As promised last month, the Play Test for the upcoming Windward Horizon game is going to be here this week for you to enjoy. Anyone that owns the original Windward game and doesn't mind running into a few bugs along the way can try the early preview build of Windward Horizon for free this Friday, May 17th, starting at 10 AM EST.

To opt-in, follow these simple steps on Friday:

1. Right-click Windward in your game library, and go to Properties.

2. Under Betas tab there is a Beta Participation option. Simply choose the "horizon" branch to opt in.

3. Launch Windward like normal and have fun!*

Note: this special branch will only become available once the event begins at 10 AM on May 17th, and although the game's release will feature Linux/OSX builds, this preview will only be available for Windows. The event will end on early Monday morning (May 20th).

Since this early build of the game doesn't have a tutorial, a handy new player guide can be found here[docs.google.com].

You are also welcome to stop by the Tasharen Community discord server[discord.gg] to discuss your experience!

See you there!

-Aren

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2665460/Windward_Horizon/

The wait is nearly over! The long-awaited sequel to Tasharen's Windward, originally released on Steam in 2015, is finally getting a sequel, and it's coming sooner than you think!

Windward Horizon aims to improve every aspect of the original, such as adding lore to the game, a robust economy system that governs growth, fully configurable internal ship layouts with adjacency bonuses and penalties for interesting builds and many, many new skills to complement the expanded talent trees.

Better still, anyone that owns Windward will be able to try Windward Horizon next month for free, in advance of the game's launch later this year! Keep your eyes peeled for more details on this coming in a few weeks, but in the meantime you can add Windward Horizon to your wish list here on Steam in order to stay informed:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2665460/Windward_Horizon/

If you're extra curious, can find even more information in Tasharen's discord and follow the game's development by joining discord.gg/tasharen and choosing the Windward role in the #permissions channel, which will allow you to see the #windward_horizon channel. A new player's guide to the game can be found pinned there going over many of the new things you will be able to discover next month!

But, until then... :)

I'm happy to announce that today marks the launch day for Tasharen's latest game, Project 5: Sightseer (available here on Steam). If exploration, resource gathering and base building is your thing, check it out!

In other news, Windward is officially getting a sequel! The development on Windward 2 will begin next month, using Sightseer's tech as a starting point (which should shorten its dev cycle considerably).

While right now is too early to commit to a release date of the first playable build, I expect it to be in 2020. Back in the early Sightseer dev days I had playable weekends for owners of Windward where they could check it out by opting into it -- and I plan on doing this again with Windward 2, for Sightseer players -- as a thank you for your support. :)

-Aren

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQZJtWpGH2Q

A little trip back in time for old hats and new come join us on the TASHAREN Community server.

Ahoy, Captain!

We’re proud to announce that development studios from all over the world have united to offer you the Pirate ‘AAAAR!’ collection, a special bundle of games about pirates!

The bundle is available on Steam starting today and last until the 4th of July.

The Pirate ‘AAAAR!’ bundle contains three games that are going to be your ultimate journey into the world of pirates. As you navigate the dangerous waters you won’t just catch up with merchants, but you will encounter fellow pirates, terrible mythical monsters and other dangers of the sea.

Purchase the bundle now and save 10% on each of these great games on top of the Summer Sale discount!

• Tempest
  
• Windward
  
• Sid Meier's Pirates!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmNEHR1ClSc

I just wanted to take a moment to thank all of you guys again for being supportive of Tasharen's latest game -- Project 5: Sightseer. Since the original announcement just over a year ago we've had 3 open play test weekends where many of you got to play the free prototype, as promised, and allowed the two of us at Tasharen to gather a great amount of outstanding feedback.

We took all of your feedback to heart (and the many, many bug reports with a nervous twitch and a sigh), and kept chugging away, getting the game ready for Early Access. And guess what? It's now just around the corner!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhIjlPteUwg
You can find more details about the game below, and if you're in the mood for another cooperative multiplayer game to play with your friends, be sure to follow its progress!

http://store.steampowered.com/app/655780/Project_5_Sightseer/
Thanks, guys! Stay awesome!
-Michael "ArenMook" Lyashenko

Interested in checking out the next game Tasharen is working on? You can do that for free this weekend!

Right-click Windward in your Steam library, Properties, Betas, and choose "sightseer_weekend_2" from the drop-down. Let it download, then launch Windward and you will be playing the latest Sightseer Alpha. The preview test will last until Monday morning (June 5). Have fun, and I strongly suggest you play with your friends, as building your outposts is going to be a lot easier as a group. :)

If you're looking for a guide on how to get started, this might help: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Fnyl3En3SQ5eijL8dY-KzEjoszfB1YvG4LCRiLLpsJo/edit?usp=sharing

Have fun!

[tasharen.com]

I have no words... I'm blown away by everyone's support for the game that let it get noticed so quickly. I expected it to take a few months... but just under a week? You guys are amazing!

Edit: Play test ended on the 26th of December. Thank you everyone for the awesome feedback! Until then, please vote for the project on Greenlight to help!

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=822934920

As promised (and a bit delayed due to a curious buuuug), the Project 5: Sightseer pre-alpha play test for you Windward players is now live and will end some time on Monday morning, at least 48 hours from now.

To opt in, right click Windward in your Steam library and choose Properties, then Betas. You can activate a beta branch by using code "tooEarly2Share" (without quotes) which will open the "w2prealpha" branch for you. Select it via the drop-down if it isn't already, and let Steam update Windward turning it into the Sightseer alpha. You can then launch Windward, which will actually be the new game!

Obvious disclaimer though -- this is a pre-alpha event, and as such there are bound to be buuugs. Hopefully nothing serious, but just be warned!

Also note that as a pre-alpha, vast majority of the game's planned content is still missing. This play test is mainly for those that enjoy the peaceful side of gaming -- exploration, sight-seeing, building bases, trading, etc. While you can craft weapons and use them in mock duels, they are just that -- mock duels. They are just for fun.

Aside from that though, have fun, and thank you again for supporting me as a game dev (or technically now it's "us" as I'm currently working with a friend -- Neil).

P.S. Also quick pro-tip ahead of the coming "getting started" post. Make your faction using /createFaction <name>, then invite your friends using /inviteFaction <player>. Work together to lay claim to the world!

Cheers and happy holidays!

-Michael "Aren Mook" Lyashenko