Earlier this month, Misc Games released the official Public Test for its hit boat simulator, Ships at Sea Public v0.8.6. Today, the update has been added to the game’s main branch, adding dedicated servers, new systems, and major improvements to overall gameplay.
First off, Ships at Sea now runs on Unreal Engine 5.7.3, providing a stronger foundation for better performance, visual quality, and future scalability. This allowed the developers to expand core systems, including a redesigned fish ecosystem, improved weather systems, a new fuel consumption model, multi-engine throttle controls, and refined buoyancy and ship handling. The first iteration of the fuel station system is now in place.
With Major Update v0.8.6, the game also now officially supports Dedicated Servers, significantly expanding multiplayer possibilities for the community. You can now host or rent your own server and build your own maritime and ship simulation community with up to 8 players in the same session.
The weather system has been significantly expanded and is now approaching full implementation, bringing major improvements to realism, immersion, and visual effects, supporting both dynamic and manual weather controls. You’ll now notice significantly enhanced elements such as rain, atmosphere, and overall environmental feedback during changing conditions, with storms that can trigger at any moment.
The Marine Weather Forecast, accessible via the VHF radio, now provides a 4-hour forecast that includes wind strength and direction, precipitation, cloud cover, snowfall, temperature, and approaching storms. To enhance the overall immersion in a maritime environment, consider atmospheric phenomena such as the Aurora Borealis, visible on clear nights, and rainbows, which appear under specific lighting and weather conditions.
The fish ecosystem has been completely redesigned, rebuilt and expanded to fully support a dynamic multiplayer environment. Fish are no longer tied to static locations; species inhabit specific ocean layers and move freely across the entire map, creating a living ecosystem that evolves over time and responds to player activity.
Fishing activity now also directly impacts local fish populations, and will follow seasonal patterns, reaching peak size and availability during specific times of the year. During peak seasons, species are more abundant and valuable, making it more important to time your fishing operations and rewarding players who adapt to seasonal changes.
Both small and main fuel stations have been redesigned with new models, improving visual quality and overall immersion, with stations now better reflecting real-world maritime infrastructure. The update also introduces refined buoyancy and handling for all vessels, which work in tandem with the new joystick steering controls to make controls feel more immersive.
The first iteration of new main character models for both male and female players has been added alongside Ships at Sea update 0.8.6, improving appearance, character stabilisation, camera behaviour, and movement handling, resulting in smoother transitions and a more natural on-foot experience. For players who might not be as experienced with simulators, a beginner tutorial has been added to help them get to know the basicsn
Ships at Sea update 0.8.6 adds independent throttle controls for vessels with twin or triple propellers, offering more precise maneuvering for service and cargo vessels. Multi-engine throttle control operates independently from bow thrusters and serves as the vessel’s primary propulsion system, while Class 3 Service Ships are equipped with a dual-engine control unit that features two propellers for Twin-Engine Throttle Control.
Players can now control the following:
- Differential thrust for tight manoeuvring
- Precise low-speed control
- Improved docking performance
- Realistic multi-engine vessel handling
The Class 3 Cargo Ship also features a triple-engine control system, reflecting its three-propeller setup, enabling smoother transitions between forward and reverse, while providing precise control during low-speed manoeuvres, such as docking.
Another big change in Ships at Sea update 0.8.6 is the ability to interact with the world and ships. You can now sit on benches around the ports or relax on the sofa in the Office. More plans are in the works to expand this feature to include seating on vessels such as co-pilot chairs, bridge workstations, and additional areas throughout your ship.
Speaking of looking ahead, Misc Games provided an early look at one of the upcoming Class 4 wind turbine vessels currently in development. They plan to introduce these ships in v0.8.7, as the first step toward building a robust, scalable foundation that supports a wide range of vessel types, engaging gameplay systems in ports or on board a ship, single- and co-op play, and diverse maritime operations.
You can read the full changelog and notes in the Steam post here. Ships at Sea is available now in early access via Steam, starting at $24.99. For more information on update v0.8.5, as well as previous patches like the Lighthouse Beacon, be sure to check back to Simulation Daily.
