Pup Champs News

Hi everyone!

In our last newsletter we talked about the work we've been doing over the past few months to improve Pup Champs' quality. However, it's one thing to read about the improvements we've been doing - and another to try it out for yourself. This is why we've prepared an updated demo that's available now so that you can see how the game has progressed :)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2978840/Pup_Champs_Demo/

Since last week, Steam has enabled the option of reviewing demos, so if you've tried out the new Pup Champs demo be sure to send us feedback using a review, the Community Hub or our Discord - we're reading everything as we strive to make the game the best it can be.

[h2]Patch notes for Pup Champs v0.2 demo:[/h2]

(points marked with a star - * - are a work-in-progress and you should expect more improvements there in the future)

• *added gamepad and keyboard support to the game
• added a transition animation when going between main menu and gameplay scenes,
  
• added VFX to pup and ball movement,
  
• improved animations for ball movement,
  
• *updated backgrounds on all levels,
• updated artwork for markers that show where the ball will land,
  
• updated game icon,
  
• updated artwork for dashed line that shows current movement path,
  
• updated shadow animations,
  
• reworked most levels to feature consistent kick strength between pups (we hope this allows you to have an easier time remembering which pup works best in different scenarios),
  
• fixed the main menu to better support different aspect ratios,
  
• added a new button to the main menu - "leave a review"
  

That's all for today - we hope you have fun with the new demo :)

Cheers,
Luke

[h2]Pup Champs - updated artwork & logo![/h2]
The game's store page recently got a big update with a fantastic new main artwork created by the amazing Igor Wolski; as well as a brand-new logo designed by our friends over at Makaki Studio. The same team was in charge of doing the key art / logotype for Railbound and we're thrilled to have them back.

We've also prepared a wallpaper version of the artwork below:



[h2]Pup Champs - July development update[/h2]
Aside from that, the team's been hard at work on new content and improvements for the game.

One major feature we've wanted to add to the May demo (but unfortunately we ran out of time) was keyboard and gamepad controls. We're big fans of the Steam Deck as a gaming platform and the way you currently interact with Pup Champs there is... lacking, to say the least.


In the new build we've got both keyboard and gamepad working across the whole game, though there are still improvements we want to make to these systems before the new demo. (you might spot the good ol' Railbound crosshair in the screenshot above - we often borrow assets from our old games when working on features for the new ones).

Something we're also tackling is improved backgrounds for the puzzles. The demo used a system for randomizing prepared sprites; this allowed us to quickly create variant backgrounds (Railbound uses a somewhat-similar system!) but when used for 2D art it made the sprites look a bit out of place.


Since then we pivoted to more hand-drawn backgrounds (you can see a comparison above) to which we'll be adding some elements to make them feel more alive:



If you've seen our Steam store descriptions you might've spotted mentions of a "retired football coach" and "the underdog's tale" - that's because we're also working on adding a story to bind the game's campaign together.


In Pup Champs we're taking what we learned from creating a story for inbento to craft a simple-yet-heartwarming tale of neighborhood pups coming together through the fun of playing soccer, told through textless comic strips. We'll have more info to share with you in the future, but for now I'll leave you with the above sketch as an appetizer.

We're currently planning to release an updated demo of Pup Champs with these new features (and more!) in mid-August, but if you'd like to play the current version or wishlist the game, you can do it on our Steam page:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2848800/Pup_Champs/

[h2]Showing off the pups[/h2]
In terms of showcasing the game we've also had a busy time - Pup Champs was featured at the Wholesome Direct, popped up during the Cerebral Puzzle Showcase and helped collect money for a good cause during the Games For Waves - World Ocean Day sale event.


We also visited our local gamedev student competition - ZTGK (Zespołowe Tworzenie Gier Komputerowych) - to see some budding talent, give out awards for their great work and also to do a test run of our new booth for Pup Champs with tablets, stickers & mascots inspired by the game.

These small fellas were handmade by Liskowe Crochety and we're super happy with how they turned out :)



That's all we have for now - thanks once more for reading the whole newsletter and we hope to see you again when the new demo is out! Until next time!

- Luke