigger, more complex challenges on new Wonder Islands!

We’re also making some improvements to combat by refining the experience to better match the evolving world of Aloft.

Get ready to build smarter, fight sharper, and explore new layers of creativity in the skies. 🧩⚔️