- Apsis Offline :/ - 8 September 2025
Generally there’s a lot less happening during peace-time than when at war. And this game was always ultimately about that down time in between the things you see in other games. You see, Apsis Online was always supposed to be a simulation first. And you, dear player, were simply meant to exist in it. So that naturally and at some point you may have felt the need to affect it in ways not just unique to you, but in such a way that the same uniqueness of your response further randomized the simulation. If that makes sense! This has made development a pain in my ass for at least 7 years because most of the time I have had to work on these systems without much actually happening. Or while just thinking about what could be happening. All while being varying amounts of work away from actually making those things possible. And to be honest with you, I have had multiple moments in which I had no…
- Update Inbound - 27 June 2025
For three hundred days, Jax Calder endured the hellscape of Bromius III, a wet barren rock scoured by wind and acid rain, where rusted metal groaned like ghosts and the sky never broke from its ashen shroud. Alone among the skeletons of the mining colony, he survived on emergency rations and grim determination, his only companion a failing environmental suit and the dim hum of a battered terminal he’d dragged into shelter piece by piece. Day after day, he worked—rebuilding the antenna from scrap, coding blind into cracked screens, shielding circuits with his body during electrical storms—until his hands bled and his breath stank of recycled air. Sleep came in fits but he was trained for this. And on the three-hundredth day, the terminal lit green. A signal broke through. And just before the storm season returned, a dark shape pierced the clouds—sleek, and familiar. Just in time for Summ…
- v6.7 - Cycles - 15 August 2024
Patch Notes This is a relatively minor but very important stability update to the client-side with the complete opposite being the case on the back-end of things. In the near future (v6.8) I will be introducing stations as an extension and rework of the in-game RBBS. This will include a simplified UI for the forum and more flexibility around NPCs. That and more features previously set for one big patch will be released in parts instead. The intention here is to set the stage for a much faster turnaround on patches going into the end of Summer and into the Fall. This version 6.7 primarily introduces the starmap which is a real-time mechanic and major departure from what was previously a more turn-based experience. See the previous general update for more information about what's to come.
- Apsis Online: Origins - 7 July 2024
I’ve been tossing around multiple blogs detailing this messy update. Thinking maybe I’d combine them all later. The actual version 7 is a mixed bag right now but I’ve been wanting to share progress. The angle this time is more along the lines of “write it while it’s hot”. For my own sake. And I think – as a solo dev – the rigidity of plans and documentation that can come with team style development can slow things down a lot. This is all to say I don’t always take the time to write things down but when I do, I do. I’m trying to strike a balance. Sometimes the best stuff happens on a whim. About that update! Dynamic NPCs :. Origins The current NPC system is already complex with lots of coverage in terms of how much data it both provides to and receives from the the game world. There are 9 base options for conversation starters and one or more branches off each depending on the state of t…
- Apsis Online NPC Story Engine Update - 4 December 2023
The shanty-town outside the walls of Bromius Central at night is awash in shadows against firelit panels of rusted sheet metal. Old hull parts dot the overgrowth and makeshift awnings while several human children in ragged tunics gather around a large murky puddle. All laughing and splashing beneath bare feet. A two-headed human brushes against your right shoulder with a glare from the face close enough to make out. His bluish bloated lips scowling with stringy chin-length dark hair flipped aside revealing scars along his cheek. The other head droops, remaining flailing helplessly at his side as he hurries away toward the city gate. Carrying a large metal container on his back secured by worn leather straps. Moon and firelight unsteadily reveal the faded letters “HGEC” as you determine that he may have been in the parts and organ trade. Here in the clone camps you can’t be too sure anyw…
- Hosting Woes & Regular Downtime in October - 5 October 2023
Voyagers! I wish this was good news. Our long-time hosting sponsor, Vineyard Haus, is having issues carrying Apsis Online alongside other games on the same server. So I’ll be making changes to our hosting situation at the end of October. One of the primary reasons for going early access was to afford the migration to a more flexible hosting solution. Not just for the added security but also for control and performance. There are so many features that are currently handicapped or outright missing because of this now ongoing issue. Ideally this project would function as a world-in-a-box running all kinds of simulations all day every day, making for a unique and dynamic sci-fi experience. I am looking forward to realizing the potential of this game soon. Considering the release date, there’s only about two or three days of revenue counted for the project that can be expected to contribute…
- Hotfix 6.6a - 5 October 2023
What's Different "Mission" hints once again available in campaign mode. Scanning for player ships is temporarily disabled altogether due to excessive delay. Will return.
- v6.6 - More on Mutroon - 4 October 2023
The Mutroon are semi-aquatic creatures that dwell in both shallow fresh and saltwater environments in addition to on land. It is a quadrupedal creature native to Bromius II, with four large thick webbed feet and a stout body saddled by two humps which serve to retain moisture. Its tail is fin-like and varies in width and length depending on each individual's process of metamorphosis. Mutroon are not to be confused with Nutroon as they are referred to in their earlier two of four stages. A remnant of these earlier stages is notable in that the skin of a Mutroon is still covered with a thin toxic layer of slick, slimy mucus that served to protect them from predators and help them move swiftly through the water. Their heads are slightly oval-shaped, with two large eyes and one long antennae that allow them to sense their surroundings. In adulthood, the Mutroon have been known to display ad…
- v6.5a Hotfix - 28 September 2023
This is a minor hotfix and feature activation patch. General stability. Starter weapons now have unique ammunition. Health now displayed during embark. World time/date reactivated. Upcoming changes (6.5b) include weapon balancing, experience display, character leveling and the reactivation of day tips in campaign mode alongside stability.
- Apsis Online - 28 September 2023
Apsis Online has been developed and distributed as freeware for years. Initially released as a custom-built singleplayer traditional roguelike game called First Paradise into what we have taken to calling a "multi-user roguelike". And while the game is currently playable with interactable NPCs, very minor exploration and combat. It is also the catalyst for a much richer experience to come. So What's Next? Well, at the moment there is only one planet and your own ship to explore. Not just due to the limitations imposed by the current (and very soon, previous) hosting situation. But also because we have all seen how shallow procedurally generated worlds can be when left up to the algorithm alone. I want to avoid this issue and besides, I have been feeling extra inspired by the stacks of science-fiction novels that make up the walls of my apartment. So while there will soon be a proliferat…
- Apsis Online V7 Update+ - 8 September 2023
Today is Waveday on the 15th of Rimmoon. The air is heavy with humidity. I can feel the ground beneath as lush and damp as always. Everywhere, the sound of water trickling and cascading is ever-present. Lightning illuminated a sheet of dark clouds pulled across the sky and, at times, this planet would be caught in a seemingly eternal rainfall. The rain would become puddles and lakes but that is when you can see the Nutroon (`n) eggs float up toward the surface, waiting to hatch.. *** It is these creatures that will be the focus of V7 . As well as their less benign counterparts the Mutroon (`m). This update will coincide with a Steam launch. Today I was able to talk to our server sponsor to get test builds live again. So that means the most current build of the game is already up for internal testing. Some other changes to expect by V7: Factions V1 will allow players to issue referrals t…
- A Multi-User Roguelike - 4 October 2021
Since writing my first program in 2008 I had always been fascinated by digital communities. Experiments with Multi-User Dungeons like Gemstone 4 had exposed me to an entire group of folks who could still vibe when less is more. Massive worlds imagined, a shared experience catalyzed in the visualization of text. In the spirit of Bulletin Board Systems (BBS’), Reddit and Twitter I originally sought out to create a social network for minimalists. This ended up serving as a test-bed for so many more ideas though! With less overhead I was a able to turn experiments into new features and put all of it on top of an old game I had written. And that became something else entirely. The Story Weak governments and social upheaval has ushered in an age of dystopianism. A world in which monopolistic corporations make the rules. Having normalized space travel with advancements in genetic engineering a…
