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 0.9.6: 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.
- Meridian or a world of your ownA fixed Meridian world, or Generate New → Pick for Me / Custom. Default new generation includes pine, birch, small tropical and marsh islands. Trees are harvestable; fixed worlds use normal separate saves.
- Farms and survivor basesAbandoned places to search. Tune wilderness density and choose which kinds of sites appear.
- Crafting and discoveryThe wiki now lists 581 recipes and processing entries, including the clothing catalog. Material discovery, individual garment discovery and gear-mastery milestones have different rules. Stations use their own ingredients and output. Catalog clothing is not a promise that every garment spawns in loot.
- Eight character skillsGathering, Crafting, Building, Combat, Fishing, Archery, Marksman and Blades, plus overall Survival progression. Expandable character-sheet groups and named item level-up notices are implemented. Balance remains in testing.
- Base buildingUpgradeable pieces and crafting stations on land or rafts. Fences stack in inventory as well as snapping and stacking during placement. Furniture supports sitting while using items; new beds no longer destroy older placements.
- RaftsA base that floats, with engine upgrades and deck attachments. Multiplayer checks continue.
- Hunt, fish, cook and growWild crops give mature produce and fiber. Butcher with hands or an available blade; blade type controls yield and earns item/Blades XP. Animals retain meat, generic hide and bones. Species pelts and leather processing are deferred.
- 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.
- Three-tier weapon familiesBows, crossbows, pistols, shotguns, SMGs, assault rifles, machine guns and long rifles use item mastery and predecessor recipes. Blades follow knife, machete and sword branches. Existing weapon art and animations remain the starting point for polish.
- 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 workingNamed weapons, tools and rods retain progress through repair. Tropical Resin Bindings reduce wear on supported bows, clubs, hatchets and pickaxes. Fish escapes have a 5% line-snap chance: the rod needs repair and its attached lure is lost.
- Weather, volumetric fog and lightingForecasts include rain, thunderstorms, snow and blizzards. Picking Clear for a new world sets the start, not permanent weather. Storm fog has its own strength; clear weather and morning mist keep their lighter treatment. Night stars have no constellation lines. Local coloured marsh fog remains 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.
- Catch, care, breed and releaseStay, Follow, Ride, Roam and Feed, with shared care for cupboard/helm teammates. Fed adults can breed with age and cooldown limits. Owners can release an animal to the wild, including on another island. Voluntary dismount switches it to Follow.
- 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.
- Seasons you can prepare forWeather-driven snow cover and melting, local interactive snow, seasonal tree colours and deeper storm fog. Cold affects food demand and comfort; clothes, shelter, wood fires and movement help. Unprotected crops die in winter; wild crops and fiber renew in spring where building space is clear. Trees and minerals never regrow. HOT has no penalty.
- Food bait and reusable luresFive crafted lures use birch bark, pitch, tropical resin, bone and specific foods. Match the lure to the water for a small advantage. Food is consumed on a bite; a line snap loses the reusable lure. Bait foods now have different preferences.
- A name and history for your gearIndividual weapons and tools earn XP through successful use, level from 1 to 10 and can carry a custom name. Tier recipes consume the preceding item type; most tier milestones are level 3 and new-family milestones level 5. How mastery works →
- Reasons to sailBirch bark and pitch, tropical resin, marsh bog iron, and 23 wild crop types distributed across the regions. Boat, bait and lure recipes give those ingredients a use. Original metal progression remains available.
- A three-seat fishing boatCraft from a raft, starter motor, fish finder, bark and pitch. Held throttle, one 20-unit fuel slot and a finder that runs with the engine. No upkeep, cruise or motor upgrades. Uses the raft’s shallow-water placement rules; multiplayer and restart checks continue.
- Wild herds have limitsDeaths and captures reduce a herd instead of triggering short timed respawns. Fed adults breed up to a population cap. Once per game-year spring, empty or lone herds can recover away from players.
- Take a seat; choose a homeCraft a simple wooden chair. Sit in supported furniture while fishing or using items. Keep multiple beds/bags; only sleeping or trying to sleep selects the one active spawn. Fancy furniture remains discoverable.
- Arrows and early clothingWood, bone and metal arrows follow bow/crossbow tier discovery. Five base Apocalypse Survivor outfits unlock from materials; other clothing is learned piece by piece by acquiring the garment.
Stop 2 · Current work and next-build checks
The Slipway
Alpha 0.9.6 is being prepared. Features below still need acceptance in matching native builds, including multiplayer and save/reload checks. Updating this page does not announce a downloadable build.
- A name that fits the gameBarely Civilized is the name on the website, wiki, game menus and dedicated-server controls. The world’s lore carries forward, while players make their own stories. 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 earlier host-shutdown inventory wipe is repaired. Keep stocked crafting stations, raft helms and the new fishing boat on the save, shutdown and restart checklist.
- 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 test builds. Continue host-to-client and client-to-client checks, especially with inventory open, seats and moving rafts.
- A benchmark from a real islandA small fixed island and repeatable camera run measure gameplay only after loading and warm-up. Reports and graphics suggestions exist. Recommendations still need calibration across Windows, Linux and Apple Silicon; this is not a minimum-spec claim.
- A full year in a living worldCheck storms, snowfall, melt, winter crop protection and spring recovery through saves and host/client sessions. Confirm new buildings block crop/fiber regrowth and that trees and ore stay depleted.
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.
- More reasons to cook and dress wellCold protection from clothing, shelter and fires is implemented. Future work: distinct food effects, remedies and more meaningful outfit choices. Overheating consequences are deliberately deferred.
- 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.
- Clothing colour and attachment polishPiece-by-piece clothing discovery and basic outfit access are implemented. Crop dyes, more attachment options and a pass on stowed weapon art remain ideas for future work.
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.
- 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.
- Seasonal foliage beyond colourSeasonal tint and surface snow are implemented. Leaf shedding and broader seasonal foliage behaviour remain future work.
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.
- ?Horse and carriageA possible craftable way to haul people and supplies over land. Existing horse animations offer a starting point, making this a nearer prospect than flight; the carriage itself still needs design, implementation and testing.
- ?A very questionable little planeA distant idea: build a ramshackle aircraft and see the islands from above. Flight, landing, fuel and multiplayer would need their own design and testing. No schedule or promise that it reaches the game.
- ?A canoe for shorter tripsAnother possible small boat alongside the raft and fishing boat. Kept for later while the current boats are tested and polished.
Updated 15 Oct 2026 for Alpha 0.9.6: gear mastery, butchering, regional resources, bait and lures, weather and snow, seasonal crops, wild populations, seats and the fishing boat. Completed systems have moved out of future plans; acceptance work remains visible. Horse/carriage and a craftable plane are exploratory ideas. Earlier checkpoints: 5, 7 and 13 October. No delivery dates or tested server-capacity claim.