Party Animals News

[h3]🤔 Q: What has been added to the final version compared to the 2020 Demo version?[/h3]
A: The release version has more than 4 times the content compared to the Demo, including new maps, characters, skins, and more. We also added voice chat, emotes, and DMs in the game.



[h3]🗺 Q: Are there any new gameplay features?[/h3]
A: Yes, the final version has unique mechanics for each map in Last Stand and Team Score matches, requiring players to master various skills and cooperate with teammates to achieve victory.

🧨 For instance, on the Trebuchet map, players must launch bombs, defend their base, and disrupt the enemy.



🍭 Lollipop Factory: Drag gummies to base.



🏀 Buzz Ball: Basketball-like gameplay



These threes maps are all labelled Team Score.


[h3]💰 Q: Do I have to pay real money for these cute animals and outfits?[/h3]
A: All base animals can be obtained for free in the game. Over 70%* of outfits can be purchased with "earned currency" gained through leveling up. Some outfits require Surprise Egg drawing. Players can obtain "Egg Coupon" by leveling up or through in-game purchases.
*Note: Outfits provide no stat bonuses. They won't make you stronger, only cuter.


[h3]👥 Q: Does it support local multiplayer?[/h3]
A: Yes, up to four players can play on the same device. You will need at least a keyboard and a controller to have two players. Multiple controllers are needed for extra couch players.


[h3]🖥 Q: Can couch players join online battles?[/h3]
A: Yes, local couch players can play online battles in custom game.



[h3]🌍🌏 Q: Will there be no more delays?[/h3]
A: No more delays, we promise!


[h3]🇺🇳 Q: Which languages will be supported?[/h3]
A: The game will be available in Chinese and English at launch, with more languages added in subsequent updates.


[h3]📱 Q: Why no PS, Switch, or mobile, and when will the game be available on these platforms?[/h3]
A: As a startup studio, we can only ensure timely releases on XBOX and STEAM platforms. Developing for more platforms requires additional time. We'll begin working on other platforms after the initial release.


[h3]🧐 Q: Will there be a public Demo before release?[/h3]
A: No, but we'll invite a limited number of players and media outlets for closed online or offline testings. We'll also offer offline demos at some gaming events.


[h3]🎄 Q: Will pet contest participants get their promised free copy?[/h3]
A: Absolutely. We will reach out close to launch.

First of all, we would like to apologize to our long-awaiting players. The game release, initially scheduled for the first half of 2023, has been delayed once again. We will explain the reasons for the delay and confirm the final launch date in the following paragraphs.
More importantly, we try to be more transparent and accurate in informing players about our plans leading up to the game's release.



[h2]Release Date[/h2]
The final release date is set for Sept 20, 2023 (4 AM PST). Initial platforms are STEAM and XBOX.



[h2]Reasons for Delay[/h2]
By the end of 2022, we had finished the development of in-game features and entered the testing and bug-fixing phase. Since this is our first game project, we wrongly estimated the time needed for bug fixes.
Additionally, some necessary approval processes also exceeded our expected timeline. This was entirely due to our overly optimistic estimates and lack of experience, for which we deeply apologize.



[h2]Pre-release Plans[/h2]
Firstly, the game needs to obtain final approvals from partner platforms and relevant regional authorities. Without these approvals, we will not be able to set up servers and release the game in certain regions.
Secondly, we need to conduct stress tests on our servers. Before the final launch, the game will undergo at least two full-interface server stress tests to minimize potential server issues.



[h2]Game Prices[/h2]
Standard Edition: 20 USD
Deluxe Edition: 30 USD
Both the Standard and Deluxe Editions include all game maps, with the Deluxe Edition featuring exclusive character outfits and in-game currency. We will disclose the content of Deluxe Edition in future Dev Logs.



[h2]In-game Currency[/h2]
In-game currency can be earned by playing or leveling up and is used to unlock characters or character outfits.
Different character outfits will not have any stats or functional differences.



[h2]Gifts for Demo Players[/h2]
All Steam players who participated in the Demo in October 2020 will receive 10 "Surprise Egg" vouchers in the game. Surprise Eggs contain various in-game characters, character outfits, avatar frames, and others.

It's a bit strange to peruse the list of the most-wishlisted games on Steam and see that among Hogwarts Legacy, Starfield, and Hollow Knight: Silksong is a game called Party Animals sitting firm at number five. Yup, more people are waiting to play Party Animals than there are for big ticket games like Ark 2. Incredible...
Read more.

The game is pretty much in the final stages of development, and our main task now is to fix bugs, optimize performance, and modify some content to comply with national policies and regulations.

This phase is a bit longer than we expected, so this will be the last Dev Log for a while.

Subsequent Dev Logs will be posted around the time of release: there's not much more to reveal about the game! And we want to still leave some content and some surprises for players to explore after launch.

Voices

In addition to polishing the game and fixing bugs, the development team is also working on the animals voices. This work is more fun than we thought it would be. The voice actors not only need to act out the types of animals, but also need to reflect the corresponding personalities without any lines.

Outfits

In addition to the base skin for each animal character, you can also unlock additional outfits through level rewards, item shop, Battle Passes, and achievements.



These outfits do not change the actual stats or moves of the animals, but only make them look more badass.

Characters from the Community

Remember in Dev Log 01 when we picked out two very fierce looking animals: Shark and Samurai Nemo?



Now we've taken those concepts and turned them into reality:



If you'd like to submit your own concept as well, you can join our Discord community at https://discord.com/invite/partyanimals

Hiring

As we move towards the end of development, we have started to expand our QA and operations teams.

We are currently recruiting for the following positions: Black-box QA Tester, Security QA Engineer, Game Operations Team Lead, and Console Port Development Engineer.

If you are interested in joining team Party Animals, please submit your resume to us at [email protected]

Q&A

Q: @sttttttop: If you are not release the game yet, how about some merch first[Cry][Cry]

A: Look what this is!




Q: TARDID: Played the trial version of the game (sry). The game looks really good, just want to say that this QE turning camera feels weird and the turning speed is too slow. If you have time, it is best to change a little [flowers][flowers][flowers][flowers].

A: With keyboard and mouse, you can use QE to turn the camera, or press the mouse middle to rotate the screen. You can also enable camera follow, so that your cursor movement will always control the camera rotation. Top-down view games usually do not encourage cursor-controlled rotation, as it is more likely to cause dizziness.


Q: Is it possible to add unique skills based on the characteristics of each animal?

A: Working on it. But ummmm ...... you guys still want the game released as soon as possible, right?

Current Team Status

Hardware Requirements

We are trying very hard to improve the game performance without sacrificing too much visual quality. However, the minimum hardware configuration might still be higher than what people first assumed.

Normally, the performance limitations for a game come from visuals, scripts, sound, animations, and physics. The visuals is usually the most expensive in terms of performance. This is not the case for Party Animals. Besides a complex physics system, we also have to consider the quality of complicated renders, like animal fur, numerous dynamic light sources, soft shadows and AO, etc.



There doesn't really exist any physics based game that has complex visuals. To take a few physics based game as examples: Human Fall Flat, Gang Beasts, TABS, Stick Fight. Visual quality, complex physics, and low hardware requirements. Most games could only choose two out of the three.

This is the biggest challenge we face during the development. Our team is gradually working through all the different modules to increase performance. Sometimes we spend months to refactor the code to optimize 1ms or even 0.2ms of process time. It's like trying to squeeze water out of a dry piece of sponge.

The recommended minimum configuration is Intel i5-7500/Ryzen3-3300X + Nvidia GTX1050/RX560, with 8G memory. This will allow you to play under medium graphics settings on 1080P displays. You will have a better visual experience if you have better hardwares.

We are still testing on hardwares with lower configurations. The goals is to eventually allow players to play with integrated graphics cards by reasonably lowering the visual quality.

Maps

[h3]0. Team Score - Balloon Money Safe
[/h3]

Players need to fight for the money safe in the middle of the map and carry it to their own base.

The money safe is attached to a balloon, so players have to hold on to it and move it like a swing.


[h3]1. Team Score - Ice Hockey
[/h3]

Players need to get the hockey into the opponent's gate to earn points.

Be careful, you might get knocked out by the hockey. The shield will make you a better gatekeeper.


[h3]2. Team Score - Trebuchet
[/h3]

Players need to use the trebuchet to throw bombs to the opponent's base and let it explode to earn points.

You can throw your teammates over to mess with your opponents. You can also stay home and throw opponent's incoming bombs into the river.

Q&A

Q: @给哥⼀⻆钱: I would much prefer knocking out all 7 people. I don't need teammates. I will fight everyone!

A: You can still theoretically punch out everyone in a game including your teammates :)


Q: Will there be mobile and Switch versions?

A: All our time are spent currently on PC and XBOX versions. If everything goes well after launch, we will then start to port to other platforms.


Q: What graphics performance will the Steam Deck have? 30 FPS or 60 FPS?

A: We haven't decided yet. It really depends on the optimization. But we will definitely make a lot of graphics adjustments on Steam Deck. There might just be two sets of graphics settings: standard and visual enhanced. This is probably the case for all consoles.

Usually smaller screens are less sensitive to framerate. So far, we think 30 FPS is acceptable for Steam Deck. There is just a slight increase in latency.

Don't forget Steam Deck is portable, so increased FPS will mean faster battery drain.