Three women, three stories, three springs.

A YEAR OF SPRINGS is out NOW on Steam! Experience the stories of Haru, Erika, and Manami in this visual novel trilogy about a trio of friends navigating their feelings of love, connection, and just wanting to belong.

FEATURES

• Three visual novels with multiple endings
  
• An all-new epilogue exclusive to the trilogy collection
  
• Soft and cute art with a relaxing original soundtrack
  
• Music player, CG gallery, and other extras

Check out the game & enjoy these three heartwarming stories now!

There's a week-long launch discount of 10% so don't miss it! There is also a bundle discount if you get the game and the soundtrack together.

https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/22438/A_YEAR_OF_SPRINGS__Game__Soundtrack/

Colonists, thank you for continuing on our journey. We can’t wait until you can try our new visual systems in game!

• Enabled HDR rendering and added bloom effect, small light shafts on miner’s hat and flashlight, emissive materials for lasers, explosions and impact particles, glowing eyes for Beast and Bat, adaptive light influence based on overall sunlight exposure
  
• Weapons now reload automatically when you try to fire them empty
  
• Lockboxes now show on the minimap when they’re being unlocked, along with alert messages
  
• Update prototype Grenade / Sticky Grenade items, added C4 and dynamite to destroy/mine respectively

• Fixed issue that caused research related to mysteries (copper, etc) sometimes not saving properly and blocking progression
  
• Fixed issue that could cause raider outposts to encroach on the player spawn in single player
  
• Fixed issue that could cause NPCs to flee from you after they get recruited

Can’t get enough Outworlder? Itching for the next colony? Try one of our communities and social media platforms!

Our Discord is our main community hub: If you’re a playtester, you can join and get a special playtester role. Also look for people to play Outworlder with there!
Discord: https://discord.gg/Asntr8e

Our other spaces are regularly updated
Twitter: @playoutworlder

Forums: https://forums.playoutworlder.com/index.php
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/Outworlder/
Outworlder Site: https://playoutworlder.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/playoutworlder/

Hello everyone!

Small update this time, but important for some of you!

You can now scale the UI to roughly 25% of the maximum default size. Visit the Settings > General tab and use the slider to adjust your UI scale.

Being a solo developer with limited access to many different kinds of machines and monitors, I am hopeful that it's all well supported with no issues, but please let me know if you have an odd resolution, or something is not quite right and I will look into it as soon as I can!

Otherwise, enjoy the less-cluttered view of your Polyville towns!

Thanks for playing!
Tim @ Henagames

Heyo, it's Youko and time for the weekly update. Since the majority of last week was dedicated to planning, it's a bit hard to explain without a few spoilers. We really want the beginning of the second game to be impactful so we're taking time to really think about it properly. Let's just say that there's lots of action and intrigue ahead, so look forward to that! Since we've been thinking so much about planning the game out at large, we thought it would be a good time to talk about our development process!

Before that, let's quickly go over last week's notable updates!:

1. Thank you to everyone who applied to our casting call! We'll get back to you as soon as possible as we go through each submission properly! There are currently 100+ submissions again so, uh, we'll do our best to finish going over everyone's auditions asap... ːtiredadmiralː We're also considering potentially voicing Arne, Dermot and Floris (the other CIC officers), but that's up in the air at the moment. ːjeanthinkː

2. We've been massively revamping the voiced-line playback system so implementing voices is easier and no mishaps happen (lol wouldn't it be awkward if someone came back from the grave to tell you that you did a good job in battle???)

3. We will be releasing Sierra Ops 2 in early access with arcade mode and story mode available from the beginning. Hopefully, this will be enough to balance the needs of all our players! Arcade mode in particular will feature a lot more parts, upgrades, and arsenal than in story and normal. The programmers are working hard to get the balance right on this and give you the combat freedom plus challenge you crave (if that's your thing).

4. Anddd your weekly AU Junius update!

(Click to enlarge)


When we started working on the modern iteration of Sierra, we had several key points we had in mind for where the story and gameplay would end up and where things started. The question was how to actually get all the way to the end. ːjeanthinkː



Sierra is a complex game in both its narrative and gameplay mechanics. We aim to give players a sense of choice by making sure the world reflects your actions in a way that both makes sense and is engaging. That often means trying to consider what possibilities exist and how far we could realistically let them extend before things got unreasonable. ːallenshockː



If you're a fan of the Mass Effect series, you understand this struggle all too well. You want to give your players freedom, but you have to prioritise the best experience for most people with the limited amount of time and budget you have. Bioware decided to largely contain the impact of choices to its specific story beat/ mission. We've attempted to emulate that approach with the way we've structured our side missions, but the same can't be said for the main missions. ːtiredadmiralː



Unlike Mass Effect, we focus on dynamic and fluid character relationships that are both impacted by your direct actions and that specific moment in time instead of the more instance-based design of other games. As a result, we've had to consider all the possible range of reactions from each person for each moment in pretty much any combination you can think of. The end result is the script exponentially expanding no matter how much we try to streamline branches into something manageable. ːashtonglareː You can almost think of it like being the dungeon master of a role playing game, only instead of reacting to player choice in real time, you have to write every possibility out instead. Sadly, we don't have infinite amounts of time to flesh out every minor possibility, so we've settled on a few guiding principles to the narrative design:

1. If it's a major plot point that can potentially change the plot or story progression in a very major way, we will funnel players into making an informed choice as much as possible without being too rail-roady before we decisively split the branches.

2. If it doesn't fit the above, it's still possible to get to the end of the game as long as you try hard enough during battles, even if the end result isn't what's considered "ideal".

3. All "bad" results or endings will have some merit in terms of information revealed or narrative purpose, even if it may just be teasing at further events we are unable to make with the scope of the project.

We'll have to see how effective all these measures are, but we hope it's something you can be excited about!

That's the end of our brief development process blog for today! Thanks for supporting the game! ːaiheartː

Beta 1.23
-Adjusted the build times for CDF units.

This update fixes the bug that prevents users from leaving the Settings Menu when in-game.

I've also created a new subreddit to discuss the game here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/symplgames

Thank you for your support and feedback!

We've added the ability to fully control the camera via mouse or game controller for even greater player control. We've also enabled a portrait orientation mode!

For additional personal preferences, first and second player can invert their view control within settings.

Note: The HMI is optimized for landscape orientation, but some players have requested the ability to run this in portrait (we're looking at you home pinball machine owners).

• - Made major updates to camera control
  
• - Added ability to invert the vertical camera controls per player
  
• - Added ability to play in vertical/portrait orientation

Hey Panda Peeps!

Hungry for more Monster Girls?

Starving, you say?

Well, great! Because Quillzone's here, and she's more than just a snacc. In fact, she's basically an extra-large pizza with unlimited toppings and a side of wings, plus dipping sauce! Not to mention an order of cheesy bread. Mmm…

Okay, maybe we're the hungry ones. But that doesn't matter right now! It's finally your chance to get Quillzone as an LTE reward - just pretend those event tokens are cats and you're a lonely old lady, and start collecting!

Don't forget your oven mitts, either, because Quillzone is HAWT!

We love you so hard,

The Pandas

Welcome to anther CAOS dev blog! Today we will explore our first multi-national order of battle which will appear in historical/althistorical scenarios and be available to play in custom games! Get ready for hordes of battle-hardened infantry, enough aircraft to blot out the sun, and hardly a tank in sight!

The Allied Husky order of battle consists of all US, UK, Canadian, and French units involved in Operation Husky, the historical Allied invasion of Sicily from July 9 to August 17, 1943. As Operation Husky unfolded, the Allied armies were amidst a transformation away from the equipment and organizations of the Desert War. Consequently, many of the armored units synonymous with the US/UK 1943 OBs and beyond are absent from the Husky roster. US tank destroyer battalions are still retraining on the new M10 Wolverine. Many British armoured brigades are still in Tunisia replacing obsolete Crusaders, Lees, and Valentines with Shermans, and heavy tank support is missing entirely in Sicily. The Allied Husky OB lacks armored reserves and many of the force multipliers the Allies typically use to even the odds against German armor. However, Allied Husky compensates for its armored fragility with the largest air unit roster in CAOS and a sturdy line of veteran infantry divisions who can offer fierce resistance if properly supported.

Let’s take a quick look at the playstyle and force composition of the Allied Husky OB and then breakdown the strengths and weaknesses of each force category!

The Allied Husky OB favors a slow and methodical playstyle based on grinding opponents down with battle-hardened infantry and overwhelming air support. This OB excels in defense and dominates rugged terrain, but it lacks the mobility and armored reserves to sustain blitzkrieg operations. In the rugged mountains of Sicily Allied Husky performs admirably, but it suffers severe shortages in armor and mechanization that commanders must overcome to triumph against the armored fists of the standard national OBs in custom scenarios.

The Allied Husky OB consists of 177 units across 2 armies, 4 corps, and 12 divisions including:

• x1 Armored Division
  
• x2 Parachute Divisions
  
• x9 Infantry Divisions
  
  12 divisions may seem small for two armies, these divisions are supported by numerous brigades, regiments, and battalions subordinate to the various corps and army commands, including:
  
  
• x3 Medium Tank Brigades
  
• x2 Tank Battalions
  
• x5 Engineer Regiments/Brigades
  
• x8 Commando/Mountaineer Battalions
  
• x6 Infantry Battalions
  
• x3 Artillery Brigades
  
• x1 Anti-aircraft Brigade

The primary offensive might of Allied Husky rests on the shoulders of the US 2nd Armored Division and three British/Canadian armoured brigades; all of which lack sufficient mechanized infantry support. The 2AD packs a punch, but its single mechanized infantry regiment cannot hold ground and escort the advancing tanks simultaneously. The British armoured brigades (the 4th and 23rd) are incomplete, since portions of both units are still in Tunisia converting to Sherman tanks. The Canadian 1st Army Tank Brigade offers an equally powerful hammer, but it is inexperienced and lacks any integrated mechanized infantry. These potent armored units can achieve local breakthroughs, but they will have to wait for the foot infantry to fill in behind them or risk advancing too quickly and take an irreplaceable chunk of the roster’s offensive power with them if they are trapped. Moreover, the absence of any tanks stronger than an M4 Sherman means any concentration of German heavy tanks will pose a serious threat to Allied Husky armor.


Allied Husky boasts a robust and varied infantry arm including elite commandos, veteran infantry divisions hardened by the Desert War, and fresh US/Canadian divisions entering combat for the first time. US infantry divisions enjoy higher combat value per squad, but British divisions are larger, more experienced, and enjoy excellent towed anti-tank support. Unfortunately, the Royal Armored Corps reconnaissance regiments that provide recon and armored car support to UK infantry divisions are in the process of reorganizing and are not available for operations in Sicily. British infantry divisions will have to fight without their eyes and ears. In general, the Allied Husky infantry divisions possess the firepower and reserves to wage a grinding war of attrition against their Axis adversaries provided they do not face concentrated German armor or get outmaneuvered by a mechanized breakthrough.


Beyond line infantry divisions, Allied Husky also possesses 2/3 of the US 82nd Airborne Division and half of the British 1st Parachute Division. While each of these parachute divisions are significantly understrength, they can be supplemented by an impressive lineup of 3 US Ranger battalions, 4 UK Commando Battalions, and a French Moroccan Tabor battalion. Through clever use of battlegroups these elite units can move through rough terrain with ease and leverage specialist infantry to gain a significant advantage in skirmish combat. Allied Husky has infantry for every mission in abundance, provided you compensate for their limited mobility, they will serve you well.


Allied Husky combines the fire support strengths of both US and UK into a highly effective artillery package. Two British Army Group Royal Artillery brigades (5th and 6th) provide a bit of everything including self-propelled artillery, intermediate range 4.5/5.5” guns that excel at counter-battery, and the versatile 25pdr for general fire support. While the US contributes a full brigade of self-propelled M7 Priests, 3 regiments of 155mm howitzers as short-ranged hammers, and a single regiment of 155mm M1A1 long-guns to remind the enemy how much you hate them from a safe distance. While Allied Husky lacks the sheer concentration of long-range artillery that the US Standard 1943 OB brings to bear, it still possesses guns for every mission and a nearly unmatched concentration of self-propelled artillery for 1943.


Beyond heavy artillery, Allied Husky also commands the massive US 71st Anti-Aircraft Brigade, which fields everything from 90mm anti-aircraft guns to self-propelled M13/M15 Gun Motor Carriages. Since Allied Husky usually has no difficulty dominating the skies, these self-propelled AA guns spend most of their time mincing enemy infantry who fail to bring adequate anti-tank support.

As will be the case for most historical Allied OBs in 1943 and beyond, Allied Husky’s pride and joy rests in an insane amount of air power. The OB includes most of Northwest African Tactical Air Force and Malta Air Command, for a grand total of:

• x20 P-40 Warhawk/Kittyhawk multi-role squadrons
  
• x19 Spitfire V fighter squadrons
  
• x9 B-25H Mitchell bomber squadrons
  
• x7 Boston IIIa or Baltimore IV bomber squadrons
  
• x6 A-36A Apache strike squadrons
  
• x5 Spitfire/Mosquito/F-5 Lightning recon squadrons

This overwhelming number of aircraft ensures Allied Husky has little difficulty securing air supremacy, but remember, air supremacy alone does not guarantee victory. Clever adversaries can still create anti-aircraft dead zones which your aircraft can hardly penetrate and all the bombers in the world cannot compensate for a poorly executed ground strategy. Allied Husky’s extreme levels of air power should be used to drive the opposition from the sky, pulverize hardpoints ahead of your ground troops, and recon every square inch of the battlefield, but you still need a competent combined arms strategy to prevail.

Allied Husky is a powerful order of battle that combines many of the strengths of the UK and US into a potent attrition playstyle. This is not a rush OB suited to smash through an enemy line and drive deep into their rear to create vast encirclements, this is an attrition OB that excels at grinding opponents down across a broad front. Allied Husky rarely reaches its objectives with great speed, but when it does arrive it carpet bombs your hopes and dreams, covers the front line in fire support, and then advances with division after division until enemy resistance collapses.

We will be rolling the planned Reinforcements II update into the CAOS: Operation Husky release. Our next dev blog will explore the even more unique Axis Operation Husky order of battle, and after that we will start covering the scenarios coming with the Operation Husky release, including Operation Husky itself, Operation Brimstone (Sardinia), and Operation Firebrand (Corsica). We can’t wait to discuss the scenarios and the scenario variants!