fancyfishgames

[fancyfishgames]

Aground is on sale right now for 34% off to celebrate the release of the Hybrid Path update! Science + Magic + a new ending to the game! Huzzah! Check it out & please share: https://steamcommunity.com/games/876650/announcements/detail/2892955313299498701 Go ahead, combine up those scienc-y techno gadgets with your dragon magic wizardry. Enjoy!

[fancyfishgames]

One year ago TODAY, #Aground launched in Early Access! Now we're releasing Update 1.8.0 - Magic Path to End! What an incredible journey it's been.

Thank you, everyone. Your support and feedback has meant everything.

Onwards and upwards!!! 🚀

Read More about this update and development plans leading up to Full Launch early next year: https://steamcommunity.com/games/876650/announcements/detail/1609393906278610273

[fancyfishgames]

Aground Update 1.7.0 is now live!! It includes the Science Path to the end of the game, which involves several new planets, many new quests, NPCs, enemies, and much more!

We’re also very excited to announce that we have partnered with Whitethorn Digital to bring Aground to the Nintendo Switch, PS4 and XBox One! The console ports will release alongside the full launch in early 2020.

Our console port announcement was included in this year’s Kinda Funny Showcase at E3, which you can watch here: https://youtu.be/Ayw3J7sxEkQ.

Finally, Aground will be at the MIX at E3 this Wednesday June 12th, at 7PM - if you’re going to be there, please look for us and say hello!

I hope you’re as excited as we are - this is quite the milestone update (science path to end), but there’s still a lot to go (magic path, backer planets, co-op multiplayer)! Thank you for following and supporting us on this ambitious journey to the stars and beyond.

Enjoy, and as always, don’t be shy if you have any questions or feedback - we are always happy to hear from our players. And don’t forget to join the social channels below if you haven’t already:

Discord

Twitter

Facebook

[fancyfishgames]

Update 1.6.0 - To a Familiar Star System

The first new major planet is live in Aground, and it’s an exciting one! We think you’ll be very curious to see what happened to this familiar planet - along with new NPCs, quests, and features.

Read all about it: https://steamcommunity.com/games/876650/announcements/detail/1809789503342839081

[fancyfishgames]

Need a last minute gift your friends will enjoy? For the first time ever, #AgroundGame is on sale! Itch: https://fancyfishgames.itch.io/aground Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/876650/Aground/

[fancyfishgames]

Who’s ready for the GIGANTIC magic update we’re releasing this week? 

http://bit.ly/2J29yXB

[fancyfishgames]

if i ever get another chinchilla i will name him vinny the chin after the former mafia crime boss who once held me as a baby

[fancyfishgames]

Games be like

Reddit

[fancyfishgames]

New enemy concept/sneak peek for current game project, AGROUND, please go check it out, if you feel like having a fun time! 😄 link in bio. #agroundgame #digitalart #conceptart #characterdesign #gamedev #sneakpeek #indiegame #freelanceartist

[fancyfishgames]

One more spacecraft that might be featured in the game, Aground (go try it out if you haven’t yet :) link in Bio). This is a cargo ship. #spaceship #conceptart #design #digitalart #pixelart #scifi #space #concept #agroundgame #aground #indiegames #gamedev #indiegame #freetoplay #rpg #survival

[fancyfishgames]

This is a concept piece I did, possible Ocean Boss design for #AGROUND #agroundgame (the game I am currently working on)! Please go check it out 😁 (link in Bio)

#conceptart #pixelart #digitalart #characterdesign #bossfight #boss #squid #ocean #submarine #monster #artistsoninstagram #freelanceartist #sneakpeak #teaser

[fancyfishgames]

A stray dog in Bolivia joined a monastery and became a monk. The resident monks of St. Francis Monastery, named for the patron saint of animals, decided to adopt a dog they call ‘Friar Bigotón’ from the Cold Nose Project, which hopes the dog’s story will now inspire more monasteries to take in homeless pets. Source Source 2 Source 3

[fancyfishgames]

Nothing quite like a seaside swordfight on a Saturday morning. How did you spend your morning?

[fancyfishgames]

Our sound designer is doing a livestream at 10pm PDT (8/23). Check it out!

[fancyfishgames]

Aground Developer Interviews Pt. 3 - Sound Bytes (Chase Bethea)

Welcome to part three of the Aground developer interview series!

This week we have Chase Bethea, Aground’s Los Angeles based composer and sound designer.

Chase has been creating mesmerizing soundscapes for games and other media since 2011, and has been an integral part of the Fancy Fish Games team since their first collaboration (I Can’t Escape) in 2013.

What do you do? Give me details on your role and responsibilities, and everything you do to bring Aground to life.

**Chase: **I am the music composer and sound designer for Fancy Fish Games. My responsibilities include making the best ear candy for the game projects.

When I write the music, my first goal is to make sure it fits the game in every aspect. It needs to be subconscious but not invisible, enjoyable and not monotonous.

When I do the sound design, I try to make things unique but still appropriate for the action. I also find implementing and balancing the overall sound and music is quite important. Anything too loud can pull you out of the collaborative artform experience and anything soft can not pull you in enough. This leaves the player disengaged no matter the direction. Implementation is king with audio, as it is the last puzzle piece to ensure it fits with the game mechanics, art, story and tone of the game.

What would you say to someone interested in becoming a composer/sound designer for games?

**Chase: **I have and will always continue to say: play games. Play all types of video games, board games, card games, VR games etc.

Playing the games allows you to get a better sense of the work you are doing. Those play experiences will come in handy when you need to have references or bring a certain sound that is being asked of you to the table. Do not come up with the excuse of not having time to play games. Make the time. It can only help, not hurt.

What are your inspirations for your work on Aground?

**Chase: **Some of my main inspirations are from Crusader of Centy on Sega developed by Atlus. It was supposed to be a rival to The Legend of Zelda on the Super Nintendo.

How do you stay motivated over the course of a longer (1 yr +) project like Aground?

**Chase: **I stay motivated by taking some breaks away from a piece of music or sound design and working on something else.

Breaks allow my ears to rest, and sometimes I objectively look at the bigger picture of what direction of the project is going in and what I believe is missing that will add some interesting elements.

Also, having the community feedback and positive comments about Aground have been keeping me greatly motivated, especially when I receive shout-outs about the music.

Check out Chase’s Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/chase-bethea-1/no-boundaries

What is your workflow like? How do you move from an idea to final in-game form?

**Chase: **Some musical ideas I have had for Aground have come from melodies I have dreamed of.

Some other sound ideas have come from mishearing a cool sound in a retro-game I was playing.

For Aground I have a sound instrument palette I made from the first theme “No Sky Limit” and “No Boundaries.” This is so I have some sound consistency for the soundtrack. Occasionally, I will add some new instruments in to fill out an idea I have (i.e. “Dance with Dragons”).

After the new work session is made in my DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), I try to come up with a name and to do that, I read the game design document and/or play the game. Then, I begin fleshing out the ideas I had by coming up with a drum rhythm or deciding which instrument will carry the melody for the corresponding area for Aground.

If I get stuck writing, I take a break or I play the game for a long time. I do not rush the creativity because if I am not feeling it, then the final result comes out half-done. I jump back and forth from the piano to the DAW to solidify my ideas. A lot of experimentation occurs, such as putting reverbs, delays and distortions on rhythmic patterns or instruments that I have not before. I tend to think of orchestration techniques with synths, so I will try doublings on some basses or stacking textures, entries, and exits with the music; treating it as if it was a conversation but also extending a feeling.

Two years ago, I adopted what I call the Alfred Hitchcock method. In an interview, Alfred was asked about being the master of the unexpected. Part of his response was “They’re saying to me ‘show us’ and ‘I know what’s coming next’… and I say, ‘Do you?’"

Every time I write music, I think about what I (and others) have done before too many times, and I go deliberately in a different direction. Some things do not change for the sake of form and project consistency. However, other things such as modulations, transitions, some chord progressions, melodic contour, orchestration, rests, time signatures and rhythmic patterns I do a little different every single time.

When the composition is done, since I mostly mix while I write, I check the mix in Mono and do a little compression. Then, I monitor (mix check referencing) on other mediums such as headphones, phone speakers and car speakers.

Lastly, I ask David, Natalie, and Aaron for feedback. If it’s all good, I render the track, edit it for loop format and deliver it.

For sound design, the process is a bit different. I play around with a lot of musical intervals, plugin effects and sequences to achieve the sound effects. I think about the phrasing of the sound. I try to make the sound with my mouth and realize it in the DAW. Unless it is straightforward like swords, chainsaws and flesh sounds, then I layer and manipulate recorded sounds I have in a library or that I recorded myself and mix it all together.

What is your favorite thing about working on this project?

**Chase: **Having the community give their feedback so fast to the updates we release is my favorite thing about working on the project. As a team it allows us to see what works and what does not work. In addition, it allows us to grow and make more cool things that we believe the players will enjoy and come back to discover.

Bonus: what’s the most adventurous or bravest thing you’ve ever done?

I went kayaking in the ocean last year with my girlfriend. I had never been in the ocean or kayaking before. I was terrified but after 30 minutes I learned to like it.

Want to play Aground?

You can get the game on Steam here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/876650/Aground/

Or, try the free demo of Aground: https://fancyfishgames.com/Aground/play/

Check out Chase’s website: http://chasebethea.com/

Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/chasebethea

Hey, look! He’s got a YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/cbest08/videos

[fancyfishgames]

Aground resource and crafting releases soon

Aground is a resource gathering and crafting game coming to Linux, Mac and Windows. Also complete with a story, focusing on the theme of Progression. Players start the game as a lone survivor from a shipwreck with almost nothing. So you have to build your way up to a thriving settlement. Then eventually make your way to space and travel between planets. While Aground takes inspiration from games like Minecraft and Starbound. The resource-gathering and crafting experience in Aground has more in common with the text-based game A Dark Room. Since the game designed willo constantly surprise the player. Keeping you guess for “what’s next?” First mining unlocks, then farming, crafting, trading, sailing to other islands. While power and technology start to develop. Then players can eventually make their way into space. Dealing with the alien threat that caused humanity to crash on this planet in the first place.

Aground Gameplay (Linux, Mac, Windows)

There is also a Free Demo on Steam Early Access and Itch for Linux. (The Linux version is 32-bit only, but it works on a 64-bit system by installing the the following libraries: libglu1-mesa:i386, libpulse0:i386.)

Features

Mining - The surface is just the beginning, there is a whole world to explore beneath.

Building - Build a whole city for you and other survivors, with each structure adding new functionality.

Crafting - Create powerful weapons and items to support you in your quests.

Farming - Grow food and other crops to feed your village.

Exploration - Discover the secrets of the planet you crashed on.

Story - Unlock cut-scenes and learn about the colorful characters of the world - there are several major story-routes to follow.

Familiars - Adventure with a trusty side-kick at your side, or even a fire-breathing dragon!

Resource gathering and crafting via Kickstarter:

So back in February 2018 Fancy Fish Games ran a successful Kickstarter campaign for Linux, Mac and Windows. Since then the resource gathering and crafting continued with an ongoing crowdfunding campaign. Going on to fund the development of a paid Early Access version which also has a lot more content. Aground is coming to Linux, Mac, Windows via Steam Early Access and Itch on August 8th. Priced at $10 there will be a day-one release.

[fancyfishgames]

It’s here, it’s finally here!

We just launched the Early Access version of Aground!

Don’t forget, we’ll be doing an AMA later on our Facebook page