Launching Figurine Scene Simulator Soon, Ambient Channels Update Following
Hello all,
You may have noticed the lack of updates for Ambient Channels for some time. ːsteamthumbsdownː
We sincerely apologize for the delay, we hit several barriers to our platform and addressing them became a much longer project than anticipated. We're a very small team without the ability to add additional resources quite yet, so we've just had to push through and try to get everything on track asap.
A brief outline the barriers that we needed to overcome:
Decrease the game download size and allow episodes to be individually chosen
Improve general graphic/rendering quality
Decrease initial load time
Add characters to populate the episodes that range across many genres
To address them, after the last release of Ambient Channels, we started to rev the platform pretty hard and then during development, ended up spawning a separate game to handle the characters. In our new game, Figurine Scene Simulator, you'll be able to download hundreds of free figurines and then build character portfolios which you can import into Ambient Channels. From a new in-episode editor, you'll be able to set the characters to way point paths playing back animations which can playback during fly throughs or the hidden object games.
(The FSS roadmap also includes additional features that will give more life to your characters - including Pets, in Ambient Channels.)
In terms of schedule, after we release Figurine Scene Simulator during February/March, we will finish the Ambient Channels release using the new modular DLC install features we built for FSS which will allow us to package additional Ambient Channel episodes on a regular on-going basis. We are currently planning to drop the next release March/April, which will include the new platform and at least 6 new episodes.
Once we get there, we'll be able to start dropping episodes on a regular basis while we start the next phase of our roadmap features to improve the game experience as well as offering editing tools for customizing episodes and sharing your own editions (with FSS character packs) through the workshop.
Thanks for your patience, there will probably be some "dust" trying to hack through all these releases, but we're committed to getting our vision for our games in production and expect that we're going to slay your expectations, at least, at some point... ːsteamthumbsupː
Rez you later, Arcade Player 1999
Next Release Update
Hi All,
We apologize for the long delay since the last update or news. Our other game we're in the middle of releasing, Figurine Scene Simulator fell behind schedule and we had to focus everything on finishing its first early access release.
Once we release Figurine Scene Simulator, we will be finishing our big update for Ambient Channels.
Core Game Updates Include:
Faster Game Loading - Reduces the initial game load time by around 75%.
Modular DLC - Currently all of our game content is packaged in the core download which is challenging to scale, the Modular DLC update will move the download process to allow you to choose which episodes you want to download through the UI.
New Scenes - we have about a dozen new episodes with camera fly throughs to add.
Figurine Scene Simulator Integration - If you have Figurine Scene Simulator (FSS) installed, you'll be able to import your characters to put on pre-determined waypoint paths. While moving on the paths, your FSS characters can playback animations you saved to them.
Media Capture Features - Figurine Scene Simulator includes several new media features, including setting LUTs, picture frames, gif recording, and more. We will be bringing those features to Ambient Channels.
Editor DLC Update
Waypoint editor - The first feature available for players with the Editor DLC will allow them to place waypoint paths for FSS characters. The full feature will include the ability to package multiple waypoint paths in an episode as well as pre-select FSS characters to use for those paths to create themes (such as zombies roaming the parking garage) and then the episode packages can be uploaded to the workshop to share with others.
We will communicate soon on what our release strategy will be for all these features.
Thanks for your patience!
Arcade Player '99
Pricing Structure Change Input Request
Hi All,
We're looking at making a fairly big pricing structure change and wanted to provide an opportunity for anyone who'd like to comment. (At the least, we'd like to be transparent.)
We're currently considering making 90% of episodes free for the different ambiance modes. The 10% that wouldn't be free would usually be due to mature content such as violence/gore or a specific artist spotlight where we're splitting revenue with that episode's artists.
We would add a new fairly-low priced DLC that would provide the game modes to any episodes you'd have access to, so in this case, most people would spend the same on this DLC as purchasing 3-4 episodes and have access to the 90% of the content without paying anything else to be able to play all the current and future game modes including the multiplayer ones.
There would also a new moderately priced DLC that would unlock a new editing mode we're putting on our near-term roadmap. This editing mode will allow you to load a set of assets from one of the episodes you have access to and build an episode from scratch or start from an existing episode's scene and make changes to it. (The editing mode roadmap includes being able to setup your own hidden object games, camera fly throughs and sharing scenes through the workshop so you can share your scenes with others and be able to play the multiplayer experiences in your custom designed scenes.)
There will continue to be the few rotating episodes available like now with the ability to play all of their game modes and multiplayer functionality.
We want to make this change because we're looking at making the editor mode an important aspect of Ambient Channels and we want to come up with a pricing model that allows a wide amount of the audience to have access to the custom content created by others.
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If you like the concept, please thumbs up this announcement, or add to the discussion if you have more to say.
(Notes: Not all scenes are modular, but when you can't edit the entirety of a scene, you'll usually be able to move/place props within the scene.
At the time of making these changes, we're going to work with Steam to have them give the new game mode DLC to anyone who's purchased any of the 90% of episodes which will now be free to access.)
