🌟 Hello, Lightseekers! Our Journey Takes Flight!

Get ready, everyone! We got a lot of energy and excited to take you behind the scenes of what has been a truly whirlwind adventure for our little indie team. This devlog is all about the significant leaps we've taken recently, from interacting with players in Japan and Thailand to expanding into the digital world of Steam.

These events weren't just fun; they were crucial for a small team like ours. Think of them as us leveling up our developer stats!

Without further ado, let's dive right in!

Stepping onto the floor at TGS was a dream come true! This year was a landmark moment for us. With over 200,000 visitors pouring in, we knew it was going to be big—but we were blown away by the reality!

This year, we had our biggest booth ever, and we owe a massive shout-out to our awesome publisher, Red Dunes Games, for their support! They helped us create some seriously cool gifts for the fans who came to enjoy the new build. Thank you for making us look so good!

B2B vs. Public Days: The first two days were our B2B sessions, which our small team could mostly handle. But once those doors opened for the public... it was CRAZY! People just kept pouring in, eager to try the game.

Real-Time Reactions: We loved watching your faces light up (and sometimes scrunch up in concentration!) as you played the demo. Getting that instant, honest feedback was invaluable. The great reactions and genuine enthusiasm proved we're on the right track!

Global Connection: We took the chance to run a survey to understand what the Japanese market truly loves. Trying to communicate with our passionate players was a hilarious adventure in gestures and pointing—but as we all know, gaming is a universal language, right? There’s truly nothing quite like seeing they play our game in person!

"While the wishlist number was modest, the experience of having our entire team understand what players truly want and how they interact with our game is priceless. This qualitative data is going to make the final game infinitely better."

We realized that even if a player doesn't understand the text, the storytelling needs to shine through the gameplay, art, and emotion. We are now committed to capturing the player's interest more effectively by prioritizing a clearer and more impactful visual/emotional narrative.

Observing all the different reactions gave us a better compass for player needs. We know exactly which moments in the game are naturally fun and how to guide players to those moments faster.

Steam Next Fest is the single shot an indie game gets on its path to launch, and it just so happened to overlap directly with our Gamescom Asia trip! Talk about a logistical boss fight!

The internal team strategy session was intense: we had to execute the "Great Split"—planning exactly who would man the physical booth in Bangkok and who would lead the charge in the digital trenches of Steam. It was a stressful sprint, but we are thrilled and a little tired, since we can only do this once, we went all-in to maximize our exposure and traction

We committed to live-streaming our game throughout the entire event. This ensured we were constantly popping up on the Next Fest pages, giving players a chance to see the gameplay, ask questions in real-time, and feel connected to the developers.

Our team worked hard to prepare the best possible demo experience, clocking in at around 2-3 hours of gameplay. This length was strategic: it allowed you to fully grasp the:

• The Intro & Atmosphere: Setting the mood and look-and-feel.

• Core Concept & Mechanic: Giving you a solid understanding of what makes LightSup! unique.

Overlapping a physical event with the one-time Next Fest was a huge risk, but it paid off in visibility and critical mass. It confirmed that no matter how busy we are, we have to keep that direct line open to you, the players, through consistent streaming and a high-quality, memorable demo.

The end of the year turned into a massive balancing act! Since Gamescom Asia overlapped with Steam Next Fest, we had to pull a classic team move: we split up! Half the team managed the online event, while the other half headed to the convention floor.

We brought tons of fun giveaways for all the players. What really surprised us was how much everyone loved them! You guys really connect with the art style of LightSup!, and seeing your genuine excitement when you got a prize made us so happy and cemented your place in the world of our game.

We also made sure to improve the build from the Tokyo Game Show in September. We wanted the Gamescom version to be even easier to jump into, and for those who couldn't make it, you can now enjoy the same great improvements in the new demo available on Steam!

The build we brought to Gamescom was a hit, which made us so satisfied and happy! We loved watching everyone play. It's fascinating how different groups approach the game—for example, we noticed that Thai players have a slightly different play style compared to players from other countries, which is great insight!

We collected some truly valuable feedback, and here’s the best part: we loved it so much that we already implemented a key change this month (November) based on it! We won't spoil it, but you'll have to jump into the game to find out what it is! 😉

One major piece of feedback we got was about the pacing:

"The text speed on the story animations is too fast! We can't keep up and get lost in the story." that's a super important note, and we are working to make sure everyone can enjoy the narrative at their own pace!

This year was special because it was the first time Gamescom Asia was held right here in Bangkok, Thailand. We initially thought the crowd would be mostly Thai, but we were wonderfully wrong! About 40% of the visitors were foreigners!

This gave us fantastic exposure and revealed a few key things:

We heard from many Thai players who love the game and are passionately asking for localization! We hear you loud and clear!

Our game got a lot more eyeballs on it globally. We even got an interview from a Japanese press member who just walked up to our booth! He told us the art style was incredibly attractive and wanted to know everything about LightSup!

Moments like that really fuel us and prove we're heading in the right direction!

We are participating in Southeast Asia Games Onward 2025! Check us out from December 9th to December 20th, and don't forget to wishlist the game while you are at it!

A huge, THANK YOU to everyone who participated in Steam Next Fest, visited us at Gamescom Asia, gave us feedback, and shared a good time with the Bugblio Studio team! Your passion keeps the lights on—literally!

Stay tuned for more updates!

The Bugblio Studio Team!

We have decided to remove Mac support from Usurp given certain problems we have encountered in regards to networking and Apple permissions. We understand that this might be an inconvenience to some and we appreciate all the support you have given us through this development process. Anyone who has purchased a Mac version of the game will be refunded. Going forward, Usurp will be only available on Windows.

-Mikey, Lead Designer

Available now is the newest expansion: Dynasties of the East! Command the powerful Golden Horde, the ambitious Macedonian Dynasty, the tactical Sengoku Daimyo, and the versatile Tughlaq Dynasty—each offering new ways to master the battlefield. This expansion also introduces The Crucible, an all-new single player roguelite RTS experience, as well as new maps and biomes!

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https://store.steampowered.com/app/3067190/Age_of_Empires_IV_Dynasties_of_the_East/

• Four Powerful Dynasties
  
  • Golden Horde
    
  • Macedonian Dynasty
    
  • Sengoku Daimyo
    
  • Tughlaq Dynasty
• 8 Maps and 6 Biomes
  
• The Crucible: an all-new single player RTS experience with dynamic and unpredictable challenges

Dynasties of the East is a bold new expansion for Age of Empires IV, introducing four variant civilizations, each with unique units, tech trees, and new strategies. Command the powerful Golden Horde, the ambitious Macedonian Dynasty, the tactical Sengoku Daimyo, and the versatile Tughlaq Dynasty—each offering new ways to master the battlefield.

Want More? We’ve got you covered with civilization pages!

Explore six new biomes, from tropical rainforests to mythic coastlines, and battle across eight diverse maps, ranging from focused and competitive to creative and chaotic. Whether you’re a seasoned tactician or returning to the battlefield to reclaim glory, Dynasties of the East delivers the next great evolution in the Age of Empires IV experience.

You’ll find a list of the new maps, along with a quick view of the six biomes below!

• Canyon
  
• Cliffsanity
  
• Craters
  
• Dungeon
  
• Michi
  
• Nomadic Ridges
  
• Nomadic Tarns
  
• Ocean Gateway

With this expansion comes The Crucible, an all-new single player roguelite RTS experience. Players face unpredictable enemy waves, randomized objectives, and unlockable upgrades. No two matches are the same, and every decision shapes the path forward.

Whether you’re defending your Wonder, unlocking powerful Perks or testing your endurance, The Crucible delivers a fresh twist on traditional Age of Empires IV gameplay.

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https://store.steampowered.com/app/3067190/Age_of_Empires_IV_Dynasties_of_the_East/

• Bring the harvest home! Adorn your plot with decorative crops and fairytale-inspired walls and floors fit for a charming kingdom! 🏰
  
• Give thanks and give back; The Bounty Donation Drive bundle has arrived on the Bulletin Board! 💜
  
• Sit pretty with your friends with the new interactable benches in Kilima Village! 🧑‍🤝‍🧑
  
• Gather ‘round the table with the new Community Event, The Great Palian Potluck! 🍽️
  
• Live your own “happily ever after” with the new Rapunzel Premium Cosmetics, Wol Mailbox, Mimic Salesbin, an enchanting Landscape, and your loyal Ormuu friend! 🐮
  
• …and more!

To learn more, read the full patch notes here.

===

Need support? Visit support.palia.com
To connect with other Palians, join the discord here.

It’s official: we’re finally opening the doors to Super Animal World on Tuesday, December 9th!

This has been the largest and most ambitious project our small team has ever taken on, and we couldn’t be more proud of how it’s turned out. Super Animal World sets a whole new foundation for us to build on for years to come, and we can’t wait to get it into your paws. All your progress carries over into the expansion, which will arrive as a free patch to Super Animal Royale.

Today’s two-part trailer opens with a musical number introducing some of our new characters and activities, and then shifts into an extended gameplay sequence, offering the largest look yet at Super Animal World. We’ll share more in the leadup to launch (and there are surprises sprinkled throughout the trailer), but here are a few highlights:

The Social Hub was inspired by seeing how social so many of you are in pre-game lobbies. It’s a living, breathing space to meet, connect, and explore between rounds of fighting to the death.

You can spend as much time as you like in the new, cozier space, hanging out with friends, catching bugs and fish, racing in hamsterballs, meeting NPC characters, and embarking on quests to uncover the island’s twisted backstory. You’ll matchmake into any of the game’s modes straight from the Social Hub, play your match, and then return to the Social Hub to claim rewards and continue your quests: completing the Circle of Super Life.

A lot of these activities are best experienced first-hand, so we’ll save some surprises for release, but at launch, we’ll have 100 total bugs and fish to catch and six hamsterball tracks to race on. We’re also adding long-requested social features, like a cross-platform friends list so you can party up wherever your friends play.

The expansion includes a large novel’s worth of storytelling (140,000+ words!), in which you’ll uncover the history of the island. For context, that’s 1.5x longer than The Hobbit, and 4.7x longer than Animal Farm (which may or may not have been an inspiration for the events that unfold at Super Animal Farm…).

There are over 100 NPCs to meet and interact with, some familiar and many brand-new. You’ll experience their stories through more than 350 quests, and they'll reward you with XP, Carl Coins, and, now and then, exclusive cosmetic items. Ruben and our translators have been working super hard on all of this, and we can’t wait for you to dive in and explore the island’s mysteries!

We’ve redesigned and rebuilt the game’s UI top-to-bottom, so that everything is accessible in-world. We’ll have more to share on this soon, but it was a massive undertaking that makes everyday play smoother and more immersive. This also includes a new Settings menu with community-requested features like hiding armor and muting hit sounds in the lobby / Social Hub.

Super Eagle-eyed players will also spot the new Super Hamster as well as the new Hamsterball Stadium location. No more hamsterballs without Super Hamsters!

This is just a sampling of the headline additions that we’ve been working on for nearly 3 years, and we’ll have more to share over the next month.

We’re also finally bringing Super Animal Royale to Nintendo Switch and PlayStation in Japan and across Asia for the first time. It’s a huge milestone for us and we’re super excited for how it’ll expand the global player base even further.

We hope you enjoy the trailer and are as excited for Super Animal World’s release as we are. It would mean the super world to us if you could help us spread the word so we have the biggest possible opening day in December!

For all the latest Super Animal World news, subscribe to our ​​newsletter and follow us on:






You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, TikTok, and Threads.

See you on opening day, Super Animals!

This release is for compatibility with Dwarf Fortress 53.02.

As always, remember that, just like the vanilla DF game, DFHack tools can also have bugs. It is a good idea to save often and keep backups of the forts that you care about. Some DFHack tools that worked in previous (pre-Steam) versions of DF have not been updated yet and are marked with the "unavailable" tag in their docs. If you try to run them, they will show a warning and exit immediately. You can run the command again to override the warning (though of course the tools may not work). We make no guarantees of reliability for the tools that are marked as "unavailable". The in-game interface for running DFHack commands ( gui/launcher ) will not show "unavailable" tools by default. You can still run them if you know their names, or you can turn on dev mode by hitting Ctrl-D while in gui/launcher and they will be added to the autocomplete list. Some tools listed as "unavailable" in the docs do not compile yet and are not accessible at all, even when in dev mode. If you see a tool complaining about the lack of a cursor, know that it's referring to the keyboard cursor (which used to be the only real option in Dwarf Fortress). You can enable the keyboard cursor by entering mining mode or selecting the dump/forbid tool and hitting Alt-K (the DFHack keybinding for toggle-kbd-cursor ). We're working on making DFHack tools more mouse-aware and accessible so this step isn't necessary in the future.

• Core: added "gps" ("graphicst") to the set of globals whose sizes must agree for DFHack to pass initialization checks

• Added new tutorial: Diskettes.

• Introduced experimental 4K screen resolution options.

• You can now send support requests directly from the Help panel.

Hello guys,

• Physics Update :- I have fixed some bugs on some props. However some bugs are still present in other props. I am aware of it and I will fix it in coming updates.

• Demo Released :- Demo has been released with 20-25 props. The save files in the demo will upgrade to full version seamlessly.

Since the game graphics is undergoing a major overhaul , some issues with props may arise which will be ironed out in next update 1.0 which is too be out soon. If possible i may do another update with this fixes before hitting 1.0. The Full release is almost round the corner so i appreciate your patience.

Thanks,
Agniv

Greetings Deckbuilders!

When the last spark of humanity flickered out, we asked ourselves: what if survival meant defending the final ember in a frozen world?

The main source of inspiration was Game of Thrones, especially its battle scenes—whether between humans or against the White Walkers. Scenes like lighting the flames beyond the Wall to block the undead’s advance left a deep impression on us. These moments helped define the game’s tone: enemies far greater in number, the tension of defense and counterattack, the unity of mankind, and the ever-present winter setting.

In addition, classic RTS titles like StarCraft and Warcraft II shaped our early gaming memories. The thrill of commanding units, coordinating forces, and achieving that “1 + 1 > 2” synergy became a foundation for several core mechanics:

• Troop synergy

• Interaction between abilities and keywords

• Complex, sometimes unpredictable “battlefield chemistry”

We didn’t initially choose the card-game direction because everyone was a fan of TCGs. Instead, cards felt like an intuitive and flexible way to present strategy and decision-making—they could just as easily have been miniature soldiers on a battlefield. But once you introduce “cards,” you inherit a whole world of TCG-related concepts. As development continued, we explored and played similar titles to refine our understanding.

In early versions, FrostBound wasn’t the grounded tower-defense game you see today. Players originally commanded a floating fortress. After completing the tutorial, the castle would literally rise from the ground and take flight. The concept was to explore how, after a great cataclysm, a lone ark could search for and preserve civilization.

Ironically, I’m not a particularly seasoned or passionate card-game player—at least not compared to our planners. Naturally, the game’s rules were influenced by titles like Gwent and Slay the Spire.

That lack of deep card-game experience became both a blessing and a curse:

• We weren’t constrained by what card games “should” be.

• We spent tremendous effort later to make the logic intuitive for traditional card players.

• It allowed us to create a subtle “new genre,” blending roguelike, tower defense, and auto-battler elements.

For a long time, we jokingly called it “a card-based version of Plants vs. Zombies.”

As a hybrid between card and tower-defense systems, FrostBound delivers a unique “battlefront tug-of-war,” where waves of enemies crash forward and soldiers hold their ground. Including structure cards (which act like relics or permanent effects), the total number exceeds 500 cards.

There are no deck restrictions by hero or class—everything draws from a shared pool. Our goal was to give players extreme freedom and truly emergent strategies, letting each player find their own path to victory.

Beyond the roguelike randomness and vast card pool, one moment stands above all others—the defensive counterattack.

Just like in Game of Thrones, humanity starts under overwhelming pressure, then strikes back. During early demos, when players were pushed to the last line of defense and managed a desperate comeback, their excitement was unmatched. We’ve been chasing that feeling ever since.

We designed comeback mechanisms, tuned enemy waves, and refined difficulty pacing to encourage that reversal moment. When a player truly feels like “the last bastion in winter,” retreating step by step until rallying to victory—that alone makes all the effort worth it.

Since many of us are huge fans of survival games, our early concept gave significant weight to management and survival aspects. It made sense, given that the player is a city lord.

Originally, the player commanded a floating fortress waging wars across snow-covered lands, ultimately to defeat the northern calamity.

A variant of this idea replaced the floating fortress with a hex-grid city builder, where building placement and adjacency created gameplay relationships.

At that time, the game loop was much longer than it is now. Players not only fought battles but also built farms, banks, and other basic infrastructure.

Eventually, we realized that these mixed systems didn’t blend well. The roguelike structure required shorter, tighter sessions, while management systems demanded longer playtime and more complexity.

So we started simplifying. We redesigned the game into one where the player explores the world on a floating city, visiting points of interest, engaging in battles, and gathering resources from forests and mines, while a storm constantly pursued them from the west.

It sounded great on paper, and the initial prototype even worked. But over time, we found that the complexity wasn’t matched by long-term fun. It was novel at first, but hard to balance.

Ultimately, we chose to focus on subtraction, removing the management systems entirely so players could fully immerse themselves in the combat experience. All metadata was reorganized into a clean and straightforward interface, making each run shorter and more focused. That’s how we arrived at the game’s current form.

As for art direction, we experimented with multiple styles early on, but after considering development cost, team capacity, and visual consistency, we settled on the current look and continued refining it from there

Feb 2024 - Pre-production & research stage

May 2024 - First Demo

Our goal was always to make players truly feel the thrill of battlefield strategy. To achieve that, we went through countless iterations and hard lessons. Early versions were brutally difficult — during prototype testing among friends, the demo’s completion rate was under 5%.

• In early builds, monsters had no attack limit per turn. Once combat began, it was a fight to the death.

• Combined with higher base stats, this created an intense “last stand” tone that became part of the game’s emotional foundation.

• Elite cards, now a key source of mid-battle progression, used to function just like regular defense cards — going to the discard pile when defeated and unable to earn reputation unless they scored kills.

Naturally, the overwhelming difficulty led to frustration. During a private playtest about two weeks before the Steam demo, a few hardcore card gamers loved the challenge, but most players were overwhelmed. The idea of “heroic comeback” sounded thrilling, but being powerless against the enemy just felt cruel.

We reflected deeply and made immediate changes.

The root causes were complex mechanics, poor onboarding, unbalanced numbers — and most importantly, low tolerance for mistakes and excessive reliance on luck.

Beyond improving tutorials, we implemented two key changes:

• Elite cards now return to your hand when destroyed or withdrawn.

• Restart options were added, including replaying a turn and eventually replaying an entire battle.

After these updates, feedback shifted from “this makes no sense” and “it’s too hard” to “I pulled off an amazing round!” and “This game is awesome!” — reactions that kept us motivated.

Our 500+ cards have undergone at least 2,000 rounds of numerical tuning or reworks. At first, we treated balance like an equation — comparing costs (resources, timing, player decisions) against expected value or payoff.

For a long time, we tried to “balance the math.” We built spreadsheets and ran analyses, but eventually abandoned that approach. In hindsight, there were three main reasons:

• True balance takes years. With a small team and limited resources, we couldn’t endlessly fine-tune like big studios.

• Player behavior changes everything. The same card can feel wildly different depending on a player’s build or timing.

• Emotion can’t be balanced. Players crave moments that feel beyond numbers — the thrill of risk and reward.

We learned that experience matters more than equations.

For example, there’s a “casino” event with huge variance: harsh penalties but enormous rewards. Players found clever ways to exploit it for massive gains and joked about “smashing the casino.” It became a running community meme.

There’s no “right” conclusion here — we’re still exploring. But perhaps this spirit is why players affectionately call us “Wheelchair Studio.”

Lyra Studio was officially founded in September 2024. It all began with a few old friends from across the country, people who had known each other for over a decade. Each had gone their separate ways, faced their own setbacks, but ultimately came together again, united by our shared love of games and a common belief.

Next time, we’ll dive into how we built our first enemy faction - and why they freeze their own troops to gain power.

💙 Support our journey:

Wishlist FrostBound on Steam!

Join our Discord!

Follow for Devlog #2

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3649580/FrostBound/

Are you ready for some excitement? 

The gamigo Steam Publisher Sale is live, and we’re turning it into a celebration you won’t forget!

Don’t miss this chance to power up, grab some rewards, and enjoy the celebration with your fellow heroes.

The adventure awaits - are you in?

Level up your character and enjoy a 50% XP and Drop boost! Take advantage of this opportunity to grow stronger!

Duration: Active until November 12, 2025, 1 AM PST.

Redeem the code FO2025GAMIGO  via the in-game voucher system to receive the following items:

• 1× Maleficent Costume (7 Days) (+6% Damage, +6% Defense)

• 1× Black Bunny Masque (7 Days) (+6% Evasion, +4% Defense)

• 1× Frilly Black Bunny Eye Patch (7 Days) (+5% Crit, +5% Damage)

• 2× Quest EXP Booster 30% (1 Day)

• 1× \[Pickup] Chocaty Puffo (7 Days) (+25 Stats)

Duration: Active until November 12, 2025, 1 AM PST..

Join our Puzzle Event on Discord and get a chance to win 10,000 Slime Coins! 

Visit our Discord server for all the details and participation instructions.

Ready to dive in? Log in, claim your rewards, and enjoy the adventure! 

See you in Isya!