Instantly reminded me of "Terror" by Dan Simons. Really like everything that is set in that kind of setting - polar nights, extreme isolation, very remote place, a little bit of horror. Really great stuff, best of luck and a lot of dedication to the developer!
"I promise the game idea is more interesting than that" just after selling me an amazing and complex solid idea for a game. Great devlog and game, really hope you can finish it!
As a software dev, don't you DARE make me respect my planners more!! /s Hope you share more of the coding experience soon. It might help you feel less insecure. We love seeing nightmarish spaghetti monsters in and out of game! It doesn't mean you're bad - it means you're one of us :)
a game setting taking place in the arctic inspired by things like franklin’s expedition or frostpunk is honestly such an amazing and overlooked idea. Looking forward to whatever you have planned man and hope to see the path you take! ❤️
Yeah, thank you! Drama expedition captured our imagination almost instantly, it's quite an inspiring setting. Hopefully combined will all other story and world building elements it will make a cool game❤ Anna
Keep up the great work! The way that you deliver your "action words" such as "scouting", when describing the game design section really felt engaging and fun. I felt like I was ready for such an adventure!
I love you showing how you are prototyping the game. Would love to see more of that, if only just to learn what you were doing, and how you were working through it.
I have huge respect for you. You’re doing what I’ve been avoiding for a long time, prototyping it like a board game is probably the best but also the hardest way to make a game. And I don’t understand one bit of it. Hats off to you, this is incredible and I’ll be happily waiting for whats to come of it.
Fantastic art style. Came across your video on ArtStation because my artist friend is trying to teach me about aesthetics for a game I'm working on (I can code for days, but I'm pretty much paint by numbers for visuals).
Thanks! It's funny that we're coming from two completely different angles making a game, one from the art side and one from the code side. If this has taught me anything so far it's a seriously deep respect for the people who code games and deal with the technical side of things.
Nice job, compelling concept, and good to see folks in the same boat. Love the Endevour, Scott, Antarctic golden age and also both Frostpunk games which have a bit of that faction management element you mentioned (crew morale). Working on a similar concept although set in the future on an ice planet. KEEP GOING, look forward to future updates.
This is going to be great. Take your time. This could be a masterpiece and listening to you telling about your ideas and vision for the game just feels .... good! I can't wait to hear more about Icebound and the progress you are making. Trust the process and lay the bricks when you and your wife have the time! Sounds like an amazing thing to do as a couple!
Dude this looks awesome, always good to see the beginnings of an amazing game Plus it gives me a much needed kick up the ass to develop my game already lol
I like it, good work, keep working on the project, and upload more videos. It's also great that you documented the process, showing the process and your effort as well The art is wonderful.
Fuck yes! This is exactly the kind of game I've been waiting for. While Frostpunk and The Pale Beyond have somewhat scratched the itch for arctic survival/exploration. This one. This one is gonna be it.
I'm not a gamedev but i absolutely love watching devlogs, especially with such awesome concepts! I hope that wherever this project leads that you will have enjoyed the journey, i know i did!
I want to double like the video. Amazing graphics, style, and brilliant idea. I am a 3d artist / Unreal artist and starting my first game with no programming skills I mean Depression :) Your Devlog is really inspiring! Well Done!
@@jd42010 thanks! Yes, frostpunk did an extraordinary job in capturing grimdark and cold atmosphere, we will be very lucky if we'd be able to come close to how immersive it is! Anna
Hey I just stumbled across this by accident but this game looks so cool! I love the premise, the art is incredible! I've subscribed and excited to see more!
This looks amazing! I'm looking forward to more of these Devlogs. I'm someone that aspires to get into the industry as an environment concept artist and seeing your works are inspiring! I would love to see more of the process behind the art and perhaps some advice on building a portfolio for concept art. Congrats on the first Devlog!!!
Im studying VideoGame Development, (1st year) and im suprised that after all the videos i have seen, you are among a little few youtubers who actually follows one of the early advices we were told at college... TEST IF THE GAME IS FUN BEFORE SPENDING TO MUCH TIME ON IT. And for that, your cleverness at design and the fact you look so commited to the project, i would love to see how this turns out. You got a new follow
Congrats on a great first video :) I wish a lot of succes and happy momemts developing your game and petswveriance to match it:) Looking foward to yoit updates
Love the vid. As someone who's learning UE5 with the vision of making my own game, your vid gave a great understanding of the process from someone who's also not done it before, but is far more advanced in the process than I am. Also great to see another Aussie working on a game. Looking forward to how it all works out for you.
You're the first gamedev youtuber i have seen with this much passion on your project. The concepts, art and storytelling you have is so mesmerizing. You are like the embodiment of what i wanted to be. You see, i wanted to be concept artist but took a course for the sake of "practicality" Which is i guess is fine. You are an inspiration dude. Please take your time with your project and i am sure it will produce a wonderful outcome at the end. Cheers!
I've been crafting ideas for a world I want to make a game in for such a long time, and I always love when people post what they are doing and not being all "here's how I made an indie game in one month" so excited to see how it goes for you guys!! ALSO, the art is SO BEAUTIFUL
What an amazing project. I think there is so much to learn from your approach. Especially the Idea to Play the game as a DND campaign style game to test if the actual gameplay is fun is such a good idea in my opinion :) Don’t worry about the editing style, I really enjoyed listening to you and loved the art in the timelapses. Looking forward to more stuff from the two of you!
Awesome to see the beginning of a game, that has a lot of potential to become something really special. Enthralling game concept and art style. I will definitely keep myself updated with your game's development. Fair Winds and Following Seas to you and your wife 👊😁
Ooh, this looks very cool! I love the arctic/ antarctic setting. There is honestly so much to do with this sort of genre. I could see how there could be a whole game about trying to manage the effects of isolation on the crew. Speaking of that I think it would be interesting if disobedience became more common the longer you went without completing a measurable objective or also would be a higher chance if there was not enough stress on the crew, from what I have experienced on long backpacking trips (and read about in relation to these sorts of expeditions) there is a tendancy for people to do dumb things/ for group cohesion to break down when they think they are safe.
Thanks for the comment! That's a great thought! It's something we're definitely toying with how to implement into the game. Something we've read quite a bit from our research is how, on top of the polar winter night driving everyone a bit mad, inactivity is dangerous for morale, and something that captains have to contend with is moving the crew towards a goal, even if the goal doesn't actually make a lot of sense. The crew on Endurance were apparently much happier when they were breaking their backs 12 hours a day hauling all their equipment across the ice moving around 0.5 to 1.5 miles a day, even when it was obviously a futile endeavour, as opposed to sitting in their tents, waiting for the ice to drift (I can't remember exactly how fast, but a LOT more than 1 mile a day!) and conserving their rations. It could be that it's staved off by completing character specific goals, or overall game objectives, or just by keeping them occupied with tasks even while it's not necessarily the best time to do so. I definitely like the idea of introducing human elements to the game so the gameplay never boils down to just mathematical resource management. Thanks again for the support! -Morgan
Really enjoyed watching your video, and the process in which you carry out your art. Looks like a really imaginative setting for your game dev. I would be interested to see more of the process from a blender render to painting.
We are currently thinking on how approach talking about different aspects of making this game so feel free to drop questions, we will try to answer in future videos. Noted about transition from blender to painting. Anna
This style of management games is one of my favourite genres, and The Terror is probably my favourite mini-series. I think this game was made specifically for me haha. Looks awesome!
That's great to hear! I definitely feel like there's an itch for this style of game that not too many games out there scratch. I'm surprised there aren't many games already that do something similar. Hopefully when this releases we can slide in and provide something unique. -Morgan
Super interesting concept for a game. Your art is fantastic! Makes sense to get a good portfolio of work together right now. And yes...coding sucks! (I tried my hand a C# with Unity and failed quite miserably..LOL!). Blueprints is definitely a better choice for us non-coders. Can't wait to see more.
Thats a really cool style and quite a unique mechanical concept. Eager to see your progress on this! Feels like you already have, but if not, you should read Lovecrafts "At the mountains of madness" for inspiration. Good luck for the project. :)
Nice work! I like the plan 😊 I also work in the industry and also really relate to just wanting to have something to put in your portfolio that isn’t someone’s top secret IP
Yeah that's the struggle we both had for years, but unfortunately this is how industry works - I personally have tons of stuff I did for the projects that's been released but I can't show it for the number of reasons which ultimately can be tagged as NDA. Hopefully your works will see the light of the day soon! Anna
My brother in law and I almost made a game called "Kharkovchanka" which is based on the real life exploration of the Arctic in a Russian armored vehicle that was converted for survival back in the day when the countries were racing to explore everything. The players would be dropped in this mobile vehicle in a freezing wasteland and need to survive while balancing obvious things like hunger, sanity, sleep, etc. The concept was simple enough but reminded me of Distrust on Steam only this was First Person. We ended up stopping because of the scale of the map and movement/controls inside a tight vehicle such as the Kharkovchanka. It didn't translate well. I still like the idea and concept and may go back to it in the future, but change a bunch of things. Funny though, how this concept is always brought up by many people and similar/different projects. Anyway, good luck on your project! I hope you guys get further than we did.
Polynyas! I was one of the (climate) scientists looking at these! A buddy of mine focused his MS on them. Anything Arctic is great but involving polynyas into a video game is such a great idea! Cheers! PS - wind plays a huge part ;)
Oh wow, that's awesome! That's a treat to have you here, although a little intimidating. Hopefully the game won't offend the scientific community too badly. 😅 My research into the topic is only the tip of the iceberg compared to you. Wind is certainly going to be a core part of the game both for keeping your crew out of the weather and also for moving the ship so thanks for the tip! I can bear that in mind when it comes to handling the Polynyas in the game. If you have any more ideas or thoughts on fitting ways to implement this aspect of the game into the mechanics or narrative (especially the horror part) I'm all ears!
Don't burn yourselves out with the devlog thing. It really can wait and the other things you guys are doing is more important imo. Really interesting art and idea, I'm already on board! Wishing you the best of luck :D
Thanks! I needed to hear that. 😅 That said I'm really excited to show some more stuff. It'll be nice to show off some really juicy stuff so there's a bit of a progress milestone I've set and then I'll be ready to start on another video, probably in two to three weeks!
Oh that’s nice! Did you like the show? It’s on our reading list because we watched the adaptation some time ago. Atmosphere they managed to create on the set was something we would like to recreate here for sure. I wonder how different it is from the book. Anna
@@Submersion-studio I did enjoy the show quite a bit. I haven't read the book yet, but I've heard good things. Dan Simmons is a great writer, and is better at writing characters than plot in my opinion (though he is still great at both), so I'm guessing you will get more character development and interaction from his book. Yeah, if you can combine that with the diesel-punk aesthetic it looks like you are going with, that would be a very neat game. I'll definitely be keeping an eye on your game.
@@ClaytonPajotthanks! Yeah character development is something that we are actively looking at because according to books like "Endurance" it was quite important to make sure that every crew member would have a certain mindset that will allow them to keep things in order in extreme conditions. Quite a good read albeit with some grim details that naturally follow having to survive 17 months in the wild without any human contact. Hopefully we will be able to make something that's worth your time, thanks for kind words! Anna
I would ABSOLUTELY love more on the art side! Maybe even a breakdown of how your approach and develop a concept piece and how to channel those ideas? I am very much a beginner in the artwork and would love to improve myself to create works similar in this style, and honestly I have always found it quite puzzling to figure out on my own Love this introduction!
Hi, thanks for stopping by and for the kind words! We are planning to make videos about different topics that creation of this game includes, and art will be one of them for sure because both of us first and foremost are concept artists. Overall we will be sharing our approach for art direction of the game, how we come up with ideas and references, what do we study to make them believable and just general pipeline. If you have any specific questions you'd like to ask, feel free to leave them here and we will try our best to answer. Anna
I could definitely do that! Art can become a deep rabbit hole, and consume a ton of time learning, but there are definitely some easy wins that anyone can do right off the bat I think especially when it comes to making games. It might be useful to people and entertaining to make a video on it! Especially as most people are coming to making games from the code and tech side. Do you mind if I ask what exactly you find puzzling? For example is it where to start with 3d, (texturing, scultping, modelling etc.) how to paint and make concept art (color theory, shape language etc.)? like the technical side of just making the art? Or is it coming up with a style and direction? More like the philosophy behind it? And why you might make some decisions for a project over others? (e.g. picking certain styles for different projects, maintaining consistency)? Or maybe something else? - Morgan
@@Submersion-studio I certainly understand the rabbit hole! I do sometimes feel like I learn yet fail to get anywhere, so small, directional wins sounds like a good idea (making a video on that, as daunting as that sounds, does seem like a good idea; I should give it a go!). For me style and direction I find the most puzzling. This isn't to say I'm really good at digital painting/art but I have found in my work the composition and direction of a piece tends to lack, affecting the execution. So, rather annoyingly, I believe what I find puzzling is a combination of the two, of the direction of a piece and how to make it. I think this comes from the struggle of starting (how to begin a composition, to make those decisions) and the difficulty in making, as often I feel as I'm at odds with executing a vision. Apologies if this sounds quite highfalutin but this is the only way I can describe it! Either way I think a look of how to construct those ideas into a piece of art is what I seek most. I look forward to what you guys make and show! Thanks for the response (from you both, truly delightful!) and I eagerly await to see your development :)
Unbelievable.Morgan, you and Anna are creating a very interesting game. There are so many subtleties and details... Unlimited scope of imagination. I wish you inspiration and creative insights!
Oh wow! That's really sweet of you. Thanks for the kind words. 🙂 We've got a long way to go for sure, but I think we're on the right track and I hope to live up to the potential of this project.
How wonderful life is when there is a goal and this goal unites two loving hearts! The very path to this goal becomes an amazing adventure)) and a reward! Success awaits you)).
Good luck man! I wish you to save your inner motivation! Just remember the key is to not think about final product, they key is enjoying the process at that particular time you doing it👾
Good advice, thanks for that! It's very hard not to daydream about the final product though I won't lie. 😅 But yeah, lots of distance between where I am now and the finish line that's for sure. We'll do our best to enjoy the process!
This video was actually entertaining. for me at least. Love the art and it fit very well to the game concept. I think you can use devlogs as one of your main incomes and hopefully make a great game!
I am thrilled to see how you make this game, becaue your right the oppesite to me. I am studing rightnow to become a programmer. And for many many years i would love to make a game, if i can in Unreal. But i can't draw... really, searously and what ever i do, i bumb in a situation where i have to draw something at somepoint, like you do with programming.
Goddam, art is so great, as a fellow artist let me bow. I wish you showed the whole speedpaint process upd: turned out I was already following Anna on Artsation ))
Love the game idea and style, very similar to Frostpunk, which is another amazing game, we need more stuff like it. Also, I'm reading a book about Artic exploration. It covers a famous boat that sank in the artic called Erebus (also the name of the book). Good read. Looking forward too seeing more from this project and I'd love too see some fleshed out sailing mechanics.
Thanks! Yes I’ve seen this book on the same shelf of a local bookshop recently. I see you liked it, what was the strongest side of it? The atmosphere or the plot etc? I’m always on a lookout for some stories to take inspiration from. Sailing mechanics is something to think about! Anna
If you did not read "Terror" by Dan Simons - i highly recommend it to you as a source of inspiration. It's not a small book, but it is a great read filled with very heavy atmosphere and very detailed world-building when it comes to arctic and ships stuck in icy wasteland. And also with a lot of interesting themes about human behavior in such conditions, which can also provide you with a lot of small things to think about. For example interesting and unexpected way to celibrate Christmas and other ways to boost crew's morale, ways to find food, diseases common to people in such harsh conditions, how ice damages hull, arctic thunderstorms, how ice is moving together with stucked ships constantly forming and destoying ice ridges around, what kind of daily tasks everyone need to do being in such conditions to keep everything as save, as possible, crew's uprisings and so on, and so on. It was a big inspiration for me to make some small personal art projects also set in artic wastes durning long polar nights. Other than that, good luck with your project, I always found arctic to be one of the more interesting settings to be immersed into.
Hey, yeah Terror is on the reading list so we are definitely going to study this book. It seems like this book did a great job describing the journey and establishing the atmosphere we are going for. Thank you for the kind words! Anna
Hi I'm along for the journey and will learn as much as i can from your guys journey as I can as I'm making trying to make a game also, don't be too hard on yourselves game Dev is really hard especial without a whole team. art looks great and i like the idea it reminds me of a game Curious expeditions, anyway good luck have fun
I've always wanted to get into game development, but prototyping has always put me off, even though it's the most fun part of the process. To be honest, your game design is really interesting, and the concept art is simply magnificent ! Good luck to both of you, I can't wait to follow your progress.
Best of luck man!! I hope I get to play that game someday. I am a concept artist as well and I just wanted too say the concept art for you game looks soo good
Game dev is hard. This is quite an ambitious plan for a first game, where you have to learn everything. I wish you luck! As for coding - it can be very counterintuitive at times. As a coder, I love the old joke of "Design asked the coder to make a spell that summons a demon, and he said 'no problem, I'll just instance an object, be ready in an hour'. Then they asked if the main character can wear a scarf, and he was 'uff...'"
I really like the setting. I didn't really understand how the concept is going to be realised and what the game is ultimately going to be like, but that's just me not paying close attention and you still figuring things out. I am just going to wait for updates and see how much this project fits my interest.
Art and the idea look amazing, good luck!
Cheers! You too! A little intimidating having an experienced and skilled programmer in here. 😅
Instantly reminded me of "Terror" by Dan Simons. Really like everything that is set in that kind of setting - polar nights, extreme isolation, very remote place, a little bit of horror. Really great stuff, best of luck and a lot of dedication to the developer!
It's incredibly rewarding to see very experienced people receive such inspiration. Please don't stop achieving your goal!!!
Thank you so much! That's a very kind thing to say. ☺
"I promise the game idea is more interesting than that" just after selling me an amazing and complex solid idea for a game. Great devlog and game, really hope you can finish it!
As a software dev, don't you DARE make me respect my planners more!! /s
Hope you share more of the coding experience soon. It might help you feel less insecure. We love seeing nightmarish spaghetti monsters in and out of game! It doesn't mean you're bad - it means you're one of us :)
a game setting taking place in the arctic inspired by things like franklin’s expedition or frostpunk is honestly such an amazing and overlooked idea. Looking forward to whatever you have planned man and hope to see the path you take! ❤️
Yeah, thank you! Drama expedition captured our imagination almost instantly, it's quite an inspiring setting. Hopefully combined will all other story and world building elements it will make a cool game❤
Anna
Really interesting concept! Definitely going to start following this devlog, keep up the good work!
So cool to see you here ♥️
Keep up the great work! The way that you deliver your "action words" such as "scouting", when describing the game design section really felt engaging and fun. I felt like I was ready for such an adventure!
Your art is amazing I can’t wait to hear more about the project
Thank you!
Anna
@@Submersion-studioyou and you’re husband ate Amazing!
I love you showing how you are prototyping the game. Would love to see more of that, if only just to learn what you were doing, and how you were working through it.
I have huge respect for you. You’re doing what I’ve been avoiding for a long time, prototyping it like a board game is probably the best but also the hardest way to make a game. And I don’t understand one bit of it. Hats off to you, this is incredible and I’ll be happily waiting for whats to come of it.
Thanks for the kind words!
Anna
Fantastic art style. Came across your video on ArtStation because my artist friend is trying to teach me about aesthetics for a game I'm working on (I can code for days, but I'm pretty much paint by numbers for visuals).
Thanks! It's funny that we're coming from two completely different angles making a game, one from the art side and one from the code side. If this has taught me anything so far it's a seriously deep respect for the people who code games and deal with the technical side of things.
This looks awesome bro. Your game dev process is super interesting and the art is sick! Subbed!
Thanks so much! 😊
I've been obsessing over the Fram for over a year now and this is a REALLY cool concept, i cant wait to see more of it
Nice job, compelling concept, and good to see folks in the same boat. Love the Endevour, Scott, Antarctic golden age and also both Frostpunk games which have a bit of that faction management element you mentioned (crew morale). Working on a similar concept although set in the future on an ice planet. KEEP GOING, look forward to future updates.
This is going to be great. Take your time.
This could be a masterpiece and listening to you telling about your ideas and vision for the game just feels .... good!
I can't wait to hear more about Icebound and the progress you are making.
Trust the process and lay the bricks when you and your wife have the time! Sounds like an amazing thing to do as a couple!
The concepts arts look amazing ! Cool work here !
6:57 - Wow, what a blast from the past
Cool stuff so far, looking forward to watch as it takes further shape.
I like the idea of game und the art is stunning. Can´t wait to see how it´s end out
I’m so hooked!!! The story and the unknown/mystery of the ocean and arctic
Dude this looks awesome, always good to see the beginnings of an amazing game
Plus it gives me a much needed kick up the ass to develop my game already lol
tbh, an open world massive multiplayer RTS!
Would be one of those games to revive rts genre
I like it, good work, keep working on the project, and upload more videos. It's also great that you documented the process, showing the process and your effort as well The art is wonderful.
Fuck yes! This is exactly the kind of game I've been waiting for. While Frostpunk and The Pale Beyond have somewhat scratched the itch for arctic survival/exploration. This one. This one is gonna be it.
Concept art is very Disco Elysium like, very cool to see, and the concept of the game sounds amazing. Hope it goes well🙏
I'm definitely following this one! I love your approach to the development and of course, the art is amazing!
I'm not a gamedev but i absolutely love watching devlogs, especially with such awesome concepts! I hope that wherever this project leads that you will have enjoyed the journey, i know i did!
I want to double like the video. Amazing graphics, style, and brilliant idea. I am a 3d artist / Unreal artist and starting my first game with no programming skills I mean Depression :) Your Devlog is really inspiring! Well Done!
The art looks incredible. It reminds me a lot of "Frostpunk" and I adore the classical style. I can feel the cold in some of these pieces!
@@jd42010 thanks! Yes, frostpunk did an extraordinary job in capturing grimdark and cold atmosphere, we will be very lucky if we'd be able to come close to how immersive it is!
Anna
The art sense you got is incredible
Thanks! It's definitely one of my stronger skills. Maths on the other hand... 😵
Hey I just stumbled across this by accident but this game looks so cool! I love the premise, the art is incredible! I've subscribed and excited to see more!
This looks amazing! I'm looking forward to more of these Devlogs. I'm someone that aspires to get into the industry as an environment concept artist and seeing your works are inspiring! I would love to see more of the process behind the art and perhaps some advice on building a portfolio for concept art. Congrats on the first Devlog!!!
Im studying VideoGame Development, (1st year) and im suprised that after all the videos i have seen, you are among a little few youtubers who actually follows one of the early advices we were told at college... TEST IF THE GAME IS FUN BEFORE SPENDING TO MUCH TIME ON IT. And for that, your cleverness at design and the fact you look so commited to the project, i would love to see how this turns out. You got a new follow
Congrats on a great first video :) I wish a lot of succes and happy momemts developing your game and petswveriance to match it:)
Looking foward to yoit updates
I'm really looking forward to that!
Keep up the good work.
One of my favourite themes/genres, arctic-survival-horror. keep up the good work and looking forward to new updates! 😉
Best of luck in your endeavors! Love the setting and love the Disobedience system.
Love the vid. As someone who's learning UE5 with the vision of making my own game, your vid gave a great understanding of the process from someone who's also not done it before, but is far more advanced in the process than I am.
Also great to see another Aussie working on a game. Looking forward to how it all works out for you.
incredible artwork and direction. look forward to following this one. best of luck!
I already love this game. Anything with snow is always mesmerizing.
You're the first gamedev youtuber i have seen with this much passion on your project. The concepts, art and storytelling you have is so mesmerizing. You are like the embodiment of what i wanted to be. You see, i wanted to be concept artist but took a course for the sake of "practicality" Which is i guess is fine. You are an inspiration dude. Please take your time with your project and i am sure it will produce a wonderful outcome at the end. Cheers!
I've been crafting ideas for a world I want to make a game in for such a long time, and I always love when people post what they are doing and not being all "here's how I made an indie game in one month"
so excited to see how it goes for you guys!!
ALSO, the art is SO BEAUTIFUL
Holy shit, this is a very great idea, looking forward to playing this game! Will definitely subscribe to see more
What an amazing project. I think there is so much to learn from your approach. Especially the Idea to Play the game as a DND campaign style game to test if the actual gameplay is fun is such a good idea in my opinion :)
Don’t worry about the editing style, I really enjoyed listening to you and loved the art in the timelapses.
Looking forward to more stuff from the two of you!
Thanks for the kind words! That's very encouraging. ❤️
I should hopefully have time to show some new stuff soon.
Thanks again!
-Morgan
Awesome to see the beginning of a game, that has a lot of potential to become something really special. Enthralling game concept and art style. I will definitely keep myself updated with your game's development.
Fair Winds and Following Seas to you and your wife 👊😁
Thank you very much! I really hope to make it into something captivating one day that is worth people's time. Really appreciate the kind words!
This looks amazing! I love the concept.
Can't wait to see this one finished.
aawww beck yeah an RTS town builder! just what I've always wanted!
bro I like the visual style overall, keep it up!
Thank you very much! We certainly will. 😊
Great devLog man🙌. Ill be following this journey closely❤
I love the art style! The game idea is really cool, :)
This looks insane man, sounds like it'll be an amazing game
Interesting! We need more arctic horror stuff. Looking forward to see it!
Love the concept, the vibe sounds, great, the gameplay sounds great, and id imagine the art would be great considering ur drawings, this looks sick
Ooh, this looks very cool! I love the arctic/ antarctic setting. There is honestly so much to do with this sort of genre. I could see how there could be a whole game about trying to manage the effects of isolation on the crew. Speaking of that I think it would be interesting if disobedience became more common the longer you went without completing a measurable objective or also would be a higher chance if there was not enough stress on the crew, from what I have experienced on long backpacking trips (and read about in relation to these sorts of expeditions) there is a tendancy for people to do dumb things/ for group cohesion to break down when they think they are safe.
Thanks for the comment!
That's a great thought! It's something we're definitely toying with how to implement into the game.
Something we've read quite a bit from our research is how, on top of the polar winter night driving everyone a bit mad, inactivity is dangerous for morale, and something that captains have to contend with is moving the crew towards a goal, even if the goal doesn't actually make a lot of sense.
The crew on Endurance were apparently much happier when they were breaking their backs 12 hours a day hauling all their equipment across the ice moving around 0.5 to 1.5 miles a day, even when it was obviously a futile endeavour, as opposed to sitting in their tents, waiting for the ice to drift (I can't remember exactly how fast, but a LOT more than 1 mile a day!) and conserving their rations.
It could be that it's staved off by completing character specific goals, or overall game objectives, or just by keeping them occupied with tasks even while it's not necessarily the best time to do so.
I definitely like the idea of introducing human elements to the game so the gameplay never boils down to just mathematical resource management.
Thanks again for the support!
-Morgan
Really enjoyed watching your video, and the process in which you carry out your art. Looks like a really imaginative setting for your game dev. I would be interested to see more of the process from a blender render to painting.
We are currently thinking on how approach talking about different aspects of making this game so feel free to drop questions, we will try to answer in future videos. Noted about transition from blender to painting.
Anna
This style of management games is one of my favourite genres, and The Terror is probably my favourite mini-series. I think this game was made specifically for me haha. Looks awesome!
That's great to hear! I definitely feel like there's an itch for this style of game that not too many games out there scratch. I'm surprised there aren't many games already that do something similar. Hopefully when this releases we can slide in and provide something unique.
-Morgan
Honestly, it's amazing work. Super inspiring, and I hope it does very well.
This was a great devlog. I hope you make another one!
Thanks a ton! We plan on doing another one quite soon. 😊
- Morgan
i love this. i love you. keep this up my brother, i need more of this content
Found my way here through your beautiful concept art. Good luck!!!
This sounds dope, excited to see it grow mate
Hi, thanks! Yeah we are quite excited to share more about this project and just show what we’re working on some time soon.
Anna
Super interesting concept for a game. Your art is fantastic! Makes sense to get a good portfolio of work together right now. And yes...coding sucks! (I tried my hand a C# with Unity and failed quite miserably..LOL!). Blueprints is definitely a better choice for us non-coders.
Can't wait to see more.
Thats a really cool style and quite a unique mechanical concept. Eager to see your progress on this!
Feels like you already have, but if not, you should read Lovecrafts "At the mountains of madness" for inspiration.
Good luck for the project. :)
Cant wait for the next episode!
wow that's so cool idea and really interesting to see all process inside. Art looks amazing
Thank you, we are planning to dive a bit more in different aspects of the development process in our next videos.
Anna
This looks absolutely stunning, good luck!
Hi, thank you for stopping by and supporting us!
Anna
beautiful artwork!
Loved the first season of The Terror! Theres definitely good potential for a survival horror here.
The art looks amazing. I believe you gonna make it!!!
You are a great artist. Hope you keep your job, and good luck coding, it gets better
Nice work! I like the plan 😊
I also work in the industry and also really relate to just wanting to have something to put in your portfolio that isn’t someone’s top secret IP
Yeah that's the struggle we both had for years, but unfortunately this is how industry works - I personally have tons of stuff I did for the projects that's been released but I can't show it for the number of reasons which ultimately can be tagged as NDA. Hopefully your works will see the light of the day soon!
Anna
My brother in law and I almost made a game called "Kharkovchanka" which is based on the real life exploration of the Arctic in a Russian armored vehicle that was converted for survival back in the day when the countries were racing to explore everything. The players would be dropped in this mobile vehicle in a freezing wasteland and need to survive while balancing obvious things like hunger, sanity, sleep, etc. The concept was simple enough but reminded me of Distrust on Steam only this was First Person. We ended up stopping because of the scale of the map and movement/controls inside a tight vehicle such as the Kharkovchanka. It didn't translate well. I still like the idea and concept and may go back to it in the future, but change a bunch of things. Funny though, how this concept is always brought up by many people and similar/different projects.
Anyway, good luck on your project! I hope you guys get further than we did.
Polynyas! I was one of the (climate) scientists looking at these! A buddy of mine focused his MS on them. Anything Arctic is great but involving polynyas into a video game is such a great idea! Cheers!
PS - wind plays a huge part ;)
Oh wow, that's awesome! That's a treat to have you here, although a little intimidating. Hopefully the game won't offend the scientific community too badly. 😅 My research into the topic is only the tip of the iceberg compared to you.
Wind is certainly going to be a core part of the game both for keeping your crew out of the weather and also for moving the ship so thanks for the tip! I can bear that in mind when it comes to handling the Polynyas in the game.
If you have any more ideas or thoughts on fitting ways to implement this aspect of the game into the mechanics or narrative (especially the horror part) I'm all ears!
Don't burn yourselves out with the devlog thing. It really can wait and the other things you guys are doing is more important imo. Really interesting art and idea, I'm already on board! Wishing you the best of luck :D
Thanks! I needed to hear that. 😅
That said I'm really excited to show some more stuff. It'll be nice to show off some really juicy stuff so there's a bit of a progress milestone I've set and then I'll be ready to start on another video, probably in two to three weeks!
@@Submersion-studio Good luck on your journey =)
Haha I literally finished the drama series The Terror two days ago, and here you are to manifest that into a game. Brilliant.
Oh that’s nice! Did you like the show? It’s on our reading list because we watched the adaptation some time ago. Atmosphere they managed to create on the set was something we would like to recreate here for sure. I wonder how different it is from the book.
Anna
@@Submersion-studio I did enjoy the show quite a bit. I haven't read the book yet, but I've heard good things. Dan Simmons is a great writer, and is better at writing characters than plot in my opinion (though he is still great at both), so I'm guessing you will get more character development and interaction from his book.
Yeah, if you can combine that with the diesel-punk aesthetic it looks like you are going with, that would be a very neat game. I'll definitely be keeping an eye on your game.
@@ClaytonPajotthanks! Yeah character development is something that we are actively looking at because according to books like "Endurance" it was quite important to make sure that every crew member would have a certain mindset that will allow them to keep things in order in extreme conditions. Quite a good read albeit with some grim details that naturally follow having to survive 17 months in the wild without any human contact.
Hopefully we will be able to make something that's worth your time, thanks for kind words!
Anna
me too
I would ABSOLUTELY love more on the art side! Maybe even a breakdown of how your approach and develop a concept piece and how to channel those ideas?
I am very much a beginner in the artwork and would love to improve myself to create works similar in this style, and honestly I have always found it quite puzzling to figure out on my own
Love this introduction!
Hi, thanks for stopping by and for the kind words! We are planning to make videos about different topics that creation of this game includes, and art will be one of them for sure because both of us first and foremost are concept artists.
Overall we will be sharing our approach for art direction of the game, how we come up with ideas and references, what do we study to make them believable and just general pipeline.
If you have any specific questions you'd like to ask, feel free to leave them here and we will try our best to answer.
Anna
I could definitely do that!
Art can become a deep rabbit hole, and consume a ton of time learning, but there are definitely some easy wins that anyone can do right off the bat I think especially when it comes to making games. It might be useful to people and entertaining to make a video on it! Especially as most people are coming to making games from the code and tech side.
Do you mind if I ask what exactly you find puzzling? For example is it where to start with 3d, (texturing, scultping, modelling etc.) how to paint and make concept art (color theory, shape language etc.)? like the technical side of just making the art?
Or is it coming up with a style and direction? More like the philosophy behind it? And why you might make some decisions for a project over others? (e.g. picking certain styles for different projects, maintaining consistency)?
Or maybe something else?
- Morgan
@@Submersion-studio I certainly understand the rabbit hole! I do sometimes feel like I learn yet fail to get anywhere, so small, directional wins sounds like a good idea (making a video on that, as daunting as that sounds, does seem like a good idea; I should give it a go!).
For me style and direction I find the most puzzling. This isn't to say I'm really good at digital painting/art but I have found in my work the composition and direction of a piece tends to lack, affecting the execution. So, rather annoyingly, I believe what I find puzzling is a combination of the two, of the direction of a piece and how to make it. I think this comes from the struggle of starting (how to begin a composition, to make those decisions) and the difficulty in making, as often I feel as I'm at odds with executing a vision.
Apologies if this sounds quite highfalutin but this is the only way I can describe it! Either way I think a look of how to construct those ideas into a piece of art is what I seek most. I look forward to what you guys make and show!
Thanks for the response (from you both, truly delightful!) and I eagerly await to see your development :)
Beautiful art and interesting idea. Looks promising
What you are making is not a "small" game. That said, its super inspiring seeing what you are making, lookig forward to seeing more. Subscribed!
Unbelievable.Morgan, you and Anna are creating a very interesting game. There are so many subtleties and details... Unlimited scope of imagination. I wish you inspiration and creative insights!
Oh wow! That's really sweet of you. Thanks for the kind words. 🙂
We've got a long way to go for sure, but I think we're on the right track and I hope to live up to the potential of this project.
How wonderful life is when there is a goal and this goal unites two loving hearts! The very path to this goal becomes an amazing adventure)) and a reward! Success awaits you)).
hell yeah i love this aesthetic you have all my support
Thank you for you support!
Anna
Good luck man! I wish you to save your inner motivation! Just remember the key is to not think about final product, they key is enjoying the process at that particular time you doing it👾
Good advice, thanks for that! It's very hard not to daydream about the final product though I won't lie. 😅
But yeah, lots of distance between where I am now and the finish line that's for sure. We'll do our best to enjoy the process!
Looks amazing, esp. art-wise! Best of luck to you.
Thank you very much!
Anna
Your concept art is incredible dude, best of luck with it all, unreal was a great choice.
Thank you!
Anna
This video was actually entertaining. for me at least. Love the art and it fit very well to the game concept. I think you can use devlogs as one of your main incomes and hopefully make a great game!
Nice channel, look forward to the next one.
Take my money! I‘m hooked! 💸😌
I am thrilled to see how you make this game, becaue your right the oppesite to me. I am studing rightnow to become a programmer. And for many many years i would love to make a game, if i can in Unreal. But i can't draw... really, searously and what ever i do, i bumb in a situation where i have to draw something at somepoint, like you do with programming.
Goddam, art is so great, as a fellow artist let me bow. I wish you showed the whole speedpaint process
upd: turned out I was already following Anna on Artsation ))
Love the game idea and style, very similar to Frostpunk, which is another amazing game, we need more stuff like it. Also, I'm reading a book about Artic exploration. It covers a famous boat that sank in the artic called Erebus (also the name of the book). Good read. Looking forward too seeing more from this project and I'd love too see some fleshed out sailing mechanics.
Thanks! Yes I’ve seen this book on the same shelf of a local bookshop recently. I see you liked it, what was the strongest side of it? The atmosphere or the plot etc? I’m always on a lookout for some stories to take inspiration from. Sailing mechanics is something to think about!
Anna
Hearing Deus Ex soundtrack was such a hit of nostalgia! Best of luck with the project.
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Chaos Theory OST - Lighthouse Soundtrack
If you did not read "Terror" by Dan Simons - i highly recommend it to you as a source of inspiration. It's not a small book, but it is a great read filled with very heavy atmosphere and very detailed world-building when it comes to arctic and ships stuck in icy wasteland. And also with a lot of interesting themes about human behavior in such conditions, which can also provide you with a lot of small things to think about. For example interesting and unexpected way to celibrate Christmas and other ways to boost crew's morale, ways to find food, diseases common to people in such harsh conditions, how ice damages hull, arctic thunderstorms, how ice is moving together with stucked ships constantly forming and destoying ice ridges around, what kind of daily tasks everyone need to do being in such conditions to keep everything as save, as possible, crew's uprisings and so on, and so on. It was a big inspiration for me to make some small personal art projects also set in artic wastes durning long polar nights.
Other than that, good luck with your project, I always found arctic to be one of the more interesting settings to be immersed into.
Hey, yeah Terror is on the reading list so we are definitely going to study this book. It seems like this book did a great job describing the journey and establishing the atmosphere we are going for. Thank you for the kind words!
Anna
@@Submersion-studio it is definetly worth it.
yet agian, good luck with your project :)
Hi
I'm along for the journey and will learn as much as i can from your guys journey as I can as I'm making trying to make a game also, don't be too hard on yourselves game Dev is really hard especial without a whole team.
art looks great and i like the idea it reminds me of a game Curious expeditions, anyway good luck have fun
The video was an incredible work of art. I wish you all the best man, keep up the good work.
I've always wanted to get into game development, but prototyping has always put me off, even though it's the most fun part of the process.
To be honest, your game design is really interesting, and the concept art is simply magnificent !
Good luck to both of you, I can't wait to follow your progress.
Best of luck man!! I hope I get to play that game someday. I am a concept artist as well and I just wanted too say the concept art for you game looks soo good
Thank you very much! I hope to make something worthy of your time playing someday. 🙂
Game dev is hard. This is quite an ambitious plan for a first game, where you have to learn everything. I wish you luck!
As for coding - it can be very counterintuitive at times. As a coder, I love the old joke of "Design asked the coder to make a spell that summons a demon, and he said 'no problem, I'll just instance an object, be ready in an hour'. Then they asked if the main character can wear a scarf, and he was 'uff...'"
the art direction looks amazing! i really hope you are able to translate it the way you envision!
Your devlog is kind different and unique focus on art and the ideas you take inspiration from
I really like the setting. I didn't really understand how the concept is going to be realised and what the game is ultimately going to be like, but that's just me not paying close attention and you still figuring things out. I am just going to wait for updates and see how much this project fits my interest.
concept art is soo coool hope u guys finish it!!!
Thanks a lot! We will get it over the finish line, no matter what.
-Morgan