Starfall Protocol News

🚀🌌Greetings, Galaxy Explorers!

We have an exciting announcement to make! As part of our broader effort to better align the game's identity with its evolving narrative and gameplay, we are changing the name of the game from Nebula to Starfall Protocol!🌠🌌

This transition has been on the cosmic agenda since the beginning, and we hope that you'll find the new name just as cool as we do! When we first started working on the game, ‘Nebula’ was a code name that we used for the project. Although it stuck with us throughout the Kickstarter period, we’ve always found the name a bit too generic. Unfortunately, ‘Nebula’ is shared among multiple other video game titles and movie characters, which can lead to confusion. Rest assured, this renaming doesn't affect the game itself. We believe that Starfall Protocol is a unique and fitting name that will help us stand out and better represent our game's universe.

In the upcoming days and weeks, you'll see this new name reflected across our platforms as part of a comprehensive rebranding.
Now, let's talk about the upcoming update video! We are aware of the anticipation building for Noobert's video update, and we are working diligently to finalize the content. We're going to ask for a little bit more patience, and we promise it will be worth the wait! As soon as the video is ready to launch, we'll make an announcement so you won't miss out!

Thank you for your continued support! We can't wait to share what we've been working on with you!

If you're interested in becoming a backer, we invite you to visit our BackerKit Store!

If you'd like to delve deeper into our journey and support our efforts, consider joining our Patreon or becoming a Discord server booster; we are so close to level 3!

We want to express our intergalactic gratitude to our invaluable Discord boosters and Patreons for their ongoing contributions! A huge thank you goes to jetfire#1547, IoleRae#3211, SkyeAugustine#1420, Tyberious#0001, Azi0#2860, .thunderbolt, Captain Noname, FarmerJon1066, and Jackeyles!

Have a great weekend!

Hey, Galaxy Explorers!🚀🌌

We're thrilled to return with a new update!

🎬Video Updates
Our first exciting announcement is our collaboration with Noobert, the illustrious YouTuber and colony sim expert! Noobert will spotlight our game updates and evolution, lending expert insights into the ever-expanding galaxy of Nebula! We believe it's critical to maintain a consistently high-quality content experience throughout the upcoming months of development, which lead to this collaboration with Noobert. We assure you it'll be worth the wait!



Here are a few words from Noobert himself: “I'm going to do the best I can to keep you up to date on the development of this awesome game! We are doing this collaboration because I believe this game has immense potential, and you should too! So make sure to check out our first video when it drops!”

Meanwhile, we urge you to subscribe to Noobert's YouTube channel and join his Discord community for exclusive, firsthand Nebula news!

Noobert’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Noobert/featured

Noobtopia Discord server: https://discord.com/invite/aaW2FYu

👽Shipwrecks

Get ready to embark on a thrilling journey into the desolation of space and explore the remnants of lost shipwrecks scattered across the vast expanse of the galaxy! You can find these eerie relics floating in the void of space or lying dormant on distant planets.



Shipwrecks vary in size, and you'll encounter every type of ship in the game, from compact land cruisers and space-faring vessels to larger cargo ships. Ship graveyards, a testament to the harsh realities of space travel, showcase collections of wrecked ships from epic battles or unfortunate group accidents. The sight of these graveyards is as awe-inspiring as it is chilling, and the type of loot you'll find will differ from site to site!

We're also developing a salvage mechanic that will let players uncover a wealth of discoveries when encountering shipwrecks. You won't only find mission opportunities and rare loot, but you'll also be able to salvage and reuse various parts of the wrecks.

Here's a sneak peek of a mission clue you might recover from a shipwreck:



We will delve into further detail regarding our diverse mission system in a future update!

🐛Astroleech

Prepare yourselves for the introduction of the Astroleech, a hostile creature that thrives in the vacuum of space. It lays eggs in solid substances, which unfortunately also include your ship’s walls! These creatures pose a new threat to your colony, so you'll need to be vigilant to keep them at bay.



But don't be entirely discouraged by their menacing nature. Despite their hostility, Astroleeches can prove surprisingly useful. For the daring and resourceful, these creatures can be hunted as a unique food source in the vast emptiness of space. Just imagine the look on your crew's faces when you serve up a dish of freshly caught Astroleech (just make sure to cook them properly to avoid any paralyzing venom harming your crew)!



☀️Solar Panel

The Solar Panel is an essential component of any Starship’s infrastructure. These efficient and reliable components, once connected to your power grid, have the ability to harness the abundant energy of starlight and convert it into a continuous flow of electricity for your crew. In the game, one of the key survival strategies is redundancy. Therefore, ensuring you have multiple power sources to rely on is crucial. It safeguards your Starship and your crew from experiencing a complete power outage in the wake of any unforeseen catastrophic events.

Let us know in the comments if you're interested in similar "behind the scenes" content about our art, anything from animals to the next luxury galactic sofa for your crew to relax on, or even snippets of Unreal Engine workflows!



🥳That's all for this month's update! Stay tuned for future news and don’t forget to subscribe to Noobert’s YouTube channel! We appreciate your continued support, and we welcome your feedback either in the comments or over on Discord!

If you'd like to delve deeper into our journey and provide further support to our efforts, consider joining our Patreon community at: https://www.patreon.com/nebulagame

If you're interested in becoming a backer, we invite you to visit our BackerKit Store:
https://bit.ly/3FbEWkV

Lastly, we want to express our intergalactic gratitude to our invaluable Discord boosters and Patreons for their ongoing contributions! A huge thank you goes to jetfire#1547, IoleRae#3211, SkyeAugustine#1420, Tyberious#0001, Azi0#2860, Captain Noname, FarmerJon1066, and Jackeyles!

Have a fantastic day!

All the best,
Nebula Team

Hey, Galaxy Explorers!🚀🌌

📽️Video Updates

Before diving into the update, we have some fantastic news! If everything goes as planned, we'll be releasing a special narrated video update next month to provide a deeper insight into some of Nebula's gameplay systems. Prepare for a cosmic glimpse into the world of EVA missions and preparation procedures in this upcoming video update!

Curious about EVA missions? We're excited to give you a sneak peek at our new spacesuit and airlock designs!



Join our Discord channel to submit your questions and suggestions on the topic! We're archiving our old "❓questions-and-answers" channel and transitioning to the "❓question-and-answers-forum" channel! Remember to use the "🆙Update" tag for questions and suggestions related to the upcoming update! We'll address the top five upvoted questions in the video!

🎉New Icons

We wanted to showcase a few new icon designs for various in-game items and actions! These designs, featuring minimalistic elements and simple shading, provide an intuitive and visually appealing experience as you navigate the game's interface. Let us know what you think!



🐁Jungle Hopper

Let us present the Jungle Hopper, a fluffy herbivorous creature that according to some explorers resembles a mix of a mouse and a rabbit. Native to rainforests, this endearing animal features large ears for detecting potential threats.



The Jungle Hopper's distinctive feature is its powerful hind legs, which allow it to traverse rainforest terrain with ease, navigating through vines, dense undergrowth, or even steep inclines with remarkable agility. These adaptable creatures effortlessly overcome natural obstacles and barriers, making them masters of lush environments. Furthermore, they possess a natural ability to provide comfort and emotional support for humans. When trained, these cute creatures, with their soft fur, will make excellent therapy animals, assisting in maintaining colonists' mental health by helping them cope with stress or trauma. Their adorable appearance and gentle demeanor create a soothing atmosphere that fosters relaxation and a sense of well-being within the colony. They also make quite a delicious soup!🍜

🔀Hierarchical Pathfinding

To develop an efficient navigation system, we've divided each map into smaller "navigation sectors." These sectors are interconnected with hashed links, enabling characters and creatures to smoothly navigate between them. This system facilitates the creation of larger maps and improves the game's overall performance.

If you want to learn more about hierarchical pathfinding, check out this Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pathfinding#Hierarchical_path_finding


🚪Sections and Volumes: Simulating Environmental Interactions

The hierarchical pathfinding system extends beyond pathfinding by simulating the interactions between different spaces. Navigation sectors connect to form "sections," which are essentially rooms or outdoor spaces enclosed by walls, rocks, or doors. Sections, in turn, connect to create "volumes," which are larger areas separated by pressure-resistant walls, rocks, or doors.

These data structures enable us to simulate various environmental interactions, such as the spread of oxygen, pathogens, and airborne toxins. For instance, a catastrophic pressure loss event would only destroy rooms within your ship that lack protection from pressure-resistant doors.

🥳That's all!

Stay alert for future news and our first-ever video update coming next month! Thank you for your continued support, and let us know what you think either in the comments or over at Discord!

We will post our videos on Nebula’s YouTube channel, so subscribe to our channel to get notified when a video update drops:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWpH91GtnqgstViLs9j3MZw

If you're interested in becoming a backer, we invite you to visit our BackerKit Store:
https://bit.ly/3FbEWkV

If you'd like to further support our efforts, consider joining our Patreon community at:
https://www.patreon.com/nebulagame

Lastly, we want to express our intergalactic gratitude to our invaluable Discord boosters and Patreons for their ongoing contributions! A huge thank you goes to jetfire#1547, IoleRae#3211, SkyeAugustine#1420, Tyberious#0001, Azi0#2860, Captain Noname, FarmerJon1066, and Jackeyles!

Have a fantastic day!

All the best,
Nebula Team

Hey, Galaxy Explorers!🚀🌌

We trust this message finds you in high cosmic spirits. In the past month, we've been diligently working on crafting various characters and animals to enrich your gameplay experience. Let's delve into the diverse universe awaiting you and your crew!

CHARACTERS👩‍🦰

Our goal was to develop a minimalist yet expressive art style, enabling a vast range of customization options to strengthen the bond between you and your crew members. Our extensive character customization system offers endless possibilities for personalizing your crew, including head and ear shapes, eyes and eyebrows, facial and hairstyles, scars, tattoos, and biomodifications! We're also adding variety in terms of height, eye and ear placement, and head size for that extra touch of individuality. We've strived to create an art style that is unique, simple, visually pleasing, and modder-friendly. We plan to release art/modding tutorials later, making it a breeze to create your own character mods in Nebula! This initial art pass features only a few assets, but it already showcases the potential for crafting diverse and expressive characters, both in terms of their visual characteristics and in-game traits and personalities.



As crew members face challenges and sustain injuries, their appearances will evolve to reflect their experiences, adding depth and realism to your adventures. Take Jammer, for example: After engaging in a fierce battle, he suffers significant wounds, losing an eye and an ear while accumulating numerous scars on his body and face. As time passes, Jammer heals, and with the aid of advanced biomodifications, he receives "prosthetic" replacements to compensate for his impaired hearing and vision, showcasing his resilience and adaptability in the face of adversity (at least his hair stayed intact).



As for body design and clothing, you can expect a range of stylish outfits for your colonists to wear, providing an excellent opportunity to show off your style during intergalactic voyages and diplomatic meetings! Additionally, we've recognized the value of adding hands to your pawns for a more immersive experience. With the addition of hands, we can display a broader spectrum of expressive behaviors. Whether your pawns are sweeping floors, carrying resources, or engaging in furious fistfights, their hands will enhance these character actions in a lively and dynamic way. Body designs and hands are still being heavily worked on, so we'll keep you informed on our progress in the coming updates. In the meantime, take a look at some of our first art pass on clothing designs!



ANIMALS🐮

Interstellar animals in Nebula have adapted to thrive in various environments, exhibiting intricate behaviors and relationships within their ecosystems and with your colonists. Some animals serve as valuable food sources, while others provide resources or can be tamed as pet companions. However, be cautious of species that may threaten your colony with direct aggression, venomous attacks, or by spreading disease, as well as those that may damage your infrastructure or consume valuable resources.

For example, the Solaris Tortoise is native to arid deserts. Their durable, heat-resistant shells are invaluable for crafting heat shields and protective gear for colonists. Also, their eggs and meat provide great trading opportunities or a nutritious meal for times of hunger!



UTILITY SYSTEMS🔧

In Nebula, managing your colony's utility systems is crucial for success. As you traverse the galaxy, you'll need to maintain a keen focus on various aspects, such as power generation, plumbing, oxygen supplies, and heating. Ensuring that your crew has access to clean water, breathable air, and stable living conditions without freezing to death in space is essential to keeping them healthy, efficient, and motivated. Carefully planning and upgrading your utility systems will help you adapt to new challenges and make the most of the opportunities you encounter in the vastness of space! You will be responsible for constructing and managing your pipe and wire networks, making sure each part of your Starship has access to the required utilities!

Stay tuned for upcoming updates with more in-depth information on utility systems. We're excited to share how these aspects will impact your gameplay and decisions as you explore and conquer the galaxy!

As always, we appreciate your support and enthusiasm, and we can't wait to hear your thoughts on the characters, animals, and utility systems we're developing! Your feedback is invaluable in helping us create an immersive, dynamic, and captivating experience for all of you!

If you're interested in becoming a backer, we invite you to visit our BackerKit Store:
https://bit.ly/3FbEWkV

If you further support our efforts, consider joining our Patreon community at: https://www.patreon.com/nebulagame

Don't forget to connect with us on Discord for all the latest updates and discussions: https://discord.gg/nebula-934034696239738891


All the best,
The Nebula Team

Hey, Galaxy Explorers!🚀🌌

Hope you are well! We have a new update for you!

GRAPHICS🎨

We're happy to share some new additions to the game with you, including some handy machines for production and beautiful new environmental assets.

Whether you need to synthesize minerals into useful materials or produce high-quality energy to power your Starship, these machines will be crucial to your galactic success!



In addition to the new machines, we're also excited to share some environmental assets that will add more life to planets! While plants add new layers of detail to the environment, you will also be able to interact with them in various ways! Whether you want to cultivate a sustainable source of food by collecting their seeds and growing them on your Starship, synthesize their ingredients for potions, trade them for profit, fetch them for a faction to increase your reputation, or use their unique properties to create medical supplies, plants will be a valuable addition to your gameplay experience! Who knows, you might even stumble upon some rare and exotic fruits that are worth a ransom on the black market!

When creating resources for the game, be it plants or any other material, our goal is always to give you the ability to use and integrate them in as many ways as possible!



VEHICLES🚀

We know many of you have been eager to hear more about vehicles, so we wanted to give you a small sneak peek!

Your modular spaceships will have a variety of functions that allow your colonists to cover greater distances, harvest resources, fight enemies, explore dangerous areas on land, or navigate in the midst of asteroid fields in space. These vehicles will be highly customizable with modular parts such as cabins, wings, engines, and weapons.



We want to make sure that everyone has the ability to tailor their vehicles to their individual needs and playstyle, so each part will have unique stats, allowing you to mix and match, and recolor components to create your ideal vehicle. We've included a GIF below showcasing some of the various combinations and designs of an agile exploration vehicle you will be able to create!



STAT SYSTEM⚙️

The Stat system is a fundamental aspect of Nebula, with the goal of enabling complex and realistic simulations that create a rich and varied experience. Each entity, including characters, animals, plants, items, and equipment, will have a unique set of stats that define how they interact with the world. These stats can range from simple attributes like weight, speed, and power consumption to more complex ones like combat intelligence, hacking ability, and diplomacy, leading to an interconnected web of systems that drive the game forward in the form of emergent gameplay.

An example is how the Stat system affects combat. Each weapon has different stats, such as damage, rate of fire, and accuracy, which can all influence how effective it is in a fight. Similarly, among many factors, character stats such as agility, accuracy, and combat intelligence also influence their effectiveness, providing you with a variety of tactical approaches.

The Stat system will hopefully create an immersive experience where you must carefully consider the attributes of each entity when making decisions.

Of course, this is just a short introduction that only scratches the surface, but as we continue to implement new features, we will share many more details and examples of the system in action!

TASK SYSTEM🔨

The task system is another essential feature of Nebula that allows players to assign tasks to crew members and worker robots. This will ensure that the colony runs smoothly, with everyone working together to achieve a common goal.

At its core, the task system involves assigning characters to specific types of jobs or tasks, such as mining, farming, or construction. Tasks may require a specific skill set, and characters with higher levels of proficiency in that area will perform better, completing the task more efficiently and effectively. Additionally, different tasks may have various requirements, such as equipment, resources, or energy, which must be met before crew members can begin working on the task.

One of the primary goals of the task system is to create a sense of realism and immersion. Characters must take breaks and rest, eat, and sleep, just like real people. Overworking crew members can lead to exhaustion and decreased productivity while providing them with adequate resources and comfort can boost morale and increase productivity.

We’re excited to share that our somewhat unique blend of AI and Task system works really great, living up to all our hopes and expectations! When you give orders to construct a wall or produce an item, your crew members will efficiently gather the necessary resources and complete the job, utilizing the AI’s GOAP (Goal Oriented Action Planning) system to plan and execute each task. This allows you to delegate tasks effectively and manage your colony with ease. For example, worker robots can prepare a task by bringing all the required resources to a construction site, freeing up crew members to focus on their areas of expertise instead of carrying resources around all day.

This was a very busy month, but all the core gameplay systems are coming nicely together! Thank you for your support, and keep an eye out for more exciting updates!🚀

If you are interested in becoming a backer, please visit our BackerKit Store: https://bit.ly/3FbEWkV

All the best,
The Nebula Team