Hey Everyone! It's been a while, and we are bringing the first public beta update today. It contains a few more things than we told such as sandbox mode and the new Slovakia map version. So if you are interested in what changed in detail I will describe it later but first, let me guide you on how to activate BETA on Steam. Remember to join our Discord: [url=https://discord.gg/5AnMchrWYZ]https://discord.gg/5AnMchrWYZ[/url] [u][b]Caution: [/b]Beta can be unstable, there can be bugs that are not present on the normal version :)[/u] [b]BETA Feedback forum:[/b] https://steamcommunity.com/app/1136380/discussions/7/ [h2] PUBLIC BETA | HOW TO PLAY? [/h2][olist] [*] Right-click on the game from the library page and select "Properties". [*] Click on the "BETAS" tab. [*] Select from the dropdown list “public beta” [*] Press OK.[/olist]Important: As this is Save System beta, we needed to make sure that YOU won't lose your progress. So FIRST time you launch BETA, you will see an admin prompt from Windows, as we are doing a backup from your registry. It is done with a simple .bat file script, you can check what this script contains [url=https://pastebin.com/TkE5vzr6][b]> HERE <[/b][/url]. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36994199/884d3bffaa682f061ca630ed40565e8b2d6eb67f.png[/img] [h2]NEW SAVE SYSTEM[/h2] So it is here finally, the proper Steam Cloud support and syncing all your saves between different machines. It was done from scratches, saves that were saved in the Windows registry have been fully moved to AppData by re-working the whole system how data is stored and saved from the game. As such things are fragile, especially for games that already exist and players have huge amounts of progress and records it was a really important matter to keep all your progress untouched and during the conversion - BACKUP up all your registry saves, so you are fully secured. So right now on BETA, we implemented a special checking if there is a saves conflict + special script that backup your current saves from normal game build (you can check the script[url=https://pastebin.com/TkE5vzr6][b] > HERE <[/b][/url]). [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36994199/bb1b75825ab581026fd9c8d27706973dc6ef336d.png[/img] [b]Important: Progress made on BETA doesn't transfer to the NORMAL account. [/b] [h2]New Audio System[/h2] So, the old audio system was messed up a lot and while doing this we found out that many sounds that were implemented in the game didn't even "play" in the game. It's not perfect right now but the current system allows us to implement a lot of sound options and configurations with channels, 3D audio/spatial, etc. We will improve this system but from main things that you should notice are: new reeling sound, new casting sound, new lodge sounds, and some new environment sounds. In the future, we want to also change all environment sounds to fit the proper theme and unique fauna on each map but that's something we will address in the later stage. [h2]SANDBOX MODE[/h2] It is finally here. Everything is unlocked, all equipment, all maps, and no level limitations. But you need to remember: sandbox is based on the "normal" mode. In the future we plan to add more options to the sandbox to allow you to change the bait ratios, fight lengths, stamina boosts, etc. - so you can adjust the game to your style of gameplay. Also, on Sandbox tournaments are disabled. [h2]SLOVAKIA 2.0[/h2] You will probably ask WHY? And the answer is: FLY FISHING. As the development is moving forward we are slowly preparing to do fly fishing mechanics and we need maps that will allow you to enjoy it to its full potential. Slovakia was supposed to be a mountain river with a proper river current (that is still in the works). So the map was I would say re-done in 90%. The old map is still there, but you can check how it changed by just looking at the minimap: [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36994199/ec57d307dbdef794cea58a3b10128381cdb27734.jpg[/img] Yes, you are correct - 1,2,3 fast travel points are the old map ;) So let me show you some screenshots. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36994199/54f054966714282ebf0ef06d95ad0cae726b8037.png[/img] [url={STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36994199/c8ce012cb85b156bf4dd17c517b14ebbf2aee59f.png][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36994199/cbe9da15bbe555326a92914fa234441707f85ebd.png[/img][/url] [url={STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36994199/e8a612b77dee818d3186c83dffe2931932e77ed2.png][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36994199/bba7b3beee8fa2d5b7e5048a8ccd94c8e450fe07.png[/img][/url] [url={STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36994199/8a236f7a3524c0078f9ff9efc4157de451937b77.png][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36994199/f776fe403af793de5cd2e1b138ced8bcae5a38cc.png[/img][/url] [url={STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36994199/80e3208e2c4c1435983aeaa0c60551c8db3277d5.png][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36994199/de580f4661f84a66e2fb33ea453ce7a055769c0d.png[/img][/url] [url={STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36994199/44af169b115299e726ed9a5e30424c3e95bbc51f.png][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36994199/68dca88ec1b838a4fa5c5a9d054cb7a191626994.png[/img][/url] [h2]Beta Version | 0.23.12.08:2476[/h2] [list] [*] New Audio System (ex. new reel sound, new throw sounds, etc.) [*] New Save Systems (fully stored in cloud & appdata) [*] New game mode: Sandbox [*] Changed map: Slovakia 2.0[/list] [h2]Other things[/h2] We are reading your feedback and questions, so answering a few of them: Q: Will there be a Christmas Event? [b]A: Yes, it will be the same as The 2022 Christmas Event[/b] Q: When will we see a new fish system? [b]A: We are working on it, it is a huge task. Once it is done and working properly, we will publish it on BETA.[/b] Q: Where is Alaska? [b]A: Alaska is the biggest map that was made for UFS2. It will contain lakes, rivers, and frozen lakes. This map is supposed to support Fly Fishing and [b]Ice Fishing[/b]. We would like to release it earlier but in our opinion, it needs to wait for Ice Fishing mechanics as if we publish it you wouldn't be able to fish on ~30% of map areas.[/b] Q: Will there be another map after Alaska? [b]A: Yes, we already started working on it. I will focus on Sea & Coast fishing, based in the USA.[/b] Q: When multiplayer? [b]A: Once all basic mechanics in the game are fixed we will start working on the multiplayer.[/b] Q: Is there an official Discord for the Ultimate Fishing Simulator? [b]A: We just created one, as earlier it was based on Ultimate Games Discord. Feel free to join: [url=https://discord.gg/5AnMchrWYZ]https://discord.gg/5AnMchrWYZ[/url][/b] So, that's it :) Please remember - the more feedback you give to us, the more effective is our work as we know what are you expecting and how to find specific issues! Regards, Rafał & UFS2 Team