Listen, there’s no time to explain! Download the new update and enjoy these new features:

• Trade Routes rework
• New mechanic: Timed Orders
• 60 new Timed Orders
• And more!

Hey, I know you haven’t downloaded it yet. The clock is ticking!

Do you like the new changes? If so, please consider leaving us a short review on Metacritic.

DEVELOPER NOTES

We’re nearing the end of the Phase of the Citadel, which means there are only a few more meta systems left to revamp – Trade Routes, Factions, and the World Map. We’re still not ready to release the new Map, and Factions are still a work in progress, so with today’s update, we bring you a new and improved Trade Route system. But that’s not all! We also have an exciting new mechanic for you – Timed Orders!

Let’s start with Timed Orders – they are a new type of optional challenge you can take on in place of regular Orders. Timed Orders are difficult, time-sensitive, and very rewarding, but they can also be failed. Once the timer runs out, you will forever lose that one Reputation Point you would otherwise get by completing the Order. Our goal when creating this system was to give players a sense of excitement and provoke a more rushed, reckless type of gameplay. Additionally, we felt like the game needed a bit more opportunities to take on big risks and be rewarded for it. It’s a rogue-lite after all.

Optional Timed Order.

The second big addition coming in this update is the Trade Route revamp. We wanted to give the entire system more meaning, while also answering some of the most prevalent pieces of feedback we have gotten over the last few months. We came up with a new approach, which can simply be described as an export system with an additional layer of building relationships with nearby settlements.

From now on, Trade Routes will take the form of Offers – requests for different goods from your neighbors. By filling these requests, you will earn Amber and increase your Standing level with a given town. The higher your Standing, the better Offers you will get in the future. At the same time, these interactions are not instantaneous – the traded goods need time to be transported, and you need to equip the caravan with enough provisions (Packs of Provisions). All Offers are procedurally generated, with different prices, durations, and fees, so it’s up to you to keep a cool head and find the most profitable deals out there.

Trade Routes window.

At this point, we’d like to thank all of you who tested the new Trade Route system on the Experimental Branch last week. We’ve gotten some incredible feedback which helped a lot in improving this feature before today’s update.

Lastly – we also introduced some balance changes in this update. This time we focused a bit more on Cornerstones, removing some that were too disruptive to the game’s economy, and rebalancing a few based on the changes introduced with the new Trade Route system. We also moved some Order rewards around, so they would feel more balanced and in-tune with the amount of effort required. Additionally, we reduced the value of all goods in the game and traders will now pay less for the things you sell them. This was done for two reasons – firstly, we wanted to discourage players from mass-producing one resource and selling it all in exchange for the trader’s entire stock, and secondly, we wanted to boost Trade Routes a bit, as a more profitable way of exporting resources for Amber.

We hope you enjoy the new additions to Against the Storm. Have a great time taking on Timed Orders and trying to swindle your neighbors out of their hard-earned Amber, and as always – feel free to share your feedback on our Discord server or using the official feedback tool.

CHANGELOG

Changes marked with ⚡ were inspired by community.

New content and features

• ⚡ Added a new and improved Trade Route system. 
  • Trade Routes are no longer passive, constant streams of goods from other settlements. Instead, they now take the form of Offers. 
  • Offers are one-time buy orders from nearby settlements. Your neighbors will inform you about their needs, and you can send them goods in exchange for amber. 
  • Offers are procedurally generated based on the settlement’s biome and your relation with the said settlement. They can range from not very profitable to extremely lucrative. 
  • Each offer has four main parameters: desired goods (what a settlement needs), payment (how much Amber the settlement is willing to pay), travel cost (what will it cost to travel to said settlement), and travel time (how long the Trade Route will take).
  • Each Offer has multiple levels of size – you can decide how many of the desired goods you are willing to send by using the arrow buttons in the Offer Slot. 
  • After you accept an offer, the goods will be sent to the settlement. Once your caravan returns, you will be able to collect the earned Amber (you can also set a checkbox to auto-collect Amber).
  • Offers reset every season.
  • You start with 2 Offers in each settlement and can buy more Offer Slots for Amber (up to 5). 
  • Each successfully finished Trade Route will progress your Standing with a given settlement. There are 5 standing levels: neutral, known, friendly, honored, and allied.
  • Each Standing level increases the base amount of goods a settlement wants and how much it’s willing to pay. The travel time also decreased slightly.
  • You can see the full list of goods a settlement might want to buy from you by hovering over it on the World Map. 
• Added a new type of mission from the Queen – Timed Orders. These are very difficult, time-sensitive objectives that can be failed, but completing them gives great rewards. 
  • Timed Orders can be unlocked in the Citadel, after buying the Obsidian Archive Level 9 Upgrade.
  • Once unlocked, Timed Orders will appear randomly in some Order Packs. 
  • Timed Orders are given as a third choice in the Order Pick Popup (or: as a fourth choice if you are playing the Daily Expedition with a modifier).
  • Timed Orders are harder and more rewarding than normal Orders. They can fail if the timer runs out.
  • You have a limited time to pick the Timed Order in the Order Pick Popup. 
  • Once you pick the Order, the timer will start and you will have to finish it before the time runs out. 
  • Timed Orders are based on the game’s difficulty. Some are present in games on Normal difficulty, but most of them activate on Impossible or higher.
• Added 60 new Timed Orders. We will let you discover their requirements and rewards on your own, and only share their names here in the changelog:
  • Joyful Beavers
  • Zealous Scouts
  • Starting tools
  • Joyful Harpies
  • Joyful Humans
  • Joyful Lizards
  • Outerwear
  • Hurried Expedition
  • Ruins Call
  • Quick Transaction
  • Impetuous Explorer
  • Housing Estate
  • Distant Journey
  • Quick Packaging
  • Work Break
  • Wood Thirst
  • Adventurous Viceroy
  • Herbalists Trial
  • Scavengers Trial
  • Trappers Trial
  • Mushrooming
  • Stonecutters Trial
  • Foragers Trial
  • Venturesome Leader
  • Beavers Colony
  • Harpies Colony
  • Humans Colony
  • Lizards Colony
  • Outpost
  • LumberMill Efficiency Test
  • The Ceremony of Sacrifice
  • Basic Packages
  • Building Rush
  • Chests Chaser
  • Foolhardy Man
  • Coal Fever
  • Copper Fever
  • Disturb the Ancients
  • Devilish Curiosity
  • Forest Fascination
  • Magical Rainwater
  • Wealthy Trader
  • Into the Ruins
  • Bling-Bling
  • Thirsty Trader
  • Fearless
  • Ultimate Challenge
  • Greedy Merchant
  • Trading Master
  • Reckless Viceroy
  • Great Expansion
  • Advanced Cuisine
  • Time of Courage
  • Large Parcel
  • Storekeeper
  • Ravenous Axes
  • Beer Snacks
  • Construction Work
  • Urgent Shipment
  • Food Provision
• Added a new essential building – the Field Kitchen.
  • The Field Kitchen can be unlocked by buying the Dim Square Level 7 Upgrade.
  • This building is a workshop, has 2 worker slots, and can produce Jerky, Biscuits, and Pickled Goods at a 0-star level (slowly and with more required ingredients than a one-star recipe).
  • The building was added mainly as a way to give the players more tools in difficult games, such as Prestige or Impossible runs (especially when combined with the Consumption Control system). 
• Added one more player level – 16. 
  • Reaching level 16 will unlock the followig Cornerstones: Hidden from the Queen, Overtime, Ritual of prosperity.
  • Added one additional Upgrade for the Obsidian Archive line in the Citadel to buy on level 16. 
  • Please note – there isn’t much content to unlock at level 15 and 16, but we will slowly add new things to fill in the gaps. 
• Added a new Cornerstone:
  • Stormwalker Training – Villagers learn how to travel in the wilderness from the best – the Royal Stormwalkers. Trade Route travel time is reduced by 25%.
  • Stormwalker Training (Stormforged) – Villagers learn how to travel in the wilderness from the best – the Royal Stormwalkers. Trade Route travel time is reduced by 33%. Traders will arrive 33% quicker.

Field Kitchen (on the right).

Balance

• ⚡ Changed the production time of Sparkdew in the Rain Collector from 60 seconds to 30 seconds. 
• ⚡ Buffed recipes for Mushrooms and Herbs in the Greenhouse. They now require 4 Sparkdew instead of 5 and take 30 seconds instead of 60 seconds.
• ⚡ Buffed recipes for Clay and Reeds in the Clay Pit. They now require 4 Sparkdew instead of 5 and take 30 seconds instead of 60 seconds. 
• ⚡ Rebalanced multiple Cornerstones:
  • Woodpecker Technique – reduced the number of Insects given for each cut tree from 2 to 1. 
  • Lumber Tax – increased the Wood required to trigger the effect (1 Amber reward) from 40 to 50.
  • Protected Trade – lowered the trade requirement from 40 to 25 to trigger the effect (Hostility reduction).
  • Free Samples – lowered the trade requirement from 30 to 20 to trigger the effect (1 Part reward).
  • Trade Logs – removed the increase to the worth of Packs of Trade Goods and added +1 to Active Trade Route Slots instead. 
  • Export Contract – removed the increase to the worth of all Packs and the Reputation Resolve penalty, but added a +1 bonus to Active Trade Route Slots instead.
  • Trade Hub – lowered the trade requirement from 100 to 60 to trigger the effect (Reputation Point reward)
• Removed 3 Cornerstones:
  • Enriched Amber
  • Respected Business Partner
  • Luxury Tax
• Changed the source of some advanced Delivery Line Cornerstones. They are now rewards for completing Timed Orders and will no longer be given to the player as a yearly reward:
  • Ale Delivery Line
  • Incense Delivery Line
  • Scroll Delivery Line
  • Coat Delivery Line
  • Pottery Delivery Line
• Lowered the value of all goods in the game (other than Amber) by around 25%. Traders will now pay less for goods sold directly to them.
• Lowered the Amber requirement for The Guild’s Welfare effect in the Guild House from 80 to 60. 
• Removed two items from the pool of desired goods for Sahilda and Xiadani (Coats, Pottery).
• Increased the number of types of goods traders can bring to the settlement. All traders will have more in stock. 
• Slightly increased the amount of fuel (Coal, Oil) required to make Incense.
• Slightly increased the amount of Pigment and Wine required to make Scrolls. 
• Decreased the amount of Crystalized Dew required to make Parts. 
• Increased the number of Packs of Provisions production output from 2 to 3. 
• Decreased the number of goods required to make Packs of Provisions on the lowest recipe tier.
• Fallen Beavers/Lizards/Humans/Harpies now spawn 2-3 Blightrot Cysts instead of turning into one.
• Changed the layout of some Upgrades in the Smoldering City:
  • We restored the 2% Impatience reduction to all levels of the Obsidian Archive. 
  • The Consumption Control unlock was moved to Obsidian Archive Level 6.
  • Embark Range extensions were moved to levels 8 and 13 in the Obsidian Archive line. 
  • The Trappers’ Camp and Foragers’ Camp Embark Bonuses were moved higher, to levels 15 and 16. 
  • One of the Grace Period Upgrades was moved to level 14 instead of 13.
  • One of two Active Trade Route Slot expansions was removed from the Upgrade Tree. 
• Moved 3 existing Cornerstones to Level Up rewards in place of the removed perks.
  • Flame Amulets – level 2
  • Over Diligent Woodworkers – level 3
  • Stormwalker Training – level 8
• Increased the default amount of goods builders can carry from 2 to 5. 
• Rebalanced the rewards for 31 Orders in the game:
  • Botanist – removed the Rich in Fiber and Fiber Delivery Line Cornerstones, added 20 Fabric and the Large Berry Baskets Cornerstone.
  • Rain Protection – removed Parts.
  • Farm Life – removed the Grain Delivery Line Cornerstone, added 30 Mushrooms.
  • Foragers’ Camp – removed the Giant Vegetables Cornerstone, added 30 Stone.
  • Funding the Expedition – removed Jerky, Pickled Goods and Biscuits, added 5 Planks, 5 Bricks, and 5 Fabric.
  • Garden Life – removed the Root Delivery Line Cornerstone, added 35 Clay.
  • Herbalist – removed the Accumulated Dew and Large Berry Baskets Cornerstones, added 2 villagers and 30 Herbs.
  • Hunters – removed the Meat Specialization Cornerstone, added the Nets Cornerstone.
  • Ranch Life – removed the Meat Delivery Line Cornerstone, added 30 Meat.
  • Lost in the Woods – removed the Root Delivery Line Cornerstone, added the Steel Pickaxes Cornerstone.
  • Tick Tock – removed Coal.
  • Building Materials – removed the Reinforced Needles Cornerstone, added 4 Simple Tools.
  • Trappers – added 30 Insects.
  • Delivery – removed the Herb Delivery Line Cornerstone, added 10 Amber.
  • Happy Brewing – removed the Advanced Coopering Cornerstone, added 20 Pickled Goods.
  • Bloody Sacrifices – removed the Meat Cleavers Cornerstone, added 20 Copper Bars and 15 Amber.
  • Sacrificing – removed the Ancient Artifact Cornerstone, added the Specialized Mining Cornerstone.
  • Luxurious Delivery – removed the Ways of the Forest Cornerstone, added 15 Amber.
  • Brotherhood – removed the Herb Delivery Line and Bigger Grill Cornerstones, added 30 Oil and 40 Flour.
  • Cups and Glasses – removed the Grain Delivery Line Cornerstone, added 20 Ale.
  • New Clothes – removed the Pottery Delivery Line Cornerstone, added the Tanning Racks Cornerstone.
  • Basic Rights – removed the Ancient Artifact Cornerstone, added 30 Pickled Goods.
  • The Forum – removed the Reed Delivery Line Cornerstone, added 10 Amber.
  • Lizard Resolve – removed the Meat Delivery Line Cornerstone, added 8 Parts.
  • Bathing – removed the Mortar and Pestle Cornerstone, added 30 Cosmetics.
  • Playing with Fire – removed the Oil Delivery Line Cornerstone, added the Advanced Smelting Cornerstone.
  • The Cult of Fire – removed the Tool Delivery Line Cornerstone, added the Survivor Bonding Cornerstone.
  • Leisure – removed the Root Delivery Line Cornerstone, added 30 Roots.
  • Rich Delivery – removed the Ale Delivery Line Cornerstone, added 30 Ale.
  • Travel Rations – removed the Scroll Delivery Line Cornerstone, added 40 Skewers.
  • Utopia – removed the Amber Tax Cornerstone, added the Value Added Tax Cornerstone.

UX/UI improvements

• ⚡ Added a tooltip for the “Attack” button in the Trader Panel.
• Changed multiple icons in the game (for example: Joy of Exploration, Cannibalism) to avoid repetitions.
• Changed the look of the floating indicators on the HUD (newly discovered Glades, Trader arrival, Altar Priestess arrival).
• Improved the status indicator on all perk tooltips. It should now blend with the rest of the UI better. 
• Added a tooltip to the “Trade Routes” tab button informing the player about the need to build a Trading Post before accessing the system.
• Changed the descriptions of all effects creating Blightrot Cysts to now clearly state how many will be spawned. 
• Added a new entry about Trade Routes into the in-game Atlas.
• Changed the order of buildings in multiple categories (Food, Industry, Resource Gathering) in the construction menu. The position of blueprints should now make a lot more sense than before.

Bug fixes

• ⚡ Fixed a bug with the Immovable Viceroy Deed automatically completing even if glades were discovered during a run. 
• ⚡ Fixed a bug that caused the Thorough Exploration Deed to not trigger even after discovering 30 Glades in a single game. 
• ⚡ Fixed a bug that caused the Treasure Deed not to trigger even after opening 20 Caches in a single game.
• ⚡ Fixed a bug that caused some Deeds to still be completable even after winning a game. 
• ⚡ Fixed a bug that caused the Ruins Deed not to trigger even after solving 10 Ruins in a single game.
• ⚡ Fixed a bug that caused rebuilding ruins to be counted towards some Order objectives that require owning species-specific housing.
• ⚡ Fixed an issue with the Ancient Altar panel not forcing the game to pause when opened. 
• ⚡ Fixed an issue with Orders like Farm Life/Ranch Life/Garden Life not counting double yields from produced goods. 
• ⚡ Fixed a bug with the Peddler Order not counting sold goods correctly. 
• ⚡ Fixed a bug with giant resource nodes in the Marshlands not being highlighted correctly. 
• ⚡ Fixed a bug with some icons being covered by the Forest Mysteries UI in the top right corner of the HUD (on 16:10 resolutions, with max UI scale). 
• ⚡ Fixed a typo in the description of the Prestige 13 modifier. 
• ⚡ Fixed a bug that caused no tooltip to appear when hovering over filled Reputation and Impatience bars. 
• Fixed an issue with an incorrect text position in the Resolve tooltip for Lizards. 
• Fixed an issue that caused the Resolve tooltip to stay on screen in certain scenarios. 
• Fixed an issue with some building panels being placed too low when first opened.
• Fixed a bug with Citadel Resource icons being displayed incorrectly in certain tooltips.
• Fixed a bug that caused incorrect scaling in the “click to open recipes panel” text below some tooltips.
• Fixed a bug with service building tooltips displaying the recipe summary section, even though they have no recipes. 
• Fixed a bug that caused the fog to still be visible after an explosion destroyed parts of the surrounding forest.
• Fixed a visual glitch in the animations of some buttons in the upper right corner of the HUD (Orders, Cornerstones, Newcomers). 
• Fixed a bug that caused the lower part of the Citadel Ui to not scale with different screen resolutions.

Other

• Added new sounds to all buttons in the upper right corner of the HUD (Orders, Trade Routes, Recipes Panel, etc.). The same goes for switching between these tabs in an opened window.
• Changed the sound of building roads.
• Added a new ambient sound when opening the building panel for the Forum.
• Slightly changed the sound effects played when entering the Citadel.

We’re super grateful to everyone who contributed to this update. Your translations, suggestions, and reports are extremely appreciated! You can always track the progress of reported issues on our Public Bug Tracker.

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT

If you want to help us grow the Against the Storm community, there are a few things you can do:

• Let your friends know about the game
• Share our content and announcements on social media
• Share your gameplays on relevant subreddits like r/Games or r/PCGaming 

Truth be told, we appreciate all kinds of support. Be it feedback, words of encouragement, or casual activity on Discord. It helps a lot and we’re very much grateful!

Now, enjoy the new update and let us know what you think!

May the storm be gentle on you,
Eremite Games team

Current Early Access version: 0.28.1R

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