Thank you all the Agents of Alienautics! I have survived through the pandemic years and back to developing more of the Alienautics adventure. Weekly updates will be published regularly again.
The new update today adds a few bug fixes and minor polishes. After hearing from a few players about the login fail glitch, I have updated the content server. GREX Sandbox login/registration is no longer an issue.
"Select Display" glitch that was preventing the game from launching in a specific window has been fixed. The next update will bring "Windowed" launching of the game instead of forced fullscreen for better streaming experience.
2022 is going to be a great year for the Alienautics series. Looking forward to bring some awesome adventures for you guys! Thanks.
Alienautics Development Roadmap
CONCEPT ----------------------------------- My vision for Alienautics is to build a free to play episodic mmo game world like Warframe / Star Citizen. The current build of Alienautics has it's first episode "Agent 33". The next episode is planned as "Magma Overlord". Currently the game is a paid (priced at $14.99) product. As the game matures with more content, I want to make the base game free and have the new content be published as paid DLCs. The game has a few different modes of content. Campaign levels are custom made storyline missions with cutscenes and boss fights. New campaign missions are added with DLCs and updates. The game has a Netflix style entertainment content delivery system to support the GaaS (Game as a Service) model for the Alienautics franchise.
LEVEL DESIGN ---------------------------------- The Freeplay levels in the game are semi-procedurally generated. They are designed by connecting hand crafted rooms with scrambled objects inside for cover, collectible, enemy etc and generated corridors. This technique is also used by modern TPS games like Remnant of the Ashes/Warframe. For the Campaign missions, locations are crafted manually. For Freeplay missions, levels are generated with rewards, enemy types and objectives to complete. After reaching higher XP levels, more locations on the map become accessible. Players can use upgraded weapons and accessories to explore these challenges.
CHARACTERS ----------------------------------- Characters are central part of the game experience. The game features a range of character customization options that let the player explore different gameplay styles and mechanics. Besides cosmetic differences, characters have unique special kill moves and each can handle their own special weapon type (heavy, light, steath). Character customization and upgrades are focused on empowering the player as well as being a viable monetization model.
WEAPONS -------------------------------------- There are 9 different weapon types that unlock as the game progresses. The weapons look feel and play differently and also gives the game levels more replayability. Different enemy types in the game wield different weapons and interrupt the dynamics of the cover based tactics.
FRAMEWORK AND SDK ------------------------------------- Alienautics was designed around a modular framework that has a plug-in style feature development model. New features can be iterated and published quickly and efficiently. The framework integrates the launcher, the cloud backend and the game executable together to present a streamlined experience for the player base.
FUTURE DEVELOPMENT ROADMAP --------------------------------------------------- Below are the future development plans for the Alienautics franchise and Reality Gameware tools.
1. Custom Editor Tool In further development, the level design process will be aided with a custom built level editor. The editor will be available as a free tool for the community to learn and share their own level designs in the Alienautics ecosystem.
2. Online Marketplace Further development of the online portal for Alienautics and enable the players to buy and sell game items through the web based interface.
3. Multiplayer Tournament Multiplayer features are planned after the 2.0 update at the end of 2020.
The next update will add all these new features for free. Enjoy!
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Full Release Update - Complete Alienautics Campaign
After two months of early access development, Alienautics is now ready for a full release. The price of the game is not increased on full release as promised to the community. I'm very proud to present the first Alienautics game to the world.
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Don't forget to check out the new trailer in the store showcasing updated graphics and details in level design. More content and updates will be added regularly. New sections in the discussion forum has been opened to talk about post-release improvements and further development of the Alienautics franchise. For more information, please visit the official website.
Alienautics is now available as a full released game package and no longer in early access. Huge thanks to the excellent community members for testing the game and sending feedback. Please download the latest updates to enjoy the full experience of Alienautics universe,
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Early Access Update - Xbox Gamepad support & Lighting
I'm very excited to announce the ending of early access period of Alienautics. The game is complete and well tested at this point. All 15 chapters in the single player campaign are complete with cutscene animation sequences and music.
Complete gamepad support has been added with this update. Xbox controller is automatically recognized and mapped as above. Mapping image is available inside the options menu. To match the camera movements with the joysticks a new camera motion class has been implemented.
Alienautics is going to hit full release today. Huge thanks to the excellent community members for testing the game and sending feedback. Cheers.
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Early Access Update - New level details and enemy type, camera collision fix
There are new alien vegetations in the planet surface level. The caves in the micromorph colony is now a dense alien forest. There is also a new type of enemy. A flying tetramorph that shoots poisonous homing projectiles. The tetramorphs live in their hives in the tall trees and they attack in swarms.
A new camera collision update has been added. As a result the camera doesn't go through the ceiling in low height areas anymore. The collision detection and near plane clipping works well together to keep the visuals in focus even in high speed maneuvers and tight corners.
The skybox system has been updated with animated visuals. The main menu, loading screen and levels have a unified themed sky and similar celestial bodies in them. It is quite a crucial factor for the immersion because the player and camera travels through the main menu, loading and levels often throughout the game.
Christmas is tomorrow! I hope all of you are having a great holiday. Cheers!
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Early Access Update - Price, Graphics & Gameplay
I'm very excited to present the biggest update since the Early Access launch last October! The storyline has been overhauled and all of the features are now complete (ex. combat, melee and cutscenes). The new gameplay is more fast paced and action packed than before. The ending of the game has been added along with 5 new cutscenes.
Some major updates in the graphics has been added. A serious approach to pixel formatting and cached multi-pass rendering has fixed the common issues with flickering and jagged edges around objects. The difference in the visuals from this breakthrough is amazing.
Also, after hearing feedback from the community, the purchase price for Alienautics has been slashed 50%. There will be no price increase on the full release.
I would like to thank everyone for participating in the Early Access. It's been a great pleasure. Enjoy!
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Early Access Bug Fix - Controller Update
This new update patches a few minor bugs detected by the Early Access players. The controller mapping of the keys are also altered to make the player movements more intuitive. The changes are described below:
1) Controller Mapping: Jump and Roll actions are mapped in separate buttons now. Before they were both mapped to SPACE key and player would jump or roll depending on momentum. If player is in sprinting mode with the SHIFT key down, then the SPACE key would trigger a jump. While walking without holding the SHIFT key would trigger roll.
This momentum based jump/roll control was not very intuitive for many players. As a result, now Roll action is mapped to CTRL key and Jump action is mapped to SPACE key. This should remove any confusion regarding the jump/roll movements.
2) Tutorials; More tutorials and hints have been added for the player. There are more complex chain moves that can be triggered by combining action keys. New tutorials instruct player to perform these moves properly.
3) Crouch Controls: Crouch movement has been completely replaced by the Roll movement and mapped to the CTRL key. Few sections in the game where Crouch action was required has been edited to be playable without Crouching.
4) Out of Ammo Bug: If player runs out of ammo during a boss fight, there was no way to beat the boss. This bug has been fixed by dropping more ammo in the boss section of the game.
5) Jump Precision: Platforming is one of the key pillars of Alienautics. For a good platforming experience, Jump controls have to be precise and responsive. To enhance the jump precision, now player can perform a LAND action by pressing SPACE key while in the air (SPACE+SPACE). This will trigger a mid air roll and let player change direction to land the ground. This action can also be performed by SPACE+CTRL key combo.
Thanks to the community of Early Access players for the feedback! More updates coming soon. Please feel free to ask any questions below. Recommend Alienautics to your friends/audience to try it out.
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New gameplay trailer
I'm very excited to show the new gameplay trailer of Alienautics. The game has been getting regular updates since launch and most of the bugs reported by the early testers have been fixed. I'm incredibly thankful to all the players who are excited to be in this journey together to build the amazing universe of Alienautics.
More updates coming on the weekend. Please feel free to recommend Alienautics to your friends!
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Day 7 patch is live
Hello Players! It's been a week since Alienautics had entered early access. I'm thankful to all the participants who are excited to play Alienautics and help me out with their awesome feedback. Here are the details of Day 7 patch update.
- Aim sensitivity slider added in the options. Now it's easier for players to adjust the mouse aiming to match their play style.
- Player movements updated with more agility and precise jump/roll reactions. The improved movment controls are:
Movement Arrow + Space = Roll Movement Arrow + Shift + Space = Jump
- Volumetric lighting have been improved with new set of shaders that prevent from fogging up the camera visibility.
- After the new update, the game will reset the graphics settings to default to match the new options.
Appreciate your feedback :-) More updates to come. Please feel free to recommend Alienautics to your friends.
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Day 1 patch is here
Hello Players! As the launch rolls out, I will be updating the game frequently to fix the bugs caught by early access participants. After hearing the initial feedback from testers, here are the details of the Day 1 patch update.
- Captcha is removed from website making it easier to sign up
- The game is locked to HD resolution (1920x1080). 4k will be supported in the future.
- Graphics improved by removing the DoF and blur effects which made the game look a bit "dirty" as mentioned in the tester feedbacks. After removing the effects, the game has achieved a more 'clean' look. Please check the before and after screenshot.
- More tutorial points are added about the jump controls.
- The game uses a middleware framework that keeps the game data in sync across different platforms. It does not require any other user data. I have added an extra 'close' button in the sandbox menu for minimizing the interface. Clicking 'exit' terminates the sandbox completely as usual.
Appreciate your feedback :-) More updates to come.
