Paper Sky News

[p]Hey folks,[/p][p]We’re reaching the end of the pre-planned schedule soon, so I want to use this month’s update to talk about what’s coming next; mainly the plans for the end of the year and the upcoming Demo Phase 2 release.[/p][h3]Demo Phase 2 release plan[/h3][p]As mentioned in previous updates, production has been delayed a bit, mostly due to player feedback and polishing the gameplay feel. Nothing unusual for indie development! I had a similar experience with my last game Crumble where internal playthroughs often led to major gameplay changes. It’s better to fix those things early.[/p][p][/p][p]I won’t give a specific date yet, but the release will definitely be in 2026. Depending on other big releases, it might shift slightly, though not because of late production. I’ll share more details next month, possibly along with a public Trello (or similar) so you can follow progress transparently. I already use one privately a lot, so making it public shouldn’t be too much extra work and be rather quick.[/p][p][/p][h3]What’s coming next month[/h3][p]Next month, I plan to release Phase 2 of the Paper Sky demo on Steam. Kickstarter Beta players will get access first, followed by a public release.
This new demo will include the entire gameplay loop in its near-final state, and hopefully a new world to explore.
(The beginning of the game won’t be playable anymore since I’ve completely reworked it again, I’d rather keep it a surprise, and most of you have already experienced the tutorial anyway)[/p][h3]About the message system[/h3][p]The message system will no longer accept free-form writing to comply with Nintendo’s content guidelines and to preserve the calm, reflective atmosphere of the game. I’ve read a lot of those messages, and while I loved the creativity, the new system offers a more meaningful and creative way to communicate between players. I’m really excited for you to see how it works and hope you’ll appreciate the change.[/p][p]Sorry for a short update this time, not much to show visually since the new demo is right around the corner. Instead of the full release as originally planned, you’ll get about 1/12th of the full game, but in a mostly final, polished state. Hoping that everyone likes it and then I can enter final stage of production and be done in no time![/p]

[p][/p][p]I swear months are getting shorter and shorter![/p][p][/p][h3]SUMMERFALL game jam[/h3][p][/p][p][/p][p]Before diving into this month’s Paper Sky update, I wanted to share a small game I made over the weekend. It’s about collecting rocks on your last summer day. SUMMERFALL, Made in 72 hours, fueled by coffee and sleepless nights, it’s free if you want to try:[/p][p][/p][p]https://anstabo.itch.io/summerfall[/p][p][/p][h3]Beta Feedback[/h3][p]A few weeks ago I sent beta keys to all Kickstarter pledgers and created the Steam Beta branch. And the result so far, from Steam, Discord, Kickstarter, and internal testing, all the new shaders and post-processing for the full game work perfectly. Optimization holds up on Steam Deck and likely on Nintendo Switch. The floating origin system works as intended, letting the game run from start to finish without loading screens (except for fast travel). I haven’t fully tested the new shadow baking system yet, but early tests look promising.[/p][p]Phase 2, which will add all Paper Sky mechanics and new content, will likely happen with the timeline rework for the full release in early December (see last point at the bottom).[/p][p][/p][h3]Fauna mechanic[/h3][p][/p][p]I finished implementing the fauna mechanic, letting players earn animal words while populating the world. Every animal can be interacted with this way, including birds, which are trickier since you need to catch up and fly alongside them.[/p][p][/p][h3]Gravity help and transformation threshold[/h3][p][/p][p]The game is now in its final gamefeel stage. Flying controls feel solid, so I made rolling and transforming more challenging and gamey. You now need to fill a velocity threshold to transform.[/p][p]The jump mechanic has also been updated to emphasize momentum over vertical platforming. Press jump to enter gravity/dash mode for faster downhill rolls, and release to jump, propelling yourself upward to transform into a paper plane.[/p][p]These metrics can be tweaked with the new message/power-up system making transformations easier at the cost of top speed.[/p][p][/p][h3]Release plan[/h3][p][/p][p]Looking at the last roadmap, we were about two months behind. Beta gameplay and control issues slowed progress, and some content wasn’t ready. End of November isn’t realistic for release since content is still missing and marketing momentum is low. I’ll provide a clearer update on timing and remaining tasks in the November update; likely aiming for early December. My current focus is completing all gameplay and gamefeel tasks, then moving to visuals and level design.[/p][p]Puppy is now independent enough to manage on her own, giving me more time to work:[/p][p][/p]

[h3]Back to School, Back to Paper Planes[/h3][p]What better time than back-to-school season to talk about paper planes? The 1 month challenge is over, and I’m happy to announce: Beta Access is here! well.. kind of..[/p][p][/p][h3]Beta Access is here[/h3][p][/p][p]2 Months behind, eh not too bad![/p][p]If you pledged at the “Beta Plane” tier or higher, you’ll receive your Steam beta key tomorrow via Kickstarter message. This key gives you:[/p]

• [p]Permanent access to the beta build on Steam[/p]
• [p]Full access to the final release at launch[/p]

[p]That means some of you are already unlocking all your pledge rewards.[/p][p]⚠️ Note: the Steam beta build is being uploaded as I write this, so it might take a few hours before you can play. I’ll post on Discord when it’s live. You will most likely receive the key once it is sorted out tomorrow![/p][p][/p][h3]Benchmark & Dynamic Loading[/h3][p]The first beta build is mainly for benchmark testing. It will teleport you across finished art-style scenes to check performance, shaders, and post-process effects.
If all goes well, I’ll move ahead with seamless scene transitions and no loading screens when switching between art styles (except for world map travel).
I plan to release monthly beta updates until launch, so you can follow the game’s progress step by step.[/p][p][/p][p]Next month I will upload the finished checkpoint systems and message system so you will get the full final gameplay loop as promised.[/p][p][/p][h3]Checkpoint System[/h3][p]Here’s an early look at the checkpoint mechanic I teased last month. With luck, beta testers will get to try it in the update.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]A more contemplative experience[/h3][p]I’ve reworked the flight feel with new “hoverboard” air-cushion physics:[/p]

• [p]Flying close to the ground now gives you a gentle hover and a speed boost[/p]
• [p]Diving into slopes flows smoothly with momentum conservation and assisted yaw[/p]
• [p]Risky maneuvers feel rewarding, not punishing[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p]These changes, combined with the continuous boost meter, make the paper plane easier and more fluid to control.[/p][p](GIFs don’t do it justice, I’ll post a proper video on Twitter soon!)[/p][p][/p][h3]Puppy month[/h3][p]Outside of dev, this month was full of puppy training sessions. The little one is settling in and becoming best friends with the resident dog.[/p][p][/p][p][/p]

[p]Hello people,
This past month has been packed with work, and the one ahead is shaping up to be even more intense. Let’s start with some big news:[/p][p][/p][p]Since the March demo and the successful Mac port, I’ve been caught in a loop trying to improve the overall gamefeel and make the gameplay more accessible to casual players. It's been a real challenge to raise the casual experience without weakening the moderate and more demanding parts of the game.[/p][p]So I’m setting myself a clear goal: complete the final gameplay loop by the end of August. That means delivering a full world with all core features in place: world map travel, message powerups, open world challenges, and more. Because this milestone is focused on gameplay and design, it will only be available to beta testers, which is exactly what that tier was meant for. Some graphics-related settings also need testing, like the new shadow baking system (more on that below).[/p][p]This isn’t about making up for time lost in redesigns, it’s about keeping full game production moving forward.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]There's a brand new logo for Paper Sky[/p][p]I've received a lot of feedback from controller users about how clunky and confusing it was to navigate the game menu, especially in two dimensions. So I’ve reworked the menu to be as linear and intuitive as possible, with clearer information on what each option does. This was one of the biggest feature requests back when I made Crumble, so it’s about time I fixed that mistake.[/p][p][/p][p]The visual design is still WIP. I’m aiming for a clean and modern layout, with hand-drawn UI icons to keep the vibe personal and light.[/p][p]A few new settings have been added like frame rate cap, Vsync and more. If there are any specific options you’d love to see, let me know in the comments.[/p][p][/p][p]This one’s more of a quiet improvement but still a meaningful one. I’ve redone how shadows are handled under the hood so they can scale better with the size and complexity of Paper Sky’s open worlds. One of the reasons the demo world felt small compared to how fast the paper plane flies was that larger worlds didn’t have proper shadow support across all assets or distances, so i kept it rather small.[/p][p]Now, assets can receive both baked and real-time shadows, which means even on lower graphics settings you'll still get some shadows without major performance issues.[/p][p][/p][p]The major issue could be seen at the start of this area where the old shadow baking pipeline could not handle large mesh.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Alright this one is a big one, I talked a bit about how the message system had to change due to player behaviors and also respecting nintendo switch guidelines, I've finished the implementation of it inside the game and it works like this:[/p][p][/p][p]I don't usually share rough prototypes but in this case it's more fitting for the gif format[/p][p]You’ll now be able to unlock words from other players’ messages, giving you new words to add to your own. These build up your personal message, and every combination you create will procedurally generate a unique full sentence. Right now there are over 15 quintillion possible variations.[/p][p][/p][p]But that’s not all.[/p][p]Each word you add to your message now affects your playstyle. You might gain extra jump charges, more boost bars, increased flight speed and a whole range of other modifiers. Every combination is unique and comes with its own strengths and trade-offs. Some words carry sad emotional weight, and while they offer powerful upgrades, stacking too many of them will make the game harder.[/p][p]Think of it as an interactive difficulty slider. Play with the words that resonate with you and see how they shape your journey. Once you finish the game, your message will be passed along to other players, creating something more honest and impactful than just writing freely in a textbox.[/p][p]There are also handcrafted message combinations. If you find one, it’ll unlock even stronger buffs. Think of them as easter eggs or gameplay assists.[/p][p][/p][p]These message-based modifiers layer onto the skins and paper plane models you can fold. So you could craft a message built around speed and lightness, choose a plane model that’s highly maneuverable, and pair it with a skin that increases air time. Plane models and skins are tied to in-game achievements.[/p][p]Because of all this, the old skill tree is gone. It just didn’t feel meaningful enough. Most players barely used it beyond the first upgrade during the demo, and I think this new system offers something much more intuitive and dynamic.[/p][p][/p][p]To push immersion even further, I’ve added world landmarks that serve as both checkpoints and fast travel points. Since the game is all about flying and exploration, these landmarks are rare and have to be unlocked. They give you a way to move between worlds without having to backtrack for hours if you missed a challenge or achievement.[/p][p]These landmarks are also the only places where you can change your plane model and edit your message. It’s also where you’ll unlock any new words you've collected from others so far.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Overall I want Paper Sky to lean more onto the adventure and exploration side than the platformer aspect which irritates most players, I will leave it to specific part of the game such as challenges; so expect the first update to be easier to handle[/p][p][/p][p]I’ve improved how energy is conserved when transforming into the paper ball, so it now works much better in synergy with the paper plane, especially at high speeds. It’s also way easier to build up speed while rolling as the paper ball, making the whole process smoother and more fun.[/p][p]There’s also a work-in-progress feature that lets you transform with some initial speed, aimed at players who have a harder time building momentum before switching forms.[/p][p]I had some visual progress I wanted to share this month, but my graphics card is currently refusing to capture anything without glitching the whole thing with artifacts. So, visuals next month![/p][p][/p][p]I also adopted a new puppy this month:[/p][p]Meet Auri![/p][p]Alright that's it for now, cya.[/p][p]
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[p]This month marks the end of the rework phase since the new demo release and post-mortem. I’ve watched around 50 playthrough videos from demo players to paid playtesters to really pin down the few elements that still weren’t clicking. I’ve implemented most of those fixes in the game, and some are still WIP but will be added as level design progresses. I reckon I’m about 2 months behind now overall, but I’m not too worried if it means delivering a better experience within the same scope I promised at the start.[/p][p]Let’s dive into the main changes for Paper Sky (June Edition):[/p][p][/p][p]One major issue with the demo’s message system was the freeform writing, which unfortunately opened the door for offensive content. I initially believed the number of people who’d abuse it would be negligible, spoiler: I was wrong. Nearly 5% of demo players wrote "bad" messages, even using alternate alphabets to bypass the filter.[/p][p]The new system I came up with this month makes players find and unlock words from messages left by others. Words now have powers and stats that carry through people's journeys. The more words appear in messages, the more maneuverability and abilities it grants for your paper plane. This means I am binning the "tech tree" ability system and make it more simple and modular.[/p][p]This eliminates the risk of offensive messages entirely. I’ll also be working with professional translators to reward coherent or funny messages with gameplay bonuses.
For instance if your message makes sense like a cheering up message would be, then you have more boosts etc...[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Some words can only be unlocked by visiting specific animals and NPCs. These unique words are fixed across playthroughs, helping players target specific upgrades and plan their builds more easily.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]From all the playthroughs, one thing was clear: the “stepped” boost system wasn’t as intuitive as I thought. Instead of refining the tutorial, I decided to change the system entirely.[/p][p]Boost now works with a traditional boost meter: as long as you have energy, you can boost; essentially entering a free-flying state. Energy regenerates by flying close to surfaces or doing acrobatic moves (like entering wall holes), which already reward players with a significant boost.[/p][p]Also, I heard feedback about the plane feeling “too floppy” compared to real paper. I’ll be improving the shader for that. It’s tricky to fully capture paper physics with just math, but I’ll get closer.[/p][p][/p][p]A major missing feature was landmarks—natural goals to help players navigate the world.
Now, these huge landmarks will combine upgrades, messages, and checkpoints in one. They’ll be visible from far away and let you:[/p]

• [p]Save/load progress[/p]
• [p]Teleport via the world map (once discovered)[/p]
• [p]Upgrade or fold a new plane[/p]
• [p]Edit your message[/p]

[p]Skins and unlockable planes will be tied to in-game achievements, which also sync with Steam achievements for PC and Steam Deck players.[/p][p]That’s it for this month.
Sorry for the lack of visuals; last month was packed with work.[/p][p]I hope you have a nice week, and see you all next month.[/p]