Summer Islands News

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard Summer Islands Airlines! 🏝️✈️

We are on a direct flight to your ultimate dream vacation, and arrival is scheduled for January 25, 25. Please fasten your seat belts, relax, and enjoy the anticipation – your journey into the world of tropical economic simulation will begin soon! 🌞



Our crew is working hard to make your stay on Summer Islands as unforgettable as possible. From luxurious hotel management to daring investments in beach bars – we guarantee you turbulence-free business and plenty of sunshine. 🌴💼

Important safety check before landing:

[h3]!!! Savegames from version 1.0.0 are not backwards compatible. That means, as always, you can go to the Steam Properties page and select the previous version 0.9.6 to continue enjoying the last paradise.[/h3] [h3]Older maps from the Steam Workshop are no longer compatible with version 1.0.0 and have already been declared incompatible. Anyone can update the maps using the map editor if desired.[/h3]

There was a chance to win a key by streaming on lurkit.gg (from a certain size) and to test the pre-full version from today. Journalists were also contacted and given a test account.
But, ladies and gentlemen, don't forget that Summer Islands is just too small for streamers and journalists.
In the last few days, testing will be carried out and small bugs will be eliminated.

Next on the program
Make sure your management talent is well secured. You'll need it to turn island paradises into hard cash! 💰
Get ready for unexpected surprises like sudden tropical storms. Don't worry, it's all part of the adventure! ⚓⛈️
And don't forget: Summer Islands is all about fun, relaxation and a dash of capitalism. 🏖️😄

There are about 11 days left until arrival! So sit back, order a virtual cocktail 🍹 and count down the days to your first big leap into island adventure. We look forward to welcoming you to Summer Islands soon!

Thank you for choosing us. We wish you a pleasant journey and many profitable beach moments! 🌊✨

P.S. If you ❤️ Summer Islands, we would be very 🤩 about a 👍 Review.

Have fun

We wish you a relaxing Christmas again this year. We hope you, your family and your friends are all well.



Thank you very much this year for your support and also the nice and interesting conversations at all the game festivals we visited this year.
It was really fun and a real win for Summer Islands and us!!!

It's not long now until the full release of Summer Islands on 25.01.2025

The last few weeks have been a bit hectic, alternating between the relaxed feeling of “Easy Going” and “WE WILL NEVER DO THIS!!!! AAAHHHH”
We were able to implement a lot. All the construction sites and TODOs are currently on the home straight. The biggest construction sites have been completed and the campaign is ready for fine-tuning.

The biggest “nice-to-have” tasks are still the languages and making the whole thing compatible with the Steam deck again after all the changes from the last few weeks.
I don't want to make any promises about the Mac version for the full release yet. It might be coming soon. But “actually” it should be doable :D

Some new buildings have been created that still need to be added. To tease a bit, we're talking about basketball, jeep rental, yoga parks, shopping malls etc.
The “research tree" is rounded off with the new buildings.

As you can already see above, a small parrot has been integrated as a help, which draws your attention to the help menu and the 2-minute video tutorial.
We have literally rounded off the minimap and added helpful buttons.
You can also use the helpful buttons with shortcuts. This also includes the colors around the buildings or the FlateMode.
We have decided to always leave the colored outlines at capacity. In flat mode, you can switch between player color and capacity utilization.

Our full focus is currently on the full release.
But we already have several other projects in the works. The next project is a turn-based strategy game called Streak Of Power.
The Steam page will be online in a few days.
Afterwards/simultaneously there will be a Summer Islands boardgame and we won't run out of ideas ;D
Follow us on our Steam Marttalin page:
https://store.steampowered.com/developer/Marttalin
or our newsletter on our website:
https://marttalin.de/

Last but not least, I would like to say a BIG THANK YOU to you and your support for Summer Islands.
You are the heroes and a happy new year 2025 to each of you.

P.S. If you ❤️ Summer Islands, we would be very 🤩 about a 👍 Review.

Have fun

Well... you're probably wondering “The next update was supposed to be the full release, right?”
Yes, it will be ... Moved ;)

Yes, we wanted to feel like the big development studios and delay our release for a while.
But for us it's only 1 month.
[h2]Planning for the full release is now 25.01.2025[/h2]

The reasons for the shift are as follows:

1. there were more bugs for the last release than expected (I would like to apologize to everyone for the bugs and thank you for your help).
2. the day job requires more “overtime” in the next few weeks and another exhibition in mid-November and the XMas madness comes right after that.
3. the strongest reason is: The release number of further games in December is enormous. Let me explain that a bit.

Whoever publishes their game on Steam usually has a goal to make their game better known. This doesn't always have to be the case, but there is a high probability that this applies to most games. The goal is to be recognized by the Steam algorithm and to get on the Steam front page. You don't even have to be visible on a large banner. No, just the several columns below “New & Hot”, “Coming Soon & Popular” or something like that are enough. The goal is to get there!

That's why we talked to several friends at Polaris and checked out the situation. Our result is a shift from the end of December to the end of January. For us, this means not only the chance of more attention on Steam, but also several weeks more time.
For you, this is a delay of 5 weeks. I know, I know...most of you have already taken vacation for those days and planned big release parties. I hope some things can still be canceled or moved, otherwise it went a bit badly. I'm really sorry about that.

In summary, the original release plan lasted exactly 1 week and so I used the last few days to fix the most serious bugs here with this version.
For this version there is therefore “only” this announcement about the shift to 25.01.2025 and some bug fixes.

Thank you for your support, feedback and patience.

P.S. If you ❤️ Summer Islands, we would be very 🤩 about a 👍 Review.

Have fun

Yay, the time has finally come. The new update v0.9.5 is here and it has a lot of feedback from the last few months and also from Gamescom.
First, I'd like to briefly outline the new features and then talk about the coming months.

You had to wait a long time. I have to admit, I personally found the updates every 1-3 months in the last few years a bit more relaxed, because every player wants to see the changes/improvements. If it all comes months later, then you might as well put the game aside for a year or so :D
Well. This update was also planned a little earlier. But with hobbies, you're always dependent on your day job or vacations or whatever.
Well, let's get to the features.
We change the entire code with every update. Therefore, a lot of “under-the-hood” has happened again. But let's move on to the things that you actually notice.
From the game events, e.g. Gamescom, we have again taken the difficulty with terraforming with us. That's why we've now expanded the previous tool. Before, there was only an absolute value, e.g. height 10, which you changed and you could adjust the size of the area. Now a relative function has been added. Here you can always change the field relative to the height where your mouse is, up or down.



A foot icon at the edge of the building you want to build indicates that it can also be reached on foot.



A green banner appears at the start and end of an award.



In addition to the great random names, you can also enter your individual name ;)



Or keep an overview of the information on a cluster in the side window.



The MapEditor has also been enhanced with some new features. At the start of the MapEditor you only select the map. But in the editor inside you can then adjust the number of players, the victory conditions and also the buildings that have already been bought, can still be bought or cannot be bought at all. In summary, there is a lot you can do to create your own individual map with your own targets. As before, you can create your own events as side quests that trigger events such as disasters. Text dialogs have been added so that the creator can explain individual goals for the player or something like that.



Unfortunately, some things haven't made it into the game yet and that brings us to the outlook for the coming months.
My list of features and bugs still has about 100 points. A few points are also declared as optional.
What I mean by this is that there are still a few important aspects that need to be integrated or fixed or should be presented more simply.
Nevertheless, I would like to stick to a full release for 12.2024. Because even after that, there will still be one or two updates.

*drum roll* [h3]Our planning for the full release is currently 21.12.2024[/h3]

But what's actually coming with it? So......;)
You should save a few features for the full release. We have done that too.
[h3]We would hereby like to make the announcement: With the full release comes a campaign[/h3] *bähhmm*
So the campaign will have several levels in which you have to reach a goal on a given map with given buildings. When you have reached your goal you can start the next level. The preparations have been going on for several months. We create the levels with our own MapEditor and then possibly embellish the dialogs a little. This means that with the full release, the workshop will be activated again and everyone could actually make a kind of campaign ;)
I would like to expand such editor enhancements (adjusting building costs, consultants, etc. in the editor), but this will probably come after the full release.

So there's still a lot to do in the next few months. We are also planning to attend a gaming convention: Games Ground 2024 in Berlin (14.11 - 16.11.24, alte münze) and a few more emails will be going out to reporters and Youtubers.
So if you watch a Youtuber regularly and think he or she should play Summer Islands, please let me know and he or she will be on my list ;D
Otherwise, of course, any feedback from you about features at any time ;)


Thank you for your support, feedback and patience.

P.S. If you ❤️ Summer Islands, we would be very 🤩 about a 👍 Review.

Have fun

It's frightening how quickly time goes by again. I see the last update was in June this year and the plan was to release the next update in September. That would be nice :D
I wanted to bring you up to date with this update, because the next update is coming in the next few weeks!

First of all, the most important NEWS:
[h2]Summer Islands is part of POLARIS 2024. [/h2]
[h3]https://polaris-con.de/ #Polaris2024[/h3]
[h3]From October 11 to 13, 2024[/h3], we will be at Polaris in Hamburg with our own booth to show everyone who wants to play Summer Islands.
Come by and play a round or just chat and get to know us.
[h3]=> Indie Area, Hall B7, Sandbox[/h3]
There will also be stickers for everyone who wants one ;)
I'm already looking forward to seeing you!!!!

Back to the update. The plan was to publish an update this weekend. Unfortunately that didn't quite work out.
The reason for this is simply the number of overtime hours in the day job and I am very sorry about that, because it has extended your waiting time.
But there won't be a delay of months for the next update
If I had to estimate, we are 80-90% done. There are still 1-2 problems to be solved and a complete test phase has to be run through.
Especially the savegames, multiplayer and Steamdeck features have to work 100%.
The rest too of course, don't get me wrong :D
I was surprised how many people asked about Steamdeck compatibility at Gamescom.

In this update, I've been updating the editor more and more over the last few weeks.
The whole store for new buildings was missing there. In the editor you can then set for your map which buildings have already been bought, which you can still buy and which you can't buy at all.



We have also decided to set a fixed number of players in the editor. This has the advantage that you can create buildings and complex scenarios for the intended players.
However, I must mention again that gamepad/steam deck support for the editor is not at the top of our list. I think for so many settings, especially for individual events, it's faster to use a mouse and keyboard.

In addition to the editor features from the last few weeks, there are also some features that you could already test at Gamescom. I think most people will quickly get used to the new terraforming options. Another major change is perhaps more for people with 2k or 4k monitors, because we have changed the scaling method: from linear to nearest. This means that when something is enlarged, it is no longer blurred, but the texture is enlarged based on a pixel repetition. The pixel art style comes out much better. I'm curious to see what you think ;)

Thank you for your support, feedback and patience.

P.S. If you ❤️ Summer Islands, we would be very 🤩 about a 👍 Review.

Have fun