Hello there,

Make sure you jump on our Twitch channel at 5pm BST/9am PDT on September 1st as one of our brilliant concept artists will be taking you through how he puts together a piece of concept art for Worlds Adrift, and the role of a Concept Artist in video games!

So, join us on http://Twitch.tv/BossaStudios at 17.00 BST / 09.00 PDT tomorrow, September 1st!

Cheers

The following is our latest blog, originally posted on August 26th, 2016. To see our weekly updates first, register your account at the official Worlds Adrift website.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This week, we announced that the next Alpha Playtest is coming, very soon. You can check out all the details you need to know about in our last blog.

If you haven’t already registered for the next playtest, make sure you do so before the closing date of August 29th.

We wanted to share something with you from our last Alpha playtest, specifically, one story from forum user, Templar3lf. The skies can be a place full of whimsy and wonder, but they also pose a lot of problems for would-be travellers. As Templar3lf puts it, learn from their experiences…

Day One. Stranded. Where am I? On an impressive lump of rock, surrounded by some strange formations.



I don’t have much. Not enough to survive anyway, I better get moving. I can see hints of more “islands” in the distance, through the dense cloud cover. These interest me. How many are there? Are there other people? These questions shall have to wait until I find a method of transport. Until then, survive.



I start with some clothes. You’ve got to stay warm, or you’ll perish. These islands get cold at night, and I hear unusual noises from close by. I have yet to find the origin of them, but I know I won’t like it when I do.

If I’m going to travel, it looks like an air-ship is the perfect candidate. I’ll have to start with a ship yard of some sort. Clumsy me managed to build one on top of myself. That’s a mistake I will not be repeating.



Soon I find out that’s not the only mistake I made. I’ll have to move the site, too much in the way. I’ve found a new spot, but if my ship is too large it might not be much better. Let’s hope I do not get carried away…

Long story short, I did. How in sky am I going to reverse this behemoth out of this gap. I didn’t even leave room for a mast.

Stupid, stupid. This has been one mistake after another. If I don’t pull myself together I will not live to see another day.



It’s still not going anywhere. It seems it’s well and truly stuck. I also hear more of the strange noises. They sound angry, am I intruding on their space? I’m going to have to abandon the ship and create a smaller one, if only just to escape this lonely island.



I have a plan, but it’s not likely to work.

The days in this place are long. The sun is still high in the sky and I have already managed to build two airships, among other contraptions. I have stripped the first of all but its sky cores, fuel and helm. It’s a lost cause; I’ll see if I can salvage any more using explosives.



Just my luck. The explosives meant to deconstruct the hull dislodged the behemoth; something that half an hour of toil could not. Without a tether, and with the 8 sky cores still attached, it will continue to rise, until it’s just another speck in the sky. Wait, did I leave the stove on?



There was barely any warning. I feel a gust of wind and the strange noise that I have grown used to by now. Then nothing.

I awake on a new island. What happened? I’m not sure I will ever know, but in situations such as this one can only continue to move forward.



At least this new island is preferable to the last. The abundance of flat areas is a bonus, and the temple in the distance looks intriguing. I set about exploring my new location.



Using resources I have collected I have constructed a personal flight device! It’s incredibly useful for getting around, and it might save my life at some point. Here I am on my first flight.





I have done well in terms of resources. Maybe I can build another behemoth! This time I shall be sure to select an appropriate location for it. I have also found a few upgrades, namely procedural engines and wings. I might try some of these out.



Yes, this shall do nicely. Nothing should go wrong. Maybe soon I can get off these damned rocks and out into the freedom of the open sky.



I’m sparing no expense this time, asides from maybe in armour. I’m not planning on anything reckless yet, so I’m not so sure I need any. Even six engines might not be enough, but I have enough fuel to travel far. I can even start to decorate with lamps and dials!



Out in the open sky at long last! The wind in my hair, the swaying of the deck and the slight fall of rain. Maybe a cabin wouldn’t go amiss.

Freedom. That is what this ship means, freedom. Freedom to travel the skies. I feel very much at home here.



What wonderful views for the maiden voyage, as the sun starts to set, throwing shadows of structures a long distance. I’ll have to navigate by the stars soon.



The weather is getting rough. The darkness has closed in and I have nought but two lamps and the wind to keep me company. Two lights in the darkness, enough to illuminate my instruments but not much further.



I believe I have messed up once again. You see those dark objects in the sky above the island? Beetles. And the next island has sky Manta Rays. I know that I have to get out of here quickly, how I wish that I had improved the steering on this thing. The noise of all six engines is going to attract them. I have to divert all of my concentration to piloting this vessel out of harms way.



The aftermath. Maybe an expert pilot could have done better, but when one is being attacked by three Manta Rays while the storm is increasing in ferocity, it becomes a very difficult task.

The ship has lost 2 engines, and it’s possible that more are damaged beyond repair. The helm has come loose, making is nigh impossible to limp wounded back to a ship yard. It’s listing mildly to one side, and the front has lifted so that I find it difficult to even hold on. I will have to salvage what I can before I bail, only to start again on a new island. Thankfully I have the glider. At least that’s one thing I have done right in this journey.



As I hang on for dear life, I hear a clunk, and the wounded screech of metal stretching and bending. I look up as the helm falls off completely, and I watch as it tumbles past me, incredibly close. It’s almost comical, and I can’t help but let out a laugh, closely followed by a groan.



I have salvaged most of what I can, and it’s almost time to let go. It’s hard, but I have no other choice. I linger, maybe too long, as the ship starts to sink slowly. I have left 2 sky cores so that I have a chance to escape before it plummets.



The ship is both a sad and beautiful sight. The wreckage is picking up speed as I glide towards the nearest land mass; soon it will be lost.



As it fades into the fog, it starts to look eerie. It served me well. I’m glad I don’t subscribe to the argument that a captain should go down with his or her ship.



I stand on a grassy outcrop, watching as it sinks lower into the void. I wonder where it will end up, where its final resting place will be. Will it ever stop? Questions for another time, as I must get to collecting more resources again. Let’s take a look at this island; see what it offers.



There are more islands nearby; I see them as goals. This is the start of another adventure, and I’m excited already!

Captain out.

Until the next adventure.

To create your own stories in our next Alpha playtest, make sure you’re registered and that you’ve filled out the Alpha playtest survey that you get shortly after registering! It’s that simple.

Be quick, though, as the closing date is August 29th.

Exciting times ahead.

Hey there,

What you can see above is a little snippet of a recent in-house playtest we had, this week! Check out the full video on the Worlds Adrift Facebook page.

As is always the case, we've been very busy this week, making sure everything is ready for our biggest playtest yet, where we need YOU...but, we'll get onto that in a minute...

First, have a gander at these little jellyfish-looking critters that Jack's been making for the game. Which one do you think looks the most dangerous?



There's also this pretty cool looking looking structure? Know what it is?



And finally, we've got an Alpha Playtest coming up, very soon! Check out the trailer for it...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaTrkS1C_r0

...and then, make sure you register for the game over on WorldsAdrift.com! You'll get an email soon after registering which will tell you how you go about signing up to be in with a chance of jumping into the playtest. If you're already registered, you know what to do.

The closing date for applications for the Alpha Playtest is the 29th of August so be quick!



Exciting times, eh?

One last thing...and this is REALLY important...

Have a lovely weekend.

Love and kisses,

The Worlds Adrift Team

x o x o

Hey there everyone.

GOOD NEWS! TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW (seriously).

We’re really pleased to announce that we’re now recruiting LOTS of people for the next Alpha playtest of Worlds Adrift. Before we go any further, let us just tell you that THE DEADLINE FOR SIGNING UP TO TAKE PART IN THE PLAYTEST IS 29TH AUGUST. We won’t be able to add anyone to the playtest after this, so please make sure you and all of your friends have registered before then.



This playtest is for players in North America and Europe - we’ll let you know as soon as we’ve added more areas to the test.

So what do you need to do to participate? It’s nice and simple:

If you haven’t yet created an account on the Worlds Adrift website, do so here. After activating your account, we’ll email you a link to the Alpha application survey. The deadline for the completed survey is 29th August. That’s it! If accepted to the playtest, you’ll hear from us on the 30th August.

If you already have an account on the Worlds Adrift website and have not applied for a previous playtest, you will receive an email from us today with a link to the application survey.

If you’ve applied before for a previous playtest, we already have your application so there’s no need to re-apply!

If you are already registered on the site and don't get an email, please let us know via the Worlds Adrift support.



As always, we're very eager to get all of you, our fans, into the game at this early stage of development. It's important to us that even when the game is not complete, we keep getting your feedback to help guide Worlds Adrift. This allows us to, for example, scrap features that don't quite work in favor of features that do. Speaking of features...

What wonderful new things can you expect to see in this Alpha Test?

- Crew System - The first iteration of the crew system has been implemented. Now you can start the game with up to four of your friends and explore the skies together!
- New Islands - You may recognize some of the islands in the world - these were almost all built by you using the Island Creator!
- Creatures - ever wanted to lasso a crustacean, or watch a manta ray try to devour a ship? Now you can.
- Weather - will your ship survive a journey through a ferocious storm wall?
- Plus lots of new clothing items to try on and an improved UI for the game!



The screenshots you see here were all taken by players in the previous Alpha, so you can see pretty much what we have in store for you this time.

If you have previously registered for the playtest (even if you weren’t accepted or haven’t had a chance to play yet), you don’t need to reapply. We’ll be in touch.



Looking forward to joining you on your adventures really soon!

Love and kisses,

The Worlds Adrift Team
@worldsadrift

x o x o