Since then, we've opened the doors of Atom Universe to the public on Steam Early Access and we’ve had an amazing response from the community who have been sharing their feedback across our social media channel and forums.
Firstly, our Community Team will be going over the forums and social media gathering any and all of your feedback and they’ll be relaying this information back along to the development team. Whether you've got an amazing suggestion for Atom Universe, or maybe there is a bug affecting you in-game. Make sure you either visit our forums on Steam, or on our Website and post away!
Working with the community
With Steam Early Access available to the general public now, we’ll be looking at ways of how we can include the community (that’s you) in our development. From time to time, we’ll be posting polls that will allow you choose what features, mini-games or avatar clothing you’d like to see get implement next.
And who knows, maybe the Development team might like one of your suggestions and it could pop up in one of our polls further down the line.
Weekly Developer Activity
Art;
In the process of creating eyewear for the Avatars.
Creating dance animations and poses.
Design;
Re-Designing player menu and designing new shop interface.
Bug fixes and improvements to the UI framework.
Programming;
Adding emojis to the server so they appear in the in-game menu and above the avatar correctly.
Working on a block list that players to block troublesome players from contacting them.
We’re happy to announce that our Free-to-Play social virtual world is now available on Steam Early Access for PC gamers to download! In this first version, which we will use to test and refine our core technology and mechanics, you’ll be explore only our first area: the Arcade Plaza. Take part in the 10-Pin Bowling mini-game and socially interact with other players!
Steam Early Access
With Steam Early Access you’ll be able to get immediate access to Atom Universe throughout its development process. Over time, you’ll be able see Atom Universe evolve from this small section of the park, as new features and attractions are added all the time. You’ll be able to witness and test it all!
Is Steam Early Access for me?
If you’re looking for a solid gameplay experience, we suggest that you might hold-off on playing Atom Universe until we exit the Early Access phase; despite our best efforts in these early days there will likely be a wide range of bugs that can affect your overall experience of the game.
However, if you want to help us mould the game into an awesome experience, then get involved now!
Working with the community
By using the bug report section in our Steam Forums, you’ll be able to help the development team squish all those pesky bugs. We're always reading all feedback, and from time to time we may share polls to the community that will allow you to choose which features you want to see implemented into Atom Universe next!
And, as always, we encourage everyone to share their ideas and feedback about Atom Universe in the Feedback & Suggestions sub-forum. Who knows, your feedback and suggestion might catch the eyes of the development team!
Hello and welcome to another edition of the DevBlog. We’re sorry we skipped last week’s DevBlog, but this week normal service has been resumed. So, what’s been happening around the Atom Republic Studio you ask? Well, quite a bit actually, where do we start?
Firstly, we've released not one, but two new updates for our Kickstarter backers on Steam and as you’re reading this blog, we’re currently working on a third update! (we'll keep you updated on the process).
There has been a few changes to the front-end menu of Atom Universe, most notably is the previews of what coming soon, you’ll be able to see screenshots and videos of all the games, private spaces and The Hub (why’s that there? We’ll answer this further down).
Avatar Customisation
You'll now be able to have a choice of selecting your Avatar's clothes colour, highlight colour and hair colour separately. You'll also notice the outfits selection at the bottom, this gives a little preview of some different clothes style that your avatar will be able to wear in the near future. Finally, you'll be able to change the skin colour of your avatar, bringing diversity to Atom Universe.
The Hub
One of the thing you’ll notice with the latest update is that you’re unable to enter The Hub. For a short period of time, we’ll be closing this off to the public as we’re going to reiterate the design and make The Hub look even more spectacular than before. Unfortunately, we don’t have a time frame to when it will be available again, but we’re hoping sooner rather than later.
Weekly Developer Activity
Art;
Improved informational messages on upcoming games
Added effect on seats
Created new splash screens
Design;
Implemented sound FX into the front-end menu
Implemented pop-ups to show information of upcoming mini-games
Programming;
Stress testing the server with bots
Scalability solution to support hundreds of online connected players
Working to server code to allow players to block troublesome players
Community;
Partaken in some video production and created videos for the previews in the front-end menu
Dived into Unreal Engine’s Matinee editor to create cut scenes.
Drank 20 cups of tea.
That's all for this week, but stay tuned for more news!
Hi everybody! It’s that time of week again and we’re happy to bring you another edition of the DevBlog. In last week’s DevBlog, we welcomed Daren White to the Atom Republic team, as well as announcing Flawless Real Talk’s music is going to be featured in Atom Universe
This week has been an incredibly busy week for the team, we're currently polishing off the Arcade Plaza and are squishing all those pesky bugs that are getting found during the play testing sessions.
Design have also given us a little insight to what they've been up to this week and you’ll be happy to know that there has been some small changes to the avatar customisation interface in the main menu. Soon, you’ll be able to change the hair colour of your avatar without changing the highlights of your clothes and you’ll be able to change the skin colour of your avatar.
This Week’s Developer Activity
Art
Polishing off the Arcade Plaza environment.
Design
Implemented some small changes to the avatar customisation interface, you’ll be able to change skin colour and hair colour, which is now separate from the clothes highlight colour.
Implemented the new wallet system, so player can see their Atomz! And they’ll get a notified when they receive new Atomz.
Programming
Bug fixing on the in-game avatar menu and expanding the back-end to allow us to add more content in the future.
Testing our server scalability by using bots to fill up our server space.
Production
Managing JIRA tasks and ensuring the team are keeping within their workflow.
Play testing the latest build and searching for bugs.
Community
Play testing the latest build on the hunt for bugs.
Planning for the next batch of video content to share with the community.
Managing the content calendar, tweaking, improving, removing and looking at content.
Last week, we welcomed Daren White to the Atom Republic team, specializing in Gameplay programming and C++ (check with Daren). Daren brings a whole wealth of experience to the team and has worked on such games as, The Outrun Series, Mortal Kombat, FIFA and more.
“I've been working in the games industry since the early days of home computers (remember when video games were played on tape cassettes?). I've worked on a variety of hardware from the ZX81 and ZX Spectrum up to more modern systems such as PC, consoles and mobile devices. During this time, I've had the privilege of working on many great game titles such as the Outrun series, the Roland series (Amstrad CPC), Mortal Kombat, Turrican, FIFA, and have even been responsible for making the game for a children’s TV show (The Adventures of Captain Zeelig).”
“I'm looking forward to helping optimise the game code, and to working on some of the sub/mini games hidden throughout the world. Also, I'm excited about bringing a social experience to the world of Virtual Reality, especially with all the new VR headsets arriving on the market soon.” “The other aspect of my work is the learning and skill improvements side of things. This is particularly relevant here with the Unreal Engine and am pleased to be offered the opportunity to upgrade my skillset to include programming in Unreal Engine.”
This Week’s Developer Activity:
Art;
Implemented a variety of music and posters to the Arcade Plaza.
Looked into collision bugs in the arcade plaza.
Improved the UI for the scoreboard and store for the Bowling Alley
Design;
Working on implementing the shop interface for the Bowling Alley and making it communicate with our back end servers. Allowing us to store bowling related information in the cloud that can be accessed in game.
Focused on cleaning up the front-end UI within the avatar customisation section, so it is more user friendly.
Programming;
Looking into issues on the Avatar/Player menu system, making sure that the player can select different categories and function.
Working on the server scalability. Allowing us to easily create new servers automatically as demand rises and monitoring the performance of the various machines.
Credits system. When logging in a player can now receive a daily bonus of Atomz and extra bonus when logging in on consecutive days.
Working on UI for the online list and in-game text chat
Improving sitting functionality for avatars
Production;
Updating the details on the Atom Universe Steam Store page, to reflect what’s going to be in-game when we’re ready to launch on Steam Early Access
Updating our market materials to show off how awesome Atom Universe is going to be
Community;
Maintaining and updating the content calendar for future updates for the community and plotting world domination.
Organising Atom Universe’s music and creating a schedule for the rotation tracks.
Flawless Real Talk’s music to be featured in Atom Universe
“It” Factor. Superstar. Celebrity. Many are manufactured, but few are born with it. Alberto “Flawless” Martinez is a natural artist. A native of Providence, Rhode Island, Flawless was surrounded by music at an early age. Tagging along with his stepfather who worked for a tour bus company, it gave him the chance to experience what life on the road was like. “I was already in love with music, but being on the road showed me what kind of hard work it took to take things to the next level.”
Growing up in a small town inspired the young star to begin focusing on his future goal of becoming a recording artist. “Rhode Island is very small and my town is even smaller. Everyone knows everyone. It forced me to work harder to get out and get more exposure.” Fusing his love for hip-hop and R&B, the 16-year-old began recording and writing original music with the help of a local producer. As he began to take over the local scene, he realized it wasn’t enough.
In 2010, Flawless packed up his belongings and moved to Atlanta Georgia in hopes of expanding his brand in a thriving market. Only two months after, Flawless won Hot 107.9’s “Birthday Bash” competition to open up for Ludacris and Rick Ross in Philips Arena for a sold out 20,000 fans. He began to receive recognition from all major outlets in the Atlanta area opening for all major artist in the city. In 2011, Flawless opened up for Tech N9ne (Strange Music), and the Independent monster caught wind of the up and comer before watching his set. Following that night, Tech N9ne invited Flawless on a 48 city nation-wide tour called “The Lost Cities Tour.” Since then Flawless has been striking across the country on countless tours building his brand and “Flawless Family” as he refers to as his fans. His experience including “The Lost Cities” tour with Tech N9ne includes, “Rolling Stone” tour with Stevie Stone, “Flawless Experience” tour, “HallowStrange” tour with Caskey (YMCMB) and Prozak (Strange Music), along with openings for Joe Budden, Joel Ortiz, Wu Tang, Fabolous, French Montana, Waka Flaka, and More. With his current material, Flawless will be known as the pioneer who paves the way for a new sound in hip hop that will reach multiple generations. True fans of lyrics, hip-hop and R&B are in for a real treat. His single “Doctor” epitomizes his ability to captivate his fans through his story-telling lyrics leaving them wanting for more. This young sensation brings his music to life painting a picture only a true artist can paint. With a musical show second to none, we all can agree he is Flawless.
Featured Tracks include: Doctor, FanMail,Watching Over Me ft David Reyes,Celebration ft RAW,On My Own ft Gifdid, When I'm Gone ft RAW, Pressure 4 Record Label
We've had an absolutely amazing response from the community and this continues to drive our passion to bring Atom Universe to everyone!
In this week's DevBlog, we'll be taking a little step back from the production side of things (as the team focuses on finishing off the Arcade Plaza) and looking back at our origins and how Atom Republic is where it is today, who better to talk about this than our very own CEO Tanguy Dewavrin.
“How did Atom Republic
happen?
After 15 years of
working in the video games industry I wanted to branch out and start doing my
own thing! While working at Doublesix Studio, I was introduced this virtual
world known as PlayStation Home. At this time we had released Burn Zombie Burn
and we created the Burn Zombie Burn Lobby for PlayStation Home. At that moment
something clicked, PlayStation Home was this incredible experience for
developers, you were able to add your own content, work closely with the community
and get instant feedback.
Normally within the
games industry, you can spend anywhere between 2 to 4 years making a video game
and once it’s released you’re limited to how much you can actually change based
on community feedback, or you would simply move on to the next game. With
PlayStation Home, it was different, it was something new, it was something
exciting and it was something I wanted to pursue.
With PlayStation Home
you can develop a piece of content within a week, release it in-game, get feedback
from the community and improve it.
And so Atom Republic
was born!
While working on
PlayStation Home, we released a whole wealth of content ranging from clothes,
pets, dance moves, private spaces through to locomotion objects.
By working closely with
the community, we were able to build upon these ideas and we could give the
community content they truly wanted, but that’s not all… Our community had some
great ideas too. For example, the 2-player dances and Hip-Hop moves were great
ideas from the community, we were able to take these ideas and make them into a
reality. Oh, not forgetting about the birthday hat for Alphazone4 and the brain
jacket for the Brainiac Challenges.
Those were the days…
When we found out that
PlayStation Home was coming to an end, it was very saddening… We had invested
a lot of time and effort into this virtual world and we really liked it.
Towards the end we
asked our community where they wanted to go next via a questionnaire and we
noticed a gap in the market, an exciting opportunity to something new and
thrilling for the next generation of consoles.”
