Wayward News

Hey all,

Thanks for taking a look at our 7th newsletter. Oh ya, and also happy Wayward anniversary! We have some news to share on beta 2.9 as well as information on how you can help support the project going forward as we approach some really big game-changing milestones for Wayward development.

Steam Broadcast & Live Q&A

As this post goes live, I'll be testing the Steam broadcasting waters so to speak with a live Q&A while playing some Wayward instead of the normal Twitch streaming I do. Tune in now (for the next couple of hours)!

[h2]Beta 2.9 Teasers & Information[/h2]
Traveling

Coming up in beta 2.9, we will see the ability to travel to new sets of islands without losing your current save and world, essentially, leading to infinite world generation and exploration.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z13Ep4hKJPo

Ice Cap

Here's a sneak-peek at the new snowy biome. It's one of three themes for new island types. Each island type will feature new content, resources, and many things unique only to that island type. Beta 2.9 will feature arid, ice cap, and coastal island types for starters. We'll be working on more as we go as well.



Arid

Although the desert biome has always been present in every set of islands, it will now be much more fully featured with its own unique resources and cave system. Something worth traveling for!



Usually we have everything we are working on available on our development branch. With this one, we are going to wait a bit before pushing it out for everybody to test and play with as there will likely be some game breaking bugs that we want to iron out first. Stay tuned for that!

[h2]Supporting Wayward[/h2]

Wishlist & Follow

First of all, if you haven't already purchased Wayward, make sure to wishlist it for the future, especially if you are one of those waiting for a non-early access release (or just waiting for a big discount) before taking the plunge. If you already have bought it, make sure to give us a follow so you can keep up with all the news and releases we announce on Steam (like this newsletter).



Tagging

Steam recently added a bunch of new tags in order to label games more accurately. Due to the tumultuous history of the "roguelike" genre, we now have a "traditional roguelike" tag that properly describes games like Wayward. You can help us categorize Wayward (and any other game) with the proper tags by editing them on the store page here:



Here's all the tags that I found (arguably) fit Wayward when looking through them all:



Reviews

If you haven't had a chance to leave us feedback, make sure you write a review on the game. We use review feedback as one of the ways to improve the game and add more to our ever-growing to-do list.

If you’ve already reviewed the game, make sure to upvote any reviews you find helpful as this helps show more useful reviews to those deciding on purchasing the game or not.

[h2]Community Features[/h2]

Save Games

Ever since beta 2.0 when we first released on Steam, we have had support for Steam Workshop-based saves. You can see everybody's uploads here.

Explore somebody else's world, or upload your own via the in-game export featured in the load game menu:



And choose the "Steam Workshop" option to share your creation or world. It's always fun snooping through other player's giant walls of wooden chests.

Screenshots

Taking a screenshot of your in-game creations is probably the easiest way to create community content for Wayward, not including all the time you spent building those floors and walls…

Here’s a few of my recent favorites from the community.

AI Player 2 finishes their base:



eXp術 reaches the iron age:



Mr. Rogers cries in slime tears:



GhettoVan shows off their island moat:



Discord

The largest gathering place for our small community. If you haven’t joined already, make sure to do so here.

Steam Chat

If you are looking to chat with the Wayward community on a much smaller scale and without a separate application, then your best bet is the Wayward Steam chat. Join the chat here.

Feature Voting

If you haven't already checked it out, make sure to visit the feature voting page on our website to vote on upcoming features.

It's looking like the next, next release is going to be dungeons, but it's a bit too early to say for sure. Dungeons are one of those “really big game-changing milestones” I was talking about.

I hope everybody is doing good, well, as good as they can be at the moment. Stay safe!

Stay tuned and thanks for the support over the years!

We have a bit of an unusual release ready for everybody. A new release that is looking pretty chunky for being a minor update. This is a collection of things we have been improving while working on the next major update. Something like a midway point release. Enjoy! Let us know if you run into any issues.

In other news, we have transitioned the Wayward soundtracks over to the new "Soundtrack" category on Steam. This means you can purchase them independently of the game (they no longer count as DLC).

• https://store.steampowered.com/app/988620/Wayward_Soundtrack_Volume_Alpha/
  
• https://store.steampowered.com/app/988621/Wayward_Soundtrack_Volume_Beta/

As for news on the next major release, we have decided to work on seafaring, persistent world travel, and themed biomes/islands (and all the unique content that comes with that). Some of the things that have been continually requested by the playerbase.

We'll have more news on that coming up soon! On with the changelog:

[h2]New[/h2]

• Added a new custom game option to limit (or increase) the amount of creature spawns.
  
• Added more special events and petting rewards for creatures.
  
• Implemented a multiplayer game/server description that players can use to describe their game in more detail.
  
• Added a new legendary type for fire stoking effectiveness.
  

[h2]Improvements[/h2]

• The item break warning when crafting will now mention exactly which items may be destroyed.
  
• The "Grab All" and "Move All" action will now adhere to item ordering.
  
• Players will now receive a warning when using items that are in or on fire when crafting with no gloves/hand protection.
  
• You can now split slimes without causing damage; however, the more damage caused, the higher the chance of splitting with a bonus chance applied for slashing damage. Slime ranchers rejoice!
  
• Players, doodads, items, and creatures are now offset to more accurately match the tile they are on (instead of aligning everything to the bottom of each tile).
  
• Movement delay caused by low stamina will now be smoothed out like when moving while overburdened. These effects will also be combined, reducing the overall impact if both are present.
  
• Added a new "thriving" stage to fire for more accurate messaging on the strength of fires.
  
• Action delay caused by low stamina will now only be triggered from actions that use stamina.
  
• Rafts and spyglasses will now consume one durability when using/equipping them (but also now warn you attempting to use/equip them with 1 durability).
  
• Fire and tumbleweeds will now appear over items, players and creatures.
  
• When interrupts happen, the game no longer treats it as though you released your mouse button while dragging items (causing you drop items on the ground for example).
  
• Opening containers no longer causes delay. (Thanks Ratha Wynter!)
  
• Water stills can now be stoked (and may need to be depending on fuel/tinder/kindling used when lighting it).
  
• Fire that spreads will now transfer some of its intensity.
  
• The stoke value shown on items now equates to the exact amount of turns of fire decay you can expect from stoking.
  
• Improved performance when filtering crafts, especially when moving and especially when "Use Adjacent Containers/Items" was enabled. (Thanks Dodging Rain!)
  
• You can now pick up a water still that contains water (with a warning), emptying the liquid.
  
• Attempting to pour liquid on a lit water still that already has water inside will now provide a warning to let you know you are putting out the fire.
  
• You can no longer refine items if their maximum durability is too low.
  
• Blades of grass are now edible/offerable for some creatures.
  
• Jelly cubes can now also split into slimes with reduced chance compared to slimes.
  

[h2]Bug Fixes[/h2]

• Fixed the first attempt to drag or move an item failing after an interrupt happened (or at the start of a game).
  
• Fixed certain cases of aberrant creatures spawning even when disabling aberrant creature spawning. (Thanks Gonzo!)
  
• Fixed creatures not animating when attacking. Whoa, how long has it been like that?
  
• Fixed an oversight where doodad resources had reversed chances to drop.
  
• Fixed an issue where trees could produce less resources when using higher tiered tools or with high skill levels. (Thanks Arnkh!)
  
• Fixed the first click after filtering crafting items not working. (Thanks Ratha Wynter!)
  
• Fixed a desync related to tilled ground not matching on client side when using pre-generated fertile soil to plant seeds. (Thanks Sad Blueberry!)
  
• Fixed taming creatures resulting in errors.
  
• Fixed the random name button not working.
  
• Fixed the golden sextant not being required for certain actions. (Thanks Amax!)
  
• Fixed some chat messages being repeated when reloading a game.
  
• Fixed an issue where certain items could not be refined. (Thanks Dodging Rain!)
  
• Fixed rejoining a previously joined dedicated server not allowing you to choose a new character (when a new game was started).
  
• Fixed sorting by crafting category showing duplicate items at the top/bottom of the list and causing performance issues.
  
• Fixed disabled items in quickslots not able to be removed after traded to merchants and other some other rare instances. (Thanks mrco.gllrdo!)
  
• Fixed not being able to navigate between text inputs with the keyboard.
  
• Fixed an error when loading saved games from the Steam Workshop (again).
  
• Fixed a few outdated item/doodad/equipment sprites.
  
• Fixed an error when trying to drag disabled quickslot items into your equipment menu.
  
• Fixed several broken instances where UI elements were not highlighted properly.
  
• Fixed the set of quests sometimes changing when attempting multiple playthroughs of the challenge mode in a single session.
  
• Fixed mods not loading if you started a game too quickly after launch.
  
• Fixed items with modified durability rates not receiving item breaking warnings. (Thanks Dodging Rain!)
  
• Fixed creature timers passing when player(s) are dead.
  
• Fixed "initial time" custom game option not taking the "day length" option into account.
  

[h2]Balance[/h2]

• Fishing skill can now be gained on failed attempts at bringing up fish without bait.
  
• Decreased difficulty of crafting clay jugs, increased difficulty of crafting clay blowpipes.
  
• The starting level of fires are now based on what fuel/kindling/tinder were used when lighting it. Stoking and fueling after starting fires may be necessary now.
  
• Reduced reinforcing effectiveness slightly.
  
• Reduced chances of slimes combining into a jelly cube.
  
• Increased the stoke values of all flammable items slightly.
  
• Reduced chance to stir up fish and item catching when fishing slightly.
  
• Decreased chance to discover cave entrance when gathering.
  
• Items with modified durability rates now have proper/balanced damage modifiers.
  
• Reduced the maximum increased hunger and thirst rates for challenge modifiers.
  
• Increased "Learn total skills" quest requirement for challenge mode slightly.
  
• Additional stamina restoring items are now provided for no stamina regeneration challenge modifiers.
  
• Revised some difficulty levels and chances for certain challenge modifiers for improved balance.
  

[h2]Modding[/h2]

• Added missing stat and statusEffect registration types.
  
• The mod publishing tooltip now specifies when it will publish a new mod and when it will publish an update.
  
• Fixed binds not showing up properly when hovering over button bar icons.
  
• Fixed certain special items not getting the proper item damage modifier when using the OnItemDamage hook.
  
• Added canCreate event for tile events.
  
• Added canFaceDirections, canPerformSpecialAbilities, and canDespawn events for creatures.
  

[h2]Technical[/h2]

• Updated Wayward to TypeScript 3.8.2.
  

[h2]Mods[/h2]
[h2]Debug Tools[/h2]

• Changes to whether a tile is tilled is now detected by terrain inspection.
  
• Fixed the zoom level being overrided for players without Debug Tools permission. (Thanks Amax!)
  
• Fixed the zoom slider not updating as the zoom level is changed with binds. Now supports zooming in to 16x.
  

We have a small patch ready to mostly fix up that auto saving issue. We were also able to squeeze in a few other things we were working on. More to come soon!

Let us know about any other issues you spot!

[h2]Improvements[/h2]

• Where possible, the scheduled autosaves will now be combined with rest/sleep in order to be less disruptive.
  
• Skeletal remains will now animate based on proximity instead of when facing them.
  
• Improved client disconnection logic when a multiplayer game has closed.
  

[h2]Bug Fixes[/h2]

• Fixed auto saving happening during resting/sleeping, causing delays that sometimes lasted after the rest/sleep.
  
• Fixed the "Close Container" action not working when using it from a quickslot hotkey.
  
• Fixed the "inedible" and "poisoned" notes describing you drinking from a waterskin when drinking from water directly. (Thanks jettix!)
  
• Fixed scrollbars appearing next to status effect icons when pixel font was disabled. (Thanks Sneed!)
  
• Fixed an outdated wooden flooring item graphic.
  

[h2]Balance[/h2]

• Ash cement is no longer made with clay, but will require more ash and consume water fully.
  
• All items now have a higher variety of weights, allowing slightly lower weight on all items. A very select few items have been raised in weight to compensate for this change.
  
• Piles of ash can now weight up to 0.2.
  

Hey all,

Just a smaller release this time around. Even though it's smaller, it still has some great new features packed in. Here's a few important-ish things:

Pass Trough Creatures

You can now pass through weaker or flying creatures by disabling auto attack; however, they may attack you as you pass, leading to some more strategic escapes.



Improved Building Visuals

The contrast was lacking between flooring, walls, and structures. We've boosted this a bit to make your abode a bit nicer looking.



Crafting Efficacy

Introducing crafting efficacy. Starting at 20% crafting skill, you will begin to get a rating on each craft, letting you now how effective you are (using your combination of item and doodad qualities/tiers). The higher this value, the better chance at a higher quality and durability for your craft. You can read more about this in the help menu. The underlying system for this was already in place, it was just invisible to the player.



Auto-save Options

Due to popular demand, you can now set the auto save interval based on turns or time. Auto saving will also no longer stop you in your tracks, disabling movement after, and should be much more painless.



Multiplayer Improvements

The server browser will show all games except for private games. Friends-only games and games running in different versions will now be shown so you can switch versions or shoot over a friend request if you spot a game you want to join.

Additionally, we have fixed an issue with multiplayer games and how player's are identified. You may run into issues with pre-existing multiplayer games because of this. The player data is not lost and we can help you out if you send us over the save and the Steam IDs (or Steam profiles) of the players in the game. We will correct the saves for you. Apologies for the issues!



Oh ya, and Happy New Year!

[h2]New[/h2]

• You can now pass/walk through smaller or flying creatures by disabling auto attack; however, they may attack you as you pass.
  
• Crafts will now give a rating of how effective you are when crafting the item (for maximal quality/durability results) based on item/doodad qualities and item/doodad tiers.
  
• Added an option to configure the autosave timer, and toggle between turns and time elapsed.
  
• Added status warnings to stat tooltips (when hovering over stats).
  

[h2]Improvements[/h2]

• All multiplayer games will show now in the server browser, regardless of friend status or version differences except for private games.
  
• Improved contrast of flooring versus walls (and all built structures) for all resource types for improved clarity.
  
• Liquid containers can now drop or be crafted with the "potency" legendary type.
  
• Autosave no longer stops movement.
  
• Reduced the size of the non-pixel font slightly.
  
• Fixed a few instances where item qualities were not specified in messages.
  
• The last save time and save size are now viewable in the save button tooltip.
  

[h2]Bug Fixes[/h2]

• Fixed incorrect player identifiers being set when joining multiplayer games.
  
• Fixed an incorrect warning message appearing for destroying plants from gathering. (Thanks Davadin!)
  
• Fixed an issue where only the first consumed item in a craft would be used for tier bonus calculations.
  
• Fixed terrain qualities not appearing until reloading the save game again.
  
• Fixed a scrollbar appearing beside stats and attributes in several cases. (Thanks Sneed!)
  
• Fixed containers changing legendary types when being consumed. (Thanks Dodging Rain!)
  
• Fixed a bug where some doodads would count for double the bonus when using them in a craft.
  
• Fixed flashing occurring when opening the Steam overlay while in-game.
  
• Fixed the consumable message not highlighting bad versus good stat changes.
  
• Fixed animal fat still counting as fuel, leading to 0 added decay when added to torches. (Thanks EatAtSardis!)
  
• Corrected numerous pluralization issues.
  
• Fixed health always being set to maximum if any other health stat option is applied.
  
• Fixed there not being a way to configure your starting max health in custom game mode.
  
• Fixed mod issues interrupt not listing which mods were required when joining a multiplayer game.
  
• Fixed tile mapping issues with ash cement flooring.
  

[h2]Technical[/h2]

• Defaulted more cards to use DirectX9 that had graphic issues.
  

Following the theme of big minor patches, we present beta 2.8.2, another big minor patch. In this release you'll see a lot of fixes and improvements, but also something a lot of people have been waiting for. Better networking!

Hopefully the days are gone where you would need to do some router wizardry to host a Wayward game. We have implemented Steam networking support. This is all automatic, so you shouldn't have to worry about anything besides staying alive in-game.



And how about all that ash that has been building up from the campfires and water stills? Well, now with a bit of effort, you can turn it into ash cement to build walls and flooring. Reduce, reuse, and recycle!



This holiday season you can also stay cool with a new feature that warns you when attempting to sleep with a lit torch/candle, a long requested feature for the "Warn on Dangerous Actions" option.



Some other related changes to resting/sleeping include:

• Increased effectiveness of resting or sleeping by fire sources or when using bedding items/doodads.
  
• Sleeping will now mitigate hunger and thirst more effectively than just resting.
  

These are just a few examples of what's in store for this release. On another note, happy early holidays! Hope you get a game or two in!

• Added support for Steam networking, allowing players to connect to and host multiplayer games where they were not able to before due to networking issues.
  
• Added ash cement, crafted from all that leftover ash, to be used for walls and flooring.
  
• Added a help article explaining the differences between resting and sleeping and other regenerative bonuses.
  

• If "Warn on Dangerous Actions" is enabled, players will now be warned when attempting to sleep with a lit fire source equipped.
  
• Terrain can now spawn with differing qualities (like plants, trees, and other doodads do).
  
• Consumption stat messages are now condensed into a single message.
  
• Messages produced by dismantling and disassembling are now condensed/combined.
  
• Improved performance of receiving items from actions, especially for any that returned multiple items (such as from dismantling, disassembling, gathering, decaying items, etc.).
  
• Large numbers in the game are now broken up by locale-supported separators (such as commas or periods).
  
• Added detail on how score is calculated in the "Challenge Mode" section within the "Game Modes" help article.
  
• Drawn maps can now be dismantled.
  
• Improved skill descriptions and help to include the fact that skill does impact quality of items gathered or harvested.
  
• Sorting items by quality now sorts legendary types as well.
  
• Blood is no longer spawned when the damage type is not piercing or slashing.
  
• Added more information on the "Milestone Modifier" system within the "Milestones" help article.
  

• Fixed quests not looking into containers for required items. (Thanks EatAtSardis!)
  
• Fixed an error when loading saved games from the Steam Workshop.
  
• Fixed an oversight that did not allow you to fish up aberrant mudskippers. (Thanks num ca nem vi!)
  
• Fixed the "Seafaring" milestone not unlocking until rejoining a saved game. (Thanks Caerold!)
  
• Fixed drawn maps having negative and/or too low durability. (Thanks Zalpha!)
  
• Fixed animal dung not counting as compost. (Thanks Davadin!)
  
• Fixed creature tooltips returning an incorrect happiness level. (Thanks sol!)
  
• Fixed custom game options initial strength applying more strength than intended.
  
• Fixed stat modifiers applying more to health than intended. (Thanks bored_o_mir!)
  
• Fixed multiple stats display issues on smaller resolutions & ui scales.
  
• Fixed a brief screen flash when loading into the game. (Thanks Zalpha!)
  
• Fixed servers sometimes showing incorrect regions in the server browser.
  
• Fixed the message filter name input not being correct when viewing subsequent filters.
  
• Fixed attempting to soothe burn injury messages appearing on permanent burning pain.
  
• Fixed an issue where not moving your cursor when crafting/dismantling would not always re-highlight required items in the craft/dismantle. (Thanks blay.paul!)
  
• Potentially fixed issues with music switching randomly.
  
• Fixed a bug where creatures that turned aberrant would not regenerate their loot to match. (Thanks num ca nem vi!)
  
• Fixed dismantling and disassembling saying all items were destroyed when some in fact were returned.
  
• Fixed the "Corpse" note not displaying the creature's name.
  
• Fixed the protected "P" visual not updating on quickslots when enabling/disabling protected options.
  
• Fixed performance issues on certain distributions of Linux.
  
• Fixed a grammar issue where you "cooked cooked" food items. (Thanks Arnkh!)
  
• Fixed the messages dialog toggle not working correctly if the messages component was hidden.
  

• Increased effectiveness of resting or sleeping by fire sources or when using bedding items/doodads.
  
• Sleeping will now mitigate hunger and thirst more effectively than just resting.
  
• You can now perform actions on rafts that normally would have counted as "in water" or "swimming", disabling you from performing them.
  
• You can no longer pet a creature indefinitely. It will reject your advances after a certain happiness and petting threshold is met.
  
• Increased the durability of the raft and decreased items required to craft it (also reducing its weight slightly).
  
• Reduced reputation gain from petting.
  
• Reduced raw clay (and non-clay brick items) weights significantly.
  
• Raw clay bricks now require two raw clay to craft.
  

• Fixed `Input.setMaxLength`. (Thanks Amax!)
  
• Removed named variables present in language files to make it easier for translators.
  

• Added a `disableGpuDriverBugWorkarounds` launch option for debugging purposes.
  
• Full conversion/version history is now saved in each game save.