Last Oasis News

We’ve recently wrapped up our second Season 6 test and are excited to share our thoughts with you. Season 6 has been our most collaborative season yet, bringing both great opportunities and unique challenges. We deeply appreciate everyone who has taken the time to test, provide feedback, and adapt as we navigate the bumps along the way.





In our last post, we said that S6 would be a return to the PvP roots of Last Oasis. our aim is to capture the spirit of what made the game special while moving it forward. To us, forward means improving the games accessibility while keeping the core.

We want to share a personal anecdote from our time playing that demonstrates the gameplay we’re trying to achieve. Our clan was debating between jumping into a proxy fight, trying to loot an asteroid event, or contesting the Ancient Rupu Camp, while also considering the event tile that was going to spawn soon.

These are the exact type of situations we want - various events all over the map, both local and world, that groups of various sizes can contest, that provide valuable things, and generate opportunities for player-versus-player conflict at various commitment levels.

Let’s talk a little bit about how we got there and how we intend to continue developing along this path.





Walkers have always been part of what sets Last Oasis apart from other games, especially those in its genre. As part of Season 6, one of our major goals was to restore walker-centric gameplay, which we achieved in many ways

Most testers seemed to agree Walkers are critical for quickly getting to asteroid and Ancient Rupu camp events, which are timed POIs that provide critical progression and competitive advantages. Since event tiles currently prevent building or unpacking, taking a walker prepared to engage in combat is critical for protecting yourself on the event tiles, which again are crucial for progression.

In addition, we added the Anti-Personnel Turret, which is an automated walker weapon that targets enemies on or grappled to your walker. In the past, it was common for highly skilled players to simply eschew using walkers, undermining core gameplay loops and defeating players who had committed a much larger investment of time and effort. We observed that the APT was massive in leveling the playing field against nomads trying to circumvent the use of a walker while still making it possible to board walkers and fight when in large combat.

At the same time, just as many people have had the experience of running into a much larger, more experienced, and more prepared force. We made several changes we hope will result in a more competitive experience.

First, we have made it much harder to fully destroy walkers. At 25% HP, the armor value of walkers changes to “Heavily Damaged”, which can only be damaged by Charged Boulders, crafted from Meteor Cores, which are harvested from asteroid events. Given the limited nature and more involved process, this should reduce the frequency of fully destroying walkers, while still allowing enemies to impact the logistics of one another.

Second, we’ve massively increased the soft cap water consumption, while only spawning maps at 6, 12, and 25 caps. We think this is a better system than a hard cap - as we experienced in Season 2 there are significant issues with a clan hard cap - while still keeping the amount of people that can be brought into the fight at a reasonable level.

We found that during our tests, our walker crew and walker power limits were not quite restrictive enough. For the next test, we’ll have much more restrictive limits, which should help to make walker combat more about tactical gameplay and be more skill-based.





Largely, these changes have worked out to create a fairly dynamic experience, with frequent PvP at small and large scales. But there are some things that aren’t yet working.

One of the most disliked systems in Season 6 is the quality system. Survey respondents felt that it didn’t provide good incentives for progression, it creates challenges for inventory capacity and base management, and being locked to events provides some planning challenges for a lot of players. We don’t anticipate making major changes to this system prior to Season 6, but we did want to let you know we were hearing the complaints and we’ll continue to monitor and consider how it can be altered.

Another major complaint was walker PvP. While we largely like the impact of rigs, weapons were a bit too weak considering the limitations. We suspected weapons would need a buff, but prior to making major changes we wanted to see combat with larger walkers like Buffalo, Hornet and Falco. We’ll continue to monitor and tweak this until we get a result that is fun and competitive.

Our experiment with the Trade Station—providing infinite invulnerability and crafting—was met with criticism. This was an initial test to explore its potential as a social hub and safe zone. We believe the Trade Station can play an important role in Season 6, and we’ll keep refining it to achieve the right balance of risk and reward.



Season 6 is still very much a work in progress, but we’re starting to see glimpses of our vision come to life. As we prepare for the next test, our focus will be on:

• Fixing critical bugs and crashes from the last test.
  
• Finalizing map preparation.
  
• Tuning balance adjustments based on player feedback.
  
• Continuing development on new POIs and events.
  

Thank you for joining us on this journey. Your feedback and enthusiasm are what make this possible. Stay tuned for updates on the next test, and we look forward to seeing you in the Oasis!

We’re excited to announce that we’re opening applications to participate in testing for Season 6 of Last Oasis. Nearly every part of the game has been modified in some way, and we want to approach testing in a different way than we ever have before. We’ve already begun internal testing, but as you all know that can only get us so far. Our plan is to have some phases of invite-only testing to test balance and gameplay at a larger scale, before eventually having a Beta Branch which will be open to the whole community. If you are interested in participating in testing, please complete the application below.



https://forms.gle/bdPwSDAcxcv7hCkf7


As for what Season 6 is - well, as I mentioned, we’ve adjusted nearly every part of the game in some way. And, more importantly, everything is still subject to change. Since the game is so different, testing will be critical and we are committed to working with the community to consider all feedback and make adjustments.

Player-versus-Player

First and foremost, Season 6 is a return to the player-versus-player roots of Last Oasis, particularly with a focus on emergent gameplay. We all believe that Last Oasis is at its strongest and most enthralling when the world is dynamic and unpredictable. Many of the features that have been introduced throughout the years undermine this and have resulted in stale, predictable gameplay. We have rebalanced everything that goes into raiding - from weapon damage, wall health and armors, ammunition types, etc. We will no longer have PvE tiles. The offmap lobby was replaced with a walker packer at the trade station that will cost flots after a certain amount of walkers. Our goal is to generate more frequent and spontaneous PvP, while still leaving enough safety that it doesn’t feel like you need to make the game a full time job.

Progression

Progression has received a major overhaul. Technology will be unlocked by leveling up your character. This should resolve a lot of the issues that were present in both tablets/fragments, as well as the schematics system. We thought strongly before that progression should be linked to exploration, but we’ve decided at least for now to simplify the base system and add complexity on top. And secondly, quality crafting will require schematics. Quality will only be available on event maps, which should help to prevent many of the issues that existed in previous seasons, as well as contribute to more spontaneous PvP. Lastly, rather than maps being added to the pool of possible maps, the whole world will progress through each map at a linear rate. So, everyone will be on the Cradle together at first, then Cradle maps will burn and we will all move to the Canyons, and so on. The season is designed currently to last for 8 weeks.

Walkers

Walkers are, of course, one of the most unique aspects of Last Oasis. The flexibility that walkers provide is unmatched in pretty much any survival game. However, with great flexibility comes significant opportunity for exploits and unfair and unsatisfying gameplay. Our attempts to put some guardrails on in Season 5 were misguided and I believe we’ve settled on something that has the potential to be a lot better in Season 6. The rig system has been overhauled to allow you to freeplace structures anywhere, and only limits the amount and type of structures you can place. This will let you customize your walker however you want, while requiring more thoughtful decision making when it comes to outfitting your walker. In addition, we’ve added crew limits to each walker, so that small walkers can no longer be overloaded with players. And finally, each clan has a Total Walker Power, which is a cap on the walkers that can be on a tile at any given time, with each type of walker having a unique value against that cap.

Exploration

One thing that the fragment/tablet system did very well early on was to encourage you to go out into the world, take risks, and run into other players, which is the genesis of emergent gameplay. In Season 6, we’re attempting to emulate that with a few different mechanics. The previously existing asteroid mechanic has been repurposed, providing some scarce resources not available on the current map, potentially allowing you to progress faster. We have added a new Rupu Camp event, which will also provide unique rewards. And lastly, we are continuing to expand the number of creatures in the world, as well as continuing to improve the behaviors of existing ones, that will provide unique resources critical to progression.


Territory Control

If emergent gameplay is the soul of Last Oasis, territory control is the engine. Claiming tiles has always been a way to measure your clan against another and we want to embrace the competition. We have overhauled the proxy mechanic so that it is no longer about racing your Proxy Walker to the center of the tile. Rather, claiming a tile is now accomplished by driving your walker a certain distance. This means that your enemies can try to deny your claim by attacking your Proxy Walker as you try to complete its journey.

Everything Else

These are some of the major beats of the update, with some explanation about our guiding philosophy for how we want Last Oasis to develop, but it isn’t even close to everything. As we said, nearly everything in the game has been adjusted in some way. Gear balance, grappling hooks, crafting recipes, vitamins, experience, traveling, the list goes on.

We'll start with closed testing for now and then move forward with a more solid S6 release when we're confident players are having fun and the design is working as intended. Please keep in mind everything here is subject to change based on the feedback we receive.

It’s been an exciting few months for us with the release of the Last Oasis Modkit and Bellwright. We’ve been thrilled to see the incredible creations from our talented community using the modkit.
Bryan has been diligently improving the modkit to provide you with the tools needed to create your desired experiences. To support this, we’ve decided to merge all current S6 changes into the Modkit branch. While these changes might break some mods, we believe it’s better to address these issues now rather than later.
Please note that these changes are a work in progress. They don’t represent the final state of S6 and many are still prototypes. However, they aim to address significant issues from S5 and offer a better foundation for modding.
Here are some of the key changes:

• Walker Cap: Each walker has a specific amount of "walker power." The total max walker power on each tile can be 100, 200, or 300 based on the clan cap. Walkers stop moving if the walker cap is exceeded.
  
• Crew Cap: Each walker can carry a specific number of clan members. If the max crew size is exceeded, the walker stops moving (automatons count as players too!).
  
• Base Rarity Craftings: These do not require schematics, which can only be obtained on event maps.
  
• New Tech Progression: This system is based on map and level progression. Some items/resources cannot be obtained until the next tier map is available (Cradle > Canyon > Sleeping Giants > Kali Spires).
  
• Improved Grappling Hooks
  
• Decreased Stamina Consumption
  
• Grappling Hook Cooldown: Added cooldown after receiving damage.
  
• Trade Station Packing: Walkers can now be packed inside trade stations by renting personal or clan-shared packing slots.
  
• Reduced Sandstorm Damage
  
• Reduced Rupus Aiming Accuracy
  
• Redesigned Foliage for Each Map Tier
  
• Re-enabled Rarity Merging
  
• Re-enabled Walker Packing
  
• Increased Packing Decay to 14 Days
  
• Ammo damage against each armor type to make them more specialized.
  
• Tool Rebalance: Rarity tiers overlap so that a Rare tool is equal to the Base tool of the next tier.
  

Today, we also want to start a series of “Modkit Showcases” where we talk directly to creators and share what they’re working on and what they hope to achieve. This week we speak to Xanjis, creator of Oasis Adrift!

[h2]Modkit Showcase: Oasis Adrift[/h2]
Today we speak with Xanjis, developer of the Oasis Adrift modpack. His modpack adds airships, completely changing the way the game is played.



[h3]What is your vision for your mod?[/h3]

“Ultimately I want the airship system to be an entire parallel progression path to regular walker progression with its own maps, recipes, stations, weapons, and harvesting systems. It would then be up to the player to either focus on walkers, airships, or both at the same time. Realistically being able to fly is always going to be a huge advantage but walkers will always be more durable, have more firepower, carry more players, and there will be no airship versions of the base utility walkers such as the camelop. Additionally there will be tools to even the odds such as the flak ammo and the heavy ballista. Currently the mod is completely playable on the oasis adrift server however its current state is a mere shadow of what I have planned.”




[h3]How do you think this changes or improves the base game experience?[/h3]

“Fundamentally Last Oasis has a huge amount of core issues, however players tend to be able to see past those problems for the first weeks of a wipe until suddenly they don’t and then the population starts its seasonal decline. In my opinion this is because the players run out of content. Either due to reaching iron tier, waiting for the devs to drop the next tier of map in a season, not having a large enough group to tackle the remaining content (capital walkers, quarry, large utility walkers), or not being able to progress to new content due to endless ganking/zeroing/raiding. Oasis Adrift seeks to massively expand the quantity of content in the game in order to give the player base something to do beyond harassing each other. Additionally it seeks to improve the quality of content by experimenting with types of content that can be more engaging long term such as skilled Rupu AI and AI controlled enemy ships.”




[h3]How can we learn more about your mod? [/h3]

All discussion about the Oasis Adrift mod, modpack, and server can be found at our discord. https://discord.gg/HK8cCw2NpR

[h3]Greetings, Nomads![/h3]

It has been some time since we last gave an update, but today, we are thrilled to unveil the release of our long-awaited Modkit! This opens up a world of possibilities, allowing for complete customization within Last Oasis. With access to these powerful tools, players will have the ability to craft experiences tailored to their wildest imaginations. From tweaking all game mechanics to creating entirely new items, weapons and creatures, the Modkit empowers you to shape the game how you want it.



Key Features of the Modkit:

• Modding capabilities that enable extensive customization.
  
• Tools and resources for crafting unique gameplay experiences.
  
• Play in editor to test new features locally.
  
• Documentation and support channels to assist players with any troubleshooting.
  

[h3]We invite players to post their mods on the Steam Workshop page, where fellow Nomads can share and modify everything they’ve been working on.[/h3]




In order to access the modkit, you need to visit the Last Oasis Modkit storefront on the Epic Games Store: https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/last-oasis-modkit

To ensure stability and compatibility prior to merging everything into the main branch, we’re releasing the client/server with Mod support on a separate branch. Playing on or hosting a modded server requires you to be on the “SDKTest” branch.

Right click on the Last Oasis application in your Steam library and select properties > Betas



For any help or assistance, please visit the Last Oasis Discord where we have set up new channels for ModKit assistance and mod development, as well as documentation.

Modkit documentation can also be found on our Discord: https://discord.gg/lastoasis


Additionally, the Modkit branch will have a few sneak peeks from Season 6.

• Added the ability to merge rarity resources
  
• Rigs not don’t limit the location of structures, only the type and number.
  
• Reduced water consumption
  
• Added walker fleet cap
  Each walker counts a certain number of points and each clan has a cumulative total allowed on map at any given time.
  
• Add walker crew limit
  Each walker has a maximum number of crew members and will stop moving once exceeded. Automatons count towards this limit.
  
• Grapple changed to prevent use for 3 seconds after being hit, rather than in combat stance
  

We are extremely grateful to the community for sticking with us and we hope these new tools and changes will lead to a brighter horizon for Last Oasis.





In addition to the release of the ModKit, we’ve commenced work (and some closed testing) on Season 6. While it's still early to talk about too many specifics, we want to get the philosophy guiding Season 6 out there and share a few of our thoughts.

As we started to talk about what Season 6 should be, we knew we needed to consider the role that official servers would play now that the community has its hands on the ModKit. We believe the official servers have to provide a unique experience that cannot be replicated on a private server and we believe that role is emergent PVP in a large scale world.

This focus brings with it a certain set of assumptions about things like pacing, gameplay loops, persistence, safety mechanics, etc. For example, starting with Season 6, we will start regular periodic wipes, and balance the game around that duration, which is currently planned to be two months. We are also carefully considering all of the safety mechanics that have been put into Last Oasis throughout the seasons, such as stone building, removal of the lobby, and how to balance competition between clan sizes, just to name a few.

We are excited to share many more details with you as the development of Season 6 unfolds. Our goal is to do extensive public beta testing at each step along the way, so stay tuned for more information. To apply for participation in closed and open testing, be sure to join the Last Oasis Discord.

Survival MMO Last Oasis has had a bumpy ride in early access. Launched in 2020, the nomadic MMO where players construct massive walking bases to travel across a dying planet instantly became a Steam top seller—but it had so many server problems its developer, Donkey Crew, had to take it offline for a week...
Read more.