Space Tail: Every Journey Leads Home
Happy holidays with Space Tail: Homecoming DLC!
Starting today, Steam Winter Sale begins - it's a perfect opportunity to get Space Tail: Every Journey Leads Home at an all time low price!
But that's not all - the final chapter of Bea's adventures has arrived, in a new, completely free DLC - Space Tail: Homecoming! Add it to your account here:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2233010/Space_Tail_Homecoming/
Additionally, with this update we have added Japanese translation to the game.
We at Longterm Games and Enjoy Studio wish you happy holidays and a memorable, outstanding new year's celebration! Everyone who joined us in our space adventure so far, thank you for being here. And to all new space dogs, who are yet to join us - welcome!
Patch notes:
- healing items now restore two lives instead of one
- upgrades to maximum life and shields are obtained earlier
- creatures will not react to the player by themselves while in relations mode, which makes it easier to communicate with them
- Sensua: moved some collectibles around a bit, so that their location makes it easier to discover a secret room by using senses
- AI Station: removed lasers and made it easier to reach the platform where the player destroys a battery
- Gula: made it easier to jump around the islands
- Gula: the scent will not now lead you to the upgrade only after unlocking double jump
- Labirynth: fixed an issue in which the player could get blocked after swimming through the underwater vines
- Proditia: the robots now drop shield restoration items more often
- Proditia: less robots are now spawned at the same time
- yellow scent paths that lead to mission goals are now a little bigger
DLC:
- two new maps (Roboton and Kometon) and a hub between them, which unlocks after finishing the game
- four new outfits to unlock on DLC maps
- two new lore fragments to collect
- two new achievements - for completing DLC maps
Best Wishes,
Longterm Games & Enjoy Studio
Steam Game Awards 2022
Starting today, you can nominate Space Tail: Every Journey Leads Home to take part in yearly Steam Awards! The category we chose is the following:
We are hoping for your support - let's make an effort to win together!
Black Friday deal
We are happy to announce that we just released a soundtrack for Space Tail: Every Journey Leads Home! immerse yourself in space exploration with our friend Bea with these amazing 11 music tracks. You can check it out here:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2199190/In_Space_No_One_Will_Hear_You_Bark/
But that's not all. With Black Friday coming soon, we've prepared something special - a Dog Plays in Space bundle! Purchasing it will let you obtain both the game AND the soundtrack at a reduced price! See for yourself:
https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/28720/Dog_Plays_in_Space_Bundle/
If you purchased the game previously, don't worry - you can still take advantage of our bundle offer!
Aviato - Planet of Lightness
Aviato is called the Planet of Lightness. The idea of lightness, ephemerality and aiming upwards is ubiquitous here. This can be seen, for example, in the early concepts of landscapes, in which the translucent crystals growing in every direction are shrouded in mist. The atmosphere of lightness is emphasized by the flora of the planet - just like the following ephemeral examples of plants, reminiscent of feathers or dandelions.
At the same time, Bea has to carry a heavy burden on this planet of lightness. She looks after the half-dead Rose, who, stripped of her fiery powers, is just a cold, immobile stone. The natural formations of the planet Aviato come with help here - gravitational crystals that bend space and allow Bea and Rose to move in previously unattainable directions.
The same applies to the inhabitants of the planet. Soaring through the sky, translucent squids don't care about gravity. While the sky is their natural habitat, the idea of climbing up is no less important for the second race inhabiting the planet.
The reptilian Aviatoan race has inhabited the planet as long as the giant squids, and for all that time has also helplessly struggled in the face of their primitive, brute force. Historically, despite their superior intelligence, the Aviatoans were pushed to the bottom of the food chain and had to live under the yoke of more powerful creatures. Driven by their fear and envy, they have developed a strong caste structure in which some despise others. This hidden mentality within their community was exposed in a repulsive way when the AI arrived on the planet.
In exchange for access to technology, they agreed to build a relay and make the fiery gas deposits available for exploitation. They rapidly developed their civilization and built tall, sprawling cities. At the same time, they exacted revenge on their opponents and enslaved the squids using their newly acquired bridles and saddles. They are one of the very few races that remain in a kind of symbiosis with the AI.
The theme of dominance and climbing up is strongly present in the structure of the Riders. The finale of the level also refers to this idea, where starting in the underground, we reach the very top of the pyramid - the Relay, where we defeat the ruler of the Riders - Pluto.
Space Tail - Patch 1
Thanks to your feedback, the first patch for Space Tail is ready. Below is a list of bug fixes and quality of life improvements.
Version 1.0.1a
New
- After starting a new planet, player’s health is now fully restored
- Robo-Spider no longer deals damage while being hacked
- Flying robots and spiders now have 30% chance to drop a Shield after destroying their battery
- From now on, barking will cause Bea to drop her currently held item
General
- Fragments of destroyed robots have been moved to another layer, so that the Player and items to pick up are in front of them
- Improved the randomness of shot sounds, so that they sound better when firing in bursts
- A hint that appears in front of Drydon village will no longer appear after the player makes a Drydon mad
- Hints on Sensua, describing relations, will no longer be displayed after the player obtains all parts of 808BY
- Fixed the delays of dynamic gases in the Tutorial, so that it’s easier to avoid them
- Skins tab can now only be entered from the Main Menu
- Hostile Squids now have a negative sound effect
- Increased the size of safe area on the planet Gula, so that the player can no longer jump out of the map with Double Jump
Fixes
- Fixed a crash that occurred while attempting to enter Main Menu from Credits
- Fixed an issue in which a cutscene on Sensua was launching again after returning to the arena
- Fixed an issue in which a Drydon’s Spear dealt damage to the player after loading the game and dropping it
- Fixed an issue on Proditia planet; SHA spawner was connected to the camera, instead of a smell detector above the generator
- Fixed an issue in which a camera on Proditia planet was active, despite not being switched on through Hackbox
- Fixed save issues related to the counter
- Incorrectly saved time
- Could activate itself after loading the game
- Fixed an issue in which the cannons were shooting even though the counter was not activated
- The issue was occurring after loading the level
- Fixed an issue in which the cannon did not change its color (that represents its status)
- Fixed an issue on Proditia planet, in which the cameras look like they’re active, despite destroying all generators
- Fixed an issue in which a cannon on Proditia planet kept shooting at the player despite activating Eris
- Fixed an issue in which a cutscene glow was activating each time the level was loaded on planet Proditia
- Fixed an issue in which AI barrier on planet Proditia reappears, despite completing all paths
- Fixed an issue in which a sound of jumping into water was still present, even if the water was no longer there
- Fixed an issue in which some of the spiders remained alive despite destroying all generators
- Fixed a save issue in which the player’s smell did not record correctly after loading
- Fixed jump animation (relations) while the player has a skin active
- Fixed an issue in which post-processing didn’t change after destroying all generators on Proditia planet
- Fixed an issue in which the robots did not self destruct after destroying generators on Proditia planet
- Fixed an issue in which a stone on Senses planet fell on the ground only after a zoom in
- Fixed an issue which could cause the game to become unresponsive on loading screen while moving between arenas on Proditia planet
- Fixed an issue which caused the batteries on Proditia planet to deactivate instead of exploding
- Fixed an issue in which the robots on Proditia didn’t self destruct after destroying all generators in the first room
- Removed companion Rose’s collision with destroyed robot fragments
Robot 8088Y
The 808BY scene is an important moment in the plot of Space Tail. Chronologically, this is the first time Bea meets a kind soul in a cold and dangerous space. Moreover, her friend is a creature of Artificial Intelligence - a cold and insensitive creation, striving to dominate the universe.
Product model BY from the 808 line of service robots. He was assembled on the “Roboton” production line orbiting the planet Proditia. Due to the fact that he contains parts from Creations of the Unsundered Era, he has a deeply embedded emotional component. It manifests itself by interpreting the number “808BY” as the name “Bobby”. The AI tries to stifle emotional behavior in robots by interpreting it as a manufacturing defect – if the AI cannot accomplish that, it marks them to be scrapped, which is precisely what happened to 808BY.
808BY, like whisp Rose, is one of Bea's companions who help her on her journey through space. Unlike Rose - a round, fiery, impetuous ball of energy - Bobby's design follows the same principles as the rest of the Artificial Intelligence creations - consisting of hard, rectangular shapes. As a robot, 808BY rarely shows emotion. But when he does, you can see him going all-out!
While 808BY accompanies her, Bea can use his abilities. As a creature of Artificial Intelligence, the 808BY is an invaluable helper in the fight against its domination in the universe. While comet Rose's gameplay was destructive, chaotic and dynamic, the robot's abilities are much more passive, relying heavily on hiding Bea and helping her get through the threat unnoticed.
One of the main abilities of Bobbi is to hack AI devices. While in the case of a comet, the interaction with AI components comes down mainly to destroying them, the 808BY is capable of more sophisticated interactions. By hacking AI components, it can turn components on and off - for example, open a door or turn on an elevator. The operation of hackboxes is not a one-time operation, as in the case of a damaged battery. You can also hack robots. All you have to do is walk up to it unnoticed and let 808BY fry its wires. Use the hacked robot - for example, by using it as a shelf to get higher. Remember, however, that the hacked robot will wake up again after a while!
Invisibility helps you avoid being seen by cameras, hostile robots, and even some creatures. Normally, Bea can hide from unwanted eyesight by hiding in bushes. When 808BY unlocks the cloak ability, all Bea needs to do is crouch and she will become invisible. Note however - if the enemy robot spots Bea before it becomes invisible, it will continue to attack the place where she disappeared!
Have you played Space Tail yet? Which type of gameplay do you like more - dynamic combat alongside Rose, or silent infiltration with 808BY?
Space Tail: Every Journey Leads Home is now available!
Hello, space dogs!
The big day has come and its now time to take off! Thank you for all your support and patience during the development!
One hour after the release, on 8:00 PM CET, we will host a livestream with the dev team. During this event, you will get to meet Kacper and Exkajer, our Game Designers.
Are you ready for the adventure? Meet us on the livestream today!
Let's play Space Tail together!
Rose - Bea’s companion
Rose is a very lively, expressive and emotional being - this is also how she is presented in the first concepts.
The comet's company influences the gameplay. While Bea could rely mainly on her canine skills - establishing relationships, using her senses or hiding and squeezing through narrow nooks and crannies - the company of Rose greatly expands her skillset. Rose's abilities with Bea make the gameplay much more dynamic and more dexterous.
One of the first new abilities we learn with a comet is a double jump. It allows access to previously inaccessible places, that previously required Bea to carefully balance flying islands or using her head are now traversed on the fly.
The second ability is telekinesis. It allows you to manipulate heavy objects. If for some reason a double jump is not enough to get to a high rock ledge - there will certainly be a box or a boulder nearby which, with the help of a comet, we can move into the right place.
The comet's third ability is shot, which allows it to destroy obstacles. It is useful both in clearing the road of dry thorny stalks, as well as in clashes with the enemy Artificial Intelligence technology. Until now, Bea mostly hid from hostile machines in the bushes, letting them pass by her. Now jumping the robot and hitting its power source is not a problem!
However, all these extremely useful and liberating skills are available to Bea only in the company of a friend. So it’s good that (almost) nothing can separate them!
Making of Ciacco
Ciacco is a creature inhabiting the planet Gula, which you had the pleasure (or the pain?) of meeting if you played the Space Tail demo or the prologue Lost in the Sands. It is a voracious beast, one of the last members of its species to inhabit this exploited, desert planet.
The original script design was about meeting a big, winged, voracious pig. Early scribbles on the pages are remnants of early conversations about this design. Not all ideas were finally used - as in the picture in the middle, where Ciacco puts his ear to the wall and reaches up into the cave to find the fugitive. All ideas, however, were united by the assumption that Bea, as a small creature, would use her senses, agility, and narrow cave corridors to lose the monster. After some discussions, documentation was created, often with simplified drawings to give an overall picture of the sequence.
The first level blockout was also created. The sequence was already playable - and the simplified, geometric Ciacco reacted to our scent in real time. Visually, however, it left much to be desired.
Meanwhile, graphic designers created the first concepts of a terrifying pig. However, we still had a lot of work to do before such a beautiful-looking monster would chase Bea in the game.
Based on the final sketch, an exact 3D model was created. Now the only thing left is to put textures on the model, animate it and implement it to the level that awaits in the game engine. Sometimes the animations needed to be prepared for a quick reference - like the one below, where Ciaccio wakes up and tries to catch Bea when she's right under his nose!
After adding the animation, Ciacco was ready to hunt for Bea. You can meet him today by running the demo. And if you want even more Ciacco - play the full version of the game, which will be released on November 3!
P.S. The aforementioned sequence, when we sneak into Ciaccio's lair to retrieve the teddy bear, is not the first time that we can see the creature in the demo. Observant players could see him before, in one of the first areas. Do you know which moment we are talking about?
Sense of smell
First of all, sense of smell allows you to check from a distance, whether the substance sprayed in the air is safe. The red gas is toxic and will hurt Bea, while the green gas will relax her. Smells also affect other creatures - for example, communicating with a creature stressed out by toxic fumes may not go well. Some gases can change their properties temporarily - so it's worth checking them regularly with the sense of smell before approaching them.
Bea's sensitive sense of smell also creates scent paths, leading to important objects in the game world. The red, negative paths will lead you to destructable toxin tanks. Green-blue paths will show the way to hidden collectibles. Neutral smells will indicate other interactive objects, such as a Drydon spear left on the ground, which Bea can pick up and use. The yellow scent paths lead to story objectives important to Bea - such as the smell of a teddy bear that Bea follows on Gula.
Also, remember that Bea has her own scent that her surroundings can react to! Bea can change her smell by bathing in mud, to confuse other smell receptors. Pay attention to the color of the particles near smell receptors, to see what scent the sensor will react to.
See you in the next post where we will talk about the inhabitant of the planet Gula, with a nose that is almost as sensitive as Bea's.