You can enter version 1.53 Beta by selecting the publictest branch via Steam's Betas tab.
Estimated Beta Duration: 1 day
Key Highlights of This Update
Save System Redesign
Overhauled Save File Paths: Preparing for Steam Cloud compatibility and multi-account support.
Automatic Save Migration: Upon launching the game for the first time, you will be prompted to automatically copy your local saves to the new Steam account directory.
Legacy Save Retention: Your original saves will remain untouched by default to ensure compatibility if you roll back to an older version.
Storage Space Notice: Please verify that your drive has enough free space to accommodate the duplicated save files in the Steam account directory.
Test Scope: During this test phase, saves will only be copied to the local Steam account path and will not be synced to Steam Cloud yet.
New Port System
Main Menu Ports: You can now customize and switch the main menu Port background.
Built-in & Custom Ports: Version 1.53 ships with two basic built-in Ports. You can build your own using the updated ModTool or subscribe to community creations on the Steam Workshop.
Dry Docks & Berths: Supports dry dock features and multiple berth assignments—loaded ships will automatically dock at the smallest compatible berth.
Lighting Engine: Ports support custom lighting setups with a dynamic light source cap based on your current graphics settings.
ModTool Updates
Added the Port mod category.
Integrated vanilla main battery/gun mechanics into ModTool.
Added part storage/grouping logic.
Added advanced weapon animations.
Added default gun azimuth deadzones (for fixed armaments like stationary torpedo tubes).
Added AA gun damage type settings.
Added multi-barrel support for AA guns.
Added armor penetration modifiers and shell weight parameters.
Removed deprecated assets, scrapped features, and placeholders.
Added export safety checks to prevent critical errors caused by blank item names.
Introduced the "Renderer Color Mask Proxy" component:
Marks node colors to override the Mesh Renderer color in-game.
Designed primarily for community volunteers, but fully functional for general mod development.
General Adjustments & Bug Fixes
[Adjustment] Optimized wake textures with texture deduplication logic.
[Fix] Corrected a Chinese localization error in Quick Sortie 2-3.
[Adjustment] Standardized the AI ship "Battleship II" in the Quick Sortie campaign to match the player version ("4 x II 12.6' BB").
[Adjustment] Updated the Quick Sortie tech tree: added missing aircraft models and integrated the German 355mm/52 naval gun.
[Adjustment] Temporarily removed squadron perk point rewards in Quick Sortie 2-3 until a bug causing rewards not to apply properly is resolved.
[Fix] Fixed missing squadron perk point icons in campaign victory rewards.
[Adjustment] Reduced cannon ammo capacity for the Seafire FR.47 to fix an issue where it shared identical ammo values with the Sea Hornet F.20.
[Adjustment] Ships loaded in Career Mode will no longer alter the main menu background vessel.
[Fix] Fixed an issue where rain-affected materials (excluding decks) exhibited excessive smoothness/glossiness during storms.
[Adjustment] Reduced skybox brightness during storm weather to better match cloud cover illumination and eliminate jarring reflection glare.