Jun 9, 2024

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector gameplay reveal trailer.

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector - Fellow Traveller

Wake up, Sleeper. Today we’ve released a brand new trailer for Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector!

Featuring never-before-seen gameplay, new characters & locations and much more, let’s just say that if you’re a Citizen Sleeper fan you’re going to want to watch this immediately!

To celebrate the occasion, we sat down with Citizen Sleeper creator and developer Gareth Damian Martin to talk about the sequel.

How closely is Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector related to the original game? Can anyone jump into this game without playing the first one?
Yes they can! Citizen Sleeper 2 is set in the same star system as Citizen Sleeper, the Helion system, but years after and in a new part of that system, the Starward Belt. It also features a new dice system, skill system, and a ship, making it pretty distinct from the first game. Players can definitely jump into Citizen Sleeper 2 fresh, with no experience of the world, and enjoy the unique gameplay and the universe. But returning players will also get a deeper view of the system they know and will enjoy running into returning characters as they play the game. The fun thing is that the games can intentionally be played in any order, so if players enjoy Citizen Sleeper 2 they could treat Citizen Sleeper as a prequel that gives them an extra insight into the characters and the world.

Can you tell us a little about the Starward Belt? How does it differ from the setting in the first game?
While Citizen Sleeper took place entirely on a single station, The Eye, Citizen Sleeper 2 takes place among the many stations of the Starward Belt. An asteroid belt that rings the Helion system, the Starward Belt is home to many disparate communities of all kinds of sizes, from small asteroid bases, to a city built on the back of a vast solar reflector. This means the player will encounter a much bigger variety of locations, different organisations and factions and travel between them freely. It’s a significant change in pace, and makes for a larger, more varied experience.

What made you think of introducing the ship as a home base - and how does it come into play in the game?
Citizen Sleeper 2 takes inspiration from the likes of Cowboy Bebop, Farscape and Firefly: stories about rough-and-ready crews of ramshackle ships, trying to make ends meet in an unforgiving universe. I love these stories, but I feel like games never quite get the atmosphere or structure right, so I wanted to take my own shot at making one. Having a ship is essential to these narratives, and I wanted to make sure your Rig in CS 2 played that important role well. So you’ll be able to rest, cook and relax in the ship, as well as upgrade and improve it, even choose a paint job. It’s the players home in the game so it needs to feel lived-in and comforting.

Glitches and malfunctions seem to be an interesting new addition to the game. Can you tell us a little more about how you came up with the idea and how they’ll affect gameplay?
In Citizen Sleeper 2 the Sleeper’s body is undergoing a transformation, they’ve rebooted themselves to break their dependence on stabilizer and some other stranger things are happening too. I wanted to reflect this mechanically as well as narratively, so as events affect the Sleeper’s delicate system, such as repairs or being hacked, their dice will suffer glitches. Meanwhile when players take on a large amount of stress they will be at a higher risk of rolling a malfunction and taking damage. Both of these combine to create a more unpredictable set of challenges than in the first game.

Contracts are also a major new addition. Can you tell us a little bit about these?
A core part of the classic sci-fi ship and crew fantasy is taking on contracts for different factions and characters, and struggling to make them turn out well. I wanted this to be a big part of Citizen Sleeper 2 and it also offers the opportunity to create high-intensity sections of gameplay that require tactical thinking, careful resource management and improvisation. Contracts will require you to prepare by buying food and supplies, heading out on the job, and executing difficult tasks like salvaging a collapsing freighter or extracting a key resource. They’ll test your ability to effectively use your own dice and your crew's dice, as well as managing your stress.

What does having crew members add to Citizen Sleeper 2?
The crew in Citizen Sleeper 2 allows me to tell deeper, more reactive stories about certain characters, where rather than just nudging them along their own path, you travel together through the world and get involved in each other's stories. From the small interactions that happen on contracts to the bigger difficulties you’ll face together, the crew element develops the very human aspects of Citizen Sleeper in new and exciting ways and allows the player to decide who they put their trust in.

We’re not asking for spoilers, but we are keen to know - what are you most excited about for fans to experience in Citizen Sleeper 2?
I’m most excited for players to discover the game’s contracts, and how they combine tactical gameplay, reactive narrative and the fun of choosing your own crew into a set of juicy and exciting episodes!

Wishlist Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector now:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2442460/Citizen_Sleeper_2_Starward_Vector/

To stay up to date with all things Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector, sign up to the Jump Over the Age Substack, follow them (@JumpOvertheAge) and the game (@CitizenSleeper) on Twitter/X, follow us (@FellowTravellr) on Twitter/X, or jump into {LINK REMOVED} to ask questions, talk about theories, or just rave about the expanding Citizen Sleeper universe.

Jun 9, 2024

Prepare for Battle: Flintlock Release Date & Steam Next Fest Demo Announcement

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn - Droneebee

Your battle begins on July 18th.

The Door to the Great Below has been opened, unleashing the Gods and their armies of the Dead. The lands of Kian are besieged, and the city of Dawn is on the brink of destruction. It’s time for the Coalition army to fight back. Embrace vengeance, gunpowder, and magic as you embark on an epic journey to defeat the Gods, close the door, and retake the world.

The Demo comes to Steam for Steam Next Fest from the 10th of June, giving you an early taste of the action before the full game launches!

Step into the boots of Nor Vanek, an elite Coalition warrior, and meet Enki, a mysterious fox-like companion who will guide Nor. Together, you’ll become an unstoppable duo against the Gods.

Traverse the ravaged landscape of Kian, utilizing Enki's magic and portals to soar through the skies while confronting hordes of the undead. Discover new equipment, strengthen your weapons, and upgrade your gear in anticipation of the ultimate showdown against the Gods.

Wishlist us to stay updated on our progress and prepare for the full-scale battle when Flintlock launches on July 18th. We are so excited to get the game into your hands. See you very soon!

~ The Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn Team

Jun 9, 2024

3.0 Update

Planetary Defense: An Orbital Turret Defense System - SorryImHigh

Greetings Defender! Natedog769 here with a major update to the game as well as a few quality of life changes

Let’s start with the big one.
The main game system has been changed for all modes, Invasion, Asteroids, UFOs, and Lunar.

Previously the invasion system was timer based. Every 2 minutes the rounds would increment and then activate more hazards to be released and would play for 17 rounds for a max play time around 34 minutes. However the later rounds would become very overwhelming and most players could only last for about 10 minutes.
Now we have a new wave system. It will play in a more familiar manner where each round has a set amount of Hazards to defeat and the round will only advance when all the Hazards are defeated and off screen.
The Invasion and Lunar game will feature 20 waves to defeat where the UFO and Asteroid games will feature 10 waves. You can still play the original game mode now called Impossible if you feel up for that endurance challenge.

Other quality of life changes

Tooltips: There are now tooltips to help display facility functions and explain their effects with better clarity.
Frigate Fixes: Frigates are gun ships that target and destroy Sat-Turrets and you are supposed to destroy those turrets however they had a particle effect that would play continuously which is now fixed and they now log points and coins as well
Coin Fixes: Mining rates and inflation rates had no limits but now they do. Mining rates could go into the negatives and inflation rates would go into the thousands making that mechanic unplayable
UFO Fixes: The Green Getter UFO had some errors, those are now all fixed and will properly steal a Sat-Turret or a projectile.
Frigate Fixes: The Frigates were having an error not properly receiving damage and special warhead effects and that is now fixed
Boss MegaDeathStars: DeathStars also were not receiving the bonus damage of some of the warhead effects and their death did not reward the player for their defeat and that is now fixed.
Typo Fixed: in the help menu it reflected the old “hover over the icon” instead of the “click the icon to open the UI panel”
Console Updates: The console at the bottom of the screen was used to display all types of information from Facility function to quirky comments almost like a pseudo tool tip however it proved to be ineffective to display critical information, too hard to read at times and would be prone for important information getting missed. Now many of the quirky messages have been removed and many of the function details are now tooltips leaving only certain critical info to be displayed in the console.
Audio fix: the Surface Cannon’s sound effects were missing its mixer setting so it was always loud and wouldn't get adjusted with the setting but now they do.

Jun 9, 2024

A Sneak Peak Into Littlelands

Littlelands - Blessious

As premiered on #IGNLive:

We hope that you enjoy our sneak peek gameplay overview that we had prepared for #IGNLive. It's beyond cool to have our title featured in 2 Summer Games Fest Showcases.

Dive deep into the adorable world of Littlelands, a charming and colorful diorama-style wonderland brimming with secrets. Journey on a once-in-a-lifetime expedition when the simple task of repairing a computer becomes a mysterious adventure across hills, valleys, and caves filled with adventure.

Every big adventure starts with a small step! Fashion the perfect tiny protagonist with dozens of appearance options. Chat with eccentric neighbors to activate rewarding jaunts leading travelers into the uncharted wilds. Traverse an eclectic array of locations, from lush green jungles to sunset-hued red deserts. Unfold the 3D world map to get a bird’s eye view of epic escapades on the horizon.

Brave daunting dungeons overrun with unfriendly creatures like bats, goblinetes, and skeletons, in hopes of excavating long-lost treasure and relics. Break a sweat during combat, but push past the limit without rest and a fainting spell may send adventurers out of commission.

Between compelling quests, embrace the cozy life amidst Littelands’ day-to-day activities, cultivating farmland with wild seeds. Amass an envy-inspiring collection of wildlife by casting the multi-purpose catching rod into lakes and bushes, capturing rare bugs and fish. Trade exotic flora and fauna at the Flower Shop, or unearth fascinating fossils to display at the Museum.

Wishlist Littlelands on Steam! Our demo is coming soon, so stay tuned and follow us on Twitter/X!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2083660/Littlelands/