- Gifts for everyone! - 20 December 2020
Hello! As you may notice, the time of the year is here. Knowing how good were you this year, I prepared little gifts for you! From 21st December, an in-game event will start. You will have the possibility to unlock special character items. To unlock them, you will need to find the required amount of gifts. Each level contains a different amount of collectible gifts, and all you need to do is pick it up ːsteamhappyː You don't need to complete the level to count the gift as collected! If you collected it, you can exit and equip the unlocked item! Besides the in-game event, I also updated the Steam version with all the latest bug fixes from console versions. And if you check the character customization screen, you will notice that there are extra items available! Oh, and a new feature was added: When you open the tasks menu, you will see how many special/event items are available. There is…
- Status Update #2 - 31 October 2020
Hello, space escapers! After a bit of silence, I'm back with a status update and news about what will happen next with Area 86! Let's start with the "silence" period. Trus me, it was not silent at all. As you would notice, Area 86 is available on Steam for Win/OSX/Linux. And as you would guess, it would be worth trying to get Area 86 on other platforms like Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. So I worked like crazy on getting Area 86 on other platforms, and must admit, it was harder than first thought. But I did it and Area 86 right now is available on Xbox One, and it will be available on Nintendo Switch on November 11th. Now that the porting to other platforms is completed I returned to the Steam version. Checked how many people have supported me ( bought ) and decided to put Area 86 on a side for now. If you ask why, the reason is simple. The player ( supporters ) amount did not reach my g…
- Tiny Teams Festival - 9 August 2020
Hello! I'm happy to announce that Area 86 has made it to be part of Tiny Teams Festival ːsteamhappyː This also means that Area 86 will be on sale with 30% OFF from August 9 to August 15, 2020. And if that is not awesome enough - I made a playable demo version that is available right now! Let's spread the news so more people can try Area 86! Thank you and have a great week! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Follow SimDevs on Twitter twitter.com/simdevs Join the Discord discord.gg/DEvxfKF
- Devblog #19 - 5 July 2020
Hello! Time to take a look at what's happening at Area 86. Well, this time added new features to Area 86! As a gamer, I like the possibility to customize my character. Area 86 was missing this feature, but not any longer! So I added character customization with some basic items and the possibility to color them individually. You can check it out at the new main menu button - Customize Another feature that was added in the latest release is leaderboards! Not sure why I did not implement them at the beginning as you already receive your time spent at level completion. The current look of the leaderboard in-game: As levels can be completed with any %, I decided to create 2 leaderboards for each level. One for 100% fully completed users and another for any % completion. Icons that represent each leaderboard: Also, if you don't want to be bothered with the leaderboard table, I made a switch…
- Status Update! - 18 June 2020
Hello! Long time nothing posted, so I thought of writing a status update! We all humans, and we need to recharge our powers! So I took time off from working on Area 86 and tried to relax. Now I'm returning and looking at what to do next! Have some changes in mind, like remove the chapters menu. The reason is that it's not needed anymore. At the beginning of the development, I had a little story in mind, but it was pointless as I'm not the right person for such a task. So I'm getting rid of it. The new levels will get added to the current level list, and everything will be fine! Maybe I could add some extra features to the level screen - hmm? I also started to work on character customization! Probably will write more about it in the next time as right now need to create more items, so it's fun to use and show off! And one more thing. Thinking of changing Area 86 price as many users point…
- Patch #1 - 5 May 2020
Let's talk about the last patch.ːsteamhappyː I transferred the whole project from Unity 2018.4 to Unity 2019.3. As expected, things went south and received a decent amount of new bugs. Most of the bugs are fixed & the latest version should work better than the previous versions. And no more visual glitches while you play! ( This was the main reason why made the upgrade ) Also, the main initiator for screen glitches where ropes and tapes. I removed all of them and replaced them with a different solution. Should look and work better than before. Some buttons were missing interactions with other objects. Added missing components & now you can activate them by throwing any object at them. There were places in levels where your robot could get stuck because of static colliders. Not any more! At least, fixed the reported spots. Found and fixed a possible game start crash that was happening fo…
- Released! - 19 April 2020
A huge thanks to you who bought Area 86 & like what I have created! It means a lot! Thank you & I hope that more people will find Area 86. So how did the release day go? Well, I was fixing last-minute bugs before launch & the last build was uploaded 3h before release! You can guess how the testing went. Not the best way on how to prepare for launch! ːsteamfacepalmː But wait - it did not end there! I still needed to create achievement icons. The last achievement icon was uploaded 1h before release. At the moment, when all was finally in place and the only thing left was to press the release button - I was already totally exhausted! ( don't think that previous days did not spend polishing/fixing bugs ) Anyway, the release button is pressed & finally can feel more relaxed that managed to get everything together in the promised time! Bear with me! Area 86 development does not stop here! I w…
- Devblog #18 - 1 April 2020
I hope you're doing well and staying safe! ːearthishː Development of Area 86 has slowed down a bit in March, but I'm back and pushing forward! The release day is coming closer and closer, uhh! Not sure if ready for release, panic! But I have promised to deliver on April 15th and let's keep it that way! ːsteamhappyː So what's done for the release: LocalizationArea 86 is available in 12 different languages including Latvian. Big thanks to people who helped localize Area 86 to different languages. Stanislaw - Hans Michał Tosza Vladimir Slav Digital Kaz Brazil David Rey and others... Steam FeaturesThanks to the Facepunch Steamwork plugin, the implementation of Steam features did not create much trouble. Added achievements ( still adding right now ), Implemented cloud saves and tested how controllers behave ( so far so good ) Still have plans of implementing other features, but that's after…
- Devblog #17 - 20 February 2020
Let's start with the most exciting news! I decided to release Area 86 on April 15th ːsteamhappyː ( no matter what will happen ) The release version is still in heavy development, and no time should be wasted! ːcleanhourglassː Have a release todo list which looks like: Last level development ( where you will need to defeat a corrupted AI system ) Localization ( some strings missing ) Achievements More polishing Robot customization? ( 50/50 chance that will make it on release, if not will come 100% in next updates ) The first release version will contain the full first chapter! In this chapter, you will have the possibility to complete more than 50 different tasks, puzzles, and challenges. Including other robot saving and working together, if you decide to do so. Of course, work will not stop after release, and more interesting features are waiting in the line of development. Like chapter…
- Devblog #16 - 12 January 2020
Wait - 2020 - already? I think time goes too fast! Anyway - the last 2-3 weeks were very productive. Nope - Level 5 is still in development. Perhaps I created it too big again. Trust me, I tried to make it smaller compared to Level 4 and it is. But still larger than Level 1,2 & 3 ːsteamfacepalmː But on the bright side - it's something different than all previous levels! So what can you expect from Level 5? It contains five rooms. Includes a maze, a robot to save, some rolling barrels, an item converter, a bit parkour, destructive items, and a timer to reach the exit. ːcleanfloppyː If you are interested to see some visual stuff, here it comes! Storage room with various items: ( it's still gets filled up with items ) Parkour room with jumping and maneuvering: ( the actual room is behind the doors, but it contains only placeholders ) Item converter room. You can mix items together to get y…
- Devblog #15 - 4 December 2019
Hello! What a month November was! Spent more time preparing then developing Area 86 ː2018bestcoffeeː Don't get me wrong, it was for the best for Area 86. Submitted Area 86 to Baltic Sea Games Award and got nominated for Best Game Design! I was super excited and thrilled for such an award and the possibility to continue to next available award - Best Baltic Sea Startup Game. ( This included a trip to Lithuania where the final is held at video gaming event GameOn + a booth with Area 86 at the event ) Captured quick moments of Area 86 booth at the expo: I felt no pressure until arrived at the event and started to acknowledge that will need to go to the stage and talk in front of other people. ( not done it before and I'm not the person who enjoys talking ːsteamfacepalmː) So the moment came and it was time to go to the stage! How do you think it went? I would say, it was not great but not t…
- Devblog #14 - 31 October 2019
Happy Halloween! Area 86 did not release in this year's 2019 October, but still, I wanted to create a pumpkin and put it on our robot! With this said, character customization is official. ( For now, it's just a pumpkin on the head with a button in options to enable it ːsteamfacepalmː ) What else did happen in October? Oh - right - I got some great news to share! Submitted Area 86 to a contest called Baltic Sea Games Award. There are 4 possible nominees in this contest: “Best Game Design”, “Best Game Art”, “Best Game Audio” and “Best Game Narrative”. Can you guess what Area 86 did in this contest? Before you answer, I must say that I was surprised when received the mail. Area 86 did win Best Game Design ːsteamhappyː OMG - I was happy and proud of my work. As a winner, I need to prepare for the award ceremony which will take place at GameOn on 16 November 2019. But it does not end there!…
- Devblog #13 - 30 September 2019
Good news! Planed to release Area 86 very soon. Like Mid-October, but perhaps it was too soon. One level is still missing - life happens! Will need to push my self harder. ːsteamfacepalmː As soon the first chapter gets completed will notify you all! For those who don't know - the first chapter will contain 6 levels. Right now 4 of 6 levels are completed and only some minor tweaks are made to them. Level 5 is functionally completed, but the visual part is missing. That makes total progress for Level 5 development 75% But what about the chapters last level? Well, level 6 is 0% completed! Let's look at this from the bright side. The last level will not be so "huge" as others and it will be more like a boss fight level :) The main idea for this level is to use your parkour skills and a bit of planning to reboot the system. To make it more interesting, some sections will depend on saved robo…
- Devblog #12 - 26 August 2019
https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F32196329%2F3d60dda88f6c63c9515c9a902a34361472964a8e.png Let's start with the most important? Are you ready to escape from Area 86? You better be, because I added a deadline on my self for releasing Area 86! For now, all I can say - it's October 2019! ( A more accurate date will follow in the next blog post ːsteamhappyː ) Finally, Level 4 has hit the finish line and is in a playable state. It contains more different features than previous levels and one of the best could be with the saved robot from the previous level. ( if you released and saved it ) A new challenge awaits you with the drone that patrols his room! Will you outrun, blow in space or ride on him? Perhaps you will find another way how to deal with drones. https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F32196329%2Fc1f916d32fca6ac5546f26d29d82a0%25E2%2580%25A6
- Devblog #11 - 16 July 2019
https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F32196329%2Fd7f127f2dd75fa1bf30f819a06181ada938eb3fe.jpg Improvements, polishing, bug-squashing & feature implementation! It all brings a good game together. ːsteamhappyː As last time mentioned, I reworked the item pick/throw functional. Oh, that did take more time than planned. But now - I can say it's finished and every possible item that can be picked up by our robot is converted to the new logic. No more instant item dropping on wall/obstacle/etc. touching :) Next was tutorial with controllers. The tutorial had already keyboard buttons visible, but nothing when you played with a controller. Checked top controllers from Steam stats and implemented their visual buttons for Area 86. Now we have perfect tutorial feedback for controllers and proper button visuals in settings. https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/pu…
- Devblog #10 - 14 May 2019
https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F32196329%2F5b71d014f7f3b8adf83bfdee5666ee4ee66a860f.jpg Spent some quality time by implementing your requested features and improved gameplay with your suggestions! Let's start with the biggest trouble maker - item dropping! It's was so easy to drop an item and get mad Well - made an outstanding move! I reworked from scratch our controllable robot logic including pick/hold/drop item code. It took me a while, but I'm so happy about the outcome result. ːsteamhappyː https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F32196329%2F5c64feb8a4eba6e07b6992adad12cd2b7a047e0e.gif Don't think that it stopped all there! Now as the new item pick/hold mechanic is implemented, need to go over all possible items and update their colliders. To give more joy by smashing/throwing items - I started to add items that can break apar…
- Devblog #9 - 24 March 2019
Yep - have set my goal to finish AREA 86 this year! From planed 6 levels in the 1st chapter, only 3 are completed and 4th is coming together. The functional part is completed, but the visual/audio part is way behind schedule. ( had planned to finish it till April, but will see how life goes ) Maybe it took "a bit" more time because the idea fairy did hit me with features that should be included? Check these features that did hit 4th level: basketball court with best ball physics ever made parkour room where you control the parkour elements stealth room with a possible getaway run smooth camera switch between different rooms explosive boxes which can be used in different combinations with the environment the previous level saved robot ( if saved ) visits you and helps with the tasks door slamming!!! . . . https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F32196329%2F236a10d%25E2%2580%25A6
- Devblog #8 - 2 February 2019
https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F32196329%2Fe7d236b01fe0a8031c012659f4b6f7336f0e0be4.jpg Welcome back in the year 2019! January is already over and did not share any work progress about Area 86 Must say, that January was a pretty progressive month! Started creating a new level and added some interesting features. One of them is a flying drone!!! Be aware that this drone will not be your friend! Because the main goal for the drone is to keep the assigned room clean from unauthorized objects, including your robot. But don't think that you can't use it for your needs ːsteamhappyː There is always some choices - will you destroy it, will you ride on it or maybe you can outrun it? https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F32196329%2F5bb903ca585d35278be11b5fdd8d7a3cd9b9f8c7.gif Also made some improvements/polishing to previous levels and a…
- Devblog #7 - 16 December 2018
https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F32196329%2Fc96321200271f68a8ddf278ac8294637779fc663.png It's close! So close that this is your last chance to prepare gifts/surprises for your closest ones! Quick Math level did hit the latest update and it's time to develop to the next one. ( probably still will update it with some visual features but it's playable ) Made some visual changes to the tutorial level and smashed little bugs which did not notice before. Nothing exclusive, but each little thing makes a better whole picture ːsteamhappyː https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F32196329%2F95a3d3c1d1431483ec433bb7766fe54dafa13edd.png Check this little feature: When you approach any interactable object, your robot focuses his head on it! https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F32196329%2Fcb23ac577e69df8acee993015cc36%25E2%2580%25A6
- Devblog #6 - 11 November 2018
https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F32196329%2Feccab4ae78258b4595fc97e99649688b020bbf0b.png Finally finished integrating feature: saving other robots! Was fun - so many bugs and fixes went in such a "simple" feature ːsteamboredː But don't think that it will be so easy to get other robots trust! You will need to figure out how to gain the trust and build a team. https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F32196329%2Fc674c315c643c0da2817ba7e6543a1a4fff3ff58.gif https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F32196329%2F6a6c1c533127d9932e9c76c46cb34878a1d6fb2d.gif More updates were made to the current development level and it's still possible that more are incoming this month! Prepare your selves to build a possible team! https://cdn.steampulse.org/steam/asset?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsteamcdn-a.akamaihd.net%2Fsteamcommunity%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fclans%2F32196329%2F74ab407155ba2a6b796d1b4c314%25E2%2580%25A6
