My Time at Sandrock News

[h2]Howdy hey, here's part 2 from our AMA highlights![/h2]

Part 1 here! We picked a dozen questions from the My Time series AMA on Reddit that we last hosted. We’re keeping this list short, but you can also check out our FAQ post on the AMA thread itself for answers to some other commonly asked questions!

[h3]Question from u/Classyth1ng5:
Super simple: why aren't demos a permanent fixture? I hesitate to buy Portia bc Im not sure if I'll like it, but because of Sandrock's demo, I'm planning to buy Sandrock when it comes out.[/h3]

Answer from Sarcosmic:
We're developing Sandrock a lot beyond what's in the demo, so in the future, that first Story Demo won't show Sandrock at its best. It was originally only meant to be available during Steam Next Fest.


[h3]Question from u/catalystscattleless:
What has been the most memorable or pesky bug from the series so far?[/h3]

Answer from Dave:
I mean, we hate the crashes the most, losing a whole day of progress is awful. Very excited to finally get the Portia console fixes out soon

But, as for the fun ones in Portia: I like when the cows get half buried, I like when townsfolk go for underwater walks, and I also enjoy peoples' reactions when they end up with multicolored Shrek children. Oh yeah, and the eyeballs popping out thing in Sandrock is always a good time

September 12 update:
You may have noticed the console updates are out now! We're aware there are some new bugs (like the Desert Abandoned Ruins one on Switch), which we’re gathering info on now and will address soon. If you want to report a bug, email us at [email protected] with a detailed description and the platform you're playing on!


[h3]Question from u/1MBee:
I love exploring every nook and cranny of Portia & Sandrock demo's gorgeous maps/worlds, but find it frustrating when you can't interact with a door and realize it's just for decoration (beautiful decoration, mind you :-) Will there be more freedom to roam around in both games?[/h3]

Answer from Yanwei (producer, knower of many things, and person of few words):
We'll design more interaction and exploring methods, please keep eyes on us for more!

Post-AMA answer from Sarcosmic:
By the way, the map for Sandrock is the same physical size as Portia’s (2km square), but there’s a ton more to explore in the overworld this time around. Exploration isn’t the main focus of Sandrock, but it’s a fun part of it and more traversal options (gliders? grappling hooks??) are currently under deliberation. There’s also lots more character to each interior and exterior so that you can get to know the setting and NPCs more just from the spaces they inhabit. As a Portia fan, I’d say Sandrock’s map is already shaping up to be pretty memorable - and there’s more to it than just sand and rock, haha.

There also are many interactable features around the map! There’ll be fun mini-games like an item-matching game, sand sledding, and dune buggy racing, and you can repair/collect things after the sandstorms, tame animals, and more. So much more.


More Q&As are coming next time!



[h3]Wishlist it now for more features! [/h3]
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1084600/My_Time_at_Sandrock/

Catch up with us around the web for more Sandrock information:
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[h2]Hi, all Builders out there![/h2]

So excited!

Our dear partner, PM Studios, will help us bring My Time at Sandrock to its first showing in a US convention to the public for the PAX WEST CONVENTION this weekend!!

[h3]Sandrock will be presented in Seattle, Washington from Sep 3rd to 6th. Our booth is #405[/h3]

If you are in Seattle and your time allows, come visit us and try out the game! This demo build has many fun features for you to experience, with more to come in the full game. We’d love to have you come and have a chat with us! However, we caution that everyone heeds safety measures due to the ongoing virus situation and follows PAX’s safety policies.

If you can’t be there, no worries, we’ll try to share as many pictures as we can after that.

See you on the weekend!

[h3]Location: Booth #405, Washington State Convention Center, 705 Pike Street, Seattle, WA 98101[/h3]
[h3]Time: [/h3]
Sep. 3rd-6th 10am-6pm

[h2]Howdy all,[/h2]

We picked a dozen questions from the My Time series AMA on Reddit that we last hosted, and are sharing a few at a time in no particular order (except that final, burning question that many people have been asking, which will be posted in the last part of this AMA highlight series)! Some of the questions and answers are edited slightly for clarity. We’re keeping this list short, but you can also check out our FAQ post on the AMA thread itself for answers to some other commonly asked questions!

[h3]Question from u/soganomitor:
When deciding on and designing love interests, what is the general process? Do writers/character designers create people that they find attractive, or is it more of a feedback/research thing?[/h3]

Answer from Dave (the cool writer):
It can go a couple of different ways: sometimes the writers have a character in mind and ask the artists to draw up some concepts based on our descriptions, other times the concept artists show us a bunch of characters and we choose the pictures we're able to get a thousand words out of

Sometimes it's more of a ping-pong thing:
For example, Burgess from the story team was originally imagined to be like a blockheaded grunt guy who just does whatever his superiors tell him to. I'd kind of written him to be sort of mean spirited and enjoy enforcing pedantic rules on people, but then the artists drew him as this, like, big happy puppy-dog lookin' guy, and we were like 'woah, this is way better.' so based on the new art, he became this very friendly guy who has this weird obsession with enforcing laws more-so because he thinks it's a good way to help people and less because of the power-trip, and I think the character is now much better than before. So yeah. Teamwork makes the dream work

I just realized you asked about love interests, and Burgess is not one, but we do use that same kind of process when deciding on love interest designs

With the love interests, we do also try to make them all different from one another in appearance, personality, and the tone of their story. Our goal is not actually to make players want to romance every person in town, but rather to create some designs and personality types that will appeal greatly to some people while turning others off, and vice versa. We're hoping that by having this variety, everyone will be able to find something they like.

[h3]Question from u/oatmilksoldout:
What will the multiplayer in Sandrock be like? Can we share one workshop with our friends? Can we marry the same people? And will it be accessible from the beginning?[/h3]

Answer from Sarcosmic (chatty community manager):
Multiplayer will not be available until closer to full release of the game in 2022. It will be a separate mode from the main single player mode and is aimed to support at least 4 players in an open-world map, though it will not be cross-platform (meaning that PC and console players will not be able to play together). More information will be released later on.
The first preview of multiplayer in action is on our Youtube channel!


[h3]Question from u/BlindGh0sty, u/Mayor_Alli, u/Top-Currency-490, and many more:
When is the early access coming? Will it be in a few months or this month?[/h3]

Answer from Sarcosmic:
No official date yet! We'll update the Early Access launch info on Steam when we're ready, so please wishlist Sandrock on Steam to help unlock more romance candidates and get alerted when Sandrock becomes available!

More Q&As are coming next time!



[h3]Wishlist it now for more features! [/h3]
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1084600/My_Time_at_Sandrock/

Catch up with us around the web for more Sandrock information:
Sandrock Instagram Sandrock Twitter Sandrock Facebook Sandrock Official Website

[h2]Howdy all,[/h2]

The livestream is live now! Check following links to join us:

[h3]My Time at Sandrock Steam store[/h3]
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1084600/My_Time_at_Sandrock/

[h3]Pathea Youtube
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][/h3]

[h3]Pathea Twitch[/h3]


During this livestream, we'll introduce some of Sandrock’s unique minigames already implemented in the current Closed Beta version, so you can learn more about how local Sandrock residents stay entertained in the desert town, then we’ll cover some Q&A that you’re curious about for Sandrock!

The live streaming record will also be on our Youtube channel after the stream is finished! So no worries if your timezone isn't convenient for you!

[h2]Let’s play now![/h2]





[h3]Wishlist it now for more features! [/h3]
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1084600/My_Time_at_Sandrock/

Catch up with us around the web for more Sandrock information:
Sandrock Instagram Sandrock Twitter Sandrock Facebook Sandrock Official Website

[h2]Howdy all, [/h2]

How’s your summer going? We hope it’s been a good one! It’s been a super hot summer over here. Despite that, we’ve turned up the heat with some hot new content - be sure to check out the previous update preview or previous Closed Beta changelist if you missed them, because there’s a lot coming to Sandrock!

[h3]New Romanceable Characters Almost Unlocked[/h3]
The concept art for the 400K new friends is finished! The male character is a writer from Atara, intrigued by the story of Logan. The female is a teacher who’s looking to settle back into Sandrock when the opportunity arises.

We’ll unlock two extra romanceable NPCs when we reach 400K wishlist, but they are not guaranteed to be added to Sandrock, we’re less than 50K wishlists away from unlocking them in the game, so share the news and have your friends wishlist Sandrock on Steam now!


[h3]Romance[/h3]
Love is in the air! ...For a few NPCs, at least. You can now hang out with certain NPCs to get to know them better, take them out on dates to improve your relationship, and play minigames that have been improved from their Portian iterations!
If the apple of your eye is a confirmed dateable but doesn’t have romance content yet, never fear! Romance content for other eligible characters will be added in future updates.


[h3]Raising[/h3]
As an elite Builder, raising animals in your workshop can be both an enjoyable and a useful endeavor. The basics of the animal-raising functions have been added to your workshop, but you may need to expand your yard more and allocate your yard space wisely!


[h3]New Pets[/h3]
In addition to the ranch animals, more cuties are coming to Sandrock for you to befriend and potentially adopt!


[h3]New Interiors[/h3]
Ready for a fresh new look? Well, head down to the local hair cutting parlor to meet the friendly stylist, Pablo! The ability to change your hairstyle at the parlor isn’t available in this build, but in the future, Pablo will be able to take care of your every need and help you transform your look!


[h3]New Device[/h3]
As you start expanding your workshop, you’ll find it more and more difficult (or expensive!) to collect enough water to keep your machines cool in the desert heat. That’s where the Dew Collector comes in! Make some of these handy devices to collect airborne water droplets and you’ll be able to become more self-sustaining!


[h3]Mini Games [/h3]
We had more minigames improved and optimized, now they are more interesting and we hope they will bring more fun to you!

-Sandrunning
We’ve optimized the sledding minigame, from the track to the art to the controls! Feel the exhilaration and enjoy the beautiful desert views while you sled down from the top of the high, sandy mountain.
[previewyoutube]https://youtu.be/ABK5jpacU5E[/previewyoutube]
-Whack-A-Mole
A mega-sized version of a familiar game! Grab your inflatable hammer and get ready to bonk some moles!



See you in Sandrock!
Catch up with us around the web for more Sandrock information:
Sandrock Instagram Sandrock Twitter Sandrock Facebook Sandrock Official Website