Good news! The first Snowtopia update is available :) and we wanted to take this opportunity to tell you a little bit about what’s been going on in terms of the game’s development, like what the update includes, how development work is progressing, what we are working on at the moment, and what the next steps are!
I- Mac and Linux versions
The majority of our development focus has been on the Linux and Mac versions. As you are maybe aware, these versions have been on the table a while but this work hasn’t exactly been the aspect of our job that has been the most fun. To begin with, we had problems with the graphics, and then we were slowed by performance-related issues. That’s only to be expected in the world of video-game development but we probably underestimated what was required slightly. Lots of games released in early access form wait until the final version is ready to address these two platforms, and there’s a very good reason for that: they both generate lots of complexities. That’s just the way it is. We really wanted to cover them both from the outset, but since we are only a small team (the equivalent of 1½ full-time programmers), that would have prevented us from moving forward in other areas at the same time. On top of that, there was an evening curfew in France for several months, which eventually mutated into another lockdown. In an ideal world, we would have gathered the entire team in one place to boost morale and trade information, but that was simply out of the question.
That said, we are delighted to be able to announce that a Linux version is now available, even though the Mac version continues to pose a problem, particularly from the performance point of view. We have consequently decided to release it in beta form in order to gather as much feedback as possible. So, if you use the Mac version, please don’t hesitate to get back to us via #public-beta. We need your input to help us move forward.
II- What’s new?
Despite all this, we have managed to spend time on two of the big issues that players have reported back to us, namely the complexity of connecting lifts to pre-existing slopes, and the seemingly disproportionate number of falls for which we couldn’t pinpoint the cause.
We have therefore introduced several gameplay changes, including:
- More modern lift models,
- Simplified slope/lift connectivity,
- A clearer indication of slope-surface uniformity and degradation and the fall-risk indicator.
For information, modernising the lifts required lots of other elements to be modified, especially the research feature and lift characteristics. If you would like more in-depth detail, don’t hesitate to read the patch note that comes with the update. You will also see that we have added quite a few keyboard shortcuts and that the loading page is no longer just a black screen.
We initially only intended to release the Mac and Linux versions. However, as time passed by, and as the list of changes that needed to be developed got shorter, we decided to postpone the update in order to be able to integrate them in a way that would give Windows users a chance to try out some small new features. That necessitated a new QA phase which took us up to mid-April.
III- What comes next?
Well, Clément (programmer) is currently working with our graphist Théo on the rendition of the building's construction, and we hope to have something to share with you on this front very soon.
Garry (programmer) has started reviewing the technology used for the slopes based on the groundwork of the design team (Théo and Anne). In this area, we have accrued a number of bugs and optimisation-related issues that can only be resolved by devoting uninterrupted time and attention to them. However, this work will also lay the ground for the development of the slope editing tool, the design of which is practically completed.
Meanwhile, Simon is working on his 659th bug tracker ticket (or polish… you choose) before turning his attention together with the rest of the team to the next major new functionality.
This leads us naturally on to the subject of the construction of the decorative elements. We will start to develop this functionality as soon as possible, a process that will involve everybody. Nadège (producer) will take care of coordinating the whole, while Benjamin (sound designer) will provide embellishing sound effects.
Given that all the gameplay systems are interconnected, the trick will be to split them up into distinct chunks so that they can provide material for our future updates. Our aim is to avoid adding incomprehensible features and having to backtrack. We want to make good, quick progress while taking the necessary time to think everything through carefully. It’s not an easy task and we’ve still got a great deal to learn in this area but, more than anything else, we really want to see the end of lockdown so that we can all meet up together again and spend hours chatting about Snowtopia and everything we want to add!
Thank you for reading!
-TeaForTwo
