Update log
Full Ships At Sea update
The complete published notes, normalized for clean reading and source attribution.
Extracted changes
- Server
- Performance
- Gameplay
- UI and audio
- Workshop
Ahoy Captains,
First of all, we would like to thank our community for your patience, feedback, and continued support throughout the development of Ships At Sea. Your input during the Public Test has played a key role in shaping this release.
Today, we are excited to bring Major Update v0.8.6 live to all players.
This update marks one of the biggest technical milestones for Ships At Sea to date. Dedicated Server support is now fully available, allowing players to host or rent servers and build their own maritime communities.
With v0.8.6, we’ve introduced significant improvements across the entire game, including graphical upgrades, performance optimizations, gameplay refinements, and system reworks.
The game now runs on Unreal Engine 5.7.3, providing a stronger foundation for better performance, visual quality, and future scalability.
Core systems have also been expanded, 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.
You will also notice the first steps of our new character system, with updated character models, improved movement, and a reworked animation foundation for future features.
Finally, we’ve redesigned parts of the UI, including the Logbook, to improve clarity and usability.
This update is a major step forward for Ships At Sea, and we look forward to continuing development together with you.
Dedicated Server Support
With Major Update v0.8.6, Ships At Sea now officially supports Dedicated Servers, significantly expanding multiplayer possibilities for the community.
Friends List and Peer-to-Peer (P2P) multiplayer remain fully supported with up to 4 players, so you can continue enjoying the game with your friends exactly as before. Nothing changes for players who prefer quick sessions with their usual crew.
In addition, Dedicated Servers allow players to connect beyond their friends list. 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, bringing together captains from around the world.
Whether you're organizing fishing operations, managing a service fleet, or creating a long-term simulation environment, dedicated servers provide greater flexibility and control over your experience.
Please note that password protection and additional server management features are planned for upcoming updates.
By default, a dedicated server starts with standard settings (such as a default server name and level), which can be customized by the host. One of the most common adjustments will be setting a unique server name to make it stand out in the multiplayer server list.
To support this feature, we have created a dedicated Discord support channel, where our team is available to assist anyone who needs help setting up their server. Everyone is welcome to join and reach out: Support-Server
How to start
Download the Ships At Sea Dedicated Server Tool
Do the following steps:
Open the Steam Client
Go to your Library
Select Tools from the category filter
Search for and install the Ships At Sea Dedicated Server
You'll also need to open the following ports on the machine running the Dedicated Server: Port 15000 and 7777, both TCP/UDP.
Currently, the dedicated server is Windows only — Linux support is coming in a future update!
How to Set a Custom Server Name
Step 1 – Locate the Configuration Folder
Navigate to: steamapps\\common\\Ships At Sea Dedicated Server
Create the following folder structure so it matches the example below:
steamapps\\common\\Ships At Sea Dedicated Server\\Saved\\Config\\WindowsServer
Step 2
Source