As many of you already know, we where running a A/B test with our material destinations and map layout for almost 1 and a half years. This means, that new players that registered saw different destinations, that where tested.
With the update on the 11.01, all players will have the very same map. This map, along with its destinations are currently used on all newer players, so a change will only be visible to players that have accounts older than 1 and a half years.
How will you know that this change affected you ? A pop-up will appear to all players that used the previous version of the map. If no pop-up will appear after the update, you where already running on the new map system so nothing changes for you.
This change is necessary to unify our game more, and allows us to play more with destination placements and the maps visuals.
So, lets get over the changes one by one, starting with the big ones, all the way to the smaller ones.
Destination Changes
After the update, all destinations left for materials will be 1 Hour and 8 Hour destinations. All 4 Hour destinations will be removed for good. The 5 minute destination Small Town will stay in the game, too as players regularly use it.
This decision has been made as the 4 Hour destinations where under-utilised and took away space that can be used for different endeavours. A new wreck destination will also be added with this change.
So, all material destinations left will come in two flavours - 1 Hour, and 8 Hours. Except small town that will stay on its 5 minute travel time.
To be precise : 1H Cave is removed, 15Min Coastline removed, Neighbourhood changes from 4H to 8H, Rubble changes from 4H to 1H.
And if you think "hey wait, i already have only those in the game!" - in that case, nothing changes for you as you already use the newer map format.
Do note that this will affect all basic material destinations - Fish,Stone, Coin, Iron and Wood
Balancing and level change
With some destinations removed, those left in the game will be re-balanced to a certain degree. Some destinations now have more levels to be gained. In general the destinations will be balanced in a very similar fashion, so do not expect enormous changes in this regard. Further work in regards to balancing will be done on a later date depending on player input and data.
Visual Changes
Some destinations will no longer be on the same spot as they used to be - these have now been re-shuffled to better use the space. As we are aware that many players might be very used to these and its easy to make mistakes, the cancel time will be prolonged to 1 minute, which will be so for the next two weeks to make sure none of you have to pay for minor mistakes. Do note, that this will switch back to its classic 30 seconds after the 25.1.
Along with that, the map will receive a new coat of paint, preparing for more UI/UX changes coming this year.
Other Changes
If you sent your ships to a destination that was removed - this ship will be in your main port after you login, with the rewards from the destination already added by our server to your totals. There will be no pop-up to tell you how many of which materials you have gained, as this was sadly not possible from a technical standpoint.
So, here is a quick summary :
- Material destinations for 15 minutes and 4 Hour travel times will be removed/replaced
(1H Cave is removed, 15Min Coastline removed, Neighbourhood 4H to 8H, Rubble 4H to 1H)
- Some destinations will have more levels, and different multipliers
- Some destinations will be in different areas as before
- Cancel time prolonged to 1 Minute till the 25.01
- A new Wreck destination will be added
Again, if you will see no changes in the game, it simply means that you are already a newer user, using the new version of the map already.
That is all for now, with more information to come!
