Voyage to Ashlands: A Cleaner Interface, Faction Screen, and Sea Shanties

Ahoy, captains!

We’re back with another look at what’s coming in Ashlands, along with some of the thinking behind the changes.

Our last two entries were all about ships. If you missed them, you can catch up on [part 1] and [part 2]. This time we’re steering a little off course, into the interface: the things you see on screen and the menus you use every day.

Warning: lots of screenshots ahead.

Clearing the Decks

We started with the HUD: the on-screen display around your character, like the action panel and health bar. When we first built it, our main goal was to show you everything the game world itself can’t tell you. Now it’s time for the next step: keeping all the information you need without distracting you from playing and exploring.

Some of you told us the HUD could feel a bit clunky at times. Thanks for speaking up! So we made it lighter and tidied it up. It now stays readable even when several notifications pop up at once:

Effects:

Local events and quests:

Two other places also felt dated: the dialogue window and the Adventure tab. We didn't get to polish them as much as we'd hoped before Early Access, so we're giving them some well-deserved attention now.

Dialogues:

Besides the visual refresh and new icons, dialogue options will now be grayed out once you've read through the entire branch behind them. That makes it easier to see which paths still have something new to discover.

We also want to make the game more accessible wherever we can. These are small changes, but we hope they'll help. The dialogue screen will offer two font sizes, regular and large, which can help if you play on a smaller screen or simply prefer bigger text. You’ll also be able to adjust the opacity of the background behind the dialogue text.

Adventure tab:

Nothing dramatic here. Just some visual polish and navigation improvements to make the screen easier to read and quicker to get around.

Charting the Factions

While we were working on the Adventure tab, we also built a screen we’d wanted for a long time but kept having to push down the priority list: the faction screen.

We wanted one place where you can keep track of every faction: your shared, server-wide reputation with them, what they buy and sell, what quests they offer, and anything else you might need. Quest progress is personal, though, so each player sees their own.

So here it is, a brand-new faction screen in the Adventure tab.

We wanted the screen to have a bit of personality, too, so we created brand-new splash art for the faction leaders.

The faction screen may grow in the future, too, so we’ve deliberately left some room on it for whatever comes next.

A Song for Every Crew

Improving old screens is all well and good, but we also wanted to add something new.

We know how much you love a good sea shanty. We do too! Everyone has their favorites, and probably one they've heard a few too many times. And some of you like to sing along with your crew.

So we've got a few new ways for you to enjoy them.

Each shanty now has its own item in the Curios section of your inventory. There, you can read its lyrics and add it to or remove it from your playlist. Every shanty from the Early Access release will be waiting for you right away.

And if you’re the singing kind of captain (we certainly are), you can turn on Sing Along Mode in the settings. The lyrics will then appear on screen as the shanty plays, so singing along with your crew has never been easier.

We can also reveal the new shanties coming with Ashlands. Unlike the ones from Early Access, these won't simply appear in your inventory. You'll have to venture out and find them yourself, and some might not give up their songs without a fight…

• Dead Horse
• Haul Away Joe
• High Barbaree
• Lowlands Away
• Randy Dandy Oh
• Roll Boys Roll
• Roll the Old Chariot
• Santy Anna
• Spanish Ladies
• Wellerman

There are a few more surprises waiting for you when Ashlands launches, but we won't spoil them just yet.

And of course, all the new songs will also be added to Windrose: Original Soundtrack on Steam. If you already own it, you'll get them automatically.

And to everyone who bought the soundtrack: thank you again. It really means a lot to us.

As always, everything shown here is still a work in progress. We’ll keep polishing it as development continues, and we’d love to hear what you think.

Until next time, fair winds and yo-ho-ho! — Kraken Express