What's new in Swimcraft

The fight

Hooked fish now head for cover, such as reeds, lilies and snags, so every fight plays out differently. Your job is to stop them getting there.
Each species fights in its own way, and fish close to their record fight harder.
Your drag setting really matters now. Set it right and you can land a fish heavier than your line.
Carp and tench run, and big bream draw the line away. You'll see the float or the line move before you strike.
Netting has been reworked, and carp waters now have a proper carp net.
Move the mouse to raise and lower the rod tip, and hold the right button to lift. The rod rests while you're cast out.
Every rod bends like its type: sea rods are stiff, match and feeder rods are soft.

The four difficulty levels have been retuned. Easy waters give quick bites and Specimen waters make you work for them.
Line strength now counts. Heavy line for small, shy fish will cost you bites.
Fishing close to cover is rewarded, while open water is fair but slower.
The swim bar now shows how well your swim is really fishing.
Tiger nuts now catch big tench and bream, as well as chub and barbel.
Bites come as they should when you fish bigger hooks for carp.
Smaller sea hooks, sizes 4 and 6, are now available for whiting and flatfish.
Your rig now counts. Lead weight, hooklink material, hooklength and rig choice each affect how fish take your bait, so matching your rig to the fish, the bottom and the bait pays off. The Rigipedia explains every rig.

The line-out panel tells you what your rig is sitting over, for example silt / reeds.
Floats are bigger and easier to see at range.
Opening your tackle or bait box no longer winds your line in.
The tacklebox in the Angler's Lodge can now set up a sea loadout.
When you level up, new gear is marked until you've had a look at it.
The venue page has a Fish today button, and the date and time are easier to find. The exact-time slider now really does set the time you start fishing at.
Catch cards name the exact bait you used, for example Maize rather than Sweetcorn.
Fish on catch cards and record boards are shown at their true size, with a subtle 3D effect.
The home screen has a news board, and Guides now links to the Rigipedia. Sponsored items on the board are labelled as sponsored.
Share my catch: a Share button on your catch card, on your own catches and personal bests, and on world records you hold. It saves a picture of the card, with a code that takes friends to Swimcraft on Steam, and copies a caption ready to post.
New drawn icons across the tacklebox, bait box and account menu, and the box menus are easier to read.

The stocking bar tells you in words how well stocked your water is for its difficulty.
Adding fish pictures shows a live preview, with a guide to making cut-outs.
The Monster size band has been folded into Big Specimen, and sizes stop at the national record.

The rod guides no longer jump from one side of the rod to the other.
The rod no longer loops back on itself when a fish is near the net.
The last card of the fishing tutorial now works as it should.
The rig named on screen is always the rig in the water. Switching from a carp rig to a float no longer carries old settings with it.
Pop-up messages now appear in front of record cards instead of behind them.