CAT Interstellar News

This is totally random but, if you want to try something totally different check out our new game The Backrooms
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1825160/The_Backrooms/

This wasn't exactly planned but when working on Episode II there were a number of new features we were trying to implement surrounding dozens of AI perceptions operating in a single environment


And of course dynamic water


A single player horror survival game that places you in a maze of rooms and hallways with terrifying creatures. Run through a dozen unique rooms to stay alive as long as possible... and maybe even escape. Keep your camcorder ready to capture some of the horrors of The Backrooms. Maybe the next unfortunate soul will find the recordings... for better or worse.

This patch focuses on bringing some of the effects and systems like footprints, trails, volumetric effects and lighting, and IK kinematics used in CAT Interstellar: Episode II
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1572950/CAT_Interstellar_Episode_II
[h3]Shown here:[/h3]


[h2]Update 6.2.0:[/h2]

The Androids have all been upgraded to be a little more... life-like... with a series of features like IK kinematics and better animations.

• They've been optimized to allow for dozens of them to be interacting on screen at once.
  
• The trail system tracks a distance of 500 meters and changes how fast it fills in based on the type of weather.
  
• Oh, and you might experience some different weather on the surface.
  
• This is not a content update but there is additional dialog and some environmental enhancements...
  

[h2]Linux[/h2]
There is currently an issue with the Linux build affecting Chapter 6. I have isolated the issue between the AI aspect of the new cat character and a potential memory leak associated with the collision particles in the ice caverns. Resolving this issue is the #1 priority right now and I will update this post immediately once it’s fixed.


[h2]Story[/h2]
The Androids have been dreaming. We gave them consciousness as a tool and they had the audacity to embrace it. Like watching a child l reach toward a hot stove the Androids have no idea what kind of pain and terror they'll face.


Update Sep 21: Disabled visual line trace of DOGVI

This is the first major content update in a while.
I've been primarily focusing on CAT Interstellar: Episode II but development has taken a little longer than I expected so I thought I would push some more content to the original in the mean time. So,


[h2]THE CAT!!!! [/h2]
The Cat character in Chapter 5 has been totally revamped from the ground up. New meshes, new logic, and even a new fur system.

• Chapter 0 has an additional level select terminal so you don't have to walk the full length on each play through.
  
• Chapter 1 has a substantial increase in destructible meshes and dynamic objects.
  
• Chapter 2 has some new lighting and sky features with more to come.
  
• Chapter 3 has new lighting and additional destructible meshes.
  
• Chapter 4 has a number of optimizations to the destructible aspects and increased texture resolutions.
  
• Chapter 5 has a number of improvements to the level flow and an extended ending.
  

As far as CAT Interstellar: Episode II, I have some wild stuff to show but you'll have to wait a little bit longer. A lot of these features will absolutely make their way into Episode I.


If you want to support this series even more follow us on Twitter @IonizedGames and share this update. We have a ton more stuff coming down the pipe.
As always, thank you to everyone for supporting this game. I'm so excited about this future of CAT Interstellar!


[h3]Note: [/h3]with regards to beta branches - The default branch has all the content from the _ue5 and beta branches currently. If you want faster updates and don't mind the occasional bug or two I would recommend using the beta branch "beta".

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1684710/CAT_Interstellar_Recast/

[h2]Purpose[/h2]
So, CAT Interstellar: Recast was an effort to explore and learn all the new features in Unreal Engine 5 in the hope of using it for Episode II...

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1572950/CAT_Interstellar_Episode_II

I don't want to say this effort was a mistake (it wasn't) but:

• It took a lot longer than expected due to bugs in the early access version of the engine
  
• Ultimately doesn't offer as solid of a build even with increased system specs
  
• Higher system specs exclude a large part of the community
  

What it does offer is some incredible leaps in visual fidelity using tech like nanite meshes and lumen global illumination.



[h2]Outcome[/h2]
I am glad we did this little side project though because I was ~100% convinced this was the right approach to take with Episode II. What I should have known and what became obvious over the development cycle was increasing the minimum requirements to support nanite and lumen excludes a large portion of the supports of the first game.



I had a lot of pride in how optimized the first episode was but with this new tech there is less room for optimizations and a higher barrier of entry. Even without the current chip shortage I don't want to leave behind a portion of the fan base simply for flashier graphics.

[h2]Update[/h2]

• The newest update has further optimizations to the Chaos system.
  
• More detail added to Cave and Glacier environment
  
• Additional story content
  
• Stability improvements
  
• Dialog
  
• Speech bubbles enabled by default
  

[h2]Future[/h2]
One more positive thing this little deviation did was give me some serious practice at managing an indie project along with a full time job and a family. The remastered version took about 6 months to complete while working around my other obligations. I got a lot better at formulating a development plan and executing tasks given little pockets of time here and there.

Episode II is planned to release to Early Access this summer with the first 2 chapters relatively complete and access to the mechanics of the later game like rovers and... I don't want to give too much away but it's gonna be awesome!


As always, Thank You for your support and feedback. Now here's a clip of the next generation of game developers.




All owners of this application can access CAT Interstellar: Recast FOR FREE by going into your Steam library >> Right clicking CAT Interstellar >> Select Properties >> BETAS >> Selecting UE_5 from the drop down.

[h2]New DOG VII model[/h2]
We commissioned Ionut, the original designer of DOG, to make an ultra hi-poly version that leveraged Unreal Engine 5's nanite mesh Technology. The resulting model is about 500,000 polygons and is a huge improvement in terms of fidelity and detail.




[h2]Screenshot tool[/h2]
We were able to implement PULSAR BYTES Cine Cam as a screenshot tool so players have a lot more control over their in-game screenshots.

You can see the screenshot tool in action here:
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h2]Optimizations[/h2]
Even though this game has substantially higher minimum requires over the first -

I think it's still important to keep optimizing where we can.

• We've reworked a number of the lighting components that should improve Chapters 1 and 5.
  
• We've made some improvements to the Chaos Physics System. This allows us increased collision resolution and almost double the number of debris while still hitting 120fps.
• We've also totally reworked the navigation system which will prevent a number of navigation issues.
  

Screenshot Competition

What you've all been waiting for!!!
The winners will get an in-game achievement added based around the screenshot they took, a free Steam gift key, and a call out on the next update! The two categories are:
The Surface - best screenshot capturing Chapter 2: The Surface's environment
DOG VII - Best screenshot capturing the new DOG model

This Event is open to everyone that ones the game. Additionally, I'll be offering 20 free game keys on our twitter account. We've also invited invited the the members of Beautiful Screenshot Lovers to take part in this.

All you have to do is post your screenshots to the community page. Good Luck!

We are accepting screenshots of the base game but highly encourage you to use the _ue5 beta branch with enhanced features and environments or the separate application available here:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1684710/CAT_Interstellar_Recast/