Out now: Among the Ancients

Hello everyone!

Among the Ancients, one of our biggest updates to date, has just been released – head over to Steam now to see the full changelog, and read on here for a more in-depth look at the key features.

Among the Ancients

The most visibly impactful change in the update is a complete overhaul of the alien ruins, with entirely redone visuals, improved generation, overhauled monsters and new missions. You can read more about the ruin overhaul here.

Another part of the game that we have overhauled for this update are human characters. All character sprites have been reworked and character customization has been improved – and extended to the singleplayer game mode, too! Read more about the character overhaul here.

An all-new addition in the update is the talent system: Earn talent points as you progress in a campaign and unlock talents, perks and even new items to make your characters more specialized and valuable. Read more about character talents here.

Finally, the addition of genetics ties together the improved alien ruins and all the improvements we’re making with regard to characters. When you venture out into the world outside your sub, you have a chance of finding unidentified alien genetic material, and that material can then be researched and refined at a research station, a new appliance to be found aboard outposts (and your custom subs, if you so choose).

The purpose of research and refinement is simple: find out what the material is, and then amplify its effects to make the most of your new, genetically modified body. The process of actually doing so is not quite that simple, and the gene splicing system should provide lots of entertainment and distraction for the tinkerer-minded Barotrauma players out there. And besides, who wouldn’t want to augment their physique with some well-placed mudraptor appendages! Just watch out for any adverse effects that may occur.

Lastly, we have improved a couple of the in-game interfaces. The health interface is now more compact so it doesn’t take up your whole screen, and you can click on recommended treatments and administer them right away (provided you have them) to make emergency use faster. The new med UI also displays the strength of effect of the selected treatment while hovering over it.

The submarine status monitor has undergone an evolution to display a lot more information in three separate tabs: the basic status tab now shows ID card locations on the sub, reports such as leak or fire warnings, and submarine doors. The electrical tab displays electrical information, and the last tab allows you to search for items on the sub.

As always, the update also contains a long list of fixes and smaller improvements. Head over to Steam to see the full list of changes, and let us know what you think!