Jungle Island Coming to Testing Branch Next Week!
Warning: screenshots incoming.
Hey everyone!
The Jungle Island is nearing completion and will be coming to the Steam testing branch by the end of next week. All of the content is essentially made, and we are just doing some last minute testing and balancing before we push to the testing branch. We will need your help to test as well so if you want to opt into the Steam testing branch, here's a link explaining exactly how to do that:
Opting into the testing branch
Once the update has been pushed to testing, we'll see if you guys find any glaring imbalances or issues, fix those, and then we'll push to public!
My main goal for today's blog post is to go over some of what this jungle island update is going to include and share a bunch of screenshots with you so you'll get a good idea of what to expect! Do not fret though, there will still be secrets and content you won't know about as well.
Lush, Big Trees, and Post 50
Tarzan is up there...somewhere...lurking...
It's important to note that jungle islands are only going to spawn past the 50 degree mark. So get your sextants out and start heading into the deep seas. Once you get past 50 degrees in any direction, you will be able to find these islands. We thought this would be a good way to encourage and reward players for venturing far into the seas.
One of our main goals visually with this island was to have really big trees and lush plant life. We wanted you to feel like you were under a canopy of trees where you could barely see the sun. As you can see in the above screenshot, the trees can get pretty big and it really gives the island a much larger feeling than the tropical islands you are used exploring. We've also littered the ground with plant life so that the island really feels lush and thick. In essence, we want you to get lost on these islands.
The Tiger
Okay now I really could use Tarzan's help.
Lurking on these jungle islands will be a tiger. These will be quick and dangerous wildlife that will kill you on sight. This is our first introduction of enemy wildlife (excluding the giant spiders at night) and we feel that they will fit quite nicely on the jungle islands. As with most things, there will be quests and rewards for killing these tigers so always be on the lookout!
The Huntsman
Presenting the award for most glorious mustache.
One new friendly NPC you will encounter on jungle islands is the Huntsman. He will provide you with quests and act as a trader, rewarding you for certain goods you find. Be sure to look for him while you are adventuring on these islands! Just look for the mustache and the hat.
The Fisherman
Bait? Nah. I just whistle and they come swimmin.
Fishing is a really fun part of Salt and we wanted to give players even more reasons to fish. With this update, we've added new fish and a new NPC called The Fisherman that spawns on jungle islands and offers quests and rewards for catching rare fish. He'll usually be hanging out on the shore with his fishing pole and fishing hat.
Additional Content
In addition to the content listed above, there will also be a new enemy AI that we are calling poachers. They are dangerous and will be roaming these islands so be on the lookout for them. Also with this update will be more secrets and things to discover on your own. We can't wait for you to set sail for your first jungle island and explore the new content is has to offer!
After the Jungle Update
Once the Jungle Update is pushed, we are going to start working on replacing the current boat models with the new ones (you can view some of those here .) We are also going to start working on implementing an in-game cartography system. This is something that has been missing from the game for quite a while and so we are real excited to finally get it implemented! Being able to chart and map out your world in the game is going to add a lot more fun to exploration.
As always, please let us know your thoughts and feedback!
- Will Sterling (Game Audio and Design)
Can't wait. Looking forward to the new boat models too. You guys have hit it out of the park with this game. I usually have a short attention span but I keep coming back. Love the way the deck rolls with the waves.
ReplyDeleteI am extremely excited for in game mapping. Also for everything else, of course. Salt was fun enough when you had half the content, but now that you're fleshing it out so much, it just keeps becoming more interesting and vibrant. Keep up the good work!
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ReplyDeleteThat tiger looks so out of place, it's too detailed and doesnt match the aesthetics of the game at all (Your new NPC characters are stylized and look great). Also it doesn't look like a jungle at all, it needs to be more "tropical". Right now it just looks like dense forest with clashing shades of green.
ReplyDeleteis there a new boat in the game ?
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