Ahoy, adventurers, and welcome back to our devblog!

Disclaimer: Many of the features you’ll read about here are still in Alpha and subject to significant change in future updates.

It’s hard to believe we’ve already sailed into April, with blossoms on the horizon and the promise of warmer seas ahead. Behind the scenes, our crew has been hard‑at‑work preparing the long-awaited Alpha test.

In the meantime, we wanted to take you on another little behind‑the‑scenes voyage. Game development is hard, and very often things break in the process. The upside: you can have a good laugh about it. Well, if it happens before you release the game, at least.

Pay attention to this one: we’ve added the nicknames of those who participated in our previous event there in the credits. Thank you for being the legends you are!

Following your requests, this devblog dives straight into base building—something that most survival gaming enthusiasts love!

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In Crosswind, building is about self‑expression, progression, and shaping the world. Every structure should feel rooted in its biome and echo the story you’re living. From your first humble shack to a towering fort, construction always aims to remain a seamless part of the adventure.

Our philosophy is simple: while building is a core part of survival in Crosswind, we’ve designed it to be as welcoming and intuitive as possible. Yes, you’ll need a basic roof to rest and a shelter to house your workbenches—but beyond that, it’s entirely up to you how far you take it.

Whether you prefer the simplicity of a quick shelter or dream of building a sprawling pirate haven, our goal is to shape a system that supports your pace, style, and imagination. It’s a work in progress, of course—and a part of a long journey. But we’re committed to making that first step feel approachable and rewarding. From there, who knows where your creativity might take you?

In practice, we believe building should be:

• Simple. Newcomers, minimalists who just need a roof, or even those curious about survival games but daunted by the idea of complex building systems—all are welcome here.
  
  We’ve made sure you can raise a sturdy shelter in seconds using large modules and one-click blueprints. It’s fast, intuitive, and designed to ease you in gently, so you can get back to exploring and adventuring without being overwhelmed.
  
  
• Flexible. Efficiency lovers get fine‑grained tools: precise angle rotation, optional snapping, Z‑axis nudging, and an in‑menu building preview showing you the exact piece before placing it.
  
  Our unofficial benchmark? If a determined captain can’t kitbash a passable Millennium Falcon, we need to loosen the rules.
  
  
• Beautiful. For builders who treat design as end-game content, snapping can be turned off, small detail pieces can be layered freely, and décor can be stacked to your heart’s content.
  
  And for those who value speed and flow, we’re introducing a special “Quick-Brush” mode: just hold the left mouse button and sweep your cursor to lay down walls, floors, or roofs in one continuous, satisfying motion. Creativity and efficiency shouldn’t be at odds—and with tools like this, they don’t have to be.
  
  
• Performance‑minded. We’re stress‑testing to find out how many blocks you can stack before the frame‑rate flinches. The goal is “a lot.” We’ll do our best to ensure that, with ongoing optimization, ambitious architects won’t have to choose between grand scale and smooth FPS—fingers crossed!

We also support basic terraforming. It’s still early and quite primitive, but it already allows you to shape the ground and prepare terrain for your builds.

Your journey starts with bedrolls, campfires, and makeshift roofs. Soon you’ll be adding workbenches, kilns, and palisades. Just place an upgrade module next to any workstation to unlock new tiers:

• Want to toss your tools around wherever it’s convenient? Go for it.
  
• Prefer to build a majestic blacksmith’s hall with every detail in place? That works too.

No penalties either way—it's all about your style, not restrictions.

Comfort works the same way: hang trophies wherever you like, and the settlement counts their bonus automatically. Beauty is optional; utility never is. Chase pure efficiency or indulge your inner architect—either way, you’ll get every perk with zero debuffs.

In Crosswind, the world may be full of myths and wonders, but it’s still grounded in a sense of physical logic. That’s why we’re also introducing building integrity—a system that gently nudges structures to follow the natural rules of the world they exist in. No floating towers or endless bridges stretching across the sea. It’s not here to stifle your creativity, but to keep your creations feeling rooted, believable, and in harmony with the world around them.

After all, building should feel like a natural extension of the journey—woven into the fabric of your swashbuckling fantasy. In a world inspired by the spirit of Treasure Island and classic high-seas tales, every fort, dock, and lookout should feel like it belongs—each one a testament to the adventure that shaped it.

We’re also adding what we internally call aesthetic merging—a system designed to make modular builds feel more natural and cohesive. Instead of obvious seams and visual clutter between individual pieces, this tech helps smooth out transitions, so even complex constructions look unified and handcrafted rather than like stacked Lego bricks. It’s still a work in progress, but we believe it’ll go a long way in helping your creations feel more like real, lived-in structures and less like game systems showing through.

Losing everything while you’re offline is the worst, so we’ve built in safeguards—construction included. Your personal story islands are private by default: solo or invite‑only co‑op, no random visitors.

And just to reassure you—during the upcoming playtest, all building will take place in safe zones only. No raids, no base wipes, no lost progress. Build at your own pace, focus on fun, and help us shape what comes next.

Important note: as the game evolves and new features are added, we’ll occasionally need to reset progress between playtest phases. With so much changing under the hood, occasional wipes are necessary to keep things stable. That said, in the long run, your personal world and its progress are meant to be yours to shape and keep—this core concept won’t change.

We know not everyone dreams in timber and stone. If building’s not your thing, don’t worry—we’re doing our best to keep the experience smooth, flexible, and never overwhelming. You’ll be able to set up what you need and jump right back into the adventure.

Looking further ahead, wanderers—merchants, quest‑givers, or would‑be crewmates—will occasionally arrive at your settlement. You’ll be able to recruit them to help gather materials, craft gear, and support your progression over time. These visitors are the first step toward a broader “crew” system that connects the people you meet on land with the roles they’ll take aboard your ship. We’re still ironing out the details, and we’ll be happy to see whether this direction resonates with you.

We’re also looking into how building might evolve into other parts of the game—more on that later.

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And that’s a wrap! While this update focused on building, we’ve seen all your questions across the comments—and we’re already charting the course for future devblogs to dive into them. For now, we’re just thrilled to have you aboard. The journey’s just beginning, and we can’t wait to keep shaping Crosswind together.

Yours truly,
— Crosswind Crew