This is where Barely Civilized is and where we mean to take it. The nearer a stop is to home, the surer we are of it. There are no dates on this chart. The order changes whenever a playtest teaches us something, and the far end is mostly rumour.
In our current test builds
Implemented; checks remain
Still to complete
Planned, not started
? Exploring
Source completion is not a public release
Stop 1 · Implemented, being tested
Home Island
Alpha 0.9.5: generated islands, a growing survivor, a base on land or water, and friends who may or may not stay friendly. An open-world survival sandbox; the stories come from what you choose to do, alone or with friends.
- Generated island regionsOriginal pine islands, distinct birch groves, small tropical islands and low marsh islands. Full-system and individual generation toggles; new trees are harvestable.
- Farms and survivor basesAbandoned places to search. Tune wilderness density and choose which kinds of sites appear.
- A station-based crafting ladder236 current recipes. Station recipes use station ingredients and leave output in the station; proximity alone does not enable hand crafting. Load a charcoal furnace and let it smelt fragments or ore, then refine metal at a forge.
- A character that growsGathering, crafting, building, combat and fishing skills, with personal levels and perk points. Crafting progression and resource yield remain subject to playtest tuning.
- Base buildingUpgradeable pieces, workbenches, loom, furnace, forge and gunsmith. Latest test repairs include raft foundation height and fence endpoint snapping, stacking and rotation.
- RaftsA base that floats, with engine upgrades and deck attachments. Multiplayer checks continue.
- Hunt, fish, cook and growCooking stations keep their jobs running after you close the menu. Crops show growth on hover, and uprooting is available at any growth stage.
- Eighteen land species and RevenantsHabitats follow the island regions. Added goat, pig, capybara and tapir; corrected beaver, buffalo and reindeer identities. Zombie decisions and navigation run on the server, with improved hitboxes and knockdown handling.
- Solo, co-op and PvPOne hosts, the rest join. Staying friends is optional. Larger sessions still need validation.
- A gun ladderBuild your way from the flare gun through pistols, shotguns, SMGs, rifles and machine gun.
- Twenty-four catches, three rod tiersSpecies models animate on the line. Keep a catch’s size, mount it or butcher it. Food bait, personal rod names and levels, size-based XP bonuses and a 400 m fish finder are implemented.
- A patch of your ownGround crops and multiple planters. Sunlight and hanging grow lights drive growth; generators supply area power. Animals can eat exposed crops, but must actually reach them.
- Packs, headgear and stowed weaponsCosmetic head attachments and visible equipment. Backpacks have their own inventory: full packs can be worn or dropped, empty packs can go in pockets or chests, and packs cannot nest.
- An ocean with wavesWaves move across the islands and under your raft. Naval combat is a later destination.
- Keep your gear workingTools and rods wear and can be repaired. An escaped fish has a 5% chance to snap the line, fully wearing the rod without destroying its identity or progress.
- Weather, volumetric fog and lightingWeather-driven fog, volumetric lighting and water colours are in test builds. The night sky has stars without constellation lines. Local coloured marsh fog is deferred.
- Farming on a moving raftSupported planters and crops move with the deck and retain growth through saves. Hanging grow lights work beneath a raft roof. New placement and foundation repairs await another multiplayer check.
- Danger by distanceIsland danger bands already scale enemy health, damage, speed and groups. Broader regional encounters and balance are still to develop.
- Fishing fights follow the ringFish and animal fights use their fight rules rather than the old hard duration cutoff. Abandoned-input cleanup remains.
- Captured animals with a life of their ownStay, Follow, Ride, Roam and Feed. Adults of the same species can breed after eating, with juvenile growth, a cooldown and a local population limit. Voluntary dismount now makes the animal follow the rider.
- Ride your friendsA contested fishing catch can turn another player into a temporary ride. Both participants get a full two-minute break after the attempt or capture ends. A menu-interruption issue remains to fix.
- Life around the shorelineCoral near tropical shores and underwater seaweed use instanced scenery. Decorative circling fish are currently disabled; hooked fish remain animated.
- Separate local profilesPassword-free profiles keep separate characters and progress, including on shared computers. Deleting a profile removes its owned local worlds; it does not request deletion of records on someone else’s server.
Stop 2 · Current work and next-build checks
The Slipway
The 13 October Windows test build includes the latest playtest repairs. Native multiplayer checks come next; older dedicated, Linux and Mac packages still need matching updates. These entries are not a public release announcement.
- A name that fits the gameRVX-007 is becoming Barely Civilized. The website, wiki and development note now use the new identity. Game menus and dedicated-server controls have been updated for the next builds. Existing game systems and the world’s lore carry forward. A note from us.
- Every round accounted forThe earlier reload-interruption fix is in test builds. Keep switching weapons mid-reload on the regression checklist.
- Harvest totals and better toolsTree pickup totals include bonuses. The latest repair makes metal pickaxes yield more secondary ore, rather than losing out because they take fewer strikes.
- Stay swimming through the wavesWave-trough swimming and surface splash corrections are in test builds. Moving decks and swimming remain part of multiplayer acceptance.
- Hits that feel rightThe club, spear thrust and bow collision fixes are in builds, alongside zombie hitbox and knockdown changes. Continue reach, rate and weapon-balance checks.
- Recovery when a test goes wrongRecovery and respawn controls are implemented; input recovery remains on the test checklist.
- Matching client and server packagesPackage the accepted changes for the remaining platforms, then check launch, join, rejoin, save/restart, moderation, rafts and inventory. Matching the version label alone is not enough: peers need the same build revision.
- Ready for a public itch buildFinal gameplay acceptance, package checks and interface cleanup remain. Steam onboarding is a separate future step, not a requirement for the itch release.
- Stocked stations after restartThe host-shutdown inventory wipe is repaired and passed a real stop/reload regression. The latest Windows package still needs the owner’s stocked station and raft-helm restart test.
- Smoother long sessionsThe confirmed two-second directory scan and expensive autosave scan are repaired. Editor play feels much better; occasional garbage-collection pauses remain under investigation. Measure the native build before claiming the stutter is fully gone.
- Idle players stay putIdle movement and flashlight replication corrections are in the latest Windows test build. Verify host-to-client and client-to-client views, including inventory use and moving rafts.
Stop 3 · In progress now
The Harbour Office
Your world, your server, your rules. LAN and dedicated play have had long studio tests, including three connected players. Broader capacity and final platform packages still need validation; we are not announcing a tested player limit.
- Dedicated Windows, Mac and Linux serversDedicated packages and graphical control windows exist. The Linux control window has been used in extended studio play. Rebuild accepted changes and repeat start, join, save and shutdown checks on each native platform.
- Know who is connectedImplemented, being tested: an account-linked roster and connection history, with network details kept for server operators.
- Kick, ban and unbanImplemented, being tested: persistent account bans, optional IP bans, reasons and expiry. Admission checks happen before spawning.
- Real admin permissionsImplemented, being tested: server-enforced moderator and admin roles. Players cannot grant themselves permissions.
- Validate the important actionsOwnership, permissions, resource and request checks are being tightened. This is continuing validation work, not a complete anti-cheat claim.
- Controls for each server hostGraphical control windows for Windows, Linux and Mac, plus terminal tools. Broader native acceptance and a future in-game remote-admin screen remain.
- Profile identity and encrypted connectionsLocal profile secrets stay on the player’s machine; login uses cryptographic proofs over DTLS. LAN/direct joining uses server identity discovery and trust checks rather than manual certificate copying. Live Steam identity verification remains future work.
- Open, passworded and unlisted hostingHosts choose public admission or a password and whether to advertise locally. Unlisted does not mean invite-only. Internet directory/lobby integration and Steam discovery are still future work.
- Off-machine hosting testsLocal Linux hosting and an Edgegap internet trial have worked. Longer tests with more active players will guide capacity decisions; an advertised slot setting is not a measured capacity limit.
Stop 4 · Planned next gameplay work
Near Waters
The next places to explore once the current foundations are steady.
- A tic-tac-toe tableRaft trips are long and nights are quiet. Something to do, on deck or at base.
- A map that hides in cloudUnexplored areas as drifting cloud, not a black square.
- A proper starter regionStarting-island selection exists. Next: a deliberately tuned beginner region and a harder destination.
- Broader melee rolesThe spear now thrusts and the club has its own art. Expand meaningful weapon roles and tune their balance through play.
- First food buff, first protective outfitA reason to cook well and dress for the trip, with conditions and remedies to match.
- Clear a survivor siteProve the site is cleared, then award salvage once. Bosses come later; player buildings and belongings must stay protected.
- Finish the rough edgesKeep station collisions, site pickups, cupboard upkeep and furniture placement on the regression list as new content arrives.
- The next wildlife passesAfter validating land habitats and breeding: amphibious behaviour for marsh wildlife, then flying species and larger marine creatures, then the remaining species’ placement and tuning. Each step needs save/reload, multiplayer and dedicated-server checks.
- Lures and more fishing varietyFood bait already works. Lure and worm assets are imported but not active gameplay; choose their roles before adding more bonuses.
- Clothing and crop dyesImprove clothing recipes and use crops as colour ingredients. Additional packs and separate face/head attachment slots are planned; attached backpack weapon art still needs an art pass.
Stop 5 · Longer-term plans
Open Sea
The game we're steering toward. Real groundwork under some of it, and a lot still to prove.
- A bigger worldMore land, farther apart.
- Seasons you can prepare forTemperature, wet/cold conditions and suitable protection. Seasonal leaf colours, leaf drop and accumulating winter snow are planned, not current survival systems.
- Raft-mounted weaponsSomething more persuasive than waving from the deck.
- Grappling lines and tethersMore ways to connect, board and hold on.
- An ocean that fights backSurvivors with rafts of their own, and encounters out on the water.
- Survivors who aren't friendlyLiving ones. And a few bosses sitting on things you need.
- Smarter RevenantsMore reactive enemies, with broader light-fear behavior still planned.
- Rivers and lakesInland water that runs the right way. Mostly. Not enabled in the current wilderness profile.
- Thick grassBuilt and measured, deliberately switched off for now. Restoration is deferred.
- More table gamesCheckers, bowling and pool are ideas for quieter moments. Order undecided.
- Wired electricityA later upgrade from the working generator area-power system.
- Local marsh atmosphereExplore low, coloured volumetric fog confined to marsh areas. Keep it separate from the global weather fog so the whole world stays readable.
- Animal homes on moving raftsCaptured-animal roaming and breeding currently target land. Moving-deck homes need a separate navigation and persistence pass.
Stop 6 · Exploring and internal development
Uncharted
Things we want and haven't promised. Some have groundwork in our own dev builds. Any of them may change shape or sink.
- ?Lore and discoveriesThe world keeps its history, hidden labs and unanswered questions. Barely Civilized is a survival sandbox where players make their own stories; a prescribed campaign or extraction route is not the current direction.
- ?Towns and citiesInternal development content. Not part of the public wilderness scope.
- ?More ways to playHunted and scheduled-wipe modes have internal groundwork. Sandbox is the current public-facing creation mode.
- ?Digging and shaping the groundFlatten a hill, cut a moat. Deferred research and integration.
- ?A journal that writes itselfA daily entry of what your group got up to.
- ?Modding toolsNot shipped. We'll say so loudly when that changes.
- ?Steam, when the groundwork is readyFuture publication, server discovery and verified Steam identity. Keep local profiles for shared computers and family play. The planned itch release does not wait for Steam. No release date.
- ?ArTchieEngineA powered in-game computer where you could make little games and share saved creations. A concept, not a shipped world editor.
Corrections: 5 Oct 2026, first edition; 7 Oct, crafting and hosting work. 13 Oct 2026 — Alpha 0.9.5 checkpoint: fishing progression, captured animals, biome options, raft farming, weather, hosting tools and the latest playtest repairs. Moved completed features out of future plans and retained the remaining checks. Implemented does not mean publicly released. No delivery dates or tested server-capacity claim.