Aloft News

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

• [p]Fixed an issue where islands discovered by players in multiplayer would not spawn critters[/p]
• [p]Fixed multiplayer support for the South Africa region[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where an island in Red Cliffs could spawn without anything on it[/p]

[h3]⚠️ This update requires a new character and world. Your older saves are still accessible on the 0.3.3.22 Legacy Branch, available through Steam’s Beta branches. For detailed instructions, check out this post. [/h3][p][/p][h3]NEW CONTENT + REWORKED SYSTEMS[/h3][hr][/hr][h3]New Save System & World Generation[/h3]

• [p]New save system + save validation flow[/p]
  • [p]The entire backend of the save system has been rewritten for stability and greater flexibility when generating maps[/p]
  • [p]The game now validates that a save file is compatible before overwriting it[/p]
  • [p]Players can now abandon islands, this unclaims the island but leaves it permanently in the world[/p]
  • [p]Old saves are no longer compatible with this version[/p]
• [p]New dedicated server options to align with new world generation system[/p]
  • [p]The new parameters for the update are as follow - they only affect the create game, not the load (load is same as before):[/p]
    • [p]islandcount: 0, 1, 2 or normal, big, huge (case-insensitive)[/p]
    • [p]corruptioncount: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or none, little, normal, lots, shrooms (case-insensitive)[/p]
    • [p]creative: 0, 1 or false, true[/p]
    • [p]Ex: "-batchmode -nographics -server create#MAPNAME# islandcount#normal# corruptioncount#normal# creative#false# log#ERROR#"[/p]
• [p]World layout has been reworked[/p]
  • [p]Flipped the wind direction[/p]
  • [p]Rearranged un-sailable zones and shaders[/p]
  • [p]Adjusted the Jetstreams to better match the transition biomes[/p]
• [p]Added hidden clusters (Lost Shipwrecks)[/p]
  • [p]Their location can be revealed by using the Lost Atlas at the Table-Map[/p]
• [p]Added world settings[/p]
  • [p]You can now choose the amount of regular and corrupted islands in the world creation settings
    [/p]

[h3]Progression[/h3]

• [p]New Tech Trees[/p]
  • [p]Knowledge Tree: Knowledge Stones now grant 1 knowledge point that can be used on the Tech Tree to learn basic machinery and home-steading technology[/p]
  • [p]Sailing Tree: Lost Anchors now grant 1 sailing point that can be used on the Sailing Tree to learn sailing & navigation equipment[/p]
  • [p]Research Tree: Research Lab experiments now grant Breakthroughs that can be used on the Research Tech Tree to learn cure-related technologies[/p]
  • [p]All 3 trees have certain thresholds that require Insight (earned at the Life Tree’s underground basin) to continue learning further technologies[/p]
• [p]New quest system
  [/p]

[h3]Ecosystem Restoration[/h3]

• [p]Life Saplings[/p]
  • [p]Only Life Sapling islands (Wastelands) start out unhealthy[/p]
  • [p]Islands only track the quantity of three core requirements: funga, flora, and fauna.[/p]
    • [p]Funga: Amount of mushrooms found on inoculation logs and tree stumps[/p]
    • [p]Flora: Amount of trees, plants, and crops on an island[/p]
    • [p]Fauna: Amount of critters[/p]
  • [p]Remove the hindrances[/p]
    • [p]Sick flora, abandoned structures, as well as corruption waste & cores, inflammable webs, and leechers[/p]
  • [p]Inoculation Log[/p]
    • [p]New farming construction to grow reishi[/p]
  • [p]Seed Mound[/p]
    • [p]New farming construction for planting flora (crops, plants, and trees)[/p]
  • [p]Mulch[/p]
    • [p]New crafting recipe required for seed mounds and farming plots[/p]
  • [p]Meditation Circle + Life Wind Mini Game[/p]
    • [p]Interact with the Meditation Circle to control the Life Wind[/p]
    • [p]Collide with Seed Mounds to grow flora[/p]
    • [p]Complete the ecosystem restoration by colliding with the Life Sapling[/p]
    • [p]Gather new resource: Life Fruit (no current use, placeholder for future purpose)[/p]
  • [p]Wind Lanes[/p]
    • [p]Unlocked by healing a Life Sapling[/p]
    • [p]Allows the player to sail quickly between island clusters[/p]
• [p]Life Trees[/p]
  • [p]Can only be healed once all three Life Saplings in their sector are restored[/p]
  • [p]Interact with the Meditation Circle to channel the Life Wind from the healed Life Saplings to the Life Tree to restore it[/p]
  • [p]Descend into its underground chamber to discover the Insight Basin[/p]
  • [p]Interact with the Orb to earn Insight and continue advancing your tech tree progression[/p]

[h3]
Combat & Corruption[/h3]

• [p]New resource: Corruption Anomalies (used for research)[/p]
• [p]New Sportox and Flogade corruption strains, nodes, environmental assets[/p]
• [p]New Sportox and Flogade enemy tiers (Guardians, Cowards, Shriekers)[/p]
  • [p]Sportox enemies special effect: Spore Clouds[/p]
    • [p]Any player caught within it suffers the Asphyxiated condition, taking steady damage as toxic spores choke the air around them.[/p]
  • [p]Flogade enemies special effect: Scorching Ground[/p]
    • [p]Players who step into it suffer the Scorched condition, taking an initial burst of damage followed by ongoing burn damage over time.[/p]
• [p]Reworked combat gameplay[/p]
  • [p]Nodes no longer attack players[/p]
  • [p]Weak points are no longer chained to the node, instead they are scattered around the island as corruption cores[/p]
  • [p]Players must explore the island to destroy all the cores before the node itself becomes vulnerable to attack[/p]

• [p]New crafting recipes[/p]
  • [p]Windstone tools: increased attack speed, deals more damage than their regular stone counterparts, and has a larger combo zone[/p]
  • [p]Serrated Bone tools: strongest of all the tool tiers, increased combo finale damage multiplier[/p]
    • [p]Made with a new rare resource: Serrated Bone[/p]
• [p]Balancing[/p]
  • [p]Increased player base health from 40 to 50[/p]
  • [p]Updated attack speed for all tool tiers[/p]
  • [p]Updated damage for all tool tiers[/p]
  • [p]Updated combo length for all tool tiers[/p]
  • [p]Updated damage multipliers:[/p]
    • [p]Sharpen effect[/p]
    • [p]Mykter fungicide & cure coatings[/p]
    • [p]Sportox fungicide & cure coatings[/p]
    • [p]Flogade fungicide & cure coatings[/p]
  • [p]Updated damage for arrows of all tiers[/p]
  • [p]Updated damage and HP for enemies of all tiers[/p]
  • [p]Updated HP for nodes and weakpoints of all tiers[/p]
  • [p]Reduced the number of nodes destroyed required to unlock a new combat ability[/p]

[h3]
Research[/h3]

• [p]New Research Tech Tree [/p]
  • [p]Earn Breakthroughs at the Research Lab to unlock cure-related technologies on the Research Tech Tree[/p]

• [p]New biome & strain-specific Brewing Labs[/p]
  • [p]Learn Brewing Labs and upgrades for each strain from the Research Tech Tree to craft fungicides and cures[/p]
• [p]New biome & strain specific Mycosis Terrariums[/p]
  • [p]Farm strain-specific samples[/p]

[h3]
LEVEL DESIGN & WORLD ART[/h3][hr][/hr]

• [p]Many reworks of existing islands, puzzles, points of interest, and the leviathan[/p]
• [p]34 Life Sapling Wastelands[/p]
  • [p]10 in Emerald Isles[/p]
  • [p]12 in Fallen Heights[/p]
  • [p]12 in Red Cliffs[/p]
• [p]12 Life Tree islands[/p]
  • [p]4 per biome[/p]
• [p]17 new regular islands[/p]
• [p]36 new Point of Interest platforms[/p]
• [p]12 Lost Shipwrecks[/p]
  • [p]4 per biome[/p]
• [p]New broken resonator frescoes on puzzle Wonder Islands[/p]
• [p]New flora in Fallen Heights[/p]
• [p]New 3D models + updated textures for many assets in the Island Creator & world
  [/p]

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

• [p]New[/p]
  • [p]Wind Lanes[/p]
  • [p]Seed mounds[/p]
  • [p]Life Sapling + Life Trees[/p]
  • [p]Life Winds[/p]
  • [p]Life Tree Insight Basin, pond water, water curtains, orb[/p]
  • [p]Life Fruit[/p]
  • [p]Sportox + Flogade enemy death[/p]
  • [p]Sportox Spore Cloud + Flogade Scorching Ground[/p]
  • [p]Corruption Core fumes[/p]
  • [p]Corruption Anomaly[/p]
  • [p]Stone debris, corruption waste, inflammable web, sick trees, leecher[/p]
• [p]Removed blue water ripple when in caves[/p]
• [p]Simplified the Corruption-post processing[/p]
  • [p]Removed the hue change[/p]
  • [p]Removed the lens distortion[/p]
• [p]Updated and polished various existing VFX
  [/p]

[h3]USER INTERFACE[/h3][hr][/hr]

• [p]New text animation for Knowledge Stone lore[/p]
• [p]New Tech Trees (Knowledge, Sailing, Research)[/p]
• [p]New 2D art in inventory and crafting menus[/p]
• [p]New farming menu[/p]
• [p]New icons for wild seeds & tree seeds[/p]
• [p]Updated the quick time event bar[/p]
• [p]Modified the gliding control icons[/p]
  • [p]Added instructions collapser widget[/p]
• [p]Modified the Research Lab menu & animations[/p]
• [p]Modified the Upgrade Station menu & animations[/p]
• [p]Modified the Table-Map[/p]
  • [p]Added filters options[/p]
  • [p]Added filters tooltips[/p]
  • [p]Added island stats descriptions[/p]
  • [p]Life Trees show the required Life Saplings[/p]
  • [p]Wind Lanes appear on the Table-Map[/p]
  • [p]The icon for the main player has changed[/p]
  • [p]Players can now zoom in more[/p]
• [p]Modified the Field Guide[/p]
  • [p]The layout of the Field Guide is updated to match the new restoration system[/p]
  • [p]A new template is visible when the player is standing on a Life Sapling Wasteland
    [/p]

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

• [p]Player meditation circle [/p]
• [p]Life Tree root [/p]
• [p]Leecher[/p]

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

• [p]Seed mound SFX [/p]
• [p]Hindrances SFX [/p]
• [p]Leecher SFX[/p]
• [p]Life Wind mini-game music + SFX for all biomes[/p]
• [p]Life Sapling cutscene music[/p]
• [p]Life Tree island music unhealthy vs healthy[/p]
• [p]Life Tree, Insight basin, Orb ambient music + SFX[/p]
• [p]Life Tree cutscene music[/p]
• [p]Resonator fresco cutscenes music[/p]
• [p]Anomaly ambience + SFX[/p]
• [p]Danger music ambience for all 3 corruption strains[/p]
• [p]New Mykter + Sportox Guardian VOX
  [/p]

[h3]MISC. CHANGES[/h3][hr][/hr]

• [p]Changed Unity versions to fix the vulnerability warning issued by Unity (now on 2021.3.45f2)[/p]
• [p]Added the island names/POI names to Player Reports[/p]
• [p]Added a light source on undiscovered frescoes[/p]
• [p]Added a toggle in the controls menu to turn on/off Camera Re-centering (while gliding)[/p]
  • [p]Removed the cheat that served the same purpose[/p]
• [p]Added compression to reduce save file size[/p]
• [p]Added a critter category in the player inventory[/p]
• [p]Added Wisteria Tea as a cooking option[/p]
• [p]Added Camera Shake profiles[/p]
  • [p]When destroying a beam[/p]
  • [p]When near an exploding mushroom[/p]
• [p]Removed shadows casted by the hurricane[/p]
• [p]Replaced the ‘very low’ with ‘off’ for anti-aliasing setting in the Options menu[/p]
• [p]Optimised the cloud settings[/p]
• [p]Updated some Island Creator icons[/p]
• [p]Reduced the amount of asteroids in the Jetstream[/p]
• [p]Added 4 types of Fallen Heights plants in the farming menu[/p]
• [p]Blur pass on volumetric fog to reduce dithering[/p]
• [p]Players now lose positive effects (aka food, water) when respawning[/p]
• [p]Physics settings have been changed to be less performance intensive[/p]
  • [p]This shouldn’t have any impact on the game feel and just lead to more performance while sailing[/p]
• [p]Critter Habitats now behave like Vivariums[/p]
• [p]Insects can now spawn at the base of trees[/p]
• [p]Storm cool-down rate has been increased[/p]
• [p]Crops that used to only spawn on unhealthy island now spawn on corrupted island[/p]
• [p]Corrupted islands will now have better random rewards[/p]
• [p]Removed unhealthy and fresco island tracking from the Stormchaser[/p]
• [p]Reishi mushroom now takes 10 minutes to grow[/p]
• [p]Modified the chest loot tables [/p]
• [p]Modified the construction cost of Wax Hexes decorations
  [/p]

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

• [p]Fixed several issues where some objects disappear forever when players move too far away from them [/p]
• [p]Fixed several issues where objects are no longer present if on a home island that is spawned on another world[/p]
• [p]Fixed several broken puzzles that could not be completed [/p]
• [p]Fixed collision issues for several objects [/p]
• [p]Fixed several art assets that had missing or incorrect textures [/p]
• [p]Fixed several issues where some UI assets and icons would appear blurry[/p]
• [p]Fixed several issues where players could not pick up and/or reach important resources/items required to solve puzzles [/p]
• [p]Fixed several issues where players could walk through solid walls or become stuck between objects [/p]
• [p]Fixed several issues where teleporting to an island would place the player inside its terrain [/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where Creative Mode would reset the Knowledge Stone data[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue that allowed the player to ‘fuel the fire’ infinitely[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue that caused a soft-lock when changing Inventory keybind to Menu button on controller[/p]
• [p]There is now a smoother transition between 1st and 3rd person views[/p]
• [p]Removed all leftover garlic icons from menus [/p]

[h3]Building[/h3]

• [p]Many building objects no longer clip through the floor when placed on terrain [/p]
• [p]Fixed issue where some building parts would always appear misaligned when placed with snap mode [/p]
• [p]Pyrologic connections built in single player should remain connected if the island where they are located is spawned in a multiplayer world [/p]

[h3]Combat[/h3]

• [p]Fixed several issues that made Blocking ineffective [/p]

[h3]Graphics / UI[/h3]

• [p]Removed several placeholder art assets[/p]
• [p]UI notifications overlap less often when triggered [/p]
• [p]Fixed several quest-related issues[/p]
• [p]Fixed several localisation issues and missing strings[/p]
• [p]Fixed issues where bats would not appear correctly in their habitats [/p]
• [p]Fixed several controller-related menu display and navigation issues[/p]
• [p]Fixed several issues where some menus would show incorrect or misleading information [/p]
• [p]Fixed issues with Z-fighting on several assets and islands [/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the corruption nodes would visually disappear at certain angles[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where two hair colour icons were incorrectly swapped in the character creator[/p]
• [p]Fixed a collision issue that caused the camera to clip through frescoes[/p]
• [p]Fixed a visual bug with shadows caused by the change in Unity versions[/p]
  • [p]Major shaders have been recompiled but some assets might still cause artifacting[/p]

[h3]Stability[/h3]

• [p]Fixed several issues where players could crash in single player and multiplayer when letting the game idle for long periods of time [/p]
• [p]Fixed several specific scenarios that could lead to a crash[/p]
• [p]Fixed a rare circumstance where a save could fail and bring the user back to the main menu[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue that caused servers to rewrite the log in duplicate[/p]

[h3]Resources[/h3]

• [p]Fixed issue where sometimes beehives would not produce honey [/p]
• [p]Fixed issue where several critters and animals did not spawn as intended [/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where cutting down the Orange Twined Oak tree did not drop the correct seed[/p]

[p]Ahoy, Sky Sailors! [/p][p]The Bloom & Blight update has arrived! This is our third major update in Early Access and the biggest we’ve released so far.  [/p][p]Begin a new journey in a sky remade. Experience upgraded progression, ecosystem restoration, wind lanes, along with improved combat, new corruption strains, enemies, and stronger weapons. [/p][p]Join us as we explore the new and improved features. You can get the highlights below, or read the full changelog here.[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][h2]New World Generation [/h2][p]We have reworked world generation from the ground up. While this change requires a progress reset for all players, we believe the stronger and more flexible foundation is worth it for the future of the game.[/p][p]This means you will have to create a new character and world for this update, but you may revisit your older saves at any time by switching to the 0.3.3 legacy branch via the game’s Steam settings. Please visit this post for more information.[/p][p][/p][p]The result is not just behind the scenes, but also keenly felt from a gameplay perspective, through a denser world with more rewarding exploration. [/p][h2]Revamped Progression [/h2][p]You now have far more control over what you unlock next. Tech tree progression has been overhauled and split into three trees:  [/p]

• [p]Knowledge for basic machinery. Advanced through Knowledge Stones.  [/p]
• [p]Sailing for sailing equipment. Advanced through Lost Anchors. [/p]
• [p]Research for cure-related technologies. Advanced through a combination of Corruption Anomalies and research lab breakthroughs. [/p]

[p][/p][h2]Reworked Ecosystem Restoration [/h2][h3]Life Sapling Islands [/h3][p]Each sector now has three Life Sapling islands. These start out wilted and unhealthy, but by tending to each one's flora, fauna, and funga in a variety of engaging activities, you can bring back their lush glory. You will never have to abandon your precious fur friends again! [/p][p]Once ready, you will revitalize the island by becoming the life wind itself. Where you fly, greenery follows. [/p][h3]Life Trees [/h3][p]Each sector is now also home to a Life Tree. These towering, flowering wonders will be brought back to life after you have healed each Life Sapling in that sector. Explore the Life Tree’s underground basins  to gain insight, which lets you progress further into your tech tree. [/p][p][/p][h2]Wind Lanes [/h2][p]Catch a ride in the great Wind Lanes to travel swiftly between island clusters. Restore all Life Saplings within a sector in order to unlock these windswept corridors.  [/p][p][/p][h2]New Corruption Strains and Nodes [/h2][p]Two new corruption strains are spreading across the skies: Sportox and Flogade! Learn how to combat and counter each of their treacherous peculiarities. While exploring corrupted islands, you’ll find Corruption Anomalies. Get them to your Research Lab, along with Mykter, Sportox, and Flogade samples, to earn Breakthroughs in cure-related technologies. [/p][p][/p][p]Corruption nodes have also been reimagined into an exploration challenge. To remove corruption and cleanse an island, you must first seek out and destroy all the weak points scattered across an island infested by monsters. [/p][h2]New Tools and Weapons [/h2][p]To combat the new Sportox and Flogade enemies, we offer new and improved tools and weapons. [/p]

• [p]Windstone tools are the upgraded version of Stone tools. They have a larger combo zone than other weapons. [/p]

• [p]Serrated Bone tools are the strongest in the game. Their combo finale deals increased damage. [/p]

[p][/p][h2]Time to Soar, Sailors! [/h2][p]The life wind is calling you to the skies, Sailors! There are many new wonders to discover and challenges to overcome.  [/p][p]With so many updates, your feedback is more important than ever! We are always listening, so please feel free to share your thoughts or report any bugs. [/p][p]Raise your sails and let the wind guide you, Sky Sailors. ⛅🍃 [/p][p][/p]

[p]Ahoy, Sky Sailors![/p][p]
In a recent Devlog, we announced that your previous saves (characters and worlds) would no longer be compatible with Aloft’s Bloom & Blight update. This is because we’ve made significant stability improvements to core systems such as world generation and sava data.

That being said, your previous saves are not gone! If you’re not ready to play the new update just yet, or if you’re feeling nostalgic, you can access the 0.3.3.22 legacy branch by following the steps below:[/p]

1. [p]Right-click Aloft in your Steam Library and select Properties. [/p]
2. [p]In the window that appears, navigate to the Betas tab and choose 0.3.3.22_legacy_branch from the drop-down menu.[/p]
3. [p]Once selected, Steam will display the ‘Update’ button, allowing you to download the legacy version and continue your previous adventures.[/p]

[p][/p][p]Some reminders:[/p]

• [p]You may switch between different versions of Aloft at any time.[/p]
• [p]The 0.3.3.22 legacy branch will not receive any updates or support.[/p]
• [p]Users must be on the same version of the game in order to play together in multiplayer.[/p]
• [p]Custom Islands on the Steam Workshop remain compatible with the Bloom & Blight update.[/p]

[p]Thank you and please let us know if you have any questions! 💙
[/p]

[p]Ahoy, Sky Sailors!

The air’s getting crisp and the streams are heating up — join us all week for community content creators LIVE on our Steam page![/p][p]
Check out the schedule below to join our creators as they explore the new Bloom & Blight update, as well as the chance to win an Aloft Steam Key! 🔑[/p][p]
November 4: MurningStar, LoonaValkyria, and Kodeations![/p][p]November 5: Two Beards & a Producer, XoChop, and MorningDarkne55![/p][p]November 6: MooseRef, LezardFleck, and Oneuptilsunup![/p][p]November 7: MaeGamerOver, CuddleMonster86, and BlinkBlinkGames! [/p]