Public development updates, design changes, and milestones of Global Fleet &
Trade on its journey toward a complete trading world with increasing depth and new features.
CurrentV0.67
Dynamic Weather World, Reputation System and Greater Gameplay Depth
Version V0.67 introduces a living, shared weather system to Global Fleet & Trade. Moving cloud fields now travel permanently across the world map and can affect ships through delays or damage. The reputation system, stock market, account security, shipyard, tavern and several interface areas have also been expanded and stabilised.
V0.67
Dynamic Weather World, Reputation System and Greater Gameplay Depth
With Version V0.67, the world map of Global Fleet & Trade has been expanded with a completely new weather system.
Twenty permanently active cloud fields are now distributed across the world. They use six different cloud types, have varying sizes and move independently across both water and land. Weather fields are no longer generated again whenever the world map is opened. Instead, they permanently belong to the shared game world.
This means that all players see the same clouds at the same positions and at the same time. The clouds continue moving even when nobody has the world map open. When the map is opened again, they immediately appear at the positions they should have reached according to their movement schedule.
The cloud fields have different geographical widths ranging from approximately 500 to 900 nautical miles. Their displayed size remains tied to the actual map scale while zooming. Movement is rendered smoothly in the player’s browser, while positions, cloud types and movement times are managed centrally.
Weather can now affect travelling ships for the first time. When a ship enters a cloud field or comes within five nautical miles of its effective area, an event may be triggered depending on the cloud type. Possible consequences include additional travel time and, in severe weather, a reduction in the ship’s condition.
Each cloud can affect a ship only once during the same route. Remaining inside the same weather field or re-entering it later during the same voyage does not trigger the effect again. However, passing through additional cloud fields may cause further weather events. Triggered effects are recorded in the logbook.
At the same time, the new reputation system has been expanded. Players now gain reputation through trading, routes, contracts, port activity and other achievements. A broad range of reputation titles makes long-term progress visible. Certain ships can require specific reputation levels, while basic starter vessels remain available without special requirements.
The banking and stock market systems have also been expanded. Account movements are displayed more clearly, company shares can be traded through an improved stock exchange interface, and share prices are influenced by actual events within the game world. Stock market processing and economic calculations are now integrated into the central processing chain.
Account security has also been improved. Players can activate two-factor authentication and must enter an additional security code during login. Once two-factor authentication has been disabled, it must be completely configured again before it can be used another time.
Numerous smaller bugs and interface issues have also been corrected. Ships listed for sale are now handled more reliably, inactive market listings are removed from the regular fleet overview, and several modal windows, buttons, spacing values and rounded corners have been aligned with the unified game design.
Dynamic Weather World
Introduced twenty permanently active cloud fields
Added six different cloud types
Cloud widths range from approximately 500 to 900 nautical miles
Weather display limited to 65° north and 50° south
Clouds can travel across both water and land
Ships are displayed underneath the cloud layer
City dots and city labels remain visible above the clouds
Smooth cloud movement at approximately 20 updates per second
Cloud positions remain persistent after leaving the world map
All players see the same clouds at the same positions
Independent movement directions and speeds for individual clouds
Weather Effects on Ships
Cloud fields can now affect travelling ships
Effective area includes the cloud field plus five nautical miles
Light scattered clouds remain harmless
Weather fronts can cause travel delays
Dense rain and severe storms may additionally damage ships
Possible delays range from 3 to 60 minutes
Possible damage ranges from 1 to 5 percent ship condition
The same cloud can affect a ship only once per route
Additional clouds may cause further events during the same voyage
Weather events are recorded in the logbook
Reputation and Progression
Introduced a central reputation system
Reputation can be earned through trading, routes, contracts and port activity
Added numerous long-term reputation titles
Current progress and the next rank are displayed
Ship purchases can require specific reputation levels
Ships without reputation requirements remain freely available
Starter ships remain permanently purchasable
Added protection against duplicate reputation rewards
Added administration and verification tools for the reputation system
Banking and Stock Market
Expanded bank transactions and account balance records
Improved categorisation of income and expenses
Added securities trading and company shares
Implemented the share purchasing area as a unified modal window
Connected share prices more closely to actual activity in the game world
Integrated regular stock market processing into the central tick chain
Added stock market status information to the administration area
Improved buttons, spacing and table layouts
Security
Introduced two-factor authentication for player accounts
Setup through QR code and security code
Added an additional code request during login
Two-factor authentication can be disabled in a controlled manner
A complete new setup is required after deactivation
Created the foundation for protecting additional sensitive actions
Tavern, Shipyard and Fleet
Removed the unintended tavern round triggered when entering the tavern
Tavern rounds are now triggered only through the intended action
Improved recognition of player-owned ship listings
Players can no longer accidentally purchase their own ships
Sales listings can be withdrawn directly
Ships currently listed for sale are removed from the active fleet overview
Corrected availability of ships without reputation requirements
Improved selection states and filters in the used ship market
Standardised notifications and modal window design
Interface and Bug Fixes
Corrected corners and borders on several modal windows
Fixed overlapping or merged buttons
Improved spacing, padding and column alignment
Further aligned contracts, tavern, stock market and shipyard areas with the unified design
Updated the FAQ to match the current state of the game
Removed internal technical information from public help texts
Fixed several smaller display and selection issues
V0.66
Expanded Shipyard, More Lively Cities and the New Banking System
Global Fleet & Trade receives major improvements to ships, shipyards, cities and player trading with Version 0.66. Alongside a significantly expanded shipyard, improved ship information and new city profiles, the new banking system now establishes the foundation for future transfers, securities portfolios and stock market trading.
V0.66
Expanded Shipyard, More Lively Cities and the New Banking System
Version 0.66 expands and standardizes several major areas of Global Fleet & Trade.
A key focus of this update was the shipyard. The sections for new ships, used ships and selling your own vessels have been improved both visually and functionally. Ship types can now be compared more clearly, while expanded ship information displays suitable cargo types, capacity, speed, condition and installed upgrades. Purchased improvements are permanently stored on the respective ship and can neither be purchased twice nor removed again.
The used ship market has also been improved. A player’s own listings are now identified correctly and can be withdrawn directly. Players can no longer accidentally purchase their own ships. Filters, selection states and vessel presentation have been revised to make used ship trading clearer and easier to understand.
Cities now feel more active and informative. In addition to the city profile and port status, the game now displays resident shipowners as well as travelling merchants currently passing through the city. The online and offline status of other players is visible at a glance. The headquarters overview now presents important information about local trade conditions, supply levels, warehouse utilization, ship movements and possible trading opportunities.
The contracts area has also been visually aligned with the other major sections of the game. Frames, spacing, rounded corners and font sizes now follow the established visual style of Global Fleet & Trade more consistently.
The new banking section introduces the foundation for the future financial system. Every newly registered player automatically receives a business account with a unique account number. The bank displays the current balance, account movements and a prepared securities overview. Player-to-player transfers and all future income and expenses are intended to be recorded centrally and transparently through this system.
The banking system therefore forms the technical basis for future features such as complete account statements, transfers between players, securities portfolios, dividends and stock market trading.
Banking System
Added the new Bank section to the top navigation
Every newly registered player automatically receives a business account
Automatic assignment of a unique account number
Display of the current account balance
Overview of recorded account movements
Prepared functionality for transfers between players
Prepared securities portfolio overview
Foundation for future share purchases, share sales and dividends
Existing players can be assigned bank accounts retroactively
Prepared centralized recording of all future income and expenses
Shipyard and Ship Trading
Expanded the shipyard sections for new ships, used ships and ship sales
Improved ship presentation and selection
A player’s own listings are detected correctly when the page is first opened
Players can no longer purchase their own ships
Own sales listings can be withdrawn directly
Improved filters for used ships
Refined the visual distinction between selected and unselected ships
Optimized ship preview images for faster loading
Improved the readability of shipyard notifications
Standardized the section name as Ship Trading
Ship Upgrades
Added support for permanent ship upgrade levels
Improvements for engines, cargo capacity and additional ship values
Installed upgrades can no longer be purchased more than once
Installed upgrades cannot be removed
Existing upgrades are displayed in the ship information
Upgrades remain installed when a ship is sold
Speed upgrades now affect the ship values correctly
Extended the ship database to store installed upgrades
Ship Information
Expanded ship descriptions for new and used vessels
Added information about suitable cargo types for each ship class
Improved presentation of cargo capacity, speed, condition and intended use
Improved comparison of ship classes, capacities and prices
Standardized ship information across the shipyard and fleet overview
Cities and Players
Expanded city profiles with additional information sections
Added a list of resident shipowners
Added a list of travelling merchants currently in the city
Added visible online and offline status indicators
Shipowner name and company are displayed compactly on one line
Improved overview of port status and available facilities
Headquarters now displays local trade conditions, supply levels and important notices
Improved visibility of ship arrivals and departures
Local trading opportunities are highlighted more clearly
Contracts and Interface
Visually aligned the contracts area with the tavern and other game sections
Standardized frames, rounded corners and spacing
Increased font sizes in the fleet, logbook and filter areas
Standardized the appearance of information boxes
Improved readability on larger screen resolutions
Further standardized navigation and page structure
Bug Fixes
Fixed incorrect detection of a player’s own ship listings
Removed the purchase option for ships owned by the current player
Corrected incorrect speed values after ship upgrades
Fixed display issues in shipyard notifications
Corrected several smaller issues involving filters, selection states and buttons
Stabilized registration and the redirection process for new players
Fixed errors affecting the registration confirmation page and starting port selection
V0.65
Redesigned City Headquarters and Improved Harbor Areas
The city headquarters and several key harbor areas have been redesigned to provide a clearer, more compact, and more consistent interface. Contracts, the shipyard, tavern, and route planner now benefit from improved spacing, clearer status information, and a calmer overall layout.
V0.65
Redesigned City Headquarters and Improved Harbor Areas
This update introduces a broad visual and structural overhaul of several important game areas. The main goal was to make essential information easier to understand while reducing unnecessary space taken up by large or duplicated status panels.
The city headquarters now displays the currently selected harbor directly in the page title. The matching city image is also loaded automatically based on the selected city. Important city and harbor values have been moved into compact status panels within the header area. The previous large status row has been hidden, but remains available in the code for possible future use.
The contract center has also been refined across all three sections. Regular delivery contracts, municipal emergency contracts, and the player’s own contracts now use more compact status displays. Unnecessary intermediate panels, separators, and placeholders have been removed or hidden. Dedicated icons also make the different contract systems easier to distinguish visually.
In the shipyard and tavern, utilization bars, buttons, and information panels have been realigned and improved. The route planner has also been cleaned up by hiding the previous step indicator and correcting incorrectly displayed special characters in its headings.
These changes make the interface more compact, clearer, and visually more polished without permanently removing existing functionality.
The currently selected harbor is now shown directly in the city headquarters title
Dynamic city images are loaded based on the selected city ID
Compact city and harbor status panels have been integrated into the headquarters header
The home harbor display has been removed from the city headquarters
The previous large headquarters status row has been hidden
Contract overviews for delivery, emergency, and personal contracts have been made more compact
Large status panels in the contract center have been replaced with smaller status fields
Dedicated icons have been added for delivery and emergency contracts
Spacing and padding have been improved across several contract sections
Unnecessary separators and symbols have been removed from headings
Shipyard license information has been added to the shipyard status
Shipyard and tavern utilization bars have been properly fitted into their panels
Shipyard and tavern service sections have been realigned
The route planner step indicator has been hidden
Incorrect ampersand rendering has been corrected
Existing elements were hidden or commented out rather than permanently removed
V0.64
New World Map, Consistent Controls, and Expansion of the Trading World
Since Version 0.63, the world map has been fundamentally modernised, the controls across key areas of the game have been standardised, and important foundations have been created for additional trade goods, shipyards, and the new delivery contract system.
V0.64
New World Map, Consistent Controls, and Expansion of the Trading World
Since the release of Version 0.63, Global Fleet & Trade has been significantly expanded across numerous areas. The main focus has been the world map, a more consistent user experience, improved visual presentation, and preparations for upcoming game systems.
One of the most important advances has been achieved with the world map. The map now uses a fully independent vector-based presentation and can display coastlines, land areas, lakes, and selected major rivers clearly at different zoom levels. This allows the map to remain sharp and readable without relying on external map services.
Antarctica has been completely removed from the visible land and coastline representation. At the same time, the southern map boundaries have been adjusted so that the map can no longer be moved into a large empty area below the world. The initial view has also been realigned, with Europe now serving as the central starting point.
The coastline presentation has been refined further. A combination of a dark outer line and a slightly lighter inner line improves the visibility of the continents and creates a clearer maritime map style. Small rivers that are not relevant to gameplay are hidden, while larger waterways can be added selectively.
The presentation of ports, cities, and ships has also been improved. Small port markers remain directly clickable, while city labels only appear at suitable zoom levels. Ship markers, port points, and labels are arranged in clearly separated layers so that important gameplay elements remain visible and accessible.
Another major focus was the consistent design of the game interface. The market, fleet overview, ship loading, and logbook have been brought closer together visually. Buttons now share the same height and a common appearance. Wider buttons remain possible without making the controls feel inconsistent between different sections.
The quantity controls for loading and unloading have also been improved. Trade and cargo quantities are now intended to use whole tonnes only. A single click changes the amount by one tonne, while holding the control allows the value to increase or decrease continuously.
Preparations for additional trade goods have also begun. New general commodities will make the markets more varied and will receive their own cargo images. Goods will therefore no longer be distinguished only by names and figures, but also through a clear visual identity.
Shipyards form another major area of upcoming development. Planned features include purchasing new vessels, repairs, long-term ship condition, and future upgrade options. These systems will build upon the existing fleet management and make the long-term operation of a shipping company more important.
The new delivery contract system has also been extensively planned and prepared. Regular contracts will include their own titles, stories, clients, cargo images, quantities, destination ports, and fixed delivery deadlines. Clients can also be presented with their own names and individual character portraits.
Small, medium, and large delivery contracts will use different binding deadlines. Small contracts must be completed within one hour, medium contracts within six hours, and large contracts within twelve hours. Contract sizes will therefore differ not only in cargo volume, but also in time pressure and planning requirements.
Regular delivery contracts will remain completely separate from the existing city emergency contracts. Both systems have different causes, processes, and economic effects. The existing mechanics for player-caused supply crises will not be changed or overwritten by the new contract system.
Version 0.64 therefore establishes important foundations for the next stage of development. The world map has reached a new and stable reference state, the controls are becoming more consistent, and the upcoming systems for contracts, goods, and shipyards can now be developed step by step.
World map converted to a fully independent vector-based presentation
External map services removed from the planned map operation
Antarctica completely removed from land areas and coastlines
Southern map boundaries redefined
Empty map area below the world removed
Europe centred in the initial map view
World map movement boundaries adjusted
Map zoom levels rebalanced
Land areas displayed more clearly and consistently
Water surface standardised without distracting colour gradients
Coastlines enhanced with a dark outer line
Coastlines refined with an additional lighter inner line
Major lakes integrated into the map
Selected major rivers prepared for future display
Small and gameplay-irrelevant rivers hidden
Port markers and city labels separated into different layers
City labels now appear only at suitable zoom levels
Small port markers remain directly clickable
Ship markers positioned above the map presentation
Layer order for map, ports, labels, and ships improved
Map performance optimised for local and self-hosted operation
Market presentation further standardised
Fleet overview adapted to match the market design
Ship loading adapted to match the market design
Logbook buttons adapted to the shared interface style
Button heights standardised across key game areas
Wider buttons remain possible while keeping the same height
Quantity controls for trade and ship loading revised
Loading and unloading limited to whole tonnes
A single click now represents one tonne
Continuous increase and decrease while holding prepared
Form field presentation further standardised
Additional general trade goods prepared
Individual cargo images planned for trade goods
Image paths prepared for uniquely assigned cargo images
Shipyards defined as the next major development area
Purchase of new vessels planned for shipyard development
Ship repairs planned for shipyard development
Ship upgrades and extensions prepared
Long-term ship condition planned as an upcoming system
Wear based on travelled nautical miles remains planned
Regular delivery contract system extensively planned
Large administrative contract catalogue prepared
Individual contract titles planned
Detailed stories planned for delivery contracts
Short contract descriptions planned for overview lists
Individual clients planned for delivery contracts
Dedicated name field added for clients
Individual character portraits planned for clients
Individual cargo images planned for every contract
Destination port and cargo quantity defined as fixed contract elements
Small delivery contracts assigned a one-hour deadline
Medium delivery contracts assigned a six-hour deadline
Large delivery contracts assigned a twelve-hour deadline
Previous general deadline for regular contracts discarded
Contract size will now determine the binding delivery deadline
Regular delivery contracts clearly separated from city emergency contracts
Foundation created for the continued expansion of the trading world
V0.63
Internationalization, Maintenance Mode, Player Protection, and a Complete Public Website Overhaul
From yesterday to today, Global Fleet & Trade received a major overhaul across many areas. The public website is now bilingual, significantly cleaner on mobile devices, visually consistent, and protected for maintenance periods. At the same time, important safeguards against player-caused damage were strengthened and the city crisis system was further stabilized.
V0.63
Internationalization, Maintenance Mode, Player Protection, and a Complete Public Website Overhaul
Over the past hours, Global Fleet & Trade has undergone a comprehensive revision and has been prepared for its next stage of development.
A major focus was internationalization. The public website is now fully available in both German and English. This includes not only the standard information pages, but also login, registration, news, and development updates. New content can now be maintained separately in both languages, making it much easier to add further language versions in the future.
At the same time, the overall appearance of the public pages was standardized. Headlines, body text, font sizes, line heights, and letter spacing now follow a consistent design. The main content areas have been adapted to a unified maritime style with fully opaque dark navy backgrounds, gold borders, and decorative corners. As a result, news, development updates, frequently asked questions, contact, privacy policy, legal notice, login, and registration now feel much calmer and more cohesive.
The mobile presentation was also thoroughly improved. The homepage now uses the full screen width, unwanted outer borders were removed, and oversized headlines were adjusted for smaller displays. The maintenance page was also made fully responsive. Text, frames, decorative elements, and content now adapt properly to smartphones and very narrow screens.
A central maintenance mode was added to the administration area. During an active maintenance period, registration is completely disabled. The login page remains visible so that an administrator can still access the system. Regular players are redirected to the maintenance page after attempting to log in, while authorized administrators can still enter the system and disable maintenance mode again. The current maintenance state is stored permanently and reliably distinguishes between active and inactive.
The registration page was also visually aligned with the modern box design. Existing forms, security checks, and input fields were preserved. Only the outer presentation was standardized. The closed-registration page now uses the same visual language as login, maintenance, and the public information pages.
Several deeper display issues were also resolved. Older rules, mobile exceptions, and individual page styles were brought into alignment. This makes the presentation more consistent and prevents older settings from unexpectedly overriding newer improvements.
The homepage image presentation was repaired as well. Instead of repeatedly showing the same image, the full intended image sequence is now active again, featuring different cities, regions, and game-related scenes.
Beyond the website itself, important protection systems within the game were expanded. Critical player actions are now checked more thoroughly, invalid or manipulated processes are blocked, and sensitive actions are better protected against repeated execution. The goal is to prevent damage to the game world, company data, and economic processes.
The logic surrounding player-caused supply crises was also strengthened. An emergency can no longer arise solely from normal production, consumption, or natural market fluctuations. There must be a traceable connection to player activity. The player responsible for causing a crisis is not allowed to accept the emergency contract created by that crisis. Instead, another player can restore the city’s supply and receives increased compensation. The city is supplied, stabilizes again, and the entire process remains traceable.
With these changes, Phase 9B is now largely complete in terms of content. The system now forms a closed and logical cycle consisting of supply conditions, player-caused crises, abuse prevention, emergency contracts, exclusion of the responsible player, increased rewards for helpers, and subsequent city recovery.
The next major development block has already been defined:
Phase 10 – Fleet Operations and Ship Wear
This phase will focus on the long-term operation of ships. Planned features include wear based on nautical miles traveled, ship condition, maintenance, repairs, and possible reductions in speed and efficiency.
Change Points:
Completed the German and English versions of the public website
Fully translated login and registration
Expanded news and development updates for bilingual content
Standardized font sizes, line heights, and letter spacing
Unified the visual design of all major public-page content areas
Introduced fully opaque dark navy backgrounds
Standardized gold borders and decorative corners
Aligned the login page with the common public design
Aligned the registration page with the common public design
Completely redesigned the closed-registration page
Improved the maintenance page for smartphones and very narrow screens
Improved the homepage for mobile devices
Removed black outer borders from the mobile homepage
Reduced and improved mobile headline wrapping
Restored the full homepage image sequence
Resolved deeper display conflicts and overriding rules
Added a central maintenance function to the administration area
Stored maintenance status permanently
Fully disabled registration during maintenance periods
Prevented regular players from accessing the game during maintenance
Preserved administrator access during maintenance
Secured both German and English registration routes
Corrected direct access to login and registration
Expanded protection against invalid and manipulated player actions
Improved protection against repeated execution of critical actions
Separated player and administrator permissions more clearly
Improved protection against player-caused damage to the game world and companies
Kept emergencies strictly tied to traceable player activity
Prevented normal market fluctuations from creating emergencies on their own
Excluded crisis-causing players from their own emergency contracts
Allowed other players to restore city supply
Added increased rewards for emergency contractors
Ensured cities recover after successful supply restoration
Made crisis processes and outcomes more traceable
V0.62
Pre-Alpha Stable – the world begins to develop on its own
Global Fleet & Trade has reached an important stage of development: the world now responds not only to flows of goods and markets, but increasingly to the development of its cities and population.
Work carried out from yesterday to today has established central foundations for evaluating growth, stability, decline, supply and economic causes as one connected world system.
V0.62
Pre-Alpha Stable – the world begins to develop on its own
During the latest development work, the economic world simulation of Global Fleet & Trade has been expanded substantially and made easier to verify in detail.
Until now, the main focus lay on supplying markets, consuming goods, city production and the trading opportunities available to players. This core remains in place, but it has now been expanded by a decisive additional layer: population development.
Cities should no longer possess merely fixed numerical values. They should respond to their economic situation. A well-supplied city can attract residents and grow. A city suffering from persistent shortages or economic instability can lose residents and decline.
The simulation does not examine only the final result. It also records how many people move into a city, how many leave it and the resulting net change. This makes it possible to see whether a city is genuinely growing or whether inward and outward migration are simply cancelling each other out.
Another important advance is the complete evaluation of the entire game world. Testing is no longer restricted to a single city or an isolated shortage test. Instead, all cities can be examined together over a freely selected period.
Results are summarised by year, and cities are automatically classified as growing, stable or declining locations. Unusual developments are marked so that problematic or exceptionally strong changes can be identified quickly.
The causes behind development are also displayed for each city. This reveals whether changes were caused, for example, by supply conditions, economic stability, persistent shortages or other urban influences.
It was particularly important to preserve the existing world logic unchanged. The new evaluation works with the existing world state and fits into the established processes without altering foundations that already function correctly.
This marks another important milestone: the economy simulation core can now be classified as Pre-Alpha Stable. This does not mean that every value has already reached its final balance. It does mean, however, that the fundamental process is stable enough to run long-term world simulations, evaluate the results and continue refining individual cities or rules in a targeted way.
The world is therefore no longer alive only through production and consumption. It is beginning to respond to its own economic development.
Changes:
World simulation:
Complete evaluation of all cities added
Evaluation is no longer limited to individual cities or shortage tests
Simulation duration can be selected freely
Longer world runs over several months or years are possible
Results are summarised by simulation year
The existing world state remains fully usable
Established processes and foundations remain intact
Population development:
Population development included in the economic evaluation
Inward migration recorded separately for each city
Outward migration recorded separately for each city
Net population change calculated
Cities can gain or lose residents
Economic and population development examined together
Foundation created for later effects on consumption and production
City classification:
Cities are classified automatically as growing
Cities are classified automatically as stable
Cities are classified automatically as declining
Unusual cities are marked automatically
Major deviations can be identified more quickly
The overall state of the world is summarised clearly
Cause analysis:
Causes of population development displayed for each city
Supply conditions considered as a possible influence
Economic stability made visible in the evaluation
Persistent shortages can be identified as a cause
City development is explained not only numerically, but also in context
Evaluation and control:
The overall world result can be reviewed in a report
Developments in individual cities remain traceable
Annual values can be compared with one another
Problematic cities can be investigated specifically
Foundation created for later automatic balance warnings
Worldwide undesirable developments can be recognised earlier
Development state achieved:
Economy simulation core classified as Pre-Alpha Stable
Fundamental simulation processes run reliably
Worldwide multi-year testing is possible
Population movements can be evaluated
Causes and unusual developments are easier to understand
V0.61
World map V3.3.1
Focus
The world map has been developed substantially further and expanded as the central operations map for fleets, routes and port information. The goal was to make the map clearer, sharper and more useful for gameplay without damaging the existing header/footer structure or the important layer architecture.
Result
The world map is no longer merely a map view.
It is now a genuine operations overview for fleets, ports and active routes.
Players can identify more quickly where their ships are, what they are carrying and where they are heading.
The presentation feels more refined, calmer and closer to a genuine game interface.
V0.61
World map V3.3.1
New functions
Operations layout of the world map
The world map now uses the available area between the header and footer much more effectively. It therefore feels more like a genuine command centre and less like a normal content page.
The main view remains focused on the map, while information about ships, routes and ports is displayed through floating interface elements.
Right-hand operations panel:
A new panel has been added on the right to display details whenever an object is selected.
Result
The world map is no longer merely a map view.
It is now a genuine operations overview for fleets, ports and active routes.
Players can identify more quickly where their ships are, what they are carrying and where they are heading.
The presentation feels more refined, calmer and closer to a genuine game interface.
The world map now feels considerably cleaner and more modern.
The map view uses the available screen area more effectively.
The world map feels more strongly like a central fleet overview.
Ships are easier to recognise and displayed more cleanly.
Selected ships stand out more clearly from the map.
Ships that are not selected appear calmer and less intrusive.
Ships can be clicked to display important information.
Ship information has been arranged more clearly.
A ship's cargo can be understood directly on the world map.
Route, destination port and remaining travel time are easier to see.
The progress of an active journey is presented more clearly.
Port information has been improved.
Ports containing the player's own ships are easier to recognise.
Switching from the world map to the selected port is more direct.
City labels now appear more appropriately while zooming.
Cities become visible before ships and routes.
This makes the map less cluttered while zooming in.
Routes and ships appear only when the map is viewed closely enough.
A coordinate grid has been added as an optional orientation aid.
The grid can be switched on and off as required.
City points, labels, ships and routes are better separated from one another.
The right-hand information panel now sits cleanly above the map view.
Clicking an empty area of the map clears the current ship selection.
Unnecessary highlights on unselected ships have been removed.
Ship graphics are no longer distorted or compressed.
The normal ship display has been made slightly smaller.
Selected ships remain larger and clearly highlighted.
Overall, the world map feels calmer, clearer and more playable.
Changed:
The world map is more strongly focused on fleet control and overview.
Ship selection has been revised.
Port display has been expanded.
Zoom behaviour has been reorganised.
Ship sizes have been adjusted.
Selection behaviour has been improved.
Information areas have been arranged more clearly.
Map operation has been made more pleasant.
The presentation of cities, routes and ships has been coordinated more effectively.
V0.60
Trading market and Economy V3
From the failure of V0.59 to the current Market V3 status
Starting point: the failure of V0.59
Version V0.59 made it clear that the trading market at that time could not yet provide a stable foundation for the continued development of the game. The market logic was neither technically nor mechanically mature enough to function as a sustainable core loop.
V0.60
Trading market and Economy V3
From the failure of V0.59 to the current Market V3 status
Starting point: the failure of V0.59
Version V0.59 made it clear that the trading market at that time could not yet provide a stable foundation for the continued development of the game. The market logic was neither technically nor mechanically mature enough to function as a sustainable core loop.
At that stage, the market was still connected only incompletely. Parts of the market page were prepared only in rudimentary form, some files did not yet contain complete gameplay logic, and existing checks did not fit cleanly with the rest of the rights and port system. The greatest problem was that the market, port rights, counting house, goods stock and player actions did not yet work together as one complete system.
It therefore became clear that the trading market needed more than repairs: it required a fundamental reassessment and rebuild.
Analysis phase after V0.59
Following the failure of V0.59, the economy was examined step by step. The purpose was to determine why trade was technically conceivable but did not yet produce a stable, fair and playable trading cycle.
Several weaknesses became apparent:
individual trading routes were too dominant,
certain goods could distort the balance,
starting conditions were not equally playable in every port,
storage capacity, ship capacity and goods prices had to be considered together,
the market could not consist solely of fixed prices,
and purchasing, selling, counting houses, ports and routes needed to be connected more closely.
A particularly important conclusion was that the trading market cannot be developed in isolation. It is directly linked to the city economy, goods stocks, counting houses, the fleet and the route system.
Transition to a new trading foundation
After the analysis, the market was gradually placed on a new foundation. Instead of continuing to patch the old V0.59 approach, a new trading basis was prepared.
The new direction:
standard ports and cities as a controlled test basis,
defined goods for each port,
stock levels for every city and good,
production and consumption in each port,
dynamic price development through supply and demand,
purchasing and selling through the existing counting-house and market logic,
and future extensibility for new goods, cities and player activity.
The trading market was therefore developed from a simple purchase-and-sale page into a genuine economy system.
Balancing tests and setbacks
Several balancing approaches were tested during development. This revealed that individual changes could appear logical in isolation but produce poorer results across the wider system.
One important setback occurred in a test state where, despite corrections, no clean starting sets remained playable. Routes involving particular goods and ports remained too dominant or pushed the balance in the wrong direction.
This phase was important because it demonstrated that:
Not every economically sound adjustment automatically works in a game.
The system therefore had to be tested through repeatable runs, clear parameters and comparable values rather than intuition.
Optimizer and economy baseline
To stabilise the system, a controlled economy baseline was frozen and tested with an optimizer.
Current secured state:
Economy baseline: GFT Economy Baseline 14D + 13N-00325 Final
Ship capacity in the test: 25 t
Ship speed: 12 kn
Market fee: 10%
Optimizer depth: Extreme
Variants tested: 10,560
Best variant: 13N-00001
Playable starting sets: 168 / 168
Critical starts: 0
Blocked starts: 0
Overpowered starts: 0
Dead or unplayable starts: 0
For the first time, this produced a mathematically stable trading foundation that makes every starting combination fundamentally playable.
Market V3 – current trading market
Using the secured economy as its basis, the trading market was developed further towards Market V3.
The current trading market is considerably cleaner, clearer and closer to the intended gameplay principle. The market page was visually simplified and unnecessary or confusing displays were removed. These included overloaded information boxes such as price signal, supply status and the most recent economy tick, as well as explanatory texts that distracted more than they helped during gameplay.
The market now concentrates more strongly on the essentials:
goods,
stock,
price,
purchasing,
selling,
counting-house stock,
storage capacity,
active port,
and economic movement in the background.
The scrolling and display problem on the market page has also been corrected so that all goods should be visible and usable cleanly.
Current test state
The current state demonstrates that the trading market has become more playable and that the new direction works. Initial tests using actual trading movements confirm that purchasing, transport and selling function in principle.
An example from the current Auto-Sell / Market V3 test:
2 × 25 t of timber from Hamburg to Bremerhaven
Total purchase price in Hamburg: £508.25
Total automatic sale in Bremerhaven: £523.50
Result: a small but functional trading profit
This shows that the market now creates understandable trading movements without immediately becoming unbalanced.
Current status
The trading market is no longer the failed V0.59 prototype, but a considerably more stable Market V3 foundation.
It is important to note, however, that the market is not yet final.
The current state is a functional development basis on which further testing can continue. Mathematical balance is substantially more stable, the market page has been visually cleaned up, and the core loop of purchasing, storing, transporting and selling has become much clearer.
Future additions still include:
a stronger economy tick,
long-term production and consumption dynamics,
more goods,
more cities,
stronger player influence on prices,
possible later trading levels or goods unlocks,
and an administration tool for internal economy balancing.
Goods unlocks by tier or trading level are deliberately not being fixed into the system at present. They remain only a possible later option for progression and balance if further playtesting shows that they are genuinely necessary.
Conclusion
V0.59 demonstrated that the old trading market was not sufficiently sustainable.
That failure, however, produced a considerably better foundation. The trading market was analysed, reassessed, tested mathematically, cleaned up visually and developed towards Market V3.
The current trading market is not a final system, but it is an important milestone:
Global Fleet & Trade now possesses a robust foundation for a genuine trading and economic cycle.
The old market logic was judged unsuitable as a final basis and was not retained as such.
The trading market was analysed fundamentally after V0.59.
Dominant trading routes were identified as a balancing problem.
Individual goods could generate excessive profits and had to be reassessed.
The playability of starting conditions in different ports was tested.
Ship capacity, storage capacity, goods prices and market fees were evaluated together.
The economy was no longer assessed by intuition, but through repeatable tests and comparative values.
Several balancing states were tested and some were discarded again.
Individual adjustments produced poorer results and were therefore not adopted.
The economy baseline was stabilised and frozen as a fixed test foundation.
The secured state is: GFT Economy Baseline 14D + 13N-00325 Final.
Test ship capacity was set to 25 t.
Test ship speed was evaluated at 12 kn.
The market fee was set at 10 percent.
The optimizer was run at extreme depth.
A total of 10,560 variants were tested.
The best tested state was 13N-00001.
All 168 tested starting sets were rated as playable.
No critical starting sets were identified.
No blocked starting sets were identified.
No overpowered starting sets were identified.
No dead or unplayable starting sets were identified.
The trading market was converted to Market V3.
The market page was cleaned up visually.
Unnecessary information boxes were removed.
The price-signal display was removed.
The supply display was removed.
The display for the latest economy tick was removed.
The notice ‘Port purchase price: -10%’ was removed.
The market page was reduced more strongly to goods, stock, price, purchasing, selling and counting-house stock.
Storage capacity was integrated more closely into the market logic.
The scrolling and footer problem on the market page was fixed.
All goods should now be visible and scrollable cleanly.
The current Market V3 test confirms that trade functions in principle.
A test using 2 × 25 t of timber from Hamburg to Bremerhaven was carried out.
The total purchase price in Hamburg was £508.25.
The total automatic sale in Bremerhaven was £523.50.
The test produced a small, understandable trading profit.
The market now creates more realistic trading movements.
The core loop of purchasing, storing, transporting and selling works as a development foundation.
Goods unlocks by trading level or tier were deliberately not introduced yet.
Tier unlocks remain only a possible later progression or balancing option.
The current trading market is not yet final.
Market V3 now serves as the stable foundation for further testing.
V0.59
Economy and balancing
At the current stage of development, the trading and economic system of Global Fleet & Trade has been reviewed, adjusted and stabilised further. The purpose of this step was to create the foundation for a fairer, more transparent and playable trading system.
V0.59
Economy and balancing
Economy balancing stabilised further
At the current stage of development, the trading and economic system of Global Fleet & Trade has been reviewed, adjusted and stabilised further. The purpose of this step was to create the foundation for a fairer, more transparent and playable trading system.
The current frozen baseline remains:
GFT Economy Baseline 14D + 13N-00325 Final
For the time being, this version serves as a stable foundation for further tests and later expansion within the administration area.
Result of the current balancing test
The current balancing run has been completed in full.
Result:
168 of 168 starting sets playable
No blocked starting combinations
No excessively strong trading routes
No completely dead or unusable setups
No critical trading starts in the final state
For the first time, this establishes a highly stable economy state that can be used as a fixed working foundation.
Significance for further development
In future, balancing will no longer be treated merely as a local test file, but will gradually be transferred into the internal administration area.
The goal is a dedicated administration tool through which economic values, goods prices, trading routes, city profiles and starting conditions can be reviewed and adjusted directly.
This should make the economy system easier to control in the long term without having to rely on manual local test runs every time.
Current development status
Balancing remains under active development. The current version is not yet the final economic system, but it forms an important foundation for the next steps.
Further adjustments will follow as additional goods, cities, market movements, production, consumption and player activity exert a stronger influence on the system.
Global Fleet & Trade continues to grow step by step, with the goal of creating a transparent, lively and fair trading economy.
What was tested?
The main focus was on:
Starting conditions for new players
Ship capacity and travel speed
Trading profits between ports
Classes of goods and price logic
Playability of all tested starting combinations
Avoidance of excessively strong or completely blocked trading routes
The current test baseline uses:
Ship capacity: 25 t
Ship speed: 12 kn
Market fee: 10%
Optimizer depth: Extreme
Variants tested: 10,560
Result of the current balancing test
The current balancing run has been completed in full.
Result:
168 of 168 starting sets playable
No blocked starting combinations
No excessively strong trading routes
No completely dead or unusable setups
No critical trading starts in the final state
For the first time, this establishes a highly stable economy state that can be used as a fixed working foundation.
V0.58
Public website and mobile optimisation
The public Global Fleet & Trade website has been optimised further and prepared for mobile devices. The aim was to make the information pages substantially easier to use on smartphones and tablets without changing the actual game engine or in-game interface.
V0.58
Public website and mobile optimisation
The public Global Fleet & Trade website has been optimised further and prepared for mobile devices. The aim was to make the information pages substantially easier to use on smartphones and tablets without changing the actual game engine or in-game interface.
New
The public website can now be reached through the main domain:
https://globalfleettrade.com
The home page, news, changelog, contact, legal notice and privacy pages have been adapted for mobile views.
Improvements
A hamburger menu has been prepared for smaller screens so that navigation, login and public pages remain easily accessible on smartphones.
The footer has been revised for mobile devices. Social-media icons, legal links and copyright information are now stacked more effectively and no longer cover content.
The public subpages have been made easier to read on mobile devices. Fixed desktop layouts were adapted for small displays so that pages such as news, changelog and contact remain cleanly scrollable.
Contact page
The contact form has been improved for mobile devices. Input fields, the privacy-policy checkbox and the send button now adapt better to smaller screen widths.
Registration
Public registration has been closed temporarily. New accounts cannot currently be created because Global Fleet & Trade remains in closed development.
Existing users can continue to log in.
Home page
The introductory window on the home page has been adapted for mobile devices. Image, text and button are now displayed one below another so that content is no longer cut off.
Note
These adjustments affect only the public website. The actual game interface, world map, route logic and in-game engine remain desktop-oriented and were not changed by this mobile optimisation.
Publish - V0.58
V0.57
World map / ship animation
Previously, ships on active routes were repositioned only at fixed intervals. This could make movement appear abrupt, especially on short routes or under strong time acceleration. Instead of visibly travelling along the route, the ship repeatedly appeared a little farther ahead.
V0.57
World map / ship animation
The presentation of moving ships on the world map has been improved significantly.
Previously, ships on active routes were repositioned only at fixed intervals. This could make movement appear abrupt, especially on short routes or under strong time acceleration. Instead of visibly travelling along the route, the ship repeatedly appeared a little farther ahead.
A smooth client-side animation of ships on the world map has now been implemented. The server remains the authoritative source for departure time, arrival time, route status and arrival processing. The actual movement between departure and destination, however, is now calculated and displayed smoothly in the browser.
Active ships therefore travel visibly along their route instead of jumping between positions. At the same time, server load remains low because continuous position updates from the server are not required.
The change was implemented exclusively in the world-map area. The administration area, database structure and existing route logic were not altered.
This change primarily improves the feel of the world map and makes active trading routes considerably easier to follow visually.
Improvements:
smoother movement of travelling ships on the world map
no more visible ‘radar jumps’ on short routes
client-side animation using the existing route data
server remains authoritative for route, status and arrival
better presentation under time acceleration and on short journeys
world map feels more lively and closer to a genuine game simulation
V0.56
World map: live fleet display and visible ship routes
This development step significantly expands the world map. The player's own ships, active routes and harbour anchors are now displayed directly on the map and updated without reloading the page.
V0.56
World map: live fleet display and visible ship routes
The Global Fleet & Trade world map has been significantly expanded and is no longer merely an overview of ports and cities. The map now begins to represent the player's own shipping company actively.
The player's ships can now appear visibly on the world map. When a ship is travelling on an active route, it is displayed along that route. The travelled path appears as a subtle dashed line between the departure and destination ports. As soon as the ship arrives, the route disappears immediately and the display changes cleanly to the harbour phase.
An anchor symbol is displayed for ships lying in port. Only one anchor is shown per port, even when several of the player's ships are located there. This keeps the world map clear and avoids unnecessary visual clutter.
The map's zoom logic has also been improved. In the broad overview, city names, routes, ships and harbour anchors initially remain hidden. When zooming in, city names appear first. Active routes, moving ships and harbour anchors are displayed only at a closer zoom level. The map therefore remains calm in the overview and reveals details only when they are genuinely useful.
Live updating has also been added. While the world map remains open, it can load new map data in the background and update route statuses without requiring the page to reload. Arriving ships, disappearing routes and new harbour anchors therefore become visible automatically while the player remains on the map.
This step creates an important foundation for the later global fleet overview, improved control over the player's ships and a more lively world map.
The player's own ships can now be displayed on the world map.
Active ship routes are shown as subtle dashed lines.
Moving ships travel visibly along their route.
Routes disappear immediately once a ship has arrived or enters the harbour phase.
Ships in port are represented by an anchor symbol.
Only one anchor is displayed per port, even when several of the player's ships are located there.
The world map's zoom logic has been improved.
City names appear only from a closer zoom level.
Active routes, moving ships and harbour anchors appear at a still closer zoom level.
The broad world-map overview remains considerably calmer and clearer.
The open world map now updates ship data in the background without a page reload.
Arriving ships are detected automatically and updated on the map.
Harbour anchors appear automatically when a ship arrives in port status.
Docking or arrival routes are no longer left visible as thin lines.
The visual presentation of routes, ships and harbour anchors has been cleaned up.
The anchor symbol has been aligned correctly.
The central background-processing job remains in place.
The world map can also trigger the current route-status check itself and then load updated map data.
Foundation created for a later complete global fleet overview.
Foundation created for a better real-time representation of the player's shipping company.
V0.55
Local route control and global fleet overview
Summary
An important milestone has been reached for Global Fleet & Trade. Ship and route management has been fundamentally improved and separated into clear logical areas. Harbour operations are now tied firmly to the currently selected port, while the new fleet overview provides a global view of every ship owned by the player.
V0.55
Local route control and global fleet overview
Summary
An important milestone has been reached for Global Fleet & Trade. Ship and route management has been fundamentally improved and separated into clear logical areas. Harbour operations are now tied firmly to the currently selected port, while the new fleet overview provides a global view of every ship owned by the player.
New functions
New fleet overview introduced.
All ships owned by the player are now displayed centrally.
Ships display their current status:
In port
At sea
Returning
Under construction
Location, route, arrival, cargo and condition can now be reviewed clearly.
Ships can be controlled directly only when they are located in the currently active port.
The routes area has been defined as local harbour operations.
The fleet area has been introduced as the global overview of the entire shipping company.
Improvements to the gameplay principle
The active port now has a clear purpose.
In Hamburg, only ships that are actually in Hamburg can be controlled.
Ships in other ports are no longer incorrectly shown in local harbour operations.
Ships at sea remain visible globally, but are no longer treated as ships in port.
The distinction between local harbour work and global fleet management is now much easier to understand.
Improvements to voyages
Ships at sea now display important travel information:
Departure point
Destination
Departure time
Arrival time
Remaining travel time
Cargo
Planned destination action
Future route cancellation has been prepared.
Return journeys can now be expanded as a separate travel status.
Improvements to loading
Loading and unloading goods has been made considerably smoother.
A ship's cargo is updated immediately after a change.
Stock in the counting house is adjusted directly after loading.
Ship utilisation becomes visible immediately.
Progress within route planning now responds to the current action.
Corrections
A problem was fixed where goods existed in the counting house but were not displayed for loading in the routes area.
The cause was differing old and new port-status values.
Several port-status values are now correctly recognised as ‘in port’.
Ships in other ports can no longer be controlled accidentally through the wrong port.
The route planner now displays only ships that are genuinely located in the active port.
Design and usability
The fleet overview has been implemented as a compact table.
Management pages will be designed more compactly and clearly in future.
The consistent game frame has also been adopted for the fleet overview.
The view now feels more like genuine shipping-company management.
Significance for the pre-alpha
This milestone creates an important foundation for the wider game system. The shipping company now has a clear structure:
Routes for local harbour operations.
Fleet for the global ship overview.
World map later for visible movements and trading routes.
A central part of the intended gameplay experience has therefore been prepared: players can no longer manage ships arbitrarily from anywhere, but must take the location of their fleet into account. This makes Global Fleet & Trade more strategic, more credible and significantly closer to a genuine maritime trading simulation.
New functions
New global fleet overview introduced.
All ships owned by the player can now be reviewed centrally.
Ships now display status, location, route, arrival, cargo and condition.
Ships at sea display journey information with departure, destination, departure time and arrival time.
The routes area now displays only ships in the currently active port.
Ships can be controlled only in the active port.
A prepared button has been added for future route cancellation.
Progress within route planning now reacts to loading actions.
Improvements
A clear separation has been created between routes and fleet.
Routes now represents local harbour operations.
Fleet now represents the global shipping-company overview.
The active port now has a clear gameplay purpose.
Ships in other ports are no longer displayed in the local routes area.
Loading and unloading goods now runs more smoothly.
Ship cargo updates immediately after changes.
Counting-house stock updates directly after loading actions.
The ship's utilisation bar updates correctly after every change.
The fleet overview has been converted to a compact table.
Management pages will be designed more compactly in future.
Corrections
Fixed a problem where goods present in the counting house were not displayed in the routes area.
Old and new port-status values are now recognised correctly.
Ships in other ports can no longer be controlled accidentally.
Loading and unloading is possible only in the correct active port.
Routes can be started only for ships in the active port.
The consistent game frame has been restored in the fleet overview.
Game system
Local harbour work and global ship management are now clearly separated.
The location of a ship now matters more to gameplay decisions.
Players will need to switch between ports more deliberately.
The foundation for later return journeys and route cancellations has been prepared.
The foundation for improved world-map and fleet logic has been created.
V0.54
Route planner: first complete test sequence finished
The first functional test sequence for the route planner has been implemented successfully and now serves as the technical foundation for the continued development of the trading and logistics system.
V0.54
Route planner: first complete test sequence finished
For the first time, a ship in port can be loaded with goods from the player's own counting house, sent on a route to an unlocked destination port and placed into the ‘At Sea’ status. Once the travel time has elapsed, arrival is processed, the route is completed and the ship becomes available again in the destination port.
This establishes the first connected program flow for the core cycle of the later trading simulation:
Counting house → load ship → start route → voyage → arrival at destination port
This sequence is still part of the pre-alpha test logic, but it already forms the basis for later additions such as automatic handling of goods at the destination, sales systems, events at sea, route costs, ship condition and voyage reports.
An important technical milestone has therefore been reached: the fundamental connection between ships, cargo, ports, routes and arrival logic works for the first time as a playable sequence.
Counting house → load ship → start route → voyage → arrival at destination port
V0.53
New i18n standard for game text
A new i18n standard has been defined for Global Fleet & Trade. This prepares the game to be offered in multiple languages later on.
V0.53
New i18n standard for game text
A new i18n standard has been defined for Global Fleet & Trade. This prepares the game to be offered in multiple languages later on.
Gameplay benefit
Players should eventually be able to use Global Fleet & Trade in their preferred language. This makes the game easier to understand, more accessible and better prepared for an international community.
Significance for development
The new i18n standard prevents texts from remaining permanently hard-coded throughout the game. New content can therefore be translated, maintained and expanded more easily later.
Game rule / principle
In the long term, all important visible game text should be handled through the language system. This keeps the game extensible and allows it to be prepared gradually for further languages.
A consistent standard for game text has been introduced.
Game text will in future be managed centrally through language files.
Hard-coded text in game areas will gradually be replaced by language keys.
Menus, buttons, notices, messages and status displays can therefore be rendered according to language.
German remains the primary language initially.
Further languages can be added later in a structured way.
New game areas should now be built with multilingual support in mind from the outset.
The foundation for an international version of Global Fleet & Trade has been created.
V0.52
First complete trading cycle
The first genuine economic cycle now works from beginning to end.
V0.52
First complete trading cycle
The first genuine economic cycle now works from beginning to end.
Process:
Purchase port rights.
Establish a counting house.
View the market.
Purchase goods.
See the goods in the counting house.
Sell the goods again.
Money and stock levels change correctly.
The relevant city gains or loses money through its treasury.
Significance:
This is the first genuinely playable trading core of Global Fleet & Trade V2. Players can now do more than open pages: they can participate in actual economic trade.
Completed
V0.51
Logbook expanded
Additional trading actions are now recorded in the logbook.
V0.51
Logbook expanded
Additional trading actions are now recorded in the logbook.
Port rights purchased.
Counting house established.
Goods purchased.
Goods sold from the counting house.
The most important movements of money and goods can now be traced.
V0.50
Messages and return navigation improved
Feedback after purchasing and selling has been improved.
V0.50
Messages and return navigation improved
Feedback after purchasing and selling has been improved.
After purchasing goods, the player remains on the market.
After selling from the market, the player also remains on the market.
After selling from the counting house, the player remains in the counting house.
Success messages appear on the appropriate page.
Error messages also appear on the appropriate page.
This makes the overall process feel considerably smoother.
V0.49
Market table improved
The market overview has been arranged more logically and made easier to understand.
V0.49
Market table improved
The market overview has been arranged more logically and made easier to understand.
New logical order:
Good
Unit
Price
Market stock
My stock
Production per day
Consumption per day
Action
The order of the columns has been improved.
The price now appears earlier in the table.
Market stock and the player's own stock can be compared directly.
The action column has been cleaned up.
Buy and sell options appear next to each other.
Selling appears only when the player has stock available.
V0.48
Selling directly on the market
Selling has also been integrated directly into the market view so that players do not need to switch constantly between the market and counting house.
V0.48
Selling directly on the market
Selling has also been integrated directly into the market view so that players do not need to switch constantly between the market and counting house.
The market now also displays the player's own stock from the active counting house.
Players can purchase goods and sell goods they already own directly on the market.
Purchasing and selling are placed together in a shared action column.
The sell button appears only when the player actually owns that good.
If a good is not held in the counting house, no sell button is displayed.
After selling on the market, the player remains on the market page.
Success messages are displayed correctly on the market.
V0.47
Selling goods from the counting house
Players can sell goods stored in the active counting house back to the local city market.
V0.47
Selling goods from the counting house
Players can sell goods stored in the active counting house back to the local city market.
Selling from the counting house implemented.
A sale is possible only when the player owns the goods in the active counting house.
The quantity to be sold is validated.
Counting-house stock decreases after the sale.
City market stock increases after the sale.
The player receives money.
The city treasury pays the amount.
If the city treasury does not have enough money, the sale is prevented.
The sale is recorded in the logbook.
V0.46
Ship-loading responsibility defined
Responsibility for loading ships has been clearly separated. The counting house remains a storage and management area, while loading ships will later take place exclusively in the routes area.
V0.46
Ship-loading responsibility defined
Responsibility for loading ships has been clearly separated. The counting house remains a storage and management area, while loading ships will later take place exclusively in the routes area.
Gameplay benefit:
Players receive a clear structure:
They manage goods in the counting house.
They buy or sell locally on the market.
They plan transport and load ships in the routes area.
This prevents too many unrelated functions from being mixed together on one page.
Game rule:
The counting house means:
View goods held in stock.
Check storage space.
Sell goods locally.
Keep goods available for later transport.
The routes area will later mean:
Select a ship.
Load goods from the counting house onto the ship.
Select a destination port.
Start the route.
Carry out the transport.
It has been established that ships are not loaded in the counting house.
The counting house displays only goods held in stock, storage capacity and local trading options.
Loading ships will later be implemented in the routes area.
Unloading or further handling of ship cargo will likewise not be controlled through the normal counting-house overview.
The separation between warehouse management and transport planning has been defined clearly.
V0.45
Counting-house / warehouse page established
The counting-house and warehouse page has been expanded from a simple placeholder into a functional stock overview. Players can now see which goods are stored in their active counting house and how much storage space is occupied.
V0.45
Counting-house / warehouse page established
The counting-house and warehouse page has been expanded from a simple placeholder into a functional stock overview. Players can now see which goods are stored in their active counting house and how much storage space is occupied.
Gameplay benefit:
Players now have a central overview of their stock in the active port. They can check which goods they own, how much space remains and the approximate current market value of their goods.
Game rule:
The counting house serves as the storage and management location for goods in the port.
Available in the counting house:
View goods held in stock.
Check storage capacity.
Check free storage space.
Sell goods locally.
Not available in the counting house:
Load ships.
Transfer goods onto ships.
Start routes.
These functions will later belong to the routes area.
The counting-house page displays the currently active port.
It shows whether a counting house is present in that port.
If no counting house is present, the player receives a notice and can switch to administration.
If a counting house is present, its most important data is displayed.
The counting-house level is displayed.
Total storage capacity is displayed.
Occupied storage space is displayed.
Free storage space is displayed.
Storage utilisation is displayed as a percentage.
All goods held in the counting house are listed clearly.
Goods with stock and goods without stock can be distinguished.
The current local market price of each good is displayed.
V0.44
Market expanded with counting-house status
The market now includes a direct display of the counting house and its storage status. Players can immediately see whether they own a counting house in the port and how much storage capacity remains available.
V0.44
Market expanded with counting-house status
The market now includes a direct display of the counting house and its storage status. Players can immediately see whether they own a counting house in the port and how much storage capacity remains available.
Gameplay benefit:
Players no longer need to switch constantly between the market and counting house to check whether storage space remains. This makes purchasing goods clearer and faster.
Game rule:
Counting house present → storage status is displayed on the market.
No counting house present → purchasing remains blocked.
Storage full → further purchases are prevented.
Storage available → goods can be purchased and stored.
The market displays the counting-house status of the active port.
If a counting house is present, this is shown visibly.
The counting-house level is displayed.
Total storage capacity is displayed.
Occupied storage space is displayed.
Free storage space is displayed.
Counting-house utilisation is displayed as a percentage.
Before purchasing, the player can see immediately whether sufficient storage space remains.
The display always refers to the currently active port.
V0.43
Purchasing goods on the market
Purchasing goods on the local city market has been implemented. Players can now actively acquire goods for the first time and store them in their own counting house.
V0.43
Purchasing goods on the market
Purchasing goods on the local city market has been implemented. Players can now actively acquire goods for the first time and store them in their own counting house.
Gameplay benefit:
Players can now purchase goods locally and build their own stock. This marks the beginning of the game's actual economic cycle.
Game rule:
A purchase is possible only when:
the player has unlocked the port,
the player owns a counting house there,
sufficient market stock is available,
the player has sufficient funds,
and enough storage space is free.
Goods can be purchased on the market of the active port.
Purchasing is possible only when the player owns a counting house in that port.
The player can enter a quantity.
The requested quantity is checked against the available market stock.
The game checks whether the player has enough money.
The game checks whether the counting house has enough free storage capacity.
After purchase, the goods are automatically stored in the counting house of the active port.
The city's market stock decreases accordingly.
The player's money is reduced.
The city treasury receives the purchase amount.
The purchase is recorded in the logbook.
A success message is displayed after purchase.
V0.42
Market visible without a counting house
The market logic has been adjusted. Players may view the market of an unlocked port even if they do not yet own a counting house there.
V0.42
Market visible without a counting house
The market logic has been adjusted. Players may view the market of an unlocked port even if they do not yet own a counting house there.
Gameplay benefit:
Players can observe new markets, compare prices and decide whether establishing a counting house in a city is worthwhile. Expansion therefore becomes more strategic because players do not have to invest blindly.
Game rule:
Port rights allow players to:
View the market.
Check prices.
Check stock levels.
Later sell ship cargo directly.
A counting house additionally allows players to:
Purchase goods from the city market.
Store goods locally.
Manage goods held in the port.
The market becomes visible as soon as the player holds port rights for the city.
Prices and stock levels can be viewed without owning a counting house.
Purchasing is blocked without a counting house.
The player is informed that a counting house is required for purchases.
The market view now clearly distinguishes between market access and the ability to trade.
The market continues to display the active port.
The display remains understandable even when no counting house is present.
V0.41
Cash flow between players and cities
Cash flow between players and cities has been integrated into the economy. Purchases and sales now affect not only the player's balance, but also the treasury of the relevant city.
V0.41
Cash flow between players and cities
Cash flow between players and cities has been integrated into the economy. Purchases and sales now affect not only the player's balance, but also the treasury of the relevant city.
Gameplay benefit:
Cities are no longer merely locations on the map, but economic participants. When players purchase licences, establish counting houses or trade goods in a city, that city's treasury changes.
This creates the foundation for later city development, local investment, harbour expansion, crises, prosperity and economic competition between cities.
Game rule:
Player purchases something from the city → the city receives money.
Player sells something to the city → the city pays money.
If a city later has insufficient funds, it cannot purchase goods without limit.
When port rights are purchased, the player pays money to the relevant city.
When a counting house is established, the player also pays money to the relevant city.
When goods are purchased on the city market, the city receives the purchase amount.
When goods from a counting house are sold, the city pays the sale price to the player.
The city treasury therefore changes actively through economic actions.
Players can influence a city's financial position through their actions.
Sales are possible only when the city has sufficient funds in its treasury.
V0.40
Establishing / purchasing a counting house
The counting house has been introduced as the central trading branch. Port rights alone allow a player to enter a port and view its market. Actual trade with storage, however, requires a counting house in that city.
V0.40
Establishing / purchasing a counting house
The counting house has been introduced as the central trading branch. Port rights alone allow a player to enter a port and view its market. Actual trade with storage, however, requires a counting house in that city.
Gameplay benefit:
Players can now establish their own trading bases in multiple ports. This creates the foundation for goods storage, local purchasing and later transport between cities.
Game rule:
A counting house allows players to:
Purchase goods in the port.
Store goods locally.
Manage goods held in the counting house.
Sell goods back to the local market.
A counting house does not allow players to:
Load ships.
Start routes.
Carry out ship loading.
These functions will later belong to the routes area.
A counting house can be established only in a port for which the player already holds port rights.
A player can own only one counting house per city.
The counting house has a fixed establishment price.
The money is deducted from the player upon purchase.
The amount paid is credited to the relevant city.
After establishment, the counting house is displayed as owned.
The number of counting houses in the game header is updated.
The counting house starts at level 1.
Initial storage capacity is 15 tonnes.
Establishing the counting house is recorded in the logbook.
V0.39
Administration / harbour office expanded
Administration has been established as the central location for port rights, counting houses and later expansion or licence systems. It is no longer merely a placeholder, but a functional management area for expanding the trading network.
V0.39
Administration / harbour office expanded
Administration has been established as the central location for port rights, counting houses and later expansion or licence systems. It is no longer merely a placeholder, but a functional management area for expanding the trading network.
Gameplay benefit:
Players now have a fixed place in which to plan their expansion. They can see which ports are already usable, which can still be purchased and which further development stages will follow later.
Implemented:
Administration displays all ports that are generally available.
Players can select a port there.
The available rights and development stages are displayed for the selected port.
Port rights are shown as the first unlockable stage.
The counting house is shown as the second stage.
A shipyard licence and land rights / industrial land have been prepared as later stages.
Existing rights are displayed as owned.
Stages that are not yet available or whose requirements have not yet been met are shown as clearly locked.
Administration is clearly separated from the port selector on the left:
The selector on the left displays only owned/unlocked ports.
Administration displays all ports in which the player can invest.
V0.38
Purchasing / acquiring port rights
Port rights have been introduced as a separate progression step. Players cannot use new ports automatically; they must first unlock the right to call at and trade in them.
V0.38
Purchasing / acquiring port rights
3. Purchasing port rights
Port rights have been introduced as a separate progression step. Players cannot use new ports automatically; they must first unlock the right to call at and trade in them.
Gameplay benefit:
Players can expand their trading territory step by step. New ports therefore become deliberate investment decisions instead of being available automatically.
Game rule:
Port rights mean:
The port may be called at.
The port may be selected as the active port.
The local market may be viewed.
Later, ships may arrive there and sell goods directly.
Implemented:
New ports can be unlocked through administration.
Each port has its own price for port rights.
The home port is automatically considered unlocked.
Purchased port rights allow the player to select that port as active.
After purchase, the port automatically appears in the port/counting-house selector on the left.
The money paid is credited to the relevant city.
The purchase amount is deducted from the player.
Previously purchased port rights are displayed as owned.
Port rights cannot be purchased twice.
The purchase is recorded in the logbook.
V0.37
Sidebar / port and counting-house selection
The port/counting-house selector on the left has been revised. It no longer displays every port in the game world, but only those that the player can actually access.
V0.37
Sidebar / port and counting-house selection
Sidebar / port and counting-house selection
The port/counting-house selector on the left has been revised. It no longer displays every port in the game world, but only those that the player can actually access.
Gameplay benefit:
Players see only their own accessible locations in the selector on the left. This clearly separates owned ports from ports that have not yet been unlocked. Navigation becomes easier to understand and players cannot accidentally switch to ports for which they do not yet hold access rights.
Implemented:
The selector on the left displays only the home port and already unlocked ports.
Ports without access rights no longer appear in the active selector.
Purchased port rights automatically become visible in the selector on the left.
The currently active port is highlighted.
The selector now provides direct switching between the player's own locations.
Administration remains separate and continues to display all available ports that can be purchased or unlocked.
A defect was fixed that briefly displayed too many cities in the selector after purchasing port rights.
Search within the selector now also displays only authorised ports.
V0.36
Active port / active counting house
The active port has been introduced as a central gameplay element. Until now, players were mainly tied to their home port. They can now switch between unlocked ports and trade, manage operations and later plan routes at the selected location.
V0.36
Active port / active counting house
Status:
Completed.
The home port remains permanently stored through start_city.
An active port has been added separately.
The active port determines the harbour in which the player is currently working.
When the game starts, the home port is automatically used as the active port if no other active port has been selected.
Players can switch between their unlocked ports using the port/counting-house selector on the left.
Market, counting house, administration and routes now always refer to the currently active port.
The active port is displayed visibly in the game.
The home port and active port are now clearly separated.
V0.35
Initial development of the land editor started
The new land editor is in its initial development phase. In future, players will be able to purchase plots, construct buildings and use them for storage and production.
V0.35
Initial development of the land editor started
Initial development of the land editor has begun. This new system creates the foundation for players to acquire their own plots of land in Global Fleet & Trade and use them economically.
The land editor adds a new strategic layer on land. Alongside ships, trading routes and counting houses, players will later be able to buy, develop and expand their own harbour plots.
New in development
Plots can be displayed and selected on a harbour map.
Available areas are made visible through a clear grid system.
Purchased or occupied areas can be marked with different colours.
Initial building types can be placed on construction areas for testing.
Buildings occupy a fixed number of grid cells depending on their type.
Already occupied cells are detected so that buildings cannot overlap.
Initial storage and industrial buildings have been prepared for testing.
Planned building types
Warehouses
Oil storage facilities
Machinery warehouses
Building-material warehouses
Coal-processing facilities
Production facilities
Industrial plants
Shipyard facilities
Purpose of the system
The land editor is intended to turn simple plots into economically useful harbour areas. Players will decide whether to use their land for storage capacity, raw-material processing, production chains or later expansion.
The planned basic process is:
Purchase a plot
Select a building
Check the construction area
Place the building
Occupy the required cells
Receive the economic benefit
Technical status
The first technical foundation for the construction grid, plot display and building placement has been created. Initial tests with warehouses, oil storage facilities and machinery warehouses are already under way.
The land editor is therefore an important step towards a more extensive harbour and economic system in which not only ships and goods matter, but also the expansion of the player's own infrastructure on land.
V0.34
Contact form, privacy confirmation and privacy notice completed
The public contact form has been activated, technically secured and expanded with mandatory privacy confirmation. The privacy policy has also been updated to reflect the current technical state of Global Fleet & Trade.
V0.34
Contact form, privacy confirmation and privacy notice completed
This development step makes the public contact area of Global Fleet & Trade fully usable. Visitors and interested users can now send an enquiry directly to the project team through the website.
The form has been expanded from a placeholder into a functional contact form. It now includes fields for name, email address, category, subject and message. Messages are sent to the official project address info@globalfleettrade.com.
The system also detects whether a user is logged in while making contact. In that case, the enquiry is not only sent by email, but can also be associated with the player's account. This establishes the technical foundation for a future internal support and ticket system.
Security has been expanded as well. The form uses CSRF protection, a hidden honeypot field against simple bots, server-side validation, required-field checks and a basic rate limit against rapid repeated submissions.
Mandatory privacy confirmation has also been added. Users must confirm that they have read and understood the privacy policy before a message can be sent. The privacy policy itself has been updated to the current technical state of the project and now describes the website, registration, login, game accounts, saved game data, the contact form, email delivery, sessions, server logs and the planned expansion of support functions.
Global Fleet & Trade now has its first proper public communication channel and a more transparent legal basis for processing contact and player data.
Public contact form activated
Fields added for name, email, category, subject and message
Contact delivery to info@globalfleettrade.com implemented
Detection of logged-in players prepared in the contact form
Enquiries from logged-in players prepared for future ticket assignment
CSRF protection added to the contact form
Honeypot spam protection added against simple bots
Server-side required-field and input validation implemented
Basic rate limit added against rapid repeated submissions
Success message designed in the matching GFT style
Mandatory privacy confirmation added with a link to the privacy page
Privacy policy expanded to reflect the current project state
Data processing for registration, login, game accounts and saved game data documented
Contact form and future support/ticket system covered in the privacy information
Technical foundation created for future administration-side support management
V0.33
Registration and login secured further
The authentication area has been expanded: login, registration and home-port selection now include additional protection against manipulated requests and simple bot registrations.
V0.33
Registration and login secured further
This update further secures the login and registration area of Global Fleet & Trade. In addition to the existing email confirmation, further safeguards have been added so that forms can no longer be submitted without a valid security check.
Login, registration and home-port selection now use CSRF protection. This prevents external websites from triggering unwanted actions in the background through an already open browser session.
An invisible honeypot field has also been added to detect simple bots that automatically fill every form field. Registration now includes a timing check as well, allowing submissions made unrealistically quickly to be blocked. Such requests are often an indication of automated bot activity.
Failed login and registration attempts are now limited too. This gives the public access area better protection against abuse, mass attempts and simple automated attacks.
The protection has been tested successfully: normal registration continues to work, while invalid or suspicious form submissions are blocked correctly.
For security reasons, we do not publish technical details of the protective measures introduced. This update improves the security of registration, login and account activation in the background.
V0.32
Safer registration and protected administration area
Global Fleet & Trade has received major security improvements: new accounts must now be confirmed by email, while internal administration tools are better protected against unauthorised access.
V0.32
Safer registration and protected administration area
This update delivers an important technical milestone for Global Fleet & Trade. The registration process has been expanded with complete email confirmation. New user accounts are no longer fully activated immediately; after registration, users receive an automatic email containing a personal activation link.
The account is activated and login becomes available only after the email address has been confirmed successfully. This provides cleaner control over access to the game area and prevents unconfirmed registrations from entering the game directly.
A central technical foundation has also been created for email delivery. Global Fleet & Trade can now send HTML system emails from a fixed project email address. This foundation can later be used for additional functions such as password resets, system notices and important account notifications.
The internal administration area has also been secured further. The route-testing tools in particular were revised so that administrative actions are no longer authorised through fixed user IDs, but through a central administration permission system. Actions that modify data are additionally protected through POST requests and CSRF validation.
Global Fleet & Trade has therefore moved another important step closer to a stable and secure public testing phase.
PHPMailer integrated as the project's central mail library
Local Composer structure established for external PHP libraries
Project email address prepared for SMTP delivery
Central mailer file created for Global Fleet & Trade
HTML email layout prepared in the Global Fleet & Trade style
SMTP delivery tested successfully
Registration expanded with automatic email confirmation
Activation token added for new user accounts
New user accounts initially stored as unconfirmed
Automatic activation email added after successful registration
Activation link added for new user accounts
New activation page created for account approval
Login blocked for unconfirmed user accounts
Success message added after account activation
Account-activation route added to the server configuration
Registration, email delivery and account activation tested successfully
Administration access changed from fixed user IDs to central permissions
admin.access permission prepared and used
Route-testing area protected against unauthorised access
Data-changing administration actions restricted to POST requests
CSRF protection added to route-testing actions
Direct access to internal route-engine files blocked
Administration routes and templates adapted to the new security logic
Route testing successfully verified after the security changes
V0.31
Sea-network and city editor expanded
The city and sea-network editor has been improved significantly. New cities, ports, sea-route points and connections can now be placed more precisely, inspected visibly and stored cleanly. City positions can also be entered using real GPS coordinates.
V0.31
Sea-network and city editor expanded
This milestone primarily concerns the internal tools used to build the game world. It is especially important to later gameplay because cities, ports and sea routes do not merely exist visually on the map, but also form the technical basis for route calculation.
The new GPS input allows cities to be positioned much more accurately, while quick placement by mouse click remains available. The editor therefore combines rough work directly on the map with precise adjustment through coordinates.
The sea network is now more stable as well. Connection codes are generated correctly, existing connections are detected and stored lines are displayed reliably. New harbour approaches, estuaries, canals and sea routes can therefore be prepared much more effectively.
This step brings Global Fleet & Trade closer to a clean, extensible world map on which ships will later be able to travel reliably between realistically positioned ports and routes.
GPS input added to the city editor.
Latitude and longitude can now be entered manually.
The marker moves automatically to the correct map position after GPS input.
Manual positioning by clicking remains available.
Point-type selection added to the sea-network editor.
New waypoints can be stored as sea, entry, channel, estuary or port.
Incorrect temporary edge codes such as EDGE_001 have been corrected.
New connections once again receive correct consecutive codes such as E041, E042 and E043.
Stored sea-route lines are now displayed visibly.
Very short lines are easier to recognise.
Red draft lines remain visible in WebView while creating connections.
Duplicate connections are detected in both directions.
Deletion logic for waypoints in the development editor has been expanded.
Connected edges are removed automatically when a waypoint is deleted.
The route cache is cleared after changes to the sea network.
V0.30
Map editor and sea-network management revised
The internal map editor has been expanded and stabilised.
Cities and ports can now be created directly on the world map. New port cities automatically receive a matching sea-network node, making later route testing considerably easier.
The coding system for sea-route points has also been standardised. New port and sea-route points now use the existing N system, keeping the map, routing and administration tools more consistent.
Sea-route testing now detects newly created port points more reliably. Deletion functions for cities, sea-route points and connections have also been improved, including safeguards for locations already in active use.
V0.30
Map editor and sea-network management revised
The internal map editor has been expanded and stabilised.
Cities and ports can now be created directly on the world map. New port cities automatically receive a matching sea-network node, making later route testing considerably easier.
The coding system for sea-route points has also been standardised. New port and sea-route points now use the existing N system, keeping the map, routing and administration tools more consistent.
Sea-route testing now detects newly created port points more reliably. Deletion functions for cities, sea-route points and connections have also been improved, including safeguards for locations already in active use.
[ADMIN] ‘Cities & Ports’ section expanded
- Cities can be placed directly on the world map.
- City markers are displayed as dots with labels.
- New port cities automatically create a matching harbour SeaNode.
- Harbour SeaNodes are now created within the existing N system.
[ADMIN] Sea-route points revised
- New sea-route points now also use the N system.
- The old SEA_ scheme has been replaced for new points.
- Normal sea-route points of type ‘sea’ can be deleted.
- Harbour, entrance, canal and estuary points remain protected.
[ADMIN] Route testing improved
- New harbour points are detected correctly during sea-route testing.
- Harbour nodes are linked to cities more robustly.
- Routes between newly created cities and existing ports can be tested.
[ADMIN] Deletion functions added
- Cities can be removed through the administration interface.
- Associated harbour SeaNodes and connected SeaEdges are removed with them.
- Cities in active gameplay use remain protected against deletion.
- Sea-route points and edges can be managed more precisely.
[TECHNICAL] Routing engine adjusted
- Harbour nodes are no longer identified exclusively through city_id.
- A fallback using node names such as ‘City Harbour’ has been added.
- Compatibility with existing N nodes has been improved.
- Errors caused by missing or differing database columns have been reduced.
[FIX] Corrections
- New cities sometimes failed to appear correctly in sea-route testing.
- New harbour points were sometimes shown as ‘no sea-route node’.
- New sea-route points were incorrectly treated as protected.
- Inconsistent codes such as PORT_* and SEA_* are avoided for new points.
V0.29
News and changelog administration completed
Version V0.29 expands the internal administration area with a complete news and changelog system. Public articles and version reports can now be created, edited and deleted directly from the administration interface.
V0.29
News and changelog administration completed
This version does not add new gameplay logic for players, but it considerably expands the internal tools. Public information about progress, changes and announcements can now be maintained conveniently through the administration interface.
This provides the foundation for documenting future development stages cleanly and making them visible on the website.
Administration item ‘News & Changelog’ integrated
News management created for public reports
News can be created, edited and deleted
Image upload added for news articles
Upload destination for news images set to assets/img/news
Changelog management created for version reports
Changelog entries can be created, edited and deleted
Administration tabs added for switching between news and changelog
Existing administration layout with top bar and sidebar retained
Form and list areas made scrollable
Display prepared for published articles and drafts
Incorrect template paths cleaned up
Routes for news and changelog standardised in the administration area
V0.28
Changelog section prepared
The changelog section has been prepared so that progress can be presented by version and remain fully available for future reference.
V0.28
Changelog section prepared
The changelog section has been prepared so that progress remains permanently available in an organised form. Each entry receives a version, a brief summary and a more detailed explanation. This helps visitors understand what changed and why the step matters to the game.
Changelog section prepared
Version numbers introduced for development progress
Latest entry displayed at the top
Older entries move into the history
Foundation created for a public development logbook
V0.27
Community meeting place opened
A public meeting place has been opened so that fans of maritime trading and economic games can follow the project's development.
V0.27
Community meeting place opened
A public meeting place has been opened for interested people. It is intended to bring together those who enjoy maritime trading games, economic simulations, historic ports and long-term development. This marks the first step towards building a small community around the project.
Community meeting place opened
Interested players and genre enthusiasts invited
Development updates and insights to be brought together
Additional public platforms prepared
Foundation created for a growing community
V0.26
First development reports published
The first detailed news reports and insights into the creation of Global Fleet & Trade have been prepared and published.
V0.26
First development reports published
The first detailed development reports have been prepared and published. They provide greater insight into the creation of the project, important decisions and visible progress. This establishes a public archive that makes the development of Global Fleet & Trade easy to follow.
First detailed development reports created
Project launch recorded as a retrospective
Progress of the public website described
Ports, routes and gameplay foundations documented
Foundation created for a public project archive
V0.25
News section expanded dynamically
The news section has been expanded: the latest report appears at the top, while older news automatically moves down the page.
V0.25
News section expanded dynamically
The news section has been expanded so that new reports can be published in an organised way. The latest report takes centre stage, while older news remains available below it. Visitors can therefore follow the project's development step by step.
Latest report prominently highlighted
Older reports automatically move down
Reading function introduced for full content
Images and longer texts integrated
Foundation created for regular development reports
V0.24
Foundation prepared for complete voyage paths
Preparations have been made so that future ship journeys will store not only their departure and destination, but also the complete sea route between them.
V0.24
Foundation prepared for complete voyage paths
The foundation for complete voyage paths has been prepared. Future ship journeys are intended to know not only their departure and destination, but also the precise route across sea-route points and sections. This will allow voyages to be stored, calculated and displayed on the map more cleanly.
Complete voyage paths prepared
Sea-route points and sections planned as the foundation
Departure and destination extended with the exact route
Separation of old and new routing logic clarified
Foundation created for real in-game voyages
V0.23
Test ship and visible route testing introduced
A test ship can visibly travel along calculated sea routes and automatically aligns itself with the direction of travel.
V0.23
Test ship and visible route testing introduced
A test ship has been introduced to inspect calculated sea routes visually. It travels along a route on the map and aligns itself with the direction of travel while moving. This visibly demonstrates that the new routing system can work in practice and is not merely a concept.
Test ship introduced on the world map
Calculated route travelled visibly
Automatic alignment with the direction of travel implemented
Route progression displayed more clearly
Foundation created for visible trading voyages
V0.22
Sea-route system established
A new sea-route system has been prepared so that ships will not simply travel directly between ports, but follow traceable maritime sections.
V0.22
Sea-route system established
The sea-route system has been prepared so that ships will not simply travel in straight lines between ports. Instead, they are intended to follow a traceable network of maritime sections, harbour approaches and connection points. This makes voyages more believable and the world more lively.
Sea-route system prepared
Harbour approaches and connection points integrated
Direct connections replaced by maritime sections
Initial maritime route structure established
Foundation created for more credible ship journeys
V0.21
Internal administration area established
An internal administration area has been prepared to make it easier to review the game world, sea routes, tests and important tools in a clear and organised way.
V0.21
Internal administration area established
An internal administration area has been established to make the game world easier to review and develop. It is particularly important for maps, sea routes, routes and test functions. It helps prepare new content in a controlled way before it becomes visible in normal gameplay.
Internal administration area established
Tools for the game world and testing prepared
Visual design aligned more closely with the game interface
Reviewing maps and routes made easier
Foundation created for additional internal tools
V0.20
Fixed Game View Introduced
The game areas were brought into a more fixed view so that important content is presented within a clear and consistent framework.
V0.20
Fixed Game View Introduced
The game areas were brought into a more fixed view. The aim was to ensure that the company, map, port, trade and administration no longer feel like separate pages. Instead, they form a coherent game environment in which every area has a defined place.
Introduced a fixed game view
Brought content together within a clearer framework
Aligned menus and content areas
Created a calmer game experience
Improved the basis for consistent controls
V0.19
New Game Interface Prepared
The game interface was reorganised so that game areas are more clearly separated, easier to read and simpler to expand over the long term.
V0.19
New Game Interface Prepared
The game interface was reorganised so that growing content fits together more effectively. Recurring elements such as cards, frames, tables and displays were made more consistent. This gives the game world a calmer, clearer and more expandable appearance.
Reorganised the game interface
Separated public areas and the game world more clearly
Standardised recurring elements
Improved readability and overview
Created the basis for future expansion
V0.18
World Map Established as the Game Space
The world map was created as the central space for ports, routes, locations and future visible ship movements.
V0.18
World Map Established as the Game Space
The world map was prepared as the central game space. Ports, cities and future routes will be visible there and provide orientation for players. The trading world becomes more tangible because locations and distances are experienced visually rather than existing only as numbers.
