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.
StartUp grant success & Montreal International Game Summit
Our $250,000 CODE StartUp grant application was successful, and Ben is heading to the Montreal International Game Summit to pitch to publishers.
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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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