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Devblogs/2025: Difference between revisions
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Created page with "In 2025, DevBlogs #52–75 covered a major transition period for WalkScape, beginning with the engine rework, post-rework bug fixing, and the move to DevTools 2.0, which helped separate content development from core programming work. The year introduced Trinketry, Wave 4, iOS and Android smart watch support, Travel + 1, Rumours, over-the-air updates, the Ability rework, and many QoL improvements around gear sets, inventory, activities, WalkPedia, and performance. Several..." |
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* Support email was migrated to a new server; users who had not received replies after the migration were asked to resend messages. | * Support email was migrated to a new server; users who had not received replies after the migration were asked to resend messages. | ||
* The next DevBlog was expected to cover the update being ready or close to release. | * The next DevBlog was expected to cover the update being ready or close to release. | ||
[[Category:Devblog Summary]] | |||
Latest revision as of 01:35, 15 June 2026
In 2025, DevBlogs #52–75 covered a major transition period for WalkScape, beginning with the engine rework, post-rework bug fixing, and the move to DevTools 2.0, which helped separate content development from core programming work. The year introduced Trinketry, Wave 4, iOS and Android smart watch support, Travel + 1, Rumours, over-the-air updates, the Ability rework, and many QoL improvements around gear sets, inventory, activities, WalkPedia, and performance. Several updates also expanded content through new items, locations, recipes, faction rewards, job board additions, isometric location art, and preparations for a larger late-year content update featuring Mysterious Merchant and the new Currencies tab. Across the DevBlogs, the team also highlighted the removal of remaining AI-generated art, server and API improvements, supporter pricing changes, team changes, hiring plans, and continued work toward the major systems still needed before Open Beta, especially Trading, Combat, and Quests.
Posted on December 11, 2025.
- The upcoming content update was announced for release the following week.
- The exact release day was not confirmed because testing and polishing were still ongoing.
- The team planned to announce the exact release time in-game roughly one day before launch.
- The update was described as being in the final stretch of polishing and testing.
- A DevUpdate was planned after release to publish full changelogs and explain the update in more detail.
- A developer comment stated that a few more QoL additions were planned.
Content update
- The update was planned to include at least 87 new items, 8 new locations, 39 new recipes, 7 new services, 18 new activities, 6 new buildings, 7 new NPCs, 10 new achievements, 7 new PFP options, and 3 new shops.
- The listed content totals were not final and could still change before release.
Mysterious Merchant
- Mysterious Merchant was announced as a new feature launching with the content update.
- Mysterious Merchant would appear in Arenum.
- The first Mysterious Merchant service allows players to trade chest loot items from the bank or inventory for chest chips.
- Each supported chest has its own chip.
- Chest chips can be spent to buy specific items from the same chest, providing bad luck mitigation for chest drops.
- The service applies only to skilling, faction, and guild chests.
- Chests such as Sunken and Rusty were excluded.
- A developer comment clarified that only gear is included, not materials.
- A developer comment explained that Mysterious Merchant is intended both as bad luck mitigation and as a sink for low-rarity chest items.
- A developer comment stated that chip prices are based on loot chance with an additional rate, so equivalent-rarity trades are not 1:1.
- A developer comment noted that the system could affect future P2P market prices and may be adjusted based on feedback.
Currencies
- A new Currencies tab was added to the inventory.
- Coins were moved from the main inventory bag page to the Currencies tab.
- Adventurers' Guild tokens, chest chips, and future currency-tagged items are shown in the Currencies tab.
- Tools were combined with the gear page to make room for the new Currencies tab.
- Currencies are no longer bankable, no longer take inventory space, and stack infinitely.
- The inventory tab layout was changed, with the main inventory tab placed in the middle to make swiping between gear and currencies easier.
Holiday break
- The team planned a holiday break after the update and its initial hotfixes.
- The break was expected to run from December 23, 2025 to January 1, 2026.
- Support emails and Discord messages were expected to receive slower replies during the break, with normal replies resuming from January 2, 2026.
- No DevBlog was planned for December 25, 2025.
- The next DevBlog was planned for January 8, 2026.
Posted on November 27, 2025.
- A QoL update was released with performance improvements, bug fixes, polish, OTA updates, Ability rework, and skill categorisation.
- Maintenance was scheduled for November 27, 2025 at 13:00 UTC+0, with steps gained during maintenance expected to load normally afterward.
- New items and a new building for the upcoming content update were previewed.
- The upcoming content update was stated not to include new skills because of its already large scope.
- The team aimed to release the upcoming content update before the holidays.
- The post included a full changelog for the QoL update.
Added
- OTA support was added for game data and localisations.
- Skills were categorised into Gathering, Artisan, and Utility in the Character view and WalkPedia.
- Ability charges were added, allowing some abilities such as Axe of Destruction and Shoes of Escape to hold up to three charges.
- Ability UI was reworked to be clearer and more compact.
- Activity abilities are now visible in activity details and the Ability page, and can be started from the Ability page.
- Activity action limits, Gear Set reordering, inventory sorting, deposit all, Gear Set renaming, and Work Efficiency breakdowns were added.
- Gear Set management and selection were combined into one page.
- Gear Sets can now be withdrawn from the bank without equipping them.
- Item abilities can now be used directly from the inventory.
- A world map overlay toggle, Tips of the Day browsing, activity sprites in Activity View, tooltips, and an OTA restart button were added.
- Game version was added to character data exports for third-party developers.
- New community translations were added.
- Flutter was updated to 3.38.3.
- Health Connect client was updated to version 1.1.0.
Changed
- In-game fonts were changed to better support Slavic languages and other scripts.
- AI-generated art assets were removed where isometric art had replaced them, reducing application size.
- Crafting Outcome was renamed to Quality Outcome.
- Basic tools were separated from Copper tools by making Copper tools require level 2.
- "Level up XYZ times" objectives were changed to "Have a total level of XYZ".
- WalkPedia max Work Efficiency display was updated to match the new activity view style.
Fixed
- Bank, Gear Sets, Traveling, and general app performance received optimisations.
- Locations unlocked through rumours now display correctly in WalkPedia before being visited.
- In-game bubble notifications were fixed and improved.
- Development-only content is now removed from production builds, allowing WalkPedia totals to be completed.
- WalkPedia now remembers opened categories and orders lists alphabetically.
- Slider minus buttons now wrap from minimum to maximum.
- Turkish capitalisation, Gear Set page updates, deleting characters, PFP updates, character creation eye accessory toggles, and PFP shop search were fixed.
- Faction reputation counters now round down.
- PFP rendering layer order was fixed for image exports and server-side PFPs.
- A smart watch activity recording crash on iOS and Android was fixed.
- Several UI overflow, spacing, font size, and other small bugs were fixed.
Going forward
- The team expected to release hotfixes for issues found after the update.
- OTA and the Ability rework were noted as likely to need further testing at scale.
- Larger behind-the-scenes work was still ongoing for future updates.
Posted on November 13, 2025.
- New building art by maxchill was previewed.
- The team was still working on larger features and the upcoming content update.
- A smaller update was being prepared for release before the end of November, focused on QoL additions, the OTA system, and bug fixes.
- The OTA system was still being tested before release.
- A developer comment clarified that the OTA system was built in-house.
- More information on the larger content update and gameplay features was planned for later DevBlogs.
Over-The-Air system
- The game gained the ability to download assets over the air.
- OTA updates were planned to allow content updates, new localisations, and later art updates without requiring a full app update.
- Internal admin tools were created so Weasel and maxchill could prepare content updates without direct involvement from schamppu or myzozoz.
- The system also allows the server to run game logic using the same assets as players.
- Server-side game logic support was described as especially important for Trading.
- OTA support would also allow typo fixes and localisation extensions to be published more frequently.
QoL changes
- Gear sets gained drag-and-drop reordering.
- Gear sets can now be renamed from the listing view and more easily from the full edit view.
- Used saved steps are now shown in the While You Were Away screen.
- The WalkPedia quick button now opens the output item page while crafting.
- Locations unlocked through rumours are now displayed correctly in WalkPedia.
- Content available only in development builds is now removed from production builds, helping WalkPedia completion tracking.
- In-game fonts were changed to support more languages, including Cyrillic.
- Tab bars for inventory, crafting, leaderboards, achievements, and profile pages were reworked to look cleaner and perform better.
Fixed
- Health Connect Client was updated to version 1.1.0, fixing Garmin-related issues caused by 0 step entries.
- Gear Sets, Traveling, and active gameplay notification bubbles received optimisations.
- General game performance was improved.
- Several small issues, including overflowing text, were fixed.
Known issues
- Garmin Connect and possibly other apps could create 0 step entries in Health Connect, disrupting WalkScape step tracking.
- Some apps may stop reporting step records correctly if they do not include Health Connect's newer required metadata and device information.
- Using Phone as the step source was recommended until the new version was released.
Going forward
- The short-term goal was to finish testing and polish the smaller QoL, OTA, and bug-fix update.
- Larger content and gameplay feature work was still ongoing.
Posted on October 30, 2025.
- The post previewed a future content update, including new location teasers.
- The team moved into a larger office in the same building, partly to prepare for hiring another developer.
- The team was running Meta ads to help increase Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee income ahead of the planned hire.
- A developer comment described the upcoming content update as massive.
- A developer comment stated that the team intended to add a few more QoL changes before the update went live.
QoL changes
- Inventory sorting and a deposit all button were added.
- Inventory sorting prioritises crafted and looted items by rarity, then consumables, then materials, with alphabetical sorting within matching groups.
- Activities gained an option to complete a chosen number of actions, including when queued after traveling.
- The activity options system was expanded, with "complete until X level" mentioned as a likely future option.
- Work Efficiency and Work Efficiency cap information were added to the activity view, including a breakdown of sources.
- Gear set management was unified into one page, allowing players to edit, equip, and withdraw gear sets from the same menu.
- A setting was added to disable Agility XP while traveling, mainly for challenge characters.
- Gear sets can be withdrawn from the bank without equipping them.
- WalkPedia now remembers opened categories and is ordered alphabetically.
- Item abilities can now be used from the inventory view.
- Crafting Outcome was renamed to Quality Outcome.
- Pressing the minus button at minimum value in shops, crafting, and similar views now sets the value to maximum.
- A world map button was added to hide overlays and show the map art.
- Game version was added to character data exports for third-party tool developers.
- Basic tools were separated from copper tools by making copper tools require level 2.
Going forward
- The content team was working on a large content update, with DevTools allowing content work without blocking feature development.
- Myzozoz was working on one of the three major features still needed before Open Beta.
- The major feature was expected to require several smaller systems, which could be released separately as they became ready.
- Schamppu was working on gameplay features needed for new skills, new content types, and more varied future content.
- The next update was expected to take more time because the whole team was working on larger updates.
- The team was looking to hire a full-time on-site developer in Helsinki.
Posted on October 16, 2025.
- Azurazera isometric location art was finished.
- The team was still working on several large features, so the post focused on upcoming content teasers and survey results instead of detailed feature reveals.
- The upcoming content update was teased as an expansion of the game world.
- Teasers showed greener locations, more autumn-like locations, and map changes.
- The team said it may take a few more weeks before larger upcoming features are ready to show in DevBlogs.
Survey results
- 89.6% of surveyed players reported an increase in daily steps.
- 34.8% of surveyed players used at least some smartwatch functionality.
- Most players felt the game's complexity was about right, with few respondents saying it was too simple or too complex.
- Players especially liked achievements that involve multiple skills or mechanics, including Cooking Shark-like achievements, 30k daily step achievements, and achievements with humorous references.
- Opinions on high-step activities, such as Rescue Team, were mixed.
- Activities with rare drops, unique gear, and collectibles were popular.
- Ring of Homesickness was frequently mentioned as a liked utility item.
- The team was considering adding another useful teleport item before Magic, which was described as the planned teleport-focused skill but still far from implementation.
- Omni Tool, Screwdriver, Treasure Grabber, and items that grow stronger over time were also widely liked.
- Jarvonia was the most liked region, followed by Syrenthia.
- Trellin and Erdwise were average in popularity, while the Swamp was the least liked released region.
- Commonly requested QoL improvements included bank sorting, inventory sorting, and more gear set work.
- A larger UI overhaul was planned closer to the end of Closed Beta, but bank, gear, and inventory management QoL improvements were likely to happen before then.
- RNG was also mentioned as a common frustration.
- The team said the survey would help guide the larger content expansion in development.
Posted on October 2, 2025.
- Winter's End location art by maxchill was previewed.
- The post reviewed Android wearable support after its release.
- Samsung wearables, Google Pixel watches, and Garmin watches had been tested successfully.
- Some Android wearable manufacturers did not report Health Connect data in the expected format, causing compatibility issues.
- Health Sync was highlighted as a community-tested workaround for some unsupported or poorly supported watches.
- Health Sync developers updated their app to support WalkScape, with Coros support reportedly improving.
- The team stated that it is not affiliated with Health Sync.
- Android wearable support increased the minimum Android version requirement from Android 9 to Android 10 because the Samsung Health Data SDK requires Android 10.
- Around 50 Android 9 players were affected; affected Patreon or Buy Me a Coffee supporters could contact support@walkscape.app for refund requests.
- A content design and feedback survey was opened to help guide future content work.
- A developer comment clarified that Health Sync is not free, though it has a trial.
- Developer comments stated that Coros, Polar, and some other watches may report steps as one daily chunk, which is not compatible with WalkScape's step tracking unless corrected by an intermediary app such as Health Sync.
- Developer comments explained that Samsung Health may change its reported step count after syncing and processing watch data, so opening and syncing Samsung Health before opening WalkScape can reduce step count discrepancies.
Going forward
- The team was working on a large new feature made of several smaller parts.
- The first part of the new feature was hoped to be ready within the next few weeks.
- The content team was also working on a larger content update expected to take at least a month.
- The next update was expected more likely in the following month rather than during October.
- One or two future DevBlogs were expected to have limited new information while larger features were still in development.
Posted on September 18, 2025.
- Android Wearable support was completed and planned for release in the next update.
- The update was expected early the following week, likely September 22, 2025, depending on review and internal testing.
- Port Skildar isometric location art by maxchill was previewed.
- Android wearable support uses Health Connect for most supported apps and native Samsung Health support for Samsung wearables.
- Tested supported options included Samsung Health and Samsung wearables, Garmin Connect and Garmin wearables, and the Fitbit app with Google Pixel watches.
- Google Fit was described as unreliable and possibly subject to blacklisting.
- Mi Fitness and Xiaomi wearables were not supported because Mi Fitness did not report steps to Health Connect.
- A developer comment clarified that Xiaomi phones do not prevent supported wearables from working; the issue only applied to Xiaomi's own wearables using Mi Fitness.
- A developer comment stated that Zepp Life might work if it sends step data to Health Connect, but it had not been tested.
- A developer comment explained that direct Samsung Health support was needed because Samsung's Health Connect data did not provide suitable granular step data for WalkScape's hourly step tracking.
- Maxchill described the recent faction chest, faction reward, job, and skill chest work as content debt clean-up.
- The post included a full changelog for the update.
Added
- Android Wearable support through Health Connect was added.
- Native Samsung Health support was added for Samsung wearables.
- Android package handling was added to read package names and icons properly.
- A note was added that 24-hour highest steps may update with a delay.
- Community localisations were added.
- Character image palette swaps now use caching to improve performance.
- The While Away screen was changed into its own page for better performance.
- Support email information was added to temporary ban notifications.
- 14 new items were added to skill chest loot tables.
- Two new attribute loot tables were added.
- Regional keywords and region search keywords were added to applicable items.
- One new Kallaheim job and four new Everhaven jobs were added.
- Two new routes were added.
Changed
- The While you were away animation curve was adjusted.
- Wood carving and Ice sculpting activity icons were updated.
- Ice sculpting became a Carpentry activity with Carpentry tool use, a level 15 requirement, and increased experience.
- Skill chest loot tables were reworked, moving or removing several tools, trinkets, materials, and gear pieces.
- Northern spices were added to sunken chests.
- Several shop inventories were updated, including Kallaheim's Frosty Finds, Northstar Mercantile, and Granfiddich Tool Market Stall.
- Many item attributes and requirements were rebalanced.
- Chisels no longer count as carpentry tools.
- Rope was renamed to Twine, and Kelp rope was renamed to Kelp twine.
- Several job board tasks in Blackspell Port, Granfiddich, and Everhaven were changed or removed.
Fixed
- Item names showing in reward listings were fixed.
- Double notifications when activities start after traveling were fixed.
- Step charts were adjusted to better align hourly.
- More failsafes were added to step loading.
- Failed server time fetching now causes a fatal error instead of continuing loading incorrectly.
- While Away was refactored to reduce expensive UI rebuilds and improve performance.
Posted on September 4, 2025.
- Android wearable support entered testing, with early results described as promising.
- Remaining Android wearable work included UI polish and improving Samsung wearable support.
- The team aimed to release Android wearable support as soon as possible after additional polishing.
- New isometric location art by maxchill was previewed.
- A couple of recent updates had been released in the previous two weeks, adding new content and minor features.
- Larger upcoming work was described as requiring multiple new systems and likely taking at least a few months before release.
- In-game announcements were described as the first step toward this larger work.
- Over-the-air content updates were described as the second phase, with myzozoz working on them.
- Further game feature development was planned to support more varied content designs.
- A developer comment clarified that Android wearable support uses Health Connect.
- Developer comments stated that Pixel Watch, Garmin, and Samsung Watches were in testing.
- A developer comment stated that Samsung watches would be supported from the start, but Samsung syncing behaviour still needed improvement.
- A developer comment stated that Android wearable support should initially work with a wide variety of devices, with poorly working devices potentially blacklisted based on player feedback.
- A developer comment noted that WalkScape would appear in Health Connect once the update enabling support was released.
- The team wanted feedback from players about how different wearable devices work with WalkScape.
Posted on August 21, 2025.
- New location art for Barbantok by maxchill was previewed.
- A sizeable content update was announced, mainly focused on making faction chests more interesting.
- The update also included many balance changes, new job board content, new items, and other minor additions.
- A developer comment confirmed that the update went live earlier than expected after the remaining issues were fixed.
- Android Wearable support had already been developed and was planned for internal testing after the update.
- In-game announcements were mostly complete, allowing DevBlogs and other announcements to be shown inside the game.
- Additional small content features and QoL improvements were also in development.
Added
- Ukrainian language support and new community localisations were added.
- Repeating faction reward mechanics and unclaimed reward text were added.
- New jobs were added to several job boards, including Kallaheim, Azurazera, Vastalume, Granfiddich, Blackspell, Everhaven, and Halfling Campgrounds.
- A new Azurazera basic kitchen service was added with +10% Cooking BXP.
- 57 new items, 1 new recipe, new loot tables, new shop items, and a new 150 AP reward were added.
- Erdwise and Halfling Rebels chest tables were added.
- Repeating faction chest rewards were added.
- Barbantok location map art was added.
Changed
- Memospheres were made droppable.
- Simple ruler was renamed to Flimsy ruler.
- Several item level requirements were reduced, including Tarsilium-toed boots, Candlehat, Hat with a feather, Lava cooking pan, and Der Witt's monocle.
- Several job board rewards and locations were adjusted.
- Trinketry recipe XP was increased, with larger increases for amulets and Amulet of the Animal Kingdom.
- GDTE chests and GDTE map were changed into Trellin chests and Trellin map.
- Several faction-related items gained reputation requirements or had their effects adjusted.
- Faction chest rewards for existing factions were replaced or refreshed, excluding Herbert's and Jarvonia.
- Jarvonia, Syrenthia, and Trellin chest tables were reworked with new items and rarity tiers.
- Jobs giving GDTE Chests were changed to give faction-specific chests for Trellin, Erdwise, and Halfling Rebel areas.
Fixed
- Stop when overencumbered not switching for crafting was fixed.
- Tool data in character exports was fixed to use numbered tool slots.
- Level 99 memosphere display issues were fixed.
- Crafting filters now refresh listings immediately.
- Gear set selection UI was changed to a bottom modal sheet to reduce lag.
- Gear set view and gear set editing issues were fixed.
- Some UI overflows were fixed.
- Wanderlust Walkstick search text was corrected.
- Hydrilium hatchet, pickaxe, sickle, splitter, and magnet now have level 45 requirements for their related skills.
- Unneeded coral chest drop subtables were removed.
- Trinketry XP for Sunstone and Ethernite gold rings was increased further.
Going forward
- Android Wearable support was planned for internal testing after the update.
- In-game announcements were planned for release after finishing touches.
- The team expected to share more about Android Wearables in the next DevBlog.
Posted on August 7, 2025.
- The team returned from summer vacation and released update +506 "Post vacation hotfix".
- The update focused on fixing urgent issues found during the vacation period.
- A developer comment confirmed that the update was released on both Android and iOS.
- The chest roll chance issue was fixed.
- The post included light vacation notes from team members.
- After the hotfix, the team planned to return to larger features and content updates.
- One larger update was already in development during the vacation period.
Added
- New community localisations were added.
- Coin balance was added to character data exports.
Changed
- Character data exports now list gear as `slot: item_id` instead of `item_id: slot`.
- Community tools using character imports would need to update for the new export format.
- Activity information was made more compact and improved for very small screens.
- Settings were updated to use more consistent button styling.
Fixed
- In-game login issues were fixed.
- Buy Me a Coffee supporter syncing issues were fixed.
- Chest table weights were fixed for the main table.
- Welcome back and While Away reward displays were fixed in several cases.
- Step loading received several robustness fixes.
- Consumables now switch properly when using Travel + 1.
- Player data export now shows more than one ring when two of the same ring are equipped.
- Locations unlocked through rumours no longer count for achievements.
- Bottom navigation visibility was fixed on very small screens.
- Crafting activity screen, crafting recipe skill name display, and related UI issues were fixed.
- While Away item rarity outlines, attribute reward outlines, and overflowing text were fixed.
Posted on July 10, 2025.
- Travel + 1 was released earlier in the week, followed by a hotfix for issues found after the update.
- Another small update was announced for release the following day, adding new content, fixes, and the first in-game isometric location maps by maxchill.
- The customer support email changed to support@walkscape.app.
- New admin tools were developed so Weasel and maxchill could handle common support cases during the team's vacation.
- The team confirmed its summer vacation from July 12 to August 3, 2025, with limited customer support and no regular DevBlogs during that period.
- A new community gear tool by fala was announced at gear.walkscape.app, designed for creating, optimising, and exporting gear sets.
- Arth joined Not a Cult as a summer intern for two months, focusing on art and digital art development.
- Pixel art created by Arth with maxchill's guidance was shown.
- A developer comment stated that better inventory organisation and bank tabs were planned, but without a set priority or timing.
Added
- Isometric location maps were added for locations that have them, replacing AI-generated art where available.
- Old parallax art would remain visible in locations without new isometric art.
- Factions, reputation, and reputation reward tracks were added to the Character page.
- Rumors were updated to unlock visibility for locations the player has heard about but not yet visited.
- Four new guide tips were added.
- Two new items were added.
- One new loot table was added.
- Two new normal difficulty achievements were added.
- Three new Profile Picture Options were added.
Changed
- One loot table was added to an existing activity.
- The golden skydisc price was adjusted.
- One new item was added to the Jarvojoy shop.
- The "We need to go deeper" achievement was changed to normal difficulty.
- One new rumor was created from an existing rumor, and the original rumor was reworked.
Fixed
- Overflowing attribute text was fixed.
- Consumable consumed notification bubbles no longer always show fine text.
- Scrolling in gear set selection for the queue was fixed.
- Consumables now switch properly when changing activities.
- Foreground notification bubbles now combine double reward items with proc rewards.
- Mismatches between "Welcome back" activity rewards and inventory were fixed.
- Fine rewards now appear in their own separate message again.
- "While you were away" item rewards now show total quantities more clearly, including Double Rewards.
- Actions completed text was clarified.
- The new activity selection UI now checks visibility requirements.
- Crafting qualities are now tracked for WalkPedia.
- Consumable view now shows the action calculation.
- The Kake's Walking Stick value was reduced.
Going forward
- The update was intended to fix most pressing issues before the team's vacation.
- The team expected limited development-blog output and customer support during the July 12 to August 3 vacation period.
Posted on June 26, 2025.
- New location art for Nomad Woods by maxchill was previewed.
- Two new features were showcased: Travel + 1 and Rumours.
- Travel + 1 required a rework of the activity system, so current activities would be cancelled when the update went live and their committed steps would not be returned as saved steps.
- A developer comment clarified that only steps already committed to an activity would be lost; other steps would still become saved steps.
- A developer comment stated that the team would give at least 24 hours' notice before the update.
- A developer comment stated that Travel + 1 and Rumours were planned for release as early as possible before the team's summer vacation, with time left for hotfixes.
- A developer comment stated that Seth's Swamp Compass would be fixed.
- Step graph issues were identified as a visual issue, with steps still counting correctly in-game.
- Myzozoz was working on server-side improvements.
- A smaller content update, UI improvements, performance improvements, and bug fixes were also in development.
- The team's summer vacation was scheduled from July 12 to August 3, 2025, with no regular customer service during that period except emergencies.
- The July 24 DevBlog was expected to be skipped or replaced with a lighter post, and the August 7 DevBlog could also have limited content.
- Supporter income had increased after pricing changes and always-on supporter access, with the possibility of hiring another developer if the trend continued.
Travel + 1
- Players would be able to queue travel, including multiple travel steps.
- Players would be able to queue an activity after travel.
- Gear set switching could be queued before travel or before a queued activity starts.
- The first version allowed up to three queued actions, such as travel, travel, then start activity.
- Activities could also be selected from the world map, automatically queuing travel and starting the chosen activity.
- The queue UI would warn players when a queued action would not work.
- Future plans included queueing crafting recipes, queueing gear set withdrawals, and depositing unlocked items when a travel route passes through a bank.
Rumours
- Rumours were added as a smaller feature to improve the early-game experience and help players discover hidden content.
- NPCs with rumours would show a Rumours button.
- Rumours could unlock WalkPedia entries.
- WalkPedia entries unlocked only through rumours would be highlighted differently until the player interacted with them.
- WalkPedia pages would permanently show related rumours to provide extra context.
- Rumours were described as a bridge toward the future quest system, which would provide stronger player guidance.
Server and API changes
- A new server was added for Portal, authentication, and third-party bots and applications.
- The change reduced load on the game server by letting it focus only on the game.
- Game server communication between client and server was expanded so all messages are encrypted.
- New endpoints for third-party developers were developed, including a census API.
Going forward
- The short-term goal was to release as much as possible before the summer vacation.
- After the vacation, the team planned to return to larger new features.
Posted on June 12, 2025.
- Update 0.3.0-beta+482 "Adventurers' Guild improvements" was released with new content and fixes.
- New location art by maxchill was previewed.
- Adventurers' Guild shop item prices and rarities were adjusted, especially for Bert's Super-Skis, Seth's Swamp Compass, and Cape of the Trailblazer.
- Adventurers' Guild Chests were updated to reduce frustrating coal or scrap-only rewards while keeping rare and epic gear chances unchanged.
- Skill chests were updated to make memospheres more common and to add trinkets used in Trinketry amulet crafting.
- The first item submitted by a Cult Supporter was added to the game.
- Wave 4 ended on June 8, 2025.
- Supporters now always receive immediate Closed Beta access.
- Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee supporter pricing changes took effect after Wave 4.
- Annual support was enabled on Patreon.
Added
- Cult Leader item credit rendering was added.
- A new setting was added to show step counting source selection in the main activity view.
- New community translations were added.
- One new item, one activity loot table item, and several new Profile Picture Options were added.
- One new Profile Picture Option was added to the NaC Shop.
- Nearly all skill chests received one added item.
- Adventurers' Guild Chests received 11 added items in their main loot table.
Changed
- Memosphere chances and quantities were increased in each skill chest.
- Scrap chances were reduced in Adventurers' Guild Chests.
- Bert's Super-Skis and Seth's Swamp Compass were changed to Epic rarity.
- Cape of the Trailblazer was reduced to 2500 Adventurers' Guild tokens.
- Bert's Super-Skis and Seth's Swamp Compass were reduced to 750 Adventurers' Guild tokens each.
Fixed
- Step graphs received server-side fixes to update more frequently and responsively, though they were not fully fixed.
- Several iOS smart watch issues causing the game to change back to phone as the step source were fixed.
- WalkPedia not using text tags was fixed.
- Mud pie causing infinity on actions required was fixed.
- 0 and negative XP values were fixed to display properly.
- Several Profile Picture Options that were incorrectly available during character creation were fixed.
Known issues
- Step graphs could still be incorrect or fail to update immediately after opening the game.
Going forward
- Further step graph fixes were the main short-term priority.
- Myzozoz was working on server-side improvements planned for release in the following weeks.
- Weasel and maxchill were working on new content additions.
- Small QoL additions were planned when development time allowed.
Posted on May 29, 2025.
- Update 0.3.0-beta+473 was released on May 26, 2025, with the full changelog linked separately.
- Kallaheim's isometric location art by maxchill was previewed.
- The WalkScape roadmap was updated to better show recent progress and the remaining core features before Open Beta.
- The team's focus was shifting from smaller features toward the three major remaining systems: Trading, Combat, and Quests.
- A developer comment clarified that smart watch support and the engine rework had shifted earlier roadmap priorities.
- A developer comment stated that Trading, Combat, and Quests were being prioritised to avoid delaying them indefinitely.
- A developer comment also clarified that smaller content can still be developed alongside larger features, especially because DevTools now allows content work without schamppu's direct involvement.
- Public-facing APIs were mentioned as something the team is interested in adding later, with a smaller API availability improvement planned sooner.
Team changes
- Floursifter stepped back from official WalkScape development work after more than one and a half years on the team.
- Floursifter's work included testing, content design, community management, and other behind-the-scenes development support.
- Content design was handed over to maxchill and Weasel.
- Weasel joined the team in a larger role helping implement new content.
- Weasel had previously helped behind the scenes with testing, content design, and the game's development tools.
- Weasel's introduction noted his involvement as a Wave 1 player, Discord community member, leaderboard player, and wiki contributor.
Known issues
- New players and new characters could encounter "failed to initialize" or "failed to load player" errors after reopening the game.
- A hotfix was planned for the new player and new character loading issue.
- Step graphs had improved after a server-side fix, but background-recorded steps could still appear with a delay.
- Reopening the game could force step graphs to refresh.
Going forward
- One more hotfix was planned before the team moved on to new features and content.
- The team intended to continue delivering both smaller and larger content updates.
- Previously teased skills remained on the to-do list and were still planned for future release.
Posted on May 15, 2025.
- Wave 4 began on May 15, 2025 at 12:00 UTC+0.
- Wave 4 was scheduled to close on June 8, 2025 at 23:59 UTC+0.
- Supporters were granted immediate Closed Beta access, while free beta applicants were planned to be accepted gradually during the wave.
- New supporters during or after Wave 4 would always receive immediate game access.
- The post reminded players that supporter pricing and benefit changes would take effect after Wave 4, while existing supporters and Wave 4 supporters would keep existing pricing and benefits.
- The 0.3.0-beta+462 "Bogged Down" update was released alongside Wave 4.
- New location art by maxchill was previewed.
- Player help resources were highlighted, including the official Discord, WalkScape Wiki, WalkScape Map, and support email.
- A developer comment clarified that Android 8 is not compatible because it does not support the required pedometer APIs.
Added
- New community translations were included.
- The "Bogged Down" update added 15 new items, 4 new locations, 1 hard achievement, 6 activities, 6 recipes, 1 faction, 10 loot tables, and 2 Profile Picture Options.
Changed
- The update included activity nerfs, updated activity icons, new attributes on some items, a loot table change, and one removed activity from a location.
- Several minor additions and changes were included but not listed in the changelog.
Fixed
- The Erdwiss level 5 faction reward was corrected by removing the merchant hat.
- The Ruined Trinkery Bench red attribute text was fixed.
- A mistakenly added Profile Picture Option was removed from the NaC shop.
Known issues
- Apple Watch use could crash the game while it was in the background; closing the game entirely was suggested as a workaround.
- Smart watch step sources could switch back from watch to phone, a critical issue that could cause step loss.
- Outlined sprites could render incorrectly; disabling "render using shaders" in settings was suggested as a workaround.
- Step graphs were showing incorrect step counts.
- The 30K step achievement was not registering steps.
- The minimap could fail to update properly or show the character in the ocean; restarting the game or tapping the map was suggested as a workaround.
Going forward
- Fixes for step graphs, the 30K step achievement, and other issues were nearly finished and planned for release as soon as possible.
- During Wave 4, the team expected to focus on customer service, marketing, community management, bug fixes, and iOS smart watch improvements.
- Smaller mechanics and additional content were planned during Wave 4 if possible.
Posted on May 1, 2025.
- Wave 4 was announced to start on May 15, 2025 at 12:00 UTC+0.
- Wave 4 was scheduled to close on June 8, 2025 at 23:59 UTC+0.
- Smart watch testing was underway, with some critical issues and crashes found but testing mostly smoother than expected.
- Remaining work before Wave 4 included smart watch fixes, polishing, and fixes for inaccurate step graphs.
- New supporters during Wave 4 were eligible for immediate Closed Beta access.
- Players who applied through WalkScape Portal were also planned to be accepted throughout the wave.
- New location art by maxchill for Casbrant's Field was previewed.
- A developer comment stated that a fix was being prepared for an Apple Watch-related background crash that was difficult to reproduce.
- A developer comment clarified that players would keep their usernames after the Open Beta reset.
- A developer comment clarified that new players would receive an email with installation instructions, with a guide also planned for the DevBlog.
Supporter changes
- Supporter benefits and pricing were planned to change for new supporters after Wave 4.
- Existing supporters and anyone who started supporting before the end of Wave 4 would keep the existing pricing and benefits.
- All supporter tiers would grant immediate Closed Beta access after Wave 4, without waiting for a future wave.
- Walker pricing was planned to increase from $3 per month to $4.50 per month.
- Serious Walker pricing was planned to increase from $6 per month to $7.50 per month.
- The one-time Buy Me a Coffee purchase was planned to increase from $3 to $4.50.
- The one-time Beer option on Buy Me a Coffee was planned to be removed.
Reasons and goals
- The team explained that Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee prices had not changed since early 2023.
- The price changes were presented as a way to keep the company financially sustainable without investors.
- The team stated that Business Finland grant applications had been denied four times.
- Investment offers had been declined to avoid pressure toward short-term returns or harmful monetisation changes.
- The team said current Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee income covered wages and expenses but left the company around break-even.
- The stated goals were to stabilise income between waves, save for the Open Beta transition, and potentially hire another developer.
- Open Beta was expected to require significant spending for server scaling, the transition from Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee to a subscription model, and marketing.
- A developer comment stated that possible additional fundraising for Open Beta had been considered if needed, but probably not Kickstarter.
- A developer comment stated that the team was looking for an experienced developer rather than programming interns because the work was complex and the development team was small.
Posted on April 17, 2025.
- Wave 4 was confirmed to begin in May.
- The Wave 4 release date announcement was planned for the next DevBlog on May 1, 2025.
- iOS smart watch support was feature-complete, but needed testing by existing Closed Beta players before Wave 4 opened.
- The team planned to release iOS smart watch support to Closed Beta the following week to gather feedback and bug reports.
- Wave 4 was delayed to avoid launching new players at the same time as an unstable smart watch feature.
- Myzozoz marked one year working at Not a Cult.
- Two upcoming art changes were announced, both moving WalkScape away from AI-generated art.
- The current location views were planned to be replaced with interactive isometric pixel art scenes.
- Players would be able to interact with location scenes directly for activities such as Mining and Foraging.
- Isometric location views were also planned to support future features such as combat, Farming, and quests.
- Dynamic character profile backgrounds based on the character's current location were planned to be replaced.
- Two new profile image layers were planned: background and ornament.
- Backgrounds could include simple gradients, unlockable faction banners, country flags, and possibly guild banners in the future.
- Ornaments were planned as optional profile decorations earned mainly from activities and crafting.
- The background and ornament profile picture feature was expected before the location view overhaul.
- A developer comment clarified that tapping interactive locations would open a new activity UI with other improvements.
- A developer comment also clarified that list view would remain available for accessibility reasons.
Posted on April 3, 2025.
- The first draft of the smart watch step source UI was shown, with feedback requested from players.
- iOS smart watch functionality had been built, with further testing focused on improving reliability and explaining platform limitations.
- The step source UI was designed to make clear that WalkScape uses one step source at a time.
- Players could choose Phone, Apple Watch, or other watch options, each with different limitations and permission requirements.
- Apple Watch support uses Apple Health data, but does not provide live step updates directly to WalkScape.
- Apple Watch steps may sync when the phone is unlocked, Apple Health is opened, WalkScape is reopened, or the watch returns to Bluetooth range.
- Other watches on iOS, including Garmin, generally require syncing through their own app before steps appear in Apple Health and count in WalkScape.
- Permission prompts were redesigned after selecting a step source, with no Apple Health connection required when using the phone as the input device.
- Health Connect issues on Android appeared to be fixed, making Android smart watch support possible.
- Android smart watch support was unlikely to be ready for Wave 4 because implementation would take more time.
- Android 16 was noted as a possible risk because of upcoming Health Connect changes around May/June.
- iOS smart watch support had made significant progress and was expected soon.
- After iOS smart watch support and step graph fixes, the team expected to be mostly ready for Wave 4.
- New building art by maxchill was previewed.
- Poll results on smart watch usage were included in the post.
- A developer comment noted that WalkScape's audience had much higher smart watch ownership than general population estimates, likely because players are more interested in step tracking.
- A developer comment clarified that Google Play and TestFlight statistics suggested the player split was closer to 70/30 Android/iPhone, not the poll's 53/47 result.
- A developer comment clarified that Apple Watch steps eventually sync, though not always immediately, and Apple Health can sometimes be opened to force a refresh.
- A developer comment stated that step sources could be switched from in-game settings.
- A developer comment clarified that switching from watch to phone would discard unsynced watch steps to prevent possible double-counting.
- A developer comment stated that Apple Health source filtering was working well and that anti-cheat would still apply to manipulated step data.
- A developer comment said more detailed watch guidance may be added to WalkPedia, with more comprehensive manufacturer tips possibly added to the WalkScape Wiki.
- A developer comment stated that after the current backlog, including Party and QoL features such as Travel + 1 queue, crafting queue, and crafting from bank, the plan was to focus on the remaining major features needed for Open Beta.
Posted on March 20, 2025.
- WalkScape won Best Mobile Game 2024 at the Latvian Game Awards, the game's first award.
- The team also highlighted a GamesRadar+ interview about WalkScape and its development values.
- A developer comment noted that the article strongly covered the game's stance against microtransactions and predatory monetisation.
- Trinketry was released as the first content update after DevTools 2.0 became usable.
- The release went smoothly despite schamppu being absent due to illness, showing improved team release processes.
- New location art from maxchill was previewed.
- A developer comment stated that the engine rework and new DevTools had made development move much faster.
- A developer comment clarified that there were no current awards for players to vote in, but the team would announce any future opportunities.
Added
- Hotfix 0.3.0-beta+431 added the newest translations.
Fixed
- Hotfix 0.3.0-beta+431 fixed issues with Merfolk Dress and other content.
- Character loading issues affecting some players were fixed.
- Updating to Flutter 3.29.2 fixed issues on older Android devices, including Android 9 devices and devices with old GPUs.
Known issues
- Some devices had a mirrored item equip menu.
- At least one further hotfix was planned to address remaining issues.
Going forward
- After post-release fixes, the team planned to start work on the next update.
Posted on March 6, 2025.
- The first new content update after the engine rework was completed and moved into internal testing.
- The update introduced WalkScape's 10th skill, Trinketry.
- Trinketry allows players to craft rings and amulets from trinkets, rough gems, gold bars, silver bars, and other materials.
- Trinketry items use the existing item quality system, up to Eternal quality.
- Trinketry Benches were introduced as a new service, mostly found in GDTE.
- The update began content development for GDTE, including four unique Trinketry Benches.
- A new GDTE faction, Erdwise, was announced with new jobs and rewards.
- More than 70 new items were included in the update.
- New activities and new attributes were added.
- Some existing items, including gems, gold ore, rings, and necklaces, were transformed into new items where possible.
- Items changed away from gear were expected to remove themselves from gear sets on login.
- A developer comment clarified that players who already had the Hard achievement for all skills at level 50 would keep it, while players without it would need to level Trinketry as well.
- A developer comment confirmed that gem drop rates had been adjusted.
- The update was planned for release within two weeks, before the next DevBlog, with a development update planned one day before release.
- A developer comment later clarified that the release date would be announced soon and that the update would not release during that weekend.
DevTools 2.0
- DevTools 2.0 reached a functional state after previously being unusable for content delivery.
- The new tools allowed rapid development and testing of the Trinketry content update.
- DevTools 2.0 gave the team proper version control and a workable content development environment.
- Remaining planned DevTools 2.0 features included cloud sync, content branching, over-the-air updates, development QoL tools, metadata, and automated changelogs.
- Over-the-air updates were planned to let players receive content fixes and updates, including art assets, without updating through the Play Store or App Store.
Plans before Wave 4
- The main requirements before Wave 4 were iOS watch integration, fixed step graphs, and remaining major bug fixes.
- iOS watch support was the priority, with Android viability testing planned during development.
- A developer comment clarified that iOS watch integration was planned before the next Wave.
- Step graphs needed fixes because server-client step syncing changed after the engine rework and would become more complex with smart watch support.
- The team was waiting for a Flutter fix for older GPUs and Android versions so affected older devices could work again.
- Nice-to-have goals before Wave 4 included one smaller content update after Trinketry and additional QoL improvements.
Posted on February 20, 2025.
- The team spent the previous two weeks fixing critical issues introduced by the engine rework while work continued on DevTools 2.0.
- Three hotfixes were released after the engine update: Hotfix +413, Hotfix +418, and Hotfix +419.
- The hotfixes resolved the most apparent critical issues, including the traveling bug, WalkPedia issues, crafting issues, and PowerVR device rendering issues.
- The game was described as stable again, with one or two additional lower-urgency hotfixes still planned.
- The traveling bug was caused by a character PFP update replacing the game state with the state from before loaded steps.
- Older Android 9 and Android 10-era devices continued to experience crashes or major rendering issues due to a Flutter issue.
- The Flutter issue had been reported to the Flutter team and marked as P1 priority.
- Development focus shifted toward DevTools 2.0, while remaining bug fixes continued in parallel.
- DevTools 2.0 was described as an improved internal toolset for content creation and development.
- The first priority for DevTools 2.0 was getting enough tooling ready for the next content update, with more advanced features planned later.
- The next content update did not yet have a release estimate.
- Content updates and feature development were expected to become separate pipelines after DevTools 2.0 was ready.
- A developer comment stated that at least three content updates were planned for Jarvonia and GDTE before Open Beta.
- A developer comment also stated that the team wanted to reach Wallisia before Open Beta.
- DevTools 2.0 was described as a solution to content development bottlenecks that had affected the team since Syrenthia.
Posted on February 6, 2025.
- The team focused on fixing bugs after the engine rework, server rewrite, and related technical changes.
- A separate Reddit post listed known issues from the update.
- The update was described as very large, but the number of issues after release was lower than expected.
- Several small QoL improvements were added in the update, including banking from the inventory bank button, starting activities from the world map, and wardrobes in all settlements.
- A developer comment clarified that new location art is planned as a replacement for current location art and may later be reused for combat and Farming.
- A developer comment clarified that using one device with one account while walking, running, or cycling is allowed, while mechanical step devices and account sharing are considered cheating.
Fixed
- Buy Me a Coffee supporter tier syncing was fixed.
- Buy Me a Coffee account linking to WalkScape should now be faster.
- Post-engine rework bugs were being prioritised for the next week or two.
Changed
- The improved anti-cheat system was released with the engine rework.
- The new anti-cheat system was described as more scalable and easier to improve over time.
- Several players caught cheating were banned after the anti-cheat improvements.
Known issues
- The main unresolved issue was a memory leak in the new server technology.
- The memory leak caused server restarts roughly every five hours, which could temporarily affect connection attempts.
Going forward
- The team planned to continue bug fixing until the game was stable again.
- After stabilisation, work was planned to move to Devtools 2.0.
- Devtools 2.0 was intended to remove content development bottlenecks and support future content updates.
- Art and designs for multiple new content updates were already in progress.
Posted on January 23, 2025.
- The engine rework was announced for release on January 29, 2025 at 14:00 UTC+0, with maintenance expected to last at least 5–6 hours.
- Players were warned that steps taken during maintenance would not be counted because of the local storage rework, and were asked to claim steps and sync before maintenance.
- The update was described as the largest technical change to WalkScape so far, with major refactoring, server migration, and performance work.
- A smart watch integration survey was opened, with a proposal to release iOS smart watch support first and add Android support later.
- Devtools 2.0 was described as the next major priority after post-update fixes, intended to reduce content bottlenecks and allow non-programmer content additions.
- A developer comment clarified that Devtools 2.0 is needed for upcoming skills that already have designs and art.
- A Maxchill art sneak peek was shown; a developer comment clarified that it would be helpful for combat.
- A developer comment stated that the next invite wave was expected in the next couple of months.
Added
- Gear Sets were added to the game.
- In-game notification bubbles for drops and XP were improved, including support for Realm reputation gains.
- The "While you were away..." screen was reworked to better show progress made while the game was closed.
- Unequip all gear and tools buttons were added to the gear view.
- An FPS counter was added to the Settings menu to help with performance reports.
Changed
- The game engine was rewritten and now uses multithreading for processing.
- Server-side code was mostly rewritten, improving authentication and save speed.
- Server-client communication is now mostly encrypted and compressed.
- The anti-cheat system was significantly improved.
- The Android version now uses the newer rendering engine already used on iOS.
- Character saves were rebuilt with a new save system, reducing server-side save file size.
- The engine rework was intended to make future feature development faster, simpler, and less error-prone.
Fixed
- Step loading interruptions should no longer cause steps to be lost.
- WalkPedia should now load much faster through multithreading.
- Battery consumption should be lower.
- Buy Me a Coffee supporter syncing issues were fixed.
- Many previously reported bugs were fixed, though the full list was not included.
Smart watches
- The proposed smart watch plan was to develop iOS support first, test and fix issues with iOS users, then release Android support when ready.
- The initial proposal used a single selected step source, such as phone, Apple Watch, Garmin Watch, or another supported device.
- The team avoided combined step totals from multiple sources because of anti-cheat, clarity, and implementation concerns.
- Apple Watch steps could not be polled in real time during testing, meaning steps would update when opening or foregrounding the game.
- Garmin and similar third-party watch data may require syncing through the watch app before WalkScape can count the steps.
- One possible MVP approach was to use smart watch steps for background progress while using the phone pedometer when the game is open.
- Developer comments clarified that step sources could be switched from settings, with possible future QoL prompts based on testing and feedback.
- Developer comments also stated that offline mode could have relaxed smart watch limitations because anti-cheat would not matter there.
- For Android, the team planned more Health Connect testing; a developer comment also identified Google Fit as a major priority if its data quality is acceptable and not easily abused.
Going forward
- The team planned to spend the first weeks after the update fixing issues caused by the engine rework.
- Devtools 2.0 was planned after that, separating the feature development pipeline from the content development pipeline.
- The first planned content update was expected to need only partial Devtools 2.0 completion, estimated at around three weeks of work.
tr Posted on December 12, 2024.
- The team returned from the holiday break and continued work on the next update, focused on the engine rework and Gear Sets.
- The update was aimed for release later that month, with older Android device issues listed as the main remaining blocker.
- Testing suggested the step-counting issues related to background play and poor connection, especially on Android, had been fixed.
- The engine rework was described as paying off major technical debt and preparing the game for larger scale and future features.
- New development tools were planned after the update and additional QoL work, with the goal of reducing the content-release bottleneck.
- Anti-cheat systems were significantly scaled for the upcoming update and future open beta player numbers.
- The WalkScape Wiki was migrated from Miraheze to WalkScape's own server, improving speed and enabling PWA support.
- The Wiki was prepared for Gear Sets, including activity guides and Gear Loadouts that could later support in-game import codes.
- Community editing was opened for the Guide: and Gear: namespaces, with directory pages and freeform guide or gear set pages supported.
- Weblate, also called WalkScape Translate, was migrated to a stronger server and updated to a newer version.
- Wave 3.5 ended on January 7 and was described as the smoothest wave so far, helped by improved Patreon integration.
- Buy Me a Coffee supporter status updates remained slow because of API rate limits.
- Support email was migrated to a new server; users who had not received replies after the migration were asked to resend messages.
- The next DevBlog was expected to cover the update being ready or close to release.
