This update focuses on the ring itself, and the world on the surface. The world is now around 7 times bigger by default, as the circumference of the ring has been extended to 360 tiles, and the width to 13. The edge visuals of the ring have also received an overhaul, becoming more massive, and more distinct from the mountain tiles.
Mountains and oceans are reworked technically, with tilesets that should support any possible configuration of shapes. Previously, the lakes were pre-designed, but now they are procedural like the mountains. Plant placement is now also based on a noise map, instead of just random.
The world is now divided into three biomes: boreal, jungle and grasslands. Boreal forest is the starting biome, and balanced. Jungles are busy, but low in soil nutrients. Glasslands have sparse vegetation aside from grass, but rich soil. Animals are now also spawned in nests, and will forage for the same berries as the player.
The tech system has been reworked. Now you produce knowledge as a resource using the scholar’s tent, and the tech tree is a hierarchy of one-time upgrades purchased with knowledge and other resources. This is mostly similar to the previous incarnation, but more streamlined and integrated with other gameplay systems.
Aside from that, there are a bunch of new things as well, such as fishing camps, lightning strikes, and palm trees, to name a few. Playtesters should now have access to explore all of this, and provide valuable feedback!