Below Deck
Below Deck is the Cass Bay Games monthly newsletter and devlog. Take a peek behind-the-scenes with news and development updates from the team making Davy Jones’ Deckhand. Want it in your inbox? Sign up here.
Dynamic World Map and Voyage Manifest
The world map rebuilt from scratch with full scroll and zoom control, reactive pathfinding for voyage routes, and a new Voyage Manifest screen for setting up each voyage.
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New Ship Log will have EVERYTHING
A deep-dive into the new 3D Ship Log menu — curved, flippable pages built as a real 3D object in Unity — plus Steam Cloud saves and a July progress update.
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UI changes, souls & a secret mini-game
3,000 wishlists milestone, a UI overhaul that moves enemy HP bars, a new souls currency for mid-voyage spending, and a secret mini-game hiding in the beta branch.
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Davy Jones' Deckhand demo post-mortem
320+ players, 700+ wishlists gained, and a full breakdown of the demo stats — weapon win rates, most lethal enemies, favourite cards picked, and what's coming next for Davy Jones' Deckhand.
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The demo is live!
The free demo for Davy Jones' Deckhand is now live on Steam. Play it, leave a review, and help a small indie team get found.
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Demo launch next week
The demo drops 4th May alongside Steam Deck Builder Fest. Plus: a sneak peek at upcoming merchant ships and our new official wiki.
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Demo on the horizon
Our first public Steam demo is coming to Steam Deckbuilder Fest in May. Plus: a behind-the-scenes look at the new Davy Jones' Locker environment.
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Demo strategy on a budget
New bosses, artefact upgrades, a new team member, and an honest look at the challenges of indie game development on a budget.
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An interview with composer, Dr Ewan Clark
Meet award-winning composer Dr Ewan Clark, plus a look at our growing sound team, a farewell to Tepene, and a sneak peek at the secondary game-loop.
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A pirate and a crab take on PAX Australia
One year of development celebrated at PAX Australia — costumes, press coverage, chocolate coins, and a sneak peek at the next phase of the game.
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PAX Aus, Games Made in NZ & our upcoming demo
PAX Australia is coming, our demo is getting a polish pass, and Davy Jones' Deckhand features in the Games Made in NZ Steam event.
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A Gamescom exhibition expedition
Tepene and Ben just got back from Gamescom in Germany, booth highlights, publisher pitches, and lessons learned from our first international games event.
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A dedicated insult button
Insults, PAX Australia, a new website, and a playtest update packed with new bosses, cutscenes, destination selection and the COMBO status.
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We're off to Germany!
Cass Bay Games heads to Gamescom on a CODE NZ grant. Plus a sneak peek at the opening cutscene and the new voyage selection feature.
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Developer interview: Nik Scarr
A deep dive with character artist Nik Scarr, his process, inspirations, favourite work on Davy Jones' Deckhand, and a sneak peek at the intro cutscene storyboard.
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Our second playtest: sink or sail?
Playtest 2 recap, streamer highlights from The Geek Cupboard, DeepSpaceMatt and Dead3y3, gameplay analytics, and a first look at merchant encounters.
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Playtest date announcement
Our next playtest is set for April, 3 weapons, save system, 15+ enemies and artefacts. Plus a new logo and Steam page assets from Tepene.
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A huge update is coming!
Major voyage overhaul, path finding, wave encounters, artefacts, card removal, and a stunning combat screen glow-up by Tepene.
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Eyes on the horizon
Playtest results are in! Plus a sneak peek at a new mermaid enemy and a look at what's coming next for Davy Jones' Deckhand.
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Become a beta tester!
Two public playtests done, 80+ builds shipped, and beta testing is opening up, plus meet the sound and music crew.
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$40,000 raised for Davy Jones Deckhand
Davy Jones' Deckhand receives a $40,000 CODE grant, plus a first look at the character of Davy Jones himself.
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Our first public playtest
First ever public playtest at the Christchurch Game Developers Association, validating results, plus a first look at hero character development by Nik Scarr.
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Introducing the 'Below Deck' newsletter
The very first Below Deck, introducing Davy Jones' Deckhand, the Cass Bay Games team, and Tepene's early environment art explorations.
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