Build Version: 1.1.3.5.4d9e3cf71
Release Date: 25/07/2018
Known Issues
What’s New
Eleutheria has arrived. It’s dark, deadly and terrifyingly beautiful. Survival here is very hard. Good luck Captain, you’re really going to need it.
To access Eleutheria you will need to travel through the Reach-Eleutheria Transit Relay located in the Hybras segment. Go prepared and be warned; you may not be able to come back via the same route through which you enter. Permits are not cheap, they will set you back 800 Sovereigns and once purchased you’ll need Savage Secrets or Caddies of Dried Tea to gain entry.
The Eleutherian region has a different layout to the Reach and Albion. There is no inner and outer ring, just a central hub and one wide ring surrounding it, which is divided into four segments. Eleutheria also features a new type of port, mini ports known as Platforms. You’ll be able to dock at Platforms and access content in the same way you do at larger Stations, as they are now known.
In our previous update we introduced the ability to toggle your locomotive headlight on and off. Your headlight affects your rate of Terror gain and in Eleutheria it will also affect the way agents behave towards you. Some cannot tolerate the light and will attack you when your beam shines over them, others will become wrathful when it’s off. Sleeping Grievers are a perfect example, shine your light on them if you dare. That said, even with your light off they can sense your presence in other ways. We recommend you keep your Terror low when entering their territories. It’s not a good idea to bump into them either.
When to use the headlight will become a fine balancing act since Eleutheria is so dark you’ll definitely need to use it to tell what terrain you can crash into. Even scouts have a difficult time seeing what’s in front of them. No matter whether they are Discerning or Oblivious scouts, they will mark all Eleutherian finds with a ‘something dark’ icon on your chart.
Just like with Albion we’re keen for you to explore Eleutheria yourselves and we don’t want to give too much away, but in brief Eleutheria contains:
Seven new ports (Stations) and three Platforms.
Three new agents; Dousers, Grievers and Empyrean Outriders
Two new Spectacles.
New transient Discoveries: Stacks, Blind Hermits, Extinguishments, Crossroads and Amber Chunks.
New persistent Discoveries: Well of Wonders and Wreck of the Berrenger (content for this wreck didn’t make the cut off for release so the model is in place and the content will follow in the next update).
A new locomotive; the Medea-Class Destroyer is available at the Pan engine yard.
The Altani-Class Outrider has returned and is available at Eagle’s Empyrean.
New locomotive equipment and weapons are available at Pan.
Eleutherian Prospects and Bargains.
Blemmigans!
A note about performance
Some of our players have been experiencing performance issues in the last few builds. We made a bunch of fixes in the Roleplay update which addressed various exceptions caused by weather and wrath that lead to an eventual game freeze. However, we found that some rare weather exceptions remained.
We believe we’ve fixed the last of the weather issues now, but like peeling an onion, once we fixed those bugs we found other performance issues lurking underneath which had been hard to detect until the weather errors were out of the way.
We've spent the last week continuing to peel that performance ‘onion’ and we've made significant improvements. However we can see there is more for us to do to improve performance across the game, so this is not the end of the optimisations.
Players will still see brief dips in FPS in certain circumstances (docking/undocking, deploying scouts, just before crossing segment borders as the next segment loads), but they should not experience continued stuttering. Anyone that does needs to report this to us so we can diagnose the problem. Details of what we need you to send us are below.
Any player who has experienced the stuttering in previous builds should take the following steps after today's update:
Go to C:\Users\[YourUserName]\AppData\LocalLow\Failbetter Games\Sunless Skies\storage\
Delete the data folder
Launch the game to regenerate the data folder
Play as you normally would
If after taking these steps you experience further persistent performance issues, please dock at the port in the segment where you experience any stuttering and send an email to skies@failbettergames.com with your save files and your output log so we can look into individual cases.
Updates
We’ve revamped the controls menu.
Controllers are now remembered between playthroughs once activated.
Hotkeys are now in place for the navigation bar interfaces (H = Hold, O = Officers, etc) - see their tooltips for details.
A whole bunch of new SFX are in place including Scout deployment jingles and Agent wrath sounds (we dare you to go antagonise an Enduring Dreadnought)
We’ve introduced an Ambient SFX slider on the audio menu but we've not finished separating out all the SFX from the environmental sounds
New Officer ambient messages for circumstances like opening the last barrel of fuel
Additional scout messages
Replaced the loading percentage with a circular icon
Bug Fixes
We fixed an issue on Wefts of Unraveled time which reset the in-game date, causing time related stories to become locked
We've fixed more exceptions with the weather functionality which was causing errors to be spammed to the output log and an eventual game freeze.
The equipment and weapon stats at Portsmouth Arsenal, the Inscribed Tinkerer’s Workshop and Mr Menageries Stall for Delicious Scouts have now been updated.
We’ve fixed an issue with the Rochester Races which stopped players claiming victory.
The Amenable Host’s quests now reset correctly when you pass on a legacy to a new Captain.
You can now progress fully through the quest at Perdurance.
The directions token for the Bombazine prospect to the Mausoleum now works correctly.
Items are now removed from the Repentant Devil when asking him about his possible enemies.
We’ve removed references to Muses Marks and replaced them with Moments of Inspiration at Traitor’s Wood.
Players will no longer become trapped in a Must Event at Traitor’s Wood.
The Repentant Devil storyline can no longer be farmed for XP.
The Altani once again has three auxiliary slots.
The chart icons on the legend are no longer stretched.
The Officer's chat interface can no longer be opened over the top of Navigation interfaces.
The Fatalistic Signalman's ambient message for Magdalene's is no longer firing at Polmear & Plenty's.
You can now once again only accept a maximum of four prospects.
We've fixed all the typos in the Officer's ambient messages.
Headlights now toggle correctly when purchasing a new locomotive with the headlight off.
The chart now focuses on the player when it is opened in Albion for the first time.
The Guest’s projectiles now despawn correctly and their SFX can no longer be heard after death.
We fixed an inconsistency with a Leadbetter & Stainrod Nature Reserve storyline at Traitor’s Wood.
The election can no longer be held at Brabazon after winning.
You can now speed up the credits using controllers.
The headlight can now be turned on and off with a controller.
The Incognito Princess is no longer referred to as Signaller
Known Issues
Below is a list of known issues for this build. For a full list of known game issues see our Known Issues page.
The Spatchcock has lost its engine SFX.
A few assets in Eleutheria do not have collision damage applied to them.
Ambient messages and the player locomotive can appear underneath Amber Chucks assets
Em dashes are not working in ambient messages - this will be seen as a large gap
Headlight toggle SFX is not in place on non-Spatchcock locomotives
No docking SFX on some Stations and Platforms in Eleutheria
Large locomotives like the Bedivere can be shunted to the side when leaving Platforms in the Pan segment
The loading icon will stop cycling making it appear as if the game is frozen during loading
As always, if you find a bug that's not on the Known Issues page then send us a quick Bug Report.
ROLEPLAY
Skyfarers, in this update you’ll find a plethora of additions that embellish roleplay within Sunless Skies! This build also features:
Updates to Character Creation
A new Ambition
New Origins and now Deeds
3 new Officers
4 new Mascots
A slew of new locomotive weapons and equipment
An interesting new twist on our FBG Podcasts!
And some extra news:The Blemmigan Gallivanter, one of the three blemmigans achieved during the Sunless Skies Kickstarter is now available in Sunless Sea!
CHARACTER CREATION
New character origins have been added: you can now play a priest, a revolutionary, a zee-captain, and an ex-Auditor of the Ministry of Public Decency!
The whole Character Creation process has received a significant visual upgrade - everything is now much prettier and clearer, with lashings of gorgeous art. As requested by our Early Access players, you can now also cycle through your avatar's appearance options using a button rather than using the dropdown menu.
There are a few new pieces of headwear to select from within the cameo creation, and a whole new section dubbed 'Attire' which features full-body outfits such as the diving suit.
ORIGINS & DEEDS
Levelling up your character has also received a substantial visual upgrade. We hope you'll find the process more pleasant and evocative!
We've also added more than a dozen new facets to develop your character. You can now choose to have been one of the first brave souls to enter the sky, to have fought at the Blockade of New Winchester, or to have received a foretelling of your own death!
Every origin now has a unique facet to develop its story: Auditors can choose why they were fired from the Ministry, for example, while priests can decide what happened when they suffered a crisis of faith.
This update also includes our first two 'deeds' - character facets that are only unlocked by experiencing certain circumstances while playing. Part of the fun of these is in discovering them, so we'll keep what they are and how they're unlocked a secret for now. Perhaps a small hint, though: one of them is called 'A Narrow Escape.'
AMBITIONS
An extensive new Ambition is now available! The Song of the Sky is a grand tale of fame and its pursuit, written by Harry Tuffs.
The Song of the Sky looms in your mind, a half-finished monument.
Unlike the Sunless Sea version of this ambition, the Song of the Sky isn't just about achieving fame; it's about actually writing the story you leave behind, the creative decisions you make while doing so, and the pitfalls of publishing it.
It's not enough to merely accomplish great deeds - you must ensure they are portrayed in a manner that does them justice! What better way than to write them yourself? Will you create a romantic adventure or a searing expose? Are you the hero, or merely the witness? Is it a story of glory or of horror? Deal with an Omnivorous Publisher. Fall afoul of the Ministry of Public Decency. Write your legend!
OFFICERS
As you may have read, Kieron Gillen has joined the list of exceptional Sunless Skies guest writers and has written an exquisite and horrifying journey with an Incognito Princess!
Other officers becoming available in this update include the fiercely competent (and fiercely adorable) Rat Brigade and the brooding Repentant Devil, written by James Chew and Emily Short, respectively. Our next build in July will also introduce the Incautious Driver.
You may find them milling about both The Reach and Albion. As officer stories stretch across multiple regions, not all these stories can currently be completed - but as the game expands, more of them will open up.
MASCOTS
It is now the Perfect Pangolin’s true time to shine - new mascots have arrived! Though, you’ll have to wait to meet our Perfect Pangolin in Eleutheria.
Alongside her Magnificence, the other more available mascots include the Kickstarter-exclusive Obviously Delicious Rabbit, as well as the Inadvisably Big Dog, and the Useless Cat. The canine and feline mascots can be picked up at certain locations depending on your stats.
NEW LOCOMOTIVE EQUIPMEN
Locomotive equipment has received a substantial overhaul, with stats, requirements and costs changing. About a dozen new pieces of equipment have been added, including the Wit & Vinegar Winch and Pully, Lamellared Sky-Steel plating, a Gleaming Galley, and Sensible Plumbing.
All the locomotives now handle differently, from the lumbering Pellinore to the nimble Parzival, which rewards the skilled player with precious maneuverability in a fight.
You'll also find two new locomotive models available:the Agravain-class juggernaut (a lighter, more versatile version of London's dreadnoughts), and the Medea-class destroyer (an experimental engine, the product of exiled genius). The Agravain is available immediately, but you'll have to wait for the next build for the Medea, as it lies in Eleutheria.
NEW LOCOMOTIVE WEAPONS
Higher-tiered levels of the shotgun, rapid-fire and project weapons are now available! Shoot your enemies with even more efficiency and power. We recommend the Cotterell & Hathersage Golgonooza:
"What immortal hand or eye, dare frame thy fearful symmetry?" The pride and terror of Cotterell & Hathersage, colloquially known as 'the Finisher'. Its recoil is never forgotten by those who fire her. The opinion of those fired upon is best sourced through a good medium.
WHAT’S NEXT
Mark your diaries for upcoming terror and dread, as our next build release will be Eleutheria, the third region of the High Wilderness! In Mid-July expect a whole new spooky region to explore; new, nightmarish agents, and improved survival mechanics (you'll need them).
This FBG Podcast we’re trying something different! Join us on FuzzyFreaks’ channelFriday 8th June at 13:30 BST, where she’ll be trying out the latest build. A few of us will be on voice chat and we’re sure many other Failbetterers will tag along in the Twitch chat too! Fuzzy often streams for 6+ hours too, so there’s plenty of chances to catch the stream live.
Patch Notes - 1.1.0.4.cd2a9a87a (7th June 2018)
Build Version: 1.1.0.4.cd2a9a87a
Release Date: 07/06/2018
Known Issues
What's New
Officers The first batch of new officers have been released and you can now talk to them and assign them to benefit from their stat boosts. Assigning an officer can only be done when docked. Open the officer's interface on the navigation bar and click the little circle next to their icon. The cap icon will show when they have been successfully assigned. You can talk to your officers either by clicking on their icon within the officer's interface, or on the officer HUD in the top right of the screen.
New on the scene are the Incognito Princess, the Repentant Devil and the Rat Brigade, all with their own storylines and ambient messages which fire as you approach ports and various discoveries. Existing Officers like the Inconvenient Aunt and Fatalistic Signalman have also received updates and expansions to their storylines. The Incautious Driver and Clay Conductor's storylines will be available in a future build.
Mascots Mascots are also available in this update. The Obviously Delicious Rabbit is available for our Kickstarter backers and the Useless Cat and Inadvisably Big Dog can now be acquired. The Perfect Pangolin has also been deployed but since she is obtained at a port in Eleutheria you'll need to wait for the next update to get your hands on her. Similarly the Blemmigan Voyager will be released in a future update. Like officers, all mascots offer stat boosts when equipped and can be interacted with.
Character Creation We've jazzed up the character creation screen. Not only has it received a new background and icons but there are now four new Origins and a new Ambition: The Song of the Sky.
This update to the character creation screen does not include additional character attributes (e.g. noses, chins, brows, etc.) but it does include two new 'hats' - a turban and a hijab for our Sikh and Muslim communities respectively.
Character Progression We've also spruced up the Character Progression screen. In the last update we added a few additional Facets and now there are even more to choose from as you level up your captain.
Victory Screen and Heirlooms We now have the Victory screen in place for when you complete your Ambition, which is very similar to the legacy screen when you die and create a new captain. After successfully completing your Ambition, your successor will receive everything that a new captain would after the death of an old one, only they will not have a piece of equipment removed and they will receive a very prestigious Heirloom quality. Heirlooms will be displayed in your Possessions interface. Have fun collecting them all!
Headlights Headlights can now be toggled on and off (L on the keyboard, controller support coming soon). Turning your headlight off will cause your current rate of Terror gain to double. Toggling your headlight will have more implications in later builds.
Chart The chart now has an expandable legend. The regions have been separated and scrolling away from the centre of your current region is limited, but you can toggle between regions using the arrows on the legend.
Wrath and Health Feedback In the last update we added the wrath crescent, a little arc of red light that pulses and indicates the direction of an agent that has taken a dislike to you. We've also added some additional wrath feedback mechanics in this build. All mechanical agents now have white lights along their hull and when you invoke their wrath they go to red alert! Organic agents emit a red aura of rage.
All agents now have health feedback too. Mechanical agents will start to smoke when they reach 50% health and will go on to catch fire at 25%. Organic agents start to spew 'blood' particles at 50%, which gets worse at 25%.
Locomotives There's a new locomotive available at London: the Agravain. The Altani has been removed from London and added to a port in Eleutheria for lore reasons. You'll be able to get your hands on it again once our third region is released.
We've also altered the movement parameters of all the available locomotives so that they handle differently. While all locomotives share the same maximum speed, some like the Bedivere will reach that top speed much quicker than other locomotives. Some like the Parzival have a lower skid suppression so are a bit harder to handle, but are much nippier in battle. Others are steadier but don't take corners quite as quick. We hope you have fun finding the perfect locomotive for your needs and that you'll leave us feedback on the forums.
Equipment We've added a bunch of new equipment, available at New Winchester and London, along with higher tier weapons!
Higher tier equipment, weapons and scouts now have quality requirements. If requirements have been added to items that you have equipped on your existing save game, you may no longer meet the requirements. If this is the case you will not receive their bonuses after the Roleplay update, however they will not be automatically unequipped from your locomotive. Because of this you may see some unusual behaviour with your cargo number. Unequipping the item will resolve this. More details can be found here.
In the future we will implement a method for notifying players that they no longer meet the requirements for equipped items when their stats drop through storylets and other actions.
We've also tweaked equipment tooltips so that they state the locomotive slot that they can be equipped to. No more guessing when purchasing new equipment.
Updates
Agent movement is now halted when the chart is open.
Some agent's movement parameters have been tweaked, Reach Marauders are slightly faster for example.
All Isambard Line assets, including the signal boxes, have been updated to look dilapidated and to fit with their region.
Ambient messages are in place around the Isambard Line signal boxes.
We've made some optimisations to the interfaces in game which will improve performance.
The game now continues to run/load when you tab out.
We've reorganised some of the quality categories to tidy up the Profile and Possessions interfaces.
We've reduced the Gratitude cost when purchasing items like Ministry-Stamped Permits and Savage Secrets from factions like Victory Hall and the Ministry of Public decency.
You are now rewarded with Sovereigns on handing in port reports rather than fuel and supplies. The amount you receive has also been buffed slightly.
Bug Fixes
Wrath and Weather Halo mechanics will no longer cause exceptions which cause the game to freeze.
Dreadnought bullets now despawn and do not spam the output log with exceptions.
We've fixed exceptions that were fired when engaging Curators.
The ? chart icon now updates when the player encounters Transit Relays after being found by oblivious scouts.
Spectacles, Transit Relays and Persistent Discoveries are now marked with their correct icons on the chart when discovered without the aid of a scout.
Spectacle, Transit Relay and Persistent Discovery icons now persist on the chart after reloading the game.
Kickstarter backers can no longer obtain multiple Cyclopean Owls.
The controller instructions no longer overflow the storylet interface when UI scale is increased.
You can now back out of all sub-menus on the Options menu using a controller.
Instructional text now displays correctly on the character creation screen.
Highlighting on Origin choices no longer persists if selecting a different Origin on the character creation screen.
We have changed the wording on some origins and histories so they are less confusing on the summary panel of the character creation screen.
Interface tooltips are no longer tied to the cursor.
We've fixed the stretching in the Curator animation.
Label overlap on the chart has been drastically reduced.
Isambard Line assets are now correctly aligned on the chart.
Known Issues
Below is a list of known issues. For a full list of game issues see our Known Issues page.
The Altani has not been reverted to three auxiliary slots yet (and will not be available again until Eleutheria is released).
There are a few typos in the Officer's ambient messages.
The Fatalistic Signalman's ambient message for Magdalene's is firing at Polmear & Plenty's.
The Officer's chat interface can be opened over the top of navigation interfaces.
You cannot currently open navigation interfaces alongside the Officer chat interface.
The new Character Progression screen is affected by UI Scale.
Locomotive descriptions on the engine yard interface is affected by Font Scale.
The player's avatar is affected by UI Scale when creating a new character - if not set to defaults then the avatar will be blank.
The new Character Creation screen is affected by Font and UI Scale.
Some of the Ambition text is cut off on the Character Creation screen.
Icons are stretched on the Chart legend.
The chart does not focus on the player when it is opened in Albion for the first time.
Tooltips do not work on the victory screen.
The game fade-out and victory screen fade-in overlap.
The red wrath lights on mechanical agents do not turn off once they disengage/flee.
Red wrath lights on mechanical agents are not toggled on on secondary agents during 'wrath chaining' (e.g. when you anger a Tackety and his buddy comes over to help him fight, the lights will remain white).
The headlight toggle is not currently mapped to controller support.
The headlight toggle SFX is only in place on the Spatchcock.
Purchasing a new locomotive with your headlight off will cause your new ship to load with the headlight on visually, but not functionally - i.e. you'll gain double Terror while the light is 'on'. You need to turn it off and on again to restore proper functionality.
After purchasing a new locomotive with your headlight off you need to press L twice to turn off the headlight on your new locomotive.
As always, if you find a bug that's not on the Known Issues page then send us a quick Bug Report.
THREAT
One of the things we really wanted to finesse was the feeling of 'Threat' within the game. Sunless Skies is a brighter, more diverse landscape than Sunless Sea, so it's extremely important to us that there’s still has a sense of peril and dread.
WEATHER
With Threat as our main focus, we’ve been busy implementing a few Hazardous Discoveries. Beware, as some existing Discoveries now have the ability to spawn enemies!
The most major Hazardous Discovery work includes adding three different types of weather to the High Wilderness, which effect players and their locomotives in different ways.
The Peacock Wind is a ripe, boisterous wind which blows in the Reach. It smells green and mulchy, and sends leaves scuttling against the windows of your engine.
The Candle-Wind is a hollow, howling wind, flickering with a procession of candleflames. It gives you a gnawing hunger, impossible to satisfy.
The Storm That Speaks is a storm of growling thunder, stabbing violet lightning, and countless voices that ride its winds. What are they trying to tell you?
WORSHIP
Our writers have also been busy creating gods. While paganism is not condoned by The Church in London, many skyfarers were once zailors, and when they couldn't bring their old gods with them to the High Wilderness, they found new deities to worship among the powers of the sky.
Captains may now find that certain actions can attract a god's attention or wrath. Currently, only a few events grant or use attention, but more will be added as development continues.
The Waste-Waif dwells in the deserted spaces where suns have died, and commands the winds the same way a shepherd commands sheepdogs. The lost, the outcast and the dying like to imagine a kinship with it.
The Burrower Below gnaws at the roots of heaven. Skyfarers say her breath is the fog that fills the High Wilderness, and sometimes they make oaths in her name. Her retribution is rightly feared.
The Storm that Speaks is a tempestuous power associated with grief, melancholy, regret and the past (where its house is said to lie). Some say that the hours mined in the Reach are its tears. It is partial to souls.
SCOUTS
More scouts are now available, including: the Star-Smitten Bat, the Intrepid Cavey, the Cyclopean Owl (a Kickstarter exclusive) and the Ratronaut!
Each scout has a different set of stats, so some will travel further, or report additional findings each trip, or provide more information about the things they find!
OTHER IMPROVEMENTS
With the Scout additions also comes some additions to the Chart, such as icons for transit stations, Spectacles, and Discoveries.
With more features at our disposal, we’ve now made improvements to agent and Discovery spawning. This will affect the variety and frequency of Discoveries and agents you'll come across. Now your captain’s actions will have more effect on the types of things you encounter in the High Wilderness. We've spent a lot of time creating interesting and dynamic situations we can’t wait for you to discover!
We've also enlisted the horrific imaginations of Harry Tuffs and Emily Short to craft some new Nightmares. As your Terror rises and your Condition worsens, you may find yourself experiencing new sets of horrific realisations.
We've also revised and expanded the Winchester War between the Tacketies and Stovepipes. The war now has a greater effect on the spawning of each side's vessels. New content has been added to reflect its current state (including new more opportunities to affect the course of the war and new Bargains and Prospects). In addition, the systems that handle its general progress will conduct themselves more discreetly behind the scenes. You can always read the newspapers at New Winchester to learn of recent developments in the war, including how both sides perceive you.
Our Threat build has also received some updates to Wrath. Agents will now provide visual feedback when they are provoked or hostile. A few animations and visuals for damaged agents are also now implemented (with more coming later!), helping to indicate how close to death they are.
Our next build will cover improvements to the roleplaying aspects within the game. Next month prepare yourselves for new officers and officer storylines; mascots; character backgrounds; new pasts and deeds; and even some new weapons and equipment for player locomotives!
Build Version: 1.0.9.4.72fb12b
Release Date: 09/05/2018
Known Issues
In a nutshell, the Threat update is all about making the High wilderness feel like a more dangerous place. It is a more dangerous place. Be prepared to defend yourself. Be prepared to die, frequently. You are welcome.
What's New
Hazardous Discoveries Various transient discoveries across the High Wilderness are now Hazardous Discoveries, that is they have a chance to give you a nasty surprise when you interact with them. This is generally in the form of spawning a beastie who will be rather displeased to see you (their sudden appearance may give you a bit of a shock, but we'll be adding a more subtle spawn animation in the future).
Some discoveries (Vitrified Structures, Curators Eggs and Grim Inscriptions) now have a halo effect similar to Spectacles where Terror will be applied when you get too close. Others like Wefts of Unravelled Time force interaction when you approach. Sail carefully!
Weather Weather is a special type of Hazardous Discovery that randomly spawns throughout the High Wilderness (there are many spawn points in the Reach but only a few in Albion at present. We will be implementing additional weather spawn zones in a future update). All weather exhibits a physical force on locomotives along with other effects, some negative others beneficial.
The Peacock Wind will increase your rate of Terror gain but also replenish your current barrel of supplies up to 100%.
The Candlewind will increase your rate of supply consumption. Ensure you have enough sustenance before daring to cross it.
The Storm-that-Speaks is an interactable discovery. If you can cope with the Terror gain and Hull damage on your journey to the eye of the storm, then perhaps you may speak to it.
Scouts The Diffident Bat finally has some company. This update sees the release of an additional three scouts, the Star-Smitten Bat, the Intrepid Cavy and the Ratronaut. For Kickstarter backers there is also the Cyclopean Owl. These are not just pretty pets, but useful lookouts each with varying abilities. There are three attributes by which scouts can be ranked:
Bravery. Scouts are either Cautious and search for things nearby (Diffident Bat, Cyclopean Owl) or Bold and have a longer range.
Curiosity. Scouts can be Diffident and only report a single find (Diffident Bat, Star-Smitten Bat, Intrepid Cavy), or they can be Inquisitive and spot up to three things of interest.
Acuity. Finally Scouts may be Oblivious and simply mark locations on your chart (Diffident Bat, Star-Smitten Bat, The Ratronaut), or they may be Discerning and will categorise their findings with unique icons.
The helpful critters can be acquired from a very special merchant who you'll encounter at New Winchester. This trader will appear after roughly a month of in-game time on a new account and will have already set up shop on existing saves, so it's worth a detour to take a look at his wares. Be warned though, the merchant is a traveller and once you've poked around his shop he will move on. Fortunately he will always leave a clue as to where he intends to visit next (after a number of stops he will move on to Eleutheria so ensure you do not squander your opportunities to purchase new scouts).
Wrath Agents now provide visual feedback when they are provoked. A crescent will be seen around your locomotive indicating the direction of the agent and their hostility towards you. The colour will change from white to red as an agent's wrath builds and if it decides to attack the crescent will pulse deep red before vanishing. Some agents have bespoke animations, like Scrive-Spinters which emit a red glow of rage when they decide to hunt you down. Other agents will be updated with similar effects in due course.
Some beasties like the Scrive-Spinster and Enduring Dreadnought now have damage indicators. Dreadnoughts will start smoking when they reach 50% health and will catch fire around 25%. Scrive-Spinsters have a similar effect where they start to ooze yellow particles as they take damage. Again we'll be applying similar effects to other beasties throughout the High Wilderness in future updates.
There are now bunch of new ways for you to accrue wrath from various enemies. Some agents in the Reach will be friendly or hostile towards you depending on your allegiance in the Winchester War. Some will become angry when you are running errands for their enemies in the form of Prospects and Bargains. Other agents, like the territorial Chorsiter Bees, will take issue with you when you are carrying certain items. Approaching them may raise their hackles and while they'll check you out they will generally leave you alone. If you're carrying Nectar however, well, just remember our advice. Don't antagonise the bees!
Updates
We've revisited discovery and agent spawning in the Reach so the experience is more akin to that in Albion. Some discoveries that were released in the Albion update can now be found in the Reach.
We've added a whole host of new ambient text including segment entrance messages.
We've added four interactable Isambard line discoveries.
You'll now experience new Nightmares as your Terror rises and your Condition worsens
We've expanded the Winchester War content between the Tacketies and Stovepipes with added options to influence the course of the war.
The Winchester War now has a greater effect on the spawning of agents around the Reach.
New Prospects and Bargains.
Hints are now present on the loading screen.
Esc now closes interfaces.
Bullets and their particle effects have been updated.
The locomotive's smoke trail has been updated.
New chart icons for Spectacles, Transit Relays and Discoveries.
We've improved the UI highlighting for controller/keyboard support.
We've made changes to the Prospects and Bargains interface to make it more user friendly.
Current and example save files have been removed from the mode selection screen when starting a new game.
New Term of Address options on character creation.
Wonder and Horror music has been introduced to Spectacles.
New SFX are in place throughout the High Wilderness including: docking, agent attacks, weapons fire, looting, fuel/supply barrel change and level up.
Bug Fixes
You now have to turn controller support on manually in the control options menu. This is a temporary fix to stop gaming keyboards, mouse devices and non-standard controllers (e.g. foot pedals, arcade sticks, steering wheels) being auto-detected.
Controller instructions will no longer become stuck on screen after death.
The Interact prompt no longer appears over the top of the transit gates once activated and the animation runs.
You can now open more than one section at a time on Possessions interface with a controller.
The pause menu no longer opens behind the Chart.
Homesteads now appear in the Prosper segment.
Collision damage has been applied to Kisigar Gardens and Youngsfound assets in New Winchester.
The Worlebury-juxta-mare label is no longer obscured by fog.
Collision damage has been applied to all assets in Brabazon.
We've fixed the z-fighting near Tuxeed Point in the Brabazon segment.
Smoke is now correctly aligned with the pipes producing it in Brabazon.
The headlight no longer passes over the port assets at the Royal Society.
The new strafing and venting SFX are now present on all non-Spatchcock locomotives.
Port Avon bells can no longer be heard when starting a new save file.
Port Avon bells are now muted when storylets are open.
Port Avon bells no longer distort with player movement.
Various SFX are now muted when SFX volume is set to 0% (strafing, venting, docking, Magdalene's clock, Port Avon's bells and Scorn-flukes and Guest attack SFX).
Port specific SFX are now heard when travelling to Albion and when moving between segments.
We've fixed a bunch of typos and grammatical errors.
Known Issues
Below is a list of known issues. For a full list of game issues see our Known Issues page.
The new docking SFX is missing at several ports
The Wrath overlay can get stuck on screen after death or returning to the Title Screen
The chart icon does not update when players encounter Transit Relays after being scouted by oblivious scouts.
Transit Relay and Persistent Discovery icons do not persist on chart after reload
As always, if you find a bug that's not on the Known Issues page then send us a quick Bug Report
Welcome to Albion
A new region—Albion—is now available!
Welcome to Albion, skyfarers. Albion is the heart of the British Empire and home to Her Majesty Queen Victoria. Explore the empire's civilised stronghold and dig into the engines of industry, where manners must be minded and secrets are necessary.
“The excited shriek of train-whistles.
The hiss of steam.
The clamour of countless voices.
London.”
In celebration of this momentous occasion, we’ve created a new trailer to give you a sneak peek of Albion! https://youtu.be/oiiRYVtze3Q
Those looking to discover Albion should head towards Port Prosper to find the transit relay. Transit permits will be free during Early Access, though to make sure captains are seasoned enough for the journey, you'll still need to pay for either a Ministry-Stamped Permit or 2 Barrels of Hours before you travel.
The addition of a second region brings Sunless Skies closer to our final vision of the game, with two more regions to come before full release. This update also brings:
Nine new ports, including its hub city London
Visit the seaside at Worlebury-juxta-Mare. Pay your respects to Her Majesty's sacrifice at Albert's tomb at The Most Serene Mausoleum. Or witness the Brabazon Workworld, where time moves more quickly as labourers refine the empire's hours.
Our Kickstarter social reward port,The Royal Society, is also housed in Albion!
Twelve new Discoveries, some more troublesome than others
Set your locomotive's course for the sprawling Well of the Wolf and hear its celestial gales howl like its namesake. Dare to tread on a Weft of Unravelled Time, or steel yourself to investigate Exceptional Squirmings.
Six new Spectacles, a few of which won’t terrify you
Those brave captains who have zailed the sunless zee may uncover some eerily familiar sights. Some will inspire dread, others awe.
New agents, some who have felt the effects of artificial light
Albion brings a few new locomotive agents such as Glorious Dreadnoughts, Deranged Dreadnoughts and Sky-Maddened Explorers. Both Dreadnoughts are wrathful, one is slightly more rabid.
The skies of Albion also feature new beasties, such as leathery Curators and spiny Scorn Flukes!
For a more detailed idea of what’s new, check out the extensive list in our Patch Notes!
Our next build in May will focus on the feeling of 'threat' in the High Wilderness. Expect to see more weather and also some more hazardous Discoveries. We'll also be making improvements to the Chart, tweaking survival mechanics, and creating new Nightmares!
We’ll be holding a FBG podcast this Friday the 6th of April on Twitch at 16:00 BST. We can’t wait to discuss all the lovely bits of Albion with you and answer any questions you may have about the new region!
And those in London coming to Rezzed next week, do stop by the Sunless Skies booth and say hello! We will have something special for anyone who speaks the special codeword: bees.
Patch Notes - 1.0.8.3.e51bc7cfe (4th April 2018)
Build Version: 1.0.8.3.e51bc7cfe
Release Date: 04/04/2018
Known Issues
What’s New
The High Wilderness’ Second Region: Albion Albion is finally here. A whole new region for you to discover, exploit and (mostly likely) meet your untimely end in! Albion is beautiful but deadly, survival here is harder than in the Reach. Do you have what it takes to make it, or will you crawl back to the verdant green landscapes of the Reach with your smoke trail between your legs?
To access Albion you will need to travel through the Reach-Albion Transit Gate which is located not far from Port Prosper. Head in a clockwise direction from Prosper around the rim of the Reach. Once there grab yourself a travel permit at which is free during Early Access. You’ll then need a Ministry-Stamped Permit for first class travel or two Barrels of Unseasoned Hours for second class (available at various ports around the Reach including Port Prosper).
We don’t want to spoil too much as we’re keen for you to explore and let us know what you think, but in brief Albion contains:
Nine new ports.
Five new agents (Scorn-Flukes, Curators, Star-Maddened Explorers, Glorious and Deranged Dreadnoughts).
Six new Spectacles (have fun finding out if they are Horrors or Wonders).
New transient Discoveries (Weft of Unravelled Time, Squirmings, Pardoner Eels, Grim Inscriptions and many others).
New persistent Discoveries: Wreck of the Boatman and Well of the Wolf (which like Old Tom’s Well has a Spectacle-like Terror effect).
The Altani-class Outrider available at the London engineyard.
New equipment to boost your Quarters, Hold and Hull.
Equipment which grants the Assaying quality (which you’ll need for all the eels and squirmings).
Albion Prospects and Bargains.
Updates
New Discoveries in the Reach: Fragments of the past, large Bronzewood pieces and fungal infested meteoroids.
New quality and focus icons throughout the Reach (be aware there are still a number of placeholder quality icons in game).
Bug Fixes
You can now interact with persistent discoveries more than once without having to leave and re-enter the segment.
Homesteads now spawn correctly in Magdalene’s and Polmear & Plenty’s segments.
Collision damage has now been applied to asteroids in the Magdalene's area.
Qualities are now removed from the Journal once they are reset (as opposed to when they are completed).
We made a change so that the in-game messages near Lustrum are easier to read.
The venting animation on the Parzifal-class locomotives is now aligned correctly.
We've fixed the scroll on the Hold section of the bank interface.
The auto-docking system no longer puts a player's locomotive at an angle.
You will no longer receive Hull damage when entering docks at angles.
The camera no longer shakes when entering docks at angles.
The level-up animation on locomotives is once again correctly aligned.
Lustrum: The Mountain Beckons now shows in the journal.
We’ve standardised the spelling of Dreadnought across the game.
The avatar tooltip no longer appears on the Character Progression screen if opened while it is displayed.
Crew can no longer be exceeded on the Homestead storylets.
We've cleared up the confusion with the Amenable Host when speaking to him after the death of your previous captain.
Hidden looting qualities now randomise correctly so you’ll see more looting opportunities for mechanical agents.
The Headstrong Strongwoman's dialogue is now accurate according to whether or not her flyers need posting.
The Phlegmatic Researcher's now continues to pay you for bringing him items for his private research.
Handing in Hybras Pus to the Phlegmatic Researchers for private research no longer moves you out of the storylet.
Damage to buildings at Titania from the Chorister Hive is now reported correctly.
We’ve corrected some typos at the Leadbeater and Stainrod Nature Reserve.
Albion Known Issues
Below is a list of known Albion issues. For a full list of game issue see our Known Issues page.
The Interact prompt appears over the top of the transit gates once activated.
Prospects are available at the Avid Horizon rather than bargains.
Worlebury label can be partly obscured with fog (depending on the segment it spawns in).
There’s some z-fighting near Tuxeed Point.
Blocking is missing on a few assets in Brabazon.
The headlight passes over the port/dock asset at The Royal Society (Airy House) and two asteroids in the Mausoleum segment.
The transit gate activation audio repeats on arrival in a new region.
The transit gate arrival audio is not yet in place.
Scorn-flukes are not muted when SFX volume is 0%.
The chart text does not update to say Albion when you move to that region.
As always, if you find a bug that's not on the Known Issues page then send us a quick Bug Report
Albion is coming to Sunless Skies on 4 April
Expect to be able to travel to Albion from 4 April! This second region brings the game much closer to our final vision.
Albion is the heart of the British Empire’s territory in the High Wilderness; and the only place in the heavens you can reliably get a decent cup of tea. Its hub is London – your actual Victorian London – which has been flung into space by Her Majesty Queen Victoria. She rules it from the Throne of Hours, which allows her some dominion over time itself. We’re excited to get to Albion and dig into the engines of the Empire and all its dirty secrets.
Albion includes writing by Failbetter collaborators Cassandra Khaw, Meg Jayanth, Harry Tuffs and Richard Cobbett. Expect to visit the Avid Horizon (the door through which Londoners entered the sky; now solemnly closed), the Clockwork Sun (greatest marvel of British Engineering), and Worlebury-juxta-Mare (a pleasant town on a sea of mist that definitely doesn’t squirm with noisome horrors).
Sunless Skies will be released from Early Access in September 2018.
Wishlist Sunless Skies here on Steam! You can also follow along with our development roadmap.
Patch Notes - v1.0.6.5.8046df9 (27th February 2018)
Patch Notes - v1.0.6.5.8046df9 (27th February 2018)
Build Version: 1.0.6.5.8046df9
Release Date: 27/02/2018
Known Issues
What’s New
Combat changes - batch #1
The biggest change we’ve made to this build is a complete rework of the Heat mechanics. We’ve redesigned the Heat bar and the way it gives feedback. We've also made the mechanics simpler and feel we’ve arrived at something that makes combat fun and accessible, whilst being measured and allowing the player to use a few tactics to get the most out it. Here are all the changes we’ve made:
Heat is no longer gained from forward thrust, it is now only applied when strafing and firing weapons (though we may add additional ways to gain heat in the future).
Heat is a value which goes up to 100, once you reach 100 your vessel will overheat.
The Heat bar warning light will turn on around 80% as an indication that you are close to overheating. There is also an audio cue.
Consequences like the temporary loss of a weapon whilst overheated have been removed.
When you are overheated you will be unable to strafe, though you can still turn, reverse and move forwards.
Once overheated you will remain in that state for a few seconds. After the overheated period has elapsed your locomotive will vent Heat rapidly and you’ll once again be able to strafe.
You can fire your weapons whilst overheated, but as a consequence you will take damage (10% of your max Hull value). When you choose to do this your locomotive will vent immediately and Heat will dissipate rapidly.
You will be unable to fire your weapons if you are overheated and firing them would damage your Hull to the extent that it would lead to your untimely demise.
Weapons now have continuous fire - hold down your hotkey/mouse button and the weapon will fire again as soon as it comes off its cooldown.
If you are using continuous fire then your weapons will cut out automatically when you become overheated so you don’t inadvertently damage your Hull. Once you come out of the overheated state continuous fire will kick in again.
Weapons have variable cooldown times and kick out different amounts of Heat (Jerusalem 30%, Emanation 50%, Brassraven 10%).
We’ve also made numerous changes to some of the beasties that roam the Reach. Cantankeri are a little faster, Reach Marauders can turn sharper and Enduring Dreadnaughts have new weapons and are a bit tougher. We’ve also made the agents less accurate, enemies like the Tacketies and Dreadnaughts will now take potshots at you even when they don’t have a perfect line of sight.
Controller Support
Gamepad support is finally here and currently works with Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PS4 controllers. Plug in a control pad and have fun navigating across the Reach using the bumper buttons to strafe and the triggers to control forward and backward thrust.
Unfortunately we didn’t have time to implement a login check to reset everyone’s default controls automatically to include the updated controller mapping, but we’ll be including it in the next update. For now if you want to take advantage of gamepad controls you’ll need to manually reset the controls to default.. You can do this from the title screen (select Options > Controls > Restore Defaults) or in-game (press Esc > Options > Controls > Restore Defaults).
After many hours of gameplay we’ve added a default configuration which we feel is the best fit, however everyone is different so you can remap the gamepad controls at any time after having restored to the default configuration.
The gamepad controls introduced a lot of new functionality in order to be able to move through the various interfaces without using a mouse, so there are also keyboard equivalents in place, however these are not fully supported yet so you cannot rebind them at the moment, there is no functionality for the chart or moving between tabs in shops, and they are not currently shown in the Controls menu. They are as follows:
Select Left Menu (Port Index UI or Always Storylets when not docked) - Ctrl + Left Arrow
Select Bottom Menu (Navigation bar) - Ctrl + Down Arrow
Select Right Menu (Officer HUD) - Ctrl + Right Arrow
UI Move Up, Down, Left, Right - Arrow keys
UI Cancel - Backspace
UI Select - Enter
UI Submit (equivalent to X on Xbox controller, used for Jettison, More Info etc) - Delete
As simple as the gamepad controls look, it was a phenomenal amount of dev work to get it working correctly within Skies. Naturally there were lots of bugs and we’ve painstakingly nuked all but a bunch of minor issues which we’ll fix in an upcoming build. Make sure you read about them on our Known Issues page so you are familiar. As always, if you come across any that aren’t listed then send us a quick report, details of how to do so are here
Movement
We’ve made a couple of very subtle tweaks to locomotive movement. We’ve mentioned before in one of our Upcoming Changes threads that we are toying with the idea of having difficulty settings for movement. We won’t be implementing this until much closer to launch but in the meantime we wanted to adjust the controls to make the locomotives feel slightly less ‘slidey’. It’s been hard to find a balance because while a lot of players have told us they find the locomotive difficult to control, there’s also a lot of people who like the feel of it. One thing we don’t want to do is make the default controls feel ‘dumbed down’, hence why the changes we’ve made in this build are minor. Once difficulty settings are in place, you’ll be able to make stronger adjustments yourself. Here are the tweaks we’ve made:
We’ve increased forward thrust so you get up to your maximum speed quicker. This should make you nippier in combat when you need to kill forward thrust, make a sharp turn and move full steam ahead out of the way of incoming enemy fire.
In our last update we reduced the locomotive’s backward thrust so it’s much slower to reverse. We’ve buffed that a little in this build so it’s now a bit quicker.
We’ve tweaked the skid suppression which will give you a little more control when strafing.
Updates
Default controls for weapons have been changed to the mouse buttons - only new players installing the game for the first time will see this change. If you’ve been playing in Early Access and you want to see the changes you will need to restore defaults (from in game press Esc > Options > Controls > Restore Defaults).
The Survival HUD now flashes when you take Hull damage.
The Fastidious Inspector quest now requires items freely available throughout the Reach so players are no longer at the mercy of random Bargains.
When weapons are assigned to mouse buttons they no longer fire when opening/closing interfaces. We had to apply this change to hotkeys too, so be aware that if you choose to use keyboard hotkeys to fire your weapons, they will only work when your cursor is not over an interface.
Weapon keys can now be held down so that weapons fire immediately when they come off cooldown.
We've increased the size of projectiles
New ambient sounds are in place throughout the Reach.
We’ve added some functionality which stops you from going over the edge of the Reach and as a result players will no longer get stuck on the loading screen when crossing the boundary.
New in-game messages which trigger when you hit certain variable states have been introduced.
We've made some adjustments to the camera zoom.
The tutorial no longer opens up each time you close a Must Event or a Loot storylet.
Quests are now marked as completed once the storyline is finished.
Quests are now moved to the bottom of the journal when completed.
Objectives (sub-quests) are now in place and display as bullet pointed lists in the journal underneath the main quest. When completed they will be marked with a tick.
Bug Fixes
Spam clicking Facets no longer causes skill boosts to be applied multiple times.
Navigation interfaces can no longer become locked to the middle of the screen.
Navigation interfaces can no longer be brought up on the Title Screen.
The patch notes no longer appear in-game.
You will no longer receive Hull as a reward from Flotsam & Jetsam if your locomotive has max Hull.
When collecting Hull from Flotsam and Jetsam, the correct amount of Hull applied is now shown.
The Experienced gained label for Squire's House at Port Avon now appears in game on discovery.
Double Terror gain now kicks in when you are down to 2 Crew on Parsival-class locomotives, rather than 1.
Bargains are now removed from the Bazaar once you've purchased all the items available in the offer.
If returning to the Title Screen and then continuing immediately after creating a new character, your locomotives equipment is no longer unequipped.
Colliders on mechanical agents are now removed immediately on death.
The Crew requirement for Conduct a nocturnal excavation at Port Avon has been lowered to 5 to accommodate Sky-Captains with Parsival and Pellinore class locomotives.
You will now see the correct quality effect message when completing the Amenable Host’s Assumed Identity quest
Once you’ve completed the Assumed Identity quest you will no longer see the option to tell the Amenable Host about his past.
Port reports can no longer be farmed for Sovereigns at Lustrum and Port Prosper when the Winchester War changes
Player's can now purchase all Ministry-Approved Literature bargains around the Reach.
Sovereigns awarded for Ministry-Approved Literature Prospects have been adjusted so they are worth more than the value at Victoria Market.
The avatar tooltip no longer gets stuck on screen.
The avatar tooltip no longer appears on the Character Progression screen is opened while it is displayed.
Officer slots will no longer remain in an expanded state if the main menu (pause menu) is opened over them.
Engine SFX now play after death.
Character names are no longer obscured by the Load button on save files (with default Font and UI scales).
Increasing the Font Scale will no longer cause the cost of locomotives to become cut off in the Engine Yard interface.
The fog around Carillion has been tweaked to remove straight lines.
The line above the Bedivere-class locomotive in the Engine Yard and Hold interfaces has been removed.
Erroneous graphical assets have been removed from the chart between segments.
We’ve fixed a number of typos and grammatical errors.
Sunless Skies will release in September 2018!
Hello, skyfarers!
We’re pleased to announce that Sunless Skies will be released in late September 2018! We’ll have an updated roadmap next week, but for now here’s the lowdown on our latest release: COMBAT.
GAMEPLAY
Weaponry and heat
The biggest change we’ve made to this build is a complete rework of the Heat mechanics. We’ve redesigned the Heat bar and made the mechanics simpler. Try holding down the button to keep firing, and experimenting with what happens when you’re overheated but keep shooting (clue: it is not good). We feel we’ve arrived at something that makes combat fun and accessible, whilst being measured and allowing you to try different tactics to get the most out of it. It’ll keep evolving based on your feedback!
Combat will also feel a little different due to some additional tweaks to ship speed and camera behaviour: you get more screen around you when you’re at full speed or when you’ve been targeted by an enemy.
We’ve also made numerous small changes to some of the beastie behaviour in the Reach. Cantankeri go down a little easier, Reach Marauders are a little more nimble. The Tackety Scout remains a tough encounter - think before you engage! The Enduring Dreadnaught has a powerful new chain weapon, so stay out of its line of fire. Generally, enemies are more capable of missing now, meaning more narrow escapes. Let us know what you think!
Controller support
After many hours of gameplay we’ve added a default controller configuration which we feel is the best fit, but you can change the gamepad controls at any time from the title screen (select Options > Controls) or in-game (press Esc > Options > Controls). We’ll also be adding keyboard-only support in a future release.
Movement
We are toying with the idea of having difficulty settings for movement. We won’t be implementing this until much closer to launch, but in the meantime we wanted to adjust the controls to make the locomotives feel slightly less ‘slidey’. This is a minor adjustment on the road to default controls that feel right (no easy task to balance!). Once difficulty settings are in place, you’ll be able to make stronger adjustments yourself.
STORIES
This month, the writers had a workshop with consultant, game writer and friend of Failbetter Meg Jayanth, in which they looked at the theme of colonialism in Sunless Skies. They came out of it with a whole bag of story ideas, new writing approaches, and some particularly exciting material for the Blue Kingdom.
Meanwhile in the story mines, the writing team have mostly been forging onward into Albion (with a little excursion to Eleutheria), so you can expect to see the fruits of these labours further down the line.
SOON
The next update will be a biggie. ALBION enters the game. An entire new region to explore!
Quite a bit of work from the last few sprints will be revealed all at once: all the ports will have their core stories, and you can expect a well, a legendary wreck, new prospects and bargains, and several new discoveries and enemy types.
Of course, with two regions, we’ll need a way to travel from one to the other. We know what this looks like and we think you’re going to be tickled.
That’s your lot for this release! Our podcast today is cancelled due to snow, but we'll let you know as soon as we've scheduled another one. :)
And those of you in the UK can come see us at EGX Rezzed! Rezzed is the 13th-15th of April at Tobacco Dock in London, and it's always a great time. Hope to see you there!
Your friends,
Failbetter Games
PS Enjoying the way the game is coming together? Tell a friend! They can buy or wishlist Sunless Skies right here on Steam.
