Hello Scientists.
Some exciting news!
We are opening a special Forever Skies Test Branch that will give players access to the upcoming patch before it is added to the main game.
We have been getting quite a few requests from players about the possibility to test and feedback updates as for many of you, this is the part of Early Access that you enjoy the most – seeing how things change, develop, and having a say in how things shape up.
The test branch is designed to gather feedback, identify potential issues, and make necessary improvements before the official release. So please do consider taking part only if you believe you will have time to test and submit feedback.
(New Docking Plank Device)
Open to All Owners of the Game + Share and Discuss Freely
The Test Branch will work for anyone who owns a copy of Forever Skies. You are also all welcome to share and talk about anything you encounter on the Test Branch freely. No NDAs are required.
No Content is Set in Stone
Any content encountered in the Test Branch is still subject to change after testing.
Existing Saves Won’t be Affected but use an Imported Save To Play the Test Branch
Your existing saves, progress, and any custom settings you’ve set in from the main game won’t be carried over to the Test Branch. Your pc will see this as if you are installing and playing the game for the first time ever. Likewise, by playing on the Test Branch, your main saves should not be affected at all.
This also means any progress on the test branch will not be carried over to the main game once the update is live. The test branch is designed to allow you to explore and test new features without impacting your current progress.
Players can opt to play the test branch starting a fresh save, however, if you want to test new content with your existing progress, airship, etc (and we suggest you do) you will need to make a copy of your main game save and import it into the test branch. Instructions on how to do it can be found below.
How To Access the Test Branch
Open the Steam application on your PC and locate Forever Skies in your games library
Right click - PROPERTIES- BETAS
Put in the password: BlimpWorkshop
From the dropdown menu select the beta branch tilted: beta_flight
Press the blue “Opt into beta_flight…” button
In your Games Library click on Forever Skies [beta_flight]
Install the Test Branch
How To Create and Load Existing Saves into the Test Branch
Your existing saves for the main game are stored in a different folder compared to your saves on the test branch. If you want to continue and test the game using your existing progress, you’ll need to do the following:
Locate your save files on your PC. By default they should be stored in the following file path: C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\ProjectZeppelin\Saved\SaveGames\
Select the save file that you want to test your progress on, right-click, copy.
Located your Test Branch save file folder. By default they should be stored in the following file path: C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\ProjectZeppelin\Saved_BetaFlight\SaveGames\
Paste your copied save file into this location
As a precaution make a 2nd copy of your save file and paste it somewhere on your desktop or in a safe folder. This way you can ensure you have a clean, backup save just in case.
After you have done the above, you can start the Forever Skies Test Branch from Steam and your save will be present when you select “CONTINUE”
(New Recycler Device)
Where to Submit Bugs
All bugs or issues that you encounter while playing should be submitted via the FEEDBACK TOOL that you can find in-game when pausing the game. Subsequently, you can find the tool under this link too: https://www.farfromhomegames.com/en/playtests
(New Auto Extractor Device)
We are immensely excited about working even more closely with our dedicated community to ensure that our updates and content align with your expectations. Thank you for your unwavering support and enthusiasm for Forever Skies and for wanting to help us shape the game together.
Below is the patch notes to give you a better idea of what to look out for.
- The Far From Home Team
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Patch Number: EA.1.0.2 List of Changes
GAMEPLAY
New Location - High Point Wind Farm
New Device - Docking Plank
New Device - Recycler
New Device - Filtering Deck Extractor
New Artifacts
Visited locations become greyed out on the Radar after players collect the battery from the location
Removed suit VO on immunity raising/decreasing
Water Condenser trigger can be used regardless of the angle
Automated Deck Extractor & Filtering Deck Extractor - added Power On/Off option
Fabricator is added as research to conduct on the Research Station
Extracting metal plates on the Lift location is saved
Fewer Repair Patches spawned on locations
The Upgraded Tool Charger is now in the Upgrade Station and takes a Tool Charger to craft
Both Tool Chargers can now charge any tool
Improved player guidance to Automatic Deck Extractor Wreck & Paint Tool location
STACKS SIZE & RESOURCES BALANCE
Bigger stacks of some resources
Added batteries stacking
Small Storage & Hanging Shelves have more space inside
Reduced price of some crafted materials
Fat and Glowing Moths nutrition parameters tweak
GAME SAVES
Reworked "Quit without saving" and "Save and quit" buttons into separate "Save" and "Quit" buttons in the pause menu. "Quit" now asks the player if they also want to save the game
Auto-save settings should now retain their values between sessions
GRAPHIC SETTINGS
Added an option to set suggested graphics settings based on a hardware benchmark. This will run automatically for new players on the first launch. Existing players can find the option in the graphics settings
ACCESSIBILITY IMPROVEMENTS
Screen shakes decreased with options for jumping and with using tools (decreasing motion sickness)
Many more keys are now supported for input rebinding, including: Num0-Num9, math operators, Insert-PageDown block, and symbols common for AZERTY keyboard layouts. If we still don't support the keys you need, please let us know through the Send Feedback form
Option to decrease Airship sway (decreasing motion sickness)
Full Controller Support - the game is now fully playable with a controller.
Supported controllers:
Xbox One
Xbox Series X
DualSense
DualShock4
*Note: If you have previously activated any Steam Controller Inputs, make sure to turn these off if you wish to play with a controller. STEAM - SETTINGS - CONTROLLER
LOCALISATION
Italian language added
FIXES
Fixed Petit Astre spawn on Garden locations - players will now be able to craft Painting Cartridges easier
Fixed Garden Artifacts generation (they were not generated)
Fixed an issue where some Paint Skins were not available in Memory Cards
Fixed an issue where Corner Observatory was unlocked way later than it should in Memory Cards
Fixed sleeping menu > Now the background should cover the whole screen
Fixed several gamepad-specific bugs in menus and inventory
Fixed a rare crash related to using F11 to toggle fullscreen
Fixed a rare crash at the game launch related to analytics
OTHER CHANGES
Version number added to the main menu
Added death screen on permadeath that leads the player to the main menu and erases all saves for that play through
Credits update
KNOWN ISSUES
Filtering Deck Extractor doesn’t save filters after loading
The note requires keyboard input to write text
The quick move doesn't work for liquids in a bottle