Two years ago today we released PeriAreion on Steam. The game we released then is far different from the game as it exists today.
We are proud that we have been able to learn and improve and come back to PeriAreion. As we go forward, hopefully we can institute new changes in a timely fashion and make the game even better. Regardless of the outcome, thank you all for playing our game. It made us into the studio we are today!
We are doing a price drop on PeriAreion as part of the anniversary. At this point, we just want as many people to play as possible and give feedback and reviews so we can keep improving.
Cheers!
Cameron and Erica
TBA Games
Work Starting Again on Patch!
Greetings Everyone!
So we finished our other games contract and are in the process of publishing an app, but work has begun again on PeriAreion. We will keep you updated as the new systems progress!
Cheers
Cameron
Current Development Schedule
Hey Everyone,
So I just wanted top give a quick update on the next patch and our development schedule. So after missing our Feb. 2nd deadline we had to shift focus to a small educational game contract we are currently working on.
Luckily that contract is due by the 15th of this month so the plan is to have all hands on deck for that game and then get right back to PeriAreion to get the new content patch out by the end of the month. Sorry for the delay, and I hope you all understand. We can't wait to release the new patch and keep improving the game!
Cheers,
Cameron
Patch Work delayed slightly...
So now Erica is out sick! With how far behind we got during the last week and the other work we need to finish up, I am thinking that the patch will not be done by our self-imposed Feb. 2nd deadline.
We maybe could do it but that would means rushing and potentially breaking more systems and doing a poor job of it so we would like to take a little extra time to make sure the new systems are working, balanced, and fun. Not to mention I am still getting some bug reports so I need to focus on those as well.
We will keep you updated with the patch work as we go forward. Hopefully the delay won't be for more than a week or so. As always if you need anything from me let me know and i will answer any comments/questions as soon as I can!
Cheers,
Cameron
Patch 5.1.3 Optimizations
Greetings Everyone,
Small patch today. I recoded some of the heavy hitting scripts so the game should be much more optimized now. Additionally added a normal map to Ice nodes. Hopefully should fix any dancing colonists may do around nodes as the collision has been removed.
Spectroscopy also does not work in this build. I will fix that tonight when I release the Mac version.
Cheers,
Cameron
Out Sick, Patch Work Continuing Soon. Optimization fixes on the way!
Hey Everyone,
Sorry I have been out of touch for the past few days. I have been pretty sick recently so I haven't got much work done on the content patch since then.
Most times I can get even more work done while ill, but unfortunately a bacterial infection from food poisoning is not to be taken so lightly. It has all but wiped me out for the last 5 days. I am defnitely on the mend and can actually sit up to type now so I can begin working again soon.
Before I went down, I finished some major optimization fixes (50-75% FPS jump on our test machines). I need to squash a bug with the new optimizations and they should be good to go. I am going to work on getting that patch out in the next few days.
While I have been sick, Erica has been able to finish up the art on some of the new models so this week hasn't been a total wash. Here is one of the SEPs for the new mission system
We will keep you updated with the progress.
Cheers,
Cameron
New Mission System
We are currently modelling some new devices to add into the mission system. The SEPs (Surface Experiement Packages)! We wanted to provide a little more detail about what we are changing.
Right now we only have a few missions that spawn, mainly because they needed lots of custom code. These missions function just like POIs, except they have a time limit and give more funding. We are planning on expanding that system to include more gameplay and player interaction, as well as adding more variety to the mission description text.
Missions will become static spawns placed randomly throughout the map, unable to be interacted with/completed until you build a Tech Module and use the new module task "Assemble SEP". The SEP will appear outside the module, able to be picked up by colonists and taken to a mission site.
Also, we will be making some changes to the Research Tree to work with the new gameplay. As well as adding a SEP-specific upgrade in the tech branch, we are working on making all upgrades a little more exciting.
Hopefully this is a little more accurate to the kind of science Mars explorers would be doing and adds a bit more depth to the game.
As usual, let us know your thoughts and feedback, and we will keep you posted on the progress!
Cheers,
Cameron & Erica
(PeriAreion Dev Team)
Work beginning on next content patch
Hey Mars Fans!
I have been monitoring the discussion boards/email/Facebook and haven't seen any bug reports for a few days, which is a relief. There are still a few small tweaks & bug fixes that we're working on (much thanks to Traitor Betta Trait for pointing those out!), but the game should be stable.
We have some other tasks to do at the beginning of this week, but are expecting to start work on the next major content update after that. For marketing reasons we would like to have this update done at the latest by the beginning of next month.
In this first content update we will be aiming for:
Redesigning/overhauling the POI/Mission system
Changing tech module functionality
Adding a pickup/drop equipment functionality to the astronauts (paticularly excited about this one since we have some plans to incorporate it into other new upgrades and systems).
We're hoping that refining these particular systems will make PeriAreion more accurate, and add more depth without overcomplicating gameplay.
As always these plans could change as we get into the work. We will try to keep you updated in the next few weeks. If you like the game, we would really appreciate reviews!
Cheers,
Cameron
Patch 5.1.2
PC build will be going live in the next hour or so. I will have to wait until tomorrow afternoon to post the Mac build. Here are the changes:
Reusable rockets II and III research upgrades now displays the correct percentages
fixed a bug where a resource node would sometimes be flipped on its side
communicating with earth in the tech module will now correctly award a small amount of funding if a mission or unique event does not spawn. More funding is awarded for unique events.
I might not be able to due a patch tomorrow due to some other work. Hopefully I will get some time to address some smaller issues.
Cheers,
Cameron
Future Updates
Hey Everyone,
Hope you are enjoying the new PeriAreion update!
We wanted to keep you apprised of plans for future work on PeriAreion. Now that the bulk of the overhaul is complete and we are happy with the art style, we can focus on a few things we left out before and some new/expanded gameplay.
Here is a list of a few things we want to do. This is in no way a definitive list of every feature we are adding but just what we are thinking we can accomplish on top of our other work at the moment.
free base building system. We want you to place buildings where you want and choose how your base looks. We had this half functioning VERY early on but scrapped it when it was proving difficult to get any farther.
astronaut customization. definitely the ability to change suit colors so you can identify people easier. perhaps custom naming and stat re-rolling
POI overhaul. Right now you just interact for funding. Some require a base return or additional sites but we want to beef up this system to add a bit more gameplay and feel like you're doing science.
pickup/drop system. We want to give astronauts the ability to pickup and drop items. This could include picking up samples, grabbing care packages, moving equipment into position, etc.
new research upgrades based on the added content.
Optimization Tweaks. Because I had never programmed before this game and was learning at the time, the coding is a big ball of hot mess (better since the update) but I could get it to run on a toaster if I wanted to now. Just need the time.
We will try to schedule our next major content patch here in a few weeks. All depends on other work load. As always we will continue to fix bugs as they are reported to us.
