Greetings, Viceroys!

We're thrilled to invite you to the Experimental version of the upcoming Sentinels of the Forest Update, which will introduce the 5th playable species: Foxes.

The addition of new species comes with plenty of gameplay-affecting changes and we'd love to hear your early impressions and feedback.

Please be warned, that as with any other Experimental Update, the upcoming changes are not localized, there can be bugs, and the balance might feel way off. You can find more information about the Experimental Branch in our guide: https://eremitegames.com/ats-experimental-branch/

Now, let’s dive into the changes introduced in the update.

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What’s new?

The Experimental version includes all the new features (described below) but lacks the visual changes. All the new buildings and villager models are placeholder assets that will be replaced when the proper update goes live on April 13.


Placeholder villagers and placeholder buildings.

Specialization

Foxes are majestic and mysterious creatures deeply bonded with the forest. They have evolved to a mutual symbiosis with Blightrot through long exposure to Rainwater, which caused some visible side effects. Foxes are skilled scouts and feel comfortable working with Rainwater.

Fox firekeeper activates the Forest Affinity effect:

• Forest Affinity - Fox Firekeepers have an unusual ability to calm the forest. Opening any glades gives 2 less Hostility (scales with difficulty).

Attributes

Foxes’ attributes:

• Base Resolve: 5
• Break Interval: 2:00
• Resilience: low
• Demanding: low
• Decadent: medium
• Hostility Resistance (Foxes don’t get a Resolve penalty for Hostility of the Forest - but they do acquire a penalty from the Storm)

Needs

Foxes’ needs:

• Any Housing
• Foxes Housing
• Porridge
• Skewers
• Pickled Goods
• Brawling
• Luxury
• Treatment

Treatment replaces Cleanliness to better reflect the nature of Harpies and Foxes who have a strong need to treat the symptoms of their disease caused by the Blightrot. Cosmetics are now replaced by Tea - a remedy for many afflictions - first introduced by Royal Stormwalkers (always served in metal cups).

Porridge is a new food produced by Field Kitchen, Beanery, Teahouse, and Distillery. Porridge is made from a simple food item (like Grain for example) and Rainwater.

We also made changes to other species’ needs:

• Humans: changed Jerky to Porridge
• Harpies: changed Brawling to Clothes

Buildings

We introduce 5 new buildings:

Fox House

• Can house 2 residents.

Tea House

• Recipes:
• Tea (T3)
• Porridge (T2)
• Waterskins (T1)
• Specialization bonus:
• Alchemy
• Rainwater
• Can use Drizzle Water.

Distillery

• Recipes:
• Wine (T2)
• Porridge (T2)
• Barrels (T2)
• Specialization bonus:
• Brewing
• Rainwater
• Can use Drizzle Water

Beanery

• Recipes:
• Porridge (T3)
• Pickled Goods (T2)
• Crystalized Dew (T1)
• Specialization bonus:
• Warmth
• Rainwater
• Can use Drizzle Water.

Tea Doctor

• Recipes:
• Treatment
• Brawling
• Passive effect:
• Vitality - A rich diet is beneficial for villagers' health. Gain a stack of the Vitality Effect (bonus to Global Resolve) for every 100 units of any Complex Food consumed.

We also made changes to existing buildings:

• The Field Kitchen now has 4 recipes (a Porridge recipe was added)
• Tavern now has Luxury (Wine) instead of Brawling (Training Gear)

Passive abilities

The introduction of Foxes also brings with it a new mechanic to all of the already existing species - Passive Abilities. A Passive Ability is triggered once for every available species in a given run - either at the beginning of the game (for species coming with the initial caravan) or when the first member of a new species joins the town.

Each species now has its unique special ability (unlockable via Upgrades in the Smoldering City):

• Humans: Reveals the locations of 2 of the nearest patches of fertile soil.
• Beavers: Extends available trade offers by 1 in each neighboring town.
• Lizards: Start with 10 tools.
• Harpies: Start with 50 Coats.
• Foxes: Reveals the locations of 2 of the nearest geysers.

Once unlocked, the abilities are always active.

Orders

New orders:

• Fox Influx
• Fox Population
• Happy Foxes
• The Pack
• Joyful Foxes
• People of the Forest
• Aid for the Fox Pack
• Fox Relatives
• Fox Resolve
• Fox Majority

Perks

New perks:

• Fox Pack Support - Ever since the Great Civil War, all species have been locked in a constant struggle to gain the Queen's favor. The Fox tribe remembers your help. +3 to Foxes resolve.
• Filling Dish - Porridge production increases by 1 for every 75 units of Drizzle Rainwater produced.

Changed perk names:

• Cosmetic Delivery Line changed to Tea Delivery Line
• Mortar and Pestle changed to Tea Infuser
• Cosmetic Specialization changed to Tea Specialization
• High Hygiene changed to Health Infusion

Event

New event:

• Fallen Fox Scouts - A group of fallen Fox scouts. They must have been sent to search the area to make sure it was safe… Apparently, something stood in their way. This find is causing grief among the Fox population.

Biome changes

In this update, we’re also introducing some changes to biome mechanics.

Coral Forest:

• Inspiring Pressure: changed the bonus yield chance from 5% to 3%.

The Scarlet Orchard (Archeologist’s Office):

• Ancient Strength: changed the bonus capacity increase from 5 to 3.
• Carved in Stone: changed working time speed bonus from 10% to 5%.
• Decryption: reduced the Hostility change from -15 to -10.

Unity Engine update

We also updated the Unity Engine to a newer version in this release. This will hopefully reduce the number of crashes on new GPUs and improve overall performance/stability.

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How to test it?

In order to play with the new species, you need to switch to the Experimental Branch (click here to learn how to switch to the Experimental Branch).

Foxes unlock at level 9.

Here are some useful commands for the Experimental:

• meta.level - advance to a specific level
• worldMap.addMetaCurrency "Food Stockpiles" - add a specific number of Food Stockpiles
• worldMap.addMetaCurrency Machinery - add a specific number of Machinery
• worldMap.addMetaCurrency Artifacts - add a specific number of Artifacts
• meta.addAllMC - adds 777 of each Citadel Resource (Food Stockpiles, Machinery, Artifacts)
• meta.addAll - unlocks all meta progress
• meta.diff 24 - unlocks all difficulty levels

You can find the full list of commands here.

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How to report bugs?

When reporting Experimental Branch crashes and bugs, please also include your system specifications, the platform on which you're playing, and the zipped contents of your entire game saves folder:
%userprofile%\appdata\locallow\Eremite Games\Against the Storm - Experimental

How to report:

• Briefly describe the issue
• Provide additional details, such as a more detailed description and frequency of occurrence.
• (If possible) include a screenshot or video of the issue.
• Include the zipped contents of your entire game saves folder:
%userprofile%\appdata\locallow\Eremite Games\Against the Storm - Experimental

You can send them on Discord or via email: support@eremitegames.freshdesk.com

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What are we interested in?

If you decide to play the Experimental Update, please share your thoughts with us!

Primarily, we are interested in your answers to the following questions:

• How do the new changes affect your runs?
• Have you found Foxes significantly better or worse than other species?
• Is there anything about these new changes that makes the gameplay feel worse (especially more repetitive) or better (especially more diverse)?

We can’t wait to hear your impressions once you give the new Experimental Update a try!

May the storm be gentle on you,
Eremite Games

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Previous Updates

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/6659175566886354000
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/5309220323997279603
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/3667656258520766684
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/3659774324617359177