Today is the day! We are excited to release the first preview of the brand-new island.
It has been 18 months since our last major update, and a lot has happened behind the scenes. To be transparent: we overestimated our initial abilities, hit severe burnout, went through leadership changes, and had to change our plans. It was a rough road. Finally, we are here and thrilled to get this preview into your hands. Hopefully the road to the next update will be a bit smoother.
Major features
New Island featuring 3 locations
Orchard Port + Sewers
Hydromechanicum
Rosegate Port
Reworked quests & environmental interactions
Repair generators, use cranes to move objects, restore power to facilities and more.
Steam Roller prototype
A brand-new vehicle type to play with.
World Building
Tons of new buildings, vegetation and props.
Character audio
The Captain and Sailor now speak gibberish! (A massive thank you to Mike Bodie, who provided these voiceovers at the last minute for free!)
The Expeditions
A prototype feature to provide classic Volcanoids gameplay once you acquire your drillship.
Travel to barren parts of the island through a short series of encounters. Each encounter is different—some focus on resource gathering, crafting, and upgrading your ship, while others will pit you against enemies and enemy drillships.
Please let us know what you think of this loop! If the community enjoys it, we have the tools to quickly add a lot more.
Beta status
The status is Beta. There are bugs and performance issues. Additionally:
Some assets are still missing here and there.
Visuals are still being worked on.
Lighting is incomplete (sewers, caves, Hydromechanicum).
Some colliders need adjustments (you may need to jump to get through some places).
Quests need more guidance in some places and smoothing.
Steam Roller needs work - movement improvements, audio.
The update is definitely rough around the edges - likely the most unpolished build we've released since our first days on Steam. I'm sorry. We appreciate your patience and feedback.
How to play the preview
Launch Volcanoids as usual.
In the Main Menu, click "New Island preview".
The game will automatically close and switch your Steam branch to "preview".
Wait for update to finish, then click "Play".
To go back: Simply click "Back to old island" in the main menu.
What's next?
Our immediate plan is to fix the biggest game-breaking bugs and performance issues. Expect minor bugfix updates every week until the build is stable and gameplay is smooth.
Once the foundation is solid, we will roll out the next wave of content already in our pipeline:
Wrenchlow Mining Village
Darksaddle Coal Mine
Dr. Ravensdale's Mansion (secrets included)
Seismotorium Research Station
This will cover the region between Orchard Port and the northern cliff.
FAQ
What's with the 2.0 version?
The New Island is a major upgrade, we felt it earned a major version milestone.
Will I have to pay again?
No. The new island is a core part of our original vision and is free for all game owners.
How are save files working?
Save files for the 2.0 are separate (physically stored in a different folder). The changes are substantial and it's not possible to transfer save file between two islands. Later, it will be possible to import your drillship from the Old Island.
Where's the drillship?
It's hidden! Finding it and making it operational is your main goal in this preview.
Where's the Steam Roller?
Hidden even better. Happy hunting!
Where's the eruption?
There are no eruptions in this preview. The old eruption system felt too obtrusive and constantly interrupted gameplay. The new eruption system will be more dangerous, longer-lasting, and fundamentally shift the environment, requiring new strategies to survive. We will introduce it later as player progression goes deeper.
Is there drillship travel?
Yes, you can travel between Orchard Port, Rosegate Port and expedition locations via a simple list of landing sites. We are moving away from the point-and-click travel map. The underground travel will be implemented in a different way later.
Can we throw cogs into the water with the trolley?
Message from Petr: I'm sorry that you won't be able to throw the cogs with the crane right now. There were some other (more important) things to do. Once there is a bit of free time I'll add it in.
There was small update on public branch, what's that?
We've added "New Island Button" into Main menu and updated Unity version (fixes some security issue).
Quick question for you all: What would you like to see us work on first after we fix the biggest bugs? Let us know in the comments!
New locations to explore
More expeditions to quickly add more gameplay
Better gunplay and enemies for more enjoyable combat
Thank you all for sticking with us through this long journey. Dive in, report the bugs, and let us know what you think!
- The Volcanoids Team
