Nov 6, 2024

Sunkenland - maximummax

Dear Sunkenlanders, version v0.5.2 is now ready to meet you! This update mainly focuses on bug fixes.

Bug Fixes:

Issue with hitting enemies: We identified problems causing players to be unable to shoot enemies while melee attacks still worked. This was mainly due to memory overflow. We will continue to monitor this issue, and if survivors still encounter it after updating, please provide your save files and hardware configuration to the developers in the Steam discussion forum.
Fixed lag issues when opening the UI.
Fixed an abnormal number of enemies at certain combat locations.
Fixed animation issues at refueling stations.
Fixed issues with the power system connections and incorrect prompts. Turning off the power hub or generator now correctly shuts down the entire system, and prompts are accurate.
Fixed an issue with the fish pond not properly saving generated fish after loading a save.
Fixed an issue where certain items were invisible but could still be picked up.
Fixed enemies floating mid-air.
Fixed resources appearing inside inaccessible buildings.
The doors of the Great Water Fortress can now open in both directions, preventing players from getting stuck.
Fixed an issue with weapon accessory crates being opened infinitely under certain conditions.
Fixed issues with weapon attachments placed on display boards.
Corrected some German language errors.
Fixed an issue preventing the construction of spotlights after research.
Fixed incorrect scaling of decorative discs.
Fixed wallpaper display issues.
Fixed random respawn after death only occurring near the base.

Feedback on wind and solar power: Suggestions for wind and solar energy have been noted, and corresponding designs will be developed in future versions.

Found issues in storage code structure that could cause buildings/items to disappear. If this problem persists after the update, please report it with your save files and hardware configuration.

Nov 6, 2024

Trash Goblin is out!

Trash Goblin - MilkySmith

We did it!

TRASH GOBLIN IS OUT NOW IN EARLY ACCESS ON STEAM! Buy it now! Tell your friends! Leave a cosy review!

It's $14.99 plus 10% off for a limited time, so make the most of getting in early!

We've got a lovely new trailer to celebrate 🥳

What can you do?

First up, play the game and tell us what you think!
Leave a review on Steam as this is what will tell other people if they'll like it or not

What's in the game for Early Access launch?

50 weird & wonderful trinkets to find, clean, and then sell!
When you combine that with Upcycling, you're looking at many hundreds of unique combinations
You've got your Chisel, your Sponge, and now the Upcycler which has an upgrade path! Start with a few slots, then add in rotation and work all the way up to 7 slots of customisation!
12 characters to get to know and sell to! Redoir the upbeat but clumsy blacksmith. Telmara the frankly quite rude frog heavy. So-called "Mushromeo", the suave and sometimes-sophisticated pickup artist. Virgil the mercenary talent scout with a painful past. There are so many fascinating people to meet, and to bring sparks of joy with your trinkets!

Tons of expansion and customisation options to make your shop your own. Buy upgrades to your workbench and customer desk to get more space to work in, and purchase shelves to display your choice finds and creations! Plus of course some nice little cosmetic touches and easter eggs.
3-5hrs of hand-crafted quests & content. We say 3 as a minimum because that's us playing it. We're quite fast, rush through the content, and we're not really reading everything at this point either! We reckon most people will spend closer to 5 hours seeing all the named customers, completing their quests, and upgrading their shop to the point where they're happy. But for those of you who want more...
Endless play. The customers will never stop coming, there's always more trinkets to be found, and the sky really is the limit! You'll eventually have bought everything you possibly can, but never fear as we've got lots of plans for the game during Early Access.

What's the plan for new content during Early Access?

To set the stall - we've got tons of plans and designs for all kinds of cool features. It's safe to say you can expect us to be updating the game with new customers, more trinkets, various tools, a full story, and probably even entire new mechanics. Everything you can think of is a possibility, and we've had several years of dreaming and planning to do getting to this point. But until we know what you want we don't want to over-commit or promise things. So with that said, this roadmap is subject to huge change, and we will be listening intently and very carefully to what players want!

The first few smaller updates will be hotfixes and patches for anything nasty or really obvious, plus general polish while we work on some fun content we've got planned!

All that said, we plan to be in Early Access until the middle of 2025. And then beyond that, depending on the success of the game, years of content updates and console ports and all the lovely stuff.

Launch Discount

We've got a 12 day launch period discount of 10% - and while the game's priced at $14.99 right now, we expect that to rise by 1.0 as we'll have a lot more game by then. So now's a great time to get your friends in on the Goblin fun!

And as if that wasn't exciting enough for new players...

Tavern Talk Bundle

We're part of a 'complete the set' bundle too for a limited time, so if you already own Tavern Talk you can get an additional 10% off Trash Goblin - and if you own Trash Goblin you can get 10% extra off Tavern Talk instead!

Grab the bundle here!

Talk to us!

It's the whole point of Early Access, and while we scour the forums and stay active everywhere the game is played and discussed, the best place to get your voice heard and join in on the discussions that will help us steer and shape Trash Goblin is over on our discord.

Thank you so much

Thank you. We couldn't have gotten here without you all supporting us and playing the demo, we can't wait to see what the future holds, and what kinds of Goblin mischief we can create!

https://www.tiktok.com/@spiltmilkstudios
https://www.patreon.com/spiltmilkstudios
https://twitter.com/SpiltMilkStudio

Nov 6, 2024

Fashion Matters

Vampire: The Masquerade® - Bloodlines™ 2 - Feeona_PDX

Welcome, Kindred, to our latest Bloodlines 2 Dev Diary from the team at The Chinese Room.  Tonight’s diary is about the different outfits you can collect and wear. A vampire’s clothing is an important tool in their hunting arsenal: do you wish to blend in unnoticed, lure your victims with your beauty, or intimidate others into submission? What you wear sets a first impression so choose your dinner attire wisely.
- Project Creative Director Alex Skidmore

The visual identity of each clan has been displayed in countless vivid images, and it was crucial for us to capture this in the clan outfits. At a glance, each outfit should convey the essence of its clan - whether it's the refined opulence of the Ventrue or the sinister threat of the Banu Haqim. We worked meticulously to compartmentalise and distill these visual styles to their purest form, ensuring players truly feel they are embodying their chosen role.
- Associate Art Director Ben Matthews

Character renders of the 4 base clans.

Concept Art’s Inspirations

While coming up with ideas for each clan’s costumes, we had so much flavour to draw from. Making sure to incorporate their history, subcultures and preferred activities gave us opportunities to explore different shapes and details that fit the clan style.

Brujah are rough and ready. They need hard-wearing materials that reflect their rebellious nature. Denim, leather and band T-shirts blend into Punk and rock bars. We added details like rips, anarchic logos and badges to show the Brujah’s anti-establishment streak.

Tremere’s history as mortal mages, and their use of arcane powers, inspired us a lot when designing this clan. The outfits reflect a more antiquated time, while also incorporating modern elements. We considered how practical they were to wear while using powerful ranged attacks, so the arms are less restricted for those large, magical gestures. Red was, of course, the first choice for accent colours in clothing and jewels, as the Tremere can control blood.

We wanted Banu Haqim to be a modern take on stealth-style clothes. Sticking to the shadows, finding ways to conceal your identity. Being able to move freely and silently through the environment unencumbered by jingling jewelry or heavy armour. They can also use Celerity, so we used accessories such as scarves, hoods, and pieces that add a sense of movement to their actions while hiding their face.

Ventrue are defined by their wealth and status so each version reflects a different kind of upper social class and culture. They wear fashion that is more about showing who they are to people rather than pieces ready for combat. To this end we used colours and styles that are opulent, almost regal. Every detail is there to show they’re ready for business or to show off their expensive jewelry.
- Senior Concept Artist, Jordan Grimmer and Lead Concept Artist, Michele Nucera

Concept art by Michele Nucera. One outfit from each clan.

Sculpting the Fashion

Creating the outfits for Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 is more than just a matter of fashion - you have to think about the character's usability, animation and so on. We started with setting a benchmark costume; in our case, this was "Tremere 03," which served as the initial guide for clothing fit and design direction before even having the masculine Phyre model ready. This outfit became the foundation for future costumes, helping our team understand how different clothing types would fit and move.

From long coats to tight, sleek outfits, our goal is to offer players a variety of styles to suit their tastes. Concept art is just the beginning; we evolve these designs into something that not only looks good in cutscenes and fighting but also considers animation and practicality. Textures are given an "uplift" as they transition from 2D concept to 3D model, adding depth and realism.

Each clan has its own unique flair - for instance, "Ventrue 04" stands out as a favourite, while "Banu Haqim 02" features this great hood. Many of the costumes feature dramatic elements, like big collars or materials that add visual complexity - leather, fur, denim, silk, and cashmere. We think all these through with great importance. For instance, these outfits need to be functional for vampires running up buildings! And even though vampires rarely feel cold, we don’t want them breaking the Masquerade.
- Principal Character Artist Tim Turner

3D-rendering of outfits.

Soundset differences for different outfits

For the different outfits for our Protagonist, we took into account the different reactions from players and the effect the player might have on the passers-by.

Each outfit is curated not only to the clothing they are wearing but the foley (clothes and shoes) are mixed for the clan that said outfit is attributed to. Creating a more stealth-like feeling or the aggressive presence that one might expect between Banu Haqim vs Brujah.
- Lead Audio Designer Tessa Verplancke

Unlocking and Equipping Outfits

As you play through the game, you’ll gain access to a wide variety of outfits. These outfits not only allow you to set the fantasy you might want to play as but also have an effect on the inhabitants of Seattle.

One of the goals we had for outfits was to really lean into and reflect each clan’s style and personality while also offering lots of dress-up options; after all fashion is king!

With that in mind, we decided to unlock the outfits based on what abilities you have gained access to. Because it's possible to play as Brujah but still gain access to Ventrue abilities, you can unlock and wear all the outfits in the game simply by playing, but you will naturally unlock the outfits for your chosen clan earlier.

Honestly, some of the outfits are so cool that I sometimes choose the order in which I unlock abilities based on the outfits I’ll gain from the unlock. I’m partial to some of the streetwear of the Banu Haqim (who doesn’t love a good hoodie). But with a wide range of options to unlock, I’m confident there’s plenty of fashion to suit everyone's tastes.
- Lead Game Designer Gavin Hood

In-game outfit menu with the four base clan outfits unlocked.

Fashion Matters in chatter, too!

Prey can be scared off by sudden movements, loud noises, or things that don’t seem quite right… So, for Phyre, if they want to feed on the right Blood Resonance, they need to keep that in mind. Just knowing that the angry sex worker nearby is full of choleric blood and ready for a fight is just step one. Step two is making sure that you’re wearing something that will push them over the edge and really make that blood boil. Dressing and acting like a wealthy John could get them talking, but if you approach looking like someone who likes it rough? That might scare them right out of their angry mood, and then all that delicious choleric potential goes away.

In-game examples of NPCs reaction (with a non in-game overlay to show which outfit is equipped).

Many people in Seattle judge a book by its cover, but a Kindred knows that it's what you have inside that counts. You know. The blood.
- Senior Narrative Designer Arone LeBray

Nov 6, 2024

Out Now – A brand new demo for Dome Keeper!

Dome Keeper - gareth

Hey Keepers,

We just wanted to let you know that today we’ve released a brand new demo on Steam for Dome Keeper, so if you or a friend are yet to try out the game - then you can now, for free!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1650980/Dome_Keeper_Demo/

Relic Hunt

In the demo you can play Relic Hunt, where you land on a world and start digging in order to find an ancient artifact, whilst also defending your dome from waves of attacking monsters! The demo version includes medium-sized maps with a choice of two primary gadgets - and there’s also a choice of a few difficulty settings too. Try the default ‘Brutal’ setting to get the core Dome Keeper experience, or play on ‘Normal’ if you want a slightly more relaxed time.

Guild Assignments

Once you’ve played Relic Hunt you can also try out two Guild Assignments, which provide unique challenges that add a little extra spice to a run. ‘Iron Contribution’ tasks you with delivering a large quantity of resources to the Keeper’s Guild, while ‘Swiss Cheese’ changes the environment to add more caves whilst simultaneously making rocks tougher to dig through!

We hope you have a fun time with the demo and feel free to leave a review on the store page here! You can also follow us on Twitter and Bluesky, or join our Discord, to stay up to date with all things Dome Keeper.

Thanks for the support as always, fellow Keepers!