Barotrauma News

Hello everyone!

Our long-awaited 1.0 update is coming on Monday next week, so it’s time for the final sneak peek. How will Europa change?

[h3]Faction overhaul[/h3]
Over the past weeks, we’ve written about the various factions of Europa: the Europa Coalition, the Jovian Separatists, and the Church of Husk and the Children of the Honkmother. These factions bring with them some new storytelling, and they are the backbone of our faction overhaul. Other key features of the faction overhaul include:

• Outposts are controlled by the Europa Coalition or the Jovian Separatists. The Church of Husk and the Children of the Honkmother also have their own enclaves in outposts.
  
• Reworked reputation system: Faction reputation now follows you wherever you go. Expect negative consequences when sailing in hostile waters, and positive ones when docking at friendly ports.
  
• Two routes between biomes: one controlled by the Coalition, one by the Separatists.
  
• New faction-specific missions and long event chains to learn more about each faction.
  
• The Captain’s third talent tree, “Politician”, with talents focused on the factions of Europa.
  
• Faction-specific hireable NPCs with special skills and equipment.
  
• New faction-specific items, such as 40mm nukes, molotov cocktails and bananas (caution: slippery).
  

[h3]The end is nigh[/h3]
The other half of the 1.0 update focuses on the campaign endgame. The placeholder ending which has greeted those brave sailors who made it to the end will be removed, and the real endgame sequence will finally be playable.

We don’t want to spoil the surprise for you, but let’s say the campaign ending will test the skills of your crew, and lead you somewhere never before seen in Barotrauma.

The update also adds many other improvements, such as a language filter for the server browser, a completely remade Japanese translation, improved projectile syncing in multiplayer, and various optimizations, to name a few highlights.

We’ve worked on the ending for a very long time behind the scenes, and we hope you will find it a fitting conclusion to your Europan adventure. Let us know how it plays – on Monday next week! Until then, you can read one more sneak peek post on our blog.

Hello everyone!

Now that we’ve introduced the Coalition and the Separatists, it’s time to lift the veil on the two more mysterious groups present on Europa. Where the two main factions are political and military organizations, the Church of Husk and the Children of the Honkmother are more akin to religious sects.

The Church of Husk centers around the worship of the Velonaceps Calyx parasite. Members of the Church believe that the only way for humans to survive on Europa is to adapt to its hostile environment by forming a symbiotic relationship with the husk parasite. They believe that by combining with the husk, humans can transcend the limitations of their frail bodies and evolve into a human-husk hybrid more suited to life on Europa. Is it even possible to survive their communion? Many have died trying, but the Church of Husk has not lost faith.

The Children of the Honkmother are possibly even more esoteric. They dress up in clown apparel, red noses and all, and spread merriment and disorder in equal measures. There are many stories about how there came to be clowns on Europa, but ultimately no one knows the real answer. The clowns themselves simply say they “heed the call of the bikehorn” and toot it with regularity in the name of their mystical deity, the Honkmother. Are they the greatest philosophers of all, or the greatest pranksters?

While not in open conflict with one another, followers of the Church of Husk and the Children of the Honkmother do not see eye to eye. Their worldviews and methods of spreading their message put them at odds with each other, while the Separatists and the Coalition shun both cults equally.

Both the Church of Husk and the Children of the Honkmother will have their own enclaves in outposts in Barotrauma 1.0, as well as their own story, missions, events, items and reputation. For more information on the outcasts of Europa and new sneak peeks at the faction overhaul features, check out our blog!

Ahoy!

The time is almost here, and we can finally tell you that Barotrauma is coming out of Early Access on Monday, March 13, just two weeks from now.

Are you ready? We are shaking in our diving suits! We’ve spent almost a year working on the upcoming 1.0 update, and we can’t wait to hear what you think about it. It introduces the faction overhaul, which we have been teasing in recent weeks, and a proper ending to the campaign. What’s really down in the depths? Definitely not just a doomworm, but we don’t want to spoil the surprise.

After almost four years in early access and closer to a decade in development, March 13 is going to be a huge day for us and Barotrauma. Four people from our team sat down in front of a camera to tell you a bit more about that journey. Take a look at this behind the scenes video for our story!

Thank you for sailing with us for so long. The end of Early Access is not the end of our development, and we still have more updates planned after 1.0, but now it’s time to say: Welcome to Europa.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Hello everyone!

Last week, we wrote about the Europa Coalition and their history. Now it’s time to take a closer look at their rivals: the Jovian Separatists.

When the Europa Coalition was gathering influence, their main political rival was the Jovian People’s Movement. In contrast to the Coalitions’ idea of an autocratic system, the JPM wanted to establish a democratic government on Europa through nonviolent means.

Following a tragic accident that claimed the lives of many JPM supporters, the Coalition was able to win the general election and become the main political power of Europa. This sparked suspicion, unrest and conflicts between the Coalition and JPM supporters, and the movement was eventually declared a terrorist organization. Thus, the Jovian Separatists came to be.

The Separatists’ aim is to overthrow the established regime and challenge the status quo. Over the years leading up to the start of Barotrauma’s events, they have splintered into smaller groups around Europa, some engaging in guerrilla warfare against the Coalition, some favoring more diplomatic methods.

Will you fight the good fight against the Coalition, and help the Separatists on their way towards a more democratic Europa?

For more detailed information on the Separatists and sneak peeks into a few upcoming features of Barotrauma 1.0, head over to our blog!

Hello everyone!

One of the big additions in Barotrauma’s 1.0 update will be an overhaul of the faction system, complete with new missions, events, and more. Let’s take a look at all the different groups, one by one, starting with the Europa Coalition. Who are they and where did they come from?

A few decades before the events of Barotrauma, the Coalition started out as a trade agreement between two prominent settlements on Europa, with some help from private paramilitary groups. They expanded their reach rapidly and aggressively, seizing control of important trade routes and other settlements. This has led them to become the de facto Europan superpower, governing civil society, trade and manufacturing with an iron fist.

The Coalition strives to preserve humanity on Europa, and they work tirelessly to maintain some semblance of peace and stability on the moon. Known to resort to ruthless tactics, however, the Coalition is not without its enemies.

Will you choose to fight for the Coalition, dispose of dissidents and help keep Europa safe?

Head over to our blog to learn more about the Europa Coalition, and get a sneak peek at some of the upcoming faction overhaul features!