ATLAS News

ATLAS Patch 513.8 Markets and Upcoming Wipe

Ahoy Pathfinders!

Last Saturday we discussed our progress on addressing the map flickering and PVE Sea Fort claiming issues from the last patch, and although we aimed to get the hotfix out on Tuesday, we ended up being able to integrate these fixes with an early release of the new Markets! This new build is scheduled for tonight, Wednesday at 7:00 PM PST!

Again, the actual Trading will not be available quite yet in this Market patch as we are still actively testing its functionality and mechanics. Players will be able to craft a Market at a Smithy as long as they have the required Advanced Automation skill from the Construction tree. For now, you savvy seafarers can check out the configurations and set up preferences. Please let us know your feedback on how the Market UI functions.

Our crew craftsman has made a few renovations on the Sea Forts, but the construction is still ongoing! Pirates with an eye for aesthetics can expect further design improvements down the line. Additionally, Sea Forts now also display owner and tax rate. A number of balance passes have been made as well as we continue to observe the gameplay surrounding it.

Upcoming Wipe

Early next week, we are expecting to release the third part of the Trade System which will introduce the actual Trading functionality. In order to implement this, a wipe will be required. Currently, this is scheduled for next Tuesday, November 10. For clarity, tomorrow’s Market patch will NOT include a wipe, but next week’s Trading patch will. More information about the Trading patch to come.

Released Patch Notes

Server v413.7 // Client v413.8

*** Private Servers, please see new configuration variables at the end of the patch notes

[h3]New Feature: Markets[/h3]

A new Market structure has been added
- Markets must be connected to a nearby Warehouse to function
  - The Warehouse must be connected to a Farmhouse for full functionality
  - The Warehouse acts as a repository for trading resources for the Market
- Trade Routes may be created between Markets
- Preferences for Resource Trading may be set on the Markets
- Markets DO NOT currently Trade
  - Markets trading is in testing and bug fixing and will come with a later patch
  - Trading will be automated based on preferences set on the Market
  - A successful trade will generate some amount of Gold Coins
- Markets have 150k health and are difficult to destroy
- Crafting a market requires the Advanced Automation skill from the construction tree and may be done at a Smithy
- Some Trade and Market tuning values are configurable for private servers

[h3]Sea Forts[/h3]

Updated the terrain of the Sea Fort island
Simple cosmetic updates to the look of Sea Fort structures (this art is still a placeholder)
Adjusted respawn times for some structures on Sea Forts (walls still respawn quickly)
Made some Sea Fort tuning values configurable for private servers
Updated data on the map about Sea Forts (owner and tax rate are shown)
- Now only shown when zoomed in
- Performance while map is open should be improved
Increased Defense Tower's damage resistance
- Explosion Damage Received: 100% → 70%
- Explosive Barrel Damage Received: 100% → 10.5%
- Catapult Boulder Damage Received: 100% → 28%
- Ballista Damage Received: 100% → 7%
- Added immunity to melee attacks and liquid flame
Modified Tower Wall's damage resistance to match Defense Tower
- Explosion Damage Received: 31% → 70%
- Explosive Barrel Damage Received: 31% → 10.5%
Increased damage dealt by Defense Towers
- Explosion Damage: 100 → 250
- Direct Damage: 180 → 500
Bug Fix: Sea Forts can no longer be captured on PVE servers
Bug Fix: Players will no longer spawn on Sea Forts

[h3]Misc[/h3]

Bug Fix: The map no longer flickers
Bug Fix: Warehouses can no longer be placed on ships

[h3]Server Config[/h3]
New variables for Sea Forts, Markets, and Trading have been exposed for server configuration:


; Trade
BaseTradeIncomeGoldAmount = 10; Base amount of gold a Trade Route generates per server it travels through, as the crow flies
TradeIncomeGoldIntracompanyScalar = 0.5f; Multiplier for trading within the company
TradeIncomeGoldAllyScalar = 0.5f; Multiplier for trading with allies
TradeMarketCoolDown = 300.0f; Delay between starting a new shipment if one has begun
TradeRouteShipmentMaxWeight = 1500.0f; Combined weight of all resources in a trade, shared between both shipments
TradeRoutesMaxPerMarket = 5; Max number of trade routes each market may have
MaxAllowedTradeShipsOnServer = 5; Max number of -real- ships allowed on a server before they queue up
VirtualShipFactorServerMax = 8; used to balance rate of real v virtual ships
VirtualShipFactorVirtualDecay = 0.8f; same
VirtualShipFactorRealGrowth = 0.5f; same
VirtualShipDelayInSeconds = 60.0f; How long it takes a virtual ship to travel through a server
; Control Points
ContolPointLandClaimTime = 1500; how many seconds it takes to claim a Sea Fort from neutral
ControlMaxClaimTaxRate = 30; Maximum percent out of a hundred that a Sea Fort can tax a ship using it
ControlPointCostLimit = 100; Total amount of build points a Sea Fort may have on it for defenses
ControlPointAggressionDecayTime = 60; How long a Sea Fort remains aggro at someone who attacked
ControlDestroyedDefensiveStructureAutoPlacementDelay = 600; How long it takes for the Sea Fort to start rebuilding
ControlPointNeutralStructureAutoPlacementDelay = 120; Delay between each rebuild step

[h3]Known Issues[/h3]

Old Structures on Sea Forts did not get moved with the island, and Sea Fort may not necessarily recognize these structures. This is will be fixed with next week's wipe, or players can also simply destroy the old structures
Claiming issues with Sea Forts on PVP Lawless

Final Note

Again, we would like to emphasize that ATLAS is still in Early Access, meaning many things can and will likely continue to drastically change - even in the middle of development. Anything discussed is only up to date as of the moment it is posted. Features and changes that ultimately make it to the next patch may be different from what was previously discussed.

As always, we appreciate the suggestions and feedback from the community. Please keep them coming! Thank you for all of your support! :)

Happy Sailing,
- ATLAS Crew

For the latest dispatch on #playATLAS keep yer one good eye trained on this here information

Natter n' chatter on Discord: https://discord.gg/playatlas
Hear ye, hear ye on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sailtheatlas
Watch us scallywags on Twitch: http://twitch.tv/sailtheatlas
Plus ye can band with us Pirates on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/playatlasgame

Captain's Log #42: Trade System Progress and Halloween Giveaway!

Ahoy Pathfinders!

Happy Halloween! Today, we have a small news update and a few teasers of the next part of the Trade System, along with a giveaway!

Development

Unfortunately, the last patch introduced some map issues that were bigger than we initially thought. What we believed was a minor bug that caused flickering when zooming in on the map, actually manifests in different ways on different performance machines, as we have come to learn. As it is more nuanced, it is taking us more time to fully tackle. The second major issue we are working on is fixing the claiming of Sea Forts on PVE. There are multiple ways that we can approach this and we are carefully considering what would be the best option. At this time, we also have multiple branches that we are working on to stabilize for the next build. Whether or not we can release a branch will depend on how testing goes, and we are aiming for a patch next Tuesday. If all goes well, we can expect to release a small maintenance update with fixes on Tuesday, and then the Market Update next week. However, if we have additional problems, we may have to hold the updates. Continuing on that note, our overall goal is to continually release more updates on a regular basis. In between some of the content patches, some weeks may be more along the line of smaller maintenance updates/fixes.

Teasers

We dropped the first part of the Trade System - the Sea Forts last week. We have been observing the action surrounding them as we continue to update and balance the Sea Forts. The next part of the Trade System that we will be releasing are the Markets! Although players will not be able to use the Trade Routes just yet (we are still testing it out), you will be able to build these Markets next to your Warehouses and play around with the menu and configurations!

Here’s a sneak peak of the new Market, as well as a look at how its UI is developing:

We also have one last sneak peak of the testing we are doing on the Trading Ships and Routes! Again, Trade Routes will not be available yet with the Market update. The Trading Ships are not ready and the functionality of the Routes are still being tested.

*** Please note that the above is a very rough work in progress and what you are seeing will continue to change.

Giveaway

Last but not least, we are ending the month with a Halloween giveaway! We’ve allied with the crews over at Blue Microphones and Nitrado to scour land and sea far and wide for Treasure, and now the spoils are yours to take - aye, if yer lucky!

From now until the November 5th, enter our raffle for a chance to win a Yeti X from Blue Microphones, a 50-slot Atlas voucher from Nitrado, or a Steam Key for Atlas to recruit some new mates! For more information and to enter, visit the link here:

https://www.playatlas.com/index.php?/giveaways/giveaway-halloween2020/

Good luck, ye scallywags!

Final Note

Again, we would like to emphasize that ATLAS is still in Early Access, meaning many things can and will likely continue to drastically change - even in the middle of development. Anything discussed is only up to date as of the moment it is posted. Features and changes that ultimately make it to the next patch, as well as timing, may be different from what was previously discussed.

As always, we appreciate the suggestions and feedback from the community. Please keep them coming! Thank you for all of your support! 🙂

Happy Sailing,
- ATLAS Crew

For the latest dispatch on #playATLAS keep yer one good eye trained on this here information

2x Weekend 10/29 - 11/02

Ahoy Pathfinders!

With Halloween just around the corner, we thought we'd give you guys a little treat - 2x Weekend! Tomorrow 10/29 10:00 AM PT through 11/2 10:00 AM PT, we'll be doubling Treasure Gold, Taming Speeds, and Harvesting! Take advantage of the limited time boost to finally hit some of your goals and have fun! 🙂

Happy Sailing,
- ATLAS Crew

For the latest dispatch on #playATLAS keep yer one good eye trained on this here information

ATLAS Patch V412.5

Ahoy Pathfinders!

Today's the day! ATLAS v412.5 is here!

[h3]NOTE TO XBOX USERS:[/h3] Currently, there is an issue on XBOX where Sea Forts are unable to be claimed. We have a fix coming out for this tomorrow. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding!

Private Servers

Private Server owners will need to update the ServerGrid.ServerOnly.json file by adding a new entry to the database connections called new TradeDB:

{
"Name": "TradeDB",
"URL": "xxx.x.x.x",
"Port": xxxx,
"Password": "xxxx"
}

Replacing the correct url, port, and password for your redis server in the above.

It is also necessary to update to the latest ServerGridEditorhere and re-export. You will also be able to add Sea Forts to the map if you wish to.

Released Patch Notes

v411.1

[h3]New Feature: Sea Forts[/h3]
Sea Forts are a form of Control Points that give Companies control over trading in an area. This system is foundational for the upcoming Trade System.

Sea Forts have automated defenses that will respawn over time when neutral
- Players have a limited number of build points (100) to spend on a Sea Fort they own
- Currently only Defense Towers may be built (15 pts each)
On PVP Servers, they may be captured and controlled!
- To capture them, destroy the defenses and plant a flag inside the central tower
- The flag takes 25 minutes to force an owned Fort return to neutral
- The flag takes 10 minutes to capture on a neutral Fort
- Sea Forts in Freeport Servers may not be captured
In an upcoming patch, Sea Forts will allow access through a server for Trading
- You will be able to grant or restrict access to Allies or other Companies
- Access to a Sea Fort is required for you to have trade routes that travel through a server!
Sea Forts may have a Tax Bank built on them
- The Tax Bank can be raided for gold. Neutral points have the Tax Bank as well
- NOTE: Until trading starts, they aren't actually earning any gold, so the Bank is empty
- Tax Banks will allow companies to tax Trade Routes that use their Fort for access
- Neutral Forts will have a high tax rate and allow everyone access to a server

[h3]Map[/h3]

Added the Ship Salesman's Island to the center of each Freeport Grid
- NOTE: Ships are not yet available for purchase. They will be added in a future update
Added Sea Fort Islands to the map. 1-4 exist on every server except the center

[h3]Ships[/h3]

Increased maximum Ship level from 52 to 60
Adjusted Ship XP curve to increase the amount of XP required for early levels and greatly reduce the amount of XP required for later levels
- Overall, this change reduces the total amount of XP required to reach max level
Added Gold cost for crafting Ships in a Shipyard
- Schooner: 50 Gold
- Brigantine: 250 Gold
- Galleon: 500 Gold
- NOTE: These costs will increase when the trade system has been fully implemented

[h3]Structures[/h3]

Defense Towers may be built at the Smithy
- May only be placed at Sea Forts
- Requires Advanced Automation Skill from the Construction Tree
Added Fuel Slot to Farmhouse and Warehouse
- Dedicated slot holds up to 1,000 units of Fuel
- This slot is separate from the main inventory
- Burns a unit of fuel at the following intervals:
  - Oil: 350 seconds
  - Coal: 200 seconds
  - Wood: 100 seconds
  - Thatch: 40 seconds

[h3]Weapons[/h3]

Changed delay before using newly placed land artillery to 10 minutes
- This affects Cannons, Large Cannons, Catapults, Puckles, Ballistas, Mortars, and Swivel Guns
Bug Fix: Cannons can no longer be fired underwater

[h3]Misc[/h3]

Removed XP reward from all bosses including the Abominable Snowman, Kraken, Hydra, Drake, Ghost Ship, and Blackwood's Queen Cobra
Removed Gold drops from Kraken, Squids, Army of the Damned Soldiers, fishing, and digging. The trade system will become the way to earn gold
Bug Fix: Driving a Cargo Cart over a Pillar will no longer cause the rider to dismount
Bug Fix: If a Ceiling Tile is placed on top of a Pillar and then destroyed, any object built on the Ceiling Tile will also be destroyed

[h3]Known Issues[/h3]

No Sea Forts in D8
Golden Age Sea Forts currently cannot be claimed
Map may flicker when zoomed
Sea Forts currently have Peace Time which may be removed at a later date
Players may spawn on Sea Forts sometimes

Final Note

Happy Sailing,
- ATLAS Crew

For the latest dispatch on #playATLAS keep yer one good eye trained on this here information

Patch Preview: Setting up the Sea Forts!

Ahoy Pathfinders!

The new patch is getting really close! We’re still doing some final work and checks on the build. We don’t have an exact time and date on when it’ll be out yet, but here’s a quick heads up that it’ll likely be out early next week! Keep your eye on this post and our social channels for any updates. :) Now, let’s take a closer look at what’s coming and the tentative changelog.

[h3]10/26 UPDATE:[/h3] Patch will be out tonight at 7:00 PM PT. Est 30-45 min downtime. New post with final patch notes and info to come. Stay tuned! :)

Sea Forts & Trading

Earlier this week, one of the major items we discussed was the upcoming Trade System! A lot of you were curious about what the Towers on the island Control Points, now called Sea Forts, would look like! Trade Routes won’t be available yet, but you’ll be able to at least check out these Sea Forts and battle it out in the upcoming build! Here’s an early sneak peek:

*** Please note that the above reflects a work in progress. The Sea Fort tower structures are still undergoing some work and adjustments will be made in subsequent updates.

We received a few questions as well about how the actual exchange of goods happens and how trade can be disrupted. When shipments for trade are generated, both parties will only receive the goods and generated gold if both Trading Ships successfully make it to the other Market. On PVP, a Shipment will not start if all Sea Forts on a grid that is a part of the Trade Ship’s route have blocked it from usage. Once a shipment starts, it will follow its intended path and pay taxes based on the conditions of its route at inception. Blockading will only stop new shipments or force it into another route if it’s not completely blocked. Trade ships can also be attacked directly, and although players will be able to steal resources from the Trade Ship, this functionality is still a work in progress.

We have seen concerns about how these Trade Ships may affect server load. Optimization and server stability are ongoing issues that involve the continual work we are doing to update the back-end code. Improvements are going to be a gradual process. However, we do have a mechanic in place to prevent an overload of Trade Ships. Once generated Trade Ships have reached a certain threshold, any shipments that should have been generated thereafter will be virtual. Virtual shipments do not generate a Trade Ship and cannot be attacked or stopped once it has met the conditions to start.

Ships

We also discussed the upcoming Ships for Gold system. At this time the plan is to have it exist alongside the current Ship system. The next patch will see a few changes to Ships to balance it out with the changes that the Trade system and Ships for Gold system will bring. Maximum level has been increased to 60 for ships and the exp curve has been adjusted accordingly. Schooner, Brigantine, and Galleon will now additionally cost Gold to build, and this amount will increase once the Trade System has been fully implemented. The new Ship Salesman has also settled into the Freeports, so you can pay him a visit although no ships will be available for purchase yet.

Re: Wipes

Many players were also concerned upon hearing about “more wipes.” This doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s going to suddenly be wipes left and right, only that instead of hesitating to wipe or waiting until a new “season,” we will perform the wipe if a situation calls for it. However, it does mean that a wipe can happen at any time, but only when necessary. We're going to do our best to minimize the possibility, but the possibility is always there. We'll announce wipes when we're sure, although how much of a heads up we can give is going to depend on the situation.

Understandably, many of you were also anticipating a wipe after hearing this news. This next patch will NOT include a wipe. However, as we continue to implement the Trade System, a wipe will be a necessary part of the process. We do not have a date for this yet, and will make an announcement once we do. We apologize for this inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.

For our Pathfinders sailing the seas of Private Servers, we will also let Private Server owners know if we recommend to follow suit when we announce a wipe.

In addition to the pieces we are setting in place for the Trade system and Ships for Gold, are a few changes and bug fixes as well. We’d also like to remind everyone that we are indeed working on bug fixes and other issues in tandem with the new content. Some patches may see more content, and other patches may see more tweaks or fixes. While certain patches may focus more in one area than another, it does not mean that we are not working on other things. We are a small team doing our best to balance all sides, and we appreciate all of your support and understanding as we continue to shape ATLAS’ gameplay.

See the tentative patch notes below:

Tentative Changelog

*** Please note that this is only a preview of the next patch. Final Patch Notes for the Live build may differ and will be reposted once it goes live.

[h3]New Feature: Sea Forts[/h3]
Sea Forts are a form of Control Points that give Companies control over trading in an area. This system is foundational for the upcoming Trade System.

Sea Forts have automated defenses that will respawn over time when neutral
- Players have a limited number of build points (100) to spend on a Sea Fort they own
- Currently only Defense Towers may be built (15 pts each)
On PVP Servers, they may be captured and controlled!
- To capture them, destroy the defenses and plant a flag inside the central tower
- The flag takes 25 minutes to force an owned Fort return to neutral
- The flag takes 10 minutes to capture on a neutral Fort
- Sea Forts in Freeport Servers may not be captured
In an upcoming patch, Sea Forts will allow access through a server for Trading
- You will be able to grant or restrict access to Allies or other Companies
- Access to a Sea Fort is required for you to have trade routes that travel through a server!
Sea Forts may have a Tax Bank built on them
- The Tax Bank can be raided for gold. Neutral points have the Tax Bank as well
- NOTE: Until trading starts, they aren't actually earning any gold, so the Bank is empty
- Tax Banks will allow companies to tax Trade Routes that use their Fort for access
- Neutral Forts will have a high tax rate and allow everyone access to a server

[h3]Map[/h3]

Added the Ship Salesman's Island to the center of each Freeport Grid
- NOTE: Ships are not yet available for purchase. They will be added in a future update
Added Sea Fort Islands to the map. 1-4 exist on every server except the center

[h3]Ships[/h3]

Increased maximum Ship level from 52 to 60
Adjusted Ship XP curve to increase the amount of XP required for early levels and greatly reduce the amount of XP required for later levels
- Overall, this change reduces the total amount of XP required to reach max level
Added Gold cost for crafting Ships in a Shipyard
- Schooner: 50 Gold
- Brigantine: 250 Gold
- Galleon: 500 Gold
- NOTE: These costs will increase when the trade system has been fully implemented

[h3]Structures[/h3]

Defense Towers may be built at the Smithy
- May only be placed at Sea Forts
- Requires Advanced Automation Skill from the Construction Tree
Added Fuel Slot to Farmhouse and Warehouse
- Dedicated slot holds up to 1,000 units of Fuel
- This slot is separate from the main inventory
- Burns a unit of fuel at the following intervals:
  - Oil: 350 seconds
  - Coal: 200 seconds
  - Wood: 100 seconds
  - Thatch: 40 seconds

[h3]Weapons[/h3]

Changed delay before using newly placed land artillery to 10 minutes
- This affects Cannons, Large Cannons, Catapults, Puckles, Ballistas, Mortars, and Swivel Guns
Bug Fix: Cannons can no longer be fired underwater

[h3]Misc[/h3]

Removed XP reward from all bosses including the Abominable Snowman, Kraken, Hydra, Drake, Ghost Ship, and Blackwood's Queen Cobra
Removed Gold drops from Kraken, Squids, Army of the Damned Soldiers, fishing, and digging. The trade system will become the way to earn gold
Bug Fix: Driving a Cargo Cart over a Pillar will no longer cause the rider to dismount
Bug Fix: If a Ceiling Tile is placed on top of a Pillar and then destroyed, any object built on the Ceiling Tile will also be destroyed

Final Note

Happy Sailing,
- ATLAS Crew

For the latest dispatch on #playATLAS keep yer one good eye trained on this here information