Status Update 8/1/22
about 2 years ago
– Mon, Aug 01, 2022 at 09:31:09 PM
Hello again, Voyagers.
It's been some time since you've heard from us, and for that I apologize. The first half of 2022 has been extremely busy, but sadly not in the way that we would have liked. I'll be explaining what exactly we've been up to, and the current state of the project in this update.
Progress Report 8/1/22
The Mikwa and Fulgori infodocs are complete (though changes and additions will likely be made as we go forward), the Human infodoc is about 50% complete.
Island generation, event table, nanotech rules, species stats, edges, hindrances, and equipment are ready to test up to Seasoned level play.
We still have a lot left to do, and we'll be putting together a proper roadmap once we've settled down a little more.
What have you been up to for 6 months?
In short: Freelance work. We managed to pull in about 11k in funding thanks to your generous contributions. We are extremely grateful, but as almost all of that is due to go toward taxes, and printing, and manufacturing costs, we simply can't afford to work on Aether full time.
Sam and I have spent the better part of 4 months working on an uncommonly large freelance project to help pay for living expenses and food costs. That is on top of dealing with a lot of extremely stressful events in our personal lives. We're in a much stronger position now, but we must ask for your patience going forward.
What does this mean for Aether Adrift
It means our timetable is pushed back. With everything going on, having the project complete and ready for print by the beginning of 2023 is unlikely. We should ideally be feature complete by year's end, and be able to focus on playtesting and balancing.
This delay does bring forward some concerns, however. Global prices are soaring for a lot of things, and we're at the beginning of a paper shortage. Printing and shipping might become a serious issue for us in 2023. We're hoping that the industry stabilizes by the time we're ready for fulfillment but we have backup plans in place in case they don't.
What Happens Next?
Next we buckle down and finish the Human and Robot infodocs. We'll start reaching out to Shaper backers to try to nail down their additions. Once the infodocs are completed we'll be going to playtesting ideally by the end of the month.
What do you need from us?
24 backers need to complete their survey. There are several Shaper backers that we haven't heard from yet regarding their additions to the game world. If you are one of those, start considering what you want to add, we will be reaching out to you soon.
We aren't yet comfortable putting a hard cut-off date on the backer submissions, but we want them within the next couple of months ideally.
Can we see some concept art?
I was hoping you'd ask.
Here we have a few creature concepts. The bunny-like and raccoon-like creatures aren't defined yet, but the Wolddi is a stalwart canine companion favored by Fulgori as a watchdog, family pet, and even military hound. The Tukulqu is a different breed of canine favored by the mikwa as observant watchdogs that protect their fields and livestock from opportunist predators.
Here we have an early sketch of a fulgori city. They live in densely populated apartment blocks that have recreational space on the rooftops. In the center is a government building with a public park out front. A military display is being conducted under the watchful eye of Emperor Fulgor, or a statue of him anyhow.
This is one of the earliest pieces of concept art for Aether Adrift, showing off 4 potential 'character archetypes. A Vanguard is a close-range fighter that stands on the front lines and protects their allies with a sturdy shield. A Gunslinger is a mid-to-long range fighter that uses firearms to harry opponents from the back lines. A Demolitionist is a technical fighter that uses area-of-effect weapons to control the battlefield and disable clustered groups of foes. A Nanotechnician is a versatile character capable of performing many battlefield roles with powerful but limited nanotech abilities.
These sketches were made before the 'style' of Aether Adrift really materialized. The Voyagers were just called "Space Knights" at this point.
That's all for now, Voyagers!
Min, signing out!