Session: Skate Sim News

Hey Folks,

Mark your calendars and join us at Nacon Connect 2024!

[h3]February 29th (today) - 7pm CET / 10am PT[/h3]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Peace,
The crea-ture team!

[h2]COMMENTS FROM THE STUDIO[/h2]

Hey Folks,

Welcome to 2024!

We’re back for the first time since October 2023, and we’ve got quite the year ahead of us, but we’ll save that for later. This Dev Blog is all about our latest release - DLC03!

Now to get right to it, this is a content focused DLC release, including our newest school map and object dropper assets. Skating is all about creativity and adapting to what you have, and we have an abundance of fun terrain and object dropper assets for you to enjoy in this newest DLC release!

On the note of releases, it’s important for our fans to know that producing and releasing DLC content does not exclude us from continuing to plan and focus on improving our core mechanics. It’s on this note that we are pleased to announce that we are currently working on transitioning Session to Unreal 5!

It's still too early to make any concrete commitments on the implications of this, but it is a necessary step in order to continue a sustainable production on Session.

[h2]Since the last update[/h2]

Over the last few months we have continued to structure & grow our team in order to solidify our foundations to adapt for the future. Our current staff, as well as our open studio positions can be found on https://www.crea-turestudios.com/about/ & https://www.crea-turestudios.com/careers/


Now to the update….

[h2]DLC (Paid Content):[/h2]

The big ticket in this DLC is the Schoolyard map. As anyone who has ever watched a skate video can attest - Californian school’s delivered a unique hybrid of street and park skating before modern skate parks were a thing. They had small rails, banks, picnic tables, benches, and a wide array of sets to huck yourself down.

In order to pay homage to this terrain from the golden days of skating, we have compiled our favorite spots into one kick ass schoolyard map!

The map includes spots inspired by, but not limited to:
● Hollywood 12 & 16


● Carlsbad Gap
● Sylmar 9
● Skittles


● LA High Rail
● Walter Reed
● Lockwood
● Belmont 9
● Muirlands 14
● Elysian 18
● Leap of faith

● El Toro


So dust off the old VHS tapes, and reminisce on that dream trick you may finally be able to pull off 🙂

As with all DLC maps, we like to provide some unique and fun skateable Object Dropper Assets. This latest batch is a mix of items you would find in a schoolyard, or that you would bring to a schoolyard to improve the speed or run up to a specific obstacle.

[h2]Object Dropper Assets:[/h2]




[h2]What’s Next:[/h2]

As mentioned above, we continue to work on solidifying the future for Session. This is by no means a small feat, and we’re in the thick of defining what it implies and how it will impact our plans, but we’re working on it and will share more info as we progress.

Peace,
The crea-ture team!

[h2]COMMENTS FROM THE STUDIO[/h2]

Hey Folks,

We’re back with another Session Dev Blog, as we’re psyched to be bringing you some fun new content and terrain to skate.

[h2]Since the last update[/h2]

The turtles have found themselves at home in NY and their sewer lair, but we’re also seeing awesome clips from around San Francisco, Philadelphia, and beyond. So keep the clips & content coming - and don’t forget to tag our social accounts!

Since our last release we’ve continued onboarding new team members and building for the future while also ensuring we're producing fun content for you as the player. To that note we’re excited to announce the release of our latest DLC bundle - in collaboration with Black River fingerboards!

[h2]DLC (Paid Content):[/h2]


Black River” Object Dropper asset set

• 38 items from rails, benches, boxes, and more!
  

We’re excited to finally be bringing back one of our early supporters of Session, Black River Fingerboards. While fingerboarding is not skateboarding - it replicates the freedom, artistic expression, and counter culture roots of skateboarding, just at a table top level. Being able to share the love we have for skating and grass roots companies like Black River was an easy call for us, and the variety of skateable objects leads to some incredible opportunities in game!

Please note that while the Black River object bank assets are bundled with the DLC, once owned they can be placed & used in any map or locale.

• Phatt Nugget Mall
  

The 90s were the heyday of the megastore and the boom of giant multi storied shopping malls all across North America. Malls have always been the forbidden fruit for skaters. Being clean, indoor, and mostly tile or marble with an abundance of ledges and drops the terrain was perfect, were it not for society & security! Thanks to Phat Nugget Mall being abandoned for the last 10 years, you can now revisit those glory days of hanging in the mall, but now with your deck and a chunk of wax!

[h2]Free update:[/h2]

Object Dropper Overhaul!

• We have fully reworked the Object Dropper system to make it more user friendly & intuitive, while still allowing for maximum player freedom. While those of you familiar with the old system will have some adjustment, the ease of use is greatly improved with our latest iteration.
  
• A bundle of free objects has been included in the Object Dropper overhaul for those wanting some variety but not ready to jump on the DLC.
  
• Asset Grouping is now possible:
  
• Asset re-orientation & Snap-to-ground added
  

General de-bug & Fixes:

• Camera - Fisheye camera lens has been reverted to V1
  
• Historical Challenges: Nate’s New York challenge line has been fixed
  
• Crash - A random Replay Editor crash on loading replays has been fixed
  
• Object Dropper - Objects no longer sink into the world on map load
  
• Audio fixes
  
• Improved material sounds
  
• Improved landing audio feedback
  
• Implemented surface transfer fx
  
• Other general debug fixes…
  

[h2]What’s Next:[/h2]
We continue to build our team here at crea-ture studios and are focused on integrating our latest team members into the studio, and project. Once we have everyone grounded we can look at how, and where, they can contribute in a meaningful and impactful way for the players!

Even with our latest additions, we’re still actively recruiting - and you can find ALL open roles at: https://www.crea-turestudios.com/careers/

Finally - keep an eye on the @Session Game instagram & Tik Tok accounts for updates and additional content from Donovan!

Peace,
The crea-ture team!

[h2]COMMENTS FROM THE STUDIO[/h2]

Hey Folks,

In this DevBlog we’ll provide high level updates on where the studio, team, and ultimately Session: Skate Sim are heading.

[h2]Since the last update[/h2]

In May, we were thrilled to release our first DLC bundle, "Chris Cole & the Abandoned Waterpark" and the response from the community was very positive.

Since then, our team has been working tirelessly on our next exciting update - the Session X TMNT collaboration.

As self-proclaimed 90s kids, the opportunity to bring the iconic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles into the world of Session was like a dream come true - one we couldn't pass up for anything in the world. And now, the moment has arrived, and we are thrilled to announce that the TMNT collaboration is available for download as a free update!!!

We can't wait for you to dive into this thrilling experience and join our heroes on an unforgettable journey in the world of Session. So grab your gear and get ready to embrace the ninja power! Cowabunga! 



[h3]TMNT Content included in the update:[/h3]

- Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael have joined the session roster

- Hard Goods - Decks & Griptape



- Soft Goods - Apparel



- Camera Lens → TMNT
TMNT Lens: - Changing the Camera Model in the Options Menu to → “TMNT” will add the distinct artistic signature of TMNT: Mutant Mayhem to Session: Skate Sim

- Replay Editor filter –TMNT
When editing replays as a turtle, with the TMNT camera model active, the Replay editor will become TMNT branded:



- Sewer Map - fun and innovative skate spots are the bread and butter of session - welcome to the NYC sewers…while the content is free, you need to do some NYC leg work to find the map BEFORE it becomes available through the transit system. Check the transit images for a hint on where to go!



[h2]General de-bug & Fixes:[/h2]
- Mission Log status saved on reboot: “Untracked” missions previously became “Tracked” in the Mission Log on a reboot - this is fixed and track status is now persistent
- Scoop speed control
We have added the ability to dictate the speed of scooped tricks by managing the relative speed of the scoop input. Therefore a slow scoop on a shuv-it will lead to a slow shuv, and vice versa. Arc-length has now been cut as a scoop input method.
- Board pitch in Manual board control is dictated by the angle of the trick input and is now maintained for the duration of the trick - helping in landing orientation for grinds, manuals, and landing in banks!
- Board flip offset adjustments - Board position under player has been improved - as shared by Donovan on Instagram
- Camera - Fisheye camera lens has been revamped to improve granularity and improve fidelity.
- Other general debug fixes…

Skateshop content:
- Bug fixes on apparel
- Suck clothing integrated

Audio:
- Improved audio on manuals & kick turns
- Board flipping feature - dependent on rolling speed and flip speed
- Tweaked board breaking heights
- Added option to toggle flatspot audio
- Updated foot grip-tape sliding sfx for most tricks
- Added more wood scuff sound on pressure flips
- Split landing impact sounds so some follow the skater and some stay at the location of impact

[h2]What’s Next:[/h2]
We continue to build our team here at crea-ture studios, and over the last month we have increased 36% in size!!!!

Onboarding our new team members and integrating them into the studio, and project, is our priority. Once we have everyone grounded we can look at how, and where, they can contribute in a meaningful and impactful way for the players!

Here are the roles we’re onboarding:

● HR Director - Will be key to helping improve our studios presence in the market and driving recruiting

● Animator - Support for Session is a priority, but so is assuring programming support for animation additions / improvements!

● QA Lead - Driving the building and structuring of our QA team to ensure we continue to focus on quality and improvements for our core player base, a great addition to JL’s contribution in the QA domain to date.

● Art Director - A critical addition to ensure we’re sticking to our vision and building on what we have for both Session & the future.

Finally - we’ve been fielding a lot of questions on our social channels regarding Switch production. We’re happy to announce that there will be a Switch update including all of our updates for launch, and our DLC, closer to the year’s end.

Finally, Recruitment at crea-ture studios continues & Open positions can be found at https://www.crea-turestudios.com/careers/

Peace,

The Crea-ture team!