... about the development of Stranded Sails in our Weekly News. Stay up to date on what moved us during the week and on how the game is progressing. We are thrilled to connect with you and to share your thoughts.
World Map We are in the process of creating a map of the archipelago for orientation.
The Cursed Islands is a vas world. In the course of the game every island has to be discovered and explored. We've implemented a system that shows you where you've been and where you still need to go. Those parts of the map where you've already been are shown in detail. The unknown places are hidden behind a so-called "Fog of Exploration".
Intro Design improved The story of the game begins in a small harbour town where the crew awaits the departure of the ship. So far, the houses used to consist of grey placeholder blocks, which are now being replaced by real houses to create a beautiful city scenery. The intro should be finished soon.
Water Shader Water is an important part of the setting. That's why we want to make it as visually beautiful as possible. We are working on a shader that looks even cooler on the high seas.
Character Dialogues Our NPCs are not just boring placeholders! They get "ambient dialogues" that bring them to life by telling a little about their life story. These dialogues are of course optional for players who want to learn more and like to read stories. They are not part of the important quest dialogues.
Reminder Questionnaire Beta Testing On Thursday (April 4th, 6 p.m. CET) we will send again the newsletter of April 1st to our subscribers via email. The newsletter contains the questionnaire to apply for beta testing. If you haven't filled it out yet, don't worry. You may apply for a spot in the beta crew until April 7th (11 p.m. CET).
Unfortunately, we can only accept a limited number of beta testers. However, we don't want you to be left empty-handed. As a little token of gratitude we have an exclusive community gift for you: We are working on a stand-alone prologue that we will send to all our subscribers. It will give you a sneak peek at the game and the most important gameplay mechanics. The prologue story takes place before the main story of the full game. A special adventure awaits you!
Last Call Beta Registration Beta registration will close on April 4th (11 p.m. CET). We won't be able to accept new subscribers afterwards. Missed the original call for beta testers? You still have time to apply! If you want to be a beta tester, please don’t hesitate and sign up to our mailing list.
Join our growing Discord community and talk to us directly.
Are you interested in beta testing our games? Well, then feel free to put your name on our mailing list
Beta testing in sight!
We're excited to welcome each and every one of you to our trip to the Cursed Islands. Together with you, we want to set sail for a new gaming experience that captivates players with exploration, crafting, and farming in a fascinating maritime setting. We hope you enjoy the trip!
These are our important tips for preparing a maritime beta travel:
1. Shutdown Beta Registration Beta registration will close on April 4th at 11 p.m. Central European Time. If you haven't subscribed to our Mailing List yet, this is our final call. We are very happy that so many testers signed up. We know that you're all very eager to get started with the beta! Please keep an eye on your spam folder. We don't want you to miss your spot in the test!
2. Limited Number Of Beta Testers We'd love to send out a version for testing to each and every one of you and stay in touch. However, for organizational reasons, that's not possible, and we can only accept a limited number of testers.
3. Selection Of Testers To make sure that everybody has a fair chance and we get a good selection of testers with different gaming profiles we are sending along a short questionnaire about your gaming habits and preferences amongst others.
We are looking for all types of players, so don’t hesitate to apply! Whether hardcore, casual, old or young - we hope you enjoy discovering bugs and other defects as well as sharing your honest feedback. Our game isn't perfect yet, that's why we need your help as a beta tester!
4. Beta Testing In 3 Phases The beta will take place in three phases. We will start small and then expand the beta crew in the course of time in the following two phases. This way we can make sure that "fresh" testers try out the game neutrally at every stage.
5. Questionnaire The questionnaire is about to be sent by newsletter. It will provide us with all the basic info we need - of course, anything you enter will be treated as confidential and only be used for beta testing. We won't make your data available to any 3rd parties. Don't worry, it is not a test and there is no "best answer". Please fill out the questionnaire as soon as possible by April 7th (at 11 p.m. Central European Time).
6. Beta Invite If selected, we will invite you via email a few days prior to the start of the first phase of the beta at the beginning of April. Don't be sad if it doesn't work out right away, maybe you'll be testing in the second or third phase. We'll contact you shortly before by email.
The invite will cover next steps and include a detailed beta testing survey. Please share your Pros and Cons along with any other feedback you may have in the survey. Alternatively you can give us feedback directly via Discord.
We hope that you will give our game a thorough workout! But please keep in mind: Our game is in beta stage!
7. Confidentiality We have discussed the issue of confidentiality and how we want to deal with it at length with the developer. We trust you to refrain from any kind of release during closed beta testing. Why? In the beta stage, our game will still have some bugs and other issues to work through. We want discussions about these issues to remain private to avoid having them affect how our final release version is received. Especially, since these issues will be resolved by the time of the game's release. Thanks for your understanding!
8. Special Treat For Non-Beta Testers Please note that applicants who are not selected for the test won’t be contacted due to volume. But don't be disappointed! We have an alternative treat waiting for you: the prologue of Stranded Sails. As a subscriber, you get a temporal exclusive access! Be ONE OF THE FIRST to play the prologue. It will provide a special sneak peek at the game. We will inform you shortly and are looking forward to playing with you.
Well, quickly subscribe now and don't forget to check your mailbox (including spam)!
... about the development of Stranded Sails in our Weekly News. Stay up to date on what moved us during the week and on how the game is progressing. We are thrilled to connect with you and to share your thoughts.
Beta Preparation We are really giving everything we have to finish the beta version! We are looking forward to sending the questionnaire to our subscribers next week. Registration for beta testing will then be closed! If you want to join our beta crew please subcribe to our mailing list right now.
Food Info Every dish you cook contains a different amount of energy and/or buffs. We worked on the visualisation in the inventory to show you the effects of the dishes!
Steam Achievements All achievements have their own icon. There will be a lot to do for achievement hunters.
Intro-Credits Our intro-credits is a little eye-catcher. The names are faded in in a cool way just like in a good movie. So don't skip the intro!
Dialogue The camera now zooms in when you start a dialogue with an npc.
“Dude, where is my boat?” There will be a special map that will show you where you’ve left your little boat. In our internal tests people were looking for their boat way too often. Now you won’t “loose” it anymore.
Island Design Our personal island architects are still working on the design of the islands. They get a little prettier and more appealing every day. So we are making good progress.
Join our growing Discord community and talk to us directly.
Are you interested in beta testing our games? Well, then feel free to put your name on our mailing list
A bit of Stardew & Zelda
Hi everyone,
With Stranded Sails we’re aiming for both enthusiastic adventurers and farmers. Our community often raised the question how the blend of farming, exploration and adventure compares to games such as Legend of Zelda and Stardew Valley. To answer that question we came up with a simplified chart to show you what those games have in common and where they differ:
As you can see, we clearly focus on exploration and adventure. Farming and cooking are prerequisites for preparing yourself for what is waiting in the accursed islands. We hope you’re even more keen on beta testing now!
If you still have questions, please leave a comment. We are happy to answer them! ːsteamhappyː
... about the development of Stranded Sails in our Weekly News. Stay up to date on what moved us during the week and on how the game is progressing. We are thrilled to connect with you and to share your thoughts.
(1) GENERAL NEWS
Main story 99% of the main story is now finished! The game is basically playable. We are getting closer and closer to the beta!
Design island The design of the environment of the first peaceful island is now finished. Little by little the archipelago gets its tropical charm.
Sound effects Sound effects are already very advanced and strongly reminiscent of JRPGs.
Different running speeds This topic has been discussed a lot in the community. For this reason we have built in two running speeds: Normal running and fast sprinting. In general, the slightly slower running speed defines the speed in the game, so as not to constantly pass the plants during farming. However, in order to be able to run quickly from place to place we have built in a sprint function. But watch out: Sprinting costs more energy, of course.
(2) UPDATE FAQs
Your questions regarding beta testing
How do I become a beta tester? So you wanna be a beta tester? Great! Apply for beta testing by putting your name on our mailing list.
What is the beta testing about? We need your help by playing and testing the current beta version of the game. If you find a bug or other discrepancies, please let us know so we can polish and fix them. Please note when testing: It's not the final version and everything can still change!
Why do I have to apply as a beta tester? We would love to send out a version for testing to each and every one of you and stay in touch. However, for organizational reasons, that's not possible, and we can only accept a limited number of testers.
I subscribed to your list. Am I automatically a beta tester or how do you pick the testers? To make sure that everybody has a fair chance and we get a good selection of testers with different gaming profiles we'll be sending out a questionnaire about your gaming habits and preferences along with our newsletter shortly.
Why do I have to fill out a questionnaire? It will provide us with all the basic info we need to get a good selection of testers. Don't worry, it is not a test and there is no "best answer". Also, we do not accept cash or gold cards!
How do I get to know whether I was selected? If selected, we will notify you via email a few days prior to the start of the beta. Just in case: Also keep an eye on your spam folder. Good luck!
When can we expect the beta invite? Unfortunately, we cannot yet give an exact date as to when we will be able to send out the invites. In this phase of development there are always issues, which can ruin any timing. We're working hard to solve such issues and can only ask you to bear with us.
What can I play in the beta? The beta version includes the whole game that you can test for us. We hope that you give our game a thorough workout!
How can I give you feedback on the game? With our invitation to test the beta you will also receive a short survey. Please share your Pros and Cons along with any other feedback you may have in the survey. Alternatively you can give us feedback directly via Discord. There will probably be an extra beta channel for this.
How do I get access to the beta when I have been selected? We will send you a Steam key to add the beta version to your Steam library.
General new questions
Will there be gender options?
You may choose whether you want to play the son or the daughter of the captain. So there definitely is a gender option.
Will there be character creation or customization? You are ship-wrecked on a remote group of islands. Unfortunately, all your clothes got lost. What you wear on your body is all you have. A small consolation, however, remains. There are different hats you can wear. You get the hats as a reward for various quests.
Does the game have a deep crafting system? The crafting system is rather simple or rudimentary. It is mainly used to turn found items into items needed for quests or for camp expansion. In addition, we have devised other methods for obtaining upgrades, such as an improved bucket that waters multiple plants at the same time.
Can you play indefinitely or is there some rescue or leaving the island event, and then game over? Our intention is for the player to decide for himself when to leave the island. You can either quit the game or continue to find treasure maps on the island and farm comfortably.
How can the community support the game and the development team? We are looking forward to any kind of support. Chat with us on Discord or follow us on Twitter. Help us to make the game known in different communities!
How can we give you feedback? The best way to reach us is via Discord We cordially invite you to chat with us and the developers and a wonderful community.
Join our growing Discord community and talk to us directly.
Are you interested in beta testing our games? Well, then feel free to put your name on our mailing list
News #4 + New Shot
Hey there! You'll find all the exciting news...
... about the development of Stranded Sails in our Weekly News. Stay up to date on what moved us during the week and on how the game is progressing. We are thrilled to connect with you and to share your thoughts.
Tropical Island Biome Our peaceful tropical island biome is still work-in-progress. It got much bigger than we initially intended it to be, but that’s a plus!
Steam Achievements The Steam achievements for Stranded Sails are nearly done.
Steam Leaderboard There will be a Steam Leaderboard where you can measure yourself with other players about how well you did in the game!
Sounds Sounds, sounds and more sounds have to be implemented. There are a lot of different sounds!
Smooth Loading System An open world adventure is not really resource-friendly, so we’re working on hiding the loading times so that your gaming experience isn't negatively affected.
We are looking for you with our old navy spyglass! Join our growing Discord community and talk to us directly.
Follow us on Twitter @Stranded Sails and on Instagram @rokapublish !
Are you interested in beta testing our games? Well, then feel free to put your name on our mailing list.
Beta Test: News & last call
Hi everyone,
The sky is the limit, but the feedback we had after our call for beta testers got us totally gobsmacked! It's so great to connect with you guys! That's why we'd love to send out a version for testing to each and every one of you and stay in touch. However, for organizational reasons, that's not possible, and we can only accept a limited number of testers.
How do we pick our testers?
It's neither "first come, first serve" nor a lottery. To make sure that everybody has a fair chance and we get a good selection of testers with different gaming profiles we'll be sending out a questionnaire about your gaming habits and preferences along with our newsletter shortly. It will provide us with all the basic info we need - of course, anything you enter will be treated as confidential and only be used for beta testing. We won't make your data available to any 3rd parties.
For all of you, who won't be able to join us as beta testers, we're already preparing quite a treat that will also provide more insights into the game! So, stay tuned! ːsteamhappyː
This is our last call!!! Apply now for beta testing on our Mailing List
We can't wait to play with you guys!
You're all the motivation we need - please keep it coming & thank you so much, each and every one of you! One year ago, when we were throwing around the first ideas in our roka team, all we could do is dream of that much positive feedback and support.
... about the development of Stranded Sails in our Weekly News. Stay up to date on what moved us during the week and on how the game is progressing. We are thrilled to connect with you and to share your thoughts.
Wiki/Journal: The in-game journal has just been built into the game. Now it gets its last visual highlights!
Hint system: We're integrating a "hint-system" that will show the player at the beginning where to find certain things in a subtle way. (Like food in the menu and the like)
Sound effect framework: We have a lot* of different sound effects in the game. We designed a framework to effectively manage these effects.
Enemy encounter: The designs of the enemies are done and built into the game. Some last effects are missing BUT we'll soon show you our cool combat scenes!
German localization: For our Discord community and newsletter subscribers, we have a little present! We can already tell you so much: The German localization has been included and more language support will come! Stay tuned!
Get your role! On Discord we opened the #get-your-roles-here channel for you! There you can tell us how you got to know Stranded Sails and show your social media pride! Join in Discord !!
Reminder: Please note that you have to subscribe to our mailing list to have a chance to take part in beta testing! Enlist now if you haven’t done so far: https://stranded-sails.rokapublish.de/mailing-list
Can't get enough? Follow us on Discord, Twitter @Stranded Sails and on Instagram @rokapublish !
News #2 + New Shots
Hey there! You'll find all the exciting news...
... about the development of Stranded Sails in our Weekly News. Stay up to date on what moved us during the week and on how the game is progressing. We are thrilled to connect with you and to share your thoughts.
Journal/Wiki: We asked you (on Discord) about your use of journals/wikis as a source of information and we decided to build an in-game wiki/journal in Stranded Sails. Texts and illustrations are already done, we just have to implement them so it's still work in progress :)
Wind system: We added a pretty cool wind system. The wind has no impact in the game but it adds to the atmosphere of it! As you would expect, the wind at the sea or at the top of the mountain is harder than in the centre of the island!
Sounds: We are still working on adding sound effects to the game. Work in progress. (:
Edge Detection System: We're finetuning the system which is to prevent the main character from falling over edges and cliffs. That may sound simple, but it's quite complicated :/! However, we are getting there.
Enemy models: The enemy models are now work in progress! Remember the ghost pirates from our early concepts?
These are our latest screenshots:
Do you like the news? Do you have ideas to share? Join our Discord Server and share your thoughts or comment this News.
Beta Testers Wanted!
Hi everyone,
We are looking for intrepid gamers who would like to become the first explorers of the cursed islands. Are you one of them? Join the Beta Crew and help us to improve the gameplay experience of Stranded Sails!
To apply as a beta tester, please follow the link and subscribe to our mailing list: https://www.rokapublish.de/mailing-list
If selected, we will notify you via email a few days prior to the start of the beta. Good luck!
ATTENTION! If you have problems with the representation of the signup form, e.g. no subscibe button or no space to enter your email address are available, please awake the explorer inside and follow this link: Subscription Mailing List With our old navy spyglass we won't miss you!!!
NOTE REGARDING BETA TIMING: We are currently running alpha tests internally to ensure a high quality of the game. Unfortunately this takes time. We assume that the game will be at least 4-6 weeks in alpha stage. Therefore we kindly ask for your patience.
