We hope you’ve been enjoying the Kraken Keep and Icy Caverns, because the next island is already on the horizon. Let’s take a look at the upcoming Lunar New Year update.
Sail damage
Ladies and gentle-pirates, soon Blazing Sails will finally have ACTUAL BLAZING SAILS:
Here's a WIP sneak peek:
You probably know the feeling of aiming too high and seeing your cannonball magically whizz through an enemy sail. Well, no more! With the Lunar New Year update, we will be adding sail damage. Damaged sails will cause your ship to sail slower. Of course, these can be repaired easily by simply hammering your masts. This added feature will add an extra twist to the current gameplay and can be very handy during a chase situation.
Lunar Lands
The Lunar Lands are a collection of steep rocks connected by wooden bridges. Though it has been long since abandoned, there’s still plenty of loot to be found, and the tall buildings make for excellent sniping spots!
Here's a little foretaste
Lunar New Year Cosmetics
Of course, no celebration is complete without some new cosmetics! We’ve got some oxcellent ideas cooked up for the year of the ox. Stay tuned for more.
To those asking for better optimisation -- we hear you! Our new team members are eager to jump on this issue. We've recently recruited a new programmer at Get Up Games to help further polish and improve Blazing Sails. We've also found an external partner that will focus on nativising our project. If all goes well this should definitely improve the overall performance. Later this year we've got a few interns joining our team. We believe they'll be able to learn a lot during their stay but also contribute in the further development of our game.
Long story short: some nice updates and optimisations are on the way. The future is looking bright and we simply can't wait to continue further development!
Sale!
On top of all that we've got a Daily Deal Sale going on right now! (Praise our lord and saviour Gaben) Get Blazing Sails at 25% off right now! The sale will end on the 27th of this month at 7pm CET. So what arrrr ye' waiting for scallywag? Grab it while it's hot!!
Let us know what you think about our updated Roadmap on Discord!
Update 1.2.4: Long distance gun sounds, defeated crew weapon drops and more
Ahoy ye scallywags!
If a cannon fires in the distance, but no one is around to hear it, does it still make a sound? The answer to that is yes, and with today's update, it'll make a much cooler sound than before! And it's not just regular cannons -- swivels and fast snipers also got a bit of an auditory upgrade.
There's some other changes that you've been requesting, like smoother transitions when jumping from ship to ship, and player weapons dropping when their team is defeated!
Sound overhauls:
New cannon sounds
New swivel cannon sounds
New fast sniper firing sound
Some water and ship sounds slightly reduced in volume
Cannon sounds optimized (consumes less audio channels)
Distant sounds added to all weapons
New cannonball air travel sound
Gameplay improvements:
Characters jumping from ship to ship should no longer teleport away for a split second (transition should be smoother)
When dropping weapons in the water they will now go up and down with the waves
Junk ship frontal damage points moved a bit so they no longer appear inside the hangmats
Player weapon drops:
All weapons now drop from a player if his team is defeated or when he disconnects
Damage:
Sprint is now blocked for 1 second by any type of damage, not only melee anymore
Ship gameplay:
Turning speed now increases and decreases depending on ship speed and no longer depending on sail deployment (sharper turns when anchored)
Turning speed is now slightly faster when stationary (60% when going full speed and 100% when stationary, half speed would be 80%)
Optimisations:
Removed some leftover components from the character (cleanup)
Improved collision performance on character
Bug fixes:
Fixed a bug that caused turning speed to be slowest instead of fastest when stationary until you used the sails
Fixed a bug that caused more than 16 players to be able to join pre-game servers
Bow mounted barrels should now work again
Fixed "Not enough room" warning when trying to steal ship items with a full inventory
Fixed incorrect metal rope attachment points LOD material
Hotfix 1.2.3.1: Less duplicates, more item drops and other bug fixes
Yarr! This update contains some reported bug fixes and requested improvements. Mainly the reward drop system has improved quite a lot with this hotfix.
Here are the patch notes:
Ship visuals:
Metal grates, mast reinforcements and other metal details made a bit darker and more rough
Gameplay changes:
Entering the crows nest now requires you to hold interact for 1 second
Entering enemy ship's crows nests has been enabled again
You can no longer drop items on or around the cork
You can no longer drop items in the air or in the water
Cosmetic item reward system:
Duplicate item drops should be less frequent
Rewards are no longer granted based on luck
First place now gets 4 items
Second place now gets 2 items
Third place or lower now gets 1 item
Bug fixes:
Open crew slots no longer count slots of closed crews
Open crew slots are now capped by the free slots on a server
Update 1.2.3: Brig & Junk improvements, server browser additions and more!
Ahoy! Time for yet another update. This update focusses mainly on some Quality of Life improvements and requests we've received from the community. Without further ado, here are the full patch notes:
Server browser:
You can now see how many available crew slots there are on a game that is in progress
You can now see if a server is in spawn selection (when it is, you can't join the server anymore to avoid being kicked back to the main menu)
Main menu:
Chat messages in the lobby chat now play the same sound as chat messages in-game
Gameplay changes:
In progress matches now allow up to 20 players to join (16 players during pre-game to limit max ship amount for performance reasons for now)
Destroyed ship containers now float above the front of the sinking ship instead of the center (so they no longer appear inside the smoke)
Melee hits now also block sprinting for 1 second on the target
Brigantine changes:
Crows nest has been redesigned to be a platform (similar to the junk ship)
Small crows nest platform added to front mast
Bowsprit angle lowered a bit
Stern has been rounded a bit more and rudder has been lowered
Steering wheel deck is a little bit longer now
Upper staircase moved back a bit (closer to the steering wheel)
Steering wheel deck railings shortened a bit
Small railing next to the steering wheel (above lower staircase) removed
Junk ship changes:
Interior decoration added
Bug fixes:
Fixed a flaw that allowed faster movement when moving sideways
Fixed a bug that sometimes caused water (high waves) to be briefly visible inside the Junk Ship's hull
Ship, Play and Pirate buttons in the main menu are no longer keyboard focusable so they won't interfere with party chat anymore when pressing enter
Chest on Kraken Keep spawning inside a rock has been removed
Defeated teams are no longer included in the open slots count
Update 1.2.2: Extra voice type, lobby chat box and more!
Hi there ye landlubbers!
We’ve got another small update with some important changes for you. Variety is the spice of life, that's why we’ve added a new male voice over for the in-game voice commands. We also noticed that sometimes servers kept going even if there were no players left in the game, that problem is now also fixed.
Find the the full patch notes below:
Main menu:
Winter themed music theme reverted to normal main menu theme
Chat system added to the party lobby (in the main-menu)
Ready-up warning added when party leader hovers over or clicks the Play button
Voice commands:
New male voice added (you can select it in the body settings tab of the character screen)
For your convenience we've made the new voicelines available on our website. You can check them out HERE!
Gameplay additions:
Slow auto heal on your own ship now works! (1HP per second)
Sunken ship containers now include all the upgrades the destroyed ship had installed
Bug fixes:
Dedicated servers will now shut down and restart properly when all players have left
News feed image hosting service now has a secured URL
Customisation:
Winter item drops are now disabled
So what arrrr ye' waiting for? Gather your crew and check out the newest update!
Hotfix 1.2.1: Party system improvements, Junk Ship tweaks and more!
Yarr! We're rolling out a hotfix for some issues with the party system (even more improvements will come in the future), some Junk Ship tweaks and other bug fixes / improvements.
Here are the full patch notes:
Optimisations:
Optimized client side ship attachment code which should slightly improve FPS
Animations:
Jumping on a ship now has a proper animation (there was no jump or in-air animation yet on ships)
Gameplay tweaks:
Junk Ship speed decreased with about 10%
Normal cannonball projectile speed increased from 7500 to 10000
Trapshot and anti-cannonball projectile speed increased from 6200 to 10000
handheld cannonball and swivel cannonball projectile speed increased from 8500 to 10000
Normal cannonball damage increased from 4 to 5
Swivel cannonball damage increased from 2 to 3
Melee range decreased from 190 to 170
Added some more loot spawns and some more chest spawns on Buccaneer Bay
Increased fog a bit again in foggy night setting
Party improvements:
The party leader can now lock the party when the party consists out of at least 3 players (to prevent randoms from joining the party)
When a party leader now leaves a party the leftover members remain in the party which is re-branded with a random leftover member’s customization instead of being split up into their own parties
Party bug fixes:
Fixed a bug that caused players of a party to be split into duplicates of the party once in-game
Fixed a bug that caused players not to auto rejoin their former party when going back to the main menu
Other bug fixes:
Damage values on broken bottle were incorrect (18) now fixed again to 12
Fixed a bug that caused the respawn ship camera to sometimes clip though the sail on the junk ship
Fixed the main menu theme song to be the christmas theme song as intended
Fixed a bug that caused the new items popup items to go out of bounds due to the popup box not scaling with the amount of items, now it scales accordingly
Fixed a bug that caused the floating wood crates to jitter when sinking into the sea
With the holiday season upon us, we’ve prepared a little competition for ye pirates. Discover the ins and outs of the new Icy Caverns, and send your crewmates a commemorative postcard to let them know you still care ♥
The Contest
The contest is simple: create a postcard of your pirate at the Icy Caverns. It can be holiday-themed, funny, artsy, whatever you want! Just follow these simple rules.
The competition starts on December 21st (now) and ends on January the 4th 5pm CET.
A maximum of two entries are allowed per person.
All entries must be submitted in the Official Blazing Sails Discord #postcard-competition channel to be eligible.
Postcard designs including offensive, political or NSFW content will automatically be disqualified.
Plundering other contestants' designs will also get ye disqualified.
And here are some tips for getting the perfect shot:
Hold F while in game, and select the 'Inspect Yourself' option to see your pirate in 3rd person.
Type /hh in chat to hide your HUD. Useful for getting a better 1st person shot!
For the artiest of artists, try hosting your own game with yer mateys, then type /scam to enter spectator mode. You can then freely move around with your camera! Use the mousewheel to control the camera speed, and backspace to leave spectator mode.
The plunder
The legendary creators of the five best postcards will have their usernames immortalized within the Icy Caverns! That's right, if you win the contest, your name will be engraved on our brand new island.
You'll also receive a Steam key to give away -- t'is the season after all.
Examples
Below are a few examples!
That's it for now, pirates. Good luck, have fun!
MAJOR Update 1.2: NEW SHIP, Winter Event and more!
Ho ho hyarr!
We're proud to release our biggest update since Early Access launch! Better put on a warm coat and get them mittens ready because this update too just cool to handle without!
Want to get up to speed on everything immediately? Check out the trailer below! [previewyoutube="oFc_-zPaefw;full"]
An all new ship
We love Brigs, but we also love variation. That's why we're introducing the brand-new Junk ship, inspired by ancient Chinese sailboats. The Junk is a lot faster than the Brig, best for hit-and-run tactics and boarding. Did we mention the front-facing cannon?
The Icy Caverns
Want to take your Junk ship for a spin in unexplored lands? You can! The Icy Caverns have drifted their way into Blazing Sails. This massive expanse of solid ice holds lots of loot for your crew to plunder. It's got plenty of space to have a good ol' fashioned brawl in, and lots of nooks and crannies for devious pirates.
New Cosmetics
Why be a regular pirate when you can be an angry snowman pirate? For a limited time only, you can earn a ton of unique holiday-themed cosmetics for both you and your ship!
Full Patch Notes
New ship:
The Junk Ship has been added! (a fast and agile alternative to the Brigantine with less firepower and a slightly weaker hull)
Main menu:
Ship type selector added to lobby screen
Tweaked the rotation of the outer left player preview so he is more facing forward
Added winter themed song to the main menu
Added winter cosmetic unlock sound and icon (snowflake)
New customisation options:
Added many new tattoo colors
New Island:
Icy Caverns have been added!
New weapon:
The butcher’s knife has been added!
Island changes:
Seadog Island has been moved to a different location (due to the addition of the Icy Caverns)
Gameplay changes:
Trapshot loading time decreased from 4 seconds to 3 seconds
Anti-cannon shot loading time decreased from 4 seconds to 3 seconds
Wood crates now always have 50% to have at least 1 explosive barrel
Wood crates now contain more trapshot and anti-cannon ammo
Trapshot ammo moved down from tier 4 to tier 3 (you will find more trapshot now)
Pickaxe damage changed to 40
Pickaxe attack speed changed to 0.7
Paddle damage changed to 22
Paddle attack speed changed to 1
Shovel damage changed to 30
Shovel attack speed changed to 0.9
Fog in night, night fog and day fog settings reduced
Nock gun droprate changed from tier 4 to tier 5
Visual improvements:
Ship wakes location updating on high waves improved
Water splashes when going through high waves timing improved (more accurate)
New cosmetic items:
Snowman Pirate Sail Emblem
Snowflake Pattern Sail Emblem
Reindeer Side Sail Emblem
Present Sail Emblem
Candy Cane Cross Sail Emblem
Ginger Cookie Sail Emblem
Green and Red Sails
Red and Green Sails
Cyan and White Hull
Red and Black Hull
White and Cyan Hull
Black and Red Hull
Green and Red Hull
Red Hull
Holly Flag Emblem
Candy Cane Cross Flag Emblem
Ginger Cookie Flag Emblem
Green and Red Flag
Red and Green Flag
White and Cyan Cavalier
White and Cyan Bicorn
Bright Cyan Bandana
White Bandana
Red and White Bicorn
Red and White Tricorn
Red and White Cavalier
White and Cyan Tricorn
Red Santa Hat
Blue Santa Hat
Green Santa Hat
Angry Snowman Hat
Happy Snowman Hat
Black and Brown Holly Tophat
Black Tophat
Red and White Holly Tophat
White and Cyan Holly Tophat
Purple and Orange Tophat
Black and Red Tophat
Black and Cyan Tophat
Black and Green Tophat
Green and Yellow Tophat
Left Cyan and White Boot
Right Cyan and White Boot
Left Black and Red Boot
Right Black and Red Boot
Left Red Candy cane Pegleg
Right Red Candy cane Pegleg
Left Blue Candy cane Pegleg
Right Blue Candy cane Pegleg
Left Green Candy cane Pegleg
Right Green Candy cane Pegleg
Fancy White Pants
Fancy Red Pants
Torn White Pants
Uneven White Pants
Cyan and White Jacket and Shirt
Cyan and White Vest and Shirt
Cyan Shirt
Yellow and Purple Vest and Shirt
Beige, Brown and Cyan Vest and Shirt
Beige, Blue and Purple Vest and Shirt
Beige and Red Vest and Shirt
Beige and Blue Vest and Shirt
Beige and Black Vest and Shirt
Beige, Brown and Blue Vest and Shirt
Beige, Brown and Red Vest and Shirt
Yellow and Purple Shirt
Beige and Cyan Shirt
Beige and Purple Shirt
Beige and Dark Gray Shirt
Beige and Black Shirt
Beige and Red Shirt
Beige and Blue Shirt
Purple Waist Strap
Cyan Waist Strap
Light Purple Waist Strap
Dark Gray Waist Strap
Black Waist Strap
Red Waist Strap
Blue Waist Strap
Purple Vest
Brown and Cyan Vest
Blue and Purple Vest
Red and Dark Gray Vest
Blue and Dark Gray Vest
Black Vest
Brown and Blue Vest
Brown and Red Vest
Purple and Red Vest
White, Red and Black Jacket and Shirt
White Waist Strap
Black Vest and Shirt
Green Waist Strap
Snowflake Tattoo
Pointy Eyes Tattoo
Options:
Max audio channels option added (32 and 64) to sound options (using 32 max audio channels may improve performance on systems with a weaker CPU)
Bug fixes:
Leader ship customisation should now always work when joining a game with a party
Fixed a bug in video options that caused very low preset button not to work
Fixed a bug with the swivel cannon that caused it to be unusable after rotating it in a certain angle
Fixed empty click sound when trying to fire with blunderbuss and nockgun
Fixed a bug that caused voice pitch to not be correctly saved sometimes
We're proud to announce our upcoming new ship type: The Junk Ship! This ship will be dropping along with our soon to come major winter update!
This design was inspired by ancient Chinese sailing ships. In comparison to the brig, the junk ship is smaller and trades in some firepower and ship health in return for incredible speeds. You also won't have to fiddle around with TNT barrels when going straight ahead, as the junk has a FRONT FACING CANNON! And no, that ain't a swivel -- that's a full-blown upgradeable cannon!
Here's sneak peek tour:
[previewyoutube="UyB6jYcbKyw;full"]
Is it better than a Brig?
We're going to be monitoring things carefully to make sure both ships are viable and balanced. In a straight firefight, the Brig still has an edge, but the Junk is able to maneuver around much faster, dipping in and out of range! Boarding should also be easier for the Junk ship, as you can quickly drop off some mean looking lads, then get out before the brig can respond.
So to answer that question: it's not supposed to be better -- just different.
Wasn't it supposed to be a 2-3 person ship?
That was the initial idea, but then we noted one issue: there's a lot of premade 4-man crews out there, and we don't want to deprive them of our beautiful Junk (heh). We're still open to other options (it is Early Access, after all) but for now, the Junk can also be manned by up to 4 players!
That said, because it has more of a focus on boarding, 3-player parties should still be able to win if they use the Junk effectively!
How many cannons does it have?
Right now the Junker is equiped with a total of two normal side cannons, and one in in the front. You also have the ability to install swivels of course! One on each side (behind the normal ones) and one in the back. (like with the Brig)
Does it sink faster?
Yes! The playstyle we want encourage with this ship type is agile and fast, but not tanky. So you better watch them repairs when playing with the Junk Ship!
Does the Junk have a cork?
Does a pirate poop in a bucket? OF COURSE!
Hope you pirates are excited for this addition! We'll share more info on our upcoming winter update very soon. Stay tuned!
Like this sneak peek thingy? Let us know on Discord!
