To thank everyone sailing along the EA journey with us through thick and thin, whether yer a new shipmate or a seasoned Captain, we're activating 2x Gold, Taming, and Harvesting now until 11/30 11:59 PM PT.
🍁 Happy Thanksgiving Weekend! 🦃
Sailing Forward - Ask a Pirate Day: Discussion and Q&A with the Devs
Ahoy Pathfinders!
There will be no patch this week, so instead we’re delivering some information based on some questions we have collected and seen around the community!
Since we announced the renewed ATLAS journey last Summer, a lot of things have changed in the development cycle, and we are still working on improving our processes and the feedback loop with the community as well. Like in any adventure, some parts of the journey can be rough but as we overcome them, we continue to move forward and build on our experiences. Whether we are making small steps or revisiting old ideas, it is important to remember that we are still sailing forward! Development is very often not linear, and understandably things can get confusing for the community - even for those seasoned Pathfinders who have been sailing the seas of ATLAS since the very beginning. We hope that today’s discussion and some of the answers to your questions will help the community understand our vision for ATLAS and where we are currently at.
ATLAS, in general, is lacking a strong theme. Yes, we are a Pirate game, but it's currently a mishmash of a bunch of different stuff and we are looking to address that post the release of the current feature slate (Trade System, New Ships, and Claim System). Right now the idea we are liking most is something we're calling "Stormpunk" which centers around that idea that there are more resources to capture on the water (like harnessing lightning). We are going to maintain an element of fantasy moving forward, but it may not be so openly Dungeons and Dragons (although we love this game!) or high fantasy feeling. As with all things, everything will remain as we introduce new things, and we will fade things that people lose interest in.
What is the long term plan or overall vision? It'd help explain a lot of these changes if we were also privy to just a rough idea what the long term will look like, because right now it seems things are going a bit backward in regards to accessibility, especially for small groups and solo players. At the highest level, the goals are as follows:
Get players out on the ocean - there are lots of things we're doing to encourage this but it basically means that we want players spending more time at sea and less time on land. In order to do that we really have to blow out all the things you can do at sea so that they are as fun and interesting as what you do on land.
Make ship-to-ship combat fun. There is so much to this, but we really want PVP interactions on the water to be richly rewarding.
Increase player recuperation. Survival games can be tough and we want to make sure that players can be devastating to one another, but that the losing side player doesn't have to feel like they are starting over each time. We also want to make small companies and lone wolves more viable.
We still have a ways to go before we reach these goals. We know that we are not there yet and that the current state of ATLAS does not reflect what we envision. Most of what we have implemented so far is still in its beginning stages, and are only just setting the foundation for how the gameplay is going to evolve.
Trade System
For instance, one of the main goals of the Trade System is to increase play at the smaller group and solo level. We recognize that right now the system is not very friendly to these players - There's a lot of balance to be done there and a number of missing elements, like the upcoming Tradewinds feature, but we are working on it. Ultimately, when all pieces are in place, we are planning for a system where large companies will actually be incentivized on a different scale for helping small companies and solos.
The Trade System is still in its alpha stage, and as of build 515.17, all Trade Shipments are virtual and locked to a single grid. We are continuously working on Market optimizations as well as bug fixes and server side improvements to bring the system to full functionality. Subsequent patches should see more refinement to the Trade System, opening up more routes and eventually the NPC Trade Ships. Please note that at this stage, we may have to disable and re-enable Trades sometimes to work out and troubleshoot any issues that may potentially arise.
What about the players that do not wish to utilize the market system? Asides from the market, are there any other big gold "earners" in the planning besides maps and whales/sunken treasures? Although the Trade System is meant to be one of the core pillars of gameplay, our main goal is that "gold comes from the sea". So yes, you'll see some additions and refinements to life on the ocean which should make getting gold easier for non-marketplace participants.
Claim System
We are looking into rebooting the original claim system that allowed players to take over a section of the island. This is done by placing down a claim structure that takes longer to build and is more robust than a claim flag. It may also have its own defenses. Once fully built, it will have to be destroyed for you to lose your claim and everything that goes along with it. We are not completely reverting back to the old claim system, but will be taking the original idea and building off of it. We are currently still testing some ideas.
Ship Systems
Getting a new ship system into the game that can support future expansions does take a bit more time than just putting out a "new" one on the existing system, and we are excited to be getting closer to it!
We teased the first one, the Ramming Ship, a few weeks ago and we have a number of other ideas for these unique and specialized ships, but we don't want to spoil the surprise completely. The important note here is that we are moving from releasing ship parts to releasing complete ships that have special roles in the game and thus begin to grow the strategy of managing a fleet.
All of the upcoming Ships that can be bought with gold will be primitive class and up. Ramshackles will still be available at Freeports for now, but when you buy things with gold they will be good ships. 🙂
In regards to the existing Ship system, can we get tokens as random loot drops from bosses to craft schooners/brigs/galleons please? So there is a route for smaller groups to get boats? This probably won't happen. Right now we're really happy with how hard it is to get bigger ships. Many players have reported having more fun than ever with "Sloop Wars". Dropping tokens would benefit large companies more and go against what we are trying to do, which is to fundamentally change how ships are currently perceived. Right now, ship progression is linear. Once you can build a Schooner, you never build a Sloop again and so on up the ladder. We are more focussed on giving every ship type a viable role on the ocean and introducing strategy and reasons for each ship type to exist.
On the Horizon
Post integration of the claim system we'll be going back through all the content that is currently in the game and be making quality of life improvement and balance adjustments. We aren't very interested in nerfing things so much as bringing their fun factor way up.
How far out are we from super wind sea-highways that make traveling around the map faster and consolidate content? We're trying to get it by the end of the year. A lot depends on how long it takes to balance the Trade System, new Ship System, and new Claim System.
Any plans for expanding fishing so it doesn't suck so much? Like better random loot tables from fishing, maybe getting maps randomly from fishing. higher quality fishing pole=better maps/blueprints/gold etc. We can answer this by saying that we don't think there is nearly enough fun stuff to do on the water and we are looking to blow that out significantly. This will include water creature taming, better fishing, ocean resource gathering, and better diving.
Any planned changes for freeports? Exponential decay or something to prevent freeport living? Not yet. We have to put in all the systems that allow lone wolves and small groups to survive elsewhere first. Long term, we envision settlements of any kind to be more friendly or hostile to you depending on how you've treated them in the past.
Can you tell us more about the ideas behind how breeding is envisioned by the Dev team for beginner breeders through the most advanced breeders? Right now it takes too much time to do, unless an entire weekend day is devoted to it. Perhaps more difficulties while raising babies through their infant stages, but have it be for a much shorter duration so that it is more practical and enjoyable for a wider audience. One of our designers has taken the breeding and taming of creatures under her wing. In the background she is working on a completely revamped system that should be more of what you want to see. Can't tell you when it will ship, but I can tell you that we are working on it.
Treasure Maps need a lot of work. Are big changes planned for the hunts to be more engaging? The distance requirement is also a negative map factor. It's not enjoyable to sail 7 grids out, 7 grids back to run a Masterwork map. Could maps that are of any qualities spawn on an island that are closer? Yes, a rework of this is planned, but it's down the road. It's not where we want it either and for sure we are looking at the treasure spawning closer.
Additional Q&A
What is some of the work that is currently being done to help with optimization and performance issues? About half our engineering staff is on performance and optimization. We know it's a problem and are working to fix it. The issue is that we also want to continue to put the rest of the planned features in the game to see if they are viable. We want a high performance game as much as you do. Remember, optimization isn’t going to suddenly happen in one patch. Some improvements may happen in small steps over time, while other improvements are a bigger engineering endeavor and may not be seen until we are further along.
Is the team still looking at ways for players to keep some progress through wipes? Yes. We haven't figured out a balanced and scalable method yet, but we do want that. Adding a new global server structure with the Trade System was the first step on this and we'll keep working towards it. The challenge here is that the funnest part of a wipe for most people, is that they are all on an even footing again. Allowing players to retain progression may also allow them to maintain oppression.
Can we please get a HUD indicator once a ship is protected by the new shiphouse structure? The green text popping up once the anchor is down is not such a great indicator. Totally agree that this is a bit confusing. A complete UI revamp is on the schedule and this item is part of that.
This is nitpicking, but can handling sails trim opposite to how they do now? It is backwards to real world physics Ok. We'll look into it.🙂
Teleporting bed to bed, and killing yourself to respawn on lawless islands for discovery points is one of the lamest things I have to do in this game. Will other features be looked at for discovery points that are more interesting? In short, yes. We agree that killing yourself and bed teleporting is lame. We all want to fix that and give you more ways to travel the world more quickly.
Will we be able to have the fog of war back? We had it early in the game, but it could be cheated by sharing game files and so was removed. The thrill of exploration was exciting for many players. As things stand at the moment, you just always have the full map explored. It's something we hadn't thought about. We’ll look into this idea.
Final Note
Again, we would like to emphasize that ATLAS is still in Early Access, meaning many things can and will likely continue to drastically change - even in the middle of development. Anything discussed is only up to date as of the moment it is posted. Features and changes that ultimately make it to the next patch may be different from what was previously discussed.
As always, we appreciate the suggestions and feedback from the community. Please keep them coming! Thank you for all of your support! :)
We are working on the Trade Functionality issues and the ping spike issues related to Markets. Trades are not working at this time.
We hope to have a fix by the end of the week with Trades enabled again soon. If anything changes, we will let you guys know.
Thank you!
ATLAS Patch 515.17 - Armored Docks, Trade System and Barrel Update
Ahoy Pathfinders!
We want to start off by expressing our gratitude to the community throughout the launch of the Trade System. As we sail along the development journey, some seas may be rougher than others, but we are still making progress and we would like to extend our thanks to the community for their patience in joining us on this ride. Although we had to consequently disable Trades last week while we worked on a solution, we will be enabling them again with tonight’s patch.
Patch 515.17 is scheduled for tonight, 11/18 at 7:00 PM PST.
Harvest Rates will also be returning to normal.
Further Developing the Trade System
The ATLAS Trade System is an ambitious undertaking that we want to make into one of the core pillars of ATLAS gameplay. Even with the initial iteration of Trade Functionality introduced, it is still very early in the development phase. We are continuing to develop the system in a step-by-step process. Early Access gives us the unique opportunity to roll out the system in phases to see how it performs live, allowing us to also make changes and improvements based on community feedback. It is to be expected that while the Trade System is still in its early development phases, we may have to regularly enable/disable Trading as required to fix any bugs that may occur - although we will do our best to minimize this possibility. For players wondering if this means we will have to perform a wipe, the last wipe was necessary for us to clear any withstanding issues from a previous implementation of the Sea Forts. The Trade System was implemented in a way so that we can disable/enable Trade Functionality server side without requiring a client update or a wipe. With that being said, depending on the issue and how it affects gameplay, sometimes it can be necessary.
Trade Shipments will remain virtual for the time being until the system is more stable, and testing on the tangible NPC Shipments continues.
Survivability
As a survival sandbox, the gameplay surrounding the risk of losing your stuff is part of the appeal. However, there is a balance to it and we recognize the need to introduce some elements to help with survivability. One of the first things we’ll be introducing are Armored Docks, as seen in the preview image, to protect your hard earned ships!
With tonight’s update, players will be able to build the first one - the Large Armored Dock, which can be found in the Seamanship Tree under the Expert Shipwright skill. For 1200 Alloy, 1800 Fiber, 6000 Stone, 2000 Thatch, and 2500 Wood and a daily upkeep cost, players will be able to build a Large Armored Dock to park and protect their ship in this 300,000 hp Armored Structure.
At this time, the Large Armored Dock can protect all ships. However, this large version is intended to store Brigs and Galleons, with smaller version(s) to come out later. The long term goal is that larger ships will need a lot more support than smaller ships.
Please know that this is still the Alpha version of the Armored Dock. Future Patches will see bug fixes, balance changes, and more polish to the Armored Docks. We are not quite there yet, but with further balance and changes, we hope to see this as one of the first of many changes that will also help solo Pirates and Small Companies.
Community Feedback
We would like to thank the Community again for their continued feedback and support throughout the ATLAS development journey. The reintroduction of Explosive Barrels was meant to bring back an old mechanic and create a space and balance for it. We have spent a lot of time observing the gameplay surrounding it and we have been paying attention to your feedback. While we are still going to be introducing changes with Barrel gameplay in mind, we do hear you!
In 515.17, Explosive Barrels can no longer be fired from Cannons or Large Cannons. We have also added an 80 Gold cost for crafting Explosive Barrels. Thank you to the Community for your part in helping us to shape and define ATLAS gameplay.
Released Patch Notes
v515.17
New Structure: Armored Dock
The Armored Dock is a structure built in shallow water to dock a ship inside of. It must be destroyed before the ship can be damaged. This Alpha version of the Armored Dock is still in progress and not fully functional! Be warned!
Smaller Armored Docks are coming in future patches along with bug fixes, balance changes, and polish.
Added Large Armored Dock to the Seamanship Tree under the Expert Shipwright skill
Has 300,000 health and is an Armored Structure, giving it increased resistance to explosive damage
Costs 500 Gold upkeep per day (This will be reduced to 150 gold in the next patch)
Explosive Barrels
Explosive Barrels can no longer be fired from Cannons or Large Cannons (may still be fired from Catapults)
Added 80 Gold cost for crafting Explosive Barrels
Sea Forts
Duplicated some flag interactions onto the Sea Fort Tax Bank
Fixed some stuck interactions with the Sea Fort Tax Bank
Structures
Increased resistance to explosive damage by 40% for Large Stone Walls, Large Stone Gateways, and Large Stone Gates
Weight of placed Catapults increased from 120 to 150
Trade Log
Fixed issues where Trade Log incorrectly reflects what was sent and received
Fixed an issue where sender and receiver were swapped in Trade Log
Added resources received from Trade Events to Trade Log
Fixed some scrolling issues with Trade Log
Trade Shipments
Fixed an issue where resources were received twice from one trade
Fixed multiple issues where incorrect amounts of resources were received
Fixed multiple issues with Shipments getting stuck, eventually causing performance issues
Fixed the amount of Income (Gold) generated by Trade routes. It should now correctly reflect the route's length
Updated some virtual shipment server settings
Market
Markets must now be within 22m of a Warehouse to connect
Fixed an issue where Markets and Warehouses could not connect
Fixed some issues where editing Trade Offers would create mismatched information between the server and the client and break those offers
Added new Trade Route statuses to replace PENDING:
SENT: Trade Route requests you have made that are pending
RECEIVED: Trade Route requests other Markets have made to you
Cleaned up some Market interface interactions
Misc
Removed XP reward from all Golden Age Army of the Damned Soldiers
Added 10 second cooldown to gliding after crossing server borders
Final Note
Again, we would like to emphasize that ATLAS is still in Early Access, meaning many things can and will likely continue to drastically change - even in the middle of development. Anything discussed is only up to date as of the moment it is posted. Features and changes that ultimately make it to the next patch may be different from what was previously discussed.
As always, we appreciate the suggestions and feedback from the community. Please keep them coming! Thank you for all of your support! :)
Trade Functionality is finally here, and with it a Wipe for a fresh new start! To kick things off with a surprise, we will be having 3x Harvest Rates now until next Tuesday!
Now that it’s almost all together, let’s review how the Trade System functions. The Trade system is intended as a means to get resources flowing across the map, facilitating competition over resources and the access to trade. Every grid has 1-4 Sea Forts that act as control points which give players access to Trade Routes that let players connect what they are producing with what others are, establishing Trades in an automated fashion: All trading is automated - the Market will look at your configurations, and check the Warehouses of connected Markets to see if Trade conditions are fulfilled. If the conditions are met, a Trade Ship will be automatically created and set to embark on its destination. Players do not necessarily need to control a Sea Fort to be able to be able trade. However blockading Trade routes is possible if a Company controls all the Sea Forts on a server that route must go through. Companies that control Sea Forts may also tax Trade Ships that pass through its server, although Trade Ships will always choose to use the Sea Fort with the lower tax rate.
Remember that at this stage, all Trades will be virtual, so any Trade that is started will reach its destination Market. Testing is still ongoing on the NPC Trade Ships that will eventually carry the goods. Now’s the perfect time to take advantage of these guaranteed Trades to get the gold rolling in and the economy moving! Although players won’t be able to attack your Shipments for now, you will still want to pay attention to the Random Events that may occur! You never know what you will end up getting… or losing. However, the chance of higher spoils may make the Trade more than worth while! All Random events are virtual and are resolved upon completion of the Trade.
Shaping Gameplay and Progression
With the Trade Functionality and the ability to gain income from it now in place, the dynamics of the gameplay will start to shift, as will progression and the balancing surrounding it. The economy of the game will be centered around the Trade System. Although the other ways to obtain gold remain, utilizing the Trade System will be the primary way to earn income, whether you are actively Trading, controlling Sea Forts, raiding Sea Forts, or later - attacking ships.
There was a lot of noise surrounding the increase in gold cost to build higher tier ships and its pay-off. The introduction of the Trade System is meant to shake things up with the current state of play. We are not balancing our changes surrounding what was previously established and these new conditions in play should endeavor players to new strategies. As we mentioned, we are starting with very conservative numbers with this first pass of the Trade System and will be making adjustments as needed. Future mechanics or changes to ATLAS may continue to change up the gameplay and progression in the game as well. We are striving to find a balance for good and varying gameplay at all levels. We know that we are not there yet and it is important to stress that we are still in the middle of defining and refining the core gameplay and mechanics, so sometimes the waters are going to be pretty rough.
What's left for 2020?
Although Trade Functionality has made it, we still need to fully implement the rest of the system. As we previously mentioned, the NPC Trade Ships that players will be able to interact with are still undergoing development and testing. Next week will likely be a smaller maintenance update consisting of some fixes and any balancing adjustments if we see fit.
The new Ships for Gold system is also on the way, and the first release of it will see the Ramming Galley hitting the shores… or more likely hitting your ships. Other specialized ships are also in the works. These new Ships will utilize a modular building system and exist alongside the current Ship system.
Lastly, the other big goal we have for the remainder of the year is an overhaul of the Claiming system. We aren’t quite happy with the Island Claiming system and how it’s currently functioning. We will be reworking the Claim system based off of laying down individual claim flags in an area again. However, we are looking to take it into a different direction. We are still in the early stages of the design and fleshing out our ideas. As we get closer to making this change, we will bring it to further discussion.
In summary, players can expect the completed Trade System, an introduction to the New Ship System, and a rework on the Claiming System. Again, all three of these items will continue to be tweaked and balanced. We are continuously shaping the game! This is also only what’s immediately on the table, and there is still more to come in 2021! Please stay tuned. :)
Released Patch Notes
v514.3
Trade
Connected trade routes will now automatically trade between each other
Every few minutes a Market will look for a potential trade
Prioritizes Trade Routes in order
Prioritizes Trade Offers in order
When both Markets in a Trade Route have compatible Offers, a Trade is initiated
Example:
Market A and B have a Trade Route
Market A offers 1 Lightwood for every 2.0 Thatch
Market B offers 1 Root for every 0.4 Wood
If Market A tries to find a trade, they can find one for 1 Lightwood for every 2.25 Thatch
If both Warehouses have enough resources, the shipment is created.
Trade Offers remain active after use, and can be part of more trades as long as there are enough resources in the Warehouse
Currently all shipments are virtual and do not generate Trading Ships that can be attacked. (This is in testing and iteration and expected in a later patch)
Crafting
Reduced the output of crafting Gunpowder from 2 to 1
Reduced the output of crafting Blasting Powder from 2 to 1
Market
Updated the Structure Settings on the Market to be Reinforced Stone
This gives Markets increased damage resistance
Bug Fix: Added back the ability to connect Markets to Warehouses via interaction wheel (they should still auto connect if placed near each other)
Resources
Adjusted weight of many resources
Reduced the weight of Gold Coins by 50%
Reduced the weight of Gems by 75%
Reduced the weight of Wood by 40%
Reduced the weight of Sap by 60%
Reduced the weight of Crystals by 60%
Reduced the weight of Metal by 33%
Increased the weight of Oil by 2x
Increased the weight of Fiber by 8x
Increased the weight of Flint by 2.4x
Increased the weight of Keratanoid by 5x
Increased the weight of Gunpowder by 1.5x
Increased the weight of Organic Paste by 2x
Increased the weight of Fire Gel by 2.5x
Increased the weight of Blasting Powder by 2.5x
Sea Forts
Reduced the radius inside Sea Forts for claiming from 2.5 to 1.5 meters
Increased Max Tax rate for Sea Forts from 30% to 50%
Sea Forts added to D8
Sea Fort Taxes can now be set via 10% stepped increments in a Set Tax Wheel Submenu
Sea Fort structures no longer respawn when an enemy is nearby
Ships
Increased Gold cost for crafting ships
Schooner: 50 Gold → 5,000 Gold
Brigantine: 250 Gold → 25,000 Gold
Galleon: 500 Gold → 50,000 Gold
Warehouse
Reduced Placement Prevention Radius of Warehouse from 800m to 600m
This increases amount of warehouses that can fit in an area by about 75%
We're looking at how to best allow multiple companies to have warehouses nearby in the future
Reduced Transport Radius of Warehouse from 500m to 450m
Misc
Increased the max stack size of Cannon Balls from 50 to 100
Bug Fix: Explosive Barrels can no longer deal damage in Freeports
Bug Fix: Stack size for Fuel items in Warehouse and Farmhouse inventory is no longer affected by the Fuel Slot stack size
Known Issues
If you create a trade offer and then edit its resources, the Market UI doesn't update and may be out of sync with what's actually there
Resources awarded by Trade Events may not be delivered or logged correctly
Trade Log may incorrectly state which resource types are sent and received
Trade Route income should be multiplied by the Trade Route's distance
Editing the Tax Rate on Sea Forts requires you to manually exit the interaction wheel
No feedback is given when a Market doesn't have a valid Warehouse to connect to
Final Note
Again, we would like to emphasize that ATLAS is still in Early Access, meaning many things can and will likely continue to drastically change - even in the middle of development. Anything discussed is only up to date as of the moment it is posted. Features and changes that ultimately make it to the next patch may be different from what was previously discussed.
As always, we appreciate the suggestions and feedback from the community. Please keep them coming! Thank you for all of your support! :)
Last Saturday we discussed our progress on addressing the map flickering and PVE Sea Fort claiming issues from the last patch, and although we aimed to get the hotfix out on Tuesday, we ended up being able to integrate these fixes with an early release of the new Markets! This new build is scheduled for tonight, Wednesday at 7:00 PM PST!
Again, the actual Trading will not be available quite yet in this Market patch as we are still actively testing its functionality and mechanics. Players will be able to craft a Market at a Smithy as long as they have the required Advanced Automation skill from the Construction tree. For now, you savvy seafarers can check out the configurations and set up preferences. Please let us know your feedback on how the Market UI functions.
Our crew craftsman has made a few renovations on the Sea Forts, but the construction is still ongoing! Pirates with an eye for aesthetics can expect further design improvements down the line. Additionally, Sea Forts now also display owner and tax rate. A number of balance passes have been made as well as we continue to observe the gameplay surrounding it.
Upcoming Wipe
Early next week, we are expecting to release the third part of the Trade System which will introduce the actual Trading functionality. In order to implement this, a wipe will be required. Currently, this is scheduled for next Tuesday, November 10. For clarity, tomorrow’s Market patch will NOT include a wipe, but next week’s Trading patch will. More information about the Trading patch to come.
Released Patch Notes
Server v413.7 // Client v413.8
*** Private Servers, please see new configuration variables at the end of the patch notes
New Feature: Markets
A new Market structure has been added
Markets must be connected to a nearby Warehouse to function
The Warehouse must be connected to a Farmhouse for full functionality
The Warehouse acts as a repository for trading resources for the Market
Trade Routes may be created between Markets
Preferences for Resource Trading may be set on the Markets
Markets DO NOT currently Trade
Markets trading is in testing and bug fixing and will come with a later patch
Trading will be automated based on preferences set on the Market
A successful trade will generate some amount of Gold Coins
Markets have 150k health and are difficult to destroy
Crafting a market requires the Advanced Automation skill from the construction tree and may be done at a Smithy
Some Trade and Market tuning values are configurable for private servers
Sea Forts
Updated the terrain of the Sea Fort island
Simple cosmetic updates to the look of Sea Fort structures (this art is still a placeholder)
Adjusted respawn times for some structures on Sea Forts (walls still respawn quickly)
Made some Sea Fort tuning values configurable for private servers
Updated data on the map about Sea Forts (owner and tax rate are shown)
Now only shown when zoomed in
Performance while map is open should be improved
Increased Defense Tower's damage resistance
Explosion Damage Received: 100% → 70%
Explosive Barrel Damage Received: 100% → 10.5%
Catapult Boulder Damage Received: 100% → 28%
Ballista Damage Received: 100% → 7%
Added immunity to melee attacks and liquid flame
Modified Tower Wall's damage resistance to match Defense Tower
Explosion Damage Received: 31% → 70%
Explosive Barrel Damage Received: 31% → 10.5%
Increased damage dealt by Defense Towers
Explosion Damage: 100 → 250
Direct Damage: 180 → 500
Bug Fix: Sea Forts can no longer be captured on PVE servers
Bug Fix: Players will no longer spawn on Sea Forts
Misc
Bug Fix: The map no longer flickers
Bug Fix: Warehouses can no longer be placed on ships
Server Config
New variables for Sea Forts, Markets, and Trading have been exposed for server configuration: ; Trade BaseTradeIncomeGoldAmount = 10; Base amount of gold a Trade Route generates per server it travels through, as the crow flies TradeIncomeGoldIntracompanyScalar = 0.5f; Multiplier for trading within the company TradeIncomeGoldAllyScalar = 0.5f; Multiplier for trading with allies TradeMarketCoolDown = 300.0f; Delay between starting a new shipment if one has begun TradeRouteShipmentMaxWeight = 1500.0f; Combined weight of all resources in a trade, shared between both shipments TradeRoutesMaxPerMarket = 5; Max number of trade routes each market may have MaxAllowedTradeShipsOnServer = 5; Max number of -real- ships allowed on a server before they queue up VirtualShipFactorServerMax = 8; used to balance rate of real v virtual ships VirtualShipFactorVirtualDecay = 0.8f; same VirtualShipFactorRealGrowth = 0.5f; same VirtualShipDelayInSeconds = 60.0f; How long it takes a virtual ship to travel through a server ; Control Points ContolPointLandClaimTime = 1500; how many seconds it takes to claim a Sea Fort from neutral ControlMaxClaimTaxRate = 30; Maximum percent out of a hundred that a Sea Fort can tax a ship using it ControlPointCostLimit = 100; Total amount of build points a Sea Fort may have on it for defenses ControlPointAggressionDecayTime = 60; How long a Sea Fort remains aggro at someone who attacked ControlDestroyedDefensiveStructureAutoPlacementDelay = 600; How long it takes for the Sea Fort to start rebuilding ControlPointNeutralStructureAutoPlacementDelay = 120; Delay between each rebuild step
Known Issues
Old Structures on Sea Forts did not get moved with the island, and Sea Fort may not necessarily recognize these structures. This is will be fixed with next week's wipe, or players can also simply destroy the old structures
Claiming issues with Sea Forts on PVP Lawless
Final Note
Again, we would like to emphasize that ATLAS is still in Early Access, meaning many things can and will likely continue to drastically change - even in the middle of development. Anything discussed is only up to date as of the moment it is posted. Features and changes that ultimately make it to the next patch may be different from what was previously discussed.
As always, we appreciate the suggestions and feedback from the community. Please keep them coming! Thank you for all of your support! :)
Captain's Log #42: Trade System Progress and Halloween Giveaway!
Ahoy Pathfinders!
Happy Halloween! Today, we have a small news update and a few teasers of the next part of the Trade System, along with a giveaway!
Development
Unfortunately, the last patch introduced some map issues that were bigger than we initially thought. What we believed was a minor bug that caused flickering when zooming in on the map, actually manifests in different ways on different performance machines, as we have come to learn. As it is more nuanced, it is taking us more time to fully tackle. The second major issue we are working on is fixing the claiming of Sea Forts on PVE. There are multiple ways that we can approach this and we are carefully considering what would be the best option. At this time, we also have multiple branches that we are working on to stabilize for the next build. Whether or not we can release a branch will depend on how testing goes, and we are aiming for a patch next Tuesday. If all goes well, we can expect to release a small maintenance update with fixes on Tuesday, and then the Market Update next week. However, if we have additional problems, we may have to hold the updates. Continuing on that note, our overall goal is to continually release more updates on a regular basis. In between some of the content patches, some weeks may be more along the line of smaller maintenance updates/fixes.
Teasers
We dropped the first part of the Trade System - the Sea Forts last week. We have been observing the action surrounding them as we continue to update and balance the Sea Forts. The next part of the Trade System that we will be releasing are the Markets! Although players will not be able to use the Trade Routes just yet (we are still testing it out), you will be able to build these Markets next to your Warehouses and play around with the menu and configurations!
Here’s a sneak peak of the new Market, as well as a look at how its UI is developing:
We also have one last sneak peak of the testing we are doing on the Trading Ships and Routes! Again, Trade Routes will not be available yet with the Market update. The Trading Ships are not ready and the functionality of the Routes are still being tested. *** Please note that the above is a very rough work in progress and what you are seeing will continue to change.
Giveaway
Last but not least, we are ending the month with a Halloween giveaway! We’ve allied with the crews over at Blue Microphones and Nitrado to scour land and sea far and wide for Treasure, and now the spoils are yours to take - aye, if yer lucky!
From now until the November 5th, enter our raffle for a chance to win a Yeti X from Blue Microphones, a 50-slot Atlas voucher from Nitrado, or a Steam Key for Atlas to recruit some new mates! For more information and to enter, visit the link here:
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! 🙂
With Halloween just around the corner, we thought we'd give you guys a little treat - 2x Weekend! Tomorrow 10/29 10:00 AM PT through 11/2 10:00 AM PT, we'll be doubling Treasure Gold, Taming Speeds, and Harvesting! Take advantage of the limited time boost to finally hit some of your goals and have fun! 🙂
Currently, there is an issue on XBOX where Sea Forts are unable to be claimed. We have a fix coming out for this tomorrow. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding!
Private Servers
Private Server owners will need to update the ServerGrid.ServerOnly.json file by adding a new entry to the database connections called new TradeDB:
Replacing the correct url, port, and password for your redis server in the above.
It is also necessary to update to the latest ServerGridEditorhere and re-export. You will also be able to add Sea Forts to the map if you wish to.
Released Patch Notes
v411.1
New Feature: Sea Forts
Sea Forts are a form of Control Points that give Companies control over trading in an area. This system is foundational for the upcoming Trade System.
Sea Forts have automated defenses that will respawn over time when neutral
Players have a limited number of build points (100) to spend on a Sea Fort they own
Currently only Defense Towers may be built (15 pts each)
On PVP Servers, they may be captured and controlled!
To capture them, destroy the defenses and plant a flag inside the central tower
The flag takes 25 minutes to force an owned Fort return to neutral
The flag takes 10 minutes to capture on a neutral Fort
Sea Forts in Freeport Servers may not be captured
In an upcoming patch, Sea Forts will allow access through a server for Trading
You will be able to grant or restrict access to Allies or other Companies
Access to a Sea Fort is required for you to have trade routes that travel through a server!
Sea Forts may have a Tax Bank built on them
The Tax Bank can be raided for gold. Neutral points have the Tax Bank as well
NOTE: Until trading starts, they aren't actually earning any gold, so the Bank is empty
Tax Banks will allow companies to tax Trade Routes that use their Fort for access
Neutral Forts will have a high tax rate and allow everyone access to a server
Map
Added the Ship Salesman's Island to the center of each Freeport Grid
NOTE: Ships are not yet available for purchase. They will be added in a future update
Added Sea Fort Islands to the map. 1-4 exist on every server except the center
Ships
Increased maximum Ship level from 52 to 60
Adjusted Ship XP curve to increase the amount of XP required for early levels and greatly reduce the amount of XP required for later levels
Overall, this change reduces the total amount of XP required to reach max level
Added Gold cost for crafting Ships in a Shipyard
Schooner: 50 Gold
Brigantine: 250 Gold
Galleon: 500 Gold
NOTE: These costs will increase when the trade system has been fully implemented
Structures
Defense Towers may be built at the Smithy
May only be placed at Sea Forts
Requires Advanced Automation Skill from the Construction Tree
Added Fuel Slot to Farmhouse and Warehouse
Dedicated slot holds up to 1,000 units of Fuel
This slot is separate from the main inventory
Burns a unit of fuel at the following intervals:
Oil: 350 seconds
Coal: 200 seconds
Wood: 100 seconds
Thatch: 40 seconds
Weapons
Changed delay before using newly placed land artillery to 10 minutes
This affects Cannons, Large Cannons, Catapults, Puckles, Ballistas, Mortars, and Swivel Guns
Bug Fix: Cannons can no longer be fired underwater
Misc
Removed XP reward from all bosses including the Abominable Snowman, Kraken, Hydra, Drake, Ghost Ship, and Blackwood's Queen Cobra
Removed Gold drops from Kraken, Squids, Army of the Damned Soldiers, fishing, and digging. The trade system will become the way to earn gold
Bug Fix: Driving a Cargo Cart over a Pillar will no longer cause the rider to dismount
Bug Fix: If a Ceiling Tile is placed on top of a Pillar and then destroyed, any object built on the Ceiling Tile will also be destroyed
Known Issues
No Sea Forts in D8
Golden Age Sea Forts currently cannot be claimed
Map may flicker when zoomed
Sea Forts currently have Peace Time which may be removed at a later date
Players may spawn on Sea Forts sometimes
Final Note
Again, we would like to emphasize that ATLAS is still in Early Access, meaning many things can and will likely continue to drastically change - even in the middle of development. Anything discussed is only up to date as of the moment it is posted. Features and changes that ultimately make it to the next patch may be different from what was previously discussed.
As always, we appreciate the suggestions and feedback from the community. Please keep them coming! Thank you for all of your support! :)
The new patch is getting really close! We’re still doing some final work and checks on the build. We don’t have an exact time and date on when it’ll be out yet, but here’s a quick heads up that it’ll likely be out early next week! Keep your eye on this post and our social channels for any updates. :) Now, let’s take a closer look at what’s coming and the tentative changelog.
10/26 UPDATE:
Patch will be out tonight at 7:00 PM PT. Est 30-45 min downtime. New post with final patch notes and info to come. Stay tuned! :)
Sea Forts & Trading
Earlier this week, one of the major items we discussed was the upcoming Trade System! A lot of you were curious about what the Towers on the island Control Points, now called Sea Forts, would look like! Trade Routes won’t be available yet, but you’ll be able to at least check out these Sea Forts and battle it out in the upcoming build! Here’s an early sneak peek: *** Please note that the above reflects a work in progress. The Sea Fort tower structures are still undergoing some work and adjustments will be made in subsequent updates.
We received a few questions as well about how the actual exchange of goods happens and how trade can be disrupted. When shipments for trade are generated, both parties will only receive the goods and generated gold if both Trading Ships successfully make it to the other Market. On PVP, a Shipment will not start if all Sea Forts on a grid that is a part of the Trade Ship’s route have blocked it from usage. Once a shipment starts, it will follow its intended path and pay taxes based on the conditions of its route at inception. Blockading will only stop new shipments or force it into another route if it’s not completely blocked. Trade ships can also be attacked directly, and although players will be able to steal resources from the Trade Ship, this functionality is still a work in progress.
We have seen concerns about how these Trade Ships may affect server load. Optimization and server stability are ongoing issues that involve the continual work we are doing to update the back-end code. Improvements are going to be a gradual process. However, we do have a mechanic in place to prevent an overload of Trade Ships. Once generated Trade Ships have reached a certain threshold, any shipments that should have been generated thereafter will be virtual. Virtual shipments do not generate a Trade Ship and cannot be attacked or stopped once it has met the conditions to start.
Ships
We also discussed the upcoming Ships for Gold system. At this time the plan is to have it exist alongside the current Ship system. The next patch will see a few changes to Ships to balance it out with the changes that the Trade system and Ships for Gold system will bring. Maximum level has been increased to 60 for ships and the exp curve has been adjusted accordingly. Schooner, Brigantine, and Galleon will now additionally cost Gold to build, and this amount will increase once the Trade System has been fully implemented. The new Ship Salesman has also settled into the Freeports, so you can pay him a visit although no ships will be available for purchase yet.
Re: Wipes
Many players were also concerned upon hearing about “more wipes.” This doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s going to suddenly be wipes left and right, only that instead of hesitating to wipe or waiting until a new “season,” we will perform the wipe if a situation calls for it. However, it does mean that a wipe can happen at any time, but only when necessary. We're going to do our best to minimize the possibility, but the possibility is always there. We'll announce wipes when we're sure, although how much of a heads up we can give is going to depend on the situation.
Understandably, many of you were also anticipating a wipe after hearing this news. This next patch will NOT include a wipe. However, as we continue to implement the Trade System, a wipe will be a necessary part of the process. We do not have a date for this yet, and will make an announcement once we do. We apologize for this inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.
For our Pathfinders sailing the seas of Private Servers, we will also let Private Server owners know if we recommend to follow suit when we announce a wipe.
In addition to the pieces we are setting in place for the Trade system and Ships for Gold, are a few changes and bug fixes as well. We’d also like to remind everyone that we are indeed working on bug fixes and other issues in tandem with the new content. Some patches may see more content, and other patches may see more tweaks or fixes. While certain patches may focus more in one area than another, it does not mean that we are not working on other things. We are a small team doing our best to balance all sides, and we appreciate all of your support and understanding as we continue to shape ATLAS’ gameplay.
See the tentative patch notes below:
Tentative Changelog
*** Please note that this is only a preview of the next patch. Final Patch Notes for the Live build may differ and will be reposted once it goes live.
New Feature: Sea Forts
Sea Forts are a form of Control Points that give Companies control over trading in an area. This system is foundational for the upcoming Trade System.
Sea Forts have automated defenses that will respawn over time when neutral
Players have a limited number of build points (100) to spend on a Sea Fort they own
Currently only Defense Towers may be built (15 pts each)
On PVP Servers, they may be captured and controlled!
To capture them, destroy the defenses and plant a flag inside the central tower
The flag takes 25 minutes to force an owned Fort return to neutral
The flag takes 10 minutes to capture on a neutral Fort
Sea Forts in Freeport Servers may not be captured
In an upcoming patch, Sea Forts will allow access through a server for Trading
You will be able to grant or restrict access to Allies or other Companies
Access to a Sea Fort is required for you to have trade routes that travel through a server!
Sea Forts may have a Tax Bank built on them
The Tax Bank can be raided for gold. Neutral points have the Tax Bank as well
NOTE: Until trading starts, they aren't actually earning any gold, so the Bank is empty
Tax Banks will allow companies to tax Trade Routes that use their Fort for access
Neutral Forts will have a high tax rate and allow everyone access to a server
Map
Added the Ship Salesman's Island to the center of each Freeport Grid
NOTE: Ships are not yet available for purchase. They will be added in a future update
Added Sea Fort Islands to the map. 1-4 exist on every server except the center
Ships
Increased maximum Ship level from 52 to 60
Adjusted Ship XP curve to increase the amount of XP required for early levels and greatly reduce the amount of XP required for later levels
Overall, this change reduces the total amount of XP required to reach max level
Added Gold cost for crafting Ships in a Shipyard
Schooner: 50 Gold
Brigantine: 250 Gold
Galleon: 500 Gold
NOTE: These costs will increase when the trade system has been fully implemented
Structures
Defense Towers may be built at the Smithy
May only be placed at Sea Forts
Requires Advanced Automation Skill from the Construction Tree
Added Fuel Slot to Farmhouse and Warehouse
Dedicated slot holds up to 1,000 units of Fuel
This slot is separate from the main inventory
Burns a unit of fuel at the following intervals:
Oil: 350 seconds
Coal: 200 seconds
Wood: 100 seconds
Thatch: 40 seconds
Weapons
Changed delay before using newly placed land artillery to 10 minutes
This affects Cannons, Large Cannons, Catapults, Puckles, Ballistas, Mortars, and Swivel Guns
Bug Fix: Cannons can no longer be fired underwater
Misc
Removed XP reward from all bosses including the Abominable Snowman, Kraken, Hydra, Drake, Ghost Ship, and Blackwood's Queen Cobra
Removed Gold drops from Kraken, Squids, Army of the Damned Soldiers, fishing, and digging. The trade system will become the way to earn gold
Bug Fix: Driving a Cargo Cart over a Pillar will no longer cause the rider to dismount
Bug Fix: If a Ceiling Tile is placed on top of a Pillar and then destroyed, any object built on the Ceiling Tile will also be destroyed
Final Note
Again, we would like to emphasize that ATLAS is still in Early Access, meaning many things can and will likely continue to drastically change - even in the middle of development. Anything discussed is only up to date as of the moment it is posted. Features and changes that ultimately make it to the next patch may be different from what was previously discussed.
As always, we appreciate the suggestions and feedback from the community. Please keep them coming! Thank you for all of your support! :)
Trade System
Development
