What's new in 1.5

Ahoy there castaways! We've got some exciting news to share about the latest changes and updates. From revamped systems to visual enhancements, let's dive into what's new and improved in our world.

Monday, March 4, 2024

A whole new look

We have invested significant time and energy into improving the graphics of the game. We feel really great about the new look and hope you like it too! You'll see it throughout the screenshots in this post but you can also see it in the updated trailer we made.

Skills Overhaul

The skills system has undergone a comprehensive overhaul, featuring an updated UI, refined skill curves, and rewarding progression incentives. Whether you're a seasoned farmer or just starting out, you'll find the new skills system more engaging and satisfying to navigate. Leveling up now has a lot more rewards at each level.

The new skills system also introduces item locks. Now, players have to unlock specific resources in the game by leveling up related skills. For example, new fish, seeds, and precious resources are gated by your fishing, farming, and mining abilities. You can still obtain locked items via other players or the grand exchange, but you'll be unable to drop them from generators, or craft them on your own until you are skilled enough to unlock them.

Introducing sandollars

Sandollars are a new currency in the game. Sandollars can be used to purchase other things in the game that would otherwise be inexplicably obtained. For example, in the future cows, pigs, and chickens can be purchased using sandollars. They can be obtained with dabloons, but can't be used to obtain dabloons. You earn sandollars by selling resources to vendors. They will offer you better deals for better resources the more you trade with them.

The NPCs

These vendors all have names! Quincy, Terra Cotta, and Austen Texas. Together, the buy fishing, farming, and mining related resources. They also teach new players how to play with various mechanics of the game on their own islands. You can visit their island anytime to collect resources that automatically regenerate too. This helps players significantly in the early stages of the game. They'll also tell you their backstories and what they know about the islands...

Generator Upgrades

Generators will now display their drop tables when you open them! You can also input more than one item at a time into all generators now, and they will use them automatically. Which means you can put a stack of whales in a bird feeder and let it convert automatically. You can get better drop rates and quantities by upgrading your generator. Generator upgrades cost either dabloons or sandollars.

Coconut Radio

Coconut radios can be crafted with a coconut, empty tuna can, and a laser pointer. Or you can obtain one for free from the chest on any vendor island. The coconut radio streams songs from the original soundtrack on repeat. Players around you can hear your radio, and you can hear other players radios when in proximity. Just having one in your inventory is enough to hear it play, so you can keep it on you all the time. You can also place them in the ground like a coconut and it will stay in place!

There's several other changes in this update we haven't discussed here. You can see the full changelog below. Let us know your feedback, we hope you enjoy the update. See you in 2 weeks with the next one!

CHANGELOG

Added
  • Item Lock System: Introduced a new system to lock specific crafting recipes based on skill progression.
  • Skills Overhaul: Launched a comprehensive new skills system featuring an updated UI, refined skill curves, and rewarding skill progression incentives.
  • Currency Enhancements: Enhanced the experience of acquiring Sandollars and Dabloons with immersive currency effects.
  • Vendor NPCs Expansion: Rolled out new Vendor NPCs and an overarching vendor system, including themed vendor islands. Explore the hub to interact with these engaging characters!
  • Sandollars Store Packages: Unveiled new store packages tailored for Sandollars, enriching the in-game economy.
  • Coconut Radio: Get ready to tune into the Coconut Radio.
  • Generator Upgrades: Introduced an upgrade system for your generators, including the bird feeder, magic generator, and composter, using Sandollars or Dabloons.
Improved
  • Visual Fidelity Enhancements: Upgraded textures, models, UV maps, normals, and made various texturing improvements for a more lifelike visual experience.
  • Post-Processing Effects: Enhanced the game's visual appeal with refined toon shading, outline shaders, and disc shadow decals.
  • Material and Lighting Optimizations: Fine-tuned material settings, lighting, shadows, and outlines for a more vibrant and dynamic environment.
  • Performance Optimization: Implemented graphical performance enhancements, ensuring a smoother experience on low-end devices.
Fixed
  • Store Accessibility: Addressed and resolved issues affecting store opening times, ensuring a seamless shopping experience.
  • Intro Sequence Bugs: Ironed out various bugs within the intro sequence for a polished game start.
  • Asset Streamlining: Eliminated duplicate assets, optimizing game resource usage for better performance.
Removed
  • Legacy Rendering Elements: Phased out the reflection probe and real-time reflections to streamline rendering processes.
  • Outdated Shaders: Removed various legacy shaders that were underperforming, upgrading to more efficient alternatives.
  • Starter Island Challenge System: Discontinued the challenge system on the starter island, paving the way for a more refined introductory experience.
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