January 7th, 2018 update: We have hotfixed an issue where some players were getting black screens upon game launch.

This weekend we have another patch full of balance tweaks, improvements, and bug fixes. We still have more minor patches in us; possibly a beta 2.5.4 and 2.5.5 based on our list of issues still remaining.

One of the bigger changes has to due with multiplayer, where we have added in a fallback to support a larger variety of networking scenarios. Our previous solution (using WebRTC) found some players not able to join games due to unknown networking issues. Multiplayer will now fallback to WebSockets when a connection can’t be made with WebRTC. Hats off to Spacetech for his work on this, and Maune/blokzeil1/Woutersparre/jopi from Discord for helping us test the changes!

We also have a large batch of balance and improvements; smoothing out the new player experience. On a technical level, we also added some more compatibility options for players having trouble with WebGL 2 (GL context issues), and UI scaling. You can now find two new properties within the launch_options.json:

webGlVersion: 2,
zoomFactor: 1,

Players can now set the webGlVersion to 1 to force WebGL 1 to be loaded. zoomFactor can be changed to integer or decimal, such as 0.75, 1.25, 2, etc. to force UI scaling in-game (since interface scale in options is enable to effect in-game currently).

Speaking of multiplayer, make sure to check out a new multiplayer group that popped up if you are looking for people to play with: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/waywardwayfarers or come hang out in the #multiplayer channel on our Discord: https://discord.gg/wayward

If you want to vote on or suggest the next new big changes in this hobby project of ours, make sure to check out the Beta 2.6+ Wishlist thread: http://steamcommunity.com/app/379210/discussions/0/1620599015907067930/ or the poll: https://poll.ly/#/PXpmR1ZZ

Improvements

• Single walls now show as full walls instead of as a post and improved tile-mapping for horizontal walling, closing large gaps when not connected to other walls.
• All torch stands will now have unique graphics and proper weights/light levels that match their wooden pole/bark torch/animal fat torch counterparts.
• Paddling (using the raft) will now check if there is water in front of you (and move you if so) instead of requiring you to be in water (potentially dousing torches).
• Added an “Open Logs Folder” button to the developer section in options.
• Collector and Explorer milestones no longer trigger for modded items.

Balance

• Length of fire is now doubled across all sources.
• Vampire bats and zombies will now be scared during daytime (while outside of caves).
• Hostile creatures may now lose interest in attacking for a short time after killing an enemy/player.
• Production of ash has been decreased slightly on lit doodads and torches.
• Starting fire with lit torches now has a much higher success rate over other fire starting devices.
• Pemmican will now reduce more thirst (-2 to -3); however, prepared pemmican will reduce less thirst (-2 to -1).
• Trap door spiders will now be revealed when attacking them (even when missing).

Technical

• The game now becomes paused when the game’s GL context is lost (for whatever reason).
• Re-implemented “zoomFactor” within launch_options.json so players can enable UI scaling in-game as a workaround, since the new interface scale doesn’t effect in-game UI.
• Added option to force WebGL 1/2 in launch_options.json.
• Networking has been rewritten to allow a fallback to WebSockets in the case where WebRTC fails to connect for some players. This is done through port 38740.

New

• Added a new clay house to desert template spawns.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue where you could still try to quickslot items with a full quickslot bar, causing multiple issues. (Thanks jc_rabbit!)
• Fixed a bug where you could not move the exact weight limit of items to a container using the “move all” selection. (Thanks Stungun!)
• Fixed “Join Game” not showing the character select screen when used while the game is not running.
• Fixed quickslots becoming stuck performing actions while holding them down when a hint or confirmation screen came up.
• Fixed an issue where restoring GL context for WebGL 1 was not working correctly. (Thanks Tuche!)
• Fixed unknown items (from unloaded mods) from not showing up in tooltips.
• Fixed the multiplayer button in the pause menu sometimes not appearing.
• Fixed the idle bind becoming stuck idling while holding it down when a hint or confirmation screen came up.
• Fixed a weight issue with message in a bottles weighing more when unpacked (depending on item given). (Thanks mikehail!)
• Fixed an issue where you could potentially corrupt save games by clicking while loading after using the “Reload and Continue Game” to load games multiple times.
• Corrected some grammar issues.

Modding

• Fixed several language bugs including interrupt choices and doodad quality not being translatable. (Thanks holyshield!)
• Updated some outdated references in the modding guide. (Thanks ninjanomnom!)
• Updated the Hello World mod and modding guide with the changes presented in beta 2.5.

Mods

Developer Tools

• You can now set your weight bonus (increase/decrease weight capacity without modifying strength).
• Added a “Reset WebGL” button.

Pirate Language

• Fixed the language appearing as “English”.

Hey all,

We got a pretty beefy “minor” patch ready for everybody tonight. In the last few days, we have been focusing on getting through our bug list and improving some of the shortcomings found in the beta 2.5 release; adding polish here and there, especially regarding mods. You’ll also find a couple quality of life changes that have been requested quite a bit through the months.

As always, please report any other issues you may have found!

Here’s an updated listing of the top bug finders since we started keeping count:

• blay.paul (22 bugs reported)
• Megan (15 bugs reported)
• Amax (12 bugs reported)
• sechsauge (8 bugs reported)
• Adrien S. Enzo (8 bugs reported)

Improvements

• Water is now ready to gather from lit stills when the fire reduces to embers.

• Mods are now no longer automatically enabled unless you subscribe to them while in-game.
• You can now place flooring beside walls/doors/gates/fences without having to pick them up first.

• Game saves will now show which mods are running once again via their tooltip.
• Mod descriptions are once again shown in mod tooltips.
• Updated some hints with new information.
• Added a +load “game name” argument for dedicated servers to automatically load a save on startup.
• Filtering items will now show matches for dismantled item names.

New

• The starter quest is now translatable in other languages.
• Added a gardening hint, explaining the different growth stages and gathering/harvesting.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed modded hairstyles not loading correctly in Character menus on most machines.
• Fixed being unable to disable locally installed mods when the same mod was installed via Steam Workshop.
• Corrected an issue that corrupted the lit water still graphic when reducing to embers after pouring water on it. (Thanks Amax!)
• Fixed facing another direction closing the action menu (reverting to previous functionality).
• Fixed the “Load Game” menu not confirming if you want to load a save with missing mods.
• Fixed mods being visually enabled (checked) even if they are were compatible.
• Fixed an error that occurred when removing the last character from the Character Selection screen, causing the menu to become empty.
• Fixed map memory (exploration area) being lost sometimes when hosting using a dedicated server. (Thanks blay.paul!)
• Fixed button bar keybind tooltips not refreshing after being rebound.
• Fixed an issue where a translation of a bind resulted in an error.
• Fixed an issue where some crafted items (fishing rod for example) were being regenerated on game reload due to incorrect disassembly items being attached to it.
• Fixed an issue that cancelled the sleeping/rest screen when an autosave happened.
• Fixed being able to throw/shoot/fire past a closed doors and walls.
• Fixed dismantle weights being impossibly low for the minimum weight for ornate blue books.
• Added a flammable property to items so that fire cannot spread to nonflammable items. (Thanks blay.paul!)
• Fixed being able to enable a mod if the the dependency is was not compatible. (Thanks Amax!)
• Fixed the inability to join a multiplayer game if you clicked “Join Game” before the main menu loaded.
• Fixed some quick setting options from overlapping into each other.
• Fixed improper grammar with the solar still description. (Thanks Gtd!)
• Fixed the formatting of the missing mod message when joining a server without the proper mods.
• Fixed some keys not being bindable.

Balance

• When water routing with digging, shallow, medium and deep water tiles are now treated differently, increasing chances of routing the deeper it gets.
• Removed the restriction of needing at least five connected water tiles to dig/route from; however, the less water tiles that are connected, the more rare it will be to route.

Modding

• Removed method definitions for a few mouse-related hooks superseded in beta 2.5.
• Removed inaccurate section about mod reloading in Modding Guide.
• Fixed/improved a few JSDoc comments related to hooks and bindings.

Mods

Argus

• Corrected a bug that was not showing the equipped argus item.

Technical

• Wayward has been updated to Electron 1.7.10, possibly fixing some rendering issues on macOS.
• Removed old or unused messages in translation (English) files.
• Added a bind for reloading and continuing the most recent game, when in developer mode.
• Fixed player’s weightBonus not being accessible (again).

The time has finally come! After months of work, we’re ready to release our biggest update to date. The stars and planets have aligned and sprung forth 250 changes for our 2.5.0 beta release. Illuminati confirmed. We hope this update finds you well during the holiday season.

As most of you know, the concept and biggest addition backing beta 2.5 is the new multiplayer mode, hence the “Kinship” subtitle. Although, that might be overreaching due to the inclusion of PVP and, you know, that griefing friend you probably have.

As with most large major updates, expect a few hitches here and there at first. We’ll be adhering to our normal post-major rapid release cycle to address any beta 2.5 issues to make sure everything is ironed out and stable. Thank you to all that helped out to test this release; we couldn’t have made it here without you!

Check out the Multiplayer Information page if you want to know more about how multiplayer works (both technically and in-game): http://www.waywardgame.com/multiplayer

Running a dedicated server or looking for somebody to play with? Make sure to post in the forums: http://steamcommunity.com/app/379210/discussions/ or join us in Discord: https://discord.gg/wayward

Some other prominent takeaways from the changelog (some featured in the video above):

• You can now milk tamed goats. Your taming skill will reduce the amount happiness your goat will lose when being milked.
• Added many new items including some rare items, lore-related items and added all types of mortars and pestles.
• Redesigned all menus, ranging from the save game screen, to the options screen, to interrupting screens such as loading, confirm, or input screens.
• Controlled fires (campfires, furnaces, etc.) will now last longer as they will eventually reduce to embers that can be re-stoked for normal functionality.
• Added a new menu that automatically saves previous characters you’ve used, to use again or create new characters from.
• Creatures will now take offerings from the ground and become tamed.
• Added a new ore type, along with all the craftable tools, armors and weapons associated with it.
• There are now 20 saves slots.
• Skill hovers now reveal which stats each skill can increase.
• Added a “pause menu” when in game which pauses single-player games in real-time turn mode. From it you may continue the game, return to the main menu, view the game options, and view multiplayer options for your world.
• You can now hold down shift (rebindable) to turn directions without moving.
• Arrows are now crafted with arrow shafts (making them lighter overall).
• Updated the controls system to allow multiple binds on the same bindable action, more press types (mouse left, right, middle, scroll up and down, etc), and ctrl, alt, shift modifiers along with any press.
• Added cooling lava and obsidian tiles (with a new resource and new functionality).
• Added a resistance/vulnerability output for creatures with accuracy based on anatomy skill.

As always, take a look at the full changelog here: http://www.waywardgame.com/changelog or view the giant text wall below.

Read more…

Hey all,

As some of you may already know (as I mentioned it quietly on the Steam forums), multiplayer is now live for testing on the development branch!

It’s still pretty early, and probably a bit buggy, which is where all the testers come in! We always look to the community to report any issues they are having, and very much appreciate it! And now with multiplayer, or just beta 2.5 in general, we probably have a giant batch of new issues to resolve. In terms of multiplayer, we are currently on the look-out for “desyncs”; issues that cause the players to become desynchronized from the server (or host player). If you’ve spotted one, make sure to send us your logs and any steps you think either the host or client (connecting) players took to make it happen. Don’t know how to send logs? I did a small write-up in this guide about it under “Opening and sharing the Wayward log file” here: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=798938225

If you are more technically inclined, you can also find the logs directly in your console. Just search for “Synchronization issues!”, and it will be a big block of information that you can copy+paste.

There is some optimization still to be done, and some of the sync checking stuff we have enabled for testing does increase CPU/network usage, so if you notice lag, it’s most likely that or you are just simply too far away from the client. You can use the “/ping” chat command to see your latency.

Looking to test it out for yourself? I wrote a little warning (back-up your saves, yo!) and guide on how to switch to the development branch in this post: https://steamcommunity.com/app/379210/discussions/3/1488866180602110263/

Full changelog of beta 2.5 available so far here: http://steamcommunity.com/app/379210/discussions/3/1488866180606677703/

Our internal/public todo listing is available here if you want to see what has already been reported: https://trello.com/b/PWX1Hpjn/wayward-todo

Everything under the “2.5 “Kinship” Todo” column is stuff yet to do (and bugs to fix).

Have fun and let me know if you have any questions!

I know many Wayward players (especially the dedicated ones) already know about this, but I thought I’d make it a bit more clear with an official announcement.

Multiplayer is OFFICIALLY coming to Wayward!

What started off as an impossibility in the eyes of many (including me) has realized itself through many months of testing and iteration. Much thanks goes to Gary “Spacetech” Wilber, our lead programmer for making this happen!

Our planned feature set for multiplayer include both options of permadeath and casual (respawning) as well as a toggle for PVP. The multiplayer works in a simulated real-time mode (as opposed to turn-based in single-player).

Players will be able to join Wayward multiplayer games through their friend’s Steam profile, their Steam friends list, or through an in-game menu. There’s also several new multiplayer chat commands available, like a handy “/kick” command for players that like to start fires under your feet. But who needs that when you can fight fire with fire!

It’s important to note that what gets released in beta 2.5 is subject to change and improve. The multiplayer will grow in scope and depth just like the single-player experience. Multiplayer is an optional feature, but a feature many, many people have requested. It is single-handedly the most requested feature to date. And one that was not easy to implement, especially since the game was never built with it in mind.

But also to those that don’t care about multiplayer, beta 2.5 won’t focus solely on multiplayer. Improving the core game is still a top priority. You can expect to see other exciting top-requested things such as new lore elements, a brand new ore type, a main menu UI overhaul, and much more! We’ll post a community discussion on wishlist topics for beta 2.5 coming up to get a more up to date priority list from everybody. If you are interested in the changes thus far in the beta 2.5 development branch, check out: http://steamcommunity.com/app/379210/discussions/3/1473096694445167021/

Let me know if you have any questions!

Hello to all the Wayward Free players out there!

I have not forgotten about my statement. That I would be updating the free version as I needed to (and had time to). I know there’s still many of you out there, so an update is definitely in order!

Here’s the full changelog for Wayward Free 1.9.4:

• Added the “Orb of Talent” which allows players to gain stats and talent at the cost of increased difficulty.
• Added a new cover text system that fixed some browser glitches that would show random characters in the lower left portion of the screen.
• Higher quality music and sound files are now used.
• Normalized all sound effects and fixed an issue where some browsers/operating systems would appear to cut off some sound effects from playing fully.
• Volume is now set to 50% of maximum volume by default.
• Fixed an issue where you could dig up treasure with monsters standing on the same tile.
• Archery has been renamed to “Archery and Firearms”.
• The “Flintlock Pistol” now uses archery and firearms instead of the throwing skill.
• Fixed a bug where you could transfer a raft to a container while on it, causing errors.
• Updated the list of supported browsers and versions.
• The version of the game is now displayed in the HUD interface.
• Fixed a bug where you could place things in locked chests.
• Hobgoblins/Fire Elementals can no longer set traps/fire on tiles where monsters are.
• Updated the Steam promotional image (with current beta 2.4 graphics).
• Fire and plants can no longer spread to tiles with monsters on them.
• The offline, downloadable version now uses Electron (previously run with NW.js).

This should wrap up any previously reported issue and bug out there. Please let me know if you find anything else though!

Please also let me know if you would like to see some balance or quality of life changes implemented. It’s been so long since I worked on it, and the paid version of the game is so much further along, that I’m not quite sure what could be fixed up easily or what the issues even are.

Wayward Free is available to be played in browser as usual here: http://unlok.ca/wayward/

Downloads

Windows (64-bit): Mirror 1 | Mirror 2
Windows (32-bit): Mirror 1 | Mirror 2

Requirements: Windows 7 and later.

Instructions: Unzip the files and run the wayward.exe to launch the game.

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macOS (64-bit): Mirror 1 | Mirror 2

Requirements: macOS 10.9 and later.

Instructions: Unzip the files and run the “Wayward” application. You may need to hold down “Control” when opening the application to get the “Open” option as it will not be identified as a recognized application.

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Linux (64-bit): Mirror 1 | Mirror 2
Linux (32-bit): Mirror 1 | Mirror 2

Requirements: Ubuntu 12.04 and later, Fedora 21, Debian 8

Instructions: Unzip the files and run the “wayward” executable. You may need to run “chmod 777 wayward” in the extracted directory before trying to launch the game.

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All source files can be found within the “app” directory under “resources” in all builds, or you can simply download all source files here if you wish to tinker. Make sure to follow the license if you do.

Okay, so here’s a real minor patch this time, unlike the last one. We found a few issues after releasing beta 2.4.3 that needed to be addressed sooner rather than later.

Have fun!

Improvements

• Dying in casual mode will now log information on how you died.
• When dying in casual mode, it will no longer mention unequipping items.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a regression where a single requirement was unlocking recipes.
• You no longer will get a warning confirmation when attacking a creature that is on a dangerous doodad/tile/fire. (Thanks Megan!)
• Fixed an issue where the death sound effect would not play all the time when dying in casual mode.

Modding

• Removed some outdated references included within mod references.

Hey all,

We have fairly substantial “minor” patch filled to the brim with quality of life improvements, balance changes, and of course a healthy amount of bug fixes for ya’ll this weekend.

This may or may not be the last patch within the 2.4.x series as we want to get started as soon as we can on beta 2.5 and delivering that sweet multiplayer goodness!

Let me know your thoughts on these changes as always!

Improvements

• When starting fires with torches, you can now either have a kindling item or a fuel item (preference goes to kindling).
• You can now attempt to gather from more stages on all plants. You can now also intentionally destroy plants while they are growing (with confirmation).
• Most plants now have many more resources from gathering including leaves and plant roots from most stages on most plants adding more distinction from harvest/gather.
• When renamed items appear in messages/tooltips, they will now have their proper character case and quotes surrounding them. (Thanks Xech!)
• Improved the growing grass graphic. It now also has all the normal growing plant stages.
• If you rub an orb and it would have no effect, it not longer consumes itself. (Thanks Adrien S. Enzo!)
• Drink is no longer the first option for seawater within the item menu.
• Added the ability to rename all doodads.
• Added less confusing text when harvesting a plant that can only be gathered.
• Fixed up some improper message types being applied to certain messages.
• You can now pour medicinal water on yourself. (Thanks blay.paul!)
• Improved the “bouncy” hair style graphic.
• Added less confusing planting messages when the tile was not suitable or if something was in the way.
• Increased line-height on tooltip titles for added padding on long titles.
• Changed the order of benignity/malignity in the reputation tooltip. Game changer!

Balance

• Dying with negative reputation now increases benignity, dying with positive reputation now increases malignity (in casual mode).
• Increased gardening reputation, but removed the reputation (and skill) gain when packing dirt (untilling).
• Reduced the chances of gathering fruits/seeds slightly from trees when fully ripened. (Thanks blay.paul!)
• Removed anatomy bonuses from receiving status effects (poison/bleeding) from doodads. This bonus will now only apply to creatures/combat.
• Anatomy now also effects chance to get burned (like poisoned/bleeding) from creatures.
• Aberrant creatures now have double the chance to cause status effects.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue that may have lead to corrupt save games due to item ordering. (Thanks Onkel Herrmann!)
• Fixed a undiscovered bug that would reset/change tiles around templates (spawned houses, ponds, lava) when reloading the save. (Thanks amul!)
• Fixed a message that showed traps doing “0” damage to creatures.
• Fixed an incorrect tree hitting sound effect triggering while gathering non-tree plants.
• Fixed a bug that unselected game option buttons (visually) when hovering over game options with tooltips.
• Particles that trigger when walking on water no longer get triggered on the last tile, but will now trigger on the tile moved to.
• Fixed a visual glitch with flooring that would clip outside of walls on the corners of houses.
• Fixed some cases where item order did not unlock certain recipes. (Thanks Rivet!)

Here’s that second 2.4 patch, as teased earlier this week. We’ve been hard at work fixing all the reported (and unreported) bugs, as well as improving some aspects of the game. It’s bug hunting season!

Speaking of reported issues, here’s a recent top 5 list of all the bug hunters helping out Wayward:

1. Adrien S. Enzo
2. Amax
3. blay.paul
4. GauHelldragon
5. sechsauge

A special thank you to those people and to everybody else that reports bugs and issues!

Improvements

• Maple, spruce, and cypress trees will now cycle back to budding stage when reaching their final maturity.
• Attempting creature taming will now give reputation.
• You can no longer trample germinating plants.
• Improved consistency of many doodad particle colors, including adding support for different colors based on growth stages.
• Increased the color range of particles and slowed down their decay speed slightly.

New

• You can now attempt to drop items on the same tile as a creature.
• Added a thirteenth keybind as backspace by default.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that made tamed creatures produce blood and particle effects even when they had not caused damage to their target.
• Fixed a bug where digging up certain tiles could duplicate items received from them (like cobblestone for example). (Thanks evildagmar!)
• Fixed an issue where water stills from older saves could get into a corrupted state. (Thanks Dynaflame!)
• Fixed a line of sight issue that would give full line of sight past a fire event/doodad when using a spyglass. (Thanks blay.paul!)
• Fixed an issue where animal taming done through offering was not giving any reputation. (Thanks Adrien S. Enzo!)
• Fixed fire spreading to water tiles with items on it. (Thanks sechsauge!)
• Fixed the “Offer” action not being available when the creature was on top of a doodad. (Thanks Adrien S. Enzo!)
• Fixed a bug that would cancel the sleeping overlay/screen if using a quickslot to sleep/rest before the screen ended its fade out event.
• Fixed a bug where collected doodads did not retain their name. (Thanks Adrien S. Enzo!)
• Fixed vampire bats and zombies despawning in caves during daytime incorrectly.
• Generated houses and other templates will no longer be spawned over cave entrances/exits. (Thanks Adrien S. Enzo!)
• Fixed some item borders getting cropped off within the equipment window. (Thanks Xech!)
• Fixed an oversight that would show a item notifier above the player when dropping a lit torch.
• Fixed a bug that was not counting items that were equipped and altered towards equipment milestones. (Thanks Xech!)

Balance

• Reputation loss now only occurs when tamed creatures actually hurt other creatures (unlike before where it happened whether they caused damage or not). (Thanks sechsauge!)