Update 1.5.1 is here, and it’s a big one!! You can now follow the magic path all the way through many new quests and areas, right up to launching into space! This means that the entire starting planet is now complete, besides a few side quests and optional features we still want to add.



Alongside this major update to the game, we have a very exciting new trailer to share with you! Made by the talented M. Joshua and scored by our very own Chase Bethea, we are thrilled with how it came out!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1SV8Q_daSs

What do you think? We hope you love it as much as we do!

In other news, back in late August/early September we showcased Aground at PAX West, which was an amazing experience. We were a part of the Indie Megabooth, and had a very steady crowd of gamers, press, and industry professionals stopping by to chat and try out the game. Pictures from the event are here (featuring our Miner and Alchemist cosplays!): https://www.flickr.com/photos/166774367@N06/sets/72157695274883630/ .



A huge thank you to everyone who came by at PAX, especially the awesome streamers and Youtubers we met, who have released so many great videos which have helped to spread the word about the game - including SplatterCatGaming, Wanderbots, RufioGuy, and many others!


Thank you to everyone who reviewed Aground! Each review helps potential players learn about the game, and we need 50 to reach "Very Positive" on Steam - so if you haven't yet, please take a minute to give us a review, we really appreciate it.



The full changelog for this update is as follows:

• Added a new magic island with new bosses, enemies, NPCs, sub-areas and structures. Rest in the purple hut after defeating the Old One to start these quests (and check out the place the Old One was defeated).
  
• Added many new familiars and new types of nets to catch them.
  
• Added spellbooks and a spellcasting skill.
  
• Added a magic spaceship equivalent, and the quests to get it.
  
• You can now mine the second layer of magic island (although we are still planning on adding caves there later).

The following changes affect the demo as well:

• Added an indicator when the smelter/kitchen/pen/farm have items ready.
  
• Allowed some weapons/items to work underwater.
  
• Added spider familiar.
  
• Some magic structures can now be uprooted and moved.
  
• You can now collect items while riding the dragon (like helium sacs)
  
• You can now aim dragonfire manually while riding a dragon by using up/down while holding attack.
  
• Many smaller fixes and improvements, including color changes to the background art.

For Modders:

• Added <loadAfter> tag to the mod metadata. This works just like <requires> (forcing the labelled mod to load first), but won’t cause the mod to fail to load if the labelled mod is missing.
  
• Added the evalXml function. This parses the passed argument string as xml and then runs it after the current action block completes. Useful for dynamic xml generation.
  
• Added setGlobal and getGlobal, to manage global variables that can be used between saves and in different scopes. These are not saved, and clear when the game is restarted (or you set them to null).
  
• Added setPlayer and changePlayer functions. setPlayer changes the player to an already created player object, and changePlayer changes the player to a new object with the passed id. These are dangerous functions.

Enjoy, and as always, don’t be shy if you have any questions or feedback - we are always happy to hear from our players. And don’t forget to join the social channels below if you haven’t already:

Discord

Reddit

Twitter

Facebook

When we released the early access version with update 1.4.0, you could go all the way to building a spaceship like we promised, but many things we wanted to add before you left the planet (higher tech upgrades, power cores) didn’t make it in. So, for our first update in Early Access, we added a new quest on the Science Path (talk to the Fisherman), with new enemies, equipment, upgrades and more!


Headshot!

If you haven’t seen it yet, we’ve also added a roadmap which details all our plans for Early Access Updates up through the full release. We will be working on the magic path to space next. You can expect it to be complete by the end of September. But first, we’ll be heading off to PAX West in Seattle to show off the game! If you’re going to be there, be sure to stop by at booth 663 (with the Indie Megabooth)! There will be goodies to be had! And Aground cosplay!


Not the nicest addition to Sunset Haven...

I don’t want to spoil everything this update adds, but there are many new items including power cables (for connecting generators to buildings), new blueprints, higher tech upgrades, a new skill, a new vehicle, craftable robot NPCs and many tweaks and minor improvements (including the ability to change your appearance at the surgery lab). As mentioned above, be sure to talk to the Fisherman, and check out the factory for new stuff!



There are still more things we wanted to add for the science path (like starting island upgrades, which you can see in the above gif), but we needed to prepare for PAX. We might post it with a bugfix update after PAX, but we also want to get cracking on the magic path update!

Wish us luck at PAX - we'll be sure to take lots of pics for those who can't make it.

P.S. You didn’t miss update 1.4.1, that was a beta only update! But if you’re playing on Windows and you want access to the Beta, you can do so by following this guide: https://steamcommunity.com/app/876650/discussions/0/1734336452582675296/

The early access version of Aground is now available! Join us on Discord, Reddit, Facebook or Twitter today for some launch day festivities!



It has been a wild ride getting to this point - from the initial prototype over a year ago, an underwhelming reception to the early versions, to an incredibly enthusiastic response to the browser version, an amazing crowdfunding campaign, and update after update of new content and improvements.

And - hopefully - this is just the beginning of Aground’s story!



The early access version includes new quests, vehicles, enemies and areas not in the demo version. And we still have a ton of exciting content left to add before the game is complete.

Update 1.4.0 is now Live!



This update includes lots of new content for the early access version (see above), but we also included an update to the free version too! This update includes swimming and many small improvements and tweaks to the game. As a big thank you to Armor Games, Kongregate and Newgrounds who helped us get to this point, we also added a few secrets and specials on those sites - can you find them all?

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I hope you enjoy the early access version and demo updates! And if you played the game, help show your support by writing a review or posting a screenshot! I hope you’re looking forward to the magic path update, which will include the magic path between the demo and outer space!