Wow, it's been over two years ago since I last posted an update. The reason I wanted to post something is because I felt that I should post something as a sign of life and yes, I still very much care about this game that I spent 4+ years of my life on. The reason I haven't posted anything is because I didn't feel I had anything worth while to talk about. Of course the pandemic hit and since then everything's been sideways.
First of all I want to once again show my gratitude to those who've left reviews, posted tidbits about the game and/or their experience. It's always appreciated and I do keep tabs on the game. A few things I'll point out is that this news post is mostly me talking about what I've been up to and what I am currently working on. I wish I had some sort of concrete news regarding STARDROP itself but I honestly don't have much. The project itself is now not even compiling anymore and I simply don't have the time to figure out why. I've wanted to try and fix a few bugs that have persisted but the way I handled mechanics is so vastly outdated that I get a headache looking at it.
Seriously, I've been working on a slew of prototypes (more on this later) where I am so much more efficient and capable in what I can do and how much more optimized I can do things, looking at the old project is rather perplexing. Thanks to working on it, I've learned a ton and thanks to working on new stuff I've been able to grow even more and I know that in the back of my head I really want to do another project this size or even bigger but for now I'm focused on smaller projects.
So, the pandemic also hit hard and during that time I've tried to start new projects. I prototyped a few ideas before it hit but once it did, it was hard to stay focused and I had one project that I pursued to completion, which is:
Play With Gilbert - Remake
At first I wanted to create a follow-up to the original PWG and started off on a new project but things just didn't sit right with me. The original game started out as a personal project for my daughter, I put a bit of effort into it and released it on Steam. That was in 2017, when I was still knees deep in development of STARDROP. No real expectations but the game seemed to do very well with the target audience and the parents were happy to have a game that didn't include anything predatory nor had any adult humor in it.
I was chugging along with the new project but as development went on it just didn't sit right with me to leave the old game as it was. I wanted PWG to have a higher quality ceiling. It also wouldn't sit right with me that the first entry in the game wasn't as good as it could be.
So I decided to remake the entire game from scratch. And then the pandemic hit. With all the stuff going on, working on a game like PWG was really something I need on a mental level. The light hearted ness of it all was making life just a bit more bearable. I soldiered on and released the remake abotu a year ago and it's been received very well! Super happy with the response and am glad it's finding a small but incredibly friendly community, very much like the one with STARDROP.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/740040/Play_With_Gilbert__Remake/ I made sure most of the old features returned but executed much better. Customization was greatly expanded. The levels were recreated and much better optimized. Coop was included from the start instead of tacked on and a lot of new features were added as well. and it's a project I am still tinkering on while having fun. No pressure.
I'll leave the trailer here, so you can have a look if you're interested. Again, I'm just sharing what I've been up to and putting a spot light on my other work.
Whiskered Away
This is a new and upcoming project. I've always wanted to do something with pixel art and I felt Gilbert would be a perfect fit. A relaxing platformer that doesn't demand too much from the player where I can dip my toes into the whole 2D development cycle.
PikuNiku was a huge inspiration and A short hike as well. A fun little platform and exploration game with quirky animals and other characters. Writing for it is something completely different and I'm having a ton of fun coming up with these characters and trying to bring them to life.
The game is coming along and will be released hopefully around summer. The game is still being developed and thus this current version is subject to change in various ways. You'll be able to add the game to your wish list if you enjoy the demo and for me to receive feedback so I can make a better experience in the end.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1922800/Whiskered_Away/ I also created a small simple trailer for the time being, A more finalized trailer will be created when I get to the final stretches of development but for now, it suits its job I believe.
The demo will be updated periodically when new content is added. I will be participating in the Steam Next Fest for June and hopefully release the game not too long from then. I want this game to be a fun experience with more character interactions and dialogues.
Other Projects
Of course this is far from what I've been working on. In fact I've started a number of projects which haven't worked out for me. I worked on a Zero-G sci-fi game, which was fun to work on but I couldn't find the gameplay loop. I'm keeping it in my back pocket for now and may turn it into a small game experience at some point. It's very different but too niche to continue right now.
Another project included zombies on a distant planet. In fact I wanted to tie this directly into the STARDROP universe, The colony mentioned near the end of the game but it was too big for me to tackle. I couldn't justify another four years working on a single title, so maybe I'll revisit it but at the same time I have been able to expand on some of the ideas I had for it and may do something different.
Project STARDUST
Project STARDUST is the latest one that I am working on slowly in the background. Since it's going to be a bigger project (not as big as STARDROP) I've not formally announced it yet. I do really like where it's heading and I am going to keep working on it while I finish another unannounced project first.
I will share a short clip of what it looks like so far. I don't have a complete story yet and it'll be a very different game from STARDROP. This one will have combat. It may even end up in the same universe as STARDROP but I'm not entirely sure about it.
Let me know what you think and if this is something that looks like fun to you. I've always wanted to make a shooter that is more leaning towards survival horror. Lots of people felt creeped out by the ships in STARDROP so that's an aspect I always wanted to explore and as I mentioned, I'm going to keep this one in active development.
Unannounced Project
Not much I can say about it yet. I will post an update here once it's publicly announced but it's something completely different from what I've done so far. Exciting but "horror-fying" at the same time., haha.
I Have A Patreon Page
I also decided to set up a Patreon. being an indie developer, now more than ever, isn't the easiest thing in the world but I really want to stay independent and this is one avenue that allows me to stay so.
I am really disliking the majority of where the games industry is heading towards, with worse predatory monetization schemes than ever before, half baked games that might and probably wont ever be completed and now the whole NFT craze. I just want to make fun games the old fashioned way by working my ass off, getting it finished and maybe then after release I'll add new content.
Anyway, getting side-tracked, the support I've received from my Patrons have been amazing and in fact has helped me more then they could suspect and they have my gratitude. So, if you are in a position and thinking to yourself, yeah I'd love to see more games from this developer in the future then you can always take a peek at my Patreon page and see what its about.
I've set up a few tiers and I believe the rewards for them are pretty neat. I've thought a lot about how I would go about this and it's fairly straight forward. Patrons will get access to the games I release via a Steam key and receive access to a number of my prototypes. If I have something interesting I'll post it.
Even if you don't want or cannot support me on Patreon, Joining the Discord server will enable you to offer support in the form of feedback and suggestions and being kept in the loop of what I'm working on, because I have a lot more planned than just Gilbert games.
IMPORTANT: Now I want to make it very clear that I am not selling my games on Pateron directly. This is purely for people who want to support me and my games as I do NOT want to compete with selling my games on Patreon. You will get rewarded on Patreon with the end product, but it's important to note that it's not a direct buy. I also want to make it very clear that you should be able to be in a position to even consider it.
Thank you for reading and if you made it this far! I believe I have some interesting stuff in the works. I really want to keep doing various genres and experiment with different kinds of games. I enjoy a range of different kinds of games myself and it's fun not making the same stuff over and over. I always wanted to make a shooter, so I got that covered with STARDUST. Whiskered Away is a fun little 2D game that I also, always wanted to do. My unannounced project is going more into the horror genre, which again, is something very different but I love a good horror experience.
Hopefully with STARDUST I can get back to sci-fi. I feel that once that one is finished I will hopefully be able to return to STARDROP. I've been going over how to return to that universe. Whatever I'll make, I'll promise to post it here for those who are interested.
Thank you and take care Joure
STARDROP Production Report
Foreword
First of all I hope all of you are in good health. It's a bit of a scary time but we're all in it together. Make sure to keep yourself and your loved ones sanitized and try to minimize contact outside. Wish you all good health!
Reporting Production
Today I wanted to take some time to share something with you all which I think might be interesting for some of you. Sitting on a lot of old alpha footage videos which I recorded during development, I wanted to put them together in a blog post ever since way back when. I finally managed to do just that and felt it was the right time to share them here.
I go over some of the thoughts that went into my decision making regarding gameplay and showing through footage what the first iterations of the object scanner looked like for instance. What content was cut and early work in progress footage from early levels that ultimately got re-made.
As you may know, development on the game wasn't without its set backs but not too long from now the game managed to get a score of 90 right here on Steam and I've been incredibly happy with having managed that. Thank you all for that, btw.
One of the fun things from having such a long and formative development cycle is that, when recorded, I ended up with all this old footage which I fondly look back on, not without cringing here and there of course. I did not meant for any of this to be released when I made these videos. Most of them were for internal showcasing progress to the rest and getting feedback but right now they serve as a historical preservation of our work.
As such I compiled all the videos and accompanied them with text written in a (long) blog format over at the STARDROP website. So, if you're keen to wanting to know what the heck I'm talking about then look no further and take a gander over at the
I feel like a broken record but I do have more planned for STARDROP. I promised more missions but it's simply not in the cards in the near future. I do have two other projects in the works. The first is really nothing like STARDROP at all and the other is something that I haven't fully committed to.
The goal is to ultimately do a STARDROP remaster which will allow me to properly future proof the game and be able to work off of that. Basically the new project is created with that in mind. Where I recreate all the mechanics and features from STARDROP and add in completely new ones so that I can branch off from that and create completely new experiences. I'd be able to add in gun play if I wanted, survival mechanics and of course, STARDROP gameplay. But this takes time of course and my resources are scarce but as always I try to keep you, the community, as much in the loop as possible trying not to promise anything either at the same time.
Anyway, I hope this was at the very least informative. I gotten some minor bugs being reported and will try to find some time to address them. As it stands the game has been holding up incredibly well which has always been the ultimate goal.
Thank you for reading and let me know what you guys thought of the production report.
Joure & Team V
Merry Christmas
Hi everyone!
Today I'm posting this update with not much to show. I do have plans for the future (I know, I keep repeating myself) and was planning to not say anything because there's nothing much to talk about. Except for one thing.
When I started development back in 2015 I was alone. Once I was lucky enough to find Robert (John) and Aryn (Aryn) to play their respective roles I was mostly busy prototyping. I can't remember exactly how and when but I was contacted by someone who wanted to help play-test the game.
I value play testers a great deal, because they do things that most other gamers only do by accident. Finding ways to break the game, repeat that until they know how to and report. So, this guy's online handle was Sensi. He's from France and his English was terrible. However, he was one of those people that if you're lucky might meet once or twice in your life who are incredibly pure at heart. Kind and very hard working.
You see, Sensi had an ailment. Doctors didn't know what it was but it resulted in him having the most excruciating stomach pains. He would be fine most of the time but sometimes it would pop up. He'd be fine the next day. And he went off again, finding ways to break the game and report. He'd go through every new build from scratch to make sure everything was fine.
I felt we were getting to be close friends. I was very happy to have him be a part of the project. He couldn't work a normal job because of his condition but he was so happy to work with me and I was glad to have him do stuff. I think he really enjoyed it.
However, near the end of 2017 his stomach pains became more frequent and he started to come online less. He told me he was off to Paris to have doctors help him. Communications between us became less frequent. He would update me through E-mail.
And then he stopped replying. I don't know what happened and I don't think I want to know. What happened to him hit home because I already knew how the story would play out in the game. To this day I hold on to the idea that he will pop up one day and explain everything that has happened to him, with his quirky English and all.
To me he's still enjoying a spliff to ease his pain. He didn't chose the name Sensi for no reason. He will forever be a part of Team V and he will remain in the credits. He's done so much. So, very much to make this game as bug free as possible.
So, today I was remembering him and I felt the need to share his story with you all. There are so many things that happened during development and his was a really big one. So yeah, in the spirit of STARDROP and more importantly, of Sensi, please have a very Merry Christmas and make sure to let others know how much they mean to you. Even if that person is an online buddy. You never know what will happen or when.
I miss him very much and I honestly do hope he will pop up one day. He's an amazing person and I'm glad I have been able to have had him as a friend in my life. Nobody loves no one...
Thank you for reading and take care everyone. Have A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!
It's Halloween in STARDROP!
It's that time of year again!
Hi everyone, so I hoped I got have added a lot more to this news post but some setbacks have damped things a bit. I will save that for last because right now you can celebrate Halloween in STARDROP!
A few specific locations have been spook-e-vied once again this year with some choice Halloween themed decorations! Rascal has also joined in the fun and put on his costume hat! It's all in good fun of course and none of these decorations will play a part or should I say, haunt the actual game itself. You'll be able to view some of these decorations on board Aryn and John's ship and in Aryn's apartment as well.
I love Halloween myself and it's fun to get a bit spooked this time of year. I hope that you'll have some fun with the event as well. The Halloween content will be available every year from Oct 21 until Oct 31. It's an automated feature so I won't have to fiddle with files or updates or anything.
What I've Been Up To
So, there's something else I wanted to talk about. I hoped I could talk about it when I was done but I rather mention it now. So I have been working on quite an extensive update to the base game. This includes an engine update, which in turn leads to significant performance increases across the board. Coupled with a number of bug fixes and this news update should have been something more than just a Halloween event.
But something happened (I don't know exactly how) but in general it means that asset references within the project (For the current engine version) are broken and leading to engine crashes, etc. So I am trying to figure out which assets are broken and attempting to fix them but it takes time and it's not a fun job to do.
My aim is to having this done in time for Christmas. So while the game runs fine as it is, and the bugs in the game currently are still rare, I want to do the update eventually and will keep working on it.
Final Words
There's whole lot more I could talk about. I'll touch on them briefly but in general sales for the game have plummeted in general after a certain update. Visibility/Discovery has dropped to a point now where working on the game is at a loss, despite how much more I want to do with STARDROP.
However, I do have plans for STARDROP. I am planning to re-do pretty much all the stuff behind the scenes. This means all the game mechanics, UI's and what not will be recreated while keeping all the levels/locations the same. The story will remain the same. This is not just for the base game itself but also a means to integrate VR into it.
With all the experience I have gained throughout the years I am able to do so many things much better and much more efficient but it will take some time. The idea is as well to add more story to the game, as in, new stuff to explore and discover.
Right now I am working on other projects purely to keep myself going on a personal level and will dedicate my personal time to the engine update first and a complete re-master later down the road.
I believe there's an audience out there for something as niche as this game, so I will keep at it and find it. I also believe there's a lot more to experience with John and Aryn and I want see them have more adventures together!
Anyway, that's it for now. Sorry it's not much but it's something! Thank you guys for all the support once again and share your thoughts if you want!
Joure & Team V
STARDROP S-VR Update
Welcome To The Super-Virtual Reality Facility
Another day another update. I decided to polish up the weapon mechanics I have been experimenting with a little bit to get it at a decent playable state. I tried to not have the gameplay a simple carbon copy of most other shooters but I also didn't want to make anything overly complicated nor very difficult.
What I ended up with after thinking about how to add it into the game I settled with the idea of some sort of enhanced Virtual Reality system. (In-game VR not actual VR). Thus S-VR (Super Virtual Reality) was born.
You're able to access the S-VR Facility in two ways. First is by simply starting a new game. You can get to it using an elevator (Which I have opened up) at the departures level on board the STARDOCKS station. You may also select the SRO Missions on the menu screen and instead of choosing a missions, just head over to Departures and take said elevator.
You will then head over to the facility and be able to start a session once you arrive. I may change a bit of how it works, I cobbled it up pretty quickly but it works.
Now, don't expect anything super amazing. It's just a fun little addition that I was playing around with. There's no difficulty challenge (I believe it's not that easy but still doable) and if I decide to flesh it out more, I probably will change a few more things.
There are two rifles to play with (I have two more but those are for tougher enemies) I also thought that slow motion would be a fun mechanic so make sure to utilize it.
It's not an incredibly big update, but a lot of the foundation has been laid out. I would like to work on a few more levels but they're quite a bit of work. I find it a bit of a fun addition but I would like to hear what you guys think. I'd love to get some feedback and perhaps if you find any bugs, let me know.
Keybindings should be listed in the options menu as well. Nothing is saved, for now it's just a straight endeavor.
Below is a short video on how to reach the S-VR facility and a little bit of gameplay.
Also, if you enjoyed the game (or even if you didn't) then please consider leaving a review. Knowing what you guys think means a great deal as to what I got right and what I got wrong. :)
REVIEW STARDROP
No HUD Screenshots
So, I was browsing the community posts for STARDROP and noticed some new artwork people have submitted after the hide HUD option has been added and I am in love with some of the work. One of my favorites is this one made by Wren:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1816778189
He has more on this page, which you can view here:
https://steamcommunity.com/id/Wrendreaming/screenshots/?appid=552880
Keep posting guys, I love seeing this kind of stuff, it's insanely cool and please feel free to post the on the forums!!!
Final Words
So, that's it for now. Looking forward to reading about your experiences with the new content and take care and thanks for the ongoing support !!!
Joure & Team V
STARDROP Content Update
Foreword
Hi everyone! It's been a while since I posted anything and lots of stuff has been going on behind the scenes. First of all I wanted to thank everyone for the support. I read all the reviews (Sorry if I didn't comment on yours) and I've listened to all the feedback be it positive or negative I appreciate it all.
Today's update is a moderate one. Expanding on the main game just a little bit but I think it's an interesting one none the less.
So, I just finished adding a small new section to the game. I'll go over that in more detail down below. I also wanted to talk a little bit about the future of STARDROP and discus a little bit what happened in between the game's release and now.
I've also addressed some more bug fixes and tweaks and a small new addition.
UPDATE July, 22nd, 2019
NEW: Disable HUD
I figured I would sneak this small update into this news post. A number of you guys have asked for it before and after someone asked me again I decided that I could spend a little time to see if I could implement a HUD toggle feature. Turns out it wasn't insanely difficult, so I rolled it out today and should be working.
That said I have not yet fully tested it out under all the circumstances the game throws at this new feature, so if you find an issue, let me know here or preferably, on the forums.
So how does this work? Easy you can toggle the HUD on or off at random by pressing the M key or pressing the right D_Pad button. You may also just use the options menu to toggle it on or off as well.
Continuing Original Post
NEW: Crew Quarters Section
For those who have played the game and learned about the "Med Bay" section which was closed off, it's now accessible. However it's not called the Med Bay anymore, instead it's now a connector. You will receive a notification at the right time and place if you play throuh the game normally or if you use the Chapter Selection and select STARDROP Unlocked.
This new hallway leads to the Med Bay (which is still locked) and the Crew Quarters. You'll be able to learn a little bit more about how some of the crew members have been dealing with the situation at the time as well as being able to find a few more souvenirs. I also did my best to make this place feel lived in. The rooms in there display a lot of individual personality traits.
On top of that I also added a video inside the level somewhere in the form of the "STARDROP Production Report". It's a bit of a mix between a behind the scenes video and an interview. We did a live stream way back in 2016 and I cut it up and made something more interesting out of it. You'll be able to watch it in the game itself but you have to work a little for it. I will eventually make that video public on YouTube but for now only the die-hards of you will be able to check it out.
You will also be able to pay a visit to the Holo_Lounge where you can listen to your collection of the OST and enjoy the Holo-Panels which displays space vistas.
Fixes And Tweaks
UI Elements I have tweaked some UI elements regarding the HUD and the subtitles. I tweaked these widgets to allow a wider aspect ratio compatibility. I am also working on extending that to the HUD itself but that's a lot more work so it will take some time. Below you can see how it looks on standard 1080 resolution and on an ultra-wide resolution.
Standard:
Ultra Wide:
Dev-Blog DataPads One of the new things I added are these developer commentary DataPads throughout the game. They add a little bit of insight into my thought processes and explanations regarding game and/or level design philosophies.
I think they're a fun little addition and I hope you'll have fun reading them and learn some stuff a bout the game. There are currently ten of them to be found but I might expand that number at some point, maybe.
They look like this:
NEW: Two Souvenir Items have been added in the CRew Quarters section.
NEW: Connector and Crew Quarter sections added to the game.
NEW: Yellow colored Dev-Blog DataPads have been placed throughout the game.
TWEAKED: The subtitles UI element has been recreated to deal with more varied aspect ratios.
TWEAKED: The main menu has also been tweaked to allow for more diverse aspect ratios. The main HUD is also on the list of being tweaked.
TWEAKED: The STARDROP infomercial has been recreated which now shows the actual STARDROP itself.
FIXED: The Gamepad can now be used during Ido's camera section.
In Between The Release And Now
I have been prototyping shooter mechanics and am yet unsure if I want to really do something with it. It works and it plays a little bit different from regular shooters but here's the thing. STARDROP is NOT a shooter by design. I'm pretty sure that anyone who enjoyed the game can agree that this was one of its strong points and obviously I agree. I would have added it in there if I thought it should have been. And if I did then the game would have been a fundamentally different experience as my focus would have been on that aspect.
So why have I been prototyping this then? Well, this actually goes a little bit into what future plans I have for the game, or should I say, set of games. I want to explore the idea of creating a bigger universe. This means different stories with different characters.
There are a lot of possibilities that open up when I broaden gameplay mechanics. At the same time I don't want to create yet another shooter game for example with bad guys and epic plot twists. I would like to keep gameplay simple but also not too arcade like. So I am still kind of figuring this out, if possible at all. I don't want to put off people who enjoyed the game for what it didn't do but I myself am also interested in what it could do.
But, there's more than that and it's something that's a little bit more personal. The game did not perform to a level where I am able to be completely independent. I can list the reasons why but I think most here on Steam know the situation regarding Indies and under performing. I hoped that with STARDROP I could grow and do a lot more but the game is just incredibly niche, to the point where it's not sustainable for me in the long run and I've had and am still dealing with that.
I will also readily admit that adding action would draw a bigger crowd. I knew that back then but I just did not want to make a game like that. I wanted to create a game that meant something to me on a personal level. Something that I hope would resonate with others and on that front I am so happy I stuck with it.
The Future
So, for now, the "pew pew prototype" will remain just that. I haven't been able to figure out a narrative where violence is something I feel I can stand behind. Don't get me wrong I have nothing against it per se, it's just a game. I love Doom 2015 and I play CS GO to unwind but for me, it has to means something if I want to fit it into the universe of STARDROP. For those who might get worried about having weapons in the game, or in another game set in this universe, I am a huge Half-Life fan boy. I believe that in the right context and with the right story and characters it can be done. But I have not yet found that story yet.
So, for now I am working on a new project. I can't really say much about it other than it is not STARDROP related. But, if all goes well I might finally be able to become independent enough to focus on more STARDROP. And there's a lot more that I have been planning. What I will say now is that I do have a new side mission in the works. Not too big but something at the very least yet I can't promise when I will be able to release it.
I also have plans for a proper expansion. It will tie into the main story but also expand on the universe itself and hopefully move away from the main game's narrative into something new and exciting. I also have plans to do a lot more with the game itself but again, I can't go into that too much. I hate promising things that I can't guarantee one hundred percent so I won't.
All I want to say right now is that if it was up to me, I'd be working on a lot more STARDROP stuff right now, but as it is it will have to take a little longer than I hoped. I can only hope that you guys will understand and that knowing more will come down the road is good enough for now.
Also, if you enjoyed the game (or even if you didn't) then please consider leaving a review. Knowing what you guys think means a great deal as to what I got right and what I got wrong. :)
REVIEW STARDROP
Final Words
So, again thank you all. Let me know if you liked the small additions to the game and what you didn't like. Let me know if you have any issues and I'll do my best to remedy them.
Until the next update I wish you all a good day and take care!
Joure & Team V
Post Release Everything
Oh my...
Hi everyone so the game released and lots of things have been happening since. It seems that there are some bugs popping up that I was unaware of and it feels a bit overwhelming. I am working on fixes, some may take longer than others so I am currently prioritizing everything.
Let me share my thoughts
So, I was pretty darn confident with the state of the game and while it's not as if the game is unplayable in most cases (I went through it a few times before release and I felt it was ready for release) but I'll admit that there are issues I never knew about and issues I did know about but they have different side effects which I could not foresee and I am frantically scrambling myself looking into all these things.
To anyone new here, this is my first game. I know it's a pretty weak excuse but it's the truth and I rather be truthful than rather trying to hide behind lies and such. I'm trying to man up to my ignorance. This game was put together by me. Yes there's a number of people involved with its creation but when it comes down to actually making the game that's all on me and I felt that not saying anything would be worse.
Would it made a difference staying in Early Access longer? No, not really. Because of the influx of people I am now prompted with a larger player base and therefore more people finding bugs and such it wouldn't have mattered much if I waited.
Fixes
I am currently prioritizing reported issues and will be working incredibly hard to fix them as soon as possible. I never released a game on Steam by myself and I never expected this.
So to those who are experiencing issues, know that I am on it. It might take a little bit before I am able to deal with it all but my goal is still the same. To make STARDROP as bug free as possible. I want to look back on this game and know people can play it without too many issues or any at all. I have therefore halted any new content and will focus on fixing stuff first.
Last Words
So yeah, sorry for this rushed announcement. I expected a way smoother launch and that didn't happen and I am not going to let it ruin the game. Also sorry if I don't respond immediately to every post. I need to start to focus on fixing stuff. I will go over them asap. As I said I am prioritizing my efforts and dividing them between getting stuff done and reading new comments.
Thank you for your understanding and patience and thank you for your support! It's the greatest learning experience I've had in a while.
FIXES
I am going to list the fixes down below. This list will be greatly expanded so you can look back here if there's a new update to see what has been worked on.
New Custom Resolution Option: In the off chance your resolution is not listed, you are able to run the game in your own custom resolution.
FPS Mode Added: Choose between 60/90/120 Frames Per Second. (Choosing 90 or 120 disables VSync)
Main Menu "Pause Menu" Fixed: You're no longer able to load up the in-game pause menu when you're on the main menu of the game.
FOV Fixes: Several tweaks have been made which fixes weird FOV issues. While there still may be a few hickups, you should now always default back to the default FOV after you zoom into anything.
Tipped Cabinet Fixed: A weird bug that would glitch out some of the cabinets within the game when inspecting objects has been fixed and should not occur anymore.
Chapter Selection Fixed: Chapters you completed will now, once gain, show up.
PDA changed to DataPad: A PDA has been changed into an actual DataPad on Deck 1 in Chapter 2. The inspectable object was too obscure and I have changed it into a much more easily detectable DataPad.
Tweaks to SD-01 Bridge & Deck 1: Deck 1 and the bridge have also been given a slight visual update for a more visual pleasing look.
Password changed: The password regarding the computer terminal that requires players to type in the year this game was released in is now set to 2019.
Fullscreen/wondowed fixed: Fullscreen / windowed mode is now working properly.
Resolution Dropdown Fixed: The selected resolution is now no longer removed from the list.
SD-01 Unlocked and STARDROP Unlocked Fixed: Some saves were not correctly implemented, this has now been fixed and both ships are fully explorable when either of these are selected.
Android Service Access Tweaked: A door (which can only be used when controlling an android) in a late-game section has been changed from yellow to red to distinguish it from the other (yellow) doors in order to avoid confusion.
More fixes are inbound!!! Take care everyone!
Joure & Team V
STARDROP - 1.0 Released
Dear Community
STARDROP has left Early Access. I'm not sure what to say after having worked on it for so long it feels a bit surreal. I'm happy with where the game is at but I still got a few bug reports that I will be looking into and fix in the next few days and I want to make clear that while the game is fully released, I will, as always, continue to patch out bugs and I will keep listening to any new reports.
It's been an insane ride and I'm glad with all the positive response the game has gotten so far. I'll be honest and say that I am incredibly anxious. knowing there are still some bugs in the game that made no sense to me. I've given myself extra time to work on bug fixes and I am confident that overall the game should be stable enough and I understand that some bugs are out of my control and might have outside factors.
Anyway, I'm rambling. One of the things that's been incredibly difficult was doing marketing. I've been trying to spread the word but there's so much competition these days, it feels that STARDROP just isn't perceived as interesting or special enough to be noticed. I will keep doing my best to attract interest though.
STARDROP 1.0
Okay, so let's talk about STARDROP 1.0. There's still some content missing which will be added in later. This includes additional story content with new maps and dialog but I'll go over that in a bit.
As I've said before I have done my best to fix as many bugs as possible and was able to do so thanks to your help! I want this game to be as bug free as possible so please, keep the reports coming!
I have added new chapter select options and changed the system a bit. before the chapter selection would offer which chapters are available after you completed them, this is still true but the problem was that if you completed the game and replayed chapter 2, chapter 3 and 4 would be unavailable. This is now fixed. Once you finish the game, you chan replay any chapter regardless but wait, there's more!
I added two new options. You can now select which ship you want to play and they will be, for the most part, completely unlocked. Except for the new areas I am working on you will need to unlock that yourself when the time comes, and one section of the STARDROP (Reactor Core 02) is not available for obvious story related reasons but other than that you will be able to go back and explore parts of the ships to collect missed DataPads or Souvenirs.
I have also added a new achievement, this one is tied to how many DataPads you have collected. You won't be able to unlock it yet, I don't have the required number of DataPads in the game, yet, but you will be able to complete this once the new content I am currently working on is released.
I have therefore added a feature on your DataPad so you can find out how many DataPads you have collected so far. When you hover over the "LOG" button, it will display the total number of logs you currently have picked up. It's a small feature but I felt it was an improvement.
I am also planning to create a proper Walk Through Guide as well which should be fully detailed. It will take me some time ofc but I'll do my best to get it finished asap.
Original Soundtrack
The OST has been released and I am incredibly proud of what Adam has created. I love his work and I would love to keep working with him on future content/games. He deserves the recognition and he's so incredibly chill to work with and always open to feedback.
Let me know what you guys think of the music in the game. I believe that music and sound are arguably half of the experience at least.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1020140/STARDROP__Oiriginal_Soundtrack/ Find The OST Within The Game I was so happy with the new remastered tracks that I felt I wanted to do more than just releasing the OST, so I created a new feature. You'll be able to find the OST within the game but there's a catch.
It's divided into three volumes. One volume contains 4 tracks and you can find them somewhere within the game. I will also be adding bonus volumes in the future as well. The bonus volumes will be added to new areas.
You'll be able to listen to these tracks using a dedicated music player whicg you can find in a few places in the game like the FINIX Operations office and Aryn's apartment.
Post Release Content
Besides ironing out bugs I received from players I have already started work on post release content. I have been going back and forth with how I wanted to add to the overall story and while I'm still working on that, I do have some solid ideas.
Some of you already noticed that the medbay is gated off. One individual managed to get past it but as I haven't included any of the new levels I'm working on, he got stuck and I've been trying to help him be able to continue without having to restart anything.
Having said that I am going to do something a bit bold with whatever I'm cooking up. I'm unsure how people will receive it because I will be breaking tradition of what STARDROP is at its core. I won't go into it right now, it's just too early for me prototyping and still coming up with story ideas for me to be able to put my weight behind my plans yet but I will attempt to put a lot of thought into it.
Odyssey Remake
For those who remember, in the earlier days of STARDROP there were two SRO side missions. Echoes, which is included in the 1,0 release and Odyssey, which at the time was a more challenging mission without any scenes.
I am currently recreating this mission from the ground up. I will also be adding in a story and I am extending the mission quite a bit. This new mission will be available in the next big update. I will not be doing anything too extravagant but it should be at least on-par with Echoes and I believe it will be a worthy addition to the base game.
German Localization
German localization has been updated and most of it is now translated. We'll continue to update it because I have been adding in some new stuff and it takes time to catch up but pretty much all the important stuff is there and the game is playable from start to finish.
Russian Localization
I've also received some help regarding Russian translations. It's still being worked on and will be available asap!
STARDROP Demo Updated
The Demo has also been updated. It reflects the current build of the game for the most part but another update is coming up that will deal with some minor bugs (Which have been fixed in the full version) and will also include some of the newer features!
STARDROP Official Play Guide
Regardless if you just picked the game up or are returning make sure to give the Official Play Guide a look. I've completely overhauled the guide to reflect the game's current state. You can learn all about the added new features or changes to some of the old ones.
There's a bunch more stuff that I have planned for the future. First I will be extending a portion of the base game in the form of an optional set of levels to explore. These areas are not mandatory and will require a bit of exploring to be able to access and it will unlock a hidden side mission.
I also have thought about a possible sequel in the future. I would love to be able to start a new project from start and avoid a lot of small mistakes I made. This comes more down to the inner workings of how I have set up a lot of systems which makes creating levels a bit finicky at times, I'd be able to avoid a lot of that.
Yet, I am happy with how far I have gotten with STARDROP and as I said there's so much groundwork done for me to use as a frame for new missions I might just probably focus on that for a while and experiment with them.
I might end up creating one or two larger side missions and offer them as DLC. Probably stand alone DLC at that.
Thank You
For those who have supported the game through Early Access, I thank you. It's always a gamble to do so. To spend money on something that isn't finished. Especially if it's a heavy narrative based experience like STARDROP. And yet people have bought it and even enjoyed it. Along with bits and pieces of unpolished yet to be refined aspects.
I truly appreciate that and one of the things I enjoyed the most out of this long and winded road was the interaction I had with so many of you. Even if it was just an odd post or two.
I can only hope now that it was worth it. That the ending was worth the time and money you spent on this game. That the promise of "more to come" will keep you excited for whatever comes down the road in the future. Because I really do want to create more content. I hope that I will be bale to go beyond what I have planned right now.
But that's for another day. Right now I will focus on the release and the immediate content that I am working on for post-release support. Again, thank you, for those who've been here for so long and for those that are new.
Whatever happens from here on out, time will tell. I made a game from the heart. A game that does a lot of things different. My first solo game and I'm grateful that I've come this far. I hope that you guys have/had fun and I got some more stuff coming in the future.
P.S. Oh, and I created a simple spreadsheet image for all of you to decide which version is best for you!
(It's a joke, ofc.)
Take care everyone!
Joure & Team V
STARDROP - Delayed, OST Released
I'm So Sorry
Hi guys, yes I know, STARDROP has not yet been released! How, Why? I'll do my best to explain. It's important to note that I've been going back and forth on this decision but I believe it's for the best. But before I go into that, I wanted to quickly share the fact that the OST has been released.
STARDROP Official Soundtrack Released
This soundtrack contains the full remastered versions of all the tracks in the game in high quality mp3 format. Adam has done an amazing job with it and I'm proud to be able to share the whole thing with everyone. These tracks will be in the new build I'm working on. It's currently on sale as well. You can check it out here:
This one's the most difficult but some really heavy stuff happened during Christmas and throughout January. So much so that I just haven't been able to give this release my full attention. Things started to feel rushed and I will not release a game, specially something I've spent 4 years working on, and rush its release. I need a little bit of time.
Still Had Bugs To Fix
Because of what happened on my personal side of life, I wasn't able to get the things done in time. I forgot to chat to Adam for the final soundtrack polish, which he did and it sounds amazing. I was so close to a final build but just not yet.
When?
So yeah, I decided to release the game on February 14, 2019. Valentine's day. It's a weird day, I know, but it involves lovin' and it gave me some good vibes. I liked to be associated with all things good in life, so why the heck not.
What Now?
Okay, so this is basically what happened and why, however , trust me, it's a good thing. I've been able to get some really cool stuff sorted and I WILL release a new update for the base game today, which should represent the final build. After this it'll be a few minor tweaks, and whatever people may report in between now and the 14th.
My humble apologies and I hope you guys can forgive me. I'm also sorry this news post is so boring with no images, etc but I just wanted to get the info out and focus on the new release date, etc. Thank you for your understanding and please take care. The next news post will be full of stuff, I have a whole lot to announce formally with all the new small updates and tweaks etc.
Take care everyone!
Joure & Team V
STARDROP - Leaving Early Access Feb. 1
Dear awesome community. In less than two weeks STARDROP will leave Early Access on February 1st, 2019. After working on this title for almost four years it's time to release it in full.
The main campaign is finished and I have been and still am going over lots of smaller details and bugs while polishing here and there. I'm very happy with the state the game is currently in and I have been updating the public build the past few days.
I've also been able to use a lot of the bug reports that you guys sent in over the years to do my best and fix issues. I'm incredibly grateful for that and I hope you'll keep reporting stuff so that I can make the game better and better.
I've been going over the androids post process effect, making the effect a bit stronger, yet still have it be subtle. One of the things I always think about is, since this game takes place in the future, technology should be really advanced, yet, I find it much more fun to take that knowledge with a gran of salt in favor of adding a distinct, aesthetic difference when looking through their eyes. Adding contrasts helps enrich the experience which to me is more important.
I've also been working on adding more contrast within the existing levels. I've been going over these levels and trying to add to the scenery in various ways. Be it by adding more smaller props, refining some of the triggers or just experimenting with materials. It's time consuming work but it's fun and it pays off, at least, that's what I'd like to believe.
Having said all this, let's see what else I have on this update's agenda, shall we?
Post Release
I want to make it very clear that once the game leaves Early Access I will still continue to work on it. I will remain patching out as many bugs that I'm able to, some of which might have slipped through and I also still have new content planned. I also will keep going back to earlier parts and see what else I might add/tweak to make the game better but only if it adds to the game and not overdo anything in particular.
I am re-creating one of the old side missions because as some of the other older levels, was just not up to the quality standard and I felt I could take this chance to do more with it. I am planning to create a small story around it and I want to expand the entire mission a little bit more as well. Nothing drastic but to the extent that it will be more than what it used to be, hopefully along the liens of Echoes.
Other new content is also planned as well but I don't want to discus this too much right now because I am still fleshing it out.
Mini-Map Mechanics Upgrade
With these new updates I have also, finally, taken some time to dig into my Mini-Map mechanics and was able to add new functionality to it, which people have been asking for.
First: You'll now finally be able to move the map around using the movement keys. There's a cap on the range but you'll be able to see a lot more of the map now, which should make things a lot easier.
Second: You can now also zoom in and out. The zoom levels are predetermined but I am sure that they are more than sufficient. Pressing the zoom key will enable you to toggle between the three zoom levels at will.
Third: This is a minor tweak but I am very sure it will be appreciated. I changed the icon color regarding DataPads from red to blue. So now you can more easily differentiate usable objects from actual DataPads which should clear up some confusion.
Stealth Mechanic Tweaked
Stealth has also been tweaked. When you walk you make sound but it felt that the androids ability to sense the player was too high, so I lowered the sound levels and I feel it's a lot more fair for the player making it a lot easier to remain undetected.
If you run, you'll make the most noise and they will still be able to pick up on that relatively easy, but walking really makes you a lot more quiet. Sneaking makes you basically undetectable.
Release Bug Thread
I also created a bug thread. This thread is meant for anyone to report issues prior and post release. Of course anyone can still post their own threads, but it would help me to have most issues in one place around release so I can make sure the game has no game-breaking bugs or other annoying issues.
https://steamcommunity.com/app/552880/discussions/1/1741105805750624923/
Play Guide Revamped
It's been a while since I created the Play Guide and it was time to take a look at all the things it was lacking, which was quite a lot. I've gone over it and have been adding more and more to it.
It's not finished yet, but as it is, this should be of great help to new and even older players. I've done my best to explain most of the mechanics, yet I left out a few not to spoil everything.
I will keep tweaking it where it makes sense. I hope you guys will find it useful and please feel free to suggest changes or additions, etc, if you think it could be improved.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=928579725
Store Page Updated
I've also been busy tweaking the store page. Removing all the Early Access stuff, since it will be outdated very soon. I also made sure all the screenshots are up-to-date and I cleaned out the text.
I'm also going over the Gif's. Lowering their size and also updating them to reflect the game on release.
Final Words
That's it for now. I will keep working on the Play Guide. I want to create a new overview video but I haven't had the chance yet.
If you have any suggestions or feedback, please let me know. I will always do my best to listen and act on them where I can.
A new update will be popping up around release, so stay tuned. :)
