Over a year and a half of development, Astranded is officially live on Steam!

Shot down and stranded. Skywalker and his loyal drone, Wolly, are forced into a fight for survival after their ship is blasted from orbit by a mysterious craft. Crashing onto an uncharted world, they find themselves hunted and trapped on a planet patrolled by an unknown alien robotic force. With limited supplies and danger at every turn, survival is the only option.

This project has been a true labor of passion, and I’m beyond excited to finally share it with you. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who followed Astranded’s journey, offered feedback, and supported its development — your input has been invaluable in shaping the experience it’s become. Now that Astranded is out in the world, your continued feedback will help it grow into something even greater as the game evolves and expands beyond its first release.

This past month I've taken a significant break from programming on lake of darkness to celebrate my birthday, pick up more shifts at work, and dip my toes into work on a new game (news about this at some point).

When I returned to the project to begin working on the Halloween update, immediately I noticed that I people were still experiencing old bugs I thought I was sure I patched and none of the new content seemed to appear. I had a friend test it on their computer to come to the realization that the patches 1.2 and 1.21 were only available to me, the developer.

A failure in testing? Definitely. Consider it part of the risk of being a one person team I suppose. However on the bright side this Halloween patch is going to be much larger than anticipated as it will include all of the content intended to release patch 1.2.

Due to this bug and a few others there has been a minor delay in schedule for the release of this next patch, you can look forward to it later this week, likely around the 4th.

And happy belated Halloween.

Sincerely,

the dev

- fixed a critical issue on PSVR2 (and potentially other) headsets which froze the game on startup

- fixed some crates in the home base not being breakable

- fixed some softlock issues in arena mode

- curse of leaden feet now only deals its effect when actual damage is taken

- fixed arena breaking in subsequent lobby runs

- fixed starting an arena run when starting a normal run in multiplayer, after an arena run was played

The store page has been localized into all available languages.

If you notice any errors in your language, please let us know, and we'll fix them.

1. Illumination optimization .

2. Performance increase.

3. Translation correction in pt-pt and pt-br.

4. Softlock fix on red level.

5. Tapes fix on TV.

6. Dialogue correction of Jão and Duarte.

7. Increase lighting in some areas.

More small fixes and balancing!

• Fixed an issue where mouse pointer lost focus and didn't grab it back

• First floor now spawns 2 item rooms instead of 1

• Item rooms now have always at least 2 items to choose from

• Slightly higher HP drop rate

• The storm now damages you after 15 seconds, up from 5 seconds

• Reduced knockback of Helical Proboscis a bit

• Fixed a bug where Tetraploa removed one organelle on evolution

What's up guys, it's been a few months since the last time I posted an update on here, so I figured I'd take some time on this fine Sunday to share how development is going.

Keep in mind this is not a finished product and is in active development

ADDED

• Friendly AI teammates that follow the player, engage enemies, and provide cover

• Escort and defend mission logic where friendly units protect pilots or intel

• AI ambush and wave spawning systems tied to objectives

• AI voice-line manager with callouts, chatter, and responses

• AI suppressive fire and burst-fire behavior

• Weighted enemy spawn logic and adjustable spawn distances

• Patrol bands that wander, relocate near players, and auto-respawn after wipes

• AI optimization tiers (Near/Mid/Far/Off) that scale updates based on distance

• AI despawn safety if they get stuck or can’t move

FIXED

• AI rotation lag and pathing issues when following players

• AI incorrectly detecting or ignoring enemies and cover

• AI bullets not damaging targets

• AI continuing to shoot hidden or dead targets

• Duplicate AI spawning on helicopters or objectives

• AI idle jitter, animation desyncs, and “floating” on uneven terrain

• Client/server replication for AI firing, reloading, and behavior sync

• Perception and reaction delays during combat

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ADDED

• Full objective chain system

• New mission types:

  • Downed Pilot (SAR) – includes triage, escort, defend, and evacuation stages

  • Intel Recovery – retrieve intel, defend, and call helicopter extraction

  • Secure Bridge, Hold the Line, Riverbed, and Burn House defend-style objectives

  • Artillery Objective – fire and defend static gun positions

• Director-based mission controller that manages spawns, timers, and LZs

• Moving encounter “bubble” for escort stages that updates spawn locations ahead of the player

• Extraction helicopter logic with approach, landing, dust FX, and departure

• LZ (Landing Zone) markers with smoke and overlap triggers

• Post-mission summary screen showing completed objectives and XP earned

• Weighted random objective selection for replay variety

• Mission playlist planning system that automatically queues next objectives

FIXED

• Objective completion radius, overlap triggers, and progression timing

• Replication issues causing desynced objectives between host and clients

• Incorrect wave spawns, flare FX, or defend zones not appearing

• Player interactions failing when multiple players tried to use the same objective

• Compass markers and UI indicators not updating properly

CHANGED

• Improved objective transitions

• Adjusted AI wave distances for level scale and balance

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ADDED

• Mountable .50 Cal machine gun with rotation controls, camera switch, firing FX, tracers, and overheat effects

• Full mount/dismount interaction flow with replicated logic for all players

• 50 cal overheating system with smoke, cooldown visuals, and sounds

• Player-controlled patrol boat with multiple seats (driver, gunners, passengers)

• Boat wake system with dynamic V-shaped water ripples and speed-based scaling

• Engine audio component with smooth throttle response and layered idle/mid/high loops

FIXED

• Camera rotation, firing desync, and input loss after mounting

• Clients unable to dismount or still able to fire after leaving the gun

• Audio replication for mounted weapons and vehicles

• Incorrect recoil or rotation clamping on mounted turrets

• Wake artifacts and direction snapping in boat water FX

---

ADDED

• Bullet impact FX with dust, sparks, and debris

• Helicopter dust FX that react to ground distance

• Downed-state visual indicators (blood, vignette, heartbeat)

• Rain, wetness on clothing, and ambient weather layers

• Engine, gunfire, and environmental attenuation systems with realistic distance fade

• Reverb zones and ambience rings for jungle soundscapes

FIXED

• Sound attenuation, timing, and concurrency mismatches

• Helicopter FX not visible to clients

• Visual clipping or looping issues on smoke and dust particles

• Incorrect light bloom, glow, and post-process exposure

• Audio desync between host and clients during extractions or flyovers

• Over-bright main menu material and bloom artifacts

---

ADDED

• RPGs react to water and now trigger water explosion FX

• Ammo refill crates with limited uses and cooldowns.

FIXED

• Bullet collision detection and damage replication

• Negative ammo count bug

• Reload desync and magazine updates across network

• Incorrect weapon holding animations (e.g., M60 hand placement)

• Explosion FX scale, attenuation, and hit rotation alignment

CHANGED

• Simplified recoil for more natural look in first and third person

• Reworked weapon replication for minimal bandwidth usage

• Added cooldown smoothing and predictable overheating curve

---

ADDED

• Idle head and torso rotation for more lifelike third-person stance

• Downed state, revive UI, and medpack interaction

FIXED

• Sprinting, aiming, and prone transitions

• First-person camera misalignment and FOV issues

• Aiming offsets after mounting/dismounting

• Camera manager desyncs when clients accessed mounted guns

• Input lock issues after cutscenes or transitions

CHANGED

• Rebalanced recoil, sensitivity, and camera smoothing

• Refined fade transitions for cinematic events

---

ADDED

• In-game Settings Menu (graphics, performance, and audio sliders)

• Class and weapon selection system with replication in lobby

• Updated loading screen system

• Startup video intro and main menu scene with rain and ambient FX

• Post-game scoreboard and XP tally

• Compass and distance indicators with smoothed fade edges

• Improved on-screen interact widgets and radial progress rings

FIXED

• Compass rotation errors and rounding issues

• Loading screen overlays blocking input or not disappearing

• Lobby to game transitions not updating controller state

• Audio and visual elements failing to load in main menu

• Weapon choice not persisting across sessions

CHANGED

• Rebuilt main menu visuals (cloudy, rainy aesthetic)

• Simplified UI replication flow and fade transitions

---

ADDED

• Full AI optimization system with distance-based updates and despawn logic

• Spawn jitter system to prevent CPU hitches when spawning large groups

• Deferred spawn initialization to reduce load spikes

• Tiered tick rate throttling for AI pathing and movement

FIXED

• Memory pressure from heavy foliage and overlapping sound volumes

• Helicopter replication and dust particle spam

• Long-standing GPU bottlenecks from shadow and Nanite passes

CHANGED

• Adjusted grass density and culling volumes for better framerate

• Dropped Lumen detail and GI quality for more stable performance

• Optimized shader compilation and PSO caching for packaged builds

---

FIXED

• Timing and sync issues for intros and extractions

• Camera fades and player input conflicts during cinematic transitions

• Audio desyncs on intro and extraction flyovers

Overall I'm pretty happy with where we're at. I have spent an ungodly amount of time optimizing certain aspects of the game after every single packaged build after running insights to identify bottlenecks and it's taking longer than I expected. BUT optimization is really important to me so I'm really doing my best to make sure it runs well. I have hit benchmark fps on multiple builds but there are always little problem that poke their head out.

There is a lot of tightening up I want to do and major systems I need to implement still (primarily progression, experience unlocks etc), but the core gameplay loop feels really good. I've tested and played it unbelievable amounts of hours online and it's been a pretty fun experience, although every time we test, I discover a new thing I need to work on. I feel like that's probably how this will go lol.

As a small team (literally myself, my older brother, and my younger brother who creates 3D assets), we've come a long way and I'm really proud of the project in its current state. I can't wait until the day I get to actually play with you guys on here!

One day at a time :)

Don't forget, I post in the discord weekly with updates if you're really interested in what I'm doing or have questions or ideas you want to share. I love chatting with ya'll and it's always cool to hear other perspectives. Hit the discord link that's attached to our page and say what's up!

Either way, I'll keep you guys in the loop!

Some QOL and Quick fixes to early progress

Minor balancing changes for Normal mode.

This Bash was previously intended to take place a week earlier but was postponed so we could do some technical maintenance!

Another BIGMOON BASH is beginning soon in Beastieball! During Bigmoon Bashes, coaches can challenge each other in open matchmaking for a limited time. During the event you'll have a Bash Rank, which will improve based on your performance. After it's over, you'll receive in-game rewards based on your participation, such as Social Battery and Sports Points.

When: Friday, November 7 @ 4PM PST to Sunday, November 9 @ 4PM PST
Guild Beasties: Albrax (+Yueffowl), Plumask (+Collarva, Wormask), and Skulkapi!

To compete in the Bash, coaches must have exactly one of the theme Beasties on their team. Your games will count towards that team's score, and after the Bash a winning Beastie will be crowned! If you aren't confident in your own Beastie team, you can use a randomly generated one instead - just go to Team Setup and set "Random Team" as your current team.

Players of all skill level are invited! All you need to do to participate is to play the game on that day and join the Bash on SportNet! SportNet is typically unlocked within the first 2 hours of your adventure, after beating your first Ranked boss.

• First to 2 Points wins
  
• Standard time limit on move selection
  
• No Undos allowed
  
• No duplicate Beastie species allowed
  
• Relationship Combos are disabled
  
• All Beasties are set to Level 50