ATLAS News

Ahoy Pathfinders!

While some new content is just on the horizon, this week we have a quality of life update to fix a few of the more troublesome bugs players have been running into on the open seas. We’ve also made a few adjustments regarding the mortar ship and NPC spawns/mechanics. We hope these changes will improve gameplay overall and lessen unwanted/unintended interactions.

As always, we, the Atlas team, appreciate your support and ‘til next time, may your skies be clear, waters calm, and sails full in whichever way you roam.




v527.03

[h3]Mortar Ship Updates[/h3]

• Mortar shot direct damage has been reduced
  
• Sail locations have been moved on the ship so they do not block off parts of the ship anymore
  
• Ship points have been reduced from 4 to 3
  
  • You can now use medium and small sails instead of large and small sails
    

[h3]Bug Fixes[/h3]

• Fixed inconsistent spawning of the Ghost Ship
  
• Rowing and Torpedo modules are now able to be crafted with the appropriate skills
  
• Fixed instances of Islands not respawning resources
  
• Fixed instances of tax house not collecting gold
  
• Fixed instances in which dropping inventory on armored docks would have unintended effects
  
• NPCs will no longer stop manning sails after switching grids while sailing a modular ship
  
• Fixed instances in which modular ships were not being protected in armored docks
  
• Fixed instances in which Sperm whales were not spawning correctly
  
• AOTD will no longer spawn in buildings
  
• Single player data deletion
  
• Fixed instances where players could not contest claim of boats
  
• Fixed instances where Tradewinds were not giving appropriate buffs
  
• Fixed instances of incorrect island collisions
  
• Fixed instances of NPC crewmembers having unintended effects on ships
  
• Fixed instances of crashes when players enter the center maw
  

[h3]Misc[/h3]

• Ramming Galley and Mortar ships have been removed from the freeport vendor
  
• Breeding is no longer allowed in Freeport Areas
  
• Minimum number of Ships of the Damned have been increased
  
• Ship of the Damned spawn timers have been reduced
  
• Company Joining Cooldown has been added
  
• Tradewind adjustments to remove instances of crossing islands
  

[h3]Known Issues[/h3]

We are currently working on a fix for the recent character rollback issues, we plan on releasing a fix for this as soon as it is available. We understand how frustrating losing progress is to players and are tackling it at our highest priority. We would like to thank the players for their patience while we deal with this issue.



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! :)

[h2][/h2]
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

Ahoy Pathfinders!

It’s been awhile since we last made landfall but we come bearing a large haul of new goodies and bug fixes, as well as a new ship in tow! Let’s start with the newest member of the fleet, the Mortarship.


We’re finally bringing out the big guns with the Mortarship. With front and rear mortar cannons that deliver swift death from a distance, this ship is a game changer and will make sieging pesky land installments a breeze. Careful though, most ships are too mobile for these mortars so you’ll need to strategize some security for your new weaponry, or you may find your hopes for victory, and your Mortarship, sunk.

This ship and all the other pre-made variants will now be buildable with the new advanced shipyard with new crafting requirements to come.

We’ve also added new blueprints for railing and midship tiles, a revised Home Region map, and squashed many of the bugs that have plagued your voyages since the last patch. It may have taken some time to get it right but we hope this patch is worth the wait.

As always, we, the Atlas team, appreciate your support and ‘til next time, may your skies be clear, waters calm, and sails full in whichever way you roam.



v526.08
[h3]New Content[/h3]

• New Home Region Map
  
  
• New Ship Variant: Mortarship
  
  • Comparable Size to a Schooner
    
  • Affixed to both the front and rear castle are two new mortar types which can deal massive damage at great distances
    
  • Resources: 22000 Gold, 200 Gunpowder
    
• Advanced Shipyard has been added. This is found in the Smithy after learning the Expert Shipwright skill
  
  
• New buff icons for the Atlantean Spire, Industrial Generator, and Army of the Damned Pylon have been created when players are on boats that have a buff affecting them
  
  • These icons are shown in the top right under the ships health
    
• New Blueprints Added
  
  • All swappable railing and midship tiles have findable blueprint variations
    
  • The farm now has findable blueprint variations
    
• The Ramming Galleon, Mortar Ship, and Kraken Ship are now buildable at the Advanced Shipyard
  
  • These ships are also available to purchase via the Freeport Ship Merchant. This was for testing purposes and they will be removed in the near future
    
  • Crafting resources needed to build the three ships above will be changing in the near future
    

[h3]Bug Fixes:[/h3]

• Shiphouses and Shipyards are no longer placeable in the open ocean
  
• Song of the Sea food recipe will no longer crash the game when selected
  
• Sextant Compass will no longer disappear when changing grid locations
  
• Fixed instances of stacking buffs from Buff Towers
  
• Players can now only place one Sea Fort Buff Tower per Sea Fort regardless of type
  
• Fixed placement of multiple resource generating structures in the same location
  
• When interacting with certain parts of a ship players will no longer crash
  
• Consuming certain foods now gives proper hunger values
  
• Allowed Spearbolt ammo to be stored in Munitions Storage
  
• UI Fixes to the Player Shop
  
• Adjusted radiuses of Discovery zones
  
• Fixed weight not being registered when items are dropped on saddles
  
• Fixed instances in the usage of crude tool would cause players to crash
  
• Fixed instances of large stone walls being placeable on tables
  
• Fixed instances of large stone foundations snapping incorrectly
  
• Fixed Instances of Ammo containers' reach fluctuating on ships
  
• Fixed instance of placeable object preventing damage to players on swivel guns
  
• Fixed Instances in which Honey was not harvestable
  
• Fixed instances in which ships could not anchor in docks
  
• Fixed instances in which trading was being used for unintended actions
  
• Fixed Framerate drops when painting large sails or walls
  
• Arrow hit detection improvements.
  
• PVE: Fixed instances of using specific feats for unintended actions
  
• AOTD no longer spawn inside buildings
  
• Singleplayer map fix
  

[h3]Misc:[/h3]

• Players will now receive the right variant of crops depending on the source
  
• Removed biome requirement for breeding creatures
  
• Removed Stone Farmhouse from the Smithy. This structure will be reintroduced in a future patch. Currently placed Stone Farmhouses will not be removed.
  
• Ramming Galley Rowing now has sounds
  
• Buff tower buffs values adjusted
  

[h3]Puckle Tower Updates:[/h3]

• Normalized the ammo consumption
  
• Decreased the Weight of the Puckle Tower
  
• Increased the Fuel Stack Size for the Puckle Tower
  
• Fixed Instances in which the Firing sound was not playing correctly
  
• Accuracy Adjusted
  

[h3]Known Issues:[/h3]

• Advanced Shipyards are placeable on island shores. Ships built and released on these shipyards will be destroyed
  
• Whales and Ships of the Damned have low spawn/drop rates
  
• Visual issue with character when manning new mortars
  

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! :)

[h2][/h2]
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

[h3][h2]Ahoy Pathfinders![/h2][/h3]

Today we finally get to answer some of your questions once again. With the recent patch/wipe and contests announced, we didn’t want your answers to get lost in the wake. Now that the waters have calmed, we’re back to provide you answers.

Please check out the contest here to submit your videos and have the opportunity to win up to a $25 Amazon gift card.

As a reminder, the answers below only reflect the current timeframe and are subject to change. While we can provide current insight on the game and what we hope to do, what is destined we can’t foresee. We appreciate your support and understanding.

So ‘til next time, may your skies be clear, waters calm, and sails full in whichever way you roam.




Without further ado, here’s our Q&A! Hang out at our Discord for a chance to get your questions answered in the next Q&A!

[h2]Q&A[/h2]

Any plans to address shield stun duration or overhead mace torpor damage to make melee combat more entertaining and challenging, rather than stun-lock-and-torpor combat?

Damage during land combat is something we are only loosely balancing right now as we continue to work through Early Access. We will be revisiting it closer to the 1.0 release.

With barrel bombs (even shot from catapults) still dictating the "meta game," is there a plan to remove them from ship combat totally?

We are working on new ways for players to counter dominant strategies in ship combat. We recognize that ship combat is not in a good place right now and are focused on the long term health of the game. Look out for new defensive modules when we expand the module crafting system in the next major patch.

Are there any plans to limit structures per island, reducing the lag associated with the spam we have currently?

We are coming at this from a couple different angles.
* Some memory management improvements are in testing that will allow clients to load and unload structures faster.
* Some new structure types that are larger are in the works so players don't have to build massive structures out of many small pieces.
* We are working through some ideas with claiming to help undercut the motivations for placing lots of small structures for meta reasons such as making landing tames hard or preventing others from building nearby.

Do you plan to limit the number of armored docks a company or island can have being used at any given time?

Not directly. Armored Docks require gold to operate. As we develop the economy, we are looking for more ways to sink gold and keep it scarce so that placing an Armored Dock costs you the opportunity to do something else important with that gold.

Are there any inbound flag claim (Height, Radius, etc) or Island changes (i.e.- Lawless Areas On Island Outside of Claim Radius)?

We definitely had some significant changes to this in the last major patch! We'd like to see how the meta adjusts before we commit to other changes. We are also spending effort making these configurations more customizable and exposing that to unofficial server owners so you can try out what combinations of ruleset you think are most interesting. Long term we would like to make fighting over valuable locations in the game take a concerted, multi-day effort. We'll talk more about that as features related to it are closer to being rolled out.

Are there any plans to add upgradeable end-game gear as a needed gold sink. Any chance on this being added back with the new BP crafting system you have hinted at?

We would love to make the crafting system more customizable and interesting. We have to balance this with other goals we have for the game. This particular area is not one of our primary focuses and so it's coming along in the free time, after hours, and weekends between other higher priority work.

Is there any way you guys will add a hull bigger than a brig with 4 large sails. But smaller than a galley?

Our plans for updating the modular ship system are full speed ahead and this is on the horizon. Our next major patch is planned to be focused on getting our core customization options out for ships. Immediately following that we will be working on making modular ships craftable in the Shipyard and introducing a dozen or more ship sizes. One of the great benefits of this new ship system is that we can make an entirely new ship completely out of existing parts and we are only a couple months away from unleashing that power!

Can we get an upgrade that increases the level (and rewards) of SotDs, allowing SotDs to be relevant in more than 8 out of 121 tiles in the game?

Check out the latest patch! Ships of the Damned are much more prevalent and have a much wider variety of difficulty on the map now!

Will the wipe affect the Unofficial Servers?

There are new features that unofficial servers may want to take advantage of. Our goal is to not require unofficials to wipe to support our changes, when possible. Early Access means that some changes in the future may be so transformative that this is unavoidable.

When will crew resource silos hold other food besides berries?

Thanks for the suggestion. This seems like an easy fix that will improve quality of life a little. We always try to fit these sorts of things in along side our larger features.

What does Atlas' long-term monetization strategy look like? Do you think it will be an Ark-like direction where you release multiple expansions? Subscription model? Mtx?

Right now we are focused on improving the game and making it something you want to bring your friends into play. Of those options, the most likely is expansions. There's not any interest with the team right now to do subscriptions or microtransactions.

What are some strategies you're working on for long-term player retention?

Improving the game. Seriously. We are trying to build a game where you want to gather a bunch of friends and try to carve out your place in the world and compete against other companies. That's the sort of game you can play with people for years and still have fresh experiences.

What are your thoughts on Armored Docks now that they have been in game for a while? They have added some really cool elements to the game but I also believe they have been abused by larger companies.

Armored Docks still are not where we want them to be. As the meta changes, their role within it will also change. Right now we want to focus on fixing any abuses or exploits using the Armored Docks. After we get some other changes in we'll revisit Armored Docks as a whole and see if they are fitting the way we want them to into the meta.

Is the current trade system completed in the devs opinion? Seems to not quite be everything it was advertised to become.

It's not at all complete. We got it roughed in and then moved onto roughing in some other things. We'll be coming back to working on it when we get some of our other large systems in order.

Any plans to improve how torpor works in general? Maybe make torpor do something like mess with the camera like the drunk debuff, torpor wouldn’t be such an instantaneous end to fights.

This is one of the approaches we have discussed for addressing the current land combat meta if we spent time on it. Land Combat is a major undertaking and requires a ton of continuous work on balance, so we are mostly leaving it as is right now until we have enough free resources to give it our full, undivided attention.

Is there a plan to address the lack of craft charges mainly on Gunports, Planks, and Cannons currently in the game?

These were addressed in the recent patch.


[h2]Final Note[/h2]

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
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

v524.12 (Hotfix)

• Freeports metal nodes now correctly give stone only, no metal.
  
• Freeport thatch and wood should be generic.
  
• Metal has been added back to medium sized stone nodes.
  
• Critical Bug fix that was causing ships to be immune to damage in some cases
  
• Quest Markers on map updated to be more accurate.
  
• Ships incorrectly receiving speed boost has been fixed
  

The Tradewinds Update will go live tonight, 4/29 at 7:00 PM PT. We will bring the old servers down around 5:30 PM PT. You will be able to download the patch at that time. Servers will be wiped and up again at 7:00 PM PT.

Please see previous post below for details and patch notes of the update:
https://steamcommunity.com/games/834910/announcements/detail/3079876260329612106

Thank you for your patience! Happy Sailing! :)