As anticipated, there has been some resistance to the idea of thirst being implemented in Wayward; however, I think most of this stems from the complication of distilling sea water into a drinkable form. It’s definitely not a perfect system yet and I wanted to do a blog post to discuss the following:

1. Provide hints on stopping dehydration and staying alive in beta 1.4.
2. Announce some changes coming up in beta 1.5 and beyond.

Hydrate Yourself! (Spoiler Alert)

There’s two new environmental items for water distillation including:

Stone Water Still

• Large Rock x3
• Sharpened Item
• String
• Pole-like
• Waterskin
• Fuel-like

With this one, you have to pour unpurified water into it (right click), light it on fire, and wait until it burns out to grab the now distilled water.

Solar Still

• Sheet of Glass (Tongs, Refined Sand x3, Limestone Powder, Furnace)
• Waterskin

With a solar still, you have the pour unpurified water into it, then wait a couple hundred turns. This will only work during the day. After it’s done, you can grab the distilled water.

You can also use a direct recipe method:

A Purified Filled Waterskin

• Flask (Clay Blow Pipe, Refined Sand x2, Limestone Powder, Furnace)
• An Unpurified Filled Waterskin
• Campfire

Using a flask, you can distill water directly from your craft menu.

There’s some other thirst-reducing foods as well including:

• A Pile of Snow
• Pineapple
• Nopal
• Coconut

Planned Changes

• Fresh water sources (from caves, oasis, and ponds). With fresh water, you can just boil to use (although not as pure as desalinated water). Perhaps later on, there will even be filtration as an option for fresh water to get even cleaner, healthier water.
• There will be two water containers: Waterskins and Glass Bottles. In addition to this, both of them will be find-able via loot instead of just crafting.
• Provide better descriptions and messages regarding the distilling and boiling process.
• Make thirst and hunger reduce a bit slower still.

Most of this will appear in beta 1.5, so stay tuned!

Wayward beta 1.4 is out right now! Very appropriately subtitled, “More Ways to Die”; this release features new stuff that will kill you, like poison and thirst! FUN! It’s not all bad though, there’s plenty of improvements and other new content as well.

Looks like we are sticking with the monthly release schedule so far, so as always, stay tuned for beta 1.5 and onward.

Play Online:

http://www.unlok.ca/wayward/

Delete your cache if beta 1.3 is still popping up for you.

Download:

• Windows (Mirror #1)
• Linux 32-bit (Mirror #1)
• Linux 64-bit (Mirror #1)
• Mac OS X (Mirror #1)

Some of the bigger stuff from this release:

• Monsters now have defense, resistances, and vulnerabilities based on weapon damage types.
• Trapping skill and items have been implemented.
• You can now sort and filter crafts. You can filter by name, group and skill currently. You can sort by name and skill.
• Poisoning has been added (from eating bad stuff/monster attacks).
• Many new items added, including everything needed to distill water and cure poisoning.
• Thirst has been added with more ways to create drinkable water.
• Hunger now increases slower.
• There is now support for multiple groupings. Coal for example is now considered, “Carbons” and “Fuel-like”.
• You now learn past crafted items just by having the materials in your inventory. You no longer have to craft them for them to stay. Craft discovery rate has also been increased very slightly.

Read about all the changes via the Changelog:

http://www.unlok.ca/wayward-free-changelog/

It’s been acknowledged that Wayward has some complexity attached with it. Even in spite of it’s simple (and unpolished) UI and relatively easy control scheme, some players have trouble starting out in Wayward. If Wayward was a relationship, I would say It’s not you, it’s me. There’s lots to improve in that regard.

Most People Don’t Read

It’s okay, I’m not insulting you. I do this too; I don’t want to read; I just want to play. Eventually, we may get there with Wayward, but not quite yet. Generally, people don’t use the help/hint system and don’t read the Wiki (or don’t want to in case of spoilers).

Make a Video!

That’s why I am asking the community to help develop a tutorial video. Something a player can watch for a view minutes passively and learn the basics of Wayward without spoiling anything. Maybe there’s multiple videos, each showing a different portion of the early game?

If accepted, your video(s) will be watchable/playable in-game with all view counts, subscribers, and monetization going to you. It will also be promoted and placed in several other online places (such as the Greenlight page).

Everything is up to you. The pacing, the topics, the design, the length. The only thing I ask for is to be on topic, generally polished in terms of the visual and audio and ultimately, helpful for new players.

That’s right. I’ve decided to take a plunge. After all the recent controversy on the service, I have no expectations, nor should any other indie developer for that matter.

Luckily, I have no concrete plans for the monetization of Wayward and will happily keep it the same as long as I get the same level of support I need to keep developing Wayward.

Actually, I do have some expectations for Steam Greenlight. A lot of “No” votes. A lot of nonconstructive criticism. Unfortunately that’s just the reality of putting yourself out there to the masses. Thick skin mode activated!

UPDATE:

It’s now been up for around 24 hours and I have to say that I’m really surprised at how positive it has been. Sure, there is the people that just vote “No” for lulz, or because it’s retro-looking, or because it’s 2d, or even because it’s turn-based, but I’m glad to report that many took the time to give it a chance. Thanks for the support!

Show some support:

Oh yes, and I also did a new trailer:

Wayward beta 1.3 has been released! And yes, your saves should be safe! This release was all about improvements and fixes, hence the title “It’s The Little Things”.

Play online in the usual place:

http://www.unlok.ca/wayward/

Some of the latest and greatest from the changelog:

• Five new tracks from Austin “Mars-San” Dhillon.
• Keyboard shortcuts have been added for all windows (Esc = Main Menu, I = Inventory, / = Help, C = Skills, M = Messages, O = Options).
• Tile stacking has been implemented. There is now a simulated z-depth that allows the game to save what was under each tile.
• Glue can now be used to reinforce items (provide maximum durability bonuses and repair a bit of damage).
• Crafting tool-tips now show all item information and consumes/requirements are now condensed.
• You can destroy or remove items from the game by dropping/sinking them into deep and/or normal water. Dropping edible items into the water may stir up some unwanted (or sometimes wanted) guests.
• There is now a delay during your first movements to stop accidental wall/resource gathering. The more you move consecutively, the faster you go.

As always, you can check out the behemoth of a changelog here:

http://www.unlok.ca/wayward-free-changelog/

Although this release was more about tweaks and fixes, you can expect the next one to be all about new content and simulation.

Downloads

• Windows (Mirror #1)
• Linux (32-bit) (Mirror #1)
  
• Linux (64-bit) (Mirror #1)
  
• Mac (Mirror #1)

*UPDATE*

On June 21st, a fix was uploaded for the Mac stand-alone version. Previously it was not running at all. Please re-download the Mac copy to have it work once again.

Austin “Mars-San” Dhillon recently pumped out some new chill tracks for Wayward (to appear in the upcoming version of Wayward). New tracks:

• Shipwrecked (Main Menu Theme)
• Shudder Sounds
• Night Owl
• Underworld
• Savage (Based off of Darker World)

My personal favourite is Night Owl out of the bunch.

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say these are some of the best tracks thus far. So moody, so atmospheric, so melodic. Austin has a real knack for composing the exact tone and mood I want to set in Wayward, all while keeping it semi-retro. Take a listen here:

Once in awhile I like to showcase some great Wayward video content here on the blog.

Tony Mo gives great insight as a new player, working his way through the trials and tribulations of surviving in Wayward in his series “Wayward Diaries”. These diaries provide beneficial information to us as developers on what needs improving. It also helps that he is really well spoken and even throws in some interesting stories and anecdotes in the mix for entertainment value.

If you follow our Reddit/Facebook/Twitter you have probably already watched these, but if not, enjoy this ongoing series:

Wayward Diaries, Chapter I (Shipwrecked)

Wayward Diaries, Chapter II (BaseCamp)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URH1jIovXbM

Wayward Diaries, Chapter III (Survivas Maximus)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxmC3469aXI

He also created a preliminary video about Wayward entitled, “This Is… Wayward“.

Wayward gets a lot of traffic from Google. A lot of this traffic are from keywords, things like “wayward”, “survival roguelike”, “wayward wiki”, etc. But a lot of the Google traffic are specific questioning keywords, such as “how i mine for fish in wayward?“. Not really, but there are a lot of traffic from questions. This series of posts are dedicated to answering the most popular ones. I’d like to point out that most of these questions can be solved by reading the in-game hints.

Please note: Many of these answers will change version to version. There’s a good chance if it’s a common question, it’s not easy enough to understand and may change/improve over time.

How do I stop bleeding?

Any item that heals you will stop you from bleeding. These items include: Tourniquet, Poor Suture, Poor Bandage, Peat Bandage, and Poor Glue. Only certain types of monsters can make you bleed, and you can reduce your chances of bleeding by raising your Anatomy skill.

How do I rest?

Resting in Wayward is completely reliant on a Leaf Bedroll and your Camping skill. The higher your Camping skill, the more turns you will rest. During rest, you will gain health, stamina and get hungry much slower. During night time you will naturally be able to rest more.

How do I be safe from monsters?

Build a shelter! The easiest way to build a fast shelter is to craft Stone or Wooden Walls next to a rock face. I recommend rocks over trees as Vampire Bats can fly over trees. Depending on your strategy, you can completely protect yourself fully with as little as one wall if you find a good rock enclosure. This won’t stop the Pirate Ghosts though. So really, the answer is YOU DON’T! Well, not fully.

How do I shoot arrows?

Equip a Poor Bow, have Poor Arrows or Arrows present in your inventory and you will automatically fire your bow while moving into the direction of an enemy. Alternatively, you can double click Arrows on their own to throw them at enemies.

How do I put out a fire?

Any item that has a the “Place” use ability can be built over fires to put them out. Things like Soil, Pile of Sand, Cobblestone, Wooden Wall, etc.

How do I fish?

Using a Poor Spear, Spear, Fishing Net, or Fishing Rod will give you the ability to attempt a catch by first spotting a fish swimming in the water. They appear as outlines or silhouettes in the water. They are a bit tricky to catch, but using a Fishing Rod will provide the ability for some ranged catching attempts.

How do I repair an item?

Using an item that has the ability to repair, such as a Poor Hammer, Iron Hammer, Wrought Iron Hammer or Grindstone is necessary. Simply drop the item you wish to repair on the ground, face it, then use the repair item.

How do I make a fire?

There’s many tools for fire creation. Items like a Hand Drill, Fire Plough, Bow Drill or Lens will be able to produce a fire, as long as it’s on a tile that would normally support a fire. Sand, Gravel, Rock are examples of tiles that are not flammable on their own and won’t produce a fire. You can start a fire on Grass, Trees, Wooden Walls, etc.

How do I travel to a new world/map?

WARNING! SPOILERS! You must perform the winning condition which is currently crafting a Bull Boat, collecting at least five treasures, and sailing off (using the Bullet Boat).

How do I carve a corpse?

There’s many items that will carve a corpse, or any environmental item for that matter (like Brambles, Pinapple Plants, etc.). These items are referred to as “Carving” items. Items like a Sharp Rock, Shale, Poor Axe, etc. Simply use them while facing the object you wish to carve up.

How to I remove items?

Build up a full stack of items then start it on fire. After some time, the items will burn away.

Need more help?

Check out the newly developed Wiki page built by the community: Survival Guide!

It’s that time again! The new version of the Wayward beta has been released and is ready for your consumption. Unlike the last version, your 1.1+ saves should be safe!

Some of the greatest stuff from this update:

• Wooden walls, floors and DOORS!
• Brand new fishing system.
• Fullscreen game display (with optional small screen and other performance options).
• Line of sight added. SPOOKY!

Read the rest of the beefy list here:
http://www.unlok.ca/wayward-free-changelog/

Play In Your Browser

http://www.unlok.ca/wayward/

Downloadable Versions

http://www.indiedb.com/games/wayward/downloads

New Trailer

Count my ums and ahs, haha! Also even after I credited everybody, I stilled missed my girlfriend’s name somehow: Dusty Melling. View the Credit & Thanks page to see everybody that helps out on Wayward currently.