Hey Folks,
It’s been a quiet 3 months since we launched Public Update 2, and we’re well aware of it!
Hopefully you’ve noticed the return of Donovan on our Social channels - his sick content isn’t what we’re here to talk about today but there’s no way we can give an update without giving him a shout out. If you aren’t already following @sessiongame on Instagram and Facebook, or @actionofcreate on Twitter, then get on it!
Introduction
My name is Jeffrey Spicer, and I’m the Producer here at crea-ture studios. I was lucky enough to join the studio in October, 2021. The goal of my addition to the team is to ensure we get the game to the finish line, on budget, and at the best quality within the previous constraints. Along with managing the game production come tasks like writing a DevBlog, coordinating with our roster of skaters, and building/working with the best team on the sickest skate game ever…Session: Skate Sim.
I started my career in games as a tester on EA Skate in 2006, and here I am today 16 years later working on Session: Skate Sim. As an avid skater, and passionate developer, joining crea-ture studios was a no brainer. With this context in place, we can now get into the Session DevBlog!
Last Update
The last DevBlog update was with the drop of Public Update 2, and we had some pretty big changes to share on the gameplay front. We started to tease the transition gameplay feature, with an early implementation into the “pumping” mechanic. This additional plane of skateboard to world interaction presented a wealth of opportunities. Leg work, and improved torso and trunk separation, also improved the feel and flow of rotations. Overall we felt there was a marked improvement to the core gameplay experience - skating.
Each of these additions to the core skate experience was a reminder of the awesome mechanics and solid skate foundation we have in Session, but they also reminded us of the growing need for consistency in our gameplay and feedback!
Skating is an art with fine margins, and the need for force with a touch of grace. Creating an environment to provide the right balance of reality, challenge, and engagement takes a lot of fine tuning… Since the launch of PU2 we have continued to pull together as a team working on our structure and aligning on what work remained to be closed. Asking the critical questions of where did we want to put our time & money? And where could we provide the best experience for the skater?
Today
We have officially hit our Gold Candidate in-house, and we’re looking at the road to V1 launch this Fall. We have a lot we hope to achieve for V1, but also in the days, weeks, and months that follow.
We’ve officially closed our roster of skaters. From local heroes, to some of the biggest names in the industry, we have a variety of skaters for everyone’s fancy. As of today we have only announced ~66% of the roster, so stay tuned to our social channels for more updates!
Session world optimization is in full swing. The streets of New York & Philly are being cleaned up, ledges waxed, and benches adjusted just in time for release. Plus we have everything sorted on the final city destination for launch, we’re keeping tight lipped on these incredible historic spots for sure!
We also have some much anticipated announcements to make regarding your fit and gear! Not everyone wants to wear skinny jeans and we feel you, stay tuned for the Fall drop in the skateshop. We’ve got lots of new brands and some new styles to hit the shelves!
Game testing has picked up in full while we continue to focus on feature polish and community feedback. Beyond the skaters, locations, and gear - is the core skate mechanic. The skate experience and immersion is the best it’s ever been. However we still have some core bugs that have not been addressed. With the impending V1 deadline, the realities of time, money, and quality have led to some tough conversations in the studio.
Included in these conversations were discussions on the team structure and our production plans for closing V1 and moving into post launch. From the early days of the Session prototype, to early access release, and finally Nacon purchasing crea-ture, the team and the project have gone through many phases of growth. We now have a proven product, a clear market audience, and a plan for the future. Therefore the next step is to ensure we have a sustainable structure to support this vision.
June and Beyond
Along with the shift from Early access to V1 launch, and the team’s structural changes, we have made the necessary call to cut the upcoming third and final public update this coming June. As skaters, and gamers, we know what’s expected and we hold ourselves to a high level of quality. The current improvements in the game show great promise, but the need to further improve quality and cement the best skate experience for V1 in the Fall is our priority. We hear the quality concerns, we see the bugs, and we feel for all of you folks on unreleased platforms!
So…we ask that you hold out for a few more months as we put ALL of our energy into V1 & beyond. We will continue to share progress over our social channels as well as monthly dev blogs.
For all of you out there waiting on the full release date…the time has come. We are ready to leave Early Access behind and blow the doors off of our full launch September 22nd, 2022!
Development Updates
- Achievements are loaded and ready to go
- Ragdoll Slams have been integrated and are lots of fun!
- Physical Animation rework
- Our Third and final city for v1 is in game, fully playable, and full of sick spots…
- Transit System rework with updated bus routes & stations updates
- Powerslides fully transition through stances & allow the player to transfer weight
- User Interface overhaul for art & layout
- All skaters are in 3D production, and big news to come on the community side…
- The full Skater Journey has been integrated & is in debug - 100%
- Translation has kicked off!
DEBUG
Did we mention we’re working on bugs?!
- The addition of bail rules cuts a lot of the on board shenanigans
- Addition of a safe zone check when pressing “Y” to get on board to avoid buggy on board situations
- Cleaned Mission Flow
- Fixed “Physical Anim” noodle arms on Session marker use
- Performance improvements
- Controller disconnect bugs
- Skate shop items locked when completing story missions on Xbox
Cut from V1
The following features have been “cut” from V1 for quality reasons, however they are on the list for our possible post launch production plans:
- On Foot navigation improvements have been CUT
- Legacy controls have been CUT
- Grabs & Vert have been CUT
- Party Games have been CUT
Peace!
The crea-ture team