Seablip News

Thank you so much to all who have tested Seablip. I am a bit overwhelmed, so I am trying to take it easy and will come back to those I haven't answered yet tomorrow.

What is happening now?

My motivation has always been to build something inspired by FTL and Stardew Valley. The next goal for Seablip is to work more on islands, NPC's, and cut-scenes. I want to tell a story with Seablip, and this is non-existent in the alpha version. You can see some of the elements I want to use. Like Grim, for instance, Grim will be tightly connected to the main story in Seablip. Before I can start that work, I will need to do some groundwork first:




Player home base and NPC town
1. I will redo my system for NPC's, and add cut-scenes

2. I will implement the player's home base. It is on an island, bigger than the alpha island, where you have a house and the opportunity to upgrade the place. (At least 3x the size of the alpha island)

3. Then I will start the work on the Seablip village (next to the player's home base). This is the place where the NPC's will live. (At least 5x the size of the alpha island)

4. I will do an update on player control and movement. I have some plans based on your feedback and my own (especially doing interaction easier and more understandable)

5. I will make doors :)


Sea battle and World Map

0. Fix the bugs reported

1. The World Map will get a higher variation of events. I want to add more text events with risk/rewards.

2. A way to fast-travel back to the island on the World Map

3. Player will be able to buy a bigger ship

4. I will continue the work on sea battles. Based on your feedback and all the plans I have who not yet is implemented


This is only some of my work ahead. The next time Seablip is playable on Steam will be when it is ready for a release, and it is estimated to be in February 2022. This is probably an optimistic deadline, but I will try my best to keep it that way for now. It motivates me to do the heavy lifting Seablip needs to get done.

I will probably go in "silence mode" after this test, only posting some monthly updates. Working on Seablip in the shadow, but you can always reach out to me on Seablip's Discord, or on email. That is always very meaningful and helpful for me.

Big thanks and all the best!
Jardar

Hello, I just want to say that the alpha test is closing today (22 GMT)!

You will then no longer be able to download or play Seablip, and the button for requesting access to Seablip will be gone some hours before closing time.

I appreciate all the feedback I have got. I am not done reading all the feedback (and more is still coming in). I will take my time to read everyone's feedback and answer you.

Some of the feedback is repeating itself in many of the comments, and some are new. I appreciate it anyway, and it gives a good sense of what you are missing from the current version.


It is also clear to me that much of the feedback is based on what you play now, and maybe not what I have planned for the future. So I want to say something about what my own vision is for Seablip in a new post, and what I am going to work on next - to clarify some things.


- this will hopefully answer some of the feedback you so helpfully have given me, and if you have new feedback based on this vision I appreciate hearing that too.

Jardar

Seablip in its current state is not a big game, but I hope you can have some fun! I have added a second island you can visit in the alpha, but there is no need to look hard for those secret islands yet..

The enemy can be quite difficult if you encounter a bigger ship. A good progression system is not really added yet, and I see most of the battle mechanics as a work in progress. Please feel free to give me feedback on what you like, and what you wish for in the future. Despite that sea battle can be hard, I believe you have a decent chance to win a fight or two if that is what you want.

(The icy environment is not represented in the alpha, but will play a big part in the end)



When you are done playing Seablip's alpha - I would be very happy if you can write a comment/feedback in:

Steam's Discussion Thread Seablip's Discord Forum Send me an email at seablip.com

This is what I look after with the test (Feel welcome to add more)

• What do you want to see from Seablip in the future?
  
• What do you like about the current version of Seablip?
  
• Is it something that you don't like with the current version?
  
• Did you encounter some serious bug while playing?
  
• Get inspiration I can use for the rest of Seablip's development journey!
  

I will carefully read all comments and feedback then write down all the things I find meaningful.

Thank you for reading this, and have fun playing!

Best regards Jardar :)

(Important: Did you forget to request access? Then you have to wait for a confirmation before you can play.)

Here is a quick look at what you can expect and what I hope to get out of the test.



What can you expect from the Alpha test?

• First thing first. I want you to see this version of Seablip as a "Small Sandbox", showing off some of the main functions of the game. Sea battles are going to evolve a lot from this version, but it stills gives you a good indication of what to expect
  

• Seablip has 3 main scenes: Island Scenes, The World Map, and Sea Battles
  
  This is the core function of the game. I want to build the story and content within these scenes. The main scenes offer different kinds of gameplay material. Right now they don't offer you all the functions I want, but I hope you see the link between them all and can help me get inspired to build the game further on this foundation.
  

• You start with a good chunk of gold and resources, and you can get gold and resources by winning sea battles or you can get resources by harvesting from Alpha island (but the resources here are limited and trees/rock does not yet come back if harvested).
  
• **In some rare cases, you will find yourself without more gold, and no ammo/cannonballs. If you are really unlucky you will probably get stuck and have to restart the game
  

• Get lost in lack of explanation. There is not yet added an in-game guide telling you what to do. So it is "Learning by Doing"
  

• "Boarding Mode" and "Close Combat" is still quite messy and it can be hard to have a good overview of your crew in a big battle (Critical errors can also happen, but I have tried my best to remove the most serious bugs)
  

• Items in Close Combat": Weapons in Combat is implemented, but does not yet offer different specs/stats. They all give the same amount of damage and speed. Therefore close combat is not very balanced, but feel free to test it anyway! :)
  

• Each time you travel on the map one day passes. Some events are triggered by a specific day. (Not many events like this in the Alpha, but a few, for instance, Kira the Ship Merchant is selling you different stuff based on days and other factors)
  

I could go on with this list... The most important thing is playing the game as it is, and having fun with the current state. After that, I would appreciate it a lot if you can contribute with feedback! :)




What feedback do I look after with this test?

• What do you want to see from Seablip in the future?
  
  
• What do you like about the current version of Seablip?
  
  
• Is it something that you don't like with the current version?
  
  
• Did you encounter some serious bug while playing?
  

- Jardar

Hello all, I need to share with you an honest post about the upcoming test.

Almost all my work on Seablip is first-time-experiences and the biggest elephant in the room, the scariest one, but also the most exciting one, is this first test! - I see now that I do not have enough time to implement all the necessary functions I want in the test, and I am sad to say that I have to postpone the Alpha by one month (19. March). I will tell you more about what I work on down below, but first;

My last weeks have been really intense. Long working days. Really long days. The whole day actually (but understand me right; I take short breaks, it is important to take care of yourself too)! I don't want it to be like that this whole year (so I will go more back to a normal work schedule after the alpha test), but it has been a fun ride for now. Working towards the Alpha test gives lots of extra energy.

As the days are fewer until the test, it is also so much easier for me to see all the things I will not manage to finish before the alpha test deadline. Some of them are okay to miss out on for now, but this is my main reason I have to postpone;

• Balancing sea battles. This is a big task, and I just don't want to rush through this stage. I want to do it in a way that makes it easier for me to adjust it later when I get feedback from you playing. I have worked a lot on how input and management happen. I have also done tremendous work on removing bugs but balancing is what's missing.

• I also need to implement and update my system for; hiring crews,

• And give you the option of upgrading your ship or buy a new ship.

Seablip is running smoothly, but these are all functions that are very essential for the fun of playing. I am so sorry for postponing the alpha test, but I hope you can keep with me and that you understand that I do this because I care so much about Seablip and the development.

I think this is the best to do! If you have questions for me, please ask in the discussion thread.
Best regards, Jardar