Dev Diary #13 - Release Approaches, Lots of New Things!

[p]Hey folks, we've been working around the clock as we get closer to release. The release date announcement is just around the corner![/p][p]The demo was updated just over a month ago, and we've already done more than 70 new patches internally. So, we are keen to do another demo update soon. This should happen near end of month.[/p][p]In the meantime, we want to share a few changes and things we have been working on![/p][p][/p][h3]Important: Some of these changes are NOT live in the current demo.[/h3][p][/p][h2]Let's take a deeper look![/h2][p]Just a quick reminder, the best way you can currently support the game is:[/p]

[p]Wishlist it.[/p]
[p]Let your favorite YouTuber/Streamer know about the game.[/p]

[p][/p][h2]Early Access[/h2][p]As you already know, our plan is to launch into Early Access. We're happy to announce:[/p][h3]You will be able to play the full story, start to finish, as soon as we launch![/h3][p]It was important to us that we have an experience that offers a lot of value, right out of the gate.[/p][p]There's a really good amount of content and heaps to do, and we have focused on a high level of polish. Sure there will be the odd bug or two, but we've done heaps of QA testing to make sure the experience is smooth.[/p][p]We will go into more detail on Early Access, and what we want to achieve from the process soon.[/p][p][/p][h2]Attack Animations[/h2][p]New attack animations, and new faces when attacking and working. We've been wanting to improve these for a while and are happy with how it turned out.[/p][p][/p][p]We've made a lot of improvements to combat, plus with healing as part of the automation it's feeling much nicer![/p][p][/p][h2]Tech Changes[/h2][p]There have been a range of changes and additions to the tech tree, including some later game production lines and a new... err... wildlife "deterrent" turret.[/p][p]After more testing and feedback, we have also changed the primary crafting buildings so that they relate to the tool tiers.[/p]

[p]Crafting table now includes the Tier 1 stone tools (previously you had to make a toolbench)[/p]
[p]Toolbench, renamed to the Workbench, now handles Tier 2 copper tools.[/p]
[p]Tier 3 Iron Tools are handled in the Forge, and there are buildings beyond this for various higher tech materials.[/p]

[p][/p][p]We are happy with how these changes feel, and should align more with player expectations based on your typical survival crafting game progression. They also speed up pacing a bit more which is great.[/p][p][/p][h2]Automation & Workpost Assignment[/h2][p]This one is for players that want to get deeper into automation, especially when your colony is nearing 20 survivors and you've got a colony of islands connected with bridges.[/p]

[p]Colonists can now be assigned to an island workpost, they will only do work tasks on that island. This allows them to use facilities on different islands before they return to work.[/p]
- [p]This plays right into our expectations for how players will want to setup islands, with dedicated characters on an island setup for farming, and a different island for production, and cooking etc.[/p]
[p]Colonists will use bridges to get to other islands and use facilities (though they will prefer using facilities on their own island first, so you can set things up for efficiency).[/p]
[p]Colonists with weapons equipped will automatically fight back, instead of fleeing, when they are attacked. Healing is also now automated and these changes go hand in hand.[/p]
- [p]We are planning to expand this further and give you control over this behavior per colonist.[/p]

[p][/p][p]We still have things we can tweak and improve, it often comes down to determining what the player expects to happen in most situations and finding edge cases to deal with. Some of the trickier edge cases are raft interactions, it's feeling really good right now but there will be some more tweaks.[/p][p][/p][h3]QoL & Improvements[/h3][p]There have also been a lot of quality of life improvements across the board.[/p]

[p]New game option to set the number of rotating autosaves (autosaves per colony).[/p]
[p]New search and filter features for the cargo screen.[/p]
[p]Improved island hauling details.[/p]
[p]Improved UI for island modules (and a range of new modules).[/p]
[p]Overhauled Float Regulators, they now change size and have 3 color phases.[/p]
[p]New keybinds for the recent marking tools.[/p]

[p][/p][h2]Your Feedback[/h2][p]Many of the improvements are thanks to your feedback, so please keep it coming. If you have any ideas for the types of upgrades you like, or your top QoL requests for the research tree, be sure to let us know![/p][p][/p][h2]What's Next?[/h2][p]We will be announcing our official release date very soon, and are working around the clock to have the game ready in a good state for release into Early Access.[/p][h2][/h2][p]----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------[/p][p][/p][h2]Translations[/h2][p]Work on translations will take place during Early Access, and the initial EA launch will be in English. As development progresses we plan to add support for community translations.[/p][p][/p][p]This approach allows us to iterate quickly on systems, UI, and story as the game evolves, and has worked well for many Early Access titles (such as Stardew Valley, Subnautica, Oxygen Not Included, RimWorld, and Satisfactory) that also started with English first.[/p][p][/p][p]If you're interested in contributing, please let us know here or on Discord![/p][p][/p][p]----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------[/p][p][/p][h3]Controller & Steam Deck Support[/h3][p]Some players have already played on the Steam Deck, but we don't have official support just yet. We do plan to have it fully playable on the Steam Deck further into development (and we have our Steam Deck ready to test!)[/p][p][/p][p]Controller support is challenging for this type of game that has this much depth, and we don't want the gameplay to be limited by controller inputs. Our plan is to look into this once we have all of our features in to see what is possible. We have good experience implementing controllers and it is on our mind during development, but we are also aware of the limitations.[/p][p][/p][h3]Found a Bug?[/h3][p]Please report them! Whether it's a typo or something more significant please let us know via the forums or via Discord.[/p][p][/p][h3]If Somethings Needs Better Tutorials[/h3][p]There is a lot of depth in the game and we already have a heap of tutorials shown in the handbook. We do have more tutorials planned so if you find something is not explained well enough or are still confused about anything, be sure to let us know.[/p][p][/p][h3]Come have a chat![/h3][p]Our community is growing, and everyone has been amazing and really friendly. Come chat with the devs and other players in our Discord[/p][p][/p][h2]Leaving Feedback[/h2][p]If you encounter any bugs, or would love to discuss features please do so via the Steam forums or our Discord. It's really helpful to know about the parts of the game you enjoy, as well as anything you don't.[/p][p][/p][p]You can also check discord for a list of known bugs, community suggestions and upcoming plans![/p][p][/p][p] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[/p][h3]⚡ Be sure to Wishlist Oceaneers, and stay tuned for the next dev diary and more announcements. ❤️[/h3][p]

[/p][h3]Join Us![/h3][p]Join our discord to discuss the game and share your ideas!
Join discord here

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Some recent Dev Diaries in case you missed them:
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