Down with the Ship News

[p]Greetings captains,[/p][p]It's time for the Steam Next Fest![/p][p]To celebrate, we're marking how far we've gotten with the state of the demo. If you haven't played in a while, here's some things added recently:[/p]

• [p]Trinkets: Unlockable upgrades to equip before you start a run. Although we were very happy with item variety in the game, we wanted to bring more replayability through build planning before you even start a run. We've currently settled on 3 trinkets per run, but are looking for feedback whether it should be less or if the trinkets should be more powerful.[/p]
• [p]New voice overs: We entirely reworked and expanded voice overs in the game. You'll now hear your captain comment on your choices, taunt the enemy as well as complain when resources are low (plus some easter eggs). Let us know how this feels![/p]
• [p]New music: The grooves were pretty basic before. We scrapped them and started over to upgrade the quality of compositions; plus every faction now has its own tracks.[/p]
• [p]New items: Inspired, we've added lasers, 3 new legendary items, new special shop doors and more.[/p]
• [p]Feedback form: We're looking for as much feedback as we can get as we pilot towards release. This form appears in-game, but you can jump to it here for convenience.[/p]
• [p]Plus lots of polish and tuning.[/p]

[p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]Join us in shipbuilding![/p]

[p]Adjustments & Improvements[/p]

• [p]Improved matchmaking balance for new/low-ranked players. Early battles are more forgiving, tougher ships begin to appears as you delve deeper into your run.[/p]
• [p]Matchmaking opponents now have the same amount of wins/losses as you.[/p]
• [p]The DPS list now shows both damage dealt and damage taken in separate lists[/p]
• [p]Added the ability to filter by player to DPS list [/p]

[p][/p][p]Balance Changes[/p]

• [p]Mortar Master has new starting layout [/p]
• [p]Split/Bounce projectiles now retain 75% damage (was 50%)[/p]
• [p]Hull percentage gain is now additive (was multiplicative)[/p]
• [p]Rust Mutant no converts hull into armor. 5% → 6% hull conversion.[/p]
• [p]Titan Core hull gain: 5% → 7%[/p]
• [p]Hull Support Beam hull gain: 5% → 6%[/p]
• [p]Mercenary now grants 1 stack of Bio-Rounds[/p]
• [p]Increased the Transporter Pad crew member summon turns 2 → 3. Cost 7 → 5[/p]

[p][/p][p]Bug Fixes[/p]

• [p]Fixed rating changes not applying correctly to run history in Endless mode[/p]

[h2]Bug Fixes[/h2]

• [p]Fixed rank change animation displaying negative instead of positive[/p]
• [p]Fixed Hull Support Beam description missing percentage sign[/p]
• [p]Fixed ions not removing electricity from enemy ships[/p]
• [p]Fixed Buzz Saw applying rust effect too many times[/p]

[h2]Balance Changes[/h2]

• [p]Shipping Pallet now grants hull instead of only max hull[/p]
• [p]Flight Deck radar gain: 2 → 1[/p]
• [p]Synthesizer hull cost: 4 → 3[/p]
• [p]Spike Factory armor gain: 5 → 6[/p]
• [p]Spikes percentage damage: 3% → 5%[/p]
• [p]Blaster Cannon cost: 3 → 4[/p]
• [p]Slug Cannon cost: 3 → 4[/p]
• [p]Buzz Saw rust chance: 20% → 25%[/p]
• [p]Combat Medic hull restore: 6% → 8%[/p]
• [p]Titan Core hull gain: 4% → 5%[/p]
• [p]Ion Rifle charge speed: 7% → 8%[/p]
• [p]Galvanized Plate armor gain: 5 → 8[/p]
• [p]Reactive Plating chance: 40% → 50%[/p]

[p]Proxy Studios is teaming up with a new solo indie dev—Nate (Iron Anchor Games)—to publish Down with the Ship, a Backpack Battles-inspired spaceship auto battler.[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]"Design a heavily-armed spaceship. Draft 200+ items, outfit your hull, and unleash it in async PvP. Blend captains and factions for absurd combos and galactic domination. Roll, buy, place, pray."[/p][p]If the game interests you, please consider wishlisting, it greatly helps us get the Steam algorithm to show us across the platform.[/p][p]For those who'd like to play it early, we have the first Steam demo ready to go public on Thursday, August 7th, as part of the Tiny Teams 2025 and Debut Festival 2025 festivals (links live once the festivals start on August 7th). [/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]We've loved collaborating with Nate so far—he's brilliant and we think he's created a gem of a game. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts as well.[/p]