Raft

DevBlog #38


LONG TIME, NO SEE!



Hi everyone!

We know, we know. It has been quite a while since we have written a blog. But since such a big update is on the way, we wanted to show you what we have been up to and what we will be working on until the next update.


THE TEAM



Since the last time we talked, the team has expanded. Now we are six people on production with Petter and Chi joining us! They are both artists and thanks to having a bigger team, we have been getting a lot more done! However, we are trying to keep things as a surprise for now and don’t spoil it too much before the next update’s release. Hope you guys are as excited as we are!



LORE



So, what's cooking at Redbeet HQ right now, you ask? Well, the next update will be quite a major one and we are working on it non-stop to bring it to you as soon as possible. As a part of this, we are finally implementing more lore to Raft! You will finally get a glimpse of why you ended up on that raft. While you are learning more about the world and what happened to it, the notebook will be your companion to keep track of your progress and to save some useful information along the way. Here is a little sneak peek:


"Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: fifteen rafts go out, searching for land, six days before the mother of all storms.

It took us three months to prepare. The storm blew us apart and away in four days.

Now, there’s just me and the Raft, the sound of the waves and the rumbling in my gut.

I’d brood, but I think I saw a shark.

I snatch a piece of floating litter before it escapes my reach. Holding it aloft, I discover it’s the photograph of my family in our Rafting village. I turn it, and on its back there is a note scribbled away in halfway faded permanent marker, written in the clumsy manner of a child:

𝐼’𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑒𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑑𝑟𝑦.

A stylized arrow is painted over it, the sign of the forward scouts. "




LOCATIONS



We will be introducing new exciting destinations to Raft as a part of the story. New enemies, obstacles, puzzles and more will be waiting for you at these new locations. Moreover, each place will bring their own inhabitants with them. In the first location (which we will keep as a surprise for now), you will meet these cute little rats:



You might have also seen them before on our social media, as we have been asking for your help to name them. After going through all your suggestions, we have decided on *drumroll please* :

LURKERS!

While you are trying to make your way through this destination, Lurkers will do whatever they can to catch you off guard! So, be careful around them.



This week the destination that reside Lurkers will be polished and starting next week we will be working on the second location for the upcoming update. We will share more information regarding this when we have more content to show you. As well as adding new locations to Raft, we are also reworking some places to fit the Raft world better. For example, we have overhauled the radio tower. Compared to the other two destinations we are working on, this will be a smaller place. However, we are still happy about the changes and the place it will hold in the story. Here you can see the differences we have made to make it more visually pleasing and fitting to the Raft world:


OLD


NEW

QUEST ITEMS



With each destination, there will be some obstacles you will need to work through. With the help of these special quest items we are bringing to Raft, you will be able to overcome them and progress onto the next destinations.



RECEIVER 2.0



We knew that we needed to find a way to make getting to the new destinations easier. So let us introduce you: The Receiver 2.0.



So how does it work? Well let us explain.
Each destination will have a unique frequency. You will find new frequencies by overcoming the challenges on the previous destination. Knowing the frequency, you will be able to follow the directions shown just like the old receiver. And thanks to this system, you will be able to come back to these destinations as many times as you want!

FIXING AND TRIXING



Yes, we are working hard on the new features. However, that is not the only thing we are doing. Beside adding all these new cool stuff to Raft, we are also fixing some bugs, optimizing and polishing the content we already have. Let’s have a look what you can expect from the next update beside the stuff mentioned above:

  • Animal loot system is reworked. This is how it will look like after the next update:
  • To prepare for the story destinations, the island spawn system has been redone.
  • All the small islands have been remade using content from the big islands to make graphics more coherent.
  • The common problem with sharks swimming through islands is no more! The shark has been remade to fix this issue and it will have much smoother movement.
  • Cave graphics have been adjusted too. Inside the caves will get darker than the current version. However, do not worry! We are also adding a flashlight to help you out.
  • The issue with the lanterns lighting up inconsistently is resolved.
  • Players will no longer be able to pick up items through walls.
  • Localization mistakes with the pick up items on islands will be corrected.

Just a quick reminder that these changes are not online yet and they will be available with the next update.

Hope you guys enjoyed this blog post and found it interesting to see what we are working on at the moment. Until next time, have a good one folks!

//Raft HQ

P.S. Don’t forget to follow us on our social media to follow the development and to get a heads up when we have a new blog post out!

Discord: https://discord.gg/raft
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