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PC Gog Steam Epic
Genre: Real Time Strategy (RTS), Simulator, Strategy, Indie

Against the Storm

New biome coming to the Keepers of the Stone DLC

Greetings, Viceroys!


It's been almost a month since the release of the Keepers of the Stone DLC. For us, it has been a time of great joy to see so many of you exploring the Coastal Grove and building homes for the Frogs. We're grateful to all of you who trusted us and decided to give it a try.

This past month has also been a time of reflection. We studied your feedback and analyzed reports. We've released five patches to iron out the issues that have slipped through the cracks. We also formulated a plan for larger changes to address more common feedback.

Here are the highlights of the changes coming in the near future.


New biome: Ashen Thicket


Many of you have expressed concern about the price of the DLC, that it doesn't match the content it provides. We agree. Although it was paired with an extensive Fishing Update, the DLC itself wasn't "meaty" enough.

That's why we're adding another biome to the DLC: the Ashen Thicket.


Ashen Thicket (work in progress, subject to change)

Ashen Thicket
Once a thriving forest of giant spruce trees, this land has been ravaged by relentless industrial exploitation and the devastating Blightstorm. Now reduced to a barren wasteland, the forest is littered with broken trunks and remnants of its former glory. This region is infamous for its abundance of Thunderblight Shards - magically charged amber crystals, essential in the crafting of Cornerstones.


The Ashen Thicket's unique biome mechanic is the Cornerstone Forge - a brand new building where you can craft your own Cornerstones (up to three per game) in exchange for Thunderblight Shards collected from Dangerous and Forbidden Glade Events.


Cornerstone Forge (subject to change)



Creating Cornerstones
To create a Cornerstone, you must choose a condition and a reward/effect. The effect stacks based on how many times the condition is triggered. Both conditions and effects have a random rating (stars). You can choose an optional penalty to increase the rating of either the condition or the effect (indicated by a line connecting the penalty to one of them). Finally, you need to choose an icon and name your new Cornerstone.


In addition to the new building, the Ashen Thicket comes with all new visuals (trees, terrain, fog, seasonal lighting, etc.), new music tracks, and a resource balance that will set it apart from other biomes.

What's more, you can already play it on the Experimental Branch!

The Experimental version of the biome doesn't include the new music and visual assets. The balance may feel wonky and you may encounter some bugs. If that doesn't scare you off (it should!), you can switch to the Experimental Branch by following this guide:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3210939497

⚠️ The Ashen Thicket biome requires the Keepers of the Stone DLC.


The full changelog for the Experimental Update 1.5 (which includes the new biome) can be found here:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/4525647157467807755


If you decide to give it a try, we'd love to hear your thoughts! The best place to share them is in the comments section of the changelog announcement or in the #experimental channels on our Discord server.


Other changes


Aside from adding the new biome, we're also making a few other changes to the DLC.

Frogs unlock level


We're lowering the Frog unlock level from 13 to 9 (or lower). The reason we decided to make them so high in the first place was the learning curve - due to their quirks and species attributes, they are more likely to be a beginner's trap. The new unlock level should significantly reduce the time it takes to unlock them.

"Feeling Lucky" achievement


We're also reworking the "Feeling Lucky" achievement. We're aware that many of you found it too frustrating. While we don't have a concrete idea yet, unlocking it should no longer require divine intervention and a PhD in mathematics.


Update 1.5


All new changes will be part of the upcoming Update 1.5. It will also include several improvements to the base game. We'll have more news about the update in the future.

Stay up to date:
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In the meantime, we hope you continue to enjoy the game and have an eventful time crafting Cornerstones (if you dare!).

May the storm be gentle on you,
Eremite Games

Experimental Update 1.5 (Ashen Thicket) - Changelog

Greetings, Viceroys!


We just released a new update for the Experimental Branch with the new biome - Ashen Thicket - coming to the Keepers of the Stone DLC.

Check out the full announcement for more information and previews:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/4525647157467807753


Changelog


New content


  • Added a new biome - the Ashen Thicket.
    • Ashen Thicket - Once a thriving forest of giant spruce trees, this land has been ravaged by relentless industrial exploitation and the devastating Blightstorm. Now reduced to a barren wasteland, the forest is littered with broken trunks and remnants of its former glory. This region is infamous for its abundance of Thunderblight Shards - magically charged amber crystals, essential in the crafting of Cornerstones.
    • In this biome, you start next to an ancient Cornerstone Forge. There, you can craft 3 Experimental Cornerstones in each game.
    • To craft an Experimental Cornerstone, you will need a Thunderblight Shard - the crystalized sap of the legendary Giant Ashen Trees. You can acquire it by completing Dangerous and Forbidden Glade Events in the Ashen Thicket.
    • To create a Cornerstone, you must choose a condition and a reward/effect. The effect stacks based on how many times the condition is triggered. Both conditions and effects have a random rating (stars). You can choose an optional penalty to increase the rating of either the condition or the effect (indicated by a line connecting the penalty to one of them). Finally, you need to choose an icon and name your new Cornerstone.
    • The Ashen Thicket has the following resources:
      • Trees: Wood, Resin, Berries
      • Nodes: Grain, Vegetables, Eggs, Fish, Algae, Plant Fiber, Leather, Clay, Herbs.
      • Ore: Copper
    • All the assets in the Experimental Update are placeholders and will be replaced when the proper update is released.
    • To generate the Ashen Thicket tiles on the World Map, you need to start a new Cycle.
  • Added 2 new Forest Mysteries.
    • Fish Flood (Drizzle) - +3 to Fish production. Gain an additional Fish every yield (from gathering, farming, fishing, or production).
    • Shedding Season (Drizzle) - +3 to Leather production. Gain an additional Leather every yield (from gathering, farming, fishing, or production).

Balance


  • Reduced the production times in the Mine.
    • Coal - from 40 seconds to 30 seconds.
    • Copper Ore - from 40 seconds to 25 seconds.
  • Changed how biomes are generated on the World Map. The distribution of all of them should now be more or less even, with the exception of the Cursed Royal Woodlands.
  • Blightrot Cyst-related Orders now scale based on the Blight-related difficulty modifiers. This means that on higher difficulties, where more Cysts spawn, the Order requirements are harder, and on lower difficulties, the same Orders are a bit easier.
  • Workers transporting goods will no longer choose the Warehouse that’s closest to them in a straight line, and will instead take into account roads and open glades.
  • Idle scouts will now start walking from the Hearth to their assigned Glade Event as soon as the last resource/item is being brought to the event.
  • Lowered the number of Beaver Houses required by the Beaver Colony Timed Order (from 6 to 5 on the Medium slot and from 8 to 6 on the Hard slot).
  • Increased the Hearth Corruption Resistance bonus from 250 to 1500 in the Miracle of Strength buff in the Beacon Tower.
  • Removed the Porridge recipe from the Apothecary. Added Dye instead.
  • Removed the Dye recipe from the Cookhouse. Added Porridge instead.
  • Changed the rewards for the Forum order. Removed the Advanced Press perk and Dye, added the Woodworking Tools perk and Reeds instead.

UX/UI


  • Added a description explaining the possible reward choices when hovering the cursor over a Royal Resupply icon.
  • When a trader arrives right at the beginning of Drizzle (because their arrival was previously blocked by the Storm), they will appear in the settlement before the auto pause triggers.
  • Added a setting for the default fishing bait mode in the Options menu.
  • World Event effects are now recorded in the Game History tab.
  • Building entrances are now shown when selecting a ruin.
  • World Map modifiers now show Hostility scaling values for all difficulty levels (in the form of X/Y/Z in the tooltip description).
  • Removed the experience reward icon from various Queen’s Hand Trial elements.
  • Added building categories to the in-game encyclopedia (displayed just below the name after selecting a building).
  • The “Available Housing” tooltip now shows separate values for already built houses and houses under construction.
  • The Blight Post entry in the in-game encyclopedia now also shows the Purging Fire recipe on the same page.
  • The icon frame for not yet unlocked Hearth Level effects in the Hearth Panel is now gray (to indicate more clearly that a given effect must first be unlocked in the Citadel).
  • Reworded the button text in the Somber Procession World Event to improve clarity.

Bug fixes


  • Fixed a bug where the Furniture perk would not increase Frog Resolve.
  • Fixed a bug where some new buildings were not targeted by destruction effects (like lightning).
  • Fixed a bug where some normal and timed Orders would appear in the Coastal Grove, even though the biome's resource makeup should have prevented this (for example, Orders for copper, even though there is no copper in the biome).
  • Fixed a bug where the Harmony Spirit Altar would not count the Holy Guild House as a viable service building.
  • Fixed an outdated encyclopedia entry on building materials.
  • Fixed a bug that was awarding Packs of Provisions twice for salvaging the Provisioner ruin.
  • Fixed a bug where the Archaeologist’s Office was labeled as a decoration in its UI panel.
  • Fixed a bug where the Beacon Tower building label was misplaced in its UI panel.

Other


  • Ruins in special glades (partially destroyed settlements, etc.) will now spawn with their orientation adjusted to the road most of the time.

The current Experimental Branch version is 1.5.01E.


About the Experimental Branch


This Experimental Update features only the mechanical and balance aspects. All the visual assets are placeholders that will be replaced when the proper update goes live.

Important: as with any other Experimental Update, the upcoming changes are not localized, there can be bugs, and the balance is likely to feel off. If this doesn’t sound fun to you, we recommend skipping this experiment.

You can find more information about the Experimental Branch and how to access it in our guide:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3210939497


We look forward to hearing your impressions of the new changes. The best place to share them is in the comments section of this changelog announcement or in the #experimental channels on our Discord server.

May the storm be gentle on you,
Eremite Games

Hotfix 1.4.17 (QHT Blight Post upgrades, MacOS emulation loading)

Greetings, Viceroys!


We just released a small hotfix with two improvements:
  • Fixed a bug that prevented Blight Post upgrades from being unlocked in the Queen's Hand Trial mode.
  • Made changes that should allow the game to load again when emulating the game on MacOS.

    • Unfortunately, since Against the Storm doesn't officially support macOS, we can't guarantee that similar situations won't happen again in the future. The game isn't going through QA testing on macOS, so such issues may slip through unnoticed. However, we greatly appreciate your reports, which have helped us identify the source of the problem and prevent it from recurring. We'll continue doing our very best to ensure the game remains playable when emulated.
The current version is 1.4.17.

May the storm be gentle on you,
Eremite Games

Patch 1.4.16 (Strider Port blueprints, production building UI)

Greetings, Viceroys!


We’ve just released a new patch with a fresh set of improvements and fixes based on your feedback. We hope it goes without saying, but your support and input mean the world to us. Thank you!

Changelog


  • Changed the way building numbers are displayed in the Strider Port in the Coastal Grove.
    • The numbers in each category now start at 0.
    • The maximum number of buildings in each category now only takes into account buildings that can be acquired (instead of listing essential buildings as 'already acquired').
  • Orders to upgrade mines now work retroactively.
  • Fixed a bug that was causing the blueprints from Strider Port to be drawn incorrectly, without taking into account some effects such as Barren Lands.
  • Fixed a bug where the production building UI would sometimes freeze after a worker removed a non-existent good from the internal storage.
  • Fixed a bug where loading a very old Queen's Hand Trial save would sometimes result in an endless loading screen.
  • Fixed a bug where the Holy Guild House would not count towards orders that require having a Guild House in the settlement.
  • Fixed a bug where the Strider Port UI would stop responding to input when all blueprints in a category had been acquired.
  • Fixed a bug where the Strider Port was incorrectly counting buildings.
  • Fixed a bug where Fishers were incorrectly counted as Gatherers for the Gathering Knowledge biome effect in the Marshlands.
  • Fixed a bug where Strider Molt nodes would sometimes spawn on top of Fertile Soil.
  • Fixed a bug where ore would sometimes spawn under rainwater geysers.
  • Fixed a bug where the camera would move on its own in the World Map view when the cursor was placed on the deed tracking HUD.
  • Fixed a bug where the progress counter for the Taking the Bait Deed did not update correctly during a game.
  • Fixed a bug where the hitboxes on the "i" icons in the Training Expedition UI were off.
  • Fixed a bug where species with two matching specializations in one building would show the wrong worker slot effect.
  • Fixed a bug where dead villagers would have a "missing key" status.
  • Fixed a bug where the fishing entry in the in-game encyclopedia had a glitched screenshot.
  • Fixed a bug where some resource/villager rewards in Orders had incorrectly colored frames.
  • Fixed a bug where automatons and hauling carts would have an incorrect description after being selected.
  • Fixed a few typos in the Polish version of the game.
  • Fixed a typo in the Metalurgic Experts description in Russian.
  • (Epic Games Store only) Updated the Epic Services SDK which should prevent rare cases of prolonged loading times.
  • (PC Game Pass only) Fixed a bug where starting the game would display the wrong update popup.
  • (PC Game Pass only) (Game Pass only) Fixed a bug where the game icon/loading screen would show the default Xbox logo.

The current game version is 1.4.16.

We hope the new changes will make the experience more enjoyable and we wish you a great time with the game!

May the storm be gentle on you,
Eremite Games

PREVIOUS UPDATES


https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/4665256208731828754
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Against the Storm is ON SALE NOW!

Against the Storm is 50% off until October 10th!



Enjoy discounts on all Hooded Horse titles for up to 90% off, including a discount on the recently released Keepers of the Stone DLC for Against the Storm.

Hooded Horse Publisher Sale 2024



https://store.steampowered.com/app/1336490/Against_the_Storm/

Keepers of the Stone Launch Announcement


https://store.steampowered.com/app/3075500/Against_the_Storm__Keepers_of_the_Stone/
https://steamcommunity.com/games/1336490/announcements/detail/7371918503944271594

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Hooded Horse Publisher Sale 2024

The Hooded Horse Publisher Sale Has Arrived!


Greetings, Viceroys!



As the storm rages on, it's the perfect time to strengthen your settlements and expand your strategies in the recently released Against the Storm: Keepers of the Stone DLC. From Frogs to the Coastal Grove biome, enjoy new challenges in the Storm!

The Hooded Horse Publisher Sale is live through October 10, offering great deals across all Hooded Horse titles.


Against the Storm is a dark fantasy city-builder in which apocalyptic rains threaten civilization. As the Queen’s Viceroy, you lead humans, beavers, lizards, foxes, and harpies in the struggle to rebuild society. Reclaim the wilderness, restore settlements, and secure the future for civilization’s last survivors.



In Against the Storm: Keepers of the Stone, the Frogs have arrived! They're ready to reshape your settlements with their masonry skills and unique needs.

Here's what you can expect:



  • New Playable Species – Frogs: Expert masons with unique housing needs and bonuses.
  • Coastal Grove Biome: Uncover sunken treasures and resources in a submerged forest.
  • Strider Port Expeditions: Send out expeditions to collect rare blueprints and treasures.
  • Upgrade Frog Houses: Unique upgrade paths for Frog housing with benefits like faster building and higher Resolve.
  • Frog-Specific Needs: Frogs demand luxury items like Biscuits, Pie, and Paste to thrive.
  • New Buildings: Frog Houses, Cannery, Strider Port, and Pantry available for construction.
  • Expanded Orders & Challenges: 12 new orders and new glade events tied to the Frog species.
  • Fishing System: New mechanics for gathering fish, algae, and scales from ponds.
  • Legendary Cornerstones & Perks: Unlock powerful bonuses tied to the Frog species and their architecture.

Check out our full launch day post for a detailed breakdown of all the new features.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/7371918503944271593?l=english


Hooded Horse Publisher Sale 2024

Patch 1.4.15 (Sealed Forest in Training Expeditions, Shadow distance)

Greetings (again), Viceroys!


We just released Patch 1.4.15. It mainly introduces the same improvements as yesterday's patch (but without extra issues ːcozycastondeathː) and a couple of additional fixes. Thank you for your prompt reports yesterday! We're once again sorry for the trouble and thank you for your understanding.

Here's the full list of changes:
  • Increased the maximum value of the shadow distance in Options.
  • Sealed Forest can once again be selected in Training Expeditions. There should no longer be problems with returning to the World Map after playing on the Sealed Forest biome in Training Expeditions.
  • Fixed a bug where the Mating Season Forest Mystery would appear in the Coastal Grove.
  • Fixed a bug that caused the Ale and Hearty effect in the Holy Market to scale from Luxury instead of Leisure.
  • Fixed a bug where the Purging Fire production limit was not saved correctly.
  • Fixed a bug where the trader sound effects would play twice when opening the Trading Post.
  • Fixed a bug where the Blood Flower glade event would always be set to Viceroy difficulty, regardless of the difficulty selected in a given game.
  • Fixed a bug where the construction site for the Water Shrine decoration was too small.
  • Fixed a bug where the Better Packaging perk would be drawn multiple times.
  • Fixed a bug where the resource icons in the Strider Port would not fit more than 2 digits.
  • Fixed a bug where the explosion area UI would sometimes stay on the map after a glade event exploded.
  • Fixed a bug where the entrance to the fishing hut was misplaced.
  • Fixed a bug where the Water Strider would sometimes perform a barrel roll and submerge its rider in water when embarking on an expedition.
  • Fixed some typos and inconsistencies in the Czech version of the game.
  • Reversed the UI input change from the previous patch (the one that allowed panels to be dismissed when hovering over certain UI elements such as warnings over buildings). Unfortunately, this small UX change caused too many bugs and side effects to be worth it.
  • Fixed a bug that prevented players from returning to the world map after completing a settlement (or from advancing to the next tutorial after completing a scenario).
  • Fixed a bug where the smelter had the wrong recipe (dye instead of pie).
  • Fixed a bug where the Frog Settlement Deed was not locked behind the DLC.
  • Fixed a bug where the Fishing Hut was listed in the event encyclopedia.
  • Fixed a bug where some

Patch 1.4.14 (Purging Fire limit, Blood Flower)
UPDATED 20:15 UTC, SEPTEMBER 30
Hi everyone,
Today's patch 1.4.14 introduced an unfortunate bug that prevents players from returning to the World Map after completing the settlement or continuing to the next tutorial step.

We switched back to the previous version now where the issue won't occur.

To resolve the issue, please exit the game and let Steam download the update. The version you should have after the update is 1.4.11. If you can't quit the game normally, you might need to force quit the app with Alt+F4.

We deeply apologize for the inconvenience :( We'll investigate the issue thoroughly.


Greetings, Viceroys!


We've just released another patch with a couple more improvements inspired by your reports. We hope you know this already, but we're extremely grateful for your support!

Here's the full list of changes:
  • Increased the maximum value of the shadow distance in Options.
  • Fixed a bug where the Mating Season Forest Mystery would appear in the Coastal Grove.
  • Fixed a bug that caused the Ale and Hearty effect in the Holy Market to scale from Luxury instead of Leisure.
  • Fixed a bug where the Purging Fire production limit was not saved correctly.
  • Fixed a bug where the trader sound effects would play twice when opening the Trading Post.
  • Fixed a bug where the Blood Flower glade event would always be set to Viceroy difficulty, regardless of the difficulty selected in a given game.
  • Fixed a bug where the construction site for the Water Shrine decoration was too small.
  • Fixed a bug where the Better Packaging perk would be drawn multiple times.
  • Fixed a bug where the resource icons in the Strider Port would not fit more than 2 digits.
  • Fixed a bug where the explosion area UI would sometimes stay on the map after a glade event exploded.
  • Fixed a bug where the entrance to the fishing hut was misplaced.
  • Fixed a bug where the Water Strider would sometimes perform a barrel roll and submerge its rider in water when embarking on an expedition.
  • Fixed some typos and inconsistencies in the Czech version of the game.
  • Reversed the UI input change from the previous patch (the one that allowed panels to be dismissed when hovering over certain UI elements such as warnings over buildings). Unfortunately, this small UX change caused too many bugs and side effects to be worth it.

The current version is 1.4.14.

May the storm be gentle on you,
Eremite Games

Patch 1.4.11 (Hostility & Trade tutorial, Purified Frog House)

Greetings, Viceroys!


Thank you everyone for welcoming Frogs to your settlements and for giving the new Fishing Update a try! We're extremely grateful for all your kind words, pieces of feedback, and reports.

With your help, we were able to prepare Patch 1.4.11 which addresses the issues that you've reported. Here's the full changelog:

Balance changes


  • Lowered the amount of flour required for the tier 0 Biscuit recipe. It's now 8 instead of 10.
  • Lowered the amount of flour required for the tier 1, 2, and 3 Biscuit recipes. It's now always 6.
  • Decreased the time required to make Biscuits on all tiers.
    • In the next major update, we will take a closer look at flour recipes and adjust them further.

Bug fixes


  • Fixed a bug where setting a double-digit production limit for Purging Fire would cause the recipe panel to break.
  • Fixed a bug where Purging Fire production limits could not be saved between games.
  • Fixed a bug where sometimes the Cellar would not be given to players in the Hostility & Trade tutorial, making it impossible to complete all the orders.
    • If you update the game in the middle of this tutorial scenario, you will need to restart this tutorial for this fix to apply.
  • Fixed a bug where the Purified Frog House would disappear from the map when moved.
  • Fixed a bug where the Ruined Fox House could still appear in glades.
  • Fixed a bug where right-clicking to close a UI panel sometimes did not work.
  • Fixed a bug where the Gift of the Depths biome effect would apply the Algae sacrifice ability to Small Hearths.
  • Fixed a bug where the Legendary Sunken Treasure Chest in the Strider Port could drop perks with negative side effects.
  • Fixed a bug where builders would not take resources from the Main Warehouse if a minimum reserve threshold was set.
  • Fixed a bug where glade event UI panels woudl close by themself if another event in the settlement was completed.
  • Fixed a bug where glade event UI panels would close by themselves when another event in the settlement was completed.
  • Fixed a bug where the Fallen Viceroy Commemoration effect did not affect the Frog Housing.
  • Fixed a bug where the passive effect of the Tea House would not count Paste as a complex food.
  • Fixed a bug where several negative effects that remove food (from Glade Events, the Seal, etc.) would not affect Paste or Fish.
  • Fixed a bug that would incorrectly count a Cannery as a Cellar in some settlements.
  • Fixed a bug where the "Base Goods" tooltip in the Embarkation Panel would obstruct other resource icons.
  • Fixed a bug where pressing ESC twice when leaving the Citadel would result in a double fade-out animation.
  • Fixed a bug where the Holy Market had the wrong specialization tag.
  • Fixed an issue where style tags were visible in some dialog boxes when talking to Aunt Lori.
  • Fixed a bug where the Coastal Grove was available in Training Expeditions for non-DLC players.
  • Replaced a placeholder icon in the "satisfy clothing needs" Seal objective.
  • Fixed several typos and errors in Polish:
    • Water Strider Molt node name
    • Missing icon in Brawling tooltip
    • Missing building list in complex food and service tooltips
  • Fixed several typos and errors in Russian:
    • Gift of the Depths tooltip
    • Coats tooltip
  • Fixed several typos and errors in Japanese:
    • Boots tooltip
    • Coat tooltip
    • Storage Room upgrade
    • Holy Guild House name

The Patch won't close your ongoing settlements.

The current version is 1.4.11.

We'll continue to check all the channels for feedback and reports. In the meantime, we wish you a great time with the new content and a fantastic weekend!

Have fun and may the storm be gentle on you,
Eremite Games

Keepers of the Stone DLC and Fishing Update (1.4) now available!


Greetings, Viceroys!


The wait is finally over! Sturdy-as-stone Frogs join Against the Storm as the 6th playable species, while the new biome - Coastal Grove - opens its port to Viceroys searching for sunken treasures.

We also released Fishing Update (1.4), free for everyone, which introduces a new fishing system, passive need bonuses, new buildings, increased level cap, and many many more changes.


🐸 KEEPERS OF THE STONE DLC CHANGELOG


As the struggle for survival against the Blightstorm continues, Against the Storm - Keepers of the Stone introduces a new species, a new biome, and a selection of new buildings, orders, risks, and opportunities for any Viceroy up for the challenge.



Check out the full list of Keepers of the Stone changes:
  • Added a new species - Frogs.
    • Frogs are dignified and proud people with a unique affinity for wealth, renowned for their exceptional skills in architecture and their love of water. They seem to be the least bothered by rain and prefer not to live in ordinary shelters. Frogs are skilled masons and love working with rainwater.
    • Frogs have the following needs:
      • Paste
      • Biscuits
      • Pie
      • Boots
      • Religion
      • Luxury
      • Brawling
      • Frog Housing
    • Frogs can’t live in shelters and don’t have a need for Basic Housing
    • Frog specializations are masonry (proficiency) and rainwater (comfort).
    • Frog firekeepers have the ability to increase the speed at which newcomers arrive by 50%.
    • Frog Houses have 4 upgrade levels instead of 2.
      • Level 1
        • Extra Room - A strategically built wall can do wonders. This house will have room for one additional villager.
        • Rainwater Storage - Frogs love to bathe. They use specially treated and purified rainwater to do so. Increases the tank capacity for each type of rainwater by 50.
      • Level 2
        • Indoor Pool - This seemingly extravagant luxury is something that Frogs need to survive. Villagers living in a house with this upgrade receive an additional +2 to Resolve.
        • Drafting Table - Frogs are natural architects. They are said to have designed most of the Smoldering City. Building materials are produced 3% faster for each villager living in a house with this upgrade.
      • Level 3
        • Atrium - Frogs form very tight-knit communities and highly value their social status. Each newcomer group has 1 additional villager for every 2 villagers living in a house with this upgrade.
        • Storage Room - Although Frogs are generally considered to be greedy, they can sometimes be generous. At the start of each Drizzle, gain 1 Pack of Building Materials for each villager living in a house with this upgrade.
      • Level 4
        • Water Pipeline - An advanced system of pipes connecting buildings that use rainwater. The "Low Strain" bonus from Rain Engines gives an additional +1 to Resolve for every 2 villagers living in a house with this upgrade.
        • Workbench - An essential piece of furniture in every Fog household. Building material recipes have a 3% higher chance of producing extra resources for each villager living in a house with this upgrade.
    • Frogs’ starting ability is locating one nearby ruin.
    • Frogs have the following attributes:
      • Initial Resolve: 10
      • Break interval: 2m 30s
      • Resilient: medium
      • Demanding: 25
      • Decadent: 5
      • Hunger tolerance: 5
    • Frogs are unlocked by reaching level 13.
    • Because housing is such a crucial element of the Frog species, essential Frog Houses are automatically unlocked after reaching level 13 (instead of being an upgrade in the Citadel, like in the case of all other species).
  • Added a new biome to the game - the Coastal Grove.
    • Coastal Grove - These lands have been underwater for a very long time, and a dense forest of algae has grown over them. The seawater has blocked any Viceroys that have tried to reach this area, so the nearby marshes are full of remnants of earlier settlements.
    • In the Coastal Grove, your settlement will start at the edge of the map, near the water.
    • Your starting glade in the Coastal Gove will contain a new unique building - the Strider Port.
      • Strider Port - From this ancient port, expeditions can be launched to search the nearby swamps for blueprints and treasure in the submerged ruins of former settlements.
    • Expeditions alternate between two types: blueprint expeditions and treasure expeditions. Blueprint expeditions give you a blueprint and a treasure chest, while treasure expeditions offer only a treasure chest, but with a higher chance of higher rarity.
    • To send an expedition, you need to provide food for the Water Strider (Fish or Algae) and for its riders (a choice of raw or cooked food).
    • You can invest more supplies in an expedition to increase your chances of getting a higher rarity treasure chests.
    • The Coastal Grove is a remote location that is difficult for royal envoys to reach. As a result, you'll get fewer reputation blueprints in this biome.
    • To make up for this, you will be sending out Strider expeditions to look for blueprints. There are 5 fewer blueprints you can get from reputation, but a total of 8 blueprints you can get from expeditions.
    • Before sending an expedition in search of a blueprint, you can select the building category you are interested in.
    • Each subsequent expedition will be a bit more expensive and time-consuming.
    • Trees in the Coastal Grove have a chance to drop Algae (30%) and Vegetables (10%).
    • Resources in the Coastal Grove:
      • Berries
      • Roots
      • Insects
      • Fish
      • Algae
      • Scales
      • Reeds
      • Clay
      • Coal
    • The Coastal Grove also has an additional effect (aside from the Strider Port).
      • Gift of the Depths - After using bait 150 times in your fishing huts, you will unlock the ability to sacrifice Algae in the Ancient Hearth to reduce Hostility.
  • Added 4 new buildings to the game
    • Pantry
      • Can produce: Pie (T2), Porridge (T2), Pack of Luxury Goods (T2)
      • Can use: Drizzle Water
      • Specialization: farming
      • Species locked: Frogs
    • Cannery
      • Can produce: Paste (T3), Wine (T2), Biscuits (T1)
      • Can use: Drizzle Water
      • Species locked: Frogs
    • Frog House - Building specifically made for Frogs. Has to be built near a Hearth. Can house 2 residents.
      • Species locked: Frogs
    • Strider Port - From this ancient port, expeditions can be launched to search the nearby swamps for blueprints and cornerstones in the submerged ruins of former settlements.
      • Only available in the new Coastal Grove biome.
  • Added 2 rewards to the upgrade tree in the Smoldering City.
    • House Upgrades: Frogs - Unlocks the ability to upgrade Frog Houses.
    • Starting Ability: Frogs - Unlocks the Starting Ability of the species: Frogs. Reveals the location of the nearest ruin.
  • Added 3 new Legendary Cornerstones and 2 Rare perks.
    • Borrowed Time (Legendary, yearly) - The Queen looks more favorably upon a city represented by such distinguished ambassadors. Each fully upgraded house will grant you seconds of Grace Period after Impatience reaches its maximum threshold.
    • Strength in Numbers (Legendary, yearly) - The storm seems less threatening in a populated settlement. Global Resolve drops 5% slower for every Frog villager.
    • City of Wonders (Legendary, yearly) - Members of the Frog Clan flock to you settlement. Gain 1 Frog villager for every 2 house upgrades.
    • Frog Friendship (Rare, orders) - 2 additional Frogs will come with each group of newcomers.
    • Frog Clan Support (Rare, orders) - Ever since the Great Civil War, all species have been locked in a constant struggle to gain the Queen's favor. The Frogs remember your help. (+3 to Frogs Resolve)
  • Added 12 new Orders:
    • The Collegium
      • Objective: reach 16/18/20 Frog Resolve
      • Reward: 2 Frogs, 20 Fish, 3 Parts
    • Joyful Frogs (timed, 7m30s)
      • Objective: reach 18/20/22 Frog Resolve
      • Reward: Fish Delivery Line, 15 Pipes, 3 Frogs
    • Architects
      • Objective: have 6 Frogs
      • Reward: Brickyard Blueprint, 25 Scales
    • Aid for the Frog Clan
      • Objective: deliver 3/4/5 Packs of Building Materials and 30/40/50 rainwater
      • Reward: 3 Frogs, Frog Faction Support, 3 Parts
    • Frog Influx
      • Objective: deliver 30/35/60 Stones
      • Reward: 5 Frogs, Reinforced Brick Mold, 25 Boots
    • Happy Frogs
      • Objective: reach 20/22/24 Frog Resolve and use 25/50/75 rainwater
      • Reward: Frog Friendship, 30 Paste, Stamping Die
    • Frog Population
      • Objective: have 8/10/12 Frogs and reach 20/24/28 Frog Resolve
      • Reward: Cannery Blueprint, 30 Paste, 5 Parts
    • Frog Colony (timed, 8m)
      • Objective: have 6/8 Frog Houses
      • Reward: Stone Delivery Line, 40 Paste, 5 Frogs
    • Frog Relatives
      • Objective: fulfill the need for Paste 30/40/50 times and have 4/6/8 Frog Houses
      • Reward: Frog Faction Support, 5 Frogs, 35 Boots
    • Frog Resolve
      • Objective: reach 22/26/30 Frog Resolve
      • Reward: Steel Pickaxes, 4 Frogs, 40 Wine
    • Frog Majority
      • Objective: have 16/18/22 Frog villagers
      • Reward: Steel Grater, Wide Nets, 20 Bricks
    • Upgraded Living
      • Objective: upgrade 4 Frog Houses to level 1/2/3
      • Reward: Rainwater Condenser, 3 Frogs, 30 Incense
  • Added a new Glade Event.
    • Fallen Frog Architects - A group of fallen Frog architects. It seems they were in the middle of building some sort of monument. The mere sight of these bodies causes unrest among the Frog population.
  • Added a new need:
    • Frog Housing - Frogs are at home in water. Frog Houses are required to fulfill this need.
  • Added 9 new Deeds:
    • Frog Settlement - Win a game with at least 30 Frogs.
    • Frog Utopia (achievement) - Win a game with 40 Frogs, 20 x Frog Houses, 1 x Forum.
    • The Coastal Grove (achievement) - Win a game on the Coastal Grove biome.
    • Salty Breeze - Win a game in the Coastal Grove biome, and on Viceroy difficulty (or higher).
    • Strider Rider - (achievement) Send out 100 expeditions in the Coastal Grove.
    • The Search Continues (achievement) - Send out 12 expeditions in one game in the Coastal Grove.
    • Feeling Lucky - (achievement) Obtain the Homestead and Rainpunk Foundry blueprints from expeditions in the Coastal Grove (in one game).
    • It's Wednesday - (achievement) Win a game with Frogs on a Wednesday.
    • Frog Republic - (achievement) Upgrade 12 Frog Houses to the maximum level in one game.
  • Added 5 new decorations.
    • Stone Fence - 1x1 comfort decoration. Unlocked by completing the Frog Population deed.
    • Stone Fence Corner - 1x1 comfort decoration. Unlocked by completing the Frog Utopia deed.
    • Saltwater Pitcher Plant - 1x1 aesthetics decoration. Unlocked by completing the Salty Breeze deed.
    • Evergreen Shrub - 1x1 aesthetics decoration. Unlocked by completing the The Search Continues deed.
    • Water Shrine - 3x3 aesthetics decoration. Unlocked by completing the Feeling Lucky deed.
  • Changed the default main menu skin to show the new biome.
  • Added 14 new music tracks available exclusively in the new Coastal Grove biome.


P.S. One of the best things you can do to help indie games is to leave a Steam review. Once you get a chance to play Keepers of the Stone DLC, we’d love to hear any feedback, positive or negative. Thanks!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3075500/Against_the_Storm__Keepers_of_the_Stone/

You can also get it in the “Against the Storm - Complete” bundle with an extra bundle discount:

https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/45551/Against_the_Storm__Complete/


DEVELOPER NOTES


Update 1.4, along with the Keepers of the Stone DLC, is the biggest content drop we've ever done for Against the Storm, so there's a lot to unpack here. In this developer notes section, we'll focus on why certain changes made it into the game and how they'll affect the overall gameplay. We’re not going to go into detail about every single addition or improvement however, so if you want to read the full breakdown of each and every change, please refer to the two changelogs in this article - one for the DLC content and one for the 1.4 Fishing Update.

Frogs


The most important addition in the Keepers of the Stone DLC is of course the new playable species - Frogs. From the very beginning we wanted to find a good design space for them, a niche they could occupy, rather than just adding a new graphical variant of the same villagers (or even worse - just a better, overpowered version of an existing species). So we decided to go with a species that is more focused on supporting the settlement and helping it grow faster.


Based on this, and after looking at the game for areas where we felt something was missing from a balance standpoint, we gave Frogs the Masonry specialization, tying them heavily into the stone/brick economy. For their second specialization (comfort), we chose Rainwater, which we took away from Foxes (more on that later). We did this mostly because it fit them thematically, and we wanted to tie Frogs a bit into the Rainpunk branch of the game as well.

This, combined with their starting ability (revealing a ruin in the nearest glade), their unique Resolve profile, their needs makeout, and the Firekeeper passive (increased newcomer arrival speed), began to form a promising new playstyle. However, we still felt that this was not enough to truly differentiate Frogs, so we decided to experiment a bit more.

As Frogs became more and more about building, constructing, and growing your settlement, we naturally felt that they should have some unique interactions with housing. After a while, we came to the conclusion that we could use house upgrades as a good way to add more character and variety to the new species. That's why Frogs have 4 levels of upgrades (instead of 2), and each level has two unique effects that can either enhance or slightly change the way you play with them.


This led us to another idea that we wanted to explore - since we wanted to add a little downside to Frogs, and they are so closely tied to houses, maybe they should lack a basic housing need. As it turned out, this small change affected their entire needs makeup and changed how they performed in the early game, as well as added some unique flavor - the stubborn Frogs just don't want to live in basic shelters.

There is one more thing to talk about when it comes to new species in Against the Storm. Over the past few months, a number of players have expressed concern that adding new buildings to the game would only dilute the blueprint pool and make the RNG worse than it already is in some cases. And we agree - this is a very valid concern.

So with Update 1.4, we've made some tweaks to the blueprint drafting system and increased the number of buildings locked behind each species. This should result in the overall blueprint pool feeling less bloated, as even with the newly added buildings, the number of possible choices has decreased slightly (by 1 or 2 per game).

The Coastal Grove


The other big addition that comes with the DLC is the new biome - the Coastal Grove. It's a strange tropical land overgrown with giant Kelpwood trees and algae. Any settlement you start here will begin at the edge of the map, right next to the water. There you will find an ancient Strider Port from which you can send out expeditions in search of treasure and blueprints.


The blueprints from expeditions will come in handy, as you will get fewer of them from the Royal Envoy in this harsh land. However, the upside is that you will be able to choose the category of building you want before sending an expedition. All in all, even with fewer reputation rewards, you will still be able to get more blueprints than usual - your acquisition method will just be different (timed differently, as well as costing you some resources).

When we were designing the Coastal Grove, we were thinking about areas of the game that were underutilized or lacked some “rule-bending”, and we quickly came to the conclusion that there was a lot of potential in blueprint acquisition. Sure, sometimes we give you more or less choices per reputation point, or sometimes we allow you to pick a building with a wildcard, but compared to other systems in the game, there just wasn't that much variety. Add to that the visual flair of a large beast of burden swimming around the map in search of blueprints and treasure, and we quickly knew that this was the right direction.


With this new biome, we also wanted to push the gameplay a bit more into the newly introduced fishing system. That's why it has a strong focus on the new resource - algae - as well as all three types of ponds (fish, algae, and scales). It also has a unique biome effect called Gift of the Depths, which allows players to sacrifice algae in the Ancient Hearth for a Hostility reduction bonus after using enough bait while fishing.

Speaking of which…

Fishing


Fishing is the new resource acquisition system coming in 1.4, and it's available to all players, whether you own the Keepers of the Stone DLC or not. It works in a similar way to regular camp gathering. There are two types of fishing huts: small and regular. The small one is an essential building, and the regular one must be acquired separately (as a blueprint choice, from a trader, or via a wildcard).

There is one small difference, however - fishermen don't just collect resources one by one. They first catch fish and algae in nets, and then transport them directly to a warehouse when the entire pond is depleted. Resources held in nets are not available for production or consumption and must first be transported to a warehouse. You can decide to reel in a net sooner, but once you do this, the pond is depleted.



Ponds have a very large number or resource charges in them when compared to other does (60 as opposed to 20 in small ones). The intention here was to create a new type of resource gathering mechanism - a mix of a non-renewable source (just like regular deposits) and a big time investment with a big payoff at the end (like farming). To mix things up a bit, there's also the option of using ground bait to double the potential fishing yield.

Ground bait is made from Packs of Crops, directly at the fishing hut, and one pack equals five pieces of bait. We decided to use this resource here because it was the only item in the "Packs" category that didn't have a clear role outside of order fulfillment (all the others have at least one other sink or way of using them).

With the addition of fishing and all the new goods, we had to adjust the distribution of resources in all biomes. Most of them got an extra pond or two to make fishing a viable option, but some, like the Marshlands, underwent a major transformation. The addition of more elements to the node pool made this biome particularly susceptible to fiber shortages, so we decided to increase the spawn rate of stone/fiber nodes, and we changed the stone node from a regular one to an “overgrown” variant, which has an increased chance of dropping algae.

But this is just one of the many balance changes we made in Update 1.4. In the next part of this note, we will go into more detail about some of the major adjustments and improvements.

Balance


With all this new content added to the game, a lot of the balance had to change to not only make room for the new species and resources, but also to make sure that all of these new elements were fun to play with. As a result, we reshuffled the needs of nearly every species, rebalanced a lot of buildings, updated a number of recipes, changed leveling unlocks, added new citadel upgrades, and much, much more.

For example, one of the bigger changes to the needs was the addition of a new clothing item - Boots. We wanted to make sure that every species in the game had at least one clothing need, so that there could be more seasonal effects and perks tied to clothing. Also, this one category of needs has always felt very underwhelming, and we wanted to make it a little more important, especially since the game is about surviving harsh weather conditions.

Another major change is the addition of need-based passive effects. From now on, fulfilling a complex food, clothing, or service need will grant a buff to the affected villager. For example, eating complex food will increase the chance of producing double yields, while wearing boots will make a villager faster.

With this new system, we tried to solve, or at least alleviate, a few problems at once. The first problem was that very often the use of complex food or service items felt like a complete waste if it didn't result in reputation generation. This breaks the promise the game makes to the player: you will take care of your little ones, and it will feel rewarding. While we want to leave some ambiguity here for the most dedicated players, we want regular players to feel rewarded for making the villagers happy - for consuming goods even if it does not contribute to reputation (especially the service-related ones).

The second problem is more related to the arrival of Frogs and the inevitable expansion of the needs pool. In almost every game, players will now form production chains that only affect 1/3 of their population. This feels much less rewarding than 2/3 or even 3/3 combos, which are still possible, but much less likely. So again, we are trying to make completing production chains more rewarding.


We also hope that the addition of strong passive effects to needs will influence the purposeful starvation strategy (or at least make it a bit less dominant). In the ideal scenario, purposeful starvation and hoarding would be just one out of several available strategies, not the only viable way to play high prestige. While those changes alone won't make it happen, they should be a step in that direction.

Yet another big change, especially for more advanced players, is the rebalancing of the Field Kitchen. It used to produce Jerky and Porridge, but we replaced these recipes with Paste (a new good) and Skewers. As a result, the Field Kitchen now produces Biscuits, Pickled Goods, Paste, and Skewers.

In deciding which 3 or 4 recipes should be available in the Field Kitchen (if any should, to be honest), we’ve redefined the role of this building and its T0 recipes. In our opinion, Field Kitchen should lower the risk of taking buildings with recipes for semi-finished goods, used to make Complex Food. It should not be a small factory for Jerky and Porridge, but a building that rewards players for taking risks - for making flour, containers, or dye early on.

These are just some of the bigger changes coming in update 1.4. There are also the aforementioned new goods (scales, fish, algae, boots, paste), new nodes (fish ponds, leather), the reshuffling of resources in the biomes, which we already touched upon, and some significant specialization changes - such as the Foxes losing their Rainwater specialization and gaining a comfort bonus when working in buildings infected with Blightrot.

This specialization change for Foxes is something we wanted to try for a long time, but never really had the time to implement. It fits the flavor of the species, as lore-wise Foxes live in a symbiotic relationship with Blightrot, but it also adds a new gameplay dimension. It’s technically a nerf, but it also reinforces the corruption-heavy playstyle we've been trying to achieve over the last few updates, and it creates potential synergies with other species/perks.

All balance changes in this note and the changelog will be in version 1.4, whether you own the Keepers of the Stone DLC or not. Against the Storm is highly interconnected, so having separate versions isn't practical. We've worked hard to ensure that the experience is as good or better than in version 1.3, whether or not you have the DLC. Many changes weren't just to add new content but also to improve the game's overall pacing and polish.

However, if you find that you don't want to play after the 1.4 update, and that you prefer the pre-DLC, vanilla feel of Against the Storm, you can freely switch back to the 1.3 version at any time using the beta branch feature that Steam provides. Please see the "Settlement Savings & Legacy Branch" section below for more information.

UX and miscellaneous changes


Aside from the new content and balance changes, there are also a number of smaller features and general improvements coming with Update 1.4. Most of these were inspired by the community, and all of them are available to everyone after the 1.4 update - DLC owners or not.

First, let's talk about the changes to the in-game encyclopedia. Many of you will be happy to know that we've finally added the "Glade Events" category! In it, you can browse events at your leisure, look up their requirements, see their potential rewards, etc. There's a catch, though - when we designed this feature, we didn't want to spoil everything right away, and we also wanted to introduce a bit of a scavenger hunt into the system. That's why events are locked at first, and must be solved at least once to be visible in the encyclopedia (the only exception is the Queen's Hand Trial, where all events are visible from the start).


In addition, we have added special markers to events and buildings in the encyclopedia to indicate which ones are locked behind a particular species (so they won’t appear if the species is not present in your settlement). This information is also available in the species tab of the encyclopedia.

We have done a major under-the-hood overhaul of the entire villager behavior system. While this change is mostly invisible to the naked eye, it has allowed us to finally implement some long-awaited features requested by the community, such as the ability to list Purging Fire in the recipe panel, builders and blight fighters taking resources from nearby buildings, farmers building fields, or the ability to assign workers to unfinished construction sites to serve as builders.



There are also several other improvements to existing systems that were directly inspired by community feedback. For example, the warehouse minimum reserve is no longer automatically remembered between games (you have to turn it on manually in the options menu), you can now mark buildings where you don't want Blight Fighters to burn cysts, and there is now a red outline around resource slots where a good is missing.

We've also replaced some old icons with custom assets (as we do with every patch), updated the visuals of some buildings, changed the lighting in nearly every biome, added new DLC-exclusive music (14 tracks in total), fixed a ton of bugs, and tweaked the game’s localization based on your feedback.
We could go on and on, but we'll stop here and let you read the huge changelog for yourself. You can also see the new features in action by watching the recording of our developer livestream, where we discussed the major changes and answered questions from the community:



Thank you for providing us with feedback and suggestions for the new update. If you’d like to share your ideas for upcoming updates, here are some useful links:

May the storm be gentle on you,
Eremite Games


Fishing Update (1.4) Changelog


Due to the character limit on Steam, the changelog for Fishing Update 1.4 is split into two articles:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/4665256208709775238
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/4665256208709904287
The current game version is 1.4.4.


SETTLEMENT SAVES & LEGACY BRANCHES INFORMATION


As with all major updates, numerous systemic changes require us to close the ongoing settlements to avoid potential issues. As compensation, you’ll receive extra Citadel Resources and Royal Resupply. On a community request, we also added an option to decline that reward.

(Steam only) However, for those of you who weren’t able to finish their settlements and would very much like to do so, we also prepared a separate Legacy Branch 1.3 where we’ll keep the previous version available indefinitely.

If you want to finish your current settlement, follow the instructions below prior to playing with the new Fishing Update (1.4).
  1. Open Steam
  2. Right-click on Against the Storm in your library
  3. Select Properties
  4. Go to the BETAS tab
  5. Enter the access code in the “Private Betas” section. The access code is: LegacyBranchPreFrogs
  6. Click on “Check code”
  7. Choose “legacy_branch_1.3” from the drop-down list
  8. Wait for the game to update the files



Once you finish the settlement on the Legacy Branch 1.3, follow the steps above, but select “None” to return to the main branch.

Legacy Branch 1.3


Against the Storm’s Fishing Update 1.4 introduced a vast range of new content, balance changes, and improvements. Together with Keepers of the Stone DLC, it is the largest content drop in the game’s history.

With such a high number of changes, it may require re-learning the recipes, changing strategies, or simply getting used to the new balance. Due to this, we know that some of you may be desperate to play the version you knew and enjoyed for so long.

We always recommend playing on the latest public version as we continuously ensure it's in the best technical state. However, if you prefer, you can download and play the “pre-Frogs” version 1.3.5 (Legacy Branch 1.3) using Steam’s Betas branching functionality.

Please carefully read the guide below to learn more about switching branches and potential issues that may occur:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3337488070


Enjoy and have fun!


That’s all for today, folks! We’re excited you can finally welcome Frogs to your settlements. Ever since we first introduced them in the community vote back in February 2023, we wanted to do them justice and add them to the game. And now, finally, they are here! 🐸
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