I hope you’re excited for Aground Zero - it’s been a long journey to reach this point - nearly 3 years of development - and we have so much more planned!
Aground Zero is a 3D spinoff of Aground. It takes place in the same universe, but its story starts on Earth - while the main character in Aground was still aboard a colony ship heading towards their new home.
You are stuck deep underground after the bombardment that destroyed the surface of Earth, and you have to find a way to survive. There is mining, crafting, building, rescuing survivors, and putting them to work. There’s also a larger focus on base building and automation, allowing you to rebuild, thrive and return to the Earth’s surface to see what’s become of it.
If you played the original Aground, you’ll see plenty of references, easter eggs, and even a few familiar faces! If not, don’t worry - knowledge of the original is not necessary to play Aground Zero.
Why Early Access?
Early Access worked very well for the original Aground - we got a ton of useful feedback and suggestions, which helped us shape the game. Even the magic path - a large chunk of connected quests - was originally a player suggestion from someone who wanted us to expand the role of the Alchemist. We hope to do the same sort of expansions with Aground Zero!
The initial Early Access launch will have all the questlines up to the Surface - a large chunk of the main planned storyline. However, we also have a lot of planned additions (including spaceships) which you can see here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/1795570/discussions/0/7091547146194964814/
Try the Demo!
A lot of the original Aground players discovered the game through our lengthy free demo. So, we decided to have a lengthy demo of Aground Zero as well. The demo covers the initial “stage” of the game, with plenty of survival, base building and questlines up to finding the Professor. You can get the demo for free right on our store page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1795570/Aground_Zero/
If you’re unsure about the game, the demo should give you a good idea of what to expect - and your saves will transfer to the full version should you decide to buy the game.
The demo is also a good way to test if the game will run well on your computer (if you’re worried about a 3D game running on your potato). I’ve gotten it working on 8+ year old laptops, so give the demo a try, and if the demo runs smoothly, so will the full version.
Aground Collection
Do you want to own both Aground and Aground Zero? Then get the Aground Collection - which will give you a 15% discount and includes both games! If you already own Aground, you can choose the option to “complete your collection,” getting just Aground Zero at the discounted price.
I hope Aground Zero shapes up to be just as special as Aground, and I have a lot of ideas - but every bit of feedback helps!
Aground Backer Items DLC Released!
As some of you may be aware, we ran a Kickstarter for Aground to fund development from the early web version until the early access release. We released exclusive items and weapons at different tiers for backers of the Kickstarter to thank them, and many players who missed the Kickstarter were upset they could no longer obtain these items.
After talking to the backers, some of these items were released publicly, but many (especially the appearance-only items) were kept private. However, after the recent update, I was asked to release these last items as DLC, and so these last exclusive items are now available with this DLC!
Pricing this DLC was strange, as the kickstarter backers needed to back at $40 to get all the items, but half of these items were already released publicly, and people must own the base game to buy the DLC. We decided $10 was a good compromise.
This DLC includes:
2 new functional weapons (laser whip and seeking missiles)
3 new hair styles
4 new facial hair styles
6 new colorable clothes
2 new colorable hats
5 new uncolorable hats
Improved appearance of previously released backer weapons
If this is something you’ve wanted, then I hope you enjoy it, and if not, then the core Aground game is a complete experience on its own - this DLC includes mostly appearance-related items.
If you want EVERY item ever created for the game, I also added the web specials to the Steam Workshop (previously available on mod.io):
Yes, there really was an update. Both Splicer and Alchemist have new quests.
No, this update isn't really going to be removed. You can only trigger the Alchemist's new quest if your computer clock is set to April 1st, but once complete you can continue to cat things forever (and feel free to change your computer clock if you missed it).
My cat did indeed walk across my keyboard and edit the xml files for Aground while I was making this update.
He got a piece of turkey for helping out with the update. I hope this doesn't encourage him to edit more files in the future…
The April Fools update was a fun distraction (and it includes lots of cats), but now I’m back to working on Aground Zero and Stardander!
Unexpected Update 2.1.2
Oops! My cat walked across my keyboard and accidentally posted an update to Aground! I’d been working on an update to Splicer, but it wasn’t ready to be posted! And what’s worse, it looks like he edited a few of the other files! I tried to bribe him with food, but all he would tell me was that the Alchemist is part of the cat-astrophe. Working on getting things un-catted - I should have everything back to normal by tomorrow.
Steam Deck Patch
Implemented the new ShowFloatingGamepadTextInput to pop up a floating text input field for use on the steam deck or big picture mode.
The Future Fancy Fish Games
After the launch and final post-launch updates of Aground, we floundered (hah) for a bit deciding what to do next. We made many prototypes - several of which were put on hold, before finally settling on two games. Yes, that’s right, we’re working on two big games right now, and if that wasn’t wild enough, we also just finished a third game in a month-long game jam that you can play right now for free!
Stardander School for Witches
After finishing , the Visual Novel we made right before starting Aground, we had many ideas for better story-based games. But, at the time, we decided to hold off on them because of how challenging the visual novel market is. However, we both really like the magical school setting and kept trying to think of ways to make our witchy game idea better. We had loads of ideas before, during and after Aground’s development - from a tower-defense based game, to a multiplayer-only game. But, eventually we settled on a management/simulation style game where you can recruit, train, and battle with your witches - sort of like Fire Emblem: Three Houses.
This game is Stardander School for Witches, a narrative-heavy RPG rich in lore and worldbuilding, focusing on Dare (the fae cat you play as) and the witches she recruits. You can view the trailer for Stardander School for Witches below: [previewyoutube="HadLlt2nqkg;full"] Stardander School for Witches will release Fall 2022, and you can wishlist it right now on Steam!
We also wanted to do something directly related to Aground, but I always want to try something new, and making DLC for the base game just didn’t excite me. I wanted to change the art style, as a lot of people didn’t like the pixel art. The idea for Aground Zero came to me when I was reminiscing about one of our first commercial projects, I Can’t Escape: Darkness (ICED), which was a 3D game. I really liked a lot of the things I did for ICED, especially the lighting system (and I even had plans for a sequel), and I thought - why not make a 3D Aground spinoff? This idea was shortly before April, and prompted the April Fool’s joke of Aground: Minecraft Edition - a farcical but also partially true joke.
Aground Zero takes place during the events of the main game - but deep underground on Earth where you are one of the few survivors of the bombardment. You have to build up a bunker and rescue other survivors and eventually make your way to the surface. While it’ll have the mining and crafting of Aground, it’ll focus more on the base building aspects - taking the ideas from my scrapped colony update for Aground. You can view a short teaser for Aground Zero below: [previewyoutube="6dYxpTJZCjI;full"] You can wishlist Aground Zero on Steam now:
As if making two games at the same time wasn’t enough, when the Spooktober visual novel jam came around, we couldn’t resist making a halloween-themed spinoff of Stardander. The core mechanics are the same as Stardander School for Witches, but the story, characters and enemies were all made in the month of September for the jam.
Stardander Revenant is short (1-2 hours) and story-focused, but I definitely like the interactions between the two main characters (fun fact: they are based on our cats). You’ll also have some interesting battles (especially on hard mode) that require you to utilize the spells that your two older witches have learned (and you get to teach them some more spells along the way). You can view the trailer for Stardander Revenant below: [previewyoutube="eQbScUf-oL4;full"] And you can play Stardander Revenant now, for free:
That’s a lot of announcements to go through, and it looks like 2022 is going to be a busy year for us at Fancy Fish Games! Which game are you most excited for? Did you give Stardander Revenant a try?
And, after having made many prototypes, I have plenty of ideas for what to make next! My game ideas document continues to grow (now at 61 entries), so Stardander and Aground Zero are only the beginning! Look forward to a lot more from Fancy Fish Games!
Big Picture/Steam Deck Update
This is a minor update that only affects Steam Big Picture mode and the upcoming Steam Deck. The game now uses the on screen keyboard, and a few tweaks to the controls have been made (the largest being that keypresses now perform actions on release instead of held, with a few exceptions like placing nets/rails). The Linux build is also 64-bit now, the 32-bit build being retired (there are very few people still running a 32-bit linux OS, and it can be tough to get 32-bit builds running on 64-bit linux depending on the OS).
Patch 2.1.1b
A modder found potential exploits that a malicious modder could use in Aground (if you installed their mod). This patch blocks those exploits. As far as we know, no mods took advantage of these exploits, and this version is immune to them.
Aground Coming Soon to Consoles!
After some delays and challenges, we’re finally ready to announce exactly when Aground will be coming to consoles (PS4, Switch and XBox One)! I know many of you have been waiting for a while and keep asking when they are coming, and that date is now set: February 11th, 2021! Mark your calendars!
I hope you’re looking forward to the release! The console versions are being published by Whitethorn Digital and have all of the offline features of the game. Online features (like mods and multiplayer) are a little more challenging on consoles, but may come in a future update depending on how the console launch goes!
This is our first game to come to consoles - a major milestone for Fancy Fish Games and everyone on the development team! Achievement unlocked! We’ll be in our Discord ready to celebrate on the 11th!
Aground Deluxe Edition Soundtrack by Chase Bethea
Materia Collective is excited to release the Aground Original Game Soundtrack Deluxe Edition featuring music by composer Chase Bethea. The deluxe edition includes the entire Aground soundtrack along with seven additional tracks never heard before, two tracks from Deity Quest, and three pieces of piano sheet music transcribed by Materia Collective's David Peacock. Aground's music covers a spectrum of rhythms and genres, using funky time signatures, psychedelic synths, chiptune elements, and guitars.
"Aground features an amalgamation of styles and a hybrid signature sound that is undeniably unique and inimitable," comments composer Chase Bethea. "It feels like every track had some new sound or idea that kept up the interest over a Very. Long. Running. Time. I am proud that the community, who I called the 'Agroundians,' recognize what I was trying to bring to the music for the game."
The Aground Soundtrack is Available on Steam here:
And the Deluxe Edition tracks were automatically added to everyone who already bought the soundtrack.
KOZ Modding Colosseum Results
The KOZ Modding Colosseum started out as a way to encourage new mods for Aground and put the spotlight on the growing Aground modding community, and we definitely succeeded in those goals. The competition saw the rise of a new Master modder (Lybell) at UAMT (the Unofficial Aground Modding Team), it gave Alchemist an excuse to finish his revised super mod that was gathering dust, and it even brought back a former master (CH355) to attempt his dream mod. Even the novices showed up and made some strong entries.
If you want to learn more about the competition, you can see the original event: https://steamcommunity.com/games/876650/announcements/detail/2733073087959094294
And now, it is time to reveal the winners. Drumroll please!
Grand Prize
For the all-around best-made and most enjoyable to play mods.
Winner
Venemoto by Lybell is an extremely well put together mod that got high marks in all categories except music (which it had none). Even if you’re not a fan of platformers, you have to acknowledge the hard work put into it, made even more impressive by the fact that this was made entirely by one person. While there are a few rough areas and room for improvement, that doesn’t change the fact that this is an exceptional mod and I’m looking forward to seeing where Lybell goes with it. Congratulations Lybell!
[table][tr][th]___Venemoto A lot of players assume Aground must be a platformer because of the side-scrolling view, and on this toxic planet, it really is! Jump dangerous pit traps, explore a large metroidvania-style level, upgrade your jumpsuit to progress further and discover more of what the planet has to offer![/th][/tr][/table]
For the best looking new art. NOTE: Thirallan wasn’t eligible for the art or music categories due to it using art and music created before the competition began.
Winner
Mekaphelin by Team NekoTron (TNT) is a mod that definitely focuses more on the creative side (art, music, story), and a lot of effort was put into the characters, NPCs, and especially the cutscenes - having higher-resolution cutscenes really helps bring the NPCs to life - like when CH355 smiles or all Luxori’s UwUs. The judges were split over whether Mekaphelin or Venemoto should win art, but in the end the charm, cats and cutscenes swayed the final vote. They have a long way to go to add everything they’re planning, but I think they can make it! Congratulations NekoTron! https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2245382625
2nd Place
[table][tr][th]___Venemoto A lot of players assume Aground must be a platformer because of the side-scrolling view, and on this toxic planet, it really is! Jump dangerous pit traps, explore a large metroidvania-style level, upgrade your jumpsuit to progress further and discover more of what the planet has to offer![/th][/tr][/table]
Mekaphelin by Team NekoTron (TNT) won this category by default, as no other mod finished and integrated new music. But don’t let the win by default fool you, the music is great - I still catch myself humming Grow Together every now and then! Congratulations NekoTron! https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2245382625
Honorable Mention
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2246084480 The 8-bit wolf did compose a new track during the competition, but did not have time to integrate it into their mod. I’m impressed with Dark Magic, given that it comes from a novice and they had so little time to work on they mod due to restricted computer access. I hope 8-bit wolf will continue to work on the mod and give it the time it needs!
Fanciest Features
For the most interesting/fun new game mechanics.
Winner
Venemoto by Lybell definitely added the most new and interesting game mechanics. Even if you don’t count the platforming (which is a vanilla feature), turning Aground into a metroidvania with traps, switches, upgrades, and challenging boss fights took a lot of work, and Lybell still has more planned like the blinker, so I have high hopes for future features! Congratulations Lybell!
[table][tr][th]___Venemoto A lot of players assume Aground must be a platformer because of the side-scrolling view, and on this toxic planet, it really is! Jump dangerous pit traps, explore a large metroidvania-style level, upgrade your jumpsuit to progress further and discover more of what the planet has to offer![/th][/tr][/table]
Thirallan Alchemist Edition by Team EA is quite the adventure. Some sinister corruption has been taking over the entire system - whether it be robots that rebelled against their masters or people turning into zombies to attack their old friends. The real strength of Thirallan’s story is all the events that happen - many mods have large epic backstories, but Thirallan has a lot more story evolution and progression that you actually get to play through. You end up curious who or what is causing the corruption, and even questioning the motives of your allies. And, given that only Robot Rebellion and part one of the main planet are done, I think the team has a lot more in store for us. Congratulations EA (Alchemist with a bit of help from a bird). https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2243382600
2nd Place
This was a tie. Once again the judges were split, but since this wasn’t a prize-winning position, we decided to let them share 2nd place. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2245382625
[table][tr][th]___Venemoto A lot of players assume Aground must be a platformer because of the side-scrolling view, and on this toxic planet, it really is! Jump dangerous pit traps, explore a large metroidvania-style level, upgrade your jumpsuit to progress further and discover more of what the planet has to offer![/th][/tr][/table]
Audience Award
For the most upvotes in the Steam Workshop during the voting period.
Winner
Thirallan Alchemist Edition by Team EA got the most votes. I’ll admit, I was expecting something ridiculous to win the audience award as always seems to happen with voting, but in this competition, the audience votes and judge votes seemed to be very similar - with Thirallan and Mekaphelin having a lot more votes than any other mod (Venemoto was not available in the steam workshop, and so was not eligible). With the audience not ignoring the old work Alchemist put into Thirallan, it’s no surprise that Thirallan won, it’s an incredibly extensive mod already, and if Alchemist completes everything he’s planning, it will be downright massive. Congratulations EA! https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2243382600
Thank you to everyone who participated in this contest, and congratulations again to all the winners - we will be getting in touch with you shortly! And good job to the novices who tried so hard even against the masters - even if they didn’t win any cash prizes. I know KOZ is considering a novice-only competition, so keep polishing your skills and stay tuned for the next competition!
___Venemoto
