Underspace News

Weekly Underspace Devlog #17: Optimizations and Polishing!

Ahoy, Starchasers!

Cats.

If nothing returns from inside a black hole, explain this.

This week's content creator spotlight is none other than Dan Field. We're excited that he tried out Underspace and seemed to love it a lot. If your French is a bit rusty, don't worry -- his gameplay is superb so just focusing on the video is all good. Anyway, enjoy!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

We announced this last week, but for the record:

[h2]Underspace will be participating in Steam Next Fest![/h2]

Once again, we'll have a playable Steam demo up and running AND I'll be personally playing during the developer stream (naturally). I know there will be a lot of games to try, so it'd mean a lot to me if you'd test out Underspace and see for yourself what's coming out in just a few short months.

As always, if you have any interest in trying out Underspace, check out download our latest demo and give it a go (before the official Steam demo version releases). You should also join the Underspace Discord. Because I said so.

Now that you've all joined the Discord (thanks!) and have tried the demo (thanks again!), here's what I did this week:

+ Redid opening cutscene.
+ Redid some starting title screens.
+ Redid starting loading screen.
+ Redid how the starting loading screen works.
+ Added a disclaimer.
+ Skipping the intro can still point you to the main quest.
+ Fixed issues with skipping cutscenes.
+ Hooked up cutscene options.
+ Fixed some loading issues.
+ Fixed several saving issues.
+ Added more character customization options.
+ Added new voice types for NPCs.
+ Added new icons for old NPCs.
+ Added voice acting to some previous unvoiced aspects of the game.
+ Added ambient NPCs to all demo stations.
+ Added ambient NPC conversations to all demo stations.
+ Added models for some stuff later down the line.
+ Fixed up UI stuff.
+ Fixed some UI display issues.
+ Fixed up tons of loading issues on stations.
+ Optimized stations.
+ Added new records to the in-game record system.
+ Fixed issues with rampage missions.
+ Mining guns can now be set to not consume energy if you’re using them alongside a mining drone.

As always, thank you all for supporting Underspace. It's incredible seeing everyone's comments, videos, and posts. If you haven't already, please help support us and give the Underspace socials a follow:

[h3]💥💥💥 UNDERSPACE 💥💥💥[/h3]
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And, because obviously:

[h3]🚂🚂🚂 TRAINWIZ 🚂🚂🚂[/h3]
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Thanks for checking out this week's devlog -- stay tuned for more Underspace updates!

Weekly Underspace Devlog #16: Steam Next Fest and Other Updates!

Happy 2024, Starchasers!

Wow. 2024. Hi. Lots to do before the Early Access release this year... whew.

Mimi says hi too.

This week's content creator spotlight is the one and only Splattercat, who has taken Underspace for a second spin about a year or so after his first run. It's cool to compare both videos and see how much has changed between then and now, and we loved hearing the positive feedback about the uniqueness of the Lovecraftian elements. With that being said, a few of his complaints have already been tweaked (which you'll see in the changelog below) so consider his (few) qualms addressed.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Onto our most pressing news:

[h2]Underspace will be participating in Steam Next Fest![/h2]

This means we'll have a playable Steam demo up and running for the occasion AND I'll be personally playing during the developer stream (I mean, who else, right?). I know there are a lot of games to try out during this time, so it'd mean a lot to me if you'd test out Underspace and see for yourself what's coming out this year.

As always, I'd like to state that, if you have any interest whatsoever in trying out Underspace, check out download our latest demo and give it a go (you know, before the official Steam demo version). You should also totally join the Underspace Discord. You joining would start 2024 on the right foot for sure.

Now that you've all joined the Discord (thanks!) and have tried the demo (thanks again!), here's what I did two weeks ago:

+ Ships can spawn as undocks from stations now.
+ Spawned ships in fights now prewarm.
+ Shipdealing UI now accounts for ship stats when transferring special items.
+ Snakes now flee if you leave a boss arena.
+ Defeating Pyrona’s boss rewards you with extra stuff.
+ Rebalanced big transports with proper hardpoints.
+ Made better spawn points around stations.
+ Fixed some atmosphere rendering issues.
+ Fixed scaling issues in various macrovari and ijuni bars.
+ Restored some missing campaign cutscenes.
+ Fixed some descriptions on ships.
+ Optimized title screen loading stuff.
+ Added intro video tech.
+ Fixed some prewarming issues.
+ Leveling up or defeating storms now heals you.
+ Missions now display what station you took them from.
+ Fire damage systems no longer loop.
+ Player now has an icon on the minimap.
+ Fixed some enablers on the starting area.
+ Added more mid-mission save checkpoints.
+ Fixed some docking issues in the main campaign.
+ Worked on finalizing a fair amount of quests.

And here's what I did last week:

+ Total skill refactor.
+ Quests and other things can now award skill points.
+ Tutorial for leveling up added.
+ Added support for landing cutscenes on planets.
+ Rebalanced game economy.
+ Fixed some display errors.
+ Fixed issues with ships spawning in with voices when they shouldn’t have been.
+ Worked on various quest improvements for their next draft.
+ Began work on full controller support.
+ Station detailing pass.
+ Added support for easy station material changes.
+ Redid graphics on station terminals.
+ Worked on basic NPC station detailing.
+ Modeled out some ocean going vessels.
+ Added various ambient NPCs to places.
+ Restored NPC accessory models.
+ Redid models of various NPCs on stations.

Thanks for checking out this week's devlog -- stay tuned for more Underspace updates!

2023 Summary & Recap

Welcome starchasers! It’s a new year! A new you! A new us! New gods, built to burn down the old ones and establish a new pantheon inside their corpses!
We like to do yearly recaps at this point, to summarize everything that’s happened in the past 2023s. So… what is done?

The answer: Everything. The game is content complete. Both campaigns (multiplayer and singleplayer), every quest, system, station, dungeon, boss, random mission, party member, flyable ship. There’s several hundreds hours of play here. As our testers can attest to, the game is absolutely MASSIVE.

Last year saw some of our most important changes ever. In addition to pumping out the majority of the content, we signed on with a publisher, started uploading our first steam builds, got quite a lot of coverage, and acquired a secondary orange cat.

The publisher’s probably the biggest one there. Our publisher, Camlann Games, will be spinning all the plates that my decaying and bruised body simply can’t spin anymore. That includes promotional work, community management, translations, ports, and the eventual subsumption of the continent into our lunar-based hivemind. Typical stuff.
They even filmed a fancy new trailer for us, check it out!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

So with all this in mind, you’re probably asking “what’s left?” or more appropriately you’re probably asking “where the hell is my quirky space game you train-eating bastard?”.
The answer: It’s coming. And sooner than you might think. We’re now in the polishing and completion stage, which brings with it a LOT of testing, which itself takes time.

Still, two major blockers remain: The first is station detailing. This is going at a breakneck pace, in no small part because we have multiple level designers out there turning stations into stations with things on them.

The second is finishing up multiplayer. Again, this is going at a breakneck pace but testing can often be slow. If anyone ever tells you developing a multiplayer game is easy, they’re right. If anyone ever tells you that testing a multiplayer game and making a stable multiplayer game is easy, they’re wrong and you shouldn’t be speaking to them.

With that in mind, our release on Steam will be considered Early Access. The game you will be getting will be content complete and utterly massive, but at the end of the day this is a very small studio taking on a game as large as my ego. An early access release will allow us to better incorporate feedback on systems and tweak the game to make it as good as possible. There will not however, be less trains. There will be more trains if you ask for less trains.

As part of that release, Underspace’s demo will officially be coming to Steam quite soon! This brings with it a whole host of advantages, not the least of which is a much smaller download size and an easier way for us to push patches.

And that’s our yearly recap! We’ll return to your regularly scheduled weekly updates now.

Weekly Underspace Devlog #15: Last Devlog of 2023!

Happy Holidays, Starchasers!

Crazy that it's already the end of 2023 -- even crazier that Underspace will come to Steam Early Access next year! It's been such a long time coming and I can't wait until you all get your hands on my blood, sweat, and tears in game form.

Pretend that sounded less weird... here's a cat open as a distraction.

They're even more excited than I am... perhaps.

This week's featured content creator is Alfenwylm. While they definitely enjoyed their time and had some great feedback, I wanted to say quickly that a lot of said feedback has already been addressed. For example, the "emptiness of space" is not so empty now, with plenty of props and items being added into space stations and the like, for example. But either way, great video and I'm grateful for it :)

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

As always, I'd like to state that, if you have any interest whatsoever in trying out Underspace, check out download our latest demo and give it a spin. You should also totally join the Underspace Discord. You joining would end 2023 on the right note, surely.

Now that you've all joined the Discord and have tried the demo, here's what I did two weeks ago:

+ Added script commands for detecting if the player is looking at something or not.
+ Added more stuff for the campaign.
+ Added new monsters.
+ Worked on new campaign missions.
+ Added pattern spawning to some attack blocks.
+ Worked on advertisement stuff.
+ Added new controls for skyboxes.
+ Added new controls for death trackers to turn off large fighter logic.
+ Large fighters can have override targets that they target regardless of state.
+ Added new projectile types.
+ Went back and added some closure effects to lanes.
+ Added new faction types for big battles.
+ Added new boss scripts
+ Added new boss effects.

And here's what I did last week:

+ Scripted more bosses.
+ Added new interiors.
+ Added new tutorials.
+ Added new conversations.
+ Added effects when entering thruster.
+ Fixed issues brought on by old thruster code.
+ Added a random sound player for on-station announcements.
+ Added alternate routes for players choosing to go more evil and do stuff.
+ Detailed more interiors.
+ Added new textures for interactables.
+ Added Ijuni tradesmen to Vauldric.
+ Finished the next draft of the main campaign.
+ Added new ambience noises.
+ Added flak to various big battles.
+ Fixed some issues with said big battle.
+ Added tech for bloodstains.
+ Began refining some sidequests.
+ Started adding tech for ships to spawn as undocks from stations.

Thanks for checking out this week's devlog -- stay tuned for more Underspace updates!

Weekly Underspace Devlog #14: Fixes and Modeling Before The Year Is Out!

Salutations, starchasers!

The end of the year is upon us, which is... really weird. Pretty crazy to think that Underspace is going to finally launch in Early Access next year, just right around the corner. No pressure, right?

The cats, of course, feel no such pressure, as they have no concept of game development nor deadlines.

This week's content creator spotlight is Megxx Gaming Channel. The video is in German so if that's a language you understand, you're in luck! If not, it's all good -- it's pretty clear to see that they understood what Underspace is about and had a good handle for the game. Had a lot of fun watching this one and really appreciate them making a great video.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Yet again, I am here to remind you that, if you have any interest whatsoever in trying out Underspace, check out download our latest demo and give it a go. You should also definitely join the Underspace Discord. There are Underspace updates and cat photos abound. Aplenty, even.

Now that you've all joined the Discord and have tried the demo, take a look at what I've done this week:

+ Added more interiors.
+ Added more specific controls for audio synchronization.
+ Added some new furniture for captain’s seats and such.
+ Added new character icons.
+ Added controllers for phase states.
+ Added more scaling abilities to mission functions.
+ Modeled out more planetside stuff.
+ Production and consumption times and effects of both are shown in the UI now.
+ Ported and UV’d new interiors.
+ Storms affect dynamic economy consumption/production times now.
+ Scanning stuff now stays at the edge of the screen.
+ Fixed respawn issues.
+ Fixed UVs on monitors.
+ Fixed some small save issues.

Thanks for checking out this week's devlog -- stay tuned for more Underspace updates!