• Level #5.

• The "Languages" button has appeared in the Menu.

• Achievement is available after completing level 5.

• Now you can't start level 5 until you've passed level 4.

• Fixed the UI in the "About the Game" section.

• Fixed bugs.

Atomic Society will be removed from sale at the end of this week.

It's been a long, wild ride but the time has come to shut down our little studio and move on to new pastures. Don't worry, everybody who owns the game will still be able to play it. It will remain in your Steam library forever. However, the game barely sells anything these days, and there are still several costs involved in running a business (accountants, etc) so we have to start winding things up, starting by removing the game from sale.

I guess it's an appropriate time to say goodbuye. 2024 marks 10 years since a friend and I (with the optimism of complete beginners) asked “why don't we make a game for fun?”

2014 was a boom period for wannabe developers with crazy dreams. Steam Greenlight (remember that?) had been running for 2 years, the indie market was opening up, and Unity had made it possible for beginners to test their luck, for better or worse. Our idea of a post-apocalyptic town building game was a brand new concept back then. When we revealed it in 2016 (via Kickstarter), no one had heard of Frostpunk, Endzone, or Surviving the Aftermath. That Kickstarter still failed, but luckily a random YouTuber made a video of our fledgling pre-alpha and suddenly thousands of players fell in love with the game's potential and were clamoring to play AS. After yet another 2 years of grueling work, we released the first ever Steam version in Early Access (one of the most stressful things I've ever done!) and it sold quite well, considering we were making things up as we went. For a year or two afterwards we even earned basic salaries from this passion project - not much but we did get the privilege of doing something we loved.

However, it was really hard living up to everybody's expectations. A fully 3D town building/social sim game was a huge concept for a tiny group of hobbyists working around their day jobs! We could just about handle it, but we were slow, and the games industry moves fast. Richer competitors came along. Also, after 7 years of work on top of regular jobs, “burnout” was becoming a thing too. But we pressed on for 3 years in Early Access, getting the game to the best state, and finally let it go for good back in 2021 (during a real life post-apocalyptic event of Covid).

Unfortunately a game only really gets one big launch, and Early Access had been it for us, so that final release didn't do much, but at least finished and I was done. I couldn't even look at Steam without having a weird panic attack after we released. Making and marketing a game had worn me down (several real life disasters didn't help either). You need a lot of business stamina to stick it out in indie dev, and a peaceful real life. After we launched, our American coder friend had to get a real job, our artist had to give up dev to look after their elderly parent, and main coder Nick started a new family. It was okay though as we had nothing more to add to the game, but life had called us all in new directions.

I'm still extremely proud that we managed to create a pretty big 3D game out of a dream, that we stuck with it even when the problems seemed insurmountable, and that Atomic Society is still something different and quirky in an industry that likes to play it safe. For someone's first ever shot at game dev, it's not bad!

Thanks to everyone who bought and enjoyed the game and supported tiny, no-budget indie devs like us. I hope you all enjoyed being crazy post apocalyptic dictators, setting wild laws that might not show up in other games, and that these old blogs have been inspirational for anyone who wants to make their own gaming dream. If you believe in your game, you've got to make it!

However, now it's time for us to head out into the post-apocalyptic “wasteland” and see what other adventures are out there.

Best wishes from the Far Road Games team:

Scott, Nick, Mariana and Adam

Thank you all for the response on the 1.1 update! We are very happy to see that you guys are enjoying our work.

We've now started the process of porting Hadean Tactics to other platforms, we will have more information to share soon.
There are also more music tracks coming so stay tuned. 🎵

While all that's cooking, here is this week's update:

-- Fixed transparent models at the Crypt preview for skins.
-- Fixed traps not displaying effects when triggered.
-- Fixed Celestial cooldown triggering after battle ends.
-- Fixed Heart-eater with the Echo Amulet relic unintentionally killing non-Ephemeral allies.
-- Fixed rare instances where you were not able to click the Boss node.
-- Fixed Idol of Wrath event killing allies.
-- Fixed instances when drawing a 0 cost card through Trick Box relic could result into a non-playable card.
-- Fixed not being able to Bench a Wanderer unit when playing Solo Hero.
-- Fixed Slippery value on one of the options of Concoctanation Station Event.

-- Added option to select a Corruption level and Access End Game for Custom Heroes.
-- Solo Hero and Hardcore modes now can't be selected at the same time.
-- Fighting Bandits now rewards more gold.


If you have any feedback, suggestions, find any bugs, or you want to contribute with the translation of the game to your language, feel free to reach us on Discord, or here on the Steam community.

Cheeeeeers!!
Doug & Lili @ Emberfish Games

Hi everyone!

It's been a hot minute but here we are with a comprehensive update!

First of all, we'd like to announce that we'll be attending the Game Developers Conference (GDC) next month in San Francisco with a Gate Zero booth. If you plan to be there, be sure to stop by and say hi!

What's unique – and challenging at the same time – about making a historical video game as compared to a TV series like The Chosen, is that players get to explore locations just as they were.

From a geographical point of view, this requires much more research to ensure the map is accurate as you can technically choose to run anywhere you like, while in a TV series, the viewer only sees the locations the camera shoots, and from limited angles at that.

We've taken this unique challenge seriously by doing due diligence in research, at the same time being mindful of the balance between historical accuracy and making a video game that is fun.

Last week, we invited archaeological architect Leen Ritmeyer to hold a talk with our team about daily life in Capernaum. Leen's reconstruction drawings of Capernaum and designs of 1st century homes have been an big source of inspiration for us.

One piece of advice he gave: "Do not look at life in 1st century Capernaum with your 21st century ideas." It was an incredibly insightful talk, and we're looking forward to incorporating the knowledge in our script, art and game design!

In addition, we've received over three hours of video research from historical consultants in the past week about character references and clothing from the 1st century, so our art team has been busy!


Members of our team attending a talk with archaeological architect Leen Ritmeyer


Our script team was visiting from the UK and also got to attend the talk at our office in Norway

These days, our small but hardworking art team has been working closely with our archaeological consultants to ensure accuracy as they continue building the town of Capernaum.

• The 1st century synagogue of Capernaum where Jesus taught at was never excavated, so no one knows for sure what it looked like.
  
• Fishing was quite a profitable industry. It was an elaborate business that could involve employees mending nets, maintaining boats, preserving, transporting and selling fish.
  
• Torah scrolls were often kept in the house of the Ruler of the Synagogue and brought in a cart to the synagogue where they were read.

We've learned an innumerable amount of detail concerning architecture and life in Capernaum during Jesus' time, but we won't bore you with the nitty-gritty... Instead, we'll show you some results!


A redesigned version of the Capernaum synagogue following feedback from historians


Mood exploration for the streets of Capernaum


Mood exploration for the streets of Capernaum


WIP concept art of the residential district in Capernaum


Models of fishing nets


Capernaum docks


Our prototype team has been working hard experimenting with game mechanics, and this past week, we had a new round of closed testing among members of our community. We'll show more of what we're working on when we're ready!

In the meantime, here's a funny bug our head of studio Arve discovered...




We started this year off welcoming John Gibson as our new Executive Game Consultant and Gate Zero Development Board Member.

John brings two decades of experience and expertise in game development and publishing to our team. As former CEO, co-owner, and co-founder of Tripwire Interactive, he led the team that brought hit games like Killing Floor, Maneater, and Chivalry 2 to market, selling tens of millions of copies and winning multiple game of the year awards.

John has been offering support and counsel to our team in the past months, and will continue to provide guidance throughout our project's milestones and pivotal decisions. Following advice from John, we have also evaluated increasing the budget and quality of Gate Zero to ensure the highest possible success.

Read the official announcement here

This month, we hit another milestone on Instagram: Reaching 5.2 million and gaining 65,824 followers in just one week!

In total, we have reached over 14 million unique accounts on Instagram since we first went viral in October last year. Word about our game is spreading more than we can imagine, and we're so excited to see where all this is headed in the coming year!



Follow us on social media so you don't miss out: Mailing List | Discord | YouTube | Instagram | TikTok | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn

Thank you for playtesting the game! I'm excited to hear your feedback.

Please leave your feedback here at the Steam community page or at the game's Discord community, here.

Or if you want to email me directly: blakefix@gmail.com


Important notes:

This is a limited-access playtest, so the game may not be feature-complete or completely polished. Please be patient and report any problems you encounter.
Your feedback will be used to improve the game before its official release.
I appreciate your participation and can't wait to hear your thoughts!

Thank you!!

- Blake 😎👍

(P.S. If you're waiting to gain access to the playtest, I'm going to let more people in, but I'd like to gather feedback from the initial group first, so just hold tight, thank you!)

• The first 5 levels of the game have been modified to be more in line with the drive of the rest of the game, mainly introducing a variety of turrets, placing additional enemies, adding a hoverbike on the first mission, and adding impressive landings of capsules with turrets, which were supposed to appear much later, but I think it will be great from the start.
  
• The simplest scouts on the first level (with a red glow) are now more aggressive (greater angle and range of player detection)
  
• The mechanics of a simple jump have been redesigned, due to the influence of animation - the jump had strange jerks and speed drops. Also, along with these changes, a bug where the character could fall through the ground when falling from a great height should be fixed. Also, if the jump is made during a sprint, the character should fly a little further.
  
• The mechanism for activating quantum towers has been changed, now the energy triggers are two-sided. The previous approach to their activation required too much time and concentration, and this mechanic should not interrupt the dynamics of the gameplay so much.
  
• Balance: enemy missile speed increased
  
• Balance: Damage and accuracy of enemy lasers increased.
  
• Cosmetic: All characters are now blinking ;)
  
• Fixed a bug where the objective marker for hacking the scout factory was not displayed on the bastion level.
  
• Fixed a bug where a message was shown that you have the opportunity to upgrade the Olympic rifle, although the upgrade table is still locked by the story.
  
• The number of campfires you can take with you is now limited to 4, and takes up 1 slot as before.
  
• Minor interface improvements.

Hello Shapers!

We’re thrilled with the work and response so far to our recent updates. You can always check here for roadmap news regarding the upcoming Battle Shapers releases.

This Fall we are introducing the 0.9 Corruption Update to enrich build diversity and gameplay systems.

The next release will be our Phantom Code update arriving this Winter. In this upcoming release we will be adding more narrative content, bringing players more buffs and weapon variants, and broadening late-game replayability. We will also continue to build on community feedback, as always.

Thank you everyone for supporting our game. If you want to see your feedback and suggestions reflected in our next update, feel free to post in our Steam Forum or hop on our Discord to chat with the development team directly.

Best,
Metric Empire

We have recently opened our steam play test sign up and are encouraging everyone to sign up now to be ready for coming play tests over the next couple of months.

We are targeting March 9th as our first open test day.

Please go to the home page to wish list and signup for play testing.





Can't wait for the larger play test to have a chance to try Exfil? Not to worry!

This Saturday, February 24th we will be hosting an all day Q&A as well as an open 24 hour testing period.

In order to participate please join our discord today to ensure you are signed up, key in hand and ready to go for Saturday.

http://discord.gg/playexfil




For all you who don't have the time to test right now we great appreciate all the support given so far and will keep you updated on our progress. We also intend to document and release our roadmap in the near future.

Onward and upward! Misultin Team

Spirit Island's next digital expansion is nearly here! We are pleased to announce that Jagged Earth will be released on February 29, 2024. Add it to your Steam Wishlist to be notified when it arrives!



Jagged Earth will be a single DLC purchase, but not all content & features will be available with the initial launch. More content & features will be released in phases (see the previous announcement). No additional purchases will be required; when the game is updated with each phase, you will gain access to the new content with your existing purchase of Jagged Earth.

The full purchase price of Jagged Earth is expected be $24.99 USD (or equivalent in your local currency, exchange rates vary by store). However, at launch, the price will be a discounted $19.99 USD. As more content is added, the price will increase until Jagged Earth is complete at its full price.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2419041/Spirit_Island__Jagged_Earth/

The day of shark-based VENGEANCE has arrived. Avenger Sharks is now enjoying its first dip into the Steam release waters.

Grab a controller. Control a shark. Get some vengeance.

Remember: Right trigger is used to use your FISH FRENZY when your bar has filled up! Or the 'E' key if you are using mouse and keys. THE CHOICE IS YOURS, my fishy friend.

The latest updates revolve around 'quality of life' for Steam certification.

• Steam: Bringing up Steam Overlay during game automatically pauses.
  
• UI: Disable TAB key (avoids Steam Overlay weird behaviour)
  
• UI: Hide mouse pointer when mouse is not being used