Skyclimbers 2024 Update - Part 2
[h2]Welcome to part 2 of the Skyclimbers 2024 update![/h2]
[h3]Make sure to read part 1 first...[/h3]
[h3]Each class has multiple weapon types and unique combos. [/h3]
The Paladin can wield a variety of melee weapons, including swords, spears, axes, and hammers. Each weapon type has its own attack speed, range, and durability. One-handed weapons allow players to carry a shield for defense, while two-handed weapons offer more power but leave players vulnerable during attacks.
Most weapons will degrade over time, encouraging reliance on smiths to maintain a robust armory. Players will need to strategize carefully, managing their loadouts or adapting to the weapons they come across the world. While the Paladin has access to class-specific arms, the game also features common melee weapons that can be wielded by any class.
[h3]Your militia is made of units trained with one of three sub-classes. [/h3]
As your village grows, you’ll need to construct a building for each unit type, along with securing sufficient resources and population to support your militia. A growing war camp will enable you to defend your settlements or venture out to the battlefield.
Ranged units can be archers, slingshots, or later-era technology equivalents.
Standard infantry carry melee weapons and light armor.
Heavy Infantry units carry the thickest armor and largest weaponry.
Each unit carries a balance of damage, defense, and stamina, along with formation-specific behaviors that can be countered with the right tactics. Certain Districts are known for their exemplary units, and future iterations will include companion Sentius to their ranks.
Units fight alongside you in battle and follow commands.
Bringing the right units to each conflict will make for better results.
Larger battles may require multiple unit types.
Warfare is expensive, and you must be strategic with which battles you pick, as rebuilding the militia takes time and resources while leaving the settlement vulnerable to raids.
It's up to you as the commander to build a strategy.
Basic commands such as follow, hold, attack, and line formations are the foundations of unit combat tactics which the player can apply over any scenario to their wish.
Squabbles with the opposing clan can lead to major battles.
Voidlings will fight both sides should the battle run into night time.
Hordes of Void can overrun powerful units with numbers.
Void and Yagi bases will spawn near your town hall, gathering resources and building their armies. Clearing out Yagi and Void camps will reduce their strength, but raids are inevitable at some point.
Players can now swim and dive in large bodies of water, with swimming consuming stamina. Additionally, resources can be gathered underwater.
The new free-climbing system offers improved fluidity and maneuverability. Players can now climb most surfaces they encounter, from cliffs to buildings. Climbing consumes stamina, requiring strategic planning.
Players can now glide through the air from high places using a paraglider. It's especially useful for covering large distances or safely descending from great heights. Like swimming and climbing, using the paraglider will consume stamina.
Alongside new locomotion methods, walking and running have been revamped with responsive new sub-states.
The stamina bar can now be found as a pyramid-shaped icon near the player on screen, making it easier to manage stamina-consuming actions without having to glance at a distant corner
The resource depletion system has been reworked to be more user-friendly. Gathering plants and ground pickups now requires only a single button press.
Mining and woodcutting are no longer restricted to the multi-tool. Any weapon or tool can be freely used to deplete stone and trees, without the burden of long animations or cooldowns when gathering resources.
Albarott are key species in the ocean biome ecosystem, making nests on rocky islands.
Orcalf and Orchydro make use of a new underwater herding algorithm.
Companion Sentius will follow you on foot or wing, accompanying you on your journey.
Villagers can own domestic Sentius such as Yacabur for food, labor, and companionship.
Super rare Sentius such as Thracion may flee when you approach them. Encounters are rare, so you’ll need to choose wisely before making your move. Certain quests may also be tied to locating these elusive Sentius.
A family of Stagma, Fawsaught, and Fawnra in the Deep Forest district.
Taking on a pack of hostile Sentius can be challenging, even with a companion.
You can watch your Sentius fight, but you may need to step in if more hostiles join the battle.
Your companion Sentus may flee to avoid fainting during battle.
By working with Raikit, the Paladin takes out each Lupyre individually. Bringing the right Sentius can make all the difference—use elemental advantages. Night is especially dangerous, so keep track of high-level Sentius species and their home biomes.
Aerapterix guarding its young in the Gyser plains.
Raptra is hungry!
Aerapterix isn't happy to see the player, and is ready for a fight!
Third-stage Sentius evolutions are mini-bosses, with high stats and dangerous attacks.
Defeating these Sentius requires practice and an understanding of their tactics and strengths. Elemental advantages can make all the difference in battles like these. If you're trying to tame Sentius at this level, the right preparation is essential.
The Magma District is home to high-level Sentius, and Magmacano is a particularly tough opponent.
With multiple ranged attacks, timing your strikes is crucial!
The center biome of each continent is the most dangerous, featuring high-level Sentius and unforgiving terrain.
A brand new sky and weather system has been integrated, bringing new developmental and artistic possibilities. As before, it includes time of day progression, but now also features a range of weather conditions such as rain, thunderstorms, snow, and fog. Different biomes will have distinct weather patterns. Weather is now paired with audio and particle systems to create biome-specific ambiance.
Hex is the nearby moon of Lithan, your home planet.
A planetary neighbor of three unknown Dynasties can now be seen on the horizon.
A new clustering and spatial partitioning algorithm enables denser forests with better performance. Clustering allows for more efficient memory management, keeping usage low and preventing stuttering. Combined with a new level of detail management system, it improves performance by reducing the number of objects rendered.
AI (humanoid and Sentius) now employ a wide array of combat behaviors, including dodging, parrying, and strafing. An entity management system optimizes processing power through parallelization and memory pooling. With these techniques combined, the engine now supports large-scale real-time battles.
Night-time rendering is brighter in the overworld with more accurate colors.
Scenes now support more dynamic lights, with better shadow detail.
[h3]The world algorithm now features 5 biome continent generation with an infinite ocean border. [/h3]
Reaching the ocean biome can take hours, depending on the continent's size.
Border zones feature formations from both neighboring biomes.
Longer render distances for terrain allow you to see the upcoming biome, with improved performance thanks to a custom detail loading system.
Weather and ambiance profiles adapt dynamically to each new location.
New lighting transitions during dawn and dusk feature light scattering.
[h3]Where are the other Dynasties?[/h3]
Our resources are best focused on completing the single-player core loop, using Drakonia as the foundation for the other dynasties throughout the first Era.
[h3]When will the next playable build be available?[/h3]
The next playable build is expected in 2025, before Beta 1. Due to limited resources, we cannot focus on gameplay development and resolving bugs or performance issues that would come with a build release.
Paratope is independently funded and has chosen to self-publish to retain creative control. To support the team, consider purchasing something from the merch store!
We also have a long-awaited plush pillow for Akaneko that will launch along with the Beta release.
Sign up here!
Below is a copy from part 1 👇
[h3]Skyclimbers won’t be released to Early Access in 2024, but we’re continuing to make steady progress toward key milestones. [/h3]
[h3]Our roadmap needs an update to reflect the necessary milestones that lie ahead. [/h3]
[h3]Beta 1 - 2025[/h3]
This milestone will focus on completing the single-player game loop for the Drakonian Dynasty, including all 5 classes, districts, and character creation within the first Era. Although major progress has been made, several key systems are still under development.
[h3]Beta 2 - 2025/2026[/h3]
The second Major Beta phase will introduce the Foryoku Dynasty. Feedback from the first Beta will be integrated.
[h3]Early Access - 2026 [/h3]
To enter Early Access, features from Beta 1 and 2 will be expanded based on feedback, and the Rokkuhito Dynasty will be added as a playable faction. Co-op Multiplayer will also be integrated.
[h3]As we progress, we will continue to update this roadmap to reflect our development milestones.[/h3]
Given the challenges of meeting previous timelines and considering our limited team's size, we're taking a more direct approach to manage expectations. We're focused on steady progress and delivering Skyclimbers with the quality and depth it deserves, while keeping expectations aligned with our realistic goals.
[h3]This was the longest gap in community updates since the Kickstarter was funded, and we aim to improve moving forward. [/h3]
Quiet periods from a developer can be alarming, and your patience is much appreciated.
We plan to keep updates more frequent from here on out and thank the community for supporting Paratope through the years.
Until next time.
[h3]⚠️ Click here to read the first half of the update! [/h3]
Steam has a limit to post length...
[h3]Make sure to read part 1 first...[/h3]
[h3]Each class has multiple weapon types and unique combos. [/h3]
The Paladin can wield a variety of melee weapons, including swords, spears, axes, and hammers. Each weapon type has its own attack speed, range, and durability. One-handed weapons allow players to carry a shield for defense, while two-handed weapons offer more power but leave players vulnerable during attacks.Most weapons will degrade over time, encouraging reliance on smiths to maintain a robust armory. Players will need to strategize carefully, managing their loadouts or adapting to the weapons they come across the world. While the Paladin has access to class-specific arms, the game also features common melee weapons that can be wielded by any class.
[h3]Your militia is made of units trained with one of three sub-classes. [/h3]
As your village grows, you’ll need to construct a building for each unit type, along with securing sufficient resources and population to support your militia. A growing war camp will enable you to defend your settlements or venture out to the battlefield.
Ranged units can be archers, slingshots, or later-era technology equivalents.
Standard infantry carry melee weapons and light armor.
Heavy Infantry units carry the thickest armor and largest weaponry.
Each unit carries a balance of damage, defense, and stamina, along with formation-specific behaviors that can be countered with the right tactics. Certain Districts are known for their exemplary units, and future iterations will include companion Sentius to their ranks.
Units fight alongside you in battle and follow commands.
Bringing the right units to each conflict will make for better results.
Larger battles may require multiple unit types.Warfare is expensive, and you must be strategic with which battles you pick, as rebuilding the militia takes time and resources while leaving the settlement vulnerable to raids.
It's up to you as the commander to build a strategy.Basic commands such as follow, hold, attack, and line formations are the foundations of unit combat tactics which the player can apply over any scenario to their wish.
Squabbles with the opposing clan can lead to major battles.
Voidlings will fight both sides should the battle run into night time.
Hordes of Void can overrun powerful units with numbers. Void and Yagi bases will spawn near your town hall, gathering resources and building their armies. Clearing out Yagi and Void camps will reduce their strength, but raids are inevitable at some point.
Players can now swim and dive in large bodies of water, with swimming consuming stamina. Additionally, resources can be gathered underwater.
The new free-climbing system offers improved fluidity and maneuverability. Players can now climb most surfaces they encounter, from cliffs to buildings. Climbing consumes stamina, requiring strategic planning.
Players can now glide through the air from high places using a paraglider. It's especially useful for covering large distances or safely descending from great heights. Like swimming and climbing, using the paraglider will consume stamina.
Alongside new locomotion methods, walking and running have been revamped with responsive new sub-states.
The stamina bar can now be found as a pyramid-shaped icon near the player on screen, making it easier to manage stamina-consuming actions without having to glance at a distant corner
The resource depletion system has been reworked to be more user-friendly. Gathering plants and ground pickups now requires only a single button press.
Mining and woodcutting are no longer restricted to the multi-tool. Any weapon or tool can be freely used to deplete stone and trees, without the burden of long animations or cooldowns when gathering resources.
Albarott are key species in the ocean biome ecosystem, making nests on rocky islands.
Orcalf and Orchydro make use of a new underwater herding algorithm.
Companion Sentius will follow you on foot or wing, accompanying you on your journey.
Villagers can own domestic Sentius such as Yacabur for food, labor, and companionship.
Super rare Sentius such as Thracion may flee when you approach them. Encounters are rare, so you’ll need to choose wisely before making your move. Certain quests may also be tied to locating these elusive Sentius.A family of Stagma, Fawsaught, and Fawnra in the Deep Forest district.
Taking on a pack of hostile Sentius can be challenging, even with a companion.
You can watch your Sentius fight, but you may need to step in if more hostiles join the battle.
Your companion Sentus may flee to avoid fainting during battle.
By working with Raikit, the Paladin takes out each Lupyre individually. Bringing the right Sentius can make all the difference—use elemental advantages. Night is especially dangerous, so keep track of high-level Sentius species and their home biomes.
Aerapterix guarding its young in the Gyser plains.
Raptra is hungry!
Aerapterix isn't happy to see the player, and is ready for a fight!
Third-stage Sentius evolutions are mini-bosses, with high stats and dangerous attacks.
Defeating these Sentius requires practice and an understanding of their tactics and strengths. Elemental advantages can make all the difference in battles like these. If you're trying to tame Sentius at this level, the right preparation is essential.The Magma District is home to high-level Sentius, and Magmacano is a particularly tough opponent.
With multiple ranged attacks, timing your strikes is crucial!
The center biome of each continent is the most dangerous, featuring high-level Sentius and unforgiving terrain.
A brand new sky and weather system has been integrated, bringing new developmental and artistic possibilities. As before, it includes time of day progression, but now also features a range of weather conditions such as rain, thunderstorms, snow, and fog. Different biomes will have distinct weather patterns. Weather is now paired with audio and particle systems to create biome-specific ambiance.
Hex is the nearby moon of Lithan, your home planet.
A planetary neighbor of three unknown Dynasties can now be seen on the horizon.
A new clustering and spatial partitioning algorithm enables denser forests with better performance. Clustering allows for more efficient memory management, keeping usage low and preventing stuttering. Combined with a new level of detail management system, it improves performance by reducing the number of objects rendered.
AI (humanoid and Sentius) now employ a wide array of combat behaviors, including dodging, parrying, and strafing. An entity management system optimizes processing power through parallelization and memory pooling. With these techniques combined, the engine now supports large-scale real-time battles.
Night-time rendering is brighter in the overworld with more accurate colors.
Scenes now support more dynamic lights, with better shadow detail. [h3]The world algorithm now features 5 biome continent generation with an infinite ocean border. [/h3]
Reaching the ocean biome can take hours, depending on the continent's size.
Border zones feature formations from both neighboring biomes.
Longer render distances for terrain allow you to see the upcoming biome, with improved performance thanks to a custom detail loading system.
Weather and ambiance profiles adapt dynamically to each new location.
New lighting transitions during dawn and dusk feature light scattering. [h3]Where are the other Dynasties?[/h3]
Our resources are best focused on completing the single-player core loop, using Drakonia as the foundation for the other dynasties throughout the first Era.
- Dozens of pre-production art assets are still being developed for other Dynasties
- Drakonia’s development helps us prototype and refine systems that will be shared across all Dynasties
- This approach helps us maximize time and minimize backtracking
[h3]When will the next playable build be available?[/h3]
The next playable build is expected in 2025, before Beta 1. Due to limited resources, we cannot focus on gameplay development and resolving bugs or performance issues that would come with a build release.
Paratope is independently funded and has chosen to self-publish to retain creative control. To support the team, consider purchasing something from the merch store!
We also have a long-awaited plush pillow for Akaneko that will launch along with the Beta release.
Sign up here!
Below is a copy from part 1 👇
[h3]Skyclimbers won’t be released to Early Access in 2024, but we’re continuing to make steady progress toward key milestones. [/h3]
[h3]Our roadmap needs an update to reflect the necessary milestones that lie ahead. [/h3]
[h3]Beta 1 - 2025[/h3]
This milestone will focus on completing the single-player game loop for the Drakonian Dynasty, including all 5 classes, districts, and character creation within the first Era. Although major progress has been made, several key systems are still under development.
- Existing Alpha backers have immediate access with their Steam keys
- A "Pre-Beta" patch will be rolled out to the Alpha channel before launch
- Skycon will coincide with the Beta release, showcasing gameplay and trailers
[h3]Beta 2 - 2025/2026[/h3]
The second Major Beta phase will introduce the Foryoku Dynasty. Feedback from the first Beta will be integrated.
- Foryoku Dynasty content will parallel Drakonia with 5 districts for the first Era
- A limited round of new participants will be invited to join the testing phase
[h3]Early Access - 2026 [/h3]
To enter Early Access, features from Beta 1 and 2 will be expanded based on feedback, and the Rokkuhito Dynasty will be added as a playable faction. Co-op Multiplayer will also be integrated.
- Early Access marks the official release of Skyclimbers
- Increased likelihood of cross-platform availability at launch
- All three Dynasties—Drakonian, Foryoku, and Rokkuhito—will be feature complete
[h3]As we progress, we will continue to update this roadmap to reflect our development milestones.[/h3]
Given the challenges of meeting previous timelines and considering our limited team's size, we're taking a more direct approach to manage expectations. We're focused on steady progress and delivering Skyclimbers with the quality and depth it deserves, while keeping expectations aligned with our realistic goals.
[h3]This was the longest gap in community updates since the Kickstarter was funded, and we aim to improve moving forward. [/h3]
Quiet periods from a developer can be alarming, and your patience is much appreciated.
We plan to keep updates more frequent from here on out and thank the community for supporting Paratope through the years.
Until next time.
[h3]⚠️ Click here to read the first half of the update! [/h3]
Steam has a limit to post length...