During the last few years we have been busy working with our new game Surviving the Aftermath together with Paradox Interactive. Today we are happy to announce that the game is finally released! Surviving the Aftermath is a survival colony builder set in a post-apocalyptic world that combines colony building and world exploration in a new and original way. Build a colony, manage production chains and take care of the needs and welfare of your colonists. Explore the world around the colony, meet other societies and learn to become a thriving beacon of hope for every survivor who is willing to work for the common good. But beware as the world is a dangerous place. Catastrophes sweep across the land and bandits are waiting to reap the rewards if they see a chance. Ps. You can do fishing in multiple ways in this game as well ;)

[ 2021-12-04 15:53:11 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! Welcome to the Free Weekend of Ice Lakes! We have a small internal study ongoing and we wanted to take this opportunity to get in touch with both new and old players to ask what you like about Ice Lakes. Here are a few suggestions of topics we are especially interested in hearing about, but any feedback you have is welcome!

• What do you enjoy most about Ice Lakes - the relaxation of fishing, the thrill of catching a big one, unlocking new equipment, or something else entirely?
• Tell us about your favorite game mode - do you prefer to play single-player, with friends, or multiplayer tournaments?
• What kind of content updates have excited you most in the past - new maps, fish types, equipment, customization options, or features such as challenges and achievements, or...?

There are no plans to update Ice Lakes further in the future at this stage. However, your feedback will be immensely helpful for our study and would be very much appreciated! Please note that this thread is not for bug posting. Please use the Bug Reports thread instead.

[ 2021-05-08 11:09:46 CET ] [ Original post ]

Here is the first teaser of the upcoming update. Ice Lakes is going to a new continent. Catching the biggest fish has always been a challenge, but there is a new rival in sight. Penguins have been here and catching fish long before a man set foot on these waters. A fishing battle against the nature's own fishing experts awaits! More information about the patch coming soon.

[ 2019-02-15 16:58:50 CET ] [ Original post ]

To celebrate the start of the year of the pig, the game is now on a whopping 50% discount! The actual Lunar New Year event starts in next week! From February 15th to February 28th Ice Lakes celebrates the year of the pig. All maps are decorated with amazing colorful decorations. Catch the biggest fish and enjoy the beautiful scenery. After the Lunar New Year event we will tell you about the next update that takes you to the land of the penguins.

[ 2019-02-06 07:36:43 CET ] [ Original post ]

Halloween is at the door and Pumpkin Party is back! All maps have received a Halloween themed makeover and are filled with spooky decorations. Especially at nighttime the scenery looks very nice and maybe a little scary as well ;) Pumpkin Party lasts from 24th October to 2nd November.

[ 2018-10-24 07:30:50 CET ] [ Original post ]

The great autumn update is now released! Never before there has been so much new content in one update. Let's have a closer look what this update has to offer. Also the game has undergone a complete overhaul on the technical side, which makes it possible to add new content also in the future.
Two new maps are introduced. The first one is a location around a spectacular dam region in the middle of an awe inspiring mountain scenery. In this map you can go fishing either on the higher area behind the dam, or to the lower part of the map. Especially in the lower part there are good spots to find schools of many species lurking in more peaceful spots of the river. The second map takes us to completely new scenery. In Rice Terraces you can do fishing in small ponds in the middle of beautiful hills that are covered with rice terraces. There are also some fish living in the numeorus small rice fields that makes fishing even more interesting. In the middle of the map there is a small, but deep pond that gathers all the water flowing down from the terraces. This is also where all the largest fish in the map will live.
Next up we have three new fish species. We are happy to announce that two of the new species are also the two of the most requested fish by our community, walleye and muskellunge. These are both close relatives to zander and pike that are both familiar for the players of Ice Lakes. However, the newcomers are bigger and tougher than their relatives! Especially trying to catch muskellunge will be a challenge, because it is a huge beast leaving the northern pike to second place. The third new fish is a beautiful newcomer. Chinese perch is a familiar fish from many Chinese books and poems and with this update it becomes a familiar fish also for all Ice Lakes players.
During the last two years we have implemented a lot of new fish species, but not that many new jigs into the game. This is now fixed since there will be 25 new jigs, 10 new lures, 5 new baits and 5 new hooks. These are very good for catching all the new species in the game, but there are also really good ones for the older species as well. Check all the new items in the Equipment section of the game.

[ 2018-08-15 15:21:51 CET ] [ Original post ]

The midsommer festivities are about to start so it is a great time to talk about the next update, which is coming soon! We are busy working also on our next game, but we have not forgotten our loyal Ice Lakes community! The next update is almost finished and the update should roll out in July if everything goes as planned. Two new maps, dozens of new equipment and three new species that has been on the top of the most requested list for a long time. More information about the update closer to release!

[ 2018-06-20 07:44:51 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi everyone! I wanted to give you a quick update about the upcoming features. The next update will be very big. New maps, equipment, fish species and more. There will be so many new things that testing everything will take some time. There are already so many species in the game that we had to completely rewrite the support for the fish species in the game. This way we can continue adding new species also in the future. Hang on tight since new content is coming! here is the first screenshot to show something about the upcoming update.

[ 2018-04-13 13:01:08 CET ] [ Original post ]

Battle Royale is a new exciting game mode that can be played both in single and multiplayer. In this new exciting mode the player must stay inside the eye of the constantly moving storm and try to catch as many fish as possible within the time limit. All of the competition types and maps are also playable in the battle royale mode. The mode can be activated from the map selection just below the fish fight checkbox. The second new features is the updated minimap functionality. The minimap now follows the movement and turns with the player, which makes it much easier to navigate in the game. Also included in this update are bug fixes, new sound effects, ability to see minimap in the fishing scene on VR.

[ 2018-03-08 14:05:04 CET ] [ Original post ]

Battle Royale is a new exciting game mode that can be played both in single and multiplayer. In this new exciting mode the player must stay inside the eye of the constantly moving storm and try to catch as many fish as possible within the time limit. All of the competition types and maps are also playable in the battle royale mode. The mode can be activated from the map selection just below the fish fight checkbox. The second new features is the updated minimap functionality. The minimap now follows the movement and turns with the player, which makes it much easier to navigate in the game. Also included in this update are bug fixes, new sound effects, ability to see minimap in the fishing scene on VR.

[ 2018-03-08 14:05:04 CET ] [ Original post ]

In the next update we are very happy to introduce a super popular battle royal game mode. In battle royale the player must stay inside the eye of the constantly moving storm and try to catch as many fish as possible within the time limit. More information very soon! Here is a small taste of what is coming.

[ 2018-03-06 10:20:05 CET ] [ Original post ]

In the next update we are very happy to introduce a super popular battle royal game mode. In battle royale the player must stay inside the eye of the constantly moving storm and try to catch as many fish as possible within the time limit. More information very soon! Here is a small taste of what is coming.

[ 2018-03-06 10:20:05 CET ] [ Original post ]

Completely reworked character customization is now live. Check the updated Player menu and try the new system with dozens of new items. Over 30 hats, almost 20 characters and 23 color variations makes it possible to create literally thousands of unique outfits. In addition, there is a completely new selection available in the Player menu, which is called Charms. There you can choose one of the new lucky charms or other decorations that will appear beside a fishing hole. The next update will be a big one. It will be a Battle Royale update. More information about it coming soon!

[ 2018-02-23 10:07:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

Completely reworked character customization is now live. Check the updated Player menu and try the new system with dozens of new items. Over 30 hats, almost 20 characters and 23 color variations makes it possible to create literally thousands of unique outfits. In addition, there is a completely new selection available in the Player menu, which is called Charms. There you can choose one of the new lucky charms or other decorations that will appear beside a fishing hole. The next update will be a big one. It will be a Battle Royale update. More information about it coming soon!

[ 2018-02-23 10:07:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

The Lunar New Year celebration has now started! For the next two weeks from February 15th to February 28th Ice Lakes celebrates the year of the dog. All maps are decorated with amazing colorful decorations. Catch the biggest fish and enjoy the beautiful scenery. After the Lunar New Year event we will tell more about the new character customization.

[ 2018-02-15 07:57:12 CET ] [ Original post ]

The Lunar New Year celebration has now started! For the next two weeks from February 15th to February 28th Ice Lakes celebrates the year of the dog. All maps are decorated with amazing colorful decorations. Catch the biggest fish and enjoy the beautiful scenery. After the Lunar New Year event we will tell more about the new character customization.

[ 2018-02-15 07:57:12 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey everyone! We wanted to give some news about the future of Ice Lakes. The next four updates are already planned, but what they will contain? Lets find out! First thing we will do is to relese a notification system telling more information about everything new and upcoming content in the game. This system opens a popup in the beginning of the game telling the latest news about the game. The first thing coming is the Lunar New Year celebration in February that will be showing in the game in similar manner than halloween and Christmas. Ice Lakes will be decorated with the appropriate theme to prepare us for the year of the dog. After the celebration we have three content updates that will introduce completely new features and expand the game even more. Character customization will experience a complete overhaul, meaning that instead of the current system, we will introduce completely reworked customization. This way each player can have their own unique look in the game, which is very nice especially in multiplayer games. The next updates are two content updates. The other one is a huge update bringing dozens of new equipment, maps and fish species into the game. The second content update will also involve new map and new fish species, but they will again expand the game into completely new and interesting frontiers! In addition we have fifth update planned and in the development that will bring a completely new game mode into the game that will reinvent the fishing experience into something very different :) We will tell more about the new updates closer to the release, but also very soon in the game using the new notification system. So check out regularly for the latest information. Keep on fishing!

[ 2018-01-30 09:30:45 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey everyone! We wanted to give some news about the future of Ice Lakes. The next four updates are already planned, but what they will contain? Lets find out! First thing we will do is to relese a notification system telling more information about everything new and upcoming content in the game. This system opens a popup in the beginning of the game telling the latest news about the game. The first thing coming is the Lunar New Year celebration in February that will be showing in the game in similar manner than halloween and Christmas. Ice Lakes will be decorated with the appropriate theme to prepare us for the year of the dog. After the celebration we have three content updates that will introduce completely new features and expand the game even more. Character customization will experience a complete overhaul, meaning that instead of the current system, we will introduce completely reworked customization. This way each player can have their own unique look in the game, which is very nice especially in multiplayer games. The next updates are two content updates. The other one is a huge update bringing dozens of new equipment, maps and fish species into the game. The second content update will also involve new map and new fish species, but they will again expand the game into completely new and interesting frontiers! In addition we have fifth update planned and in the development that will bring a completely new game mode into the game that will reinvent the fishing experience into something very different :) We will tell more about the new updates closer to the release, but also very soon in the game using the new notification system. So check out regularly for the latest information. Keep on fishing!

[ 2018-01-30 09:30:45 CET ] [ Original post ]

This update adds several online features into the game that we think are valuable additions for the Ice lakes community.

Top 3 News Feed

In the main menu you can now see the top 3 records of the day and the top 3 of the month. In the main menu there is a news feed that tells the weight, species and the player who has caught the three of the biggest fish.

Invite Friends

Now you can invite your friends into your online games using Steam's own invite player functionality. Just open the Steam friends list and invite one of your friends into the game. After accepting the invite the game starts and automatically joins the server. Remember that ports are still required to be open for the host router.

Other Updates

• Fixed missing items/money bug. Now items or coins should not get lost.
• Updated Russian localization to improved version.
• Server Browser is limited to show only servers using the same version of the game.

This was a smaller update, but new big things are coming. In the future updates there are a ton of new cool things we will be adding. This means all sorts of new jigs, baits, lures as well as new maps and new fish species. Also the character customization will go through a complete overhaul so that everyone can customize their own character in completely new ways. Soon is also a time for the Lunar New Year, which will be celebrated in the game. Finally, we have ideas of a completely new game mode that would really change the way how the game is played. More information about these in the coming months. Until then, keep on fishing!

[ 2018-01-06 13:56:41 CET ] [ Original post ]

This update adds several online features into the game that we think are valuable additions for the Ice lakes community.

Top 3 News Feed

In the main menu you can now see the top 3 records of the day and the top 3 of the month. In the main menu there is a news feed that tells the weight, species and the player who has caught the three of the biggest fish.

Invite Friends

Now you can invite your friends into your online games using Steam's own invite player functionality. Just open the Steam friends list and invite one of your friends into the game. After accepting the invite the game starts and automatically joins the server. Remember that ports are still required to be open for the host router.

Other Updates

• Fixed missing items/money bug. Now items or coins should not get lost.
• Updated Russian localization to improved version.
• Server Browser is limited to show only servers using the same version of the game.

This was a smaller update, but new big things are coming. In the future updates there are a ton of new cool things we will be adding. This means all sorts of new jigs, baits, lures as well as new maps and new fish species. Also the character customization will go through a complete overhaul so that everyone can customize their own character in completely new ways. Soon is also a time for the Lunar New Year, which will be celebrated in the game. Finally, we have ideas of a completely new game mode that would really change the way how the game is played. More information about these in the coming months. Until then, keep on fishing!

[ 2018-01-06 13:56:41 CET ] [ Original post ]

Today we see a dragon rising when the new China update rolls out with tons of new content and localizations. In addition to other content there are also three new languages available. Chinese, Japanese and also Russian. Note that tutorial texts are still in English, but the missing texts are updated in couple of days.
Three new fish species are introduced. They are Common Carp, Bighead Carp and Koi. All of these can grow very big, so trying to catch these is great fun for those who want to get the biggest fishes in the game. Koi fish are very rare and can be caught only from the new maps, so catching Koi is a treat for those up to the challenge.
Two new China themed maps that are located into an awe inspiring mountain scenery. Dragon Mountains is a small idyllic landscape around a small mountain lake. Great Chinese Garden is a really majestic garden map with beautiful buildings and deep waters.
There are five new fishing rods that come with this update. Two heavy rods, two medium rods and one ultralight rod. They look really cool and they have slightly updated features compared to the older ones.
For longer game sessions there is a new tournament based on the new maps.

[ 2017-12-13 16:23:01 CET ] [ Original post ]

Today we see a dragon rising when the new China update rolls out with tons of new content and localizations. In addition to other content there are also three new languages available. Chinese, Japanese and also Russian. Note that tutorial texts are still in English, but the missing texts are updated in a couple of days.
Three new fish species are introduced. They are Common Carp, Bighead Carp and Koi. All of these can grow very big, so trying to catch these is great fun for those who want to get the biggest fishes in the game. Koi fish are very rare and can be caught only from the new maps, so catching Koi is a treat for those up to the challenge.
Two new China themed maps which are located in an awe-inspiring mountain scenery. Dragon Mountains is an idyllic landscape around a small mountain lake. Great Chinese Garden is a really majestic garden map with beautiful buildings and deep waters.
There are five new fishing rods that come with this update. Two heavy rods, two medium rods and one ultralight rod. They look really cool and they have slightly updated features compared to the older ones.
For longer game sessions there is a new tournament based on the new maps.

[ 2017-12-13 16:23:01 CET ] [ Original post ]

We are happy to announce that we are working with an extensive China themed update. It will include Chinese localization, new China themed maps, new fish species and more. Also other localizations will be added in this update. More information about the update in the near future!

[ 2017-12-02 19:10:47 CET ] [ Original post ]

In this update we are very happy to introduce two new maps. For the first time in our game the maps are based on the real life location. These maps are located in a completely new urban environment in the heart of lakeland Finland in the city of Tampere. Tammerkoski Rapids is located at the city center where the historical industrial city meets the nature in a unique way. Lake Näsijärvi, the second new map, is located only few hundred meters from the Tammerkoski Rapids. It is a beautiful lake where the city meets nature. On the shore you can see the tallest building in Finland rise towards the sky. In this map you can also do fishing in a real Finnish sauna!

[ 2017-11-08 08:44:07 CET ] [ Original post ]

Also in the ice fishing world we are celebrating Halloween and Pumpkin Party is now on! All maps have received a little Halloween themed decorations. Especially at nighttime the scenery looks very nice and maybe a little spooky as well ;) Pumpkin Party lasts from 24th October to 2nd November.

[ 2017-10-24 07:03:13 CET ] [ Original post ]

Finally we can tell something about the new content we have been making for the game. The next update will bring two new maps into the game. What is the most exciting part of these maps, is that they are based on a real life locations. Both maps will represent a historical and idyllic Finnish city Tampere.

Map - Tammerkoski

The first map is located at the city center in the middle of historical industrial environment. here is the first screenshot

Map - Näsijärvi

In Tampere the nature is always close and the second map is located on the frozen waters of lake Näsijärvi around a small islet Siilinkari. During wintertime you can always buy warm doughnuts from a tent. In this map you can also do fishing in a real Finnish sauna!
The update will come out before Christmas.

[ 2017-10-06 11:31:01 CET ] [ Original post ]

The Anniversary Update is finally out! This time we wanted to do something crazy. It is a birthday update after all ;) Let's check out what the latest update has to offer.

Two New Maps

Tropical Freeze is the first new map. In this map players are thrown into sunny paradise islands where, because of drastic climate change phenomenon, a sudden cold atmosphere has frozen all waters. The fishermen around the world are gathering to experience ice fishing in the tropical paradise. This might be a once in a lifetime opportunity to go ice fishing in the middle of calmly waving palm trees. Polar Storm, on the other hand, is from the other end of the spectrum. This map is located to polar region, where the bravest fishermen are exercising their passion on small ice rafts. There might be occasional nuclear submarine you might encounter as well.

New Fish

Barracuda is the new beast that can be caught in the waters of Ice Lakes. More precisely this is a special species that can be only found in the waters of the two new maps. Barracudas are fierce predators and they can be found almost from all depths. This will also take the position of the biggest fish that can be caught in the game.

Night-Time Fishing

Welcome to the dark side! Night has come to Ice Lakes. This is a completely new mode you can select from the map selection menu. Night mode is a "hard" difficulty setting. This means that in general it is harder to catch fish at nighttime. However, some species are more active during night, like burbot for example.

Other

In addition to new content there are also a ton of improvements to the base game. We added the ability to toggle the fishing rod by pressing 'g' key on your keyboard. This way it is no more necessary to hold the mouse button pressed when moving the rod. Couple of bugs we received feedback are also fixed. The possibility to sell your fish in endless loop in multiplayer is now fixed, as well as the bug when detecting Rift system while starting the VR version on Oculus. Thanks to the power of our community, we also added Korean to localized languages. Finally we have started updating all of the sound effects in the game. The first new sounds are already in this update and more will follow in the upcoming updates.

[ 2017-06-14 18:27:53 CET ] [ Original post ]

Ice Lakes was released exactly one year ago, April 19th. The past year has been awesome and a big thanks belongs to the community who have played the game, who have given lots of constructive feedback and suggestions how to improve the game, to those who have made videos and streams to all social channels and finally to all others who have been involved in the Ice Lakes community. It has been a privilege to see how much joy our game has given to so many people. Thank you!

Year of Ice Lakes

During the past year the game has evolved in many ways. Almost each update have included new content or feature that have expanded the game. Five new maps, new jig types, almost ten new fish species and fish fights are some of the most distinguishable features that were added in the content updates to mention a few. Then another major feature we added was a full VR support for VIVE and Oculus Touch. This was not a small task, because it required rethinking game mechanics to work with the VR controllers. It also required rebuilding big parts of the game and remaking the graphics to work with the VR. We are very happy that adding VR version to the game has increased the dedicated playerbase. Furthermore, VR also made the game available to completely new audiences. For example, the game is now playable in multiple VR arcades around the world so that people without access to VR or even frozen lakes can go and experience ice fishing.

Update Announcement

Even though we have new projects in development, we want to improve and expand Ice Lakes further. We have a new updates coming in the future and now let us introduce some of the features we are going to release this year. First there will be some smaller updates that will take care of some of the minor issues and bugs that have been found from the game. After that we have a bigger new content update coming, which will be something little bit different. Even though winter never ends in Ice Lakes, we thought that something different (and little bit crazy) might cheer up the dark winter theme in the game. Two new maps that are currently coming to the game are Tropical Freeze and Polar Storm (names may change). In Tropical Freeze players are thrown into sunny paradise islands where, because of drastic climate change phenomenon, a sudden cold atmosphere has frozen all waters. The fishermen around the world are gathering to experience ice fishing in the tropical paradise. This might be a once in a lifetime opportunity to go ice fishing in the middle of calmly waving palm trees. Polar Storm, on the other hand, is from the other end of the spectrum. This map is located to polar region, where the bravest fishermen are exercising their passion on small ice rafts. There might be occasional whales and nuclear submarines you might encounter as well. When there are new environments, there will be new fish. New fish species will be added to new environments, but maybe also to the old ones. VR fish fights will be improved. Currently the VR fish fighting is not as complex as in the standard version of the game. We are trying to make it similar to the standard version without handicapping the gameplay. Night mode is also one big feature we have been thinking. Fishing during nighttime is not as easy in real life and usually you get even less fish than during other times of the day. It would be a hardcore mode so to speak.Therefore this should also be the hardest difficulty in the game. This would affect also the old levels and the entire appearance of the game. These are couple of things we have in store for the future of the game. Give us a feedback what you think and keep on fishing! With these notes we end this announcement and congratulate our one year old game that we are very proud of. Happy birthday Ice Lakes!

[ 2017-04-19 11:09:04 CET ] [ Original post ]

Ice Lakes is currently in VR anniversary sale. You can get it with -35% discount. We also released a new game called Race Online, which is a great top down racing game. If you are already an owner of Ice Lakes or want to get both games there is a Iceflake Complete Bundle available for -43% discount!

[ 2017-04-06 07:00:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

The VR is expanding. With this update the game gets full Oculus support with the Touch controllers. The game can be played exactly the same way as with the Vive system. Currently we are working to improve the VR experience further. For example, we are exploring new mechanics for VR fish fights and hope to developed it more similar to the standard version of the game. This and other improvements will improve the game and increase the authentic feeling of ice fishing and feeling of being there in the wild that can be only achieved with VR systems.

[ 2017-03-24 12:44:26 CET ] [ Original post ]

Leaderboards

In the main menu of the game you can see a new button on the lower right corner saying "Leaderboards". This is a new feature where all players can compare their biggest fish against other players worldwide. In the global tab you can see the global leaderboard starting from the biggest fish. On the other hand, in the "you" tab it shows your ranking in the global leaderboard. Finally there is a separate tab where the game only shows you and your friends. On the left side of the leaderboards menu there are several options where to choose from. The first one shows all species in one list and below that there are each species shown separately. Note that only one fish per species per player is shown in this leaderboard.

Other

- AI system has been redone. AI players can choose their equipment more wisely based on the conditions and the species they want to catch. - Support for external camera with third controller (VR). - Manual drilling is now easier on VR. - VR physic improvements. - Equipment balances. - Localization improvements. - Bug fixes.

[ 2016-12-12 14:26:17 CET ] [ Original post ]

Today's Deal: Save 40% on Ice Lakes!*

Look for the deals each day on the front page of Steam. Or follow us on twitter or Facebook for instant notifications wherever you are!

*Offer ends Wednesday at 10AM Pacific Time

[ 2016-11-14 18:00:00 CET ] [ Original post ]

More content, improved VR features, fish fights and more. This update has so many new things and improvements to the game that it is safe to say this being the biggest update ever. Without further due let's go through all the things it has to offer.

FISH FIGHTS

Fish fight is one of the biggest game mechanical additions to the game since the release. First of all, this is an optional feature, which can be turned on or off from the map selection screen before every game. This applies for both single and multiplayer. In multiplayer game host can turn on fish fights similarly to all other map settings before every game. Fish fights also works both, with desktop and VR versions. Playing the fish is simple. A separate fish fighting mode is activated after fish takes a bait. However, also the size of the fish and the rod type affects if the fish fight is activated. The smallest fish do not require playing so every fish does not activate the fish fight. The important thing is not to let the line tension rise too high or let the line get too loose. While playing the fish the tension meter should be kept approximately at the center (green region). If the tension goes too up or too low, the fish will get away or the line will break. This is adjusted by reeling and pulling the rod, or letting the line loose. While playing on VR you need to make countermoves with your controller when the game tells to do so. The fish will get away, if you wait too long without making a countermove.

IMPROVED VR

In addition to the new fish fight feature there are many new visual and game mechanical changes to VR version. First of all fishing scenes have now a changing scenery on the horizon. So in the middle of the fog there are also some objects and not just a foggy horizon to look at. Secondly, we added interactivity by placing a bucket into the fishing scene. All fish can be thrown into the bucket which is pretty fun when trying to fit too many big fish into one small bucket. There is also a fishing stool, which really has no real function other than just be there to make the scene look pretty and give an impression of sitting on something if playing seated :) There are also a few more serious game mechanical changes to VR. There were the fish fight features, but also the slush scoop is now used manually while playing on VR. Also the drilling can be done manually by grapping the handles with both hands and then doing the actual drilling by rotating the auger. However, manual drilling is optional and it can be set back to automatic from the game settings. In general the VR has been improved in many ways from the interface and and user experience point of view. If you own a Vive system, this update is really worthwhile to check out.

NEW SPECIES

Three new fish species are introduced. There have been so many requests about having more North American species, so we wanted to add probably two of the most famous angling fish into Ice Lakes. Largemouth and smallmouth bass are both very popular game fish and therefore deserve a place also in our game. The surprise addition is sturgeon. Note that in real life most sturgeon species are endangered and protected and are on the brink of extinction. We do not encourage to catch them outside this game and we hope that we can spread a word of protecting this ancient species and help stopping the illegal fishing. Therefore, enjoy the this fish in our game, so you don't need to do it in real life.

NEW MAP - GOLD RUSH

Gold Rush is the 15th map in Ice Lakes. It is located around an old abandoned gold mine where no fisherman has visited in a long time. The deeb abysses in this map are great places to catch even the biggest beasts in the game.

OTHER

New competition modes, new achievements, gameplay balances, updates to sound effects and multiplayer are just a few smaller things there are in this game. This has been a great update to work with and finally it is out!

[ 2016-11-14 13:20:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

This update adds a support for HTC Vive VR system. This makes Ice Lakes a really unique ice fishing experience on the home systems. Use Vive controller like a real fishing rod and roam around the beautifull landscapes like in the real life. The game also experiences a revamp regarding the graphics and menus. All new features and content will also work in the standard version of the game except the VR specific ones.
The first new map in this update is Emperor's Garden. This introduces a completely new far eastern themed environment and this is also a good place to do smelt fishing.
Another new maps is the Ice Lakes, which is a wilderness map with beautifull waterfalls and lots of small ponds and connecting rivers where to do fishing in this diverse environment.
New fish species introduced in this update are smelt and a catfish black bullhead. Smelts are new type that can be caught from almost every map and they are found schooling little under the ice. Black bullheads on the other hand are more rare and can be found from little deeper.
Two new tournaments are introduced in this update, in which these new fish species and maps are put to the test. The first one concentrates on the far eastern theme and the second tournament is a series of quick competitions finally adding a shorter option for tournament players!

Other things

Finally there are of course bug fixes, gameplay balances. Also the multiplayer reward system has been adjusted so that the reward will scale depending on how many players there are playing on the server.

Coming next

In the next update we will introduce a fish fight mechanic that is currently in the testing. At first it might be only an option and can be turned on/off and we'll see how it goes since it is so drastic change to gameplay mechanics. More information about that later ;)

[ 2016-10-14 12:54:11 CET ] [ Original post ]

In this update we concentrate on improving the existing content and make some groundwork to prepare the next bigger content update. - Game guide is finally here! It can be accessed by pressing the question mark in the main menu. Almost 50 page long guide explains about game mechanics, equipment and fish species in the game. - All jig types have now improved and more balanced fishing models - New localization: Germany - Linux version of dedicated server is now available - Missing ambient sounds are now fixed - Game engine updated to the latest version - Graphic updates to some objects - Option to listen the menu music also during the game - Finally it is now possible to observe caught fish on the ice with information about species and weight. You can also jiggle them around :)
We are also working with the next content update. It will include a new fish species, night fishing, new maps and more.

[ 2016-08-18 11:37:18 CET ] [ Original post ]

In this update we concentrate on improving the existing content and make some groundwork to prepare the next bigger content update. - Game guide is finally here! It can be accessed by pressing the question mark in the main menu. Almost 50 page long guide explains about game mechanics, equipment and fish species in the game. - All jig types have now improved and more balanced fishing models - New localization: Germany - Linux version of dedicated server is now available - Missing ambient sounds are now fixed - Game engine updated to the latest version - Graphic updates to some objects - Option to listen the menu music also during the game - Finally it is now possible to observe caught fish on the ice with information about species and weight. You can also jiggle them around :)
We are also working with the next content update. It will include a new fish species, night fishing, new maps and more.

[ 2016-08-18 11:19:10 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello all! We wanted to give you a heads up what is coming in the future. Because where is the harm to show next big things in advance, right? Konichiwa Japan!
The first update, which we hopefully can release as soon as next week, will improve the current content and make the experience deeper. At least there will be the following contents - Game guide is finally here! It can be accessed by pressing the question mark in the main menu. Almost 50 page long guide explains about game mechanics, equipment and fish species in the game. - Linux version of dedicated server is now available - Missing ambient sounds are now fixed - Game engine updated to the latest version We are not sure whether or not these will be ready for the next update: - Observing caught fish on the ice with information about species and weight. You can also jiggle them around :) http://i.imgur.com/XQ7IPBd.mp4 - Improved fishing models for different jig types. For the next update we have considered something like this: - Night mode for all maps - At least two new fish species: catfish and smelt - New map with Japanese inspired environment and other themes - Fish fights (still under consideration) - And other things... And finally something that makes this game really unique. Ice Lakes is going to have a VR support!!! The a picture about this funny thing can be found from our facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/iceflakestudios/

[ 2016-08-12 21:12:22 CET ] [ Original post ]

Midsummer parties are closing in, but in Ice Lakes winter never ends. Let's make fishing great again!

New features

- Ice fishing cabins - 2 new maps - 3 new fish species: Bluegill, crappie and flounder - 2 new tournaments - 2 new jig types: Spinners and spoons - 40 new jigs - 5 new bait types - 2 new characters - New achievements - Lure colors now match bait colors - Multiplayer host can kick players by typing to game chat "/kick playernick" - Lots of known bugs fixed - Balances and improvements to gameplay - Dedicated servers (alpha release)
Fish cabins can be found from the two new maps. Players can go inside the warmth of a cabin where the freezing winds and cold weather does not distract the fisherman by freezing the hole. You don't have to worry about slush preventing the fishing. Another great thing about these cabins is that occasionally some species may find a good spot under or near them.
Two new maps are concentrated on environments taking their inspiration from the North American continent. Also the species you can get from these maps are more typical to that region, including the new fish species.
Species from the New World are swimming to Ice Lakes. Bluegill and Black Crappie make the fishing even more diverse. Flounder on the other hand, is an interesting fellow. They can lay on the bottom from very shallow to very deep waters. Catching flounders gives a whole dimension to the game.
Two completely new tournaments increase the total number of tournaments to 14! New tournaments continues the theme of the North American ice fishing and concentrates on the new maps and species.
A whole new wave of different jigs and baits are added to equipment selection. In total there are 40 new jigs and 5 new bait types. They will also introduce two completely new jig types; Spinners and spoons. Moreover the 20 new mormyshka and balanced jigs are special type of jigs that can be used in more focused way since they are at their best only for one species each.
Select one of these two new characters, the dark knights of ice fishing, and show how the fishing is done!
Finally there are also dozens of new achievements. Take your goal and go for it!

DEDICATED SERVERS

The first version of dedicated servers are released alongside with this update. However, it is still in alpha stage and has not been properly tested at this point.

FUTURE

What lies ahead? This update also makes a groundwork for new things to come. Dedicated servers will be improved, night mode and some new game modes are new features we are planning to release in the next updates.

[ 2016-06-15 11:41:15 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! As you might have noticed in the previous patch note we are preparing a huge content update, which will be released in June. Here are some details of the upcoming MEGA UPDATE! - Ice fishing cabins - 3 new fish species: Bluegill, crappie and flounder - 2 new maps - 2 new jig types: Spinners and spoons - 2 new characters - 40 new jigs - 5 new bait types - New achievements And then some. Of course we are also fixing known bugs and even more improving the gameplay. Lastly, here are couple of new screenshots from the new features.

[ 2016-05-27 13:33:19 CET ] [ Original post ]

- Temporarily disabled LAN server search to fix connection issues (Use Join IP to join LAN games) - Player names are listed correctly in the server lobby - Bugs regarding ready button functionality in the MP lobby Preparation work done for the next major content update coming next month including: - Ice fishing cabins - 3 new species - 2 new maps - 2 new jig types - 40 new jigs - 5 new bait types - New achievements

[ 2016-05-24 09:02:43 CET ] [ Original post ]

-Fixed issue where client got stuck into CONNECTING... state.

[ 2016-05-13 07:47:53 CET ] [ Original post ]

Release Notes 09.05.2016 - Rolled back some changes to rod physics - 3 hour marathon achievement fixed - Minor changes to fish probabilities on surface depth - Esc button disabled on loading screen

[ 2016-05-09 13:46:33 CET ] [ Original post ]

Release Notes 05.05.2016 Version: 1.2 - Fixed information popup depth order in ingame store - Disappearing rod reeling sound fixed - Password field no longer shows the password visibly on screen - Lowering the line now negatively affects the fishing - Pulling up speed now depends on the weight of the fish - Navigation mesh fixes to multiple levels, should prevent player getting stuck - Fish no longer disappears out of the screen after pull up animation - Free fishing time is no longer shown in server browser - Rod bending is now done with proper spring physics - Target depth can now be set anytime in the fishing scene - Fishes caught in the free fishing mode are now included in statistics - Bait is no longer removed completely when catching a fish - AI skill levels are now stored in tournaments, increases tournament difficulty - Changing to another new hole is now more beneficial [Whitefish] - Fat fin added - Decreased the probability of getting whitefish

[ 2016-05-05 14:14:20 CET ] [ Original post ]

Release Notes 26.04.2016 - Host can change all options in the multiplayer lobby - Free fishing added to multiplayer modes - Map info can be seen in the pause menu - Catching some species are balanced - Rod reel animations are now synchronized to depth meter - Titanium auger prize increased - Medium rod stiffness tweaked - Notification to go back when time is running out in competitions - And a pile of smaller issues

[ 2016-04-26 18:01:21 CET ] [ Original post ]

Release Notes 21.04.2016 - Showing player count and ping correctly in the server browser - Setting server password now works correctly - Player count limits are now working in multiplayer game - Tweaks to item prices

[ 2016-04-21 14:46:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

Release Notes 20.04.2016 - Pressing TAB in multiplayer now opens player listing - Smaller map icon - Fish sizes tweaked, getting large fish is now a lot harder - Ruffe maximum weight decreased - Changes on how the fish weight is shown in multiplayer - Added map name to pause screen - Rod movement limits now work correctly

[ 2016-04-20 17:35:30 CET ] [ Original post ]