Skyfear News

This new trailer is a transparent look into what Skyfear looks like right now, both on the surface and under the hood. You will see editor footage, current gameplay, and I couldn't resist a few cinematic shots, all recorded in real-time.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

All focus right now is on finishing this game -- but I need some feedback to do that. From June 1st to 15th, up to 200 players will be granted access to a current build of Skyfear, for playtesting. In exchange, I simply ask for as much of your feedback as possible. To participate, please join the Discord server and RSVP to the event, and you'll be given the orange playtester role.

This playtest is being conducted in a very personal manner, because I want to really understand the audience and the rationale behind the feedback. In earlier development days, a quick survey was enough to quanitize things and give me direction, but at this stage of the project, I really want to get into the details.

Hope to see you there!

Updated FAQ Discord server Reddit community (new!) System requirements




I’ve taken into account a lot of feedback from players waiting very patiently for this game, and from picking up on the methods of other game studios, to try and improve communication about this game. Firstly, development updates will always be posted here, from now on. Everyone interested in this game already uses Steam, that’s literally where you’ll buy it, it only makes sense to use the blogging features Steam provides for centralizing the development updates. Second, we’re setting up a reddit sub to be an alternative to Discord. Third, our Discord has been improved, and I will try to be more active online. Development updates, when published on Steam, will then be shared to both communities and players can read/discuss on whichever they prefer. Especially now that the game is nearing completion and launch, it was important to make these changes.




Finishing animation, and one last playtest. Here are some screenshots of recent gameplay. Sorry about the motion blur -- this can be turned off optionally. The wings, as you can tell, are a little broken, that’s one of the things I mean when I say finishing animation. But overall, everything mostly looks and feels the way I wanted, and I’m excited to get this thing out into testing.



We’re prepping and setting up for that playtest right now. To participate (free) please join the Discord server, as that is the best for us to keep track of all the communication. The playtest will be semi private, and last just a few days. More details will come as we get closer to it. This playtest will highlight exactly what is necessary to then complete the game, so we should have a release date soon after the playtest is over.


The following is an official look at the plans for getting the game to launch. Although there are no specific dates or times for these events, I'm confident in this being the order of operations and we're carrying this out right now, this year. This blog post is #2.



That final stretch between playtest and launch is going to have a bit of polish, of course bug fixes, user experience improvements, and some necessary environment/gameplay changes. It’s been an awfully long journey getting to this point.

Please wishlist the game if you haven’t yet!

Hello there. I have some updates to share with you, starting with a look at the general steps I’m taking towards releasing this game:

1. Completing the game itself, to where it’s complete and playable.
   
2. New trailer, yes, finally. I just want the character model looking it’s best!
   
3. Completing the product side of things, technical requirements, documentation, legal, etc.
   
4. Completing the network, the moderation, security, stress-testing, etc.
   
5. Final polish pass, because I just can’t stop at “good”.
   
6. Final optimization pass, because I want it to be smooth as butter after polish.
   
7. Final user interface pass, because I want to be sure everything is easy to understand.
   
8. Release!
   

[h2]FINISHING THE GAME[/h2]
Right now the remaining work on the game is: Animation, cosmetics, long-standing bugs, spores and Lairworld getting more final looks, and fixing some underperforming networked gameplay. Work from steps #3 and #4 have been bleeding in, so those won’t take too long when I actually get there.



I took a break in mid-November and then got very sick over the holiday season that lasted till late-January, so that was rough, but I’ve since been working hard. This game is getting finished one way or another.

A few noteworthy developments since the Closed Network Test in August 2022:

• Improved 3D sound spawning and location
  
• Sound effects for the whole game is largely finished (preview in Discord server)
  
• Backwards flying feels more like a steady backing up
  
• Collisions while flying are handled more gracefully
  
• Cooldowns added to various spammable attacks
  
• XP algorithm re-done and feels much more correct
  
• The unlocking system with spores is more finished
  
• A lot of clarifications made on the UI
  
• “Metal” is being renamed “star dust” and looks more like gems, there’s reason to believe this makes the purpose of it more clearly understood, paired with the spores mechanic
  
• Have for a while now been experimenting with different methods of animating dragons that result in gameplay that feels very alive and dynamic. Dragons have complex skeletons, and it’s easy to make stiff-looking animations, which I don’t want. I’m exploring a combination of rotomation and physics, along with some cosmetic shader-side effects. I really want the animation to play out similar to how the sound effects work, where it’s not just dry one-shots, it’s a very alive combination of elements. That’s why this is taking a while.
  

At some point between now and release, there will be at least one more, probably two, chances to playtest the game with the community. The game may take longer to release depending on the result of these tests.

[h2]FAQ UPDATE[/h2]
Lastly, but most importantly, there’s a major update to FAQs. Previously this was stored either on Steam or Discord, and the content has changed over the years. Not everyone uses Discord, so this makes it hard for some interested people to get information. Now, the FAQ is going to be on the game’s official website, where anyone can access it. This new FAQ is the most comprehensive and up-to-date version yet, so please do read if you’re interested. Later, the website will serve as a wiki-like resource full of documentation on how to play and stuff like that. But that’s yet to be completed.

Read here: https://playskyfear.com/faq.html



That’s all for now, I’m working hard. Join the Discord here if you’d like to meet with other fans!

See you in the arenas soon!

Hello, Skyfear dev here. I’d like to share some updates from the development, show you what it looks like right now, and tell you how you can play it soon.

[h2]GAMEPLAY AND ENVIRONMENTS[/h2]
Fire and frost visual effects



Fast paced aerial fire-chases



“Wintertide” is a large scale arena at a mysterious fountain rock formation amidst a frozen lake



“Hollow” is a medium scale arena inside a deep mountain crevasse, crawling with prehistoric insects



“Eden” is a classic small scale arena on a tiny jungle isle, perfect for bloody scraps



“Lairworld” is a calm oasis where the player returns between battles




[h2]SHEDDING SKIN[/h2]
Currently, the in-game wyvern model is still a placeholder from 2017. While it generally depicts the shape and style I want, the sculpt, topology, and texture mapping are just far from ideal, so an updated wyvern model has been in development for quite some time, and almost finished. The older model is fine for playing the game right now, but once the updated version is complete, that will replace the wyvern model you’ve been seeing in screenshots. Here’s a look at the newer model.



For reference, here’s a comparison between the 2017 model and this new one. Again, the design philosophy and general shape is similar, but the newer one is much more refined and will have better game-optimized topology. Of course these improvements will also fix some of the folding wing issues.



[h2]UPCOMING PLAYTESTS[/h2]
There’s still quite a way to go, but the game is at a point now where getting real users in to give feedback is both critical and totally do-able. The game is in a stable, playable state, with now very little of the game still being placeholder assets.

We’ll do this in two parts. The first will be the Closed Network Test. The last time Skyfear had a playtest season with users, multiplayer was in very early stages. A lot of time has passed since then, and the multiplayer is much more mature and fleshed out now, but internal data is not enough to prove if it can withstand a real live player base. This event will be free, and take place privately in our Discord server. This is for organization purposes, as we'll need to be very close to the action to understand network performance, and observe how the network holds up across various regions and internet connections. If you’d like to participate, please join the discord server to get the latest information.

The second test will be, untitled for now, but will be a more public event similar to an open beta, later in the year. This test would be available on Steam and not limited to Discord, and not private. The release date will be revealed after this second test, after we can verify exactly how far from ready to launch the game is in that state.

[h2]SUPPORTING THIS GAME[/h2]
Want to support this game? There are three main ways you can support this game.

• Add Skyfear to your wish list, and encourage others to do as well
  
• Join our Discord or follow Protoria Studios on twitter
• If you’d like to make a donation, investment, or arrange some form of support, please contact via email.
  

Thank you for reading, I hope to see you in the arenas!
- Skyfear dev

How are you? Hope you're doing well.

I want to share how things have been going on Skyfear.

It's almost there. However, the 2021 release date is being pushed as we feel like that's too close. It's hard to say exactly how long it will take to finish what's left, but the good news is the a vast majority of the game's core content is now done. The combat, visual effects, environments, game modes, and original soundtrack, are all there. The things remaining are some of the sound, animation, creature effects, and the final touches of multiplayer and AI.

As soon as this finalized dragon is alive and moving you'll be seeing it all over our YouTube and Discord. I've been working on some experimental texturing methods. The overall dragon design is not too different than the dragon in the original demo, but much better and more detailed in every way.


Extremely optimistic about 2022. Estimates in previous years were made with the finishing scope of the game a moving target, but as of mid 2021 the target has remained in place. The end of the game is in sight!


The game features 6-7 Arenas, natural prehistoric stages where dragons meet up to fight each other. The arenas vary in size, height, terrain, and obstacles, some having lots of hiding spots for clever players, while some are very wide open. Some arenas are home to small critters and wildlife, while some are treacherous graveyards.

Additional arenas are in development for potential expansion, but the 6-7 at launch are best representatives of the game's vision and core gameplay. Future arenas and the frequency of releasing them depends on how things go at launch. Since we are a small team of 3 we are just doing the best we can to deliver the game in the first place, additional content will be a bonus.

The game we're trying to put together is what we call small scale multiplayer. The battles are up close and personal, and it plays out like a snowball fight. We want to encourage multiplayer within groups of friends and communities, where the decision making during fights can lead to making fun and chaotic memories, but playing against online opponents can be an exciting challenge.

There's a movement based fighting sandbox to play around with here: flying, rolling, firebreath, projectiles, special abilities, explosive and emissive rocks you can discharge, and each arena will feature a few interactive elements and small critters you can chase around.

We hope that the game stands the test of time, not on continuous updates but rather because of the core gameplay, ability to customize, and the ability to play the game as a single player. You can earn the same progress and rewards by playing against bots, so if you'd rather do that than multiplayer, we encourage you to. No internet connection is required.

The AI uses echolocation and sensory reactions to make dogfighting decisions. The game does not tell bots where to go, they are fully self-driving based on their surroundings and instincts. The AI will react to combat events as well as other AI around it, creating new and emergent behavior in every battle.


Magic, Perk, and Ability can be changed on every spawn, and your setup carries over between games and visits to the Lair.

There are four types of magic: Flame, Frost, Acid, and Fusion. All of them can be used both as projectiles or as a spray, each of them with varying physical properties like speed, weight, damage radius, damage drop-off, and cost of magic.

There are four abilities, each giving you an extra move on your opponents:
Blood Sight - Temporarily highlight all enemies
Death Rune - Spawn a rune that explodes when enemies get near
Shroud - Spawn a dense cloud of smoke that disorients and plays tricks on your enemies
Cloak - Temporarilty dissapear

Each perk has a second tier with advanced benefits that you can unlock later in the game.
Velocity - Faster movement and recovery from rolling
Ghost - Move more quietly, and harder for enemies to spot
Predator - Increased zoom, increased enemy reveal distance
Unnatural - Deflect some firebreath damage, unphased by rocks and fall damage
Starblood - Increased magic utilization
Menace - Health bounces back faster

- Full game download size estimated 5 GB
- Supported by Windows 7 through 11
- Retail price of $14.99 USD
- Online not required for play, but required for multiplayer
- 1-6 players


It was supposed to be November or December, but we need time ahead of time for promotion and dropping information and then things didn't go as fast as expected.

No dates right now, but I can share what we are planning:
- A free multiplayer playtest
- A much better gameplay trailer
- Original soundtrack official release
- A Q&A session with team

We also just put the official Skyfear website online. It's more or less just a promotional cover with software details, but later it can be improved with a lot of other things.


We may be a very small studio at this time but our goal is to grow. We want to be a game development company that delivers flexible and unique games that stand the test of time.

Ways you can help us:
- Wishlist the game on Steam! Wishlists can influence important decisions
- Send us a tip or donation on ko-fi https://ko-fi.com/protoria
- Share https://playskyfear.com/ with your friends
- Making video content about it goes a long way as well

See you in 2022 :)
- telekrex, skyfear lead