Uber Weekly Update - August 13, 2014

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Years ago, we opened our studio and embarked on a journey.

With some help from our fans and friends we started making Planetary Annihilation. It began with a foundation. Only the sturdiest and most durable materials would do. This project was a dream come true, and it needed the perfect engine, a capable and strong engine created by talented developers, to power it.

Later, we expanded upwards with a robust unit roster, celestial annihilation, massive battles, strategically interesting play and more. We insulated our walls with easy-to-use interface elements and satisfying explosions.

Now, we’re decorating. We’re finishing the “thousands of little things,” as our VP of biz dev Adam likes to say, in order to deliver the best experience at launch.

We’ve talked quite a bit about what we’re doing at the moment. We’re squashing bugs, solving issues, and tightening up all the bolts. We’re evaluating flows, finding new ways to improve performance, designing new annihilation options, adjusting how units path through the world, and so on and so on.

At the moment we’re writing this, we’re creating unique assets for the Mac installer. We’re making adjustments to balance, as we watch people play and hear feedback. We’re making gas giants brighter, enhancing mod support, and continuing our work on offline play. There’s a lot of motion, a lot of polishing happening right now as we speak.

Thanks for joining us on this ride and supporting the game. We can’t wait to show you what we’ve been working on — and what’s next. For now, enjoy the experience as it gets better and better.

Moving

In between busting out new builds, we’re prepping to move.

After a long and fun run at our current digs, we’re packing up our stuff and heading to a bigger studio with hallway space for days and ample walls to fill with art and awards. Moving a studio isn’t easy. Like the floor in our kitchen, our desks have accumulated a scary amount of stuff over the years. But, also, we’ve got to keep rolling on Planetary Annihilation. There’s too much momentum, too many balls in the air, to get sidetracked. Thankfully, we’re in great hands.

We look forward to inviting you into the new office alongside us and giving you a tour when we’ve settled. In the meanwhile, we wanted to share one of the coolest gems we’ve discovered while moving: https://twitter.com/Ekanaut/status/499286979435978752

That’s the first piece of concept art Uber Entertainment produced. Specifically, it’s the concept that eventually led to the Sniper in Monday Night Combat. It’s fun to look back and forth between this concept and the final Sniper model. A lot of details made it through.

And Now For Some Questions

To the art department: Can you guys give a little news/hint on what you are working on next over the next month or two?

Right now, the art team’s polishing up Gas Giants, polish, and working on [REDACTED], which will be a really cool feature.

Why remove unit wreckage?

After a lot of thought and a lot of observation, we decided to pull wreckage. It caused more problems than it solved but, more importantly, playing with it wasn’t fun. You can still totally turn it on with mods, though, so we’re excited to see what people are going to come up with.

Where’s Toy Rush for Android?

It’s coming this week! Follow @ToyRush on Twitter to get the latest.

Will the units ever leave tracks or footsteps on the surface of the planet?

We have the technology, and it’s something we’ve often discussed. Who knows!

First: Another Redacted?! DANG IT.
Second: Unit wreckage removal better be temporary......

I agree the current wreckage was pointless, but I hope you realize that was because of the lacking implementation and have not put down the idea altogether. Working wreckage was a very important thing of TA and FA and it would be very sad to have none in PA.

Never say never. It might end up back in. But! It is available for modding back in.

Thanks for the update. Looking forward to Gas Giants.

Then we will mod in the shade!

Honestly, I don't mind the disappearance of wreckages.
Reclaiming in this game is almost entirely pointless, and just took up time that could be used to rebuild. IMPO they won't be missed.

But area reclaim was so great. </3

Erm seriously about the wreckage?
You know - one of the features that made TA so awesome and which people want in a follow-up to TA?
These features are the reason I shelled out so much money for this game and are being scrapped one by one until there is barely any game left, let alone one that resembles TA.

Does it mean the business is good and we have good chances to see PA evolving over years ?

Toyrush for android, he he he. Yay. So fun...

Question:
Is Uber Unplugged coming back? It seams like it might because Brad tweeted to send in questions to their mailbag.

Yeah like we may get the unit cannon, asteroid belts, submarines, balanced navy, biomes that are not completely flat,etc.
I am starting to get tired of this...

Making games is difficult, and some things take priority over others. Even you have your own certain priorities but that doesn't mean the devs agree. To the devs, those features are not as important as other features are.

Some features take more time than the pay off is worth, the devs feel that what they're working on is the most important stuff to get finished, the core game. Also.. Please stop asking for TA:2, this was never going to be TA:2, this is PLANETARY ANNIHILATION, a spiritual successor, and not a sequel.

On the one hand, I liked wreckage in TA. So I'd be very disappointed if you give up on this officially, particularly the sinking wreckage in water. On the other hand, wreckage in PA isn't nearly as interesting for a number of reasons. And the game is on such a different scale, it doesn't make as much sense to have that kind of micro.

Still makes me sad. And I wouldn't want to have to play a mod to have wreckage, so I couldn't care less about that part.

Edit: I take it back. I want wreckage. Proper wreckage.

It's time for another backer exclusive feature preview.

Look, I really want to be supportive. I really want to be telling you guys that you are making all the right decisions, that I'm becoming more and more interested in playing and modding PA, and that I can be as positive as possible about the way things are going.

I'm just finding that really hard when I see things like this.

I'm not angry, nor am I going going to go on rant.

I'm just disappointed.

I do hope that Uber will be giving modders the tools to fix their abandoned mechanics.

Mods may be able to utilise wreckage... but some of the fundamental mechanics (such as wrecks on water for instance) do not have the hooks to actually fix it.

Hope they will also add the tools required for aircraft refuel stations...

But I don't really think so.

PA is dropping core TA-Like mechanics left and right. If I was feeling in a betting (and cynical) mood I'd suggest that the next thing to go would be the Ammo system.