Hey there, Ylanders!

Update 1.9 is finally here, featuring sharks and brand new underwater biotopes!



As its name suggests, Ocean Odysseys introduces a brand new underwater world to Ylands, featuring extra underwater terrain to explore, new underwater biotopes, and the return of sharks, along with other fish.

There’s also an improved multiplayer mode, new devices to aid navigation, damageable ships, and a loot container. We’re not exaggerating when we say that update 1.9 renews, expands, and improves upon the overall Ylands experience in a major way.

A quick overview of what's happening in 1.9:

Sharks. Better stay in your boat!
Underwater biotopes full of life and surprises
Ships can suffer damage and even sink
Useful new ship devices
Friends' locations are displayed on the map

Sharks
YES! Sharks are back and they’re more dangerous than ever - though you still have a chance to escape them. There are multiple underwater predators, waiting to pounce on unprepared explorers.



Underwater biotopes
Craft diving gear and explore underwater life. You can visit 9 new biotope types, gather new resources, discover new random encounters, and admire and catch fish from fish shoals.



Fish shoals
There are 18 kinds of fish shoals for you to admire during the long deep dive. You can even catch fish to get food or rare resources.


Underwater environment lighting
Small change for sure, but a welcome one. It makes sense that you want to see where you’re swimming, right?

Oxygen management
Take a deep breath for your underwater adventure. New diving gear will come in handy at this point, as it lets you dive deeper and swim faster.

Underwater cave generation
This is just the beginning of a largescale underwater adventure. While you may only find small caves at the moment, the foundation for cave generation is now in place and will be expanded upon considerably in the future.

Ship devices
When you want to experience a proper ocean odyssey, you definitely need as much information about your surroundings as possible. So let's build new equipment for your ship that warns you before you run out of fuel, tells you how fast your ship is sailing, enables you to find deep waters with random encounters more easily, and lets you know the status of your ship’s health.



Damageable ships and boats
Now there’s another reason for you to build cannons on your ships because it’s possible to attack players with your ship on certain ylands. But be careful what you wish for because what goes around, comes around – meaning those ships can fire back at you! Keep an eye on your ship’s health, and keep the Repair hammer and resources close because you’re going to need them. Not only in case of naval battles, but ships can take damage in a collision with obstacles and even in severe weather, better put down the anchor when the large waves comes.

PvP
Let's play pirates! You’ll now find a new PvP setting in your server settings that lets you decide whether you want other players to be able to attack your properties from the sea or even engage in naval battles.

Playing with friends
Friends and clan members are able to see each other on the map by default. But if you’re a fan of hide and seek, just change the settings! We also tweaked the friends list, so it's now clear who can join in the game and who you can invite. An improved spawn system will summon you much closer to your friend's avatar. Now you can jump straight into playing with your friends without having to find each other on the huge maps!



Loot container
Dying in the game is unpleasant, that’s for sure. But it’s even worse if you die with a full inventory because collecting everything again is such a struggle. That’s why we’re adding a loot container in 1.9, which keeps everything from your inventory in one container.

There are of course many more changes, improvements, fixes, additions and tweaks. We honestly can't wait to hear what you guys have to say about this update. The best person to sum up the Ocean Odysseys is none other than the Project Lead, Aleš Ulm, himself:

“For a long time, the seas in Ylands have offered bare, empty depths with an uninteresting seabed, Update 1.9 changes that in a big way. Players will now be able to look for resources and enjoy gorgeous underwater life, both harmless and dangerous, while exploring new depths.”

Well, 1.9 is finally out, let us know what you think and most importantly…

Keep Exploring!

And even more importantly…

Stay classy!