Havendock News

Hey all,

This is the final content update before 1.0 goes live on Apr 22 2025! (Refer to previous announcement on 1.0)

[h2]New Journal Entries[/h2]



Havendock's storyline expands in the 1.0 update. This update makes the final preparations necessary to wrap it up. Since Early Access, the journal unlocks pieces of lore unlock as you explore the world. In this update, 11 new journal entries have been added - but the final 5 will only be revealed from a new island in the 1.0 update.

[h2]New Ranch research[/h2]



Ranch now unlocks by a research. When it was unlocked from the beginning, it caused confusion as you could never use the eggs from ranching until much later when the incubator is unlocked. Thus, they are now put as a research behind the incubator.



[h2]New epic ending[/h2]

Only on the experimental branch: When you reach the final stage of the game, you'll now be faced with two choices that shape your destiny. Each one leads to a different ending. A new ending and a new resource have been added to mark the final closure of your journey.

I would show an exciting picture here but it would be spoiler content.

This will be available on the default branch in 1.0.

[h2]Changelog[/h2]
Content:

Hey all,

I'm super excited to finally share that Havendock will be launching into Version 1.0 on April 22, 2025!

It’s a poetic date as it is nearly identical to April 20, 2023, the date Havendock first set sail in Early Access.

When I go to bed every night after a whole day of programming, I find myself reflecting on the past-sometimes more than I’d like to admit. I ask myself so many times if I should have done certain things differently. I could never have predicted the challenges and lessons along the way, but what I also did not predict, was how awesome you guys are.

The occasional encouragement from you all kept me going. I try to respond when I can, but even if I don't, I do read them. I know I might not have been able to please everyone in every way, but I've done my best and will continue to do so. I'm incredibly grateful to those of you who have stuck with me through it all.

I came here to make games. Havendock may be my first, but it isn’t my last. No matter what comes next, Havendock will always hold a special place in my heart.

But enough rambling - I’m thrilled to share a brand new trailer we’ve put together, and I hope you enjoy the final version of the game when it launches!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

As the trailer says, 1.0 isn't the end. Ideas that couldn't fit into 1.0 will be released as updates after 1.0 is stable. Thank you for being part of this epic journey with me.

— YYZ

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2020710/Havendock/

Join the Havendock community:
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Hey all,

I’m happy to share that Cloud Save is now working! 🎉 No more worrying about losing your progress, your saves will now be backed up automatically.

Right now, Cloud Save is only available for Windows. If you run into any issues or something isn’t working as expected, please let me know!

It took a bit of testing to get this up and running, but I’m glad to finally have it working. Hope this makes your experience smoother!

Edit to clarify confusion in comments: The game has two cloud save systems - Steam's Cloud save, and the existing PlayFab cloud save which has existed long before the game came to Steam - the secondary cloud save allowed players not on Steam to backup their saves. This system is optional but it has not been removed as there are people who still use it.

— YYZ

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2020710/Havendock/

Join the Havendock community:
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Hey all,

A new update has been released, adding a housing revamp and new building upgrades!

[h3]🏡 Housing Revamp![/h3]
Back when Early Access began I got plenty of questions asking why settlers sleep on rocks. It was a funny idea suggested by a player, and I loved it so I added sleeping rocks, but it ended up being weird to some. I am sad to see it go but the revamp now introduces many new houses:



In the past, I noticed how people would just stack houses at the corners of their dock as they were tall and obstructive. Also they only costed wood, which meant they were just "build and forget". I felt that was a boring way to play, but with these housing upgrades, you'll upgrade your housing with higher tier materials as you progress in the game, rather than spamming wooden houses.



This also allows you to optimize your dock space's usage as higher housing tiers increase max population further. Maybe higher tier housing can provide quality housing, but that's an idea for the future.



I also liked the visual progression - you start off with rustic tents and slowly build up to brick homes, then futuristic houses (which is where materials from the soon-to-arrive Astronomy Island come useful)



It took awhile to brainstorm and test solutions but I'm glad to have been able to work this out before 1.0. I believe this is a more interesting way to play and progress. It is a big change, so feel free to let me know your feedback!

Also, the sleeping rock makes an appearance as one of the mid-tier housing upgrades - so technically you could still have them. Settlers will even go to them and sleep so the functionality is almost identical!

You do not need to start a new savefile. Existing savefiles will be able to build the new housing types. Any existing houses and sleeping rocks will remain and still function just like they did before the update - but you will no longer be able to build the legacy rocks and houses. You can keep them and consider those structures a stamp of existence on your old dock if you wish!

[h3]🛠️ New Upgrades![/h3]
Many of you wanted to upgrade your dock further. With the introduction of upcoming content, new resources will be introduced. So new upgrade tiers are added to expand your late-game possibilities!


Typical bases have lots of farms, so higher-leveled birdhouses allow you to keep up seed production while taking less precious space. Charcoal kilns will also actually be upgradable to look more like kilns, and not just work faster but also store more maximum charcoal and wood. Grills will also be upgradable using astronomy island materials if on experimental.

The refinery will also get a second upgrade path, allowing you to increase its maximum capacity.



[h3]☢️Improvements[/h3]

Uranium ore patches now start out with more ore to help kickstart your energy needs in the beginning!



Steel factory is also buffed to add +4 max capacity per level.



[h3]🚀 Final Stretch Before 1.0![/h3]
I am super excited for 1.0's launch that will be coming next month and am stoked to share more details about the upcoming Astronomy Island - a futuristic island that grants new items, as well as setting a new win condition. Stay tuned!



Lastly, I've been informed that there's a Spring Sale, during which you can get Havendock at a 50% discount. This makes it the last chance to grab it at a lower price before the March 21 price increase.

As always, please share your thoughts about the new housing, upgrades, and balance changes here or on Discord. Thank you~

Speaking of discord, we now have a new discord link and I had some awesome help from you guys, especially WaffleGames and Tao_T who helped to rebuild the server.



Full changelog details:

• Add new Birdhouse upgrades
  
• Add new Charcoal Kiln upgrades
  
• Add new Grill upgrades
  
• Add new Mill upgrade
  
• Add secondary Refinery upgrade
  
• Uranium ore patches give 30 more uranium
  
• Steel factory +4 max output per level
  
• Housing Revamp: House has been replaced with a new upgradable housing structure
  
• Old Houses can no longer be built (existing savefiles with houses remain)
  
• Sleeping Rocks can no longer be built (existing savefiles with rocks remain)
  
• Sleeping rocks research replaced
  
• Sleeping rocks objectives removed
  
• Add tooltip to storage box's assign button
  
• Fix broken discord link
  

— YYZ

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2020710/Havendock/

Join the Havendock community:
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[h2]Hey everyone,[/h2]

With Havendock 1.0 coming, I want to share an update on multiplayer.

After some tough reflections, multiplayer will remain in experimental mode, and will not be released to the main branch in 1.0. But, if you still wish to play in multiplayer, you can still do so by switching to the experimental branch and you can play just as before.

It’s been super cool to see so many people excited to play Havendock with friends, but ultimately I had to choose between creating new content versus stopping development for a long time to rewrite the game for multiplayer. Given the complexity involved, it is unfortunately not realistic to implement at this time.
That said, I don’t want to rule it out completely! The reason I added multiplayer was because I myself wanted to play my own game with my friends. I even brought someone on board to work on it and sunk significant time/cost into it, but it didn’t work out.

This left a difficult decision: Either I take over and stop making content altogether, or focus on what I do best. And I know whichever decision gets made, it will leave one group disappointed.

I know this may be disappointing, and I’m sorry for those who were looking forward to it. If I can find the right person, ideally someone experienced with multiplayer and familiar with Havendock’s systems, I’m happy to revisit it in future.

For now, my focus is on expanding the game in ways that are realistic and sustainable for a solo developer, so I can continue to make cool things for all of you. I truly appreciate your patience and for being part of this journey with me!

— YYZ

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2020710/Havendock/

Join the Havendock community:
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