Summer Islands News

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

Gamescom is over and I wanted to write a little review here for you. For everyone who couldn't/wouldn't attend or for everyone who would like to know something about the numbers.

Gamescom ran from Wednesday 21.08 to Sunday 25.08.
On Wednesday 21.08 the press and streamers were allowed to see everything (and private visitors who bought an extra ticket from 1 pm)
On 22.08 and 23.08 all halls were open
On 24.08 and 25.08 the business halls were closed. All other halls for private visitors were open.

The Indie Arena (Hall 10.2) is intended for an indie game like Summer Islands. There were several options here every year. The largest area is the Indie Arena Booth. You apply for this and a jury evaluates whether a game is selected or not. Then you pay a 4-digit amount fee according to how much space you want.
Alternatively, there is Home of Indies. Here you can simply buy a place as long as there is still room. This also costs a 4-digit amount of money, but you have to pay extra for many services (hardware, posters, etc.).

Another alternative is to be accommodated at another larger booth, e.g. each federal state always wants to show which games have been developed there and you can apply for that. Or you can do what we did and get a small area with another game developer in exchange for a sum of money. There were several small indie developers who were given the opportunity to show their games at Studio Bad Spiele.

Of course, this has advantages and disadvantages. Many people from the press, politicians, streamers or private individuals assume that the Indie Arena Booth is the place for indie games. Even if there are other large company booths right next to it that are not directly related to gaming. You could see it on some faces when there were smaller indie games on display elsewhere. So you had to generate a bit more attention here.
The advantage, on the other hand, is that you can get into Gamescom for a smaller amount of money and therefore also into all the additional displays, such as the Gamescom website and Steam Gamecom event. Don't get me wrong. A 4-digit sum of money was also due here, just not as high as for the others.
We provided the hardware ourselves because I had a computer at home and we only lived a 30-minute walk from the exhibition.



We had the following plan for the expected 300,000 visitors:
- 3,000 x business cards with QR code
- 12,000 x stickers (volcano, normal island, other island, bird with water, white bird, logo)

Everyone who walked by and took a look at Summer Islands or looked like a potentially interested person was offered a business card and stickers.
The aim was basically to make the game a little better known and we managed to do that.

Between the three of us, we were able to distribute some 1,800 business cards and 8,000 stickers. Many people love the stickers and especially the ones with the birds.
Over the days, around 1100 people added Summer Islands to their wishlists



With 5 days non-stop 12 hours on your feet, handing out stickers and explaining Summer Islands, you were a bit “exhausted” afterwards ;)
But I would like to thank everyone who came by, just to say hello, test or give feedback.
I was able to take some new ideas with me and am already working on integrating them.
But of course also a big thank you to everyone who sent feedback or bugs via mail or Steamforum.
To summarize, I have a positive feeling about our first Gamescom booth and I am excited to see if we will be there again with another game in the future.



As already mentioned, I'm working hard on the next update. The plan is to integrate a few more improvements in the next version and then release the full version at the end of the year 2024.
I.e. v0.9.5 should be released at the end of 09.2024. This leaves enough time to prepare the full version and inform the press and YouTube accordingly.
I don't want to give too much away about the next updates. In any case, the next update will already contain some of the wishes from the last few weeks ;)



Thank you for your support, feedback and patience.

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

Have fun

Today there is another update about the upcoming event and the next version 0.9.5 that I am working on.
It feels like time is passing faster and faster and a little vacation of my own contributes to the later release of the new version.

First of all the most urgent NEWS:

https://www.gamescom.global/de #Gamescom2024
From August 21 to 25, 2024, we will be at Gamescom in Cologne with our own stand to show everyone who wants to play Summer Islands.

Come by and play a round or just chat and get to know each other.
There will also be stickers for everyone who wants one ;)
I'm really looking forward to seeing you!!!!

As you can imagine, I've been working on the next update for the last few months.
We have reached the end of our timeline. We were able to integrate the biggest features in the last updates.
The last updates have also shown us that the direction of Summer Islands is getting better and better.
I was extremely pleased with the positive feedback and hope to continue this in the next update.

The next update should theoretically be version 1.0.0.
Possibly there will be an intermediate update with some bug fixes and smaller features.
Because for version 1.0 I would like to integrate another surprise. At least something that has already been requested and can be celebrated with this.
In order not to raise expectations too high, there will be no auctions. But definitely something with more game length

My list of smaller features and bug fixes is unfortunately not that small, which makes another update worthwhile.
To give you an idea, for example, the map editor needs to be validated again and the event editor needs to be redesigned and integrated. The Steam Workshop will also be reactivated. But there are also many small things in the game that work, but are still not satisfying from time to time. For example, you are not informed when a new award starts. This could be improved with a small sound and a notification.

All these small improvements will probably come with version 0.9.5. So that you don't have to wait too long.
I'm guessing that this will only come in September because everything is being prepared for Gamescom before then.
This also includes a small tutorial video for all those who want to test Summer Islands. We simply realized from the past conventions that I explain and tell far too much. I wouldn't be able to do that for the whole Gamescom. Of course, I'm always happy to explain everything if someone asks. But with a short tutorial video, you can help a lot of people to get into the game.

I hope that version 0.9.5 will be closely followed by the full release 1.0.0. I would like to keep the details of version 1.0.0 a little bit secret.

You may have noticed something else. The whole operation here runs under a business and we have a name for it:
Marttalin Games (www.Marttalin.de)
So don't be surprised if you no longer see my name on the store page, but instead Marttalin Games.
But only the name will change. The rest stays the same ;D

Thank you for your support, feedback and patience.

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

Have fun

The time has finally come. Thank you very much for your patience.
In this update everything has been turned upside down again and due to the long time a lot could be changed.

The update was basically ready two weeks ago. Then came the Indie Game Fest and some things were adjusted again.
To be honest: fortunately!!! There were still a few bugs and a few errors in thinking.
But the Indie Game Fest was great fun. Looking over the shoulders of so many people as they celebrate the game and give feedback is really great.
Thank you all for your feedback!
Alright, enough of the past. Let's take a look at the hot s***.

The main feature in this update is the engine upgrade. I.e. 30-60fps until the late game.
We were able to verify this in some long-term tests. Nevertheless, everyone has different hardware, which is why there will always be deviations.
A lot of under-the-hood adjustments had to be made. There is still a BUG with PIXIJS which means that we have not yet fully switched to WebGPU. But the new upgrade of PIXIJS alone brings a lot of performance.
In addition, we have made a few adjustments, e.g. moving vehicles (bicycles, cars, mopeds, airplanes, ships,...) now only move at 10fps. In my opinion, this is an adjustment that doesn't really catch the eye and makes the pixel character even more beautiful.

As already mentioned, in this update there are a few buses that drive along the streets as soon as tourists arrive at the port or airport.



I have noticed that some people have problems with road construction and terraforming.
That's why I've made the fields look better in this update. When building roads, you can now build by holding down the mouse button and can build around corners.



When you build a new building, the bonus/penalty area is displayed immediately. Buildings with a foot icon must contain a road in this border so that tourists can get there on foot.



If you have built the building too far away, warnings will now appear. I.e. warnings if the building has no road connection or the building has no harbor or airport or a harbor has no connection to the Dark Water.



The money icon at the top now contains a small report on the last year with the profits and losses of the individual building types.



If you pause, build something and have to demolish it again, you get the building costs back. In other words, as long as no time has elapsed, you can demolish the buildings for free as if nothing had happened.



The costs for terraforming and the consultants have been reduced. The side missions have also been adjusted. In addition, there are always a few beginner missions (Build Harbor, Build Hotel) to steer you in the right direction.

Last but not least: I think many have only found their way to the store in a roundabout way. I wanted to change this. The store button has now been integrated right at the start on the left-hand side. Just in case.



The same applies to the menu to see the preferences of the buildings. If you click on a building, another button will take you directly to the preference menu.



In the preference menu you can select the right buildings or click on the building to build it directly.



There are a few more minor adjustments in the update. There will also be a few changes under the hood in the next update. Because, as already mentioned, the performance of WebGPU could not yet be switched on.
There are also a few missing features like the Steam Workshop support and other wishes from you that I have noted down.

So look forward to the next update or to Gamescom 2024, where we will have our own booth.

Until then, thank you for your patience.

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

Have fun https://trello.com/b/FbC1a19w/devboard-summer-islands

[h2]FEATURES:[/h2]

• ADDED: Engine Upgrade with WebGPU Support and a lot of adjustments under the hood to keep it running
  
• ADDED: Buses on Street
  
• ADDED: Warnings for problematic buildings
  
• ADDED: Buildingsname in different language
  
• ADDED: Money icon shows small report
  
• ADDED:
  

Pause extended: Demolition and money back if no time has passed

[h2]IMPROVEMENTS[/h2]

• FIX: Better display of the letters ÄÖÜ
  
• FIX: Links are opened with Steam overlay
  
• CHANGED: Resolution Zoom with Render Engine
  
• CHANGED: Reduced costs for terraforming
  
• CHANGED: Reduced costs for consultants
  
• CHANGED: Sidequest finetuning
  
• CHANGED: Disaster number finetuning
  
• CHANGED: Road construction with preview
  
• CHANGED: Building preference menu with building button
  
• CHANGED: Building click menu with Button to preferences
  
• CHANGED: Victory menu custo
  

mized