Oct 23

Open Sea Simulator - gyroscoping games

Ahoy sailors,

It’s been a while since the last update, and I’m excited to bring you fresh news from the world of Open Sea Simulator! As you know, the game features a massive open map filled with unique themed towns—each with its own story, atmosphere, and opportunities. Today, I’d like to introduce you to the very first town I created, and one that’s very special to me: Nordvika.

Welcome to Nordvika

Nordvika is a Nordic-themed fishing town built entirely on a wooden platform above the cold northern sea. It has a peaceful yet rugged character that reflects the daily life of hardworking fishermen living in harmony with nature.

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The only land connection to Nordvika is a winding road through a deep forest. Once you arrive, you’ll find a small community with essential services for sailors:

Fishermen’s houses
A fishing supplies store where you can buy equipment and tools
A small boatyard offering starter boats for your adventures

The Heart of the Town – The Retired Viking Pub

One of my favorite places in the entire game is The Retired Viking, a cozy pub at the edge of the village. At night, the lights reflect on the water, the jukebox plays classic tunes, and you can unwind while watching the waves roll beneath the wooden decks.

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What’s Next

Nordvika is just one of many towns in Open Sea Simulator, each with its own style, economy, and secrets to discover. In the next dev logs, I’ll be revealing a completely different region with its own gameplay mechanics.

Thanks for reading, captains.
See you on the next tide!

Oct 23

Martian Diaries: Answering your questions!

Blind Descent - lyamina

In this Dev Diary, we’re taking you behind the curtain of Blind Descent via a conversation with Emrehan, one of the key developers shaping the dark world hidden beneath the Martian surface.

During our recent AMA session, Emrehan shared a few insights about the game’s creation, the vision behind its mysterious atmosphere, and how survival, adaptation, and isolation define the Blind Descent experience.

With topics ranging from the challenges of crafting a living, breathing underground ecosystem to balancing realism and mystery, our discussion offered a rare and fascinating look into the heart of the project.

From the teaser, it looks like Blind Descent has a storyline. How long will it be in terms of play hours?

Blind Descent absolutely has a story, but it’s a story that’s woven directly into the gameplay rather than told through long cutscenes. Our approach focuses on environmental storytelling and quest-driven progression.

Your main goal is to find your missing team and get back to the planet’s surface. Over the course of this journey, you will fight your way through the underground world, uncover what happened to your crew, and piece together the many secrets hidden deep within Mars.

Because the narrative is so tightly linked to exploration and survival, it’s hard to separate “story hours” from total playtime — but right now, we’re expecting around 10–15 hours of gameplay in the current version.

Are there any plans to add pets to the game?

We are considering introducing pets to Blind Descent after the Early Access launch. However, this is still under discussion — nothing has been confirmed yet.

Are there parasites in Blind Descent — like leeches or worms that attach to you when you sleep on the ground, similar to Green Hell?

Not quite! You can definitely get sick if you eat something you shouldn’t, but there aren’t any worms or leeches like in Green Hell. The survival system is designed to be a bit more forgiving when it comes to injuries — it’s more about smart adaptation than constant punishment.

What engine do you use, and will Blind Descent receive any updates after release?

We’re developing Blind Descent in Unreal Engine 5.6.1. And yes, there will definitely be updates after launch! We already have plenty of ideas and plans for future content and improvements to keep expanding the world of Mars.

Are there any future plans to add different characters?

We’re currently preparing four playable character options for your survival journey. Each one offers the same gameplay experience, and at this stage, they are non-customizable. Our focus is on perfecting the survival systems and world first, but you’ll still have a small team to choose from when the descent begins.

Will there be mod support during Early Access?

We’re not planning to include official modding support for now. It’s a complex system to implement, and our focus is currently on developing core content and stability.

That said, if players want to experiment and create their own modifications, we’re absolutely open to it — we’d love to see what the community comes up with!

If the game performs well enough for a sequel, where would it take place? We already have some really exciting ideas for a sequel. Blind Descent will end at a point where you’ll get some answers — but you’ll also be left wondering, ‘What’s next?’

Maybe there are more underground worlds hidden beneath Mars, waiting to be discovered. Who knows what else lies below?

Will most of the fauna be Earth-like, or are you planning to dive deeper into the mystical side of things?

Some regions of the underground world will feel distinctly alien — strange, otherworldly, and unlike anything from Earth. However, Earth-like fauna will still be more common overall. There’s a reason for that balance, and players will uncover it naturally through gameplay as they explore the depths.

Will each biome have its own day–night cycle, based on the local flora and ecosystem?

The day–night cycle is consistent across all areas of the map — time passes the same way everywhere. However, some regions of Mars are so deep or enclosed that they never see daylight at all. In those places, the only illumination is from the eerie glow of the local flora and fauna.

Is the guy at the column gonna get a grave? Or is he just going to lie there… forever?

We actually talked about this during development. There is a chance that we’ll be adding a small side quest that would let players prepare a grave for him — a quiet way to bring him closure. For now, though, we expect the pink matter, the infection, to slowly take over the body.

If there’s going to be a geode-like biome, is there any chance we might see one of the crab creatures get… glitterfied?

We do have a crystal cave biome in the game — that’s where players will eventually be able to upgrade their items. But crystal crabs? I’ve honestly never thought about that before. It’s a fascinating idea, and now you’ve got me thinking about it!

Overall, would you say making Blind Descent has been troublesome? If so, what are the most difficult bugs or features the team has had to deal with?

It’s been a very challenging journey. A game like Blind Descent requires thousands of decisions to be made, countless revisions, and a ton of work to get right.

One of the most frustrating bugs we faced was animation jittering. Imagine holding a sword and a torch while walking — every time you turned, your hands would lag slightly behind, like a multiplayer desync. It turned out the issue wasn’t in the gameplay at all, but was being caused by a level design plugin inside the engine editor. Disabling that plugin fixed everything. It’s a good reminder that sometimes, the weirdest problems come from places you’d never suspect — and they eat up a lot of time.

As for features, multiplayer was by far the toughest. On paper, it’s not overly complex, but in practice, implementing and debugging it is a nightmare. Every new system adds layers of interaction that can break in unpredictable ways. It’s been a massive headache — and still is, to be honest — but it’s coming together really well despite the challenges.

Many players have pointed out similarities between Blind Descent and games like Subnautica. Are you concerned about that comparison? How do you plan to make your game’s atmosphere and experience truly unique?

The survival genre is already rich with incredible titles, and naturally, there will always be some overlap. Personally, Subnautica is one of my favorite survival games, so it’s honestly flattering when people mention our project alongside it. But Blind Descent has its own soul and identity that make it stand apart.

The world of Blind Descent draws heavy inspiration from Scavenger’s Reign — it’s alien, strange, and ruled by its own logic. Here, survival isn’t about dominating the environment with technology, but about adapting to it. If you resist, Mars will consume you. But if you learn to live by its rules, you just might survive.

Unlike most survival games, your connection to this world is symbiotic. In order to endure, you must sacrifice fragments of your humanity. Over time, the world begins to recognize you: your body mutates, your senses change, and what once poisoned you might later sustain you. The alien fruit that initially made you sick eventually tastes sweet — and conversely, human food turns toxic.

This evolving bond is one of Blind Descent’s defining features. Combined with our unique narrative, survival mechanics, and atmosphere, we aim to make players truly feel like they’re surviving on Mars, not just playing a game about it.

What inspired the idea of creating an underground ecosystem?

The concept was mainly inspired by Deep Rock Galactic. We were brainstorming survival ideas, and an underground setting quickly stood out as one of the most compelling. However, we didn’t want it to be a purely dark and grim place — that didn’t fit the tone we envisioned. Other inspirations like Journey to the Center of the Earth and even Ice Age 3 helped us shape a more vibrant and mysterious underground world that blended danger with wonder.

How do you explain the day–night cycle if the game takes place below the surface of a planet? Is it caused by some massive creature or bioluminescent flora?

That’s something players will discover for themselves. We’ve seen a lot of curiosity around this, which makes us really happy — it’s the kind of mystery that feels rewarding to uncover naturally. My advice? Try climbing upward as you explore. You might stumble upon a few lore fragments… and maybe the answer you’re looking for.

Are there going to be giant spiders?

No giant spiders — but there are giant insects with plenty of legs! (I actually have a bit of arachnophobia myself.)

When do you expect to release the game?

We’re aiming for sometime next year. Stay tuned with our news and updates!

Will there be more in-depth alchemy and crafting, given the rich flora of Mars?

Absolutely. We plan to expand both crafting and alchemy throughout Early Access, adding unique combinations and experimental systems for players to discover.

Oct 23

Update 0.31

Out of Ore - northmoddingcompany

Hello! ːsteamhappyː

Update 0.31 is here!

This update adds a total of 15 new vehicles (including rope shovels, long-boom excavators, and more), the Skill Tree, the Periodic Table of Elements, and even a bed! We’ve also made a lot of bug fixes and improvements based on your feedback and bug reports.

Changlog v0.31

Vehicles

- Added Chariton EX200D (Long boom)

- Added Chariton EX400D (Long boom)

- Added Chariton EX600D (Long boom)

- Added Attila Cable EX200A

- Added Attila EX200A

- Added Attila Cable EX300A

- Added Attila Cable EX500A

- Added Chariton Cable EX2000D

- Added Chariton Cable EX4000D

- Added Chariton Cable EX8000D

- Added Attila EW200A

- Added Attila EX300A

- Added Attila EX500A

- Fixed vehicle audio settings not loading properly

- Fixed floating lights on excavator cab

- Changed level requirement for L1665 loader (lowered)

- Changed fuel consumption for L10000 & L80000

- Fixed drone snapshot filenames to use zero-padding for proper ordering

- Added drone "Recording Active" notice when started recording from remote (shortcut)

- Fixed drone "Recording Active" notice not disappearing when recording stopped

- Fixed fuel reset after loading the game

- Fixed empty paint slots on vehicle won't apply the proper color when loading a save-game

- Fixed an issue where haul trucks could spill material in inclines

- Fixed missing light rail on Sandvik S700NG & S700NG Fuel (lights still missing)

- Fixed some cases where the lights were not replicated correctly

- Fixed an issue where the vehicle preview placement offset could not be adjusted with the scroll wheel

- Fixed Chariton EX8000FS store capacity info

- Tweaked lights

- Changed store capacity for L2335

Buildings / Production

- Added setting to highlight conveyor openings

- Added passthrough option to conveyor & pipeline storage

- Fixed fuel station trigger height (made slightly higher)

- Fixed liquid tank power requirement (10 kW → 0 kW)

- Fixed Cell Tower quest asking for "Plates" instead of "Sheets"

- Fixed fill indicator showing consumed amount instead of correct percentage

- Fixed hopper output showing crate animation instead of mesh conveyor effect when filled by hand

- Fixed conveyor splitter showing mesh conveyor effect instead of crate animation

- Fixed 10x power input state not saving correctly (on/off)

- Fixed FPS drop when looking at smoke effect

- Fixed destroying conveyor not giving payload to inventory

- Fixed sell points not progressing quests

- Fixed hopper + shear at 10x speed duplicating coils in crates

- Pipelines and Conveyors now have a greater connection tolerance which means it should eliminate problems where they didn't properly connect

- NOTE: This could cause your existing conveyor lines to require more power

- Attachment rotation for buildings is now remembered from last time if the next block have same attachment type

- Fixed sell point not adding transaction records to the economics tab

- Workbench inventory widget will now remember the last production amount set

- Added connected cable count to power units when you hover pointer over them

- Fixed an issue where the conveyor would only dump the material with the highest amount instead of all of them

- Added "Pipe" in front of all pipeline store item names

- Fixed liquid tank not paintable

- Fixed large/medium Decoration DLC rocks labeled wrong

- Metal Sorter renamed to High Temp Sorter since that's its purpose

- Water pump will now work on dirt

Other

- Added Skill Tree

- Added Periodic Table Of Elements

- Added bed so you now can sleep through the night

- Added save warning to General Settings when there are changes to be saved

- Added zoom speed multiplier to general settings

- Added total play time for the save-games (shown in save-game manager)

- Fixed map name reset when selecting two different save slots with the same map name

- Fixed various spelling mistakes

- Fixed various crashes

- Fixed various issues related to Company (ensure antivirus is not blocking file writing at `%userprofile%\\Documents\\My Games\\Out of Ore\\Companies`)

- Fixed an issue with the store where the price can overflow and go into the negative

- Fixed an issue where the player can over buy things without space in the inventory and will lose the money

- Fixed built & high quality turbos condition

- Fixed start new save settings being swapped (right arrows would decrease while left arrow increased)

- Fixed an issue where the create new game menu won't generate a first valid save name

- Fixed save games not properly sorted based on last played

- Fixed some key hints not updating when saving or resetting controls

- Fixed an issue where interacting with objects (e.g. conveyors) was still possible while the menu was open

- Fixed an issue where the Rescue Me button could launch vehicles in the air

- Fixed an issue where you could not move an item from the equipment slot to the inventory slot if they had the same index

- Fixed an issue where the clients could still loan money from the bank after being demoted

- Fixed an issue where creating a new game could generate a save name that already existed

- Fixed economics tab not saving/loading

- Fixed controller Pause menu button not working

- Fixed camera zoom in conflict with sprint on controller

Features in develpment! ːsteamhappyː

Report any issues directly to us!

And don't forget, if you want to see your world's screenshot featured on our TikTok account, "Out Of Ore," use the hashtag #TIKTOKPOST when sharing it in the Discord group ooo-screenshots.

Best Regards,

Christian & The Team