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Space Prison News

Launch discount!

[h3]Buy the game 10% off for the release![/h3]

We're excited to be part of TactiCon and surrounded with amazing games! This sale will end on July 25.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1865930/Space_Prison/


Welcome to Space Prison, inmate. Survive the galaxy's toughest prison and rise to the top of a space gang! Explore, fight, craft, trade and learn convicts' stories to escape the facility. Death is not an excuse for a shorter sentence!

Are you a turn-based or survival game enthusiast? We got you covered with our bundles with a 10% discount: Space Prison x Against the Storm, and Space Prison x USC: Counterforce!

https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/43298/TactiCon__Against_but_Together_Bundle/

https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/43207/Firesquid_Space_Strategy_Bundle/

Missed our trailer? Watch it here!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
See you behind bars!
Wooden Alien Team

Release details and a word from the team!

Hey inmates!

The release is closing in, and you’ve got questions about the big day on July 18! Here are the answers you’re hunting for! Space Prison will launch during TactiCon and will be showcased from July 18 to July 22!

Please note that the previous Steam news article incorrectly stated the release time for Space Prison; the correct starting hour is 8:00 PM (CEST) instead of 4:00 PM (CEST). We've made a release timing map further below in this post!



But, first off, the whole team wanted to share a word with you:

We just wanted to take this occasion to say a huge THANK YOU to all of you who've been testing our game and providing us with your invaluable feedback. Your input has been crucial in making Space Prison the game it is today.

Thanks to you, we've been able to fine-tune the gameplay, squash bugs, and add features that make the game even more exciting and engaging. Because of your feedback, we were able to focus on the things that really matter to you, like cool criminal characters, turn-based combat and, of course, space rats. We couldn't have done it without you!

For those of you looking to buy Space Prison, we wanted to clear up a couple of things about what the game isn't:
  • It’s NOT a roguelike (nor a roguelite). While we do have roguelite elements like a prison map that changes every day (corridors shift, so prisoners can’t plan their escape) and player character dying, you do not need to start from scratch when you snuff it. Your consciousness is saved in the collar and transferred to a new body (“Death is not an excuse for a shorter sentence”).
  • It’s not The Escapists. While you do plan your survival and interactions, Space Prison is more about doing quests for quirky criminals to get them to join your squad, challenging others for their spot in the gang, gathering and gearing up your party to use them in turn-based combat against other inmates, alien creatures infesting the station and prison system itself.
  • It’s not a Space Rat Breeding Simulator. Even though, thanks to you guys, we’ve added many improvements for the rats (naming them, equipping them with tiny weapons for battle, healing them in your cell's burrow or upgrading their skills), we’re not a game about raising space rats;)

So, if you're ready for a wild ride in the galaxy's most notorious prison, filled with tactical combat, social RPG mechanics, and a whole lot of space rats, then Space Prison is the game for you.
Thanks again for all your support and feedback. We can't wait to see you behind bars!

Cheers!

_

[h3]Release Timing[/h3]

Check out the map to lock down the release time in your zone and cellblock!


[h3]Prices[/h3]

The game will be available at 19.99€, $19.99, £16.75. However, to celebrate your first day in prison, a -10% off discount will be applied for 7 days!

[h3]Supporter Pack and Bundles[/h3]



We also have a Supporter Pack that you can buy at $7.99. It includes:
  • Special Rat Skin
  • Cell Decor (carpet, bigger window, string lights, flower pot, glowing skull)
  • Digital Posters (Size A3)
  • Wallpapers for your desktop
  • Over 25 emojis

Do you love survival? Fighting for your life in dark setting? Check out our complete-the-set bundle with Against the Storm to have a -10% discount on the game!

If you're here, you probably are a turn-based lover, we also have a surprise for you: a complete-the-set bundle with USC: Counterforce coming with a-10% discount off (because we never have enough tactical and turn-based games)!



We're so thrilled for the upcoming release. Got more questions about the game? Drop 'em in the comments or hit us up on Steam Discussions!

One more thing, the team will be live on the Steam page for the release at 8:00 PM!

Stay sharp, inmates, and keep your eyes peeled for the next step: release day!

See you behind bars!
Wooden Alien Team

New release date!

Hey inmates,

We're excited to announce the full launch of Space Prison on July 18, 2024! Please note that timing noted on this Steam announcement is incorrect, the release will be at 8:00 PM (CEST) and not 4:00 PM. Thank you for your understanding!

After the delay of the initial launch in April and the extensive playtests we held, we're finalizing the game now. This delay allowed us to have more time to improve the game with your feedback, create more content (quests, endgame, and adding the second gang), and also showcase the game to a broader audience. The progress we've made led us to opt for a full release instead of going into Early Access. We look forward to supporting the game post-launch. Thank you for your patience and support!



[h3]Want to see what being a prisoner will be like, try our demo![/h3]
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1865930/Space_Prison/

More information on the demo here:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1865930/view/4147332104858536868


We're incredibly excited about this upcoming milestone! Thank you for the feedback from the playtests and demos, we can't wait for you to play the game in full! Your ideas and input have been invaluable. As we enter this new phase, get ready—your escape plan needs to be solid, your sentence is about to begin!

Think you’re tough? This prison survival game is your ultimate test! Craft makeshift brass knuckles for turn-based brawls, form alliances with inmates using RPG-social mechanics, and uncover their backstories. You'll be thrown into the darkest, yet humor-infused hellhole, in a comic book-inspired artstyle. Your free will and identity will be suppressed. Don’t let the system break you.

Wishlist the game, follow us on Steam and our socials!

Until then, stay tuned because we have more news to share with you in the upcoming weeks!

Join our community of convicts on:
Newsletter
Discord
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See you behind bars!
Wooden Alien Team

Dev Journal #5 - Map & Corridors

Hey inmates,

In today's devblog, we're coming back to the making of the map, the prison corridors, and the environments, where every day brings its share of new challenges and opportunities for exploration.

[h2]Mix of procedurally generated & handcrafted[/h2]

When creating the first concept of Space Prison, we rapidly chose an ever-changing map where we blend procedurally generated corridors with a series of fully handcrafted environments. What do we mean by that? The prison's heart is the cellblock, from where you can go to Locations like the Medical Bay, the Dining Hall, or the Bathroom, and even further once you get restricted access cards. But to get to any of the locations, you will have to cross the corridors with pathways broken into nodes, which lead to rooms.

[h3]Corridors evolving daily[/h3]
Each day, you have a new set of corridors connecting each location with a selection of rooms that can hide combat encounters, events with characters, guard patrols, special objects, or loot. You will never enter the same rooms in the same order. All the rooms are manually designed and drawn. We have very talented artists that create beautiful 2D stylized art.



[h3]Hand-drawn environments[/h3]
We’re aware that today AI can make great artwork that can sometimes be indistinguishable from human-made art, but we believe it cannot provide seamless locations, not to mention locations that blend with each other seamlessly. And there’s still something unmatched in the hand-made art. That’s why we decided to make the assets, the level design, and the level art ourselves. But as we still wanted to get you something fresh every day by designing the corridors of the prison to shift every day, so the prisoners couldn’t plan their escape.




[h2]Making a "closed-world"[/h2]

At the very beginning of the development, we were actually considering and experimenting with making a “closed-world survival” as opposed to popular open-world survivals. And back in the early prototypes, the prison was much more closed and claustrophobic. However, when we started running the first playtests with our community, it was obvious that we needed to give them more space for exploration, as in a proper survival game. In order to accomplish this, we did two things:
  • Added the procedurally generated corridors. They change every day to keep inmates from planning the escape.
  • Divided the facility into the Inner Ring and Outer Ring. The Inner Ring has locations like Dining Hall, Bathroom, or Medical Bay, which prisoners are allowed to access. And the Outer Ring is out of bounds for inmates because there are Engine Rooms, Power Hubs, or Labs there. In order to get there, you need to get a special keycard, and even then, you need to be careful not to step on a guard patrol.





[h2]Designing the prison[/h2]

When making the map and each individual area, we made sure that each location was designed to best reflect its real function. So the Dining Hall, for example, has some tables, a window where the food is being sold (yeah, you need to pay for chow in this place), or windows where you can sell creature meat that you hunt in the corridors (that will most probably be made into tomorrow’s dinner). But it also has braziers where you can cook the meat yourself, a Kitchen area that is out of bounds for inmates but that you can break into to steal ingredients or cook better meals, and of course, a scanner that keeps you from getting in our out with a shiv (or at least that’s supposed to be doing).

On top of that, we decided to add a pool of conditions from which one is randomly selected by the game at the beginning of a new day. An area can be closed temporarily, a bonus or penalty can be applied for combat, relationship gains, etc.




[h2]Our creative process[/h2]

We designed the prison facility as a circle, because what’s a better closed shape than a circle? The prisoners are supposed to keep themselves to the Inner Ring, so they are closed even more tightly with the whole Outer Ring region, which is patrolled heavily by guards, guard dogs, and drones.
Exploration in this place is not only about knowing where the guards are. When you venture into the corridor labyrinth, you need to come prepared. There are many dangerous creatures roaming this station. Location areas are a bit civilized (if you can call it that with the galaxy's most notorious criminals in there), but corridors are like a wild west—no one really cares what happens to prisoners, so you can meet every kind of disgusting creature you can think of (yeah, Baby Wyrsts too).



But sometimes even the nastiest creatures are better than a Ferath assassin waiting for you with their company because you haven’t brought them the dinner they tried to extort from you. Good thing is that you can deal with situations like this in a few ways. You can, for example, be a good boy or girl and bring them what they want. But if you don’t want to be considered a pushover for the rest of your sentence, you can also choose the tough inmates that fit your party, get on their good side, and befriend them so they can cover your back when you need it.



Thank you all for your support and for participating in our demos and playtests. Your feedback is always incredibly precious in helping us continuously improve the game.

Stay tuned for more insights as we continue to advance the development of Space Prison!

See you behind bars!
Wooden Alien Team

Demo reactivated!

Hello inmates!

[h3]The prison gates are opening yet again! Play our public demo now![/h3]

The demo is available in English and lets you go around the prison and meet its prisoners for the first two days of your imprisonment.

[h3]Download the demo on the Steam page![/h3]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1865930/Space_Prison/

Choose one of 3 playable races: Human, Ferath, or Nex, each with its own set of perks and abilities. Your crime determines your bonuses and penalties. Within the in-game two-day limit, interact with other inmates to complete their quests and join one of the two rival gangs! Rats are the convicts' most trusted buddies; recruit them to explore the prison's deepest sectors! Create and manage tools and contraband to get out of the prison complex!



You can start over with your sentence, select a different race and crime, and try to become part of the other gang!

[h3]We're open to ideas and suggestions! Don't hesitate to share them with our feature upvoting tool![/h3]



Have fun and support us by wishlisting the game!

Join our community of convicts on:
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See you behind bars!
Wooden Alien Team