[2020] Preview: The New Frontiers update

Hello everyone!

The New Frontiers update, the biggest Barotrauma update so far, is just around the corner now. Multiple aspects of the game have been improved to create a real sense of progression, particularly in the campaign game mode – read more about all that below, and more on our blog[barotraumagame.com]!

Outposts, the start and end point of a mission, become physically explorable locations that replace the old campaign menu as the trading, crew hiring and service buying hub. The new outposts come with autonomous AI inhabitants as well as randomized events that bolster lore and even directly affect gameplay.

Submarines become a new key component of campaign progression: you'll start with a modest boat and be able to upgrade its hulls and machinery as you progress in the campaign. Better vessels will also become available for purchase later down the line. All submarine progression improvements apply to player-made submarines as well, so you’ll be able to experience the campaign as it was intended even if you prefer to ride custom subs.

The AI crewmates are no longer randomized between campaign missions, making them another integral part of your crew's progress: it's going to hurt to lose a bot you paid good money for and then trained for five rounds. The AI itself has received some improvements too, as it does with every update.

The in-game economy has been improved in many ways, from allowing the player to sell items for profit to balancing prices and item availability at different locations.

The campaign map has been overhauled completely and the campaign endgame location is now accessible, with a work-in-progress ending implemented.

The update also contains a visual overhaul that touches on about half of all the sprites in the game, and we’ve taken a look at the difficulty settings to smooth out some of the worst spikes. Let us know how it plays!

All multiplayer campaign improvements also directly benefit singleplayer campaign, so the New Frontiers update should make Barotrauma more appealing to the solo player as well. This is the beginning of our planned campaign overhaul, with tons of content additions and many other improvements to follow as we approach full release.

Stay tuned – the New Frontiers update is scheduled for next week!