Voyagers of Nera News

Hello Voyagers! Michael / Spacenorth here with an exciting peek behind the curtain of Voyagers of Nera's development. Today, we're diving into something that brings our magical world to life in ways you might not even notice (and that's exactly the point!) - the sound design of our game.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h2]Meet the Maestros[/h2]
First, I'm thrilled to introduce you to Ben and Billy from Hitbox Sounds, two talented hybrid game developers and sound designers crafting every creak, splash, and magical whisper you hear in Voyagers (on top of some fan favorite systems like fishing!). If you caught our recent dev stream, you already know just how passionate these folks are about their craft. If you missed it, don't worry - we'll cover some of the highlights right here!



[h2]Finding the Voice of Nera[/h2]
When Ben and Billy first joined our team, they faced an exciting challenge: what does a vast, vibrant, magical ocean world full of spirits and monsters actually sound like? They began by identifying the core elements that make Nera unique:

• Naturalistic: Every sound needs to feel grounded in reality
  
• Ancient: The world carries echoes of its history - long-dead massive golems, dark creatures under the waves
  
• Magical: But with a fantastical, ethereal, not-just-Earth element
  
• Mysterious: Sound cues that make you wonder what's around the next corner
  
• Alive: A breathing, moving world full of living creatures
  

[h2]Bringing the World to Life[/h2]
[h3]The Living Environment[/h3]
Our sound team focused on two major aspects of environmental audio:

1. Ocean Soundscapes

• Creating vast, inviting oceanic sounds that draw players to explore
  
• Dynamic ambience that shifts with the time of day
  
• Wildlife sounds that make the world feel inhabited and alive
  

2. Player Movement

• Footsteps that tell a story - about your character, the surface you're walking on, and the world around you
  
• Boat sounds that make seafaring feel as amazing as it looks (because let's face it, boats are central to our game and super cool)
  

[h2]The Subtle Craft of Audio Design[/h2]
Here's something fascinating we learned from Ben and Billy: everyone's an audio expert, even if they don't realize it. We all know exactly what footsteps should sound like because we hear them every day. This makes sound design particularly challenging. If you get it right, it’s feedback to your actions that feels like it FITS, immerses you, and reinforces your actions. But if it’s even a little off, your brain can INSTANTLY tell!

In building some of the sounds in the game, Ben and Billy looked to real-world inspirations and reference to build something authentic and immersive.

• They actually bought planks of wood from hardware stores to record authentic creaks slaps for when your character runs down a wooden hallway or across the deck of the ship.
  
  
• The ocean sounds you hear in-game? Those are recordings from the San Francisco Bay and Davies Cove in Maine - bringing a piece of Ben and Billy's hometowns right into Nera!
  

[h2]Looking (and Listening) Ahead[/h2]
We still have plenty of exciting audio work ahead of us that we can’t wait to unleash Ben and Billy’s talents on. Some of them will be cracking exciting new ground:

• Spirits and boats are going to be coming together - what does a boat augmented by a spirit sound like?
  
• What's the perfect musical score for discovering an ancient ruin?
  
• How does the soundscape change when you're deep underwater versus skimming across the surface?
  

Stay tuned for a future stream where we'll dive deep into the music of Voyagers - there are some incredible things in the works that we can't wait to share!



[h2]Thank You for Listening![/h2]
Your feedback helps us fine-tune every aspect of the game, including its soundscape. Keep those comments coming, and don't forget to wishlist Voyagers of Nera if you haven't already!

Until next time, Michael and the Treehouse Team!

Join our Discord to stay connected: discord.gg/VoyagersofNera

Hello, incredible Voyagers! Michael / Spacenorth here, ready to plunge into the depths of our latest development update!

[h2]Back Into Dev-Land![/h2]
Just as we finished processing the feedback from our biggest playtest ever, we jumped right into another one that concluded yesterday! We’ve been digging through the feedback like crazy and are excited to share some of our top priorities in development.

[h2]Spirits and Seafaring: A Match Made in Nera[/h2]
First, we’ve heard a lot of great feedback about the role of spirits and skimming in the game. The most common critique was wanting a lot more of it! A huge number of players are looking for spirits to be more important to more parts of the game and having more of them to discover in the world. Well, we heard you loud and clear! We're doubling down on making spirits an integral part of every activity in the game. Imagine your spirit companions not just helping you craft, but also enhancing your seafaring adventures. It's going to be magical!

Our main topic for this post is another one of our big priorities for this milestone: the second biome, The Reef!



[h2]The Reef: Our Next Big Splash[/h2]
In Voyagers, we want to deliver beautiful and fantastical spaces that you can get lost in. With the Reef, we are hoping to transport you to a place that feels vibrant, oceanic, familiar, and yet all together magical. Huge shout out for this artwork from our Creative Director, Mitch Miller.

Like any good biome in a survival crafting game, you’ll see expansive new spaces to explore, new resources to discover, recipes to unlock, and goodies to craft!



As you might be able to tell, the Reef isn’t just expanding our world horizontally - we’re going up (and down!). Expect to see towering coral structures to explore, slipstreams of air to ride, and the return of a tool from our trailer - the glider! Get ready to soar above bright coral and mighty cliffs.

And there’s more to see beneath the waves as well - you’ll have to dive down to find out! But be warned - you’re not the only ones hunting in the deep ocean… 👀

[h2]Streaming Sensations[/h2]
I know we shared a few clips in our last blog, but I have another fun one to share. Our own talented teammate Cheery made a super-cut of recent streams that absolutely made the team’s day and we thought others might like to see it: [previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Watching you guys play has been an absolute blast, and it fuels our passion to keep pushing the boundaries of what's possible in Nera. As always, we're endlessly grateful for your support, enthusiasm, and feedback. Please don't forget to wishlist the game and spread the word – we need your help to continue growing this amazing community.

[h2]What's Next?[/h2]
We’ve got our next live stream on Twitch this Thursday at 5pm-6pm PT on Twitch where we’ll talking about audio design and making sound effects in Voyagers. Hope to see you there!


Catch you on the waves! 🌊

Michael and the Treehouse Team

Hello, amazing Voyagers - Michael / Spacenorth here, back with some thrilling development and playtest updates!

[h3]Playtesting and Clips![/h3]
We just wrapped up our most ambitious playtest to date, and it’s been an incredible ride! We opened our doors to over 400 players, making this our largest testing group ever. It was incredible to see so many of you exploring, crafting, and surviving in the magical world of Nera. Players racked up a lot of hours in our little demo, with our most engaged spending 10+ hours building and crafting!

But that's not all – we also gave the green light for anyone to stream during this playtest. Watching your adventures unfold in real-time has been nothing short of amazing. Your enthusiasm, creativity, and real time fails have truly brought our game to life in ways we never imagined! TisSarahBarah - IT'S NOT IN HERE

[h3]Feedback[/h3]
The flood of clips and feedback we've received has been absolutely phenomenal. Here are some highlights that had us grinning from ear to ear:

• Your reactions to awakening spirits and augmenting your spirit companions were priceless. ToriPareno - I have a bird now!
• Seeing players take on and defeat the stone golem boss was epic. TacticalPotato and Zombaekillz
• And skimming! Watching you zoom across the water on your crafted Skimmers was a joy - it looks like you're having as much fun surfing with them as we had creating them. miirorttv - first time skimming!
  

[h3]A Heartfelt Thank You[/h3]
We can't say this enough – thank you, thank you, thank you! Your participation, feedback, and sheer enthusiasm are why we wake up in the morning. Every bug report, every suggestion, and every moment of excitement you share fuels our passion to make this game the best it can be.

[h3]Looking Ahead[/h3]
Now that we've caught our breath from this whirlwind playtest, we're diving into our next phase of development. Here's what's on our plate:

• Bug-Fixing: We've got roughly a zillion reported bugs to prioritize and tackle - thank you to everyone who reported these!
• Iteration and Polish: We’ve got great feedback to help us refine major features including work on hunger and thirst, building content and UX, what spirits do for you and more.
  
• New Horizons: We saw a lot of appetite for some new features that we are working on like the next biome, more seafaring content, and more spirits!
  

[h3]Screenshot Contest - Cast Your Vote![/h3]
Last but not least, we're running a screenshot contest showcasing the incredible bases and moments you've created during the playtest. Head over to our Discord and the #screenshot-contest channel to cast your vote for your favorites. We’ve been loving the creativity!!


And if you haven’t yet, we hope you’ll wishlist the game and share it with your friends and communities - it helps us out a ton.

Thanks again for being part of this journey with us. Your support and passion make all the late nights and coffee-fueled bug-fixing worth it. We can't wait to share more of Nera with you soon.

Until next time!

- Michael and the Treehouse Team


P.S. Don't forget to join us for our next livestream this Thursday at twitch.tv/VoyagersOfNera where we'll dive deeper into some of the amazing moments from this playtest!

Hello all Voyagers, Michael / Spacenorth here to share some cool new stuff going into Voyagers and info about an upcoming playtest where you can stream and record videos!

It’s been an action-packed chunk of development focused on one of the most unique parts of our game: spirits!

From the moment you wake up in the world of Nera, you will have a friendly Spirit Companion to guide you and help you. As you learn new recipes and gather rare, magical ingredients, you will craft Elemental Runes you can equip to your Companion to change it’s type. Evolve it from the Mana Wisp into an Elemental Type that empowers you with a unique buff!


Spirits are hidden throughout the world, hopefully far away from the ravenous monsters of the Deep. As you explore our first biome, the Embrace, you may discover them in a Dormant state, waiting to be brought out of their slumber. Bring them back to the living Spirit Anchor that serves as the heart of your base and awaken them by re-infusing them with magic.


To thank you for building a spirit sanctuary and protecting them in this dangerous land, these Spirits will help you in a variety of ways! Fire Spirits boost your kilns and let you refine ore faster, Earth Spirits lend their ancient knowledge to unlock a mighty new shield recipe, and the right Water Spirit will teach you how to craft the Skimmer from our first trailer.

(Screenshot from our early playtester NexusCupcake!)

This is just the start of how we want exploration, finding and rescuing magical spirits, and growing more powerful to all intertwine and make for a unique experience in Voyagers! Playtesting has already been absolutely critical to helping us improve these features and how they fit into the core loop of the game. Getting real feedback from real players have helped us improve the pacing of the experience, create more exciting and juicy rewards, and make the spirits themselves more unique and compelling to encounter.



Our next playtest on September 25th will also be our biggest yet - we’re planning on adding a few hundred new players. We’ve been playtesting quietly so far, but we also want to open the door to streaming, recording video, and sharing screenshots during this playtest. So go ahead and make videos, stream to your community, share with your friends! (Don’t forget to tag us @VoyagersOfNera on all platforms!)

If you’ll have fun joining an Alpha playtest and sharing your feedback with us, sign up here: https://bit.ly/VoyagersofNeraPlaytest

If you’re a creator excited to give feedback, get in touch with us using this link: https://bit.ly/VoNCreator

Thanks so much for tuning in to our latest dev blog. We have our next stream this Thursday at 5pm PT on our first ever Twitch stream! I will leave you now with screenshots of some awesome stuff players have made in our most recent playtest. Cheers!

- Michael and Treehouse Team

(SO: Header screenshot by our community member: Nexuscupcake!)

[hr][/hr]

Divinekomedy's super base More awesome shots from NexusCupcake

Hello all Voyagers, Michael / Spacenorth here to talk about the latest on the game.

First, I wanted to share some game level-updates. We’ve been seeing people ask for more specifics about our launch timeline as we get closer to the end of the year. Unfortunately, as some have guessed, Voyagers of Nera is NOT going to be ready for Early Access in 2024.

This is not the result of a specific problem or delay. Actually the opposite - development has been progressing well and the frequent playtests, player feedback, and iterations have helped us improve the game in leaps and bounds. But this process is also giving us better info on just how much work it will take to deliver a game that stands out and that we are proud of. So we are shifting our expected Early Access date to mid 2025, which we fortunately have the budget and resources to do. We are also reducing the player count for the game from 16 → 10 for performance reasons given the scale of world we are building.

Lastly, we are continuing to ramp UP the amount of playtesting we are doing. We’ve said this a few times, but player feedback has been incredibly meaningful for our team. Not just for making the game better more quickly, but also for our satisfaction as developers - seeing people light up when they play even the rough builds of our game is our best source of motivation! We will have more specifics in the coming months, but we plan to grow our playtester group rapidly starting with our very next playtest.

Please sign up if you would like to play and give us feedback on an upcoming alpha build. :)

Now, on to the cool new game content!

[hr][/hr]
Christina (World Design Director) and Kyle (Senior Environment Artist) from the Treehouse team recently shared the evolution of the first biome in Voyagers: the Embrace.

This space is named the Embrace because this whole set of islands formed around the chest and arm of a massive, stone colossus. This long-dead, magical titan was an Ancient - one of the protectors of magical spirits in this world that ultimately fell to the creatures of the Deep.

The Embrace did not leap out as a fully-fledged idea. It had much more humble beginnings, starting as simple MS paint sketches about the layout and flow of a player’s experience through this space. Fortunately, some concept art from Mitch (Creative Director) made it much more thematic!


A lot of design work, playtesting, iteration and art passes later (not necessarily in that order), we have an exciting island archipelago to explore full of monsters, caves, and spirits in need of rescue. And, of course, the remnants of the Ancients in their beautiful, tragic glory - wherever you are in the biome, you can always see its chest, arm and other pieces in their final resting place. Find traces of its fading magic, explore the stone ruins it left behind, or even build a base in the palm of its hand!


In Voyagers of Nera, we want to create a mysterious, magical ocean world for players to explore and the Embrace is just the beginning. We’re excited to show you lots more as we get deeper into playtesting and development. :)

That’s all for now! Our next dev stream is this Thursday at 5pm PT in our Discord, so join us if you’d like to see a bunch of recent changes and awesome bases that players have been making. Otherwise, see you at our next dev blog in two weeks!

- Michael and Treehouse Team