devtrackers.gg
Ahoy Pathfinders!
We have set up the Sea Forts for route control, the Markets for Trade configurations, and now Trade functionality is on the way with the next patch! As a reminder, it is currently scheduled for Tuesday 11/10 at 7:00 PM PT and includes a Wipe.
The first iteration of Trade functionality will introduce virtual shipments only, meaning no tangible NPC Trade Ship will be created and all Trades that are started will reach its destination Market after a certain time. Players can still blockade Trades via control of Sea Forts, in which case a Trade will not start if there are no routes it can take to reach its final destination. The automatically generated Trade Ships that players will be able to impede and attack are still undergoing testing will be implemented later.
We are also introducing Random Events to Trading, and these will appear in the Trade log when they occur. It’s wild out in the Seas, and you never know what can happen. Perhaps your ship sailed into a group of NPC pirates who took some of your stock. Or maybe you got lucky and ran into a treasure chest, gaining you extra gold! Maybe the amateur cook on board accidentally set your ship on fire so you lost some of your cargo - but inadvertently gained coal! Random events can be negative, neutral, or good, so be sure to keep an eye on your Trading Log or you’ll be caught by surprise! Multiple Random Events may trigger, and all Random Events are virtual and do not get resolved until the end of the shipment.
The weights of several resources have been adjusted in relation to the Trade System as well.
Economy
The Trade system will be the main way for players to generate gold. We will be starting with very conservative numbers with the gold generation rate from Trades, and will adjust the numbers accordingly. With Trade Functionality now in play, we have increased the cost of building Ships. Players will need to Trade consistently and/or control Sea Forts to build income for Ships. Acquiring top-tier Ships is going to take some work and we are expecting to see a lot of Sloops at the beginning. The first Schooner, and subsequent Ships should feel like a big deal and a job well done! Whales, Ships of the Damned, Shipwrecks, Flotsam, and Treasure Maps are other avenues for gold as well.
Re: Upcoming Wipe
As noted, the next Patch will include a Wipe with the introduction of Trade Functionality. The Wipe will also resolve some previous issues such as interference from the old Sea Fort structures and problems with claiming Sea Forts on Lawless. We also received some questions about whether the Wipe would change the map or multipliers for the new “season.”
We would like to start off by clarifying that with our recent change to our direction in development, we are shying away from defining official “seasons” while we are still in Early Access. In the Summer, we announced that we were renewing and essentially resetting the ATLAS development journey. Since then, we have come to realize that we cannot expect to have “seasons” while we are still shaping out the core gameplay mechanics. At this stage, we will be rolling out changes continuously and wiping whenever it becomes necessary. Meanwhile, we will consider how we may want to run seasons when it makes sense.
The upcoming Wipe will not introduce any map or resource distribution changes, at least not right away. We are still looking at how we want to change and balance the distribution of resources. We like the idea of having Hot Spots/contested locations and want to bring more of that into the gameplay. Once the NPC Trade Ships are in, it will also create opportunities to attack the Trade Ships that are carrying rarer goods. The changes to resource distribution will be happening later in this cycle. This means that the value of certain locations can and will change until we strike the right balance, and it will mix up whatever the current circumstances at the time may be.
Base multipliers/rates will also remain the same. There are no planned changes at this time, although we will likely look into readjusting them later down the line.
Private Servers
A wipe is not necessary for Private Servers, but it is recommended as there may be outstanding issues that a wipe would resolve if you had already added the original Sea Fort structures to your map. Be wary that adding Sea Forts now may cause unintended changes as well.
Sea Forts are also not necessary to enable Trading on your server. Trading is set up so that if there are no Sea Forts in the server, it is considered an open route and there is no tax when passing through. If the origin or destination market is on a server with no Sea Forts, the trip will be virtual. In other words, Trading is allowed for everyone if there are no Sea Forts on a server. Unless you desire to add the gameplay surrounding Sea Forts, it is not a requirement for the Trade System.
Tentative Changelog
*** Please note that this is only a preview of the next patch and may be incomplete. Final Patch Notes for the Live build may differ and will be reposted once it goes live.
Crafting
Reduced the output of crafting Gunpowder from 2 to 1
Reduced the output of crafting Blasting Powder from 2 to 1
Market
Updated the Structure Settings on the Market to be Reinforced Stone
This results in increased damage resistance
Bug Fix: Added back the ability to connect Markets to Warehouses via interaction wheel (they should still auto connect if placed near each other)
Resources
Adjusted weight of many resources
Reduced the weight of Gold Coins by 50%
Reduced the weight of Gems by 75%
Reduced the weight of Wood by 40%
Reduced the weight of Sap by 60%
Reduced the weight of Crystals by 60%
Reduced the weight of Metal by 33%
Increased the weight of Oil by 2x
Increased the weight of Fiber by 8x
Increased the weight of Flint by 2.4x
Increased the weight of Keratinoid by 5x
Increased the weight of Gunpowder by 1.5x
Increased the weight of Organic Paste by 2x
Increased the weight of Fire Gel by 2.5x
Increased the weight of Blasting Powder by 2.5x
Sea Forts
Reduced the radius inside Sea Forts for claiming from 2.5 to 1.5 meters
Increased Max Tax rate for Sea Forts from 30% to 50%
Ships
Increased Gold cost for crafting ships
Schooner: 50 → 5,000 Gold
Brigantine: 250 → 25,000 Gold
Galleon: 500 → 50,000 Gold
Warehouse
Reduced Placement Prevention Radius of Warehouse from 800m to 600m
This increases amount of warehouses that can fit in an area by about 75%
We're looking at how to best allow multiple companies to have warehouses nearby in the future
Reduced Transport Radius of Warehouse from 500m to 450m
Misc
Increased the max stack size of Cannon Balls from 50 to 100
Bug Fix: Explosive Barrels can no longer deal damage in Freeports
Final Note
Again, we would like to emphasize that ATLAS is still in Early Access, meaning many things can and will likely continue to drastically change - even in the middle of development. Anything discussed is only up to date as of the moment it is posted. Features and changes that ultimately make it to the next patch may be different from what was previously discussed.
As always, we appreciate the suggestions and feedback from the community. Please keep them coming! Thank you for all of your support!
Happy Sailing,
- ATLAS Crew
For the latest dispatch on #playATLAS keep yer one good eye trained on this here information
Natter n' chatter on Discord: https://discord.gg/playatlas Hear ye, hear ye on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sailtheatlas Watch us scallywags on Twitch: http://twitch.tv/sailtheatlas Plus ye can band with us Pirates on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/playatlasgame
View full article