Hello Everyone,
Stage 1 is a huge milestone — the entire map has been rebuilt from scratch. With it comes a brand-new sky system, a new water system, an updated weather system, and fully refreshed fish and gear models. Our goal has been simple: to make the game look and feel better than ever, while maintaining the same smooth performance and frame rate as before.
The Challenges Along the Way
The road to this point wasn’t easy. Along the way, we encountered many surprises - entire features and add-ons stopped working after migrating to the new Unity engine. We had to rebuild and rework them from the ground up to ensure the game remains stable and future-proof. This process took time and effort, but it sets the foundation for all the upcoming stages of the Beta.
STAGE 1 Limitations
Please note that in this stage, Multiplayer and the Trophy Lodge are not yet available, and the player level is currently capped at Level 5. Progress between the BETA and standard game is separate - each version uses its own save files, so your progress will not transfer between them. The only exception here is that you can load Cloud Saves in BETA, but progress made there will not override anything in the default game.
Why Your Feedback Matters
Behind the scenes, more has changed than you might notice at first glance. The backend systems of the game have been overhauled to such a degree that your feedback is now the single most important factor. We need to know if everything runs correctly, if nothing breaks, and how you feel about the new changes: the fish models, the weather, the water, and the underwater experience. But the most important information is performance and visuals!
New Underwater Experience
Speaking of underwater, we’ve added new camera controls. By holding Left CTRL, you can now freely rotate the underwater camera, and with the scroll wheel, you can zoom it in or out. Give it a try and let us know how it feels.
The Road Ahead
Stage 1 is only the beginning. We’re committed to improving every part of the game step by step, with your help and feedback guiding us along the way. Thank you for being part of this journey!
Kind Regards,
Ultimate Fishing Team
HOW TO PLAY
BETA is available in two ways. Playtests will run for TWO (2) weeks!
If you are not sure about the BETA code, we suggest playing on the PlayTest app.
Via Steam Playtests
Via Steam Beta Branch
Changelog | Stage 1:
Technical Updates
Migrated project to Unity 6 HDRP
New water system
New weather system
New sound system (now based on AudioMixer)
Refactored Fish AI with the new version of Behavior Designer
Fixed underwater bait particle indicator (now disabled when not needed)
Fixed 3D renders of rods and reels
Fixed fish animation render distance and culling issues
Adjusted fish spawn system, added Spawner Action Manager
Refactored fish spawner activation manager (better control over fish per spawner)
Added Betty Lake spawn points
Microverse setup
Microsplat setup
Unified vegetation shaders
Terrain tessellation added
Underwater rendering fixes with a new renderer
Overwater and underwater renderer separation
General gameplay tweaks and environment adjustments
Visual & Environment Improvements
GPU instancer setup, blanket setup, and new assets
Added new underwater rocks, blanket rocks, and cave environments
Added new stamps and ground packs for multiple regions
Unified and updated vegetation shaders
Updated Microsplat textures and materials
Added new texture packs and stamps
Added billboard system
Added underwater post-processing effects
Refactored rope rendering layers for underwater scenes
Improved terrain rendering (quality presets, distance tweaks)
Fixed water reflection issues
Added depth scaling (1.4x) with Microverse + Microsplat
New rod models:
DAKINO DXP
DAKINO MAX-65
OKENA BR
DAKINO DV-G40
DAKINO MAX-75
DAKINO DXR
KUBOT S-104
OKENA BS
DAKINO DV-G50
KUBOT S-204
OKENA BT
KUBOT S-304
DAKINO DXS
DAKINO MAX-85
DAKINO DV-G60
New reel models:
OKENA K-03X
DAKINO ZAM-10
DAKINO CA-T50
DAKINO SL-I
DAKINO ZAM-30
DAKINO ZAM-40
DAKINO SL-II
DAKINO SL-III
DAKINO FD-1700
DAKINO ZAM-F50
DAKINO FD-3800
DAKINO FD-3900
DAKINO ZAM-60
DAKINO FD-6400
New fish models:
Rainbow Trout
Brown Trout
Brook Trout
Bull Trout
Cutthroat Trout
Burbot
Ide
Pumpkinseed
Audio
Integrated Environment Audio System
Fixed duplicated sounds (footsteps, water)
Added new underwater sound effects
Added splash/water footsteps
Separated overwater and underwater sound systems
Optimized loading of audio assets
User Interface & Settings
Added new loading screens (splash, tutorial, fisheries, DLC logos)
Added quality presets and a custom preset option
Refactored UI quality settings
Fixed issues in the encyclopedia and achievements
Refactored render targets (items, background, reel)
Improved loading optimizations
Added new graphic settings tweaks and texture quality setup
