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[Studio Techtrics]

So, previously we showed you Floatlands' build mode and several levels of structures. Then we thought about different props that could be used in the game, and some of them would need a source of energy. Generators will be that source, in fact, there will be 3 models with different power outputs (50W, 150W, 400W). You will have to fill them with fuel to get them to work.



Energy will be used for lights, lamps, defense systems, turrets and more.







We’re even discussing various other energy sources, like wind (wind turbines), water (hydroelectricity) and sun (solar panels).

[digitallava]

I love the look of this so much. The style and color palette is so calming to look at. Being able to build a little home/town then have to defend that shit in a meaningful way is something no game has really figured out yet. Honestly think The Forest has gotten the closest, but I much prefer the look/feel of this.

How restricted is the building? Fallout 4 took a lot of flak for not allowing clipping with other objects and the terrain. Judging from the video it looks like theres a good amount of freedom considering you built a little fortress on a hilltop.

[Studio Techtrics]

How restricted is the building? Fallout 4 took a lot of flak for not allowing clipping with other objects and the terrain. Judging from the video it looks like theres a good amount of freedom considering you built a little fortress on a hilltop.

You guessed it right, there's lots of freedom in build mode. In Fallout you have set foundations, here you build your own, but certain restriction comes from the terrain of course.

[alvarop]

looks biutiful :D Wow!

[Studio Techtrics]

The latest additions are winter/snow environment, day & night cycle and weather system. Our 3d artist recorded a short video of the workflow.









Since we decided to go the lowpoly way and use solid colors, we’re looking into a similar kind of design regarding user interface and HUD. We went through a couple of UI mockups/revisions and also added a compass which already works. For now it shows just mountains and bases, later it will show all relevant points of interest (quests etc).

[Studio Techtrics]

We prepared a demo scene of Floatlands and presented it at Slovenian games conference. We came to the event with one purpose – to observe and take in the reactions, impressions and live feedback from the visitors and other developers. Of course there was an occasional bug or two, but players were genuinely excited to build their own bases – you wouldn’t believe some of the constructions they made.



To our complete surprise (since we haven’t really thought about the contest) Floatlands had been chosen for the best indie game of SGC 2016. This is a great honor for us, especially because we’ve been working on this game for only 4 months now. The reward for winning this contest were tickets to Reboot Develop conference 2017, which will take place in Dubrovnik (Croatia) in April.



What happened at SGC is just another breakthrough for our team. It’s an encouragement and motivation for us to take development onto the next step. We are thinking about launching some kind of funding project for Floatlands and involve you guys – our fans, more.

 

[Studio Techtrics]

You'll fight against these common NPC robots (+ extra robots that are in development):

GUNNER

Is the most common type of robot in Floatlands. He is equipped with a standard rifle, has a great range and cooperates with other robots very well. He will be found near quest sites or freshly spawned islands.

GRENADIER

Grenadier is more trickier. He is equipped with a grenade launcher, which can cause lots of pain if he sees where you are hiding. He can be terminated very quickly so make sure to have an eye on him.

HARDSCOPER

Sniper will appear less frequently than some other robot NPCs. His specialization is to cover large open areas, so you’ll have to watch out for him at every turn. He is likely to camp out in nearby bushes. Terminate him first to clear the path.

ABSORBER

He can be found in a pack of NPC robots. He is absorbing your incoming damage in a great range, so make sure to target him to weaken robot’s defenses. It does zero damage and has very little health pool.

[Studio Techtrics]

The latest addition to our game is Projectile system - HERE is a more detailed description of how it works.




Floatlands now includes also dynamic crosshair; it reacts to player velocity. Here you can see the crosshair of shotgun reacting in action.

[Columbus007]

I assume this is in Unity? How do you do the low-poly terrain? Is it a model or is it built using Unity's Terrain?

[CesarD8]

I really dig the aesthetics of the game and I love survival games so I will follow this closely But I feel like there aren´t enough robot dinosaurs.

[Studio Techtrics]

I assume this is in Unity? How do you do the low-poly terrain? Is it a model or is it built using Unity's Terrain?

Yes, it's in Unity. All models are made in Blender though and the whole scene (world) is then randomly generated in Unity.

I really dig the aesthetics of the game and I love survival games so I will follow this closely But I feel like there aren´t enough robot dinosaurs.

 

[Studio Techtrics]

STORAGE

There will be 2 variants of storage boxes. Smaller ones will be intended for fast and efficient storaging of your valuables. Bigger ones will be used for a specific storage and you’ll have to secure them from outer threats (mobs). Both kind will be craftables only, meaning that the only way to get them will be by crafting. You’ll be able to set them anywhere you want (no restrictions regarding that), most commonly in bases/shelters.




SMELTING

There is only one variant of furnace available for now. It transforms your raw gathered resources to a more refined (better) quality (example Metal Ore -> Metal Ignot). This transformed element can be then used for crafting better items (bigger storage box, weapons, other devices). Furnace works only if “fuel” is added as an energy source. The primitive fuel is wood, but you can use oil, coal or any other wooden element (wooden floor, foundation). So imagine that, instead of destroying your wooden base and previous elements going to waste, this way you’ll actually get something in return.



When smelting, there will be a variable duration period – for smelting rare items a longer time will be needed due to more difficult smelting process. This furnace will fit nicely to your base/shelter, and you’ll have the option to make several of them.

www.floatlands.net

[Studio Techtrics]

PROCEDURAL ISLAND GENERATOR

We’ve been working hard lately on reworking our island generator. At the beginning of development we had a weak system, where you placed ‘spawner’ on an island with a set of rules to follow. This system did work, but as the development continued we have found little to no variations at the end and we became bored of it. Floatlands needed a procedural island generator!

Domen, our lead game designer, started working on his own procedural engine, which first produced simple islands with basic flora on it (trees, bushes and grass). The system can be easily tweaked as the development continues for optimization and gameplay purposes (e.g. too much trees at one spot – too much resources for player).

ISLAND SIZES
Floatlands will have 4  different island sizes and 4 biomes to follow (we are going to add biomes and sizes later on).

Shelf Normal Mother Father

A tiny bit of an island. Used to create some variation on other islands. Normal sized island. The majority of Floatlands islands. Bigger islands. Used mostly for resource gathering and shelter building. Biggest islands. Used for exploring. These are dangerous!

ISLAND BIOME
Each island (and perhaps islands around it) will contain specific set of flora and fauna objects. In the first release there will only be 3 major biomes – Normal (grassy, rich with resources), Snow (foggy and cold place) and Desert biome (dusty and dangerous). Each biome will have its own color scheme and weather.

Normal Snow Desert

Populated with animals. Lots of resources can be found here. Foggy and white – rich with minerals. Dangerous place to be

Some examples using our early version of procedural generator:




ISLAND PATHS
Each island will also have some paths that will connect certain points of interests. This idea is still work in progress but we’ve already managed to write an algorithm that creates a nice path/spline on an island, regardless of its size.



Here’s a quick panorama in-game shot. We started to use a volumetric lightning technique, that explains the shininess! Plan for the future is to add animals, more flora variety and points of interest (e.g. abandoned shacks).

www.floatlands.net

[Studio Techtrics]

- added volumetric lighting
- changed our world generator from a random one to procedural
- added points of interest (shacks, towers, radioactive sites)

[Studio Techtrics]

POINTS OF INTEREST

SHACKS will be free to loot and the easiest way to obtain items. They will encourage you to explore every part of the world.


TOWERS will be heavily guarded by enemy NPC robots and the difficulty to overcome them will vary: more difficult -> more valuable the loot.


RADIOACTIVE SITES will be easy to spot, they will be filled with barrels that will emit visual green smog. Radioactivity will cause you a little bit of damage so you’ll have to watch out when deciding to loot there.


FLYING FORTRESS will be the most difficult to capture (master difficulty). For now it’s in concept stage and we can only show you some prototypes.


www.floatlands.net

[jordanchin]

Digging all of these additions to the environment! That shack looks mighty inviting.

POINTS OF INTEREST

SHACKS will be free to loot and the easiest way to obtain items. They will encourage you to explore every part of the world.


TOWERS will be heavily guarded by enemy NPC robots and the difficulty to overcome them will vary: more difficult -> more valuable the loot.


RADIOACTIVE SITES will be easy to spot, they will be filled with barrels that will emit visual green smog. Radioactivity will cause you a little bit of damage so you’ll have to watch out when deciding to loot there.


FLYING FORTRESS will be the most difficult to capture (master difficulty). For now it’s in concept stage and we can only show you some prototypes.


www.floatlands.net

[Studio Techtrics]

Thx, every day we add more points of interest, the latest are wind powerstations and various other towers.

[Franklin's Ghost]

Really liking the lowpoly look of this and the colours you've chosen to use. Nice clean designs and the gameplay is already looking fun.

Looking forward to seeing this progress.

[ITTA]

I absolutely love this! Definitely looks like a game I would sink 100's of hours into. Will all of the enemies be humanoid robots? It may be a personal preference but I find when that's the case, there's kind of an emotional disconnect, especially when the rest of the game has such an evocative/emotive look.

[Studio Techtrics]

Really liking the lowpoly look of this and the colours you've chosen to use. Nice clean designs and the gameplay is already looking fun.

Looking forward to seeing this progress.

Thx, regarding gameplay we still have a long ways to go (backstory, questing, encounters, behaviours).

I absolutely love this! Definitely looks like a game I would sink 100's of hours into. Will all of the enemies be humanoid robots? It may be a personal preference but I find when that's the case, there's kind of an emotional disconnect, especially when the rest of the game has such an evocative/emotive look.

Thank you for the support! This first batch includes only humanoid robots, but we're open to new ideas. If you want, you can share your views or some concepts - send us an email or contact us on social media and we will take a look.