The submarine simulation genre is about as niche as you can get. That said, game developers, FakeFish and Undertow Games have experienced success with their title Barotrauma, which is currently working towards its 1.0 release. They’ve recently released their latest update, Hoist the Sails, and are celebrating by making their alien sea adventure free to play for a limited time. Here is the Barotrauma Hoist the Sails update details and information on the free-to-play weekend.
Barotrauma Hoist the Sails Update Details
Fakefish has been teasing a few different features as they work towards the full release, and as of October 5, some are now available. The biggest changes in the Barotrauma Hoist the Sails update include reducing the learning curve, enhancements to power management, and weapon balancing & bug fixes. See below for a description of the major changes in the Barotrauma Hoist the Sails update.
Reducing the Learning Curve
While Barotrauma is considered engrossing by its community, even the developers have admitted it’s a difficult game to get into, featuring several mechanics to learn and master. Many of these are the purview of particular roles, which can take players by surprise when they’re tasked with jobs they’re unfamiliar with due to changing circumstances. The game now features a Basics Tutorial and additional tutorials for each role, be it Captain, Medic, or others.
Enhancements to Power Management
The power management system has always been one of the less interesting mechanics, with many crews setting the reactor to automatic control and toughing out the odd surges and brown-outs over risking a nuclear meltdown. The submarine will now respond to overvoltage scenarios with increased performance on the assorted subsystems, though the junction boxes will degrade as usual. Now a capable Engineer can overclock the ship at a crucial moment.
Weapon Balancing
There are also new weapons available as part of a submarine rework. The developers confessed to having difficulty balancing the classic Railgun (introduced back when Barotrauma was a passion project titled Subsurface) with other weapon mounts. As such, they have now divided hardpoints into large and small variants. The Railgun takes the new heavy mount and is joined by the Double Coilgun and Flak Cannon. This offers sailors new ways to fend off undersea threats.
Bug and Exploit Fixes
A wealth of minor improvements have been implemented, including weapon balance passes and bug fixes regarding multiplayer servers. Sadly, the unique “Boom Stick” shotgun can no longer be fired at machine gun speeds. There’s always the Steam Workshop for players seeking extra personal firepower.
Readers can dive into the Barotrauma Patch Notes for more details:
How to Play During the Barotrauma Free-to-Play Weekend
The Barotrauma free weekend runs from October 5-10, 2022. To play Barotrauma for free, visit the Steam Page, then click the Play Game button to download the game and add it to your Steam Library.
In addition to the free weekend and Hoist the Sails update, Barotrauma will also be on sale for only $7.49 until October 20, 2022.
Died on your first voyage? That’s okay; the respawn shuttle will be here soon. Read through our News Section for updates while you wait.
