Lord Ba'al
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Post by Lord Ba'al on May 24, 2015 17:54:03 GMT
Update 41 - 01/04/2015FarmsHello everybody,In the current development stage of The Universim, we have begun placing huge emphasis on the survival aspect found in the earlier ages. In fact, various survival elements echo throughout the game, but many can be overcome through the development of new research and technology as you progress. In the Stone Age, for instance, the biggest threats to your civilization will be the dynamic weather system, wild animals, hunger, and natural disasters. All of these factors link together in some way, and will force you to plan well in advance if you want your population to survive these harsh and unforgiving conditions.  In this update, we will be discussing one of the many key buildings that will assist in the survival of your civilization. This will give you a good idea of how much depth goes into every feature, no matter how small. We’d also like to take this opportunity to talk about farming in The Universim. Time to slap on them overalls, everyone! You’ve probably seen the current farm model in previous updates, but the time has finally come to give it some spotlight. One day, we took a look at our drawing board, erased a few rather inappropriate additions, and began shaping this feature into something that would work flawlessly with the rest of the game’s systems. There were a lot of different ideas kicking around; some funny and interesting, a few strange but exciting ones, and a couple ranging from just being too darn cute and simple, to something so deeply immersive and complex that players could probably forget about the rest of the planet altogether and just have a ton of fun managing their farms. We took all of if into consideration, and were left with one simple question: Are we putting too much thought into this? So the Farming Chapter began...  In the Stone Age, hunger and extreme temperatures will be the main enemies of your civilization. You know, besides all of the other crazy threats out there that have nothing to do with farming and are thus being ignored right now. It’s extremely important to research and build farms on the planet as quickly as possible, so as to combat these factors. Farms provide a sufficient quantity of food to keep your population stocked up on the energy and nutrients they need to survive, even during winter (depending on the crops). Without farms, your people will try to live off the land as best they can, but winters will make food scarce and difficult to find when the time comes. Farms will cost you resources to build and maintain, and will also require workers to operate them at all times. If so much as one of these requirements are not met, farms will stop generating food. Every new farm comes with a single plot on which you will be able to plant any crops you desire, and can be upgraded to create additional plots.  There will be a good variety of different crops to choose from. Each will have its own strengths and weaknesses. For example, one kind can produce a lot of food when harvested, but will be very sensitive to a change in temperature. If you do not pay attention to the weather prediction system, and you plant a particular kind of crop in the wrong time of year, your harvest will die and your population will be at risk of starvation. On the flip side, a different crop can be unaffected by the weather/temperature and still manage to produce a good amount of food, but it will take much longer to grow.  Our goal is to give you as much choice as possible, but at the same time, we want to develop systems that will challenge you and make you plan your next steps carefully. Farms will have a number of unique unlocks and upgrades that will help you to protect your harvest from negative conditions. In every era, there will be many unique upgrades that will not only change the way you play the game, but will also change the actual appearance of your buildings and civilization. Our concept designers and 3D modelers are hard at work every day implementing these features into the design of our evolving buildings.   Farm UIAnd there you have it, a little insight into how the farming system works in The Universim. Stay tuned for more updates, and keep in mind that we are saving the best features for later to ensure that you get the full experience when you run the game for the first time. We can’t wait until you can finally start exploring the vast expanses of the game world and the systems found therein. In our next update, we are going to discuss the Weather Prediction System, Eateries and Schools. Crytivo Games Goes E3On a side-note, we’re super excited to announce that we have reserved our place at the biggest gaming convention in the world, E3 in Los Angeles! We are planning to have a fully-playable build running at our booth (which is great news for everyone!), and we’ll also be giving out some cool stuff during the event. In even more exciting news, we got our hands on a few spare passes that we have decided to give out to some of our amazing fans! Follow us on Twitter and Facebook if you don’t want to miss out on this fantastic opportunity.   We would also like to wish a happy April Fools’ day to all of you and the unfortunate friends you have likely pranked so far today! Don’t forget to share The Universim with them as the first step towards forgiveness.   All the best, The Crytivo Games Crew
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Lord Ba'al
Supreme Deity
Posts: 6,260
Pledge level: Half a Partner
I like: Cats; single malt Scotch; Stargate; Amiga; fried potatoes; retro gaming; cheese; snickers; sticky tape.
I don't like: Dimples in the bottom of scotch bottles; Facebook games masquerading as godgames.
Steam: stonelesscutter
GOG: stonelesscutter
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Post by Lord Ba'al on May 24, 2015 18:04:50 GMT
Update 42 - 02/05/2015The new website is officially live!Greetings!Say hello to the new and improved website! It has been in the development workshop for quite a while now, being hammered into place with brand new graphics and better optimization than ever. Don't worry, work on the website has had no negative impact on the development of the game. The core team is still hard at work on The Universim. We now need your help in identifying any outlying issues with the website. There is only so much we can test in a closed environment. Think of it as a beta release of sorts, but better. Now, let’s take a quick tour of the website, shall we?  Backer wallThe backer wall is finally up and running! You can head on over there and check for your name. We are pretty sure that everyone has been added, but if your name somehow got left off, be sure to email us!  New pledge tiersIf you take a trip over to our main page, you will likely notice that our pledge tiers have been updated. It was time for a redesign. Feel free to leave us some feedback on the new tiers in our forums. Everyone who has backed us previously on the old website will still receive the exact same items listed in the old tiers. Additionally, from now on, new backers will no longer have to go through the process of having to create a separate forum account when purchasing one of the new tiers. The system now creates a forum account for you automatically!  We're launching the online storeThe first wave of merchandise is now available for order! We are only offering branded clothing right now, but you can expect more to fill up the store soon. For any queries about how it works, you can view the help section of the store page. You can also head on over to our forums and ask your questions in a special thread we set up, if you would like some personal time with our community crew.  Don’t forget about E3!We added a nifty countdown timer to our front page for E3 2015. Now you have no excuse to miss our showcase. Be ready for a new trailer and footage from the first official playable build of the game. If you are lucky enough to be attending the event, be sure to join us for a hands-on demo! We are even giving away E3 passes on our social media accounts, so keep an eye out for the giveaways. Things are progressing very nicely for the game, and we have no doubt that our presence at E3 will bolster development tenfold. Expect to hear more from us soon! Keep on being awesome. All the best, The Crytivo Crew
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Lord Ba'al
Supreme Deity
Posts: 6,260
Pledge level: Half a Partner
I like: Cats; single malt Scotch; Stargate; Amiga; fried potatoes; retro gaming; cheese; snickers; sticky tape.
I don't like: Dimples in the bottom of scotch bottles; Facebook games masquerading as godgames.
Steam: stonelesscutter
GOG: stonelesscutter
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Post by Lord Ba'al on May 24, 2015 18:12:26 GMT
Update 43 - 12/05/2015Meet Nuggets!MEET NUGGETSIt’s about time that we started talking a little bit about how your citizens, which we call Nuggets, work in The Universim, and how they interact with the environment.  Nuggets are living creatures that rely on you to guide them through the challenging, evolutionary journey that begins on Mother Planet. The game will start with just two of them initially, Adahy and Elu. They will raise their new family alongside extremely dangerous and unpredictable conditions. From the beginning, Nuggets will have the ability to create new life and expand the population over time. Every Nugget will have a set of characteristics/instincts that will need to be taken care of every now and then.  Nuggets are sensitive to weather changes on the planet. Cold or hot weather can slow Nuggets down, cause them to become sick, or even lead to death without the proper technologies in place. One of the earliest research items will be the invention of fire, which will keep Nuggets warm during cold winters. Improved clothing will also make them even more durable to extreme temperatures. READ MORE HERE
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Lord Ba'al
Supreme Deity
Posts: 6,260
Pledge level: Half a Partner
I like: Cats; single malt Scotch; Stargate; Amiga; fried potatoes; retro gaming; cheese; snickers; sticky tape.
I don't like: Dimples in the bottom of scotch bottles; Facebook games masquerading as godgames.
Steam: stonelesscutter
GOG: stonelesscutter
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Post by Lord Ba'al on May 24, 2015 18:18:22 GMT
Update 44 - 19/05/2015Alpha Release Date AnnouncementHello everyone,The time has finally come for us to share our plans with you regarding the Pre-Alpha and Alpha releases! Everyone who has pledged for the Alpha tier or higher on Kickstarter, and all who pledge for the Alpha tier or higher on our website by June 30th, will receive access to the Pre-Alpha build when it releases sometime in summer 2015. You will also receive all of the builds that follow this initial release, of course! The regular Alpha build will be releasing in fall 2015 for all those who back the game at the COELACANTH level or higher.  Click here to read more!New payment system is now powered by Humble Widget, as we want to give you a lot more variety when making purchases. From now on, the following payment methods can be used: Amazon Payments, PayPal, credit card, and even Bitcoin.  Thank you, Your Crytivo Games Team.
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Lord Ba'al
Supreme Deity
Posts: 6,260
Pledge level: Half a Partner
I like: Cats; single malt Scotch; Stargate; Amiga; fried potatoes; retro gaming; cheese; snickers; sticky tape.
I don't like: Dimples in the bottom of scotch bottles; Facebook games masquerading as godgames.
Steam: stonelesscutter
GOG: stonelesscutter
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Post by Lord Ba'al on Jun 7, 2015 23:03:18 GMT
Update 45 - 26/05/2015Vote For The Universim WebsiteDear Backers we need your support!The Universim Website is nominated for Best Website Design by Awwward. Please support us and Vote here www.awwwards.com/best-websites/the-universim/ Don't forget to share this with your friends and relatives and ask them to do the same. Lets Vote For The Universim! Thank you so much, Crytivo Games Team
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Lord Ba'al
Supreme Deity
Posts: 6,260
Pledge level: Half a Partner
I like: Cats; single malt Scotch; Stargate; Amiga; fried potatoes; retro gaming; cheese; snickers; sticky tape.
I don't like: Dimples in the bottom of scotch bottles; Facebook games masquerading as godgames.
Steam: stonelesscutter
GOG: stonelesscutter
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Post by Lord Ba'al on Jun 7, 2015 23:05:53 GMT
Update 46 - 30/05/2015THE UNIVERSIM GOES E3 2015Greetings!June is just around the corner, and that means E3 is soon upon us, the biggest electronics expo in the world. We will be attending the event when it opens its doors 17 days from now. We hope to see some of you there! Swing on by for an early look at the game and to meet a few members of the team. If you are a member of the press, feel free to ask us a few questions for your website/blog/network. If you know of any press who would like to take a look at the game, be sure to send them our way. It’s not every day that we get to interact directly with you all. We will be more than willing to help out if we aren’t too busy handling the booth.  
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Lord Ba'al
Supreme Deity
Posts: 6,260
Pledge level: Half a Partner
I like: Cats; single malt Scotch; Stargate; Amiga; fried potatoes; retro gaming; cheese; snickers; sticky tape.
I don't like: Dimples in the bottom of scotch bottles; Facebook games masquerading as godgames.
Steam: stonelesscutter
GOG: stonelesscutter
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Post by Lord Ba'al on Jun 26, 2015 23:32:03 GMT
Update 47 - 25/06/2015The Universim E3 Report A few months ago, we decided to go to E3 for the first time ever. It was an opportunity that we just couldn’t miss. It offered us a great way to interact with the larger gaming community and really pushed us to bring some of the elements we had been working on since the Kickstarter together for the first time. Everything started when we reserved a small booth in the South Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center. You can probably only imagine the excitement and stress we went through. We knew that time wasn’t on our side, but we decided to give it a try anyway. This proved to be an absolutely fantastic decision, as due dates and deadlines challenged us dramatically, in the best of ways. The sense of urgency pushed us to work at an entirely different level. Within a few short months, we had succeeded in completing work that would normally take three times longer to accomplish. A few of our team members decided to fly over to L.A. to support our efforts at E3, which definitely helped us a lot. - Teamwork!  We were really excited to see E3 for the first time, but we could never have expected the sheer amount of traffic at our booth during our time there. So, unfortunately we missed most of it. Don’t get us wrong, it was all for greater good! We were able to properly share our vision with the people that stopped by our booth. We also got some amazing feedback from those who tried their hands at the playable demo of The Universim. The very first thing they noticed was the complete redesign of our camera controls. Never before has The Universim been so comfortable to control. Remember the prototype? Yeah, we fixed some stuff. Lots of stuff, actually. We spent a lot of sleepless nights designing and getting the camera just right. Making everything move smoothly around a spherical object with dynamic time of day and proper transition between atmosphere and space is a lot more difficult than it sounds. We wanted to ensure that it would not only be responsive, but also very smooth and fluid. After all, it is the main tool with which you fly around the world. We worked hard to ensure you will get the full National Geographic experience in our game. It’s like flying an airplane around with your own television crew while observing life on the planet, only much simpler and with less catering costs.  Check out more High Res Game Screenshots at our website.This showcase really helped us to identify some of the game workflows that will need to be tweaked in the future. Overall, we honestly wouldn’t be afraid to say that all of the people that tried The Universim really liked it and wanted to see more. We engaged directly with each person as soon as they placed their hand on the mouse. We were happy to explain the game’s mechanics and collect valuable feedback from them. However, we realized pretty quickly that we definitely need to add some detailed tutorials for newcomers, mainly because we implemented some unique features that might be little unfamiliar to everyone.  More HD Screenshots at our website: www.TheUniversim.comRepresentatives from many major companies stopped by our booth as well, such as Xbox, Sony Playstation, Namco Bandai, Asus, Corsair, Google, Blizzard, and much, much more. We received a few pounds of business cards, and exchanged even more of our own. We met a lot of other great development teams of varying sizes. Like your favourite soft drinks, they come in small, medium, and large. We even had a chance to demonstrate our game to KEEN SWH, the guys that brought you Space Engineers and Medieval Engineers. They were really excited to try our game, and even left us with some very positive feedback. “This is the game that everyone will remember for long time.” - Marek Rosa Check out more photos from E3 on our FacebookUnfortunately, we had absolutely no press on our side. For some reason, not a single press representative passed our booth. Darn you, AAA market. You beautiful, cruel creature. We really wish we could share more stuff with the public on your favourite news websites, but we just do not seem to be getting lucky with the big dogs. We will figure out a way to get their attention beyond throwing pebbles at their office windows, we assure you. The mold shall be broken! If you want to help out with this, please send some news tips to some of your favorite sites. Right now, we’re planning to tweak the build that we were showing at E3 based on feedback we received before sharing it with you guys. We know you really want to try the game, but we just don’t feel comfortable releasing something that we know isn’t quite ready yet, even if it’s “just a pre-alpha”. Call us OCD, if you will. We want a really smooth launch, a great foundation upon which to build the game alongside you. We also need to implement a remote game patcher that will allow us to update your game whenever a new patch becomes available, since we’re planning to continue working on it all the time.  More HD Screenshots at our websitePlease give us month or two to prepare things properly and ensure that everything is stable. Before long, we will officially start our Pre-Alpha phase. Get excited! Please keep in mind that the primary function of the first release is to collect feedback from you guys on on how stable the build is, how it performs, and so on. Do not expect too much from the gameplay aspects, since we’re still tweaking and balancing a lot of stuff and implementing new features. The pre-alpha will be limited to the Stone Age only. Future patches will add more eras. In order to get the most crucial feedback from you guys, we have decided to release the Pre-Alpha/ Alpha in waves. The first wave includes those who supported us on Kickstarter (PayPal included) for the alpha tier or higher and everyone that purchases the alpha tier or higher through our website before June 30. People who back the game at the applicable levels after this date will get access to the build during the second wave. We will announce the official release dates at a later time. This way we can maintain a better relationship with our earlier backers and gather as much feedback as possible from the people who have been with us from the start. We also do not want to stress our systems too much by releasing the game in too large a wave. Please sign up on our forums to join community discussions and follow us on our social networks for day-to-day updates. We hope you enjoyed this little E3 log! Thanks for everything! All the best, 
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Lord Ba'al
Supreme Deity
Posts: 6,260
Pledge level: Half a Partner
I like: Cats; single malt Scotch; Stargate; Amiga; fried potatoes; retro gaming; cheese; snickers; sticky tape.
I don't like: Dimples in the bottom of scotch bottles; Facebook games masquerading as godgames.
Steam: stonelesscutter
GOG: stonelesscutter
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Post by Lord Ba'al on Jun 27, 2015 9:58:27 GMT
Update 48 - 25/05/2015New Stretch Goal Are Almost Unlocked!It's Happening!We’re about to hit the $450,000 stretch goal, which means we have even more work to do, YAY! We are actually really excited about being able to add these new features to the game. Wait, there’s more than one? You bet! This stretch goal not only unlocks the in-game Planet Editor, but also the first truly social environment for the community, which comes in the form of the Live News System. Do they fit together in some way? Possibly. These additions will no doubt make The Universim even more dynamic and alive.  Visit The Universim WebsiteFirst on the menu today is the in-game Planet Editor.This system will allow you to customize and share your own planets designed using a special tool that is being created as part of the Prometheus feature suite. Select appropriate textures, adjust colors, and pick the right flora and alien life for your planet. You can also tinker with the percentage distribution of each environmental biome to create some very interesting planets. For example, you can make a planet consist entirely of one big desert or turn it into a winter wonderland. We are even giving you the ability to alter oxygen levels and set how the temperature changes over time. When you’re happy with the result, share your creations with the community! Add a funny name to your planet and throw it up on our portal to get some ratings.  Work in progress. Early Concept.The Live News System is coming as dessert this evening.You’ll never see the same story in the game again! With the Live News System, we are introducing a community-run central database for all of the news in the game. Anyone will be able to visit our online Live News page and add a story that will be shared with players in the game. With this system, we are hoping to build a massive online database filled with cool stories supplied entirely by all of you. Break out those creative writing skills! Using the Live News page, you’ll be able to select certain parameters for your post, such as the era, situation, frequency, type, and so on before adding your story. All this information will be stored on our server and streamed when you have an online connection. It is entirely optional, of course. However, don’t worry just yet, an internet connection will not be required to play the game at all, as we have said in the past. Without internet, you will still have access to the great news stories that ship with the final game.   News Archive Concept Website Panels WireframeNext on the list… You have been stewing in mystery for long enough, it’s time we start talking about what the iRobot stretch goal entails. The iRobot stretch goal is an expansion to the current research system. A branch, if you will. This branch will allow you to begin researching advanced AI and robotics. However, your decisions will have a far greater effect on the outcome of your civilization than you may think. AI can be a dangerous thing when you push it too far. If you research certain items in the branch, it is possible that your civilization will be destroyed and taken over by the machines you have created. A new civilization will emerge, consisting entirely of robots. This will open up new ways to play the game, and even offer a few benefits over a normal civilization. However, there are also many drawbacks. The choice is always yours to make, but be prepared to live with your decisions.  Research Window ConceptWhy do we need additional funding to make the iRobot branch a reality? Creating the normal civilization is a lot of work as is, especially when we consider what the space age holds. The iRobot branch will not only add new technologies to the game (there is a natural progression from more basic technology to the machines of the future) but it could also potentially add an entirely new species as well. Much of what makes space exploration interesting is how your civilization reacts and adapts to weather conditions and how you go about colonising new planets. Robots would require entirely new dangers and entirely new colonisation requirements to be made. There is a lot to consider, and we therefore need to hire some additional hands to help implement this feature.  What’s that on the horizon?Of course, with one stretch goal being met and another fully-revealed, there is need for more content. That is why we are happy to introduce a new stretch goal that allows you to customize your experience even more. The Nugget Customizer gives you the tools to edit your population and add new individuals to the game that will stand out from the rest. Want to create Nuggets that look like your friends and family? Go ahead! Want to add the likeness of your favorite characters/people to the game from other content you enjoy? Knock yourself out! If you make it, we probably won’t get sued. Probably.  Thank you all so much for your continued efforts to make The Universim the best it can be. These stretch goals really help us to make the game faster and create even more great content for you to enjoy. CLICK HERE TO TWEET THISAll the best, The Crytivo Crew!
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Lord Ba'al
Supreme Deity
Posts: 6,260
Pledge level: Half a Partner
I like: Cats; single malt Scotch; Stargate; Amiga; fried potatoes; retro gaming; cheese; snickers; sticky tape.
I don't like: Dimples in the bottom of scotch bottles; Facebook games masquerading as godgames.
Steam: stonelesscutter
GOG: stonelesscutter
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Post by Lord Ba'al on Jul 17, 2015 22:21:49 GMT
Update 49 - 16/07/2015The Universim Pre-Alpha Starts September 15 GREETINGS!We are super excited to announce that the pre-alpha build will be releasing on September 15 for ALL of our Alpha-tier (Kickstarter $30+/ Website $40+) backers! Yes, that’s right, we have decided to ditch the idea of releasing the game in waves. Following many requests from newcomers and previous backers alike, we agree that it just wasn’t a very fair system. One massive launch also allows us to better test the game throughout the various releases. It was conceived as a way to thank our oldest backers, but we don’t want to punish anyone who just stumbled across us. READ MORE HERE
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Lord Ba'al
Supreme Deity
Posts: 6,260
Pledge level: Half a Partner
I like: Cats; single malt Scotch; Stargate; Amiga; fried potatoes; retro gaming; cheese; snickers; sticky tape.
I don't like: Dimples in the bottom of scotch bottles; Facebook games masquerading as godgames.
Steam: stonelesscutter
GOG: stonelesscutter
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Post by Lord Ba'al on Aug 16, 2015 17:34:42 GMT
Update 50 - 30/07/2015GobbetsGobbets are a Nugget’s best friend. No one actually remembers how they became the most attached bunch on the planet, but their relationship is so powerful that one can no longer survive without the other. Even though Gobbets are one evolutionary step behind Nuggets, they are often considered a Nugget’s equal, or at least a pretty high-level species. A Nugget’s devotion to their Gobbet counterpart is so strong, in fact, that given a choice between their own life or that of their dear friend, they would likely choose to die for them.  This love spreads throughout the universe as you advance your civilization. Nowhere else can one find this level of devotion and honesty in a relationship between two different species. Considering that you can rarely get one species to stop dropping nukes on themselves, let alone a potential rival, this really says a lot. You may wake up one day to find a huge amount of Gobbets running around on your planet. They all need a home, and Nuggets will need to build proper houses for them to live in. For example, a typical Stone Age hut on level 1 can only fit about 5 Gobbets at a time. However, as you progress, you will eventually be able to squeeze 10-20 Gobbets in medieval houses and even more in the modern/space age versions. What better way to bring the family together than to cram everyone into a tiny living space? One of a Nugget’s primary goals is to keep their Gobbet as safe and happy as possible. They will create living quarters for their little friends, feed them, and keep them free of disease. However, Nuggets may not always be able to care for their Gobbet. Read more about Gobbets on our Website. Click Here.Read more about Nuggets here.
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Lord Ba'al
Supreme Deity
Posts: 6,260
Pledge level: Half a Partner
I like: Cats; single malt Scotch; Stargate; Amiga; fried potatoes; retro gaming; cheese; snickers; sticky tape.
I don't like: Dimples in the bottom of scotch bottles; Facebook games masquerading as godgames.
Steam: stonelesscutter
GOG: stonelesscutter
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Post by Lord Ba'al on Aug 16, 2015 17:40:04 GMT
Update 51 - 05/08/2015Introducing Cell SystemGreetings Creators!In today’s update, we are introducing The Universim Cell System. The Crytivo Games team designed the Cell System with customization in mind, allowing users to expand and evolve Epicenters, upgrade buildings, and customize cities. What is a Cell? In the Universim, cities grow around the Epicenter. As the population of a city increases, buildings are constructed outward from the nearest Epicenter. Invisible cells around the Epicenter define where houses, buildings, and props can be placed.  During each Era, cells will spawn around the Epicenter and your cities will grow dynamically with the population. During the Stone Age, Stone Age Huts will begin to appear around the Epicenter as the population expands. Cells will continue to spawn to keep up with your population growth. For example, one cell might be capable of holding three Stone Age Huts, which can in turn house a total population of ten. In this case, for a population of fifty, five total cells will be generated. If the population increases to seventy-five, the system will spawn three more cells.  READ MORE ABOUT CELL SYSTEM HEREPlease support The Universim Game and Click Here to tweet about this update!
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Lord Ba'al
Supreme Deity
Posts: 6,260
Pledge level: Half a Partner
I like: Cats; single malt Scotch; Stargate; Amiga; fried potatoes; retro gaming; cheese; snickers; sticky tape.
I don't like: Dimples in the bottom of scotch bottles; Facebook games masquerading as godgames.
Steam: stonelesscutter
GOG: stonelesscutter
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Post by Lord Ba'al on Aug 19, 2015 17:40:04 GMT
Update 52 - 18/08/2015Big AnnouncementThis is a big announcement, everyone. Strap yourselves in. We’re going to break it down into four short points before we explain a little more. - 1. Always remember that you helped make all of this possible, and we cannot thank you enough for your encouragement and continued support. The Kickstarter was a real turning point for the project. We knew how much we needed to complete The Universim within an indie capacity, and we knew just how risky it would be to set our goal at that level. However, a month later, we had blown past the initial goal and were well on our way to success. Champagne and raucous cheers abound!
- 2. In order to ensure that we finish developing the features and functionality of the game as quickly as we can, we have decided to hold an equity fundraise through Fundable to help us release a higher-quality, finished product sooner than would otherwise be possible. Our #1 objective is to get The Universim, in all its playable glory, into your hands as soon as possible. We are dedicating 100% of our time to developing a game that you will be proud to have been such an important part of. As the process for creating a game of this caliber can be quite long and expensive, we want to make sure we have all the resources we need to reach the milestones that were never possible before. We’re going bigger, so we can deliver bigger. Multiplayer, anyone?
- 3. What is Fundable? Fundable is an equity crowdfunding platform aimed at young, promising startups such as Crytivo Games (from a totally objective view, of course). It is entirely different from Kickstarter in that all funding comes directly from private investors, such as Angel investor groups or similar entities.
- 4. Last but not least, we want to assure you that we are not asking for anything additional from you. We couldn’t be more appreciative of the support you’ve already given us, and over the past year we’ve devoted countless hours to developing a game that will live up to your expectations. If you're interested in being involved further in the growth of Crytivo Games as a company, or if you know someone who you think would believe in our vision, please let us know by sending an email to contact@crytivogames.com or sharing and visiting our Fundable page here (https://www.fundable.com/crytivogames). You can find more information below to get a better understanding of why we are making this move.
The first pre-alpha build was a big moment for the game, and showcasing it at E3 was a real dream come true. The feedback was invaluable (top of the list was a proper tutorial...we totally understand and we’re on it!) and we are taking all of it into account for the pre-alpha launch in September. E3 became so much more than an opportunity to showcase the game, however, when we began to meet some amazing indie developers on the show floor, not only did they do a wonderful job of making us feel three feet taller with their compliments (thanks, guys!), but they were also kind enough to give us some excellent advice. Our team has never really been too involved in the business side of things. After all, we’re developing The Universim purely because it’s a game we have always wanted to make. However, these developers have shown us that we can be far smarter with the way we handle The Universim and the company as a whole. We are still very cautious about signing any deals with publishers or other partners, which is why the solution they introduced to us works out for the better. We never want to give control of the project away to another entity, as that would destroy our vision of making the game alongside the community. The solution in question involves beginning a proper round of private investments that will help cement Crytivo Games as an established game studio. Why would we want additional funding? Is our lust for money not sated by the copious donations on Kickstarter? Have we no honour? It really isn’t like that at all. Let us explain: The funding on Kickstarter guaranteed that we would be able to deliver all of the features we promised in the final game. Everything is working out as we envisioned, but we know that we could be doing so much more. Firstly, we are still operating internationally as somewhat of a virtual company. Our plans have always been to open a physical, centralised studio once The Universim was released in a finished state. We realise now that starting a physical studio sooner will boost development speed significantly and allow us to work together full-time in the same office building. Not only that, we would also be able to hire additional team members to do some more heavy lifting. Basically, we will finally be like one of the big kids (better, faster, stronger)! The Universim will also grow substantially (not just more content, but better content) and be completed in a far more timely manner. We also have some surprises in store for everyone if things really go our way. Crytivo Games will become a force to be reckoned with. The Universim deserves only the best treatment. It is an important game for all of us, and it needs to exceed expectations. This is a HUGE decision, and we want to hear your opinions. If you have any questions or doubts that may not have been addressed above, be sure to ask us below or in the forums. The investment period can take anywhere from 3 months to a year (or longer) depending on popularity. During that time, you can expect things to progress as normal. If any of you are interested in getting involved with Crytivo Games in a long-term capacity, or know someone who may be interested, be sure to swing by our Fundable (https://www.fundable.com/crytivogames) page. Thank you all for being so amazing! All the best,
The Crytivo Games Crew
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Lord Ba'al
Supreme Deity
Posts: 6,260
Pledge level: Half a Partner
I like: Cats; single malt Scotch; Stargate; Amiga; fried potatoes; retro gaming; cheese; snickers; sticky tape.
I don't like: Dimples in the bottom of scotch bottles; Facebook games masquerading as godgames.
Steam: stonelesscutter
GOG: stonelesscutter
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Post by Lord Ba'al on Nov 6, 2015 20:38:35 GMT
Update 53 - 14/09/2015Pre-Alpha Release Date Update HELLO CREATORS!Our team is working hard on the Pre-Alpha Release and we are excited with the way things are shaping up! Initially, we announced that Pre-Alpha would be available on September 15th. Unfortunately, we need some extra time to fix some stray problems before we can share it with our fans. The good news is that the fixes should only take a few extra weeks to finish and properly test them. We do hope you understand and we appreciate your patience. We know our fans are excited to get their hands on The Universim Pre-Alpha, and we are just as excited to hear your valuable feedback. LUCKILY, WE DO HAVE GREAT NEWS!We have decided to release the technical demo of our Procedural Planet Generation, which is available right now and you can get it HERE. This demo will let you try our new camera controls and will let you see our Planet Generation Engine in its full glory. Please note that most of the actual gameplay mechanics are disabled in this demo. It is intended only to showcase our Procedural Planet Generation Engine, not gameplay within The Universim itself.  WHY?No doubt, you’re wondering why we have delayed our Pre-Alpha launch. First of all, it’s important to understand that Pre-Alpha will feature very limited gameplay as most of our mechanics are still in development. We are very pleased with the features we are able to display in Pre-Alpha, so the issue does not lie with gameplay itself. We are having problems with the Remote Patcher, which is an important technical function of Pre-Alpha. This is the main reason behind our delay. Over the last several days, we have made good progress on correcting these issues. The Remote Patcher is now in a more functional state, but we want to ensure that it works perfectly for Pre-Alpha. The Remote Patcher will allow us to patch The Universim remotely and implement new features, so any time there is an update to the game, it will be available to the public right away. It’s important that this process is automated and hassle-free for our players. We appreciate your patience as we take the time to ensure this system is stable and fully functional. We want to take this opportunity to thank you for all of your amazing support and for giving us the chance to share our innovative gameplay ideas with you. We are working very hard and we can’t wait to let you test drive The Universim in a few weeks. In the meantime, please leave your thoughts about The Universim - Mother Planet Demo on our Forums. We want know what you think and what we can improve. Thank you,
Crytivo Games TeamNOTE: You will receive an email with instructions on how to access Your Dashboard. With the Dashboard, you will have access to a downloadable version of Pre-Alpha once it becomes available.
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Lord Ba'al
Supreme Deity
Posts: 6,260
Pledge level: Half a Partner
I like: Cats; single malt Scotch; Stargate; Amiga; fried potatoes; retro gaming; cheese; snickers; sticky tape.
I don't like: Dimples in the bottom of scotch bottles; Facebook games masquerading as godgames.
Steam: stonelesscutter
GOG: stonelesscutter
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Post by Lord Ba'al on Nov 6, 2015 20:43:09 GMT
Update 54 - 09/10/2015October 9th UpdateHello Creators, Welcome to our first weekly update! This week we’ll be looking at what to expect from the Pre-Alpha, a few teaser screenshots and the Backer Dashboard.Below is the internal document put together by the team to help them focus on what was to be in the Pre-Alpha. What to expect from Pre-AlphaThe Universim Pre-Alpha is an opportunity for our fans to enjoy a very early build of The Universim. The Pre-Alpha is largely a technical demonstration, designed to give the player a small sample of gameplay, and, perhaps more importantly, for the developers at Crytivo Games to receive both technical and gameplay feedback from human testers. What follows is an outline of what players should expect from Pre-Alpha: What is the main objective of The Universim Pre-Alpha?- To provide a technical preview of the game to the players and allow Crytivo Games to get feedback on its performance on multiple systems.
- To distribute a fully functional patcher system that will allow Crytivo Games to patch and update The Universim as new updates become available.
- To display a version number on each new release that will allow both players and developers to discuss builds, bugs, likes, and dislikes on each public release by version number.
What should players expect from Pre-Alpha gameplay?- All gameplay elements shown in Pre-Alpha are in the very early stages of development. The Pre-Alpha does NOT represent final gameplay. The gameplay has been balanced for the elements that are currently available. There will be bugs.
- Players should experience 20 minutes of gameplay, which will be re-playable with or without tutorials.
- Players should see animals, but they are purely aesthetic. No animal-related gameplay mechanics are available yet.
- Players should experience seasons, but they are purely aesthetic. No seasonal gameplay mechanics are available yet.
- Players should be able to use the skill tree and understand the current iteration of the skill system.
- Players should be able to build several types of buildings. However, not all buildings are fully functional at this time.
- Players will NOT be able to hunt or trap.
- Players will NOT be able to send out expeditions for exploration.
- Players will NOT be able to explore or look at other planets.
- Players will NOT be able to use Creator Powers.
- Players will NOT be able to control or influence the environment or the planet.
- Players will NOT have the ability to connect with other players in-game.
- Players will be happy to finally have a playable version of The Universim and celebrate with gusto and good cheer. Developers will let out a collective sigh of relief and immediately get back to work.
Website DashboardMany of you have been asking about the dashboard and just how it will function for those who backed through Kickstarter. Currently a team is working on converting over all the Kickstarter data to our dashboard system. Once that process has finished, Kickstarter backers will receive an email detailing how to setup and access their dashboard. Once you have access to the dashboard you’ll be able to see all of the rewards, both physical and digital. Make sure to keep an eye out for that email! Finally a few teaser screenshots:  This bar overviews the seasons, current planet temperature and time of day.  Here we see the graphics for the long awaited Pre-Alpha patcher. We'd also like to remind everyone about our ongoing Nugget Fashion Week Contest. We recently extended the deadline to October 21st, 11:59 PM PST. Be sure to join us at tomorrow’s Twitch live stream that starts at 1 PM PST and will run for approximately one hour. That wraps up this week’s update. We’ll have more info on tomorrow's live stream and in future weekly updates. Have fun and see you next week
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Lord Ba'al
Supreme Deity
Posts: 6,260
Pledge level: Half a Partner
I like: Cats; single malt Scotch; Stargate; Amiga; fried potatoes; retro gaming; cheese; snickers; sticky tape.
I don't like: Dimples in the bottom of scotch bottles; Facebook games masquerading as godgames.
Steam: stonelesscutter
GOG: stonelesscutter
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Post by Lord Ba'al on Nov 6, 2015 20:58:46 GMT
Update 55 - 10/10/2015Join Our Live Stream Now Join us at 1PM PDT/4pm EDT/10pm CEST on for a live stream! We'll have information regarding our future plans and what to expect from the soon to be released Pre-Alpha. Our CEO Alex, as well as a few of the developers will be there to take questions! Ask on twitter.com/TheUniversim or in our stream chat. Don't forget to invite your friends!
See you in a few hours, Crytivo Team.CLICK TO TWEET THE STREAM
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Lord Ba'al
Supreme Deity
Posts: 6,260
Pledge level: Half a Partner
I like: Cats; single malt Scotch; Stargate; Amiga; fried potatoes; retro gaming; cheese; snickers; sticky tape.
I don't like: Dimples in the bottom of scotch bottles; Facebook games masquerading as godgames.
Steam: stonelesscutter
GOG: stonelesscutter
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Post by Lord Ba'al on Nov 6, 2015 21:07:57 GMT
Update 56 - 21/10/2015New Stretch Goal Unlocked - Nugget Customizer Thanks to the awesome support of all 14,462 backers (and counting!!), both old and new. We've reached the 500K Singularity stretch goal!Prepare for the Singularity. The $500k Singularity stretch goal has been reached! With your help, we are now able to add an entirely new branch to the research system that effectively allows you to create a civilization of robots. Sounds amazing, right? Head on over to our official announcement for more information Click Here.  What’s next?
The Nugget CustomizerThe “Nuggenizer”, as we like to call it, allows you to flaunt your creative skills and have a blast customizing Nuggets individually or based on their professions. Give them funny hats, make them round or skinny, and even model them after your friends and family, or characters from your favourite movies, TV shows, and games. As above, you can find more information on the official update page here.  Thank you all so much for helping to make The Universim better and better with each passing day. We couldn’t do it without you.
All the best,
The Crytivo Crew
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Lord Ba'al
Supreme Deity
Posts: 6,260
Pledge level: Half a Partner
I like: Cats; single malt Scotch; Stargate; Amiga; fried potatoes; retro gaming; cheese; snickers; sticky tape.
I don't like: Dimples in the bottom of scotch bottles; Facebook games masquerading as godgames.
Steam: stonelesscutter
GOG: stonelesscutter
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Post by Lord Ba'al on Nov 6, 2015 21:10:54 GMT
Update 57 - 06/11/2015November UpdateWELCOME TO OUR FIRST NOVEMBER UPDATE!In the wake of early Christmas decorations and the cold bite of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, we have come to you with a new update on recent events. Read on for some news on the following: - The upcoming patch and update Mac/Linux release date
- The recently announced Sandbox mode and its Property Editor
- Your chance to vote for our Nugget Fashion Week winners
THE UPCOMING PATCHThe patch will include fixes for many of the bugs and issues that the community has found since the release of the pre-alpha, but will also include a few fixes and tweaks that the team had already started work on prior to the PA being released. These were primarily problems that simply couldn't be fixed in time, or were found directly after the current build was finalized.  The patch will also include numerous balance changes. The game should move at a slightly slower pace, with Nuggets not running off to mate so frequently and the growth rate of children lowered to a more normal speed. The overall slowdown and balancing should stabilize the gameplay and offer a less chaotic PA experience. Farming will also be partially implemented with most, but not all, of its features becoming active and usable. The level of implementation may change between now and when the update actually goes live.  The team has been hard at work, even before the pre-alpha’s release, fixing known issues and bugs. Once the community started submitting bug reports to the forums, the team’s focus was shifted over to higher-priority problems. This includes game-breaking bugs or those causing severe issues with game functionality, and they were dealt with first before returning to lower-priority issues like visual issues. Each patch or update pushed will come with patch notes so you can see exactly what has been fixed, changed, and added. SO WHEN IS THIS PATCH/UPDATE COMING?We want to ensure that the patch will not only come with many new features to test, but also be in a much more stable state. Our devsalso want to squash as many of these early bugs that you have all reported before pushing the next version. The first update is expected in Mid November. After that, patches should be released on a monthly basis. MAC AND LINUX LAUNCHER The Mac release should show up within the next few days. The exact date is dependent on the success of the final tests. We will announce it as soon as it becomes available. THE UNIVERSIM SANDBOX TOOLS"How will I feel like a god?"We see this question a lot. One way the team hopes to immerse you in the role is by letting you have full control over almost every aspect of your planet via Sandbox Tools. With these tools, you'll be able to edit just about everything, from animal life and other available resources all the way up to the planet itself! You can even fine-tune how many trees are on your planet or how big a lake is, manage the mammoth herd sizes, and change the length of the seasons. You'll even be able to tweak research progression. The Universim Sandbox Toolset will allow you to make the planet and all things on it uniquely your own. Let's take a closer look at one element of the Sandbox Toolset.THE UNIVERSIM SANDBOX TOOLSWhile the Property Editor can edit many things, we will be focusing on the Nugget editor section today. Always remember, anything we showcase is likely to change down the road, so don’t expect it to look exactly like this in the final game. In the Nugget Mating Property Editor Panel, you'll be able to change various attributes corresponding to Nugget mating and reproductive behaviors. Some property attributes are based on an average time duration, like how long a Nugget pair will converse or flirt before they head off to the hut. Another example is a percentage slider that changes the possibility for a pregnant Nugget to have twins.  NUGGET FASHION WEEKThe Nugget Fashion Week Competition is drawing to a close, and we need you to vote for your favorite artwork! Head on over to the voting page for more details and to view the fantastic art we have received. Thank you to everyone who entered! You can all be proud of your work. All the best,
The Crytivo Games Crew
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