All in-game footage in this blog post comes from an EA beta build and may differ from the final game. Check out the dev vlog here.
Pending… Pending…
Message received
Once again our paths cross! We’re happy to make contact with you. It’s now been a couple of months since our last message reached Earth, and a lot of things has happened here on Tycos.
At the studio, or as we like to call it, Mission Control, things are moving fast. A running joke among us is to refer to “Locktober”, as in being “locked-in” during the month of October. Even if this is obviously very much a joke, the studio has delivered like never before. Some serious development and teamwork is happening in between multiple teams and disciplines, and it’s really amazing to see what 16 different people can accomplish when given the time and resources to do so. We’re very happy and very proud of all our skilled and creative developers behind ATMOSFAR. Keep it up!
Writing and putting together these dev blogs is always a difficult task. Not because we’re lacking things to write about, quite the opposite! There is always so many new things being added to the game, big or small, every single day. Compiling all of these into one single post (and at the same time not turning it into a book) is quite the challenge. And of course, to package it all in a way to make it understandable and still not give out too many spoilers.
Well, we’ve got no time to spare. Better get to it then! Just know, that in each of these dev blogs, we pick out a mixture of topics to highlight. A lot more is happening than the things we show here. Alas, let’s go!
Creating a playable demo
If you’ve read our previous dev blogs or follow us on Tiktok, you’re probably aware of the fact that we’ve attended both Gamescom and PAX West this year. We’re very happy to have gotten these opportunities and to have had the chance to let people playtest ATMOSFAR for the first time. In this dev blog, we’d like to go through the work and effort that was put into creating a playable demo for the public and what it meant for us as a studio.
Obviously, the endgame (pun intended) when you’re in this industry is of course to make a product that people all around the world can take part of and experience. Making a demo is just a smaller version of that. But what not might be as obvious, is the great contrast on working on something internally for years and then suddenly letting new people see it, touch it, experience it and form their own opinion about it. How scary is that?! And how exciting?!
As with many indie studios, it is sometimes difficult to anticipate the road that lies ahead. Much of the external work we do, and the opportunities we get are very often dependent on external decisions and opinions. Don’t get us wrong, we have a very clear vision of what ATMOSFAR is and should be, and we are staying true to that. But when it comes to exposure, the decision is not always up to us. In order to be featured in events, both online and in real-life, it often boils down to some kind of jury deciding whether your game for example looks polished enough, has enough “news-worth” or if it suits the genre and style for that specific event. This is probably a good thing. If it were up to us, ATMOSFAR would be on every billboard around Earth…
But, since we cannot always make these decisions ourselves, that also means that we don’t always know where we might end up. As an extension to this, it also means that we have to be agile and flexible when working on the game, as we might need to suddenly produce something we did not anticipate a year ago. The demo is similar to this in its nature. Looking back, showcasing ATMOSFAR and reaching a bigger audience has always been our goal, but overlooking exactly which opportunities that might arise is sometimes an impossible task. Working like this certainly has its charm, but it also means that everyone at the studio must be capable to pivot quickly in both priorities and creativity. We are very proud to say that we are capable of doing so and we feel that the demo has proven that.
When we started production of the reveal teaser, we quickly realized that we had to redirect the production schedule we were currently following. When working on the game itself, we have followed a “bottom up” perspective, meaning that we’ve started with the largest things (such as islands, main story line, vehicles etc.) and worked our way into more detailed aspects of the game (like vegetation for example) when the bigger pieces were in place. When we then needed to pivot to a demo, we quickly realized that we had to focus on a lot of things that weren’t planned until later in production. As to not lose too much valuable time on the main game itself, we simply turned production the other way around, and focused on necessary assets for the demo that we also are able to use later in the main game.
Thanks to the extensive work on the game before the demo, we were able to put together a polished, around 30 minutes long experience that we feel convey the unique atmosphere, setting and art style of ATMOSFAR. By already having a solid foundation combined with flexibility, we were able to create this demo in little over a month’s time.
For us, the demo wasn’t just about redirecting development, it was a also a great way to practice releasing the game. The demo gave us an opportunity to test a lot of the gameplay systems in a real setting, work with bug fixing (yes, we had some bugs…), and also pushed us to get the localization system up and running. For a few of us at the studio, this also was the first time we’ve ever released something into the hands of external people, to let them play and explore whatever they wanted. While it is a nerve wracking experience (with a lot of “what ifs”), it was also an immense learning experience for the whole studio. Not only did we get to see what the players actually thought of ATMOSFAR, but we also got to prove to ourselves what we all are capable of doing together.
Once again, we are very thankful for getting these opportunities, for getting the feedback and for people even being interested in ATMOSFAR! H U G E thanks to everyone who played it, who’ve joined our Discord or who’s even reading these dev blogs. You’re the ones that make this possible in the first place!
Biomes, boulders, and plants that can kill you
As explained in our previous dev blog, the plan and vision for Planet Tycos is determined, and what we’re focusing on now is to add detail to these bigger structures, to make it all feel like a complete and living world. We’ve continued with vegetation like before, but now with a focus on sub-biomes and interactive plants.
Sub-biomes are limited areas within bigger biomes (regions). Each sub biome is defined by their typical vegetation, resources and animals.
The unique weather and nature phenomena of the planet has left its mark on the Tycos' surroundings, marks that that tell a story about years of erosion from wind and rain. Located right at the edges of some of the islands, the Boulder Shores, once proud and staggering, have now been worn down by the howling winds. Here, only the most resilient and stubborn plants can take root. The landscape is harmonic in its shape, but barren and harsh. Finding resources along these shores is only for the most observant Vagabond.
This is only one of the sub biomes you will be able to find on Tycos. We won’t go into too much detail regarding the rest, as to not spoil it for you. The other biomes are for you to find and explore!
The studio’s working name for the so called interactive plants is plantimals. We use this terminology since they are a mixture between animals and plants. They don’t have as much agency as animals, meaning that they can’t for example walk around, pursue you or actively target you. On the other hand, they’re not fully plants either. They have more agency than what we typically refer to as plants or flowers. Even though they can’t make any active decisions for themselves, they are able to very quickly respond to their surroundings, and reflexively react upon this.
An example of a typical plantimal would be the Venus Flytrap or the Flame Flower (both working names), that we presented in the last dev blog. More of these creatures have taken root on Tycos, offering challenges, and in some cases even assistance.
A plant that will offer you both is the Power Pendulum (working name). These plants have the remarkable ability to capture energy from the environment during the day, only to release it in the form of bio-luminescence and electric currents during the night. While photosynthesis does sustain them similarly to other plants, draining electrical current from nearby targets supercharges their growing mechanisms and gives it an evolutionary advantage. This means that you are able to siphon electricity from these plants during their active night cycle, should you be in need of charging your backpack, for example. However, if you get to close to them during daytime (i.e. when they’re collecting energy), your electrical equipment will get drained.
Vagabond architecture
Even though we’ve had a lot of assets for the Vagabond lifestyle within ATMOSFAR for quite some time, like the foldable camp equipment, all Wasps and even the massive Cloud Cruiser, a major component has been missing. Or until now, at least!
When experiencing ATMOSFAR and planet Tycos, you will do so as a Vagabond. However, as you might have guessed already from our previous dev blogs, you will not be all alone on Tycos. On your journeys across the alien world, you will most probably stumble upon other humans as well.
When the Vagabonds renounced the PACE regime, they were familiar with the treachery of Tycos, and that they’d have a bigger chance of surviving by teaming up rather than staying alone. Most of the people that broke free already shared fundamental values such as honoring Tycos and its natural systems, seeking to live alongside nature instead of trying to dominate it. The exiles were also joined in the notion and wish for a more autonomous society, where hierarchy was disregarded and people could live together side by side, equally contributing according to their own skills and capabilities. Thanks to the already conforming mindset and goals, the rebels faced little to no issues when uniting, and thus, the Vagabonds, their lifestyle, cause and society were born.
The Vagabonds continued to explore Tycos in the pursuit of places where they could both hide from PACE and find somewhat refuge from the harsh weather conditions that define planet Tycos. The Vagabonds found places and islands around the world that offered enough shelter and resources, and decided to stay there. Soon enough, these places became established camps, and on some islands even small settlements.
It is in regards to these settlements, where we come in. When designing the architecture for the Vagabonds and their settlements, we wanted it to stand out and really contrast the typical PACE architecture. PACE prioritized practicality and rapid development, which often can be seen in their brutalism inspired architecture. Here, the architecture is defined by boxy and griddy shapes and and overall lack of details and decorations. PACE wanted a job done, and they wanted it done fast.
As the Vagabonds escaped, that also meant that they would have a very restrained access to raw materials: They were simply not capable to produce things at the same scale as PACE. This is reflected in their gadgets, tools and architecture. While PACE had access to more raw materials, the Vagabonds had time, and a resourceful mentality. This allowed them to create new gadgets and components, recycle old ones and to turn their settlement into what it actually was: A home.
During the last months, a lot of our focus has thus gone into designing a typical and recognizable architectural style that conveys both the Vagabond lifestyle and its softer, more welcoming approach.
Working on some sweet moves
As per our last dev blog, animation is still very much in development, and is still one of our main current focus points. As it turns out, animal animations require quite a lot of time and effort. Who would’ve thought, eh?
The next candidate to bust out some sweet moves has been the Blisterback. This creature actually got its name from the community (you should join our Discord Server to participate in the game’s development!). While its still in development, the Blisterback can now walk, run (or rather gallop), and do a variety of attacks. We’ll hold off with showing the attacks, as that will be something for you to discover when you reach Tycos for the first time…
Next up to get some more action is actually… You! Or well, an extension of you, if we’re going to nitpick. What we’re referring to here is the Fighter Wasp (working name). Thanks to people trying out and feedbacking the demo, we realized that the camera connected to the flight system might not be a suitable option for everyone. Before, the camera was always automatically attached to the Wasp, meaning that if you turned, or even did a full barrel roll, the camera would spin around too. As this might trigger motion sickness for some, we’re currently working on an alternate option, where the camera doesn’t spin together with the Wasp.
We’ve also been working on one of the major gameplay mechanics for the Fighter: The fighting! You are now able to fire multiple stunner projectiles at a high rate. You also have a built-in aiming system for the Fighter, that clearly lets you see where and what you’re aiming at. This has of course been planned for a long time for the Fighter Wasp, and now we’ve finally had the chance to work on it.
Tokyo Game Show 2025
To end this dev blog with a bang, we’re very grateful to let you all know that we also went to Tokyo Games Show! Even though we’ve showcased ATMOSFAR twice (!), seeing new people try it out is still as exciting and nerve-wracking as it was the first time. Seeing people react, adapt and overcome the challenges we’ve designed for them comes with a certain feeling. Warms a game developer’s heart! At TGS we got the opportunity to have a slightly bigger and more detailed booth than at previous events. Check it out below!
To accommodate our Japanese audience, we implemented full controller support, meaning that the demo could be played from start to finish using a controller. Having controller support for ATMOSFAR has long been in our pipeline, so having the chance to try out the system on a real audience was a great opportunity.
Showing ATMOSFAR to an even more players has yet again proven very useful, as it gave us a lot of insight of how the game is received, and what things we might need to tweak in the future. The core to making a good game is truly to see what people think about it, and to adapt to it all the while staying true to the initial vision. Once again we feel inclined to thank everybody who checked out our booth or even played the demo. Your interest, feedback and support means a whole lot to us!
The road ahead
Looking forward, our pipeline will consist of… Yep, you guessed it: Animal animations! Even if it’s a big project that requires thorough planning and detailing, it is not the only thing we’ll be working on. We’ll also continue the development of another major island, fill the world with more islets and island fragments, add more buildable models to the Cloud Crusier, and continue to work on general gameplay and performance polishing. We will be busy alright!
We’re already looking forward until next time we get the opportunity to share a chunk of what we’re up to. Thank you for being here, and until next time:
Keep the blue side up!
// Apog Labs
