Sailing into port with the new update for The Ship: Remasted is a cargo hold full of anticipated features. We have traps! There is breakable glass! Did someone say a chat function? And wait, is that the SS Connemara?
Last updated: 15th June 2016
In late 2015 we invited fans of The Ship to join our closed testing group. Over 4,000 responded and for the past few months they have been hard at work keeping our team busy with bug reports and suggestions!
Anyone who owns the game can opt-in to testing. This means new content and features can be tried out before they make their way to the live build, and we may also ask testers to look at specific things (for example, to setup relay server matches). These builds will have more bugs than the live build (which we'll aim to keep as bug-free and stable as possible), but this process allows us to identify problems that don't crop up during internal testing.
Between regular updates going out to the test build and those changes being rolled out to the live build, players will see a steady and consistent stream of new content and features going live. This roadmap will give you an overview of what to expect.
We're confident you'll be pleased with what we're doing with The Ship: Remasted and hope you join us throughout Early Access.
- The Blazing Griffin team
| Feature | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Server Browser | LIVE | Functional and live. |
| LAN Games | LIVE | Games hosted on a LAN - the player who is the Host has a server and client component running in the same instance of the game. Bots are available in LAN mode. |
| Listen Server | LIVE | A server and client component that allows other users to connect to them directly, but requires players to open ports on their systems. Currently with limited functionality (8 players max). Bots are not currently available in Listen server games. |
| Dedicated Server | LIVE | A downloadable tool that runs headless (no rendering / graphics) and only has the server component. |
| Player Management | In Development | We're looking at a number of options for server admins to manage players. |
| Feature | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Andrea Doria | LIVE | Complete, aside from ongoing optimisation work and a few still to be added features (secret rooms, traps, lifts). |
| Atalanta | LIVE | Complete, aside from ongoing optimisation work and a few still to be added features. |
| Batavier | LIVE | Complete, aside from ongoing optimisation work and a few still to be added features. This doesn't include the Xmas special map. |
| Krassin | LIVE | Complete, aside from ongoing optimisation work and a few still to be added features. |
| Huronian | LIVE | Complete, aside from ongoing optimisation work and a few features still to be added. |
| Connemara | LIVE | Complete, aside from ongoing optimisation work and a few features still to be added. |
| Rubicon | In Development | Rubicon has been tested internally and we expect this map to be released soon. |
| Cotopaxi | In Development | Cotopaxi has yet to move into internal testing, but it's likely to do so within the next few weeks. |
| Cyclops | In Development | The map has been constructed, and is currently receiving bug-fixing and optimisation treatments. It's one of the largest maps and will therefore take longer to get right. |
| Raifucu Maru | On Hold | The most unique map, Raifucu will likely come later as there are a number of features that are required for this to be playable (swimming, moving platforms, etc). And we still need to buy some piranhas. |
| Feature | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Melee | LIVE | All melee weapons are live. Ongoing work includes improvements to collision, audio and general functionality. |
| Ranged | LIVE | All ranged weapons are live. Ongoing work includes improvements to collision, audio and general functionality. |
| Special | LIVE | |
| Traps | LIVE |
| Feature | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Needs System | LIVE | The Needs System is functional and live. Throughout the course of Early Access, we will look at the values of needs (how quickly they accumulate or are satisfied) in order to optimise gameplay experience. |
| Kill Loop | LIVE | The Kill Loop is functional and live. |
| Justice System | LIVE | The Justice System is functional and live, although additional optimisation work may be carried out. |
| Money For Kills | LIVE | The MFK System is functional and live. The team has worked on some improvements to this system based on player feedback (about too many low value weapons appearing). |
| Shops | LIVE | Shops are live and functional. |
| NPCs | LIVE | NPCs are live and functional (they will perform their duties when you right-click and select an option). All NPCs now have their appropriate idle animations and no longer look quite so ridiculous. |
| Deckplans | LIVE | Deckplans are live and functional. Ongoing polish is being carried out. |
| Security System | LIVE | The Security System is functional and live, although additional optimisation work may be carried out. We're looking for feedback from players on the changes to UI and security functionality. |
| Bots (Hunters) | LIVE | The first iteration of Hunter bots is complete and rolled out to the public build. They made their first dev kill recently. It was a proud moment for us all. They're learning fast. Where to find weapons. How and when to sprint. Oh...my...God...they're becoming sentient...SEND HEL... |
| Bots (Passengers) | LIVE | The first iteration of Bot passengers (bots who will satisfy their needs but won't get involved in killing) is now complete. They're quickly learning not to get stuck in doorways or walk into walls. We have high hopes for them. |
| Chat | LIVE | |
| Elevators | On Hold | Elevators have been put on hold. Players will still be able to enter some elevator shafts to make their way around maps. It's likely that this feature will be worked on when we focus on the larger maps (where elevators are a necessity). |
| Secret Rooms | On Hold | Secret rooms are on hold until more core content and features are complete. |
| Swimming | On Hold | Swimming is on hold for the time being. Pools will not contain water and the Raifucu Maru map is on hold until the swimming mechanic is functional. |
| Feature | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hunt | LIVE | Hunt is live and functional. We're not expecting major issues with this game mode as the supporting systems (kill loop, justice system, MFK system) are all functional. As this is the primary game mode most fans of The Ship know, we are happy to take on further feedback on this. |
| Elimination | LIVE | Elimination is live and functional. We're looking at the flow of this game mode and in particular, the messaging. |
| Deathmatch | LIVE | Deathmatch is live and functional. However, there are some performance issues. We would expect these to be addressed by ongoing performance optimisation work being carried out on all maps and general networking functionality. |
| Arcade Mode | LIVE | Arcade Mode is live and functional, filled to the brim with murderous bots. There is further optimisation work needed on hunter bots, which the team is currently addressing. |
| Team Hunt | On Hold | Team game modes are currently in hold. It's our intention to get all three individual variants of these game modes working and tested to an acceptable standard before implementing the team variant. |
| Team Elimination | On Hold | Team game modes are currently in hold. |
| Team VIP | On Hold | Currently on hold as it operates slightly differently to other game modes. |
| Duel | On Hold | Duel is currently on hold. It's a low priority game mode (as most matches are played by more than two players). |
| World Leaders | LIVE | World Leaders is live |
| Feature | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Steam Trading Cards | In Development | |
| Steam Achievements | On Hold | We've still to make a decision on achievements, although the necessary hooks are in place to allow us to add them. |
| Mac Build | LIVE | The Mac build is live |
| Linux Build | LIVE | The Linux build is live |