Production Update + Spring Q&A Stream
almost 2 years ago
– Fri, May 13, 2022 at 06:43:56 AM
Q&A + WIZARD LAB DUNGEON PREVIEW ON TWITCH THIS FRIDAY MAY 13TH, AT 2PM EST / 11AM PST / 8PM CET
Back in February, around 20 minutes of new content from Sea of Stars was shown to a selected few media outlets. This preview included an updated look on many systems and a quest involving pirates, the port town of Brisk and mysterious arcane ruins known as the “Abandoned Wizard’s Lab”.
Polish has gone a long way since our last stream, so we wanted to share this segment of Sea of Stars with our community. Make sure to tune in on Twitch this Friday May 13th, at 2PM EST / 11AM PST / 8PM CET!
The second half of the stream is reserved for Q&A. Join us if you are curious about the behind the scenes, or have a question of your own! We opened a #qna channel on Discord to drop your questions ahead of time.
Rest assured that this preview won’t reveal critical story beats or spoil anything other than lower-stakes events from the game.
QUICK DEV UPDATES
In other news, here are a few spoiler-free dev updates you might have missed on social media. Most of these are low risk items we were saving for later in production. It's pretty exciting to be at a point where we are tackling these kinds of things!
First, we’ve been asked many times over the last 2 years whether the full battle party would be seen running around outside of combat.
Yes, of course!
And here’s an updated look at sailing.
The combat hud also got a revamp! While not quite final, this new version offers more breathing space and readability.
DEVELOPMENT IS GOING GREAT, BUT WE DON’T HAVE A RELEASE DATE YET
Production's velocity is at full throttle, with every part of the game gradually falling into place. While the road to a gold master has many more miles in store for us, it is quite thrilling to be at the front seat of Sea of Stars growing into its final form.
We're not ready to set a release date just yet, but the pace is good, and the team is committed to achieving the complete vision with no compromises. Remaining platforms and storefronts announcements will be coming soon, after which we will send the survey for the final phase of fulfillment (platform choices for physical and digital copies, civic address for shipping, name for the credits, etc.)
Stay tuned! And as always, we thank you for your patience and overwhelming support
All the love,
- SaboTeam
FOOTNOTES
As we are self-publishing, growing awareness is paramount throughout production. If you have a moment to help us even more than you already have, here are a few ways you can can do so in 30 seconds or less:
Invite a friend or internet traveler to do any of the above!
Once again, thank you for everything.
Hands-Off Press Demo Impressions
about 2 years ago
– Sun, Mar 06, 2022 at 05:07:34 AM
Last week we showed a new dungeon to journalists while answering their questions about Sea of Stars.
Many media outlets answered our call to attend the hands-off preview presented by Thierry, and we’re thrilled to finally share their impressions with the community.
It was truly humbling to see them express in their own words what essentially boils down to what our vision has been all along. Nothing can feel more special for our team than seeing such a reaction from fresh eyes looking at our game, especially as we buckle up for the final year of production.
All the articles are linked down below!
THE PRESS DEMO FEATURED A NEW DUNGEON: THE WIZARD LAB
Journalists were shown around 20 minutes of gameplay from a quest and a new dungeon involving pirates, the port town of Brisk and mysterious arcane ruins known as the "Abandoned Wizard's Lab" which included puzzles, illusions, enchanted enemies, and fishing.
Even though it didn't reveal critical story beats that would spoil later events in the game, we will be keeping most of the demo's content under wraps, as we know a lot of you would rather experience the game with as little knowledge as possible beforehand. Some of the articles do go in full detail about the preview though, so feel free to read or skip them at your convenience.
Otherwise, on a true spoiler-free note, it was revealed that Chrono Trigger composer Yasunori Mitsuda will contribute around 10 tracks to the game!
Here are a few screenshots taken from the preview:
Big thanks to all the journalists who took the time to hear our pitch and write about Sea of Stars, we truly appreciate it.
THE REMAINING PLATFORMS AND STOREFRONTS WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN SPRING 2022
That's it for now!
Here's a quick reminder that the target is to announce the remaining platforms and storefronts during the Spring of 2022. Once the launch platforms are all confirmed, we will send the survey for the final phase of fulfillment (platform choices for physical and digital copies, civic address for shipping, name for the credits, etc.)
Stay tuned! And as always, thank you for the overwhelming support <3
- SaboTeam
Nintendo Switch Announcement + New Trailer
over 2 years ago
– Wed, Dec 15, 2021 at 11:57:14 PM
We’re thrilled to step out of the production submarine to finally confirm that Sea of Stars is coming to Nintendo Switch!
Here’s the brand new announcement trailer, which premiered during Indie World earlier today:
(If you want to help bring more eyeballs to Sea of Stars, please RT this post!)
Since the very beginning, the plan was to release Sea of Stars on Switch. Considering where the game's main inspirations were played, it naturally follows that it should live on a Nintendo console.
While we were waiting for the proper announcement timing, porting work has been going on for a long time. With quality and polish in mind, we have been proactively optimizing performance on all fronts, making sure the game runs smoothly everywhere. In fact, all footage from the trailer was captured directly on Switch!
Oh, by the way, Sea of Stars also now has a page on the eShop!
THE TRAILER IS MEANT TO BE SPOILER FREE
As always, deciding where to draw the line in how much to show is a challenge we take very seriously. If it was up to us, nothing would be shown to preserve the entirety of the experience. In reality, there has to be some give for people to be aware of the game, especially given the self-publishing indie studio need to build a community.
If you are mindful of spoilers, rest assured that only a small portion of the game was shown at this point, and that each shot was hand-picked to convey a mandatory portion of the promise without giving too much away.
HOLIDAY 2022 IS THE TARGET, BUT WE WON’T RUSH THE GAME.
To clear all the potential confusion that could arise from different interpretations of the Winter 2022 / Holiday 2022 messaging, the target is to launch Sea of Stars roughly a year from now.
The exact date will be announced sometime next year once we have a clear view of when the game will be as good as we can make it. As always, the only thing we will not compromise on is quality.
THE REMAINING PLATFORMS AND STOREFRONTS WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN SPRING 2022
The target is to announce the remaining platforms and storefronts during the Spring of 2022. Once the launch platforms are all confirmed, we will send the survey for the final phase of fulfillment (platform choices for physical and digital copies, civic address for shipping, name for the credits, etc.)
Once again, rest assured that we will be where the players are.
WE WILL BE WORKING WITH KAKEHASHI GAMES TO BRING SEA OF STARS IN JAPAN
The same partner that handled localization, certification and promotion for our first game The Messenger in Japan and South Korea, Kakehashi Games, is back for Sea of Stars!
The team over at Kakehashi earned our trust with The Messenger Japanese and Korean versions, which received much praise for capturing the spirit of the source material. They will also help with promotion as well as pursuing other opportunities to help Sea of Stars become as big in Japan as possible.
2021 was a big year of production for us, and we are happy to report that Sea of Stars is emerging as something that exceeds our expectations, mostly due to the overwhelmingly positive response and additional talent joining the team.
For 2022, production remains the top priority, but we will also be talking about the game a lot more as we get closer to release, with many more announcements and promotion activities already planned.
But for now, it is time for the team to rest. We want to thank you for the unbelievable support, and wish you all happy holidays. See you next year!
-SaboTeam
(On a side note, the studio will be closed from December 23rd to January 3rd. Any messages sent to us during that period will be answered on January 4th. The team will be spending time with loved ones and recharging for the year to come. )
Two Weeks Left for Crypt Submissions
over 2 years ago
– Tue, Nov 16, 2021 at 10:52:02 PM
Last call: the Crypt Customizer closes on November 30th
The Crypt Customizer web page has been open for over a month and a half now. If you’re a Solstice Warrior, Hero to be Remembered or Hero to be Worshipped backer and are reading about this for the first time, please go back and consult our first update on the matter for more details.
As we're writing this, we’ve collected close to 60% of all stones & statues. If you have already submitted your memorial, we first want to thank you, but also ask you to please remind any backers you know who might not have done it yet.
Submit Your Memorial Now!
This will be our last reminder as we’re quickly closing in on the deadline. We encourage you not to wait any longer as we cannot guarantee your memorial makes it into the game if you miss the deadline.
The unique backer code needed to log in the customizer has been sent to you via email. Another way to get your code is by sending the "!mycode" command to the Kickstarter Assistant bot in our Discord server.
In case you can’t get your backer code, please contact SaboMath on Discord or write to [email protected].
Once logged in you will find straightforward guidelines, but there are still a few things to keep in mind.
Regardless of your pledge level, one thing is mandatory: your monument and/or memorial text can’t be interpreted as offensive in any language, or reference any copyrighted or trademarked material. Failure to comply with these rules could result in having your memorial not added to the game.
Additional notes for the 425 backers getting a hand-crafted monument:
Please make sure that your instructions are thorough and precise, as it is your only chance to get your vision across to our artists. Also, please check your name and message’s spelling twice before submitting as you won’t be able to edit them afterwards.
Support channels
Everything has been running smoothly so far, but we’ll stay widely available for answering any questions or doubts you might have while creating your memorial.
Here are the different support channels to prioritize for everything related to the Crypt:
1. Check out the FAQ at the top of the web page
2. Drop us a line in the #crypt-support channel on Discord
3. Send a DM to SaboMath on our Discord
4. Send an email to [email protected]
That's it for now!
Next up will be the last step of fulfillment: surveys to pick the platform for which you want your copy of the game. We aren't there yet as we still need to confirm and announce launch platforms, but we'll keep you posted, of course.
Once again, we thank you for your overwhelming support!
FOOTNOTES
As we’re going the self-publishing route, we really do need to grow awareness of the game throughout the whole production. If you want to help us even more than you already have, here are a few ways you can can do so in 30 seconds or less:
Invite a friend or internet traveler to do any of the above!
Thanks for everything.
-SaboTeam
Fulfillment Wave 2, The Crypt
over 2 years ago
– Tue, Oct 05, 2021 at 11:07:59 PM
THE CRYPT CUSTOMIZER IS NOW OPEN!
The moment a lot of you have been waiting for has arrived. If you backed Sea of Stars for the Solstice Warrior, Hero to be Remembered, or Hero to be Worshipped tier, the web page to create your unique memorial is now ready.
In order to get everything going smoothly, we ask that you please read through this update before jumping in, as we’ll be explaining the whole customization process and cover the available support channels.
You’ll find the link to the web page at the end of this post.
In case you’re not a high tier backer or are not entirely sure what we’re talking about, let’s rewind a bit to get everyone on the same page.
WHAT IS THE CRYPT?
Excerpt from the Kickstarter campaign:
”Found on a seemingly uncharted island, The Crypt is an underground area built to pay homage to our fantasy world’s founders, or to be more precise, top-tier backers. Keeping things as spoiler-free as possible, it is still worth mentioning that the place is not disconnected from the world’s lore, and will play some role in the overarching story.
Supporters of the campaign who commit to a pledge in relevant tiers will be immortalized in the game as a unique interactive object within the crypt. ”
The included tiers and rewards are as follows:
Solstice Warrior: a commemorative stone, displaying a name chosen by the backer.
A Hero to be Remembered: a custom statue, displaying a short memorial text chosen by backers. Customization is done by selecting parts in a “character creator style” menu.
A Hero to be Worshipped: a 100% unique monument hand-made by one of our artists, displaying a short body of fully custom text written by the backer. Each monument will be drawn by our artists following guidelines sent by the backer.
In all the erraticness that was the Kickstarter campaign, over 7,000 stones, 1000 statues, and 400 monuments were claimed. Let’s just say that the scope of this project took a turn we didn’t expect!
THE CRYPTWALKER
The Cryptwalker is an NPC who roams the halls of the Crypt, acting as a guide for visitors. A mysterious presence, devoted to honoring travelers and builders of old.
Since the Crypt is all about honoring our supporters, we thought the Cryptwalker should also come from a community-driven effort. Its design was based on a series of votes from the community on our Discord server.
Our concept artist Bryce Kho then took these guidelines and came up with three propositions for a final vote.
Here’s the official design that was chosen by our top-backers:
HOW DOES THE CRYPT CUSTOMIZER WORK?
First, you’ll need to log into the Crypt website using the email associated with your Kickstarter account and your unique backer code. If you backed for the relevant tiers, you should have received an email with your code (look for an email from [email protected], it might have landed in your spam folder.)
Another way to get your code is by sending the "!mycode" command to the Kickstarter Assistant bot in our Discord server.
In case you can’t get your backer code, please contact SaboMath on Discord or [email protected].
Once logged in, you’ll be automatically directed to the correct form according to your tier. While each tier has its own process, the steps are clearly defined and should only take you a few minutes to complete:
Stones and Statues are created through a simple customizer. Just play around with the interface and submit when you are happy with your creation.
If you are one of the 425 backers who pledged for a monument, you will be asked to fill a more intricate form to brief our artists. More details below.
Regardless of your pledge level, one thing is mandatory: your monument and/or memorial text can’t be interpreted as offensive in any language, or reference any copyrighted or trademarked material. Failure to comply with these rules could result in having your memorial not added to the game.
Once everything is submitted, a new retrieval code will be generated and sent via email to the same address used to log in. This code will allow you to find your unique memorial in the in-game Crypt effortlessly with the help of the Cryptwalker.
Additional notes for the 425 backers getting a hand-crafted monument:
Please make sure that your instructions are thorough and precise, as it is your only chance to get your vision across to our artists. Also, please check your name and message’s spelling twice before submitting as you won’t be able to edit them afterwards.
SUPPORT CHANNELS
We’ll do our best to be responsive during the whole process, but please keep in mind that we have thousands of backers to tend to. At this scale, little hiccups can will happen, but rest assured that we will be getting to everyone in need of support and ensure no backers are left hanging if the flow doesn't feel clear for them. We’re over the moon to finally be launching this project, and look forward to hearing from you!
Here are the different support channels to prioritize for everything related to the Crypt:
1. Check out the FAQ at the top of the web page
2. Drop us a line in the #crypt-support channel on Discord
The fun is ready to begin in the Crypt customizer, right here:
You have until November 30th to submit your memorial.
That's it for now! Next up will be the last step of fulfillment: surveys to pick the platform for which you want your copy of the game. We aren't there yet as we still need to confirm and announce launch platforms, but we'll keep you posted, of course.
Once again, we thank you for your overwhelming support!
FOOTNOTES
As we’re going the self-publishing route, we really do need to grow awareness of the game throughout the whole production. If you want to help us even more than you already have, here are a few ways you can can do so in 30 seconds or less:
