Snowtopia: Ski Resort Builder
Update 1.0.6 (Final update)
After some time now, the final update of Snowtopia is out.
Compared to the previous ones, it's a small one and it is mainly focused on stabilizing the game and getting rid of the last achievements issues. Should you have any trouble with any of them, please tell me. I can check if it's just a setting issue ; if not, I can simply take out the achievement for the completionists in you that want the 100%
Soooo as you would now know, Snowtopia's development was not a long quiet river. If you do not but you want to, please head to this thread explaining a lot.
But, what now?
Well as stated before, unless there is a really big blocker crash type of thing, we (development team in the large definition of this word) won't work on this game anymore, but there's still some things I wish to tell you.
Firstly, as I said to some of you, I wanted to see if we could take the price of the game down. Afterall, it did not reach what even we planned it to reach, or barely. Turns out it's a bit more complicated than just changing a number in the store. We will, however, put the game in sale as much as we can and will aim at 50% discount. So if you see this before buying the game, and the game is not on sale, be patient for a few days/weeks, it will be!
Also, I do have to talk about modders that keep doing great work for the game. I made a new forum discussion post about modding, mainly to give you the right adresses to install/get into modding.
Thanks to people that kept with us for this journey, and even when people were complaining (which I do understand of course), it remained with respect and we could, actually, talk about it.
I'll still see you around on the forums,
Cheers
-Thomas
đ Snowtopia is out of Early Access!
After several difficult months during which we did not communicate much about the development progress, we are happy to announce that Snowtopia is finally out of early access!
âď¸ Here's the launch trailer we have cook up for you:
As you may know, the studio stopped the game development at the beginning of the year. We have hired a developer to finish the update that was planned and fix the bugs. We will try to provide the best support possible.
Regarding modding, the contracts and the law do not allow us to open the source code, but we will keep working on it so you and other players will be able to add countless possibilities more easily to the game.
We'll keep you posted, but until then, enjoy your time in Snowtopia!
And once again, thank you for your patience and understanding. đ¤
Play Now:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1124260/Snowtopia_Ski_Resort_Builder/
Snowtopia - Out of Early Access on Dec. 14!
After quite some time now... Snowtopia is coming out of early access to get it's FULL RELEASE on December 14th!
As some of you might know, it hasn't been a quiet journey... and kind of felt more like a black slope on your 2nd day of skiiing đ
Since the last public update, we polished different mechanics, we also had to revamp the whole behaviour for the skiers pathfinding, to get the experience as smooth and enjoyable as possible. If you missed it and want to know more about what happened during the project, please check this post (and the replies) on the Steam Forums : https://steamcommunity.com/app/1124260/discussions/0/3432327323078402084
As we mentionned before, Snowtopia's development will end here. There's just one last thing (appart for major bugs that we'll patch, should there be any) that we'd like to do.
A lot of you guys asked us to just open the source code so people that can would go on with the game development; however it's not as simple as that. What we can and are actually trying to do, is to check with people that are already modding the game how to get their life easier, so even if we made the base as polished as we could, you can go and add to Snowtopia whatever you'd wish to be in the game, as much as possible
While this will probably not be the case day 1 of the release, we're still working on it and it'll be added as soon as possible!
We hope you'll enjoy your time on Snowtopia, even if that might not be what you expected when the project started!
Thanks a lot for being comprehensive through the difficulties we faced,
- Thomas.
Snowtopia Open Beta is out NOW!
It's been a while we have not posted any news here!
If you want to know a bit more on the reasons why, I recommand you check the post I made on the forums a month ago
But now it's time to rejoice, because as Snowtopia is getting close to it's full release, we are opening a beta for you to help us with the final verifications!
As said in the forum post mentioned before, because of the difficulties we had with this project, our time on it is limited. That's why we unfortunately won't be able to add any feature anymore. However, while we tested it, we still are limited in term of different computer configurations, and this beta is here to be sure that it's running well on different computers. Also, there might be some major issues that we missed, and we want to correct them before the full launch, should there be any.
If you face any problem, you can report them on the discord, or send a message to support@goblinzstudio.com
To access the open beta, simply go to your library, right click on Snowtopia and select "Properties". Then, click on the "Betas" tab, and select the "Public_beta - v0.16.15 for public beta" branch.
One last thing before you're off to the mountains : I communicated on different places (forums, reviews, discord) something about the full release date. I said that the full release should be between now and the end of year 2022.
This still stands as of today, and we should be able to give you a release date soon! So stay tuned!
I wish you all a wonderful day, and to have fun on the crazy slopes you'll create!
Cheers,
- Thomas
Modding announcement
Following the latest announcement, we received many messages about modding and the future of Snowtopia. When we said "let it continue its life, in your hands", we knew you would take care of it. But we didn't think that so many of you would be so motivated to mod it.
Our priority is to make your gaming experience the best it can be. If we're going to leave the door open to modding, we might as well do it right. So here's what we've decided:
-We're removing technical and legal roadblocks
to allow you to mod the game with maximum freedom. We won't put any obfuscation in the code, you can decompile the game and make changes easily.-We continue to encourage modders and make the mods accessible.
To mod the game or download mods, all info is here:
Website: https://snowtopia-modders.fandom.com/wiki/Snowtopia_Modders_Wiki
Modding installation guide:
[previewyoutube="nHo7zxk1FR4;full"]
Channel dedicated to modding on Discord: https://discord.gg/snowtopia
(if you need a code adaptation to help modding, ask Garry on Discord, he can help you and give his ideas)
For example, with this mod you can create your own maps:
https://snowtopia-modders.fandom.com/wiki/Map_Guide
We are discussing with the community mainly on Discord to check with you what is the best way to support modding for Snowtopia in the long term!
Mod by Chazzvader
We hope that these changes to open up as many elements in the game as possible will allow you to create anything you want in Snowtopia.
Many thanks for your support and your kind messages,
The dev team
1.0 release and end of Snowtopia
It's been a long time since I wanted to write this message and talk to you about the future of Snowtopia. This game means a lot to us, to me. Together, we have decided to end Snowtopia after the full release and let it continue its life, in your hands. It means we won't push DLCs or free updates after Feb 2022 and we will focus ourself on polishing 1.0.
When Garry and I prototyped the first version of Snowtopia in 2017, we didn't yet know where this adventure would take us. From a small, unassuming game, Snowtopia has grown into a big project. During these 4 years, we've scaled up our ambitions and hired a talented team. It is thanks to their support and contribution that the game exists as you know it.
Then covid and the challenges of developing a video game came along. Snowtopia began to take up too much space in our lives, putting our health at risk. The production suffered from this situation. And even though we have managed to release 3 updates since January 2021, we have slowly stopped looking forward.
Over the next few weeks, we're going to focus on finishing up and fixing the final details, so you can enjoy the game to the fullest. This means throwing away a huge amount of work, but to develop new features would require another two years of development. And we just don't have the capacity anymore.
It remains for me to thank you for dreaming with us about what Snowtopia could become. Thank you for your enthusiasm and for your time spent on our game.
See you in early 2022 for the final release.
Anne and Garry
Update 0.15.06: New features, improvements and changes
Thank you for your support and for your constructive feedback which greatly helps us in the development of Snowtopia.
This update includes new features and several improvements and changes - read below for the complete patch notes!
New Features:
Visitor needs
- List of activities
- Skier feedback screen
- Skierâs mood layer
- New equipment buildings
Reputation of the resort
- Research and skiers profile unlocked with reputation levels
- Reputation screen
Automatic worker assignment
- Automatic allocation of volunteers to their workstation
- Manual prioritization of workstations
Reworked ski run construction
- Intersections
- Departure and arrival of slopes
- Smoother turns
Improvements:
- Fences and plots to delimitate ski run and zones
- Switch to open/close a slope
- Building construction animation
- Waiting lines for service buildings
- Slope characteristics are displayed during construction
- Agents location displayed while selecting a maintenance building
- Bug fix of skiers stuck or lost
- Better pathfinding of visitors
- More flat areas to place buildings
Changes:
- Update of the tutorial and help section
- Rework of skiers needs and pathfinding
- No more constructions at the border of slopes
- Update of skiers screen
- Update of spawn and unlocking of profiles
- Update of the unlocking of research
- No more specializations in research
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1124260/Snowtopia_Ski_Resort_Tycoon/
Have fun!
Discord: https://discord.gg/DGzfpTarkD
Patch Notes | 0.14.27
The update 0.14.27 is live. Here's the patch notes:
New features
Added new props for decorating the resort!
Gameplay changes
Notifications and the overlays state is now saved
Fixes
Fixed missing texts in Deutsch, Italian, Polish, Japanese, Chinese and Korean
Fixed some sound design elements
Misc
Update visual effects for the constructions of lifts and service buildings
Let us know on Discord if you encounter any issues: https://discord.com/invite/skQcn7u
Patch Notes | 0.14.17
The update 0.14.17 is now live!
Gameplay changes
- Rebalanced the speed and autonomy of maintenance buildings, in particular for the Ski Patrol Hut.
Fixes
- Fixed some text localisation errors.
- Fixed default settings and key bindings.
- Fixed some display problems in the building information screen.
- Renaming buildings is now working properly again.
- Fixed some display problems of tooltips in the building menu.
- Disabled the homogeneity layer when building.
- Fixed errors with research when loading a saved game.
Misc
- Key bindings are now grouped thematically in the interface.
- A welcome screen has been added for the Early Access.
- A confirmation pop-up will show before quitting the game.
- A warning pop-up is displayed when loading a save from a previous version.
- We are now showing the logos of partners at the beginning of the game.
Every feedback is appreciated! Join us on Discord to share it with us.
Devlog #1
Good news! The first Snowtopia update is available :) and we wanted to take this opportunity to tell you a little bit about whatâs been going on in terms of the gameâs development, like what the update includes, how development work is progressing, what we are working on at the moment, and what the next steps are!
I- Mac and Linux versions
The majority of our development focus has been on the Linux and Mac versions. As you are maybe aware, these versions have been on the table a while but this work hasnât exactly been the aspect of our job that has been the most fun. To begin with, we had problems with the graphics, and then we were slowed by performance-related issues. Thatâs only to be expected in the world of video-game development but we probably underestimated what was required slightly. Lots of games released in early access form wait until the final version is ready to address these two platforms, and thereâs a very good reason for that: they both generate lots of complexities. Thatâs just the way it is. We really wanted to cover them both from the outset, but since we are only a small team (the equivalent of 1½ full-time programmers), that would have prevented us from moving forward in other areas at the same time. On top of that, there was an evening curfew in France for several months, which eventually mutated into another lockdown. In an ideal world, we would have gathered the entire team in one place to boost morale and trade information, but that was simply out of the question.
That said, we are delighted to be able to announce that a Linux version is now available, even though the Mac version continues to pose a problem, particularly from the performance point of view. We have consequently decided to release it in beta form in order to gather as much feedback as possible. So, if you use the Mac version, please donât hesitate to get back to us via #public-beta. We need your input to help us move forward.
II- Whatâs new?
Despite all this, we have managed to spend time on two of the big issues that players have reported back to us, namely the complexity of connecting lifts to pre-existing slopes, and the seemingly disproportionate number of falls for which we couldnât pinpoint the cause.
We have therefore introduced several gameplay changes, including:
- More modern lift models,
- Simplified slope/lift connectivity,
- A clearer indication of slope-surface uniformity and degradation and the fall-risk indicator.
For information, modernising the lifts required lots of other elements to be modified, especially the research feature and lift characteristics. If you would like more in-depth detail, donât hesitate to read the patch note that comes with the update. You will also see that we have added quite a few keyboard shortcuts and that the loading page is no longer just a black screen.
We initially only intended to release the Mac and Linux versions. However, as time passed by, and as the list of changes that needed to be developed got shorter, we decided to postpone the update in order to be able to integrate them in a way that would give Windows users a chance to try out some small new features. That necessitated a new QA phase which took us up to mid-April.
III- What comes next?
Well, ClĂŠment (programmer) is currently working with our graphist ThĂŠo on the rendition of the building's construction, and we hope to have something to share with you on this front very soon.
Garry (programmer) has started reviewing the technology used for the slopes based on the groundwork of the design team (ThĂŠo and Anne). In this area, we have accrued a number of bugs and optimisation-related issues that can only be resolved by devoting uninterrupted time and attention to them. However, this work will also lay the ground for the development of the slope editing tool, the design of which is practically completed.
Meanwhile, Simon is working on his 659th bug tracker ticket (or polish⌠you choose) before turning his attention together with the rest of the team to the next major new functionality.
This leads us naturally on to the subject of the construction of the decorative elements. We will start to develop this functionality as soon as possible, a process that will involve everybody. Nadège (producer) will take care of coordinating the whole, while Benjamin (sound designer) will provide embellishing sound effects.
Given that all the gameplay systems are interconnected, the trick will be to split them up into distinct chunks so that they can provide material for our future updates. Our aim is to avoid adding incomprehensible features and having to backtrack. We want to make good, quick progress while taking the necessary time to think everything through carefully. Itâs not an easy task and weâve still got a great deal to learn in this area but, more than anything else, we really want to see the end of lockdown so that we can all meet up together again and spend hours chatting about Snowtopia and everything we want to add!
Thank you for reading!
-TeaForTwo