Flotsam News

Hey Drifters!

Just a quick and small update: we added some Survival Guide tutorial pages. These explain basic controls and give a quick overview on starting mechanics. In addition, this update brings some small changes to the UI for better readability.

[h2]What's next?[/h2]
We're still continuing work on the next major update that will introduce objectives (other than survival) and more. Stay tuned.



[h2]Survival Guide[/h2]

• Added 5 tutorial pages in the Survival Guide to guide players. Basic Controls, Salvaging Flotsam, Moving the Town, Managing Drifters and Interacting with Landmarks.
  
• Created Survival Guide subsection for the Tutorial pages.
  

[h2]UI[/h2]

• The Research Tree is now locked until a Research Station is built.
  
• The Producer Management is now locked until a workshop is built.
  
• The Eel-ectricity Overlay is now locked until any Eel-ectricity construction is built.
  
• Added an outline to the Eel-ectricity Overlay to more properly show the overlay is active.
  
• Added Grid Size and Energy Requirement to construction tooltips.
  
• Added Knowledge counter to Research Tree.
  
• Added upgrade icon to upgrade unlocks in Research Tree.
  
• Clicking a notification or Drifter Portrait no longer makes the camera jump to that drifter.
  
• Double-clicking Right Mouse will now close all open panels.
  

[h2]Early Access 0.6.2p1[/h2]

• Fixed issue where research progress would get lost upon saving and loading.
  

Hey Drifters!
We've got another small update for you all; The Research Tree
It brings dependencies and nodes with multiple unlocks, giving research a clear structure and progression path. It's a small adjustment to a more familiar research system.

[h2]What's next?[/h2]
The Research Tree allows us to move forward with what we're building towards; objectives and end-game content. Next update will introduce a first step in that direction with the Hub.




[h2]Research Tree[/h2]

• Research is now contained in a tree of connected research nodes.
  
• Research now has branching dependencies. (E.g a construction that needs Metal Plates requires the Scrapsmith to be unlocked.)
  
• Research nodes can contain multiple unlocks. (E.g the Salvaging Boat and Mooring Point unlock in one node.)
  

[h2]Expertise[/h2]

• Added icons for each attribute.
  
• Changed drifter duties icons to more accurately reflect the corresponding attributes.
  

[h2]Balancing[/h2]

• The Desalinator no longer requires Metal Plates.
  
• The Unbottler no longer requires Eel-ectricity.
  

[h2]Localization[/h2]

• Updated Simplified and Traditional Chinese.
  

[h2]Fixes[/h2]

• Fixed some tooltips displaying the wrong text.
  
• Fixed some tooltips not displaying properly.
  
• Fixed issue where you could not use the duties icons to increase all drifter priorities for that duty.
  
• Fixed missing terms on landmarks.
  
• Fixed some UI elements that had localized text not displaying their localized text.
  

Hey Drifters!
We've got a small update to test for you all; The Research Tree.
It's another step towards better research. It brings dependencies and nodes with multiple unlocks, allowing us to structure a more clear research progression path. As well as being fully expandable later on to include more than just constructions being unlocked.

It's still in an early stage so it will only be available on experimental until we iron out all the kinks and get it to where we want it to be.

[h2]What's next?[/h2]
With the latest patches, we're nearing the point where we've setup all foundations for adding goals to the game. We've got something cooking but it'll take consecutive patches to fully set up. Next patch will either add more scouting options or will be a first iteration of said goals.

This patch is still in development and can be tested on the experimental branch to give feedback.

This is how you can enable the experimental branch of Flotsam. This will only work when you're not in a game:
1. Open Steam Library
2. Right click Flotsam
3. Select Properties
4. Go to tab 'Betas' at the top.
5. Select 'Experimental' in the drop-down.



[h2]Research Tree[/h2]

• Research is now contained in a tree of connected research nodes.
  
• Research now has branching dependencies. (E.g a construction that needs Metal Plates requires the Scrapsmith to be unlocked.)
  
• Research nodes can contain multiple unlocks. (E.g the Salvaging Boat and Mooring Point unlock in one node.)
  

[h2]Expertise[/h2]

• Added icons for each attribute.
  
• Changed drifter duties icons to more accurately reflect the corresponding attributes.
  

[h2]Balancing[/h2]

• The Desalinator no longer requires Metal Plates.
  
• The Unbottler no longer requires Eel-ectricity.
  

[h2]Fixes[/h2]

• Fixed some tooltips displaying the wrong text.
  
• Fixed some tooltips not displaying properly.
  

Hey Drifters!
We've got a small update for you all before the research tree goes into beta. We've split the Woodworking Shed into two different buildings; the Sawmill and the Chopping Block. The original Woodworking Shed was meant to be a toolshed for a different feature and as such, felt a bit off-key visually. Now that we're working on the research tree, we took some time to split these into two different constructions. This way we can properly introduce fuel creation with research later on in the game, as well as look into a streamlined UI for single-item-workshops.

We also fixed some issues, most importantly; in certain edge cases a construction that was being deconstructed could cause a save to break. This is now fixed, and old saves with this issue can be loaded up again.

[h2]What's next?[/h2]
We're testing the Research Tree internally and will have it ready for testing soon. After that, we're looking at scouting upgrades to work towards objectives.




[h2]Sawmill and Chopping Block[/h2]

• Removed the Woodworking Shed. Loading saves with Woodworking Sheds built will still have working Woodworking Sheds in the town.
  
• Added the Sawmill, a construction that makes Planks.
  
• Added the Chopping block, a construction that makes Firewood.
  
• Added new animations and effects for the Sawmill and Chopping Block.
  

[h2]Fixes[/h2]

• Fixed issue where schools would not list any drifter beyond the ninth drifter you rescued.
  
• Fixed several language key issues.
  
• Fixed issue where you couldn't salvage highway landmarks with boats.
  
• Fixed issue where you would start with the functionality of a watchtower if you built one, went back to main menu and started a new game.
  
• Fixed issue where a buildable that was being deconstructed wile the game was saved could cause the save to break. Saves that were broken this way will now load properly.