Paper Sky News

[h3]Another Month, Another Paper Sky Update!
We’re back with another update on Paper Sky! Here’s what’s new:[/h3]


The big announcement is still in the works, but I’ve shared a sneak peek in an unofficial post on the project Discord!
The new demo release is delayed slightly due to some exciting features I’m adding, including a redesigned upgrade menu. This extra work won’t affect the final release date, as these features were always planned.


I’ve finalized the visuals for the updated boost mechanic. Now, recharging your boost charges happens by flying fast and close to the environment; essentially rewarding "cool" and risky maneuvers. This setup reinforces a sense of flow, encouraging you to stay airborne as long as possible.

To guide you, red trails will mark the main route for progression, and flying near them will naturally boost your speed and recharge your boost charges. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on this feature once you try it out.


The upgrade menu has been revamped to feel more interactive and engaging. Now, when you open it, a popup book unfolds, letting you turn pages to select and upgrade different paper transformations. Each page is like a mini diorama of the model you’re customizing. Upgrade points are represented by messages left by other players that you find on your journey. I hope this visual approach makes customizing your plane even more fun, the visual here is still very rough.


I know the first demo was a bit sluggish on the Steam Deck, though it mostly ran well on PCs. I’ve optimized the lighting model, and the game now runs consistently on the Steam Deck. Moving forward, the Steam Deck will be the primary benchmark for optimization—so if your hardware outperforms a Steam Deck, you’ll have no issues running the game at high settings.

However, there’s one world in the game that uses a different render pipeline and incorporates ray tracing. This area may still be demanding on certain graphics cards, so I’ll be working closely with beta testers to make sure it’s accessible for as many players as possible after the new demo is out.

I’m still exploring ways to make clouds interactive for players. If the current shader approach doesn’t work out, it won’t be a big loss, but I’ll keep you updated!

What I'm working on in November?
I’m focusing on filling out and polishing the art assets for the third world, which will be featured in the upcoming demo. Once that’s complete, the new demo will be released for you to enjoy.

That’s all for now—see you in the next update, or for the big announcement (hopefully soon 💀)!

Time is flying by faster than a paper plane!
I could have sworn September just started last week.

Anyway, I’m thrilled to bring you some exciting Paper Sky updates for September.



The new demo is almost here! I've reworked every gameplay mechanic and introduced a few new ones, all based on the feedback I received from the first pre-alpha demo featured during the Kickstarter launch.



What you're seeing is a still from the current blocking phase of the demo's playground, which is intended to represent the final gameplay and serve as a sample of the full game. It will feature everything the main game offers: an upgrade menu, different paper transformations, optional environment-based quests, and a brand-new messaging system. The goal of the demo is to allow players to freely explore the world while progressing through the story and challenging their flying skills.

After some internal testing using this new game design workflow and prototype blocks, I found that the new demo is four times bigger than the old one. Players also tend to spend more quality time exploring areas of interest and relaxing in the natural, chill flying zones.

Each world, except the first and last, will follow this main progression cycle:

• Discover a new world
  
• Freely explore a playground filled with small challenges (both explicit and hidden) and secrets
  
• Progress the world’s story
  
• Complete a speed/fun phase
  
• Face a custom-scripted, large event
  
• Then, repeat!
  

One day, someone asked, "Hey, why isn’t there any camera tilt when turning the plane at high speeds?" It hadn’t even occurred to me until then, so I decided to test it out—and it works great! So now, camera tilt is officially part of the game.




One thing that bugged me about the first demo, which was a bit rushed for the Kickstarter, was the lack of time to polish and add water interactivity. This month, I’ve been hard at work on a detailed, wave-based ocean. It will act as both a failing state when you go too far and a fun feature to surf across at high speeds.
What you’re seeing is still a work in progress, and it’s missing the water trail effect that the player will create.

Of course, this is the intended gameplay before you unlock the boat transformation and the ability to go underwater.


And now, for the most exciting news since the Kickstarter launch! After months of behind-the-scenes work, I’ve been contacted with some fantastic news. Although it hasn’t been officially approved yet, I’m posting this Kickstarter update as late as possible this Monday, hoping I can share it here.

If I can’t make the announcement this month, don’t worry! I’ll make a special update on all social media channels and on Kickstarter to let you know as soon as possible!

All right this is it for me, so much good news in the future I am very excited!

[h3]Hey guys!

Welcome to the third monthly update, recapping all the progress made in August. Another month, another update!

So, let’s dive in and take a look at what I accomplished last month on Paper Sky.[/h3]



I dedicated most of August to completing the shaders for the Moebius-inspired world. This will be a challenging, desert-like environment filled with buried secrets and rocky towns.



After releasing the open beta demo for Paper Sky, one of my main concerns was managing the online messages with a live upvote system. I’m happy to announce that I've finally completed a new framework to address this. It will allow me to easily monitor and control what’s being shared in the world. Previously, messages in the demo world could only be updated when players logged in and out, but now, they’ll be updated live and regularly without any input needed. This marks the near-final state of the messaging system backend.



Your messages will now be permanently carried on your paper plane, so whatever you write will always be there to encourage you!

Still WIP but you get the point

You earn points by discovering player messages in the world, whether they’re hidden or part of a quest reward. You can then spend those points on various paper forms (plane, ball, boat, etc.), which will enhance your mobility and speed on your journey.

That’s all for this month’s progress! I’ll soon need beta testers to help populate the new messaging system and stress-test it along with the new movement mechanics I mentioned last month. Also, there’s a possibility of some exciting news for Paper Sky’s development next month. If I don’t mention it in the next update, it probably didn’t pan out, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed!

That’s enough from me for now. I’ll be more active on social media as I dive back into art asset creation. Alright, see you soon.

[h3]Hey guys!
Welcome to the second monthly update, recapping July's progress.[/h3]

I've got some exciting new mechanics and features to discuss. I’ve been hard at work refining and expanding the project's base architecture to ensure it's solid and easily scalable for future growth.



I've implemented one of the most requested features from the demo: the boost mechanic. This addition enhances level traversal and adds depth to player movement. The boost will be unlockable and upgradable, which leads us to the next topic, content expansion!

I've also reworked the "Speedlines" effect and it will now distort the edge of the camera at extreme speed giving a better sense of speed.



To increase environment interactivity and enhance player movement without introducing entirely new features or complex designs, I’ve come up with a solution. Players will be able to upgrade and customize their paper plane using messages found throughout the world. This means that players who finish the game and leave a message will directly help others progress. This system encourages exploration and creative approaches to movement-based gameplay. You’ll have the choice of upgrade paths, allowing you to enhance any aspect of your paper character, including the plane, the ball, the boat, and more.

You’ll be able to decide whether to increase your roll speed or your aerial distance capabilities etc...



Great news! I just received my Steam Deck and will use it to benchmark Paper Sky’s general optimization. The Steam Deck was the last piece of hardware needed for my desired platform porting list. With my experience from developing for the Nintendo Switch, I’m confident in shipping all platforms simultaneously.

See you next month!

Hey There!

Welcome to the first of our monthly updates, recapping June's progress. Expect these updates every first Monday of the month.

I've been refining the game concept based on demo feedback, leading to some great new ideas and a clearer project vision.


Forbes wrote a nice indie game article and included Paper Sky into the mix, it was a welcoming surprise to see my name and Forbes in the same sentence:



I've streamlined the art levels and condensed them into 12 different art worlds that will be all seamlessly integrated to the experience.


Alright, let's dive into the most exciting part of the update. After compiling demo feedback from the past months, I decided to simplify the aerial controls, which were a major hindrance to players.

The old "intuitive mode" allowed you to aim at a destination for the plane, but the latency made navigating tight spaces impossible. The "realistic mode" rotated the roll of the plane instead of its yaw, making it difficult for most players to master.

The new controls, which are consistent for both mouse and controllers, are similar to the game "Superflight." Moving the mouse sideways now directs the plane the same way. This new system is easy to grasp and very precise, rendering the old controls obsolete. These new controls will be included in the upcoming demo update!


The final demo update before beta access will feature the new control scheme, optimizations, Mac support, better Steam Deck support, and additional content. See below for more details:


So you're already familiar with the messaging system allowing you to write a personal message and leaving it in the Paper Sky world for others to find; Well I want to expand on that and make it really interesting gameplay-wise.

Finding player messages now grants upgrade points for enhancing your paper plane's abilities. Upgrade points can be spent in a dedicated menu, allowing for customization and improved gameplay, upgrade special power moves such as the Boost (which will be featured in the upcoming demo update).

Already discovered message locations will not grant you another upgrade point.
The upgrade points can be spent inside a dedicated paper menu that is also the place where you will be able to fold and customize your paper plane.
What can be upgraded include every shapes you can take, meaning if you want to upgrade your paper ball for more precision platforming or if you want to upgrade your paper plane for more speed you can do that freely.

Let me know what you think of this decision? I believe it greatly complements the existing mechanics and incentivizes players to seek out world messages, enhancing the value of your own.


Paper Sky is now performing 10 times better than my last title in terms of wishlists, and I hope to release Paper sky with at least 85k wishlists, this would ensure the game does well upon release and this would help the game's future tremendously.


I've been updating the Steam Deck build of Paper Sky Demo and it now works beautifully. I will be getting myself a Steam Deck so I can further support the hardware and make sure it runs well (I will be using the Steam Deck as a FPS benchmark)

My main goal is to support as many hardwares and controllers as possible, starting with the same hardwares I developed my last game Crumble on.



[h2]That's it for now! Stay tuned for a special Steam Update and Discord notifications about the new demo update. See you next month![/h2]