BUG - Island disappears

[LHammonds]

I created a new world in 10.05 (4466761) and was gathering materials for a few minutes until I ran into an island. I jumped onto the island, the raft disappeared (might have continued to float). I collected some items on the island, then was diving to collect stuff on the reef floor and the island / reef disappeared and I found myself floating in the ocean and no land in sight and no way to create a raft foundation even though I had the materials and a hammer.

[Shantelle]

You have to keep your original raft. You cannot let it drift off and create a new one.

[LHammonds]

Well, I guess that explains it but it sure wasn't a design consideration when they added islands the raft would run into.

[nasojjr]

Well...there is a lot of randomness in where the islands spawn. And you do have access to paddles and anchors. Early on of course you won't be stopping at every island. But let's not blame the game for your mistake. :)

If you are new to the game, it's a great lesson to learn, one which you most likely won't repeat.

[Ndi]

Yes the whole game is an optical illusion. There is a world, your raft is at the center of it and the water moving is an illusion. This is why, for example, if the waves come up above the raft you don't float away. Things on the raft are fixed, nailed to world center and things in the water slide around.

World is created at one end and destroyed at the other. This is how you can forever be adrift in about 4 GB or RAM.

If you leave your raft, even though you seem to be static, you are static relative to the water, so you move.
The island disappeared because it has reached the end of the world and went away.

This is a balance between realism and gameplay. They want you to be on the raft, since it is your only means of survival, but they don't want the raft to wait for you otherwise what is the point of navigating, having an anchor or creating any sort of danger if your raft just hovers around you like an obedient dog.

It can be argued that you should die when the raft is too far away but TBH whether or not the island disappears is irrelevant. You died because the raft is gone. I prefer the bones showing a bit than a message going "raft is lost" and getting killed because you went to explore a very large island.