starbound
Latest
'Starbound' will be ready for everyone on July 22nd
When Chucklefish said that Starbound was nearly ready after about 5 years of sitting in Steam's Early Access program, it wasn't joking around. The developer has revealed that the finished game will launch on July 22nd for Linux, Mac and Windows. Besides opening access to those people who aren't willing to try pre-release code, this is really about fleshing out Starbound beyond its sandbox roots -- the long-awaited version 1.0 will give you honest-to-goodness missions, characters and stories. There are promises of more features in the pipeline, too, so think of this more as a milestone in the title's development than an endpoint.
'Starbound' is almost ready for everyone to explore
After years of being in Steam's Early Access program for in-development games, Starbound is readying to leave those confines. Four years on and the 1.0 patch, what developer Chucklefish refers to as "the story update," adds a ton to the charming 2D sci-fi title. In terms of narrative, your character is a member of a group called "Protectors" who are trying to guide the universe toward peace, and after your Earth-based graduation from the training program you'll head off to the stars to explore the galaxy.
Game Music Bundle 7: Journey, Broken Age, Luftrausers
Who needs AC/DC and Aerosmith for their gym workouts when you could listen to smooth grooves of video game soundtracks? The Game Music Bundle 7 from Loudr offers 17 albums of audio delights, including tunes from Austin Wintory (Journey, The Banner Saga), Peter McConnell (Broken Age, Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft), and Disasterpeace (The Floor is Jelly, Fez). The Game Music Bundle has been running for more than two years now, but if you're just now learning about it, here's how it works: for $1, you'll receive the soundtracks for The Banner Saga, Device 6, Broken Age, The Floor is Jelly and Luftrausers. By paying $10, you'll unlock 12 more albums, including a new solo piano arrangement of music from Journey. To see all 17 albums being offered and scoop up your copy of the bundle, check out the official site. Just don't wait too long, as this particular collection will only be available until May 1. [Image: Loudr]
Developets: A tribute to the four-legged friends of indie developers
Chris Chung with the family cat, Nippy At the start of the 2013 7DFPS Game Jam, Chris Chung was given the challenge of creating a unique first person shooter within seven days. No other rules, requirements, or qualifications; just complete creative control over a project and a week's worth of time in which to complete it. This task in mind, Chung began brainstorming ideas, trying to come up with something that could be both unique and feasibly accomplished. He remembers the idea forming in his mind during a long car ride on the first day of the jam. "I was thinking of what kind of interesting first-person game I could make that I hadn't seen before, and 'cats' was the first thing I thought of."
New office means faster content updates, says Starbound creator
In a blog post celebrating the acquisition of a new office space, the developers behind Starbound claim that having all of their personnel under one roof will allow the studio to issue more frequent content updates for the sandbox exploration game. "The programmers have been putting the finishing touches on the system we're going to use to push updates more frequently," wrote Starbound creator Finn "Tiy" Brice. "Essentially we're separating content updates and engine updates. Content updates are going to be pushed to the server as and when content is finished being produced, we're no longer going to wait on engine updates to push them out at the same time. This also means engine updates will get additional internal testing." "The artists have been working on a bunch of new content that's pretty much ready to go as soon as this is done. We'll also be adding the best/most fitting mods to the game with increased frequency," added Brice. "The pace is really going to pick up." Brice also notes that these more frequent content updates will not increase Starbound's version number. Though this won't impact most players, it a thoughtful touch for Starbound modders who would otherwise need to update their mods to match the new version number each time Brice's team adds a new carnivorous plant creature to the game. [Image: Chucklefish]
Starbound developer Chucklefish working on a second game
Chucklefish is looking to ramp up development on another game. While the studio is hard at work on bringing Starbound out of beta, Chucklefish is putting together a second, separate team in the UK to work on something new. Chucklefish assures this second mystery game will not affect Starbound development. In fact, Chucklefish is only at the concept stage right now, and is toying with the idea of a top-down, open world, multiplayer-driven pirate game. The studio is currently hiring UK talent for this new team. If you're interested, send your credentials to business[at]chucklefish[dot]org. [Image: Chucklefish]
Lichborne: The death knight in non-WoW games
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Lichborne for blood, frost, and unholy death knights. In the post-Cataclysm era, death knights are no longer the new kids on the block. Let's show the other classes how a hero class gets things done. So we're kind of officially in the lull between expansions. A lot of guilds have Garrosh on farm. By now, maybe you've at least defeated him in raid finder once or twice, and maybe you have full Timeless Isle gear for every one of your alts. So maybe it's time to dust off the console or the hard drives and spend a little bit of time getting into other games. But with Hearthstone still tragically lacking a death knight hero, how do you get your death knight fix? Death knights aren't completely unique to WoW, but they're not common either, at least not in the general concept of necromantic knights trying to break free of their dark past to good with their evil powers. Here's a few ideas, both mechanically and thematically, for playing death knight style in other games. Skyrim: To be a dragonborn dark knight Yes, I am playing Skyrim right now, so it's kind of fresh in my mind, but I'd argue, at the very least, that Skyrim's relatively flexible spec system allows you to play something similar to a death knight. For example, right now my Dragonborn is using heavy plate armor and dual ebony swords I have enchanted with frost and fire and renamed Lichborne and Hellmouth. While he mostly beats people (and dragons, giants, and bears) up with the swords, he also has a decent amount of work in conjuration tree, summoning and/or resurrecting undead minions. Once I get to level 100 in that skill, I can even get me a perma-ghoul if I want.
Starbound players need no longer fear character wipes
Those brave souls building a pixelated life for themselves in the Early Access version of Starbound have less reason to worry that the game's servers might periodically delete their favorite explorer. This past weekend's update took care of that glaring issue. Adorably titled "Furious Koala," the update brings a host of changes to Starbound. Most are the typical attempts at polishing the 2D sandbox exploration game, but the highlight of the list is word that developer Chucklefish Ltd. has instituted "[a]bsolutely massive changes to disk serialization." As a result, the development team claims it will no longer need to delete characters or ships, and that it's now much less likely that they will need to delete planets. Helpfully, this change also brings with it a "proper versioning system" for save games - a huge boon for anyone who's ever attempted to find a particular game in Starbound's previously labyrinthine save file structure. Additionally, Furious Koala brings difficulty levels to Starbound, and introduces permadeath for those players who feel that futuristic regeneration pods are just a tad too unrealistic for a game that includes force fields, laser swords and industrious bird people. Full details on Furious Koala can be found on the update's changelog.
Starbound: Mass Effect Edition looks well worth Shepard's endorsement
An interesting mod for the Starbound beta incorporating several elements from BioWare's lauded Mass Effect series has been published online by a group known as Team SMEE. It's called Starbound: Mass Effect Edition and we're certain it's Shepard's favorite beta mod on the Citadel. The most interesting inclusion is Mass Effect's Biotics, the special abilities unlocked in certain lifeforms through the integration of technology. Both Lift and Slow have been added to Starbound, though players need to track down and learn these techniques before they can employ them. The mod also converts your personal ship into the Normandy – the original SR-1, to be exact, from the first Mass Effect. On top of the AI-controlled ship, the Asari, Turians and Human Alliance races are all represented here, as well as a slew of appropriate armor and weapon sets pulled directly from BioWare's series. Future updates are planned, and will add the Mako (why?) and Element-0 – a rare element that, when electricity is applied to it, allows for the creation of mass effect fields. In order to install the mod, users must grab Kawa's Xbawks Mode Character Creator and the Simple Extended Character Creation Mod. Then head over to the Starbound forums and follow the installation instructions to get Starbound: Mass Effect Edition up and running. Good hunting, Commander.
The Daily Grind: Do you heed or even read Steam MMO reviews?
As more and more MMOs come to Steam, where user reviews were implemented just a few short months ago, the subject of reviewing MMOs seems relevant once again. 2012's RaiderZ, for example, just launched this week on Steam, and before the first day was even done, the action-MMO had collected 80 reviews, most negative, to go along with its 64/100 metascore. We've talked before about the specific difficulties of reviewing and assigning numerical scores to MMOs, but that doesn't seem to stop gamers from posting (and presumably, reading and heeding) these abbreviated and often nonspecific opinions. Or does it? Do you read Steam reviews, and if so, do you find they influence your buying and trying decisions, especially when it comes to MMOs? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Next Starbound patch wipes characters and worlds, adds permadeath mode
A new update being planned for the ongoing Starbound beta will wipe all player data, forcing everyone to start from scratch once again. The update addresses a save file issue with the game, and the developer assures this is the last time it has to wipe player progress. Those looking for some added difficulty should find it in a new permadeath mode, also coming in this update. Developer Chucklefish will add more weapons, decorative hats and up the rate at which players encounter NPCs on the game's various worlds. Starbound is a 2D sci-fi exploration game full of randomized worlds. Players traverse the galaxy in their own personalized ships, beaming down onto worlds to explore and scavenge for crafting supplies. Earlier this month, Chucklefish announced over one million players had signed on for the beta, which is open to anyone who pre-orders the game.
Over one million have signed up to explore Starbound
Over one million players have committed cash to Starbound, Chucklefish's pixel-based sci-fi sandbox game. The official Twitter account for the game broke the news earlier today. An ongoing beta is available to anyone who pre-orders the game. Over Starbound's pre-order period, Chucklefish secured over $1 million in revenue prior to the beta's launch in December. In Starbound, players maintain a ship and are beamed down to randomized worlds in order to scavenge for supplies, hunt local wildlife and interact with the indigenous peoples of each land. Starbound also supports multiplayer and gives players access to a variety of different races and genders for their character.
Starbound beta starts today
Starbound developer Chucklefish began sending out beta keys for the PC, Mac and Linux game today. Those who backed the space-faring exploration game should see a Steam key in their inboxes momentarily, and the developer says a direct download version of the game will be available "as soon as we are able to efficiently provide it." The Terraria-like game's official site reveals that over $2.6 million was raised by 124,176 backers in the developer's ongoing crowdfunding efforts. Starbound features procedurally-generated worlds in which players must gather supplies to take on quests. The "story in a sandbox" game received a new trailer to commemorate the launch of its beta version, which features some of its side-scrolling action.
Epic celestial adventure game Starbound enters open beta today
One of the most hyped PC games of the latter half of 2013 enters open beta today. It's called Starbound, and if you haven't heard of it, you've not been keeping up on your gaming news. It's a 2D adventure sandbox game where you play as a lost, space-faring citizen who has just crashed on a mysterious planet. It's up to you to explore, adapt and, most importantly, survive. The neat thing about Starbound is that you can do essentially whatever you want and there's no right or wrong way to play it. If you want to dig a hole in the ground and scavenge only the supplies you need to survive day-to-day, you can do it. If you want to craft weapons and become a murderous assassin, you can do it. Or if you want to simply explore the infinite number of procedurally generated worlds, you can do that too. Since the game isn't in full release mode yet, there are a few different tiers of support that will get you into the game's beta and eventually the retail version, the cheapest of which starts at US$15. That's a pretty stellar deal considering the wealth of content, not to mention the fact that the Mac release is getting the same treatment as the Windows and Linux versions. Hooray for gaming equality!
Starbound beta open to those who pre-ordered 'around' December 4
The beta test for Starbound, the indie space exploration game from developer Chucklefish, is likely to start soon. Designer Finn "Tiy" Brice announced the news on Twitter, stating that the beta "is looking to be around" December 4, granted "arrangements go through with Steam." In Starbound, players traverse a procedurally generated universe of worlds. While fleeing their homeworld after its destruction at the hands of an unknown enemy, players must scrounge for gear and supplies across these worlds as they embark upon a variety of quests and story missions. Chucklefish has already secured over $1 million in pre-orders for Starbound. The beta is open to all those who have pre-ordered the game, with a full-fledged release of Starbound planned for sometime next year.
Indie space adventure Starbound takes us to the 'beta' quadrant
Starbound, the 2D space exploration game from Chucklefish that features randomized worlds, is gearing up to offer a beta test to players soon. In the latest edition of the Starbound newsletter (via Destructoid), Chucklefish says the beta will launch before the year, with the game on track for launch sometime next year. Chucklefish has secured over $1 million already in pre-orders for Starbound, with each of those individuals eligible to dive into the beta once it's made available. Starbound, which is set to explore Windows PC, Mac, Linux and Ouya, will feature numerous races to interact with, planets to explore and pets to befriend.
Starbound earns over $1 million; extra race, fossils and pets a go
Starbound, a sandbox exploration game with randomly generated worlds, is coming from developer Chucklefish, who has been raising money through its pre-order page (take that, Kickstarter!) for some time. Today, Starbound has received over $1 million from crowd-funding, securing all stretch goal extras for the game. Upon reaching $500,000, Chucklefish promised a new playable race called the Novakids – nomads comprised of gases who have no planet to call home. At $750,000, fossils were introduced: rare and valuable materials players can unearth using special tools. Finally the $1 million threshold promised starter pets, which are companions that can't fight or be controlled – unlike the alien creatures you actually can capture and force to fight – but they love you unconditionally and that's the important thing. There isn't an exact date for Starbound's launch, though the game is due sometime this year on Windows PC, Mac, Linux and Ouya.
Space explorer Starbound reaches $400,000 in pre-orders
Starbound, a "story within a sandbox" game that has players traversing the universe to explore and complete quests, recently began taking pre-orders. As of this writing, developer Chucklefish hauled in $409,907 in its crowdfunding initiative. While the developer opted to use its official site instead of services such as Kickstarter or Indiegogo to host its tiered funding campaign, it still set stretch goals for the project. A new "novakid" race will be included in the game should pre-orders reach $500,000.The game promises an endless number of procedurally-generated planets that encourage exploration from players. Starbound's site notes that much like a point-and-click adventure game, players can examine and catalog every item on the varying planets. Additionally, Starbound will feature cooperative and competitive multiplayer options.Chucklefish was one of ten developers that earned a free Ouya dev kit in December 2012, though the game's site notes that Starbound only supports Windows, Mac and Linux at this time. Backers will receive a Steam key for the game when it launches sometime in 2013.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!] %Gallery-185621%
10 indies to receive free Ouya dev kits
The first Ouya dev consoles are set to ship later this month and 10 lucky indie developers have been chosen to receive free Ouya dev kits through a Twitter promotion. Over the past 10 days, Ouya picked a different hopeful Ouya developer each day, the list of which is presented below along with links to more information about each's respective game: Day 1: Fist of Awesome (Nicoll Hunt) Day 2: MechKnight Chronicles (Dinosaur Entertainment) Day 3: Syder Arcade (Studio Evil) Day 4: KidElectro (Seantron) Day 5: Space Runner (Hypercane Studios) Day 6: Legend of Dungeon (RobotLovesKitty) Day 7: iMech Online (Mobula Games) Day 8: DustyRevenge (PD Design Studio) Day 9: HolyShield! (Dogbox Studio) Day 10: Starbound (Chucklefish)This doesn't mean each of these games is a lock for Ouya, we should note. These 10 individuals aren't getting final retail Ouya boxes – those don't ship until March 2013 – but rather free special limited-edition developer versions of Ouya, valued at $800 a pop. And while these initial shipments vary slightly from the retail Ouya units coming next year, we're compelled to note all Ouya consoles will allow for software development.
