Development Deck 6: Major Gameplay Updates + Playtest Recap + Giveaway
[h2]Recap of our Latest Playtest
[/h2][p]Before we jump into the updates, we want to first say a massive thank you to everyone who joined our most recent playtest. Your excitement and support mean the world to our team. We’ve had an absolute blast chatting with you, watching your playthroughs, and seeing how each of you approached the first step into your adventure. Your feedback has been incredibly valuable in helping us understand what our core audience wants and how we should shape the next phase of development. So from all of us, thank you.[/p][p][/p][p]The feedback from our latest playtest has had a real impact on the game’s current direction. We learned a ton, from which Guardians stole your hearts (the Fluff and Silverwing dominated by a landslide) to the different paths players chose right from the start. Some of you focused on upgrading your airships and soaring off the main island as soon as possible, while others dove straight into crafting and building your dream bases. Every choice and every bit of feedback has helped us understand our community even better.
[/p][p]Since wrapping the playtest, we’ve spent a lot of time reviewing your notes, making tons of smaller adjustments and implementing brand new systems across the board. We’ve made major improvements to how the game runs and we’re excited to say the results are looking incredibly promising.
[/p][p]But before we dive into the details…[/p][p]Here’s a look at some of the amazing community builds and screenshots from the playtest:[/p][p]
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[/p][h2]Major Gameplay Updates[/h2][h2]
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[/h2][h3]Modular Airships[/h3][p]Airships have received a complete overhaul. Previously, players chose between small, medium, or large pre-built ships. That system has now evolved. Although you can still choose from the three existing sizes, in its place, we’ve moved to a fully modular, piece-by-piece construction system, allowing you to design, shape, and optimize your vessel exactly the way you want. Whether you’re building a compact scouting skiff or a towering flying fortress, your airship is now, one of a kind and is truly your own.
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[/p][h3]Danger Comes From Above[/h3][p]Exploration remains at the core of Guardians of the Wild Sky, and our latest changes are aimed at making the skies feel more alive and sometimes, much more dangerous. The open sky sea between islands will soon be home to roaming sky pirates who won’t hesitate to ambush an unprepared crew. Before setting sail, make sure your ship is armed, stocked, and ready for trouble… or you may find yourself caught completely off-guard while traveling to a new biome. The skies are also filled with more peaceful sailors who will leave you alone, so long as you don’t get too close!
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[/p][p]The skies are changing… Asteroid fields now drift through the cloud sea, bringing new risks and rewards, while towering tornadoes tear through the clouds, turning every voyage into a true test of skill at the helm.[/p][p]![]()
[/p][h3]Flying Guardians[/h3][p]Guardians themselves are evolving. Some creatures have become even more dynamic; our winged Guardians now have the ability to fly! This completely changes how combat encounters play out, as these Guardians can attack from above, making them far more formidable opponents. Capturing these Guardians is now even more rewarding, as they double as powerful mounts that make traversing the world much easier.[/p][p]![]()
[/p][h3]Healing on the Go![/h3][p]Healing Potions are in! Craftable healing potions have been introduced for more flexible survival strategies. Farm your ingredients and brew some nice potions. Drink them in the heat of battle to heal up quickly.[/p][p]![]()
[/p][h3]Danger runs Deeper…[/h3][p]We’ve added a ton of new dungeons to shake up Titan encounters and make every fight feel distinct. From labyrinthe-like dungeons to environmental threats, each dungeon offers a new challenge. Only the strongest will succeed in defeating these mighty Titan Guardians.[/p][p]![]()
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Additional Improvements Since the Last Playtest[/h3]
We know many of you have been patiently (and excitedly!) waiting for news on the next round of testing, and we’re happy to confirm that it’s right around the corner.[/p][p]As we gear up for the next playtest, you may still run into bugs (maybe even a lot of them), but delivering a fun, responsive and smooth gameplay experience continues to be our top priority. Each bit of feedback and bugs you report helps us get closer to the version of Guardians of the Wild Sky we’re striving for. Your feedback in previous tests has been invaluable, and this upcoming round will be just as important in shaping the road ahead.[/p][p][/p][h2]Alpha Testing + Giveaway[/h2][p]
We also want to give a massive shoutout to everyone who has wishlisted the game, we are now over 150,000 wishlists thanks to all of you! Holy smokes. Our team is genuinely blown away by the support we’ve received these past few months. We’re thrilled to have so many of you along for the ride as we build Guardians of the Wild Sky.[/p][p]For our upcoming test, we’ll be onboarding a wave of new playtesters. On top of that, we want to give a few more new explorers a chance to jump in so to celebrate, we’re giving away 20 additional playtest keys to commenters below.[/p][p]Follow the steps below to enter:[/p]
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[/h2][p]Before we jump into the updates, we want to first say a massive thank you to everyone who joined our most recent playtest. Your excitement and support mean the world to our team. We’ve had an absolute blast chatting with you, watching your playthroughs, and seeing how each of you approached the first step into your adventure. Your feedback has been incredibly valuable in helping us understand what our core audience wants and how we should shape the next phase of development. So from all of us, thank you.[/p][p][/p][p]The feedback from our latest playtest has had a real impact on the game’s current direction. We learned a ton, from which Guardians stole your hearts (the Fluff and Silverwing dominated by a landslide) to the different paths players chose right from the start. Some of you focused on upgrading your airships and soaring off the main island as soon as possible, while others dove straight into crafting and building your dream bases. Every choice and every bit of feedback has helped us understand our community even better.
[/p][p]Since wrapping the playtest, we’ve spent a lot of time reviewing your notes, making tons of smaller adjustments and implementing brand new systems across the board. We’ve made major improvements to how the game runs and we’re excited to say the results are looking incredibly promising.
[/p][p]But before we dive into the details…[/p][p]Here’s a look at some of the amazing community builds and screenshots from the playtest:[/p][p]
[/p][p]
[/p][p]
Additional Improvements Since the Last Playtest[/h3]
- [p]Crafting recipes can now be set to loop for easier production management, allowing for hands-off production and a much more self-sustaining base. We have also made it so crafting projects can now be queued without any materials. Once you collect the needed items, the process will kick off on its own. If you set this up right your base can be nearly self-functioning![/p]
- [p]Transporting Guardians can now carry items between chests, refuel structures, and automatically deliver resources to crafting stations[/p]
- [p]Storage permissions have been added, allowing you to control where your Guardians can retrieve or store items[/p]
- [p]You’ll now encounter more NPCs in the world, providing helpful guidance, tons of new quests, and a wide array of merchants to lead you deeper into your journey[/p]
- [p]A significant amount of our UI has been updated, for a cleaner and more intuitive experience[/p]
We know many of you have been patiently (and excitedly!) waiting for news on the next round of testing, and we’re happy to confirm that it’s right around the corner.[/p][p]As we gear up for the next playtest, you may still run into bugs (maybe even a lot of them), but delivering a fun, responsive and smooth gameplay experience continues to be our top priority. Each bit of feedback and bugs you report helps us get closer to the version of Guardians of the Wild Sky we’re striving for. Your feedback in previous tests has been invaluable, and this upcoming round will be just as important in shaping the road ahead.[/p][p][/p][h2]Alpha Testing + Giveaway[/h2][p]
We also want to give a massive shoutout to everyone who has wishlisted the game, we are now over 150,000 wishlists thanks to all of you! Holy smokes. Our team is genuinely blown away by the support we’ve received these past few months. We’re thrilled to have so many of you along for the ride as we build Guardians of the Wild Sky.[/p][p]For our upcoming test, we’ll be onboarding a wave of new playtesters. On top of that, we want to give a few more new explorers a chance to jump in so to celebrate, we’re giving away 20 additional playtest keys to commenters below.[/p][p]Follow the steps below to enter:[/p]
- [p]Click on our Steam page and under the game’s description you will see tags [/p]
- [p]Press the \[ + ] icon and suggest some tags you feel that represent the game (e.g. Survival, Open World, Magic, Crafting - whatever fits!)[/p]
- [p]Leave a comment on this post telling us if you’re playing: Solo or in a group[/p]
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