Wednesday 23 December 2015

Atom Republic shuts up shop for Xmas.

It's that time of the year again, the Festive Season is upon us. The Atom Republic team have emerge from their work and have returned to the warm embrace of their family and friends. 

Over this holiday, our development and support staff will be on vacation from 1pm GMT on Wednesday 23rd December 2015 until 10am GMT on Monday 4th January 2016.

Social networks


During this time, we will not be on hand to reply to your support queries via our social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube etc.), so now you’ll know where we’ll be instead!

Forums


We also won’t be maintaining an active forum presence during this holiday period on the Atom Universe forums. You’re on your own kids, please don’t leave it too messy when we come to clear up after you in the New Year!

Here’s to an awesome 2016!


In 2015, we managed to raise an whooping £25,073 on Kickstarter and we also managed to bring the Alpha version to Steam and PS4, allowing our backers to help us track down all those pesky bugs.
We’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported Atom Universe and Atom Republic throughout 2015. Thanks to you for your patience and continued positivity, we all remain extremely passionate about Atom Universe and are looking forward to bringing this experience to everyone!

In 2016, our desire is to bring Atom Universe into the Early Access phase of the development and continue working with our community making Atom Universe an enjoyable experience for everyone. And as always we’ll be sharing more details and keeping you up to speed on the development process throughout 2016.

So, that’s all for 2015. Here’s to 2016! We hope everyone has a great holiday and we’ll look forward to bringing more exciting news in the New Year! 

Friday 18 December 2015

Atom Universe Devblog - Part 1

Hey Atomz,

Welcome to Atom Republic’s first ever development diary! Over the course this series we’ll be aiming to keep communication with the community open and to able to discuss the design of Atom Universe as we move forward. We’re not necessarily going to be using this series to announce big flashy feature each time, but we’ll be aiming to keep you informed as much as possible.

Now, earlier this week we shared a picture of our Designer, Luke working on something mysterious across our social media channels and we had a great response from the community sharing their thoughts about what Luke was working on (hyper sonic rollercoasters, bowling alley, and some Jedi stuff).

Earlier today, we managed to pull Luke away from his work to find out exactly what he was working on;

“Recently, I have been focused on implementing the new bowling game into Atom Universe. The first step in this process was to create a game framework that allows us to create games externally from the main Atom Universe world. At first, this may not seem so important, but as a developer this is invaluable as it means we can spend more time in the future focused on creating content without having to worry about the specifics of implementing it.”

“Once the framework was completed I moved on to the bowling project. The first task was to add a little more polish to the game and to remove the snapping of the camera between different states of the game by replacing them with smooth interpolated transitions between these states. Next up was removing all 2D UI elements from the game and replacing them with interactive 3D objects that are projected in the games world space. For example the execution meter, which controls the power and accuracy of your throw is now projected onto the bowling lane itself instead of taking up unnecessary space on the screen.”

“Previously, the bowling alley has gone through 2 iterations. The first was initially the prototype and involved creating the core game loop and the basic mechanics that were required to make the game function, at this point the user had the ability to play a basic 10 frames of bowling with one ball.”

Bowling Alley - Work In Progress


“The second iteration involved a little more polish. At this stage we started to add some of the UI to the game and added a ball selection stage. This allowed the user to select different types of bowling balls with a variation of statistics and skins to change the way the game plays and feels. An interactive scoreboard was also introduced to add a little more dynamism to the game and allowed the user to track their score.”

Friday 11 December 2015

New Atom Universe Update and Community Q&A Recap

Good evening Atomz,

The weekend is finally here and it’s been quite the week here at Atom Republic, the team have been hard at work getting the v0.06.410 patch ready for PS4 and Steam. Yesterday, our CEO Tanguy Dewavrin also took some time out of his busy schedule to take part within Q&A session with the community on the Atom Universe forums.


v0.06.410 Patch


We’re happy to announce that the latest patch will be live on Steam today, the patch has also been submitted to Sony and we’re hoping that we’ll be able to make live on the PS4 over the weekend (keep an eye out on our Facebook page, we’ll be making an announcement the second it when goes live).

Customization of avatar colours for dress and highlight


Patch Notes:


  • Improved text chat 
  • List of online players in The Hub 
  • Customization of avatar colours for dress and highlight 
  • Fixed the ferris wheel (carriages no longer appear in the centre of the ferris wheel)

Known Issues


  • Inverted controls on the virtual keyboards (X closes chat, O inputs text) 
  • Missing exit triggers in Crow Bots (Use the option button (PS4) & ESC (PC) to exit Crow bots to The Hub) 
  • Collision barriers anomaly outside of Crow Bots (we're currently investigating)

Q&A With Tanguy


Yesterday, our CEO Tanguy Dewavrin took to the Atom Universe forums to take part within an community Q&A session. Over the course of an hour, Tanguy managed to answer a handful of your questions:

Q: Will pc players get new additions (clothes, spaces, etc.) before ps4 players?  And if so, how long before ps4 players have access to the same stuff? - Lionhrt41

A: We will submit content at the same time, and will try and release at the same time. But realistically, we can push content a lot quicker on PC. - Tanguy


Q: The PlayStation Home "fam's" that used to use app's to mod the servers that used to freeze users on PlayStation Home, Sniff for codes, & bully/harass other users, This has been big topics not only in the Atom Universe community on the PS4 - Ransom_Stark


A: We take cyber-bullying very seriously. We will do everything in our power to prevent it. - Tanguy


You will be able to find the full Q&A session here. We would like to thank everyone who took the time out and posted their questions and took part within the Q&A. 


Monday 7 December 2015

Q&A with Tanguy Dewavrin



Hello everyone, Tanguy here! We’re sure you’re curious to know we’ve been up to, so its Q&A time!

Wondering what we’ve been working on, what’s down the line or what I’ve had for lunch? Post your questions here and let’s have blast! I’ll be coming on to the Atom Universe forums this Thursday 10th December to answer as many of your questions as possible about the development of Atom Universe and about going-ons around the Atom Republic studio. 

Looking forward to your questions and see you all on Thursday! 

Friday 23 October 2015

Alpha Update!

We realize everyone is very excited about the Alpha release of Atom Universe; we are just as excited to bring Atom Universe to you! Over the next few days we will be sending out emails to those backers that qualify to participate in the Alpha; each backer will have the choice to participate either, on PC through Steam or on PS4 through the PlayStation Network. We will be releasing the Alpha in stages; the first stage will be the release of the PC version through Steam. The next stage will be the release of the PS4 version, which we expect to have ready soon. If you are a qualified backer, once you have replied to our email notifying us of your choice, you will receive a key code to allow you access. *Only one Key Code per backer donation.
If you are participating in this Alpha, we urge you to please keep in mind that an Alpha is a testing stage, not a fully working game, so there will be many issues, bugs and problems we will need to work through together. We just ask for your patience, and assistance in helping us improve Atom Universe by reporting any issues on our Atom Universe forums at www.atomuniverse.net.
We would like the community to understand that game development at this early stage is complicated and there can be unanticipated and unforeseen issues that lead to creating delays in the process. We are working hard to make AU a high quality game for the community.
Thank you all for your understanding. We’re all on this creative journey together and whilst there may be some unexpected bumps and delays, we cannot wait to show you how far we’ve come.

Friday 16 October 2015

Atom Universe Alpha Announced!

We will be releasing our first stage of Atom Universe beginning next week on PC and PS4! 

This will be an Alpha release, which means we are still in a beginning-testing phase of the game. The Alpha will only be available to our Kickstarter backers that donated at an award level qualifying them to participate in our first game release. 

If you qualify to participate, stay tuned next week for further information.


Monday 12 October 2015

October Newsletter

Keep an eye on your email in-box for our October newsletter!
If you haven't signed up to receive our monthly newsletter you can sign up on our Facebook page or at www.AtomUniverse.net. Our newsletter comes out with information, interviews and extras found no where else on social media. Sign up now!
Please join us also in the NEW communities section of your PS4. If you'd like an invitation to join the Atom Universe community on PS4, either PM us your PSN ID on Facebook or Twitter, or send us an email with your PSN ID to info@AtomUniverse.net and we will send you an invitation. You can also join over 1,000 members on the Atom Universe community forums at www.AtomUniverse.net.

New Private Space - "Cave House"

Sub-D studio, makers of our Mirage House, are working on a new beautiful private space called the "Cave House"... 

Here is a sneak peek at their WIP!




Adam-Male Avatar Close-Up's

Adam's close-up's. What a handsome male...avatar. Right, it's an...avatar, hard to believe! Check out the close-up of those eyes!




These avatar W.I.P. images show only one frame among thousands created during the on-going rendering process. Details may be added or subject to change.

Thursday 1 October 2015

PhyroBomb On Atom Universe


PhyroBomb, out of Firenze, Italy is one example of many musicians around the globe that will have their music highlighted in Atom Universe. This young EDM band has an amazing sound, just listen to "Polarity" on Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/dj-rol3x-…/polarity-ft-nathan-brumley, it is a favorite! Get your dancing shoes ready!



(We realize people enjoy different styles of music and there will be many genre's featured in Atom Universe. If you have suggestions for other musicians or genre's you would like to see featured, please post at AtomUniverse.net.)

When Will the Game Be Out? Why Not on PS4?

We know our community is excited for the Beta release of Atom Universe, and we are often being asked when Atom Universe will be out on PS4; and why is it being released on PC first, not PS4?
Let us try to explain the two (PS4 and PC) different methods of introduction; one requires release through a corporation with strict standards and a quality assurance process, and the other is through a mostly unregulated entity. In order to release a game through Steam on PC there has to be enough interest in the game for acceptance by Steam. On the other hand, when submitting a game to PSN for release it has to go through a rigorous quality assurance (QA) process before they will allow its release on PS4, which is often not a quick process. During the QA process, the game goes back-and-forth between Sony and the developer, and is ongoing until both parties are satisfied with the outcome. This can take an undetermined amount of time.
In addition, QA processing is independent for SCEA and SCEE, because each entity have different criteria for the QA process. Unfortunately, there is no set period for how long it will take to go through and finish the QA process, which in the end leaves us unable to provide a release date for the game on PS4.
We assure you we are working hard to get both the PC and PS4 version out to everyone as quickly as possible. Currently we are in alpha testing for the PC version of Atom Universe and we will have a closed beta on PC within the next few weeks. Our hopes are to get the game through the Sony QA process and do the same on PS4 at some point within the next few months. We should have the closed beta out very shortly on PC through Steam for those community members that have donated to us at the Atom Evangelist level that allows them to participate in the Beta for Atom Universe.

Adam Avatar Update #2

New Adam, male avatar, renderings. Still a few more stages to go...but we're getting there.



These avatar W.I.P. images show only one frame among thousands created during the on-going rendering process. Details may be added or subject to change

Tuesday 22 September 2015

Adam Avatar Update

Mmmm...hmmm...Adam is coming along VERY nicely! This is an interesting stage of rendering, no eyes, most color's and texturing have yet to be added.





These avatar W.I.P. images show only one frame among thousands created during the on-going rendering process. Details may be added or subject to change.

PS4 and PC Cross-play Demo

PC users can play Atom Universe with PS4 users! Here is the proof...





No Plus Required

A lot of you asked about PlayStation Plus: we can now announce that you will not require PlayStation Plus to play Atom Universe. The game will be free to play for everyone!



Friday 18 September 2015

W.I.P. - Eve Animation

Here is some W.I.P. of Eve's animation, experimenting with dynamic hair simulations and realistic materials...




In order to keep the community informed of our progress we are sharing our work in progress (W.I.P.). These images are one part of an on-going process, not a final product. Details are still to be added and subject to change.

Thursday 17 September 2015

Dynamic Sky Feature in Atom Universe

A few weeks ago we asked if you would like to have a Dynamic Sky feature in Atom Universe. The response was an over-whelming yes! So guess what we put in the game? Here are a few sneak-peek images...





Wednesday 16 September 2015

Woodland House - Final Walk Through

Our last Woodland House walk-through moves on to the lower level beginning with the lower landing/hallway. 

Coming down the stairs to the left, the first room is a library/study with a desk, tons of shelving, and a wicked round window for a view of the lake. 

The next room is a large guest room, or extra bedroom with a bed and comfy chair where you can relax and gaze out a second huge round window. 

Moving back down the hall in the opposite direction takes you first to our "mystery room," which the community has been voting on... what will it be? 

We should know soon, but for now it stays empty with only one lonely chair. 

Our final stop on the Woodland House tour is the entertainment room, with a cinema and disco. 

With a dance floor, huge viewing screen and comfortable chair's, the potential is limitless. 

Music, movies, video's, and with a full bar it is time for a P-A-R-T-Y!


For a full video walk-through of our Woodland House, check this out on YouTube: 

New Office Sneak Peek

A little sneak peek at our new studio!


New Week!

Our team is ready to tackle a new week of hard work... Bring it on!


Male Avatar "Adam" Beginning Render

In the beginning Atom Universe created Adam...


First comparison rendering images of Adam. Opening the images to enlarge them allows a better view of the difference in detail between the two.






These avatar W.I.P. images show only one frame among thousands created during the on-going rendering process. Details may be added or subject to change.

Wednesday 9 September 2015

VRLO, London

We had a great time at VRLO in London demoing Atom Universe.







Music by Tyler Clark on Atom Universe


Tyler Clark (@TaylorClarkMusic), American musician, to be highlighted in Atom Universe. Tyler was trained as a classical pianist, but a desire to make all-original works led him to experiment with electronic and synth sounds. Tyler's music has been featured by Phil DeFranco (@DeFrancoNation), SourceFed (sourcefed.com), Bebopvox (@TheBebopVox,) among other notable sources.
 
Tyler has created hundreds of his own original works and assisted with many others created by his colleagues. He enjoys working with and for other EDM artists, video producers and entertainers. All inquiries can be directed to TylerClarkOfficial@live.com. On Tyler's YouTube channel "Breaking Point featuring Jeremy Strickland" is one of our favorites; more Tyler Clark music available on SoundCloud.
 
(We realize people enjoy different styles of music and there will be many genre's featured in Atom Universe. If you have suggestions of other musicans or genre's you would like to see featured, please post at AtomUniverse.net


Developer's Blog



A few people asked me (Tanguy Dewavrin) about our experience of crowdfunding, so I made my first personal blog-post about it: http://tanguysblog.blogspot.co.uk/

Friday 4 September 2015

An Interview With Paul Rance - September Newsletter



Our latest newsletter is being sent out later today for you all to enjoy over the weekend. "Atom Republic chats with Paul Rance". 

Check it out for an exclusive chat with Paul about PlayStation Home and Atom Universe. If you don't receive our newsletter you can subscribe to it by clicking the 'Atom Universe Newsletter" button on our Facebook page, or "Sign-up for the Newsletter" button on the Atom Universe forums.


Looking for a New Team Member


We are looking for a good Network Programmer to join our expanding team in Surrey, UK, to work on Atom Universe, our VR theme park for the PS4! Get in touch if you know someone who could be interested!
Essential
- Unreal Engine C++/Blueprint development environment
- Unreal's networking/replication/online subsystem 
- Client/Server architecture
- Problem solving skills
Desirable
- Steam integration with Unreal
- Web programming skills (JSON, HTML, etc)
- PlayFab/GameSparks experience
- Cloud backend knowledge (Google Compute, AWS)

Dynamic SkyDome - Is this a possibility for Atom Universe?

How would you like to see Atom Universe feature this kind of dynamic skydome, complete with ever-changing clouds?

Moving Day for Atom Universe Office

Goodbye London... Thank you @PlayHubs for the ride!

Hello Woking... We are excited to move into our new, bigger office!

Woodland House - Walk Through #5

Our walk-through of the Woodland House continues approaching the mid-level landing from the kitchen. 

On the left leaving the kitchen or looking back toward the kitchen on the right, you see a full bathroom with shower and tub. 

Further down the landing is a staircase to the lower level of the house, and the entrance into the master bedroom which has floor-to-ceiling windows for the ultimate view. 


Off the master bedroom is a full master bathroom, with double sinks and a balcony where you can walk out and see a view of the property at the rear of the house. 


In the most recent Woodland House video you can see the placeholder walking through the master bedroom and bathroom, where there are working water faucets for the sinks, shower, bathtub, and even a flushing toilet.

Tuesday 25 August 2015

'Eve' Avatar, Detail

Enlarge each individual close-up rendering image of ‘Eve’ to see level of detail in her clothing and head. Upon closer inspection of her clothing, you see more clearly the type of material used in her boots and skirt; like the details and consistency of the leather and vinyl. In 'Eve's' head renderings, individual strands of hair, wrinkles on her face, the reflection and veins in her eyes, and minor flaws and changes in her skin tone can be seen.






These avatar W.I.P. images show only one frame among thousands created during the on-going rendering process. Details may be added or subject to change.

Poll Vote for the Woodland House

Vote for what you would like as an extra room in our Woodland House personal space. 

Go to our "Polls" board at www.AtomUniverse.net to vote, and for more information!