- Space Boat Accessibility Update - 1 December 2023
Greetings Space travelers! The latest Space Boat demo update is now live on Steam! We added several Accessibility features as well as quality of life improvements to this build. Since there seems to be a lot of interest in the details of what was done, I have put together a detailed list: Quality of life changes: The controller navigation in the character creator UI is much improved. The controller highlight box now moves around how many people would expect it to. We added a new UI element that distinguishes pre-built suits (like the Pepper-oh-noes suit) from custom designed suits. We added a covert level indicator in the character creator that describes more clearly why the mission cannot start. This will also open gameplay possibilities as well as open the door for items that can improve your covert rating. The FBC race map now has improved collision and a new wider passthrough gate.…
- Space Boat @ Steam's Next Fest Round 2! - 13 October 2023
Alright, let's do a final round of showcasing the new Space Boat demo. Like we mentioned in the last announcement, we only get to participate in one Next Fest per game so this is it! If you haven't given the new demo a try, know that it now has Suit Customization! That's right, you can make your own M.U.E.L. (Mobile Undercover Evidence Locker). We start with the base frame and let you build from there. Remember that we need to conceal our Space Cat extraordinaire, Inspector Domino. This is a vital first step in order to begin her mission to track down the mysterious inter-galactic jewel thief. Just because you're undercover, doesn't mean you can't accessorize. There's lots of options, so we hope you take the time to try some different combinations. If you're not into that, you can go with our traditional M.U.E.L. or one of our special pre-mades. Additionally, we have tweaked how the ski…
- Space Boat @ Steam's Next Fest! - 4 October 2023
This is it space travellers! Every game on Steam gets only one Next Fest to participate in, and this is it for Space Boat! To celebrate this momentous occasion, we have been putting together a special Demo build for October 10th with a brand new feature: Suit Customization. That's right, you can make your own M.U.E.L. (Mobile Undercover Evidence Locker). We start with the base frame and let you build from there. Remember that we need to conceal our Space Cat extraordinaire, Inspector Domino. This is a vital first step in order to begin her mission to track down the mysterious inter-galactic jewel thief. Just because you're undercover, doesn't mean you can't accessorize. There's lots of options, so we hope you take the time to try some different combinations. If you're not into that, you can go with our traditional M.U.E.L. or one of our special pre-mades. All joking aside, we hope you'l…
- Space Boat is at PAX West and coming to Kickstarter! - 27 August 2023
Hello space travelers! It has been a crazy couple of months again, but we have quite a bit of news today. First off: We're heading to PAX West in Seattle on September 1st to the 4th. Stop by booth 3030 if you're in the neighborhood and come say hello! We've been hard at work to bring the Space Boat demo to as many platforms as possible. As of last week, the demo is running on Steam, Steam Deck, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, and PS5! All that leaves is Nintendo Switch and despite having it running on a devkit for a while now, we haven't been able to find a way to get the demo in the hands of players for free. We're still in talks with Nintendo to see if we can find a compromise. For now though, we're very happy with this: We've been waiting for the right moment to launch our Kickstarter campaign, and we now have a tentative date of October 10th. Please consider getting notified when we…
- Space Boat's new intro video - 29 March 2023
Hello space travelers! It's been a minute since our last update but what's important is that we have a lot to talk about. We are proud to announce that Space Boat now has a fancy new video at the start of the game. For those of you who remember walking into computer stores and seeing games running their intro video on a 30 second timer loop, know that Space Boat does exactly that until you start a chapter. Big thanks to Sam Shandley for composing this great theme song and hats off to Michelle Franklin for her lyrics and performance. Additionally, we were able to leverage the power of Unreal Engine 5 for this video by using their global illumination system "Lumen". All of our neon signs became sources of light! Neat! Never thought we'd be capturing in real-time what used to take hours to render. We also introduced a new character. Say hello to Pepper-oh-noes Mike! What's more, is that fo…
- Space Boat Valentine's Day edition! - 14 February 2023
Hello space travelers! Happy Valentine's day from everyone here at Recombobulator Games! The latest version of the demo now includes photo-mode and it features a number of fun filters and overlays. In fact, this Valentine's card is a direct screengrab from the game! We hope you enjoy taking photos on the Jelly Shore and we look forward to seeing what you can do with this new mode! Wait, how do you activate photo-mode? Well, we could have buried it in the main menu but that's no fun. Instead, we created a hotkey for you to press anytime you feel the need to capture the moment. We won't tell you what it is because we also added a new character to the game that introduces you to the selfie-drone. Be on the lookout for Quartermaster Ned! Ned is a special character because his voice and general concept was created in the early 90's! It has been a thrill to bring him to life and pull him out…
- Space Boat demo updates with Photo-Mode! - 14 January 2023
Hello space travelers! Happy new year from everyone at Recombobulator Games! We hope everyone is having the best 2023 they can. To help with the post-holiday blues, we figured we’d let you know of some updates that are coming to the Space Boat demo. “Wait, what? Didn’t we just get a new map in a big update during the Holidays?” Well yes (disembodied voice in my head). We did that recently but we also didn’t add everything we wanted in time and there’s the Xbox and PlayStation versions in the works. Some of the future updates are simple little things like having a counter for the number of times you get electrified. Can you do it in under 3 hits? Possibly the biggest update that we’re cooking up is a unique new take on photo-mode. Try to imagine having a selfie-drone that you can pilot anywhere while you make a pose! We’re adding a drone light that you can toggle, time dilation controls…
- The NEW Space Boat DEMO is out! - 31 December 2022
Hello space travelers! Despite being a week late, we squeaked in at the last minute to still make it a holiday update! So please enjoy our holiday gift to you! It's our way of saying thanks for being such a wonderfully supportive community. For this demo update, we managed to get the new racing section in with a number of upgrades but we didn't quite reach the full release that we had hoped for. Features like the camera mode and availability on Xbox and PlayStation will have to come at a later date. In the mean time, please enjoy the new demo on Steam. We even have a new trailer voiced by the amazing Andy Mack, who also voices the in-game race announcer. Have a listen! We are really excited to see how this map addition is received by the community because we believe that we are trying something new by exploring how narrative choices fit in what is seemingly a traditional race. Let us kn…
- Indie Cup and the final leg of the race! - 5 November 2022
Hello space travelers! It's been a crazy bunch of weeks. Let's start with the news that Space Boat is a finalist at the Indie Cup in 2 categories! Not only are we finalists for the Unreal Engine award but we are also up for the Grand Jury Award! Let me tell you, we are very excited about this! Just look at the other nominees! As for the demo update, we've been hard at work locking down the final leg of the FBC race as well as getting all the final interactive and racing elements completed. Finally, for a bit of fun, here's our internal art reference and character detail page for Swirly Pops. Recombobulator Games signing off!
- Exploring the Jelly Shore sewers - 8 October 2022
Hello space travelers! A couple of weeks ago we announced that we are going to be adding quite a bit of content to the Space Boat demo for this coming Holiday season. One of those additions is a whole new game mode that we call “Final Boarding Call Racing” and we figured we’d give you some deets on it. The first leg of the race will take place in the Jelly Shore sewers. Since Space Boat is always colorful and vibrant, the sewers presented a bit of a challenge for us. We figured there’s a whole rainbow of color in grease stains and radioactive sauces, so we went in that direction. Some of you might have noticed that we added a Lenny’s sign on the exterior of the new I.G.C.L. Princess Andromeda ship. Turns out they’re also one of the official sponsors for FBC Racing. What not many people know is that Lenny’s is a restaurant for a race of coprophagians (think space flies). If you played El…
- Bigger and Better Demo! - 21 September 2022
HELLO SPACE TRAVELERS! We hope you’re having a great week. It’s been a minute since our last newsletter/announcement, so it was time to have a little update. Not going to lie, it’s been tough for our little team recently as we got smaller, but we’re committed to bringing you a beefy DEMO update this Holiday season. Not only are there new characters, investigation mechanics, and a camera mode, but we also have a new section that has racing! We call it “FBC” Racing which stands for “Final Boarding Call Racing". For those of you that completed the demo, you might remember (spoilers for those that didn’t complete it) that we ended in the sewers with a premium skipper and we were on our way to the I.G.C.L. Princess Andromeda. Well, turns out there’s an underground unsanctioned racing group that has been waiting for the final boarding call so they can start their race. FBC racing was original…
- Battle Of The Indie Games! - 19 August 2022
GOOD MORNING PASSENGERS! 🌞 Get cozy because we have a super cool announcement! 😎 We are now a finalist in the GDWC 2022 Championship! 🎉🙌🏻🎉 Don't know what that is? Let me tell you! GDWC is a game development world championship in which indie devs go head to head and show off their creations! For us, this means Space Boat will get the chance to be seen internationally but also be in a competition! Do you want to help us out? https://thegdwc.com/games/SpaceBoat ✅ Like our page ♻ Share with all your friends and cuddly companions! 😸🐶🐸 That's all for this week, But come hang out with us on our Discord server! Lauren signing off! 👋🏻
- THE BIG BOAT NEWS! - 12 August 2022
AHOY! ⚓🔱 Happy Fabulous Friday, Passenger! I hope you are staying hydrated and keeping cool 🧊 in these rising temperatures.🔥 If not, we have something that will refresh you! I can now confirm that our new Space Boat is in the game, and for some visual proof, here's a gorgeous gif of some different angles of our ship and what it looks like in the environment of Jelly Shore! A little update on the game flow: Many more secrets are happening behind the scenes on Space Boat, I wish I could talk about them, but I might lose one of my nine lives! ZING! But, hold on tight because maybe next week I might have some updates I can discuss with you. Until then, the cat's got my tongue. ( I love puns, and this was the purfect opportunity.) 🐱 That rounds up this week of exciting game developments, and If you want to join our Discord and come hang out with us, we can't wait to see you! Until then!…
- Space Boat On The Steam Deck - 5 August 2022
Hello Passengers! It's mockup Friday! So it's only fair that I show you what Space Boat would look like on the Steam Deck! So behold! The power of the MOCKUP! A little update on the game: We are continuing to work hard on the new demo and integrating the new ship model, so you'll be able to play Space Boat in your pocket wherever you choose. You could even go full boatception and play our demo on a cruise ship! That's all for this week, but thank you for continuing to support and show us love by reading these posts and interacting with us on socials! You are some good beans! -Lauren
- WE IN A SHOWCASE! - 30 July 2022
Heyo Passengers! This Friday is super exciting because we've got a few things to tell you. We are happy to announce that we are in the Asobu Showcase 🎉🙌🏻🎉 It will be live on Saturday 30th of July! (That's today or tomorrow wherever you are based in the world!) There will be a Livestream on Youtube and Twitch! 📺Showcase Showtime - 1pm Europe (CEST) 4am US (PT) 7am US (ET) 8pm Japan (JST) Showcase Link
- ALL THE SPACE BOAT LORE! - 22 July 2022
Oh hey, Passengers! As promised in a few newsletters back, it’s time for a deep dive into Space Boat’s inspiration and lore! So keep reading for all our juicy secrets and a new graphic!! Why would space travel be treated any differently than anything else humanity has been involved with? The Space Boat universe was developed in the 80s and 90s, during a time when the thirst for Sci-Fi was at an all-time high. Franchises like Star Trek and Star Wars coloured the popular landscape, and though both have different ways of looking at humanity’s possible future, Space Boat takes a more cynical and satirical view of the future: If humanity had developed an easy method for interstellar space travel, it would capitalize and trivialize it, converting the miracle of space travel into commercial transportation. Underneath the colorful, fun, and goofy exterior, there’s the beating heart of a true Sc…
- Want some Pizza?! - 15 July 2022
Happy Friday, Passengers! I hope you are staying cool in these sizzling times! 🔥 I've just returned from Develop: Brighton, and it was amazing! I met other awesome game studios, big and small, and some really good beans! While running away from hungry seagulls, Luis worked on our Pizzeria logo for Pepper-Oh-Noes! Which you can see below! The only pizza that screams when you eat it! We can't wait for you to see and hear all the pizza slices in the game, along with a lot more secrets that we have you for coming up this year! That's all for this week! I'm off to find an ice bath to cool down! Lauren
- Space Boat New Features! ⚓ - 8 July 2022
Happy Friday, Passengers! Things are heating up in this Space Boat update! 🔥 Release the Kraken of space travel! Space Boat! We want to deep dive into the new model breakdown so let’s go! The size of Space Boat is 3x that of the Eiffel Tower 2 Malls with over 300 shops 50 Restaurants A 12-Acre water park that is family-friendly The CIRQUE DE L'ESPACE carnival with daily shows 50+ outdoor pools with an artificial atmosphere 2 sports complexes with dedicated trainers A stadium which can hold 30,000 people 5* hotels and PREMIUM service A Theme Park bursting with rides! Four exotic port locations And so much more! We will keep expanding the Space Boat through production and show off concept art as we work on each area so you can see the full vision of Space Boat! That’s all this week, folks but keep an eye on our socials for some upcoming secrets! -Lauren
- The New Lady Of Space Boat! ⚓ - 1 July 2022
Happy Friday, Passengers! It’s your weekly Space Boat update, and it’s time to show you more of our development! It’s time to meet the new lady of Space Boat! Princess Andromeda! Wanna see her Spin? Let’s do it! WEEEEEEEEEEE Here’s some lore on Princess Andromeda and how she will be involved in the Boat design and the game! A mascot dressed as Princess Andromeda walks around the boat to entertain the young and unsuspecting, much like a certain other theme park has its princesses walking around. A Rugatarian female is 3x the size of a male, so “Princess Andromeda” might accidentally knock a few kids around. Whilst on the boat, you can blow the horn that Princess Andromeda is seen holding. The horn sounds like an 80’s jingle and is designed to burrow into and embed itself into your subconscious. “Release the Kraken of space travel!” is Space Boat’s slogan. In the original mythology with P…
- SPACE BOAT SPORTSBALL?! - 24 June 2022
Happy Friday, Passengers! It's your weekly Space Boat update, and it's time to show you more of our development! Brace yourself because you've never seen a stadium like this before! Isn't it glorious! Can you imagine how many SPORTSBALL games they can have here at the same time! Don't even get me started on the insane acoustics when it comes to galactic opera singers! We are super excited about how the development of the new Space Boat is going and can't wait to share more with you next week! So if you don't want to miss it, make sure you follow us on all socials! Twitter Discord Until next time! Lauren
