It is the smack middle of summer vacation time, but we are still working on improving Horus Station and making a console version for PS4. So if you have any suggestions, bugs or other issues you think we should fix, please let us know in the comments.
Meanwhile is a nice opportunity to take a look behind the scenes of Horus Station. Along the spring we made three developer diaries covering various topics of making the game: audio design, story telling, art direction and so on. Our talented sound designer Can Uzer also made an appearance on The Reaper Blog to discuss what it was like to part of the game development.
You can check all the videos below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRCn2YKZwlY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGjjChwaYVU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBaFGCuKEZo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QToebcT9NyY
This is Act 1: Overture initial paper design. It’s quite similar to the final level right? We start on paper, model, test, edit , light and polish.
Celebrate Horus Station One Month Anniversary!
Get Downward Spiral: Horus Station in Special Steam Summer Weekend Sale -15% off the price and join the devs for some Sunday multiplayer fun!
Time flies when you are having fun... or when you are scrambling in zero gravity fighting hordes of mechanical defenses onboard Horus Station.
Downward Spiral: Horus Station has now been out on Steam Store for one month. To celebrate this ”miniversary” we are having a special summer weekend sale. For two days only Horus Station is -15% off the price. The offer ends on Monday 10am PT / 20pm CEST so be quick if you don't want to miss out!
Have you been eager to try out the multiplayer modes but don't have enough friends online? Come to play with us this Sunday at 9am PT / 19pm CEST.
The game session is easy to find. Just jump in to the game in VR or flat, choose multiplayer and Deathmatch and pick Engineering Hangar for the map. You are welcomed to play and also ask questions from the team.
See you there!
Patch #1 out now
Since the launch of Horus Station we have been looking to update and fix the most common problems with the game. Today we have released the first patch that aims to repair many bugs in the campaign, controls, audio and user interface. It will be become downloadable when you start Steam next time.
Here are the main contents of Patch #1:
Bolt pistol now has a laser sight in VR.
Password field added to multiplayer so that matching with a friends in Deathmatch and Horde is easier.
Reconnect sequence co-op and clarity fixes in Act 3 and 4.
EMP stun effect fixed for co-op.
Small tweaks and additions to help story comprehension.
Fixed losing wrench if it is left in the door in Act 4.
Fixed certain cases where the shotgun sounds were missing in multiplayer.
Tweaked Rope gun audio.
Now showing the co-op partner’s name in the game menu.
Now shows who is speaking in the multiplayer scoreboard.
Various Act 7 co-op fixes.
Fixed several co-op gates that allowed to player to proceed without partner.
Localization tweaked for better clarity.
Additional update: Prevented Goliath shooting through walls.
Have you noticed any other bugs that would require fixing, or do you have some features on your wish list? Let us know in the comments.
Horus Station One Week Anniversary
One week in to the launch – what do you think? Gives us you reviews.
It has been a roller coaster ride for us. The response has been mostly positive, but we knew that Horus Station is a game that will divide opinions and we have seen clearly in our reviews from loving to loathing.
So far we have 21 Steam user reviews on the store page of which 17 are positive and 4 negative, 9 curator opinions and scattered video and text reviews all over online media with Metacritic score of 74. Here are some positive highlights and constructive criticism for proper balance:
An incredible space VR game with interesting, realistic mechanics. If you're a VR user, and you love space games, then definitely check this one out.
I thoroughly recommend both this game (and the prequel) as they are quite obviously a labour of love and deserve all the support they can get from the VR-gaming community.
Horus Station is one of the best value VR games I've yet to see.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN2Kt9EZdFg
You float around pressing buttons and shooting drones. Moving mostly with a grappling hook. Graphics are PS2 quality. Not a $20 game. Better AI and more enemies could have made this game a lot better.
While the Zero-G is fun to play in, the gunplay is bad in VR because game developers can't into ironsights --
Huge thanks to everyone of these people playing the game and taking time to give us feedback. Good or bad; it is important to us. Kind words make us feel good and pointing out the flaws help us getting better.
So keep the reviews and feedback coming! Do you agree with existing reviews? What do you think is missing in Horus Station and what do want to be added or fixed? Write us feedback here in the comments or in user reviews. If you liked the game, help us to get that pesky “Mixed review” up to “Positive”.
First Horus Station reviews
Downward Spiral: Horus Station launched on Steam last Thursday. First reviews have been mainly positive, but for a small indie studio reviews have been both exciting and nerve wrecking. Still we are really proud what we accomplished in just over one year and small team. Here are some highlights from the first reviews:
Downward Spiral: Horus Station Review: The 2001 To Lone Echo’s Gravity ”one of 2018’s best VR games yet. - 8/10”
https://uploadvr.com/downward-spiral-horus-station-review-2001-lone-echos-gravity/
Review: Downward Spiral: Horus Station ”For players that enjoy floating around in space, Downward Spiral: Horus Station is a great all-rounder. - 80/100”
http://boastvr.com/review-downward-spiral-horus-station/
Downward Spiral: Horus Station Review ”All in all, Downward Spiral: Horus Station is a great game, but a few small improvements could turn this game from being great to being a fantastic game. - 8/10”
https://gaminghistoria.com/downward-spiral-horus-station-review/
Downward Spiral: Horus Station Review (Oculus Rift gameplay) ”It is a solid VR title that is also playable in flat-screen mode. 4/5 - would explore the eerie hallways again”
https://youtu.be/ngZvsVvrbhE
What about you – have you played through Horus Station yet? If you liked it, please write a small user review or tell a friend about the game. We will forever love you for it. And thank you so much for joining us on our space adventure!
Downward Spiral: Horus Station out now!
Launch day! Our hard worked sci-fi thriller Downward Spiral: Horus Station is now available on PC through the Steam store. You can now purchase the slow burn zero-g space adventure with a super low price of $19.99 / €14.99 / £14.99.
Horus Station features a full immersive Virtual Reality experience on Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Windows Mixed Reality, but the game is also completely playable without any VR devices. The game includes a mystery filled single player campaign with an option for co-op, 4v4 deathmatch multiplayer and Horde game modes.
Thanks to everyone that has been following the project, our family and friends that have supported us at 3rd Eye Studios and all gamers around the world.
See you on board the station!
Countdown to Horus Station launch! Prologue giveaway!
48 hours to go! It is exciting times here at 3rd Eye Studios. Downward Spiral: Horus Station will arrive on PC/Steam on Thursday 31st of May. Many reviewers in media have already received their test copies and the first impressions will drop on Wednesday at 2pm BST / 3pm CET / 6am PST.
Before that we want to thank all the people that have followed the Horus Station pre-launch. The best way to to try out Horus Station is with Downward Spiral: Prologue. Want a Steam key for Prologue? [The giveaway has ended]
Just wishlist Horus Station and comment on this post. We will spot 48 first commenters with a code up until the launch of Horus Station. Be aware that Prologue requires a VR device, but Horus Station can be played also without VR.
(Note: New accounts are not eligible and we reserve the right to deny and cancel the giveaway. Valve, Steam or any third party is not involved in the giveaway.)
Horus Station is coming to Steam May 31st!
It is a happy day here at 3rd Eye Studios. We can today announce that the release date is set. Downward Spiral: Horus Station will launch on PC via Steam on Thursday May 31st (31/05/2018).
The price of the Downward Spiral: Horus Station will only be 19,99 dollars or 14,99 euros.
See you on board Horus Station on May 31th!
Dev Diary 3 - ZERO G
Downward Spiral: Horus Station's third developer diary video is up! Watch it here:
https://youtu.be/yBaFGCuKEZo
Making the zero g was a really fun challenge and we are looking forward hearing what everyone thinks about the final game. The wait is not long. Downward Spiral: Horus Station will arrive on PC in the end of May.
Support Horus Station by following and sharing, and don't forget to wish list the game on the store page.
Horus Station Spring Update
Spring has finally come to Finland, but even as the sun is shining warmly and birds are singing outside, 3rd Eye Studios' team is working hard finishing up Downward Spiral: Horus Station.
Now we can confidently say that Horus Station is on its final legs of development. Next week we will have visual content locked down, which means that even our talented artists will focus on testing the game instead of producing more visual assets. What is best we can soon announce the release date, price and other details.
The third developer diary video is something not to miss soon. It will center on zero gravity game play and offers some cool insight to the unique movement, about the game modes, and also uncovers motivations behind the mysterious story of Horus Station. Alongside the diary we will also show a new footage and screenshots, which you can get a taste below.
Stay tuned and remember to check our Steam Store page and social media channels in the links. Until the next time, happy month of May and many sunny spring days to all!
