Wayward Development FAQ

[Drathy]

How is it decided what will go into the game next? What is planned?

It's important to note the types of people that play Wayward are very diverse with opinions ranging from one extreme to the other. Many players feel like some aspects of the game should be the main focus of development, like increasing usability, improving new player interaction, and removing the complexity, whereas some want it deeper, with more options, new content, and new mechanics present. These ideals can sometimes be at odds.

This diverse player-base is exactly why we try to focus on many things each release so as to not alienate either side. We gather feedback and ideas from the community through a multitude of sources including Steam reviews, forums, Discord, emails, surveys, social media, live streams, YouTube, and our feature voting site[www.waywardgame.com]. We combine all of these sources and develop a priority for our public todo list based on the number of times we hear something being mentioned. It's a democratic and transparent process, but as always, we reserve the right to stick to our vision and create thematic updates with stuff the development team wants to work on. This is an important balance for any passion hobby project.

Our public todo list is located here: https://trello.com/b/PWX1Hpjn/wayward-todo

Our feature voting site (which generally gathers some of the larger additions/ideas) is located here: http://www.waywardgame.com/vote

Will Wayward get controller support, Steam Achievements, and Steam Trading Cards?

Yes, yes, yes. All planned! This will likely all happen when releasing out of early access.

When will Wayward be out of early access?

When we, and the player-base feel like it is ready for a full release. We have no set date for this. While it's easy to lump Wayward in the category of "games that are in early access forever", it's important to understand it's simply a label for us. Moving out of early access for us changes nothing - we will continue to work on the game indefinitely.

We like to think of Wayward as a "slow-cooked" game, similar to that of Dwarf Fortress or UnReal World, games that have been in development for decades.

More early access questions/answers are available on the Steam store page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/379210/Wayward/

Why is the game difficult?

Wayward is a traditional game in many ways. It hearkens back to hardcore roguelikes and RPGs of the past. A time when games did not tell you everything you needed to do or how to do it. There is several ways to solve any problem in the game (with more freedom and strategy coming in every update), it's simply a matter of finding the solution. That being said, we understand that some players want to have a more casual play experience. We try to add in unique ways and opportunities for both sides of our player-base to experience the game in the way they want to experience it. While we can't please everybody, the hope is that eventually, we can satisfy most playstyles and players.

We recommend you try the other game modes available such as "Casual" that disables permadeath and makes most creatures peaceful or "Custom" where you can tailor tons of options to your liking.

Is a proper tutorial planned?

This is a very common request. The "Starter Quest" is not a proper substitute for a real tutorial. We understand this is a must for newer players and we will work on this feature for the non-Early Access release for Wayward, where most game mechanics have been established fully.

Alternatively for now, perhaps check out the following beginner's guide video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G2_PGmSxU0

I don't have any friends; can I find some to play with for multiplayer?

Feels bad man. While we can't guarantee that everybody can find a multiplayer game with our niche title, you can try setting up a public game for others to join. You can also post on the Steam Discussion forums, or within the #multiplayer channel on our Discord[discord.gg]. Wayward is still predominately a singleplayer game, and most players do not play multiplayer.

You can find more information on multiplayer here: http://www.waywardgame.com/multiplayer

Why isn't "X" in the game? Why doesn't "Y" work like "Z"?

This is very heavily related to the "How is it decided what will go into the game next? What is planned?" question located at the top of this FAQ.

We have a huge todo list. We normally will set priority on what we want to do based on public response and feedback. Things that are suggested/complained/reported the most, will get fixed first. If the thing you want in the game isn't in, it's likely we just haven't been able to get to it yet.

View our todo list here: https://trello.com/b/PWX1Hpjn/wayward-todo

View our feature voting site (which generally gathers some of the larger additions/ideas) here: http://www.waywardgame.com/vote

When are major updates planned to release? What is in the next release?

We would like to release major updates once every 3-5 months ideally (after the last minor update in each series), usually with smaller, faster updates following each major release. We have so far stuck to this schedule with every major release while on Steam. We have a completely transparent and iterative development process. If you want to spoil yourself on what is coming up in the next release, view our Trello: https://trello.com/b/PWX1Hpjn/wayward-todo

Drathy, the creator of the game, also streams development live from time to time (usually at least once a week) on his Twitch channel: https://www.twitch.tv/drathy/

How many people are working on the game?

There are currently four of us, many of us working part-time on the game; however, this fluctuates wildly (especially near the time of major releases). Wayward is not currently a full-time job for anyone of us. We are all hobbyist game developers. View the credits page for more up-to-date information: http://www.unlok.ca/credits-thanks/

Will Wayward ever be available off of Steam?

We definitely want to make a DRM-free version and also would like to release the game on other platforms and services in the future; however, there's no ETA on this.

I found a bug or issue! How do I report it?

You can report it through the "Bug Reports" forum within Steam discussions: http://steamcommunity.com/app/379210/discussions/1/

We have a full guide on where to start with reporting and debugging your issue via Steam Guides here: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=798938225

Alternatively, you can get quick help via Discord[discord.gg] or Steam Group Chat if you are having an issue or have a question on something.

Is there an official wiki?

Not currently, but we do have plans for one in the future. Unfortunately, there's a bit of fragmentation with the unofficial sources. There are currently two unofficial wikis:

1. http://wayward.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page
2. http://unlok-wayward.wikia.com/wiki/Wayward_Wiki

The first is more active and up-to-date in general though. Alternatively, you can get answers or help on Discord[discord.gg], Steam Discussion forums, or through Steam Guides.

Is a console (Switch, Xbox, PlayStation) or mobile port (iOS/Android) planned?

We want to ensure we are providing the best experience to players playing the game and we feel Wayward is best suited for home computers at the current time. We, unfortunately, don't have the resources to port the game and also provide the major updates to the game as we develop it. There are many challenges we would face in developing for a different platform such as control schemes and UI. Both of which would have to be radically different to provide a good experience on those platforms. We would love to port the game to consoles and mobile devices; however, this would need to happen much further down the road as we must dedicate our time and effort to developing the game for those who have already supported us.

Are official translations planned? Is Wayward translated in my language?

Official translations are indeed planned. Unfortunately, we are too early to spend money on getting professional translations done in many languages, as we would have to do this every release because the game changes so much. It would be difficult and time-consuming to manage. We also have some ideas in the works that would allow us to crowd-source official translations, but we are still a ways off with that system. Fortunately, there are some awesome people already translating the game in many languages. They can be installed as mods via the Steam Workshop.

What can be modded?

Technically, everything with enough effort. With every release, we add more APIs and hooks to provide better modding support. Visit the Modding Guide for more information: https://github.com/WaywardGame/types/wiki

What is Wayward made with?

Wayward is written in TypeScript, and compiled down to JavaScript, which runs within Electron (via Steam). It uses such technologies such as WebGL (1.0/2.0), WebAssembly, WebRTC, WebSockets, and HTML5.

Is Wayward a roguelike, roguelite or roguelikelike?

Who cares? But if you do, Wayward currently meets 13 out of 15 of the rules presented in the Berlin Interpretation: http://www.roguebasin.com/index.php?title=Berlin_Interpretation and 12 out of 13 rules from the Temple of the Roguelike definition: http://www.roguetemple.com/roguelike-definition/roguelikeness-factors/

Take that for what you will, but we would consider that enough for Wayward to be considered a roguelike.

Is there any way I can help out on Wayward?

There's plenty of ways! Here are a few examples:

Help us spread the word and keep the community active! Why not make a mod, share a screenshot, create a guide? Follow and engage us on Facebook[www.facebook.com], Instagram[www.instagram.com], Mastodon[mastodon.gamedev.place], Twitter, and Subreddit. Subscribe to our Newsletter[dashboard.mailerlite.com]. Report any bugs and post your suggestions via the Steam Discussion forums, Reddit, Discord[discord.gg], or on the Steam Group Chat.

What do I do now?

Stuck on what to do in Wayward after reaching the mid-to-late game? Check out the "What Do I Do Now?" guide!

[!Supreme Grand Wizard Yoodiv]

According to this post, multiplayer's coming in version 2.5, which is probably the next update!
http://steamcommunity.com/app/379210/discussions/0/1470840994979160660/

[Drathy]

Originally posted by Yoodiv!:

According to this post, multiplayer's coming in version 2.5, which is probably the next update!
http://steamcommunity.com/app/379210/discussions/0/1470840994979160660/

Looks like it's a good time to update this! Thanks!

[!Supreme Grand Wizard Yoodiv]

You can thank our mutual friend Jacq!

[Drathy]

Just gave this a much needed update. Let me know if I missed anything!

[SMOKE]

don't know if you have a bugs and error page anywhere "i didnt see it" but i have come across a pretty annoying bug...after pressing shift + Tab buttons to open the steam overlay to message back a friend and then pressing escape to get beck to the game, i noticed i wasnt able to use any keyboard functions...like moving or pretty much anything else "i was frozen on the tile" i was forced to exit the game and come back into it :) that fixed it but its kinda annoying lol :P

ps...thanks for making the game its really refreshing to see a different style, keep up the awesome work dev team

EDIT: additionally it doesnt freeze on me when just opening the overlay and closing again, "only after sending a message via steam"

i will try to reproduce the effect and see if it was just a fluke or my own error "only happened three times so far" and i could be wrong (sometimes i have not been able to move because i had the typing bar active in the crafting plane) :P so i need to run a few confimation tests before i have you looking for something that could be my fault :)

will be back with confirmation soon :)

LAST EDIT: yes , i can confirm the effects are true... it indeed freezes you on the tile \^_^7 you are welcome Drathy! :)

if you require any of my log files "if they exist" i'd be happy to supply them

[Drathy]

Thanks STRIKER AWAKENING, will look into a fix!

[WandNova]

Hello, I found a bug in your game how can I show it to you?

[Gandalf The CrayFish]

will achievements one day be part of an update ?

[Parlonsbien [FR]]

Hello Drathy !

I was wondering if an update is planned for the future, since we haven't had news in quite some time now...

[Drathy]

Originally posted by Parlonsbien FR:

Hello Drathy !

I was wondering if an update is planned for the future, since we haven't had news in quite some time now...

Hey there,

This is covered in the "When are major updates planned to release? What is in the next release?" section above. The last release was April 28th, so that should give you a rough idea. We don't know at this point yet for sure.

As for the news, we have been mostly posting on social media/Discord, and on the forums here. We'll have some more substantial news soon!

[bearhiderug]

Players enter faster time advancement when everyone in a multiplayer server is sleeping at the same time.

From the recent update. This is great thanks for this!