Game Trailer

Hey guys!

Check out the latest trailer for Scourge Of The Skies!

We've finished our work on Scourge for the time being. 

It's been a blast, and we're all very proud of the game we've produced over the last 3 months. 

Download a free copy of it here: 

Download (280.7 MB Zip Archive): https://github.com/patferguson/Storms-Project/releases/download/v2.0.0/ScourgeOfTheSkies-Gold.zip

Note that you will need an Xbox controller for each player who wishes to play.

Thanks to the dedicated followers who've supported us all the way.

And remember, always keep an eye on the skies! :)

Build v2.0.0! Gold build

Looking shiny

Skipping beta release-wise, here's gold!

The game now has completed art assets and has been polished towards a smooth gameplay cycle. Enjoy!

Note that you will need an Xbox controller for each player who wishes to play.

Download (280.7 MB Zip Archive): https://github.com/patferguson/Storms-Project/releases/download/v2.0.0/ScourgeOfTheSkies-Gold.zip

Major changes:
-Finalised art assets.
-Polished gameplay cycle towards fun, short rounds.
-Fleshed out weapons powerup system.

Games Week Debrief

Hi guys,

We've been very busy over the past fortnight.

A few weeks ago, we pushed to enter a Scourge of the Skies Demo into the Game Connect Asia Pacific (GCAP) Student Showcase.

GCAP 2015

We're very proud to say the we were lucky enough to be chosen from the many entries.

Along with 5 other student teams from around Australia, we presented our game at the GCAP conference on Tuesday 27th and Wednesday 28th of October.

We cleaned up our Alpha Build, and added a few new features to really spice up the game.

The new Whirlwind feature in Action (top left)

People who tried Scourge seemed to like the game. We really appreciate the feedback they had for us, and it was a fantastic opportunity for us to meet industry leads and professionals.

We presented a streamlined Instruction Tutorial as part of the GCAP build.

Our Cinematic Presentation was something we tried to highlight.

It was also awesome to meet other students from around Australia and share some stories with them.

I also finished the week with a visit to PAX, where I got to meet some more indie devs, see some cool student projects, and of course, try some upcoming Triple A titles.

Even though we're doing all this exciting stuff, we haven't stopped working hard on Scourge of the Skies. We'll have our Beta build up and running soon, and we'll be sure to leave a link to it here.

For now, you'll just have to keep an eye on the skies.

 :) Catch'ya Soon!

Surviving Alpha

Hey guys!

It's been a while, and we've got some cool new changes to Scourge.

Scourge of the Skies Alpha Demo is available now.

For the last month, we've been heads down, working hard to add as many features as we could before our alpha deadline.

We're happy to announce that we've added some of the most exciting and most requested features to Scourge.

These include, the much requested mini-map and score indicator,

A GUI minimap and score indicator courtesy of Harry and Andy.

improved physics

It's now easier to fly without losing passengers!

and vehicle weapons/countermeasures.

The pink streak heading towards Player 1 is an 'fire and forget' Homing Missile.

Of course, to compliment these new additions, we've also re-textured and polished much of the art, changed player controls and added a streamlined tutorial to the game.

Our cinematic instructions make for a smooth tutorial.

Basically, the last month has seen us taking big steps towards making the game we envisioned. I couldn't be prouder of the team and the effort they've put in over the last few weeks. They really stepped up to the challenge, and I hope you guys can feel the difference when you play the game.

If you'd like to check out these changes, improvements and the latest gameplay, feel free to try our Alpha demo:

Download (136 MB Zip Archive): 
https://github.com/patferguson/Storms-Project/releases/download/v1.0.0/ScourgeOfTheSkies_Alpha.zip


4 Xbox controllers are required to fully enjoy the experience. 

We've still got a lot to do, and we look forward to showing you future builds. For all Scourge of the Skies updates, check back here, and keep an eye on the skies.

Build v0.9.0! Pre-GCAP Student Showcase

Leaving the nest

Prepared a release entry for the GCAP Student Showcase awards. We've begun moving the game towards more party-game aspects.

Note that you will need an Xbox controller for each player who wishes to play.

Download (137 MB Zip Archive): https://github.com/patferguson/Storms-Project/releases/download/v0.9.0/ScourgeOfTheSkies-v0_9_0.zip

Major changes:
-Simplified player controls, diminished roll,
-Made camera inversion match ship inversion.
-Added battle-mode style.
-Disabled player damage and repair for now.
-Made the passenger tray gooey-er.
-Altered the slipstream force, made it more gradual.
-Updated models with non-block-out assets.

Game Banner

A Plausible Sky-World?

Lately, we've been looking into ways to breathe life into our game environments. Elouise's skybox and building assets have certainly taken us a long way from the greybox level we originally had, and the Airship models, courtesy of Harry, have added a great deal to the atmosphere.

However, we're still honing in on what makes this place come to life. Is this place plausible? What laws and logic apply here? Basically, 'how does our world work'? 

A Pirate Airship docked at a floating village. 

Row Deakins, and myself have been experimenting with a variety of ways to merge the core components of gameplay with the environment. This can throw up challenges, as our relatively unique game location doesn't provide us with much reference material. 

For example, imagine you are playing a dungeon crawler RPG. Upon entering a room, a portcullis may slam down behind the your character, locking them in. This is both thematically appropriate, and functional for gameplay. However, we don't have the luxury of being able to reference 16th century castles. We have to be more abstract in our approach to world design. 

Row found that placing Repair Zones inside hollow islands provided the player with an exciting navigational challenge.

Naturally, we've taken inspiration from a variety of different sources that depict sky-worlds. Everything from Jame's Cameron's Avatar to Nintendo's Skyward Sword has provided us with ideas. But now we realise that the world and its rules are ours to construct. We determine what is 'logical' and what is 'possible' in Scourge of the Skies. Some hard decisions had to be made.

Maybe we should call this sky village 'Anchorhead'. 

In the world of Scourge, islands float irrespective of gravity, but Airships stay aloft with big helium balloons. 

Wind fills the sails of our ships, but each village use electric generators for power. 

And dropping enough passengers into giant nets will get you a promoted to Sky King. 

Sound crazy? Sure. But with some creativity and determination, we might just make it plausible.