pistolshrimp

Milestone 5 Update

Welcome, dear reader, to our latest update where we’ll cover our work in the thrillingly named Milestone 5! We’ll be discussing and showcasing our progress, as well as some of our upcoming plans for the even more thrillingly-named Milestone 6 and the overall trajectory of the project. Grab a consumable goodie, an adorable animal, or anything else that will help you settle in, and let’s fly through our progress together.

As you go through our update here, remember that our game is ...

Mini-Demo: Positional Audio

We revealed a glimpse of our first audio assets in our last milestone update. We wanted to show you a little tech demo of some of what we're done beyond just that. Be sure you have a stereo device before listening to this! So that you just get to listen, I won't be talking over this one.

Positional audio is the notion of two or three dimensional audio that implies it's coming from a position...

Milestone 4 Update

Welcome to our latest round of development updates for Free Stars: Children of Infinity. If you’re looking for the latest triangle, square, or other shape, you may also find what you’re looking for. Whatever shape you’re in, be sure to read the previous one, and strap yourself in for an exciting progress report.

Play Time a...

2025-03-03 17:58:10 +0000 UTC View Post

Mini-Demo: Local + Online Multiplayer Combined

I wanted to share a quick tech and design demo representing a neat bit of technical support we're able to do: 4 player multiplayer with two local players playing alongside two other "remote" local players. It's not very flashy to look at yet, but you can imagine sitting alongside someone you're playing with while also playing together with two other people who are sitting alongside each other.

We don't know what the full scope of this kind of support will be, from a design perspective, ...

Milestone 3 Update

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. No, not Earth holidays. No, not the announcement of the next Frungy league starting rosters. It’s time for an update on Free Stars: Children of Infinity! If you haven’t already, be sure to read our last update. Now, let’s cover our progress since then.

Playthrough and Through

For our game’s “Adventure” mode, we charact...

Mini-Demo - Relative Ship Control

Prompted by a Discord member, I thought it would be fun to think about clipping bits of video as mini-demos of the features we're working on as they get completed. This was pretty easy and fun to do, so look forward to some more of these!

In this one, I show a control scheme intended just for playing on controller and steering with the stick. By mapping the stick to an expression of the player's intent to go a different direction or thrust, we can write code which steers the ship for th...

Milestone 2 Update

We’re excited to share an update on what we’ve been working on as we wrap up our latest milestone, Milestone 2! For players who are excited about the story of our game, this update is guaranteed to be mostly spoiler free. As we have more milestones, with even more exciting names like Milestone 3 and Milestone 4, we’ll be sharing these updates so we can show our progress.

Sometimes it might not look like much, but the achievements are i...

2024 Summer Update

We don’t really have seasons here in California—just “dry” and “wet”—but I’ve been told there are apparently four canonical seasons. If there were more, we’d write more blog posts. Where should the new one go? My vote is between winter and spring, just to throw off Groundhog Day and finally sow ultimate disarray among rodents. A dream shared by all humankind.

With the Kickstarter behind us, it is time to resume our more moderately-paced seasonal updates. What have we b...

BackerKit Surveys Incoming for Patreon

Attention, Patreon supporters! We’ve finished importing all of our qualifying supporters here (see more in our previous message) into our Kickstarter campaign so you can be a part of the rewards as well. We also have a better-than-expected outcome for all of our Patreon supporters, which is that we were able to apply your total contributions as credit in case you want to change your pledge from di...

Information on Kickstarter Rewards for Patreon Supporters

First things first! To close out our Kickstarter campaign, Paul, Fred, and Dan will be hosting a special send-off stream on Twitch at 4pm PT. We know time zones are hard, but we hope you can join us as we express our heartfelt appreciation for being along with us on this 30+ year journey. Bring your enthusiasm and snacks to share with everyone.

Now, let us get down to business. In case you have never heard it befor...

The Art Behind the Alien: The Nanobes

Hello extremely, Patreon friends! We have a special behind-the-scenes video for you, where Dan interviews our artist on our alien codenamed "The Nanobes", detailing the entire process from beginning to end and how we got to the finished piece.

Listen to Robert detail his thought process, showcase many of the cut versions of concept, and describe just how many things we discarded on the journey to our finished piece.

2024-05-02 23:11:15 +0000 UTC View Post

A Conversation with Mark Yohalem: Channel 44

Fred and Dan chat with Mark Yohalem of Wormwood Studios, creators of Primordia, Strangeland, and Fallen Gods. Mark describes how story and gameplay work together, and dives into some of his favorite moments from The Ur-Quan Masters.

0:00 - Theme music

0:14 - Introductions

1:23 - Starflight and the roots of UQM

9:24 - Simulation vs. arcade gameplay

16:00 - Exploring space

21:22 - Beginning a game story

33:40 - Expanding on gameplay

39:13 - Impor...

A Conversation with Freehold Games: Channel 44

Fred and Dan chat with Freehold Games about Caves of Qud and making an independent game that stands out. Jason and Brian share their love of classic space games, epic science fiction worlds, and the creative appeal of retro games. Hosted live, on Twitch.

0:00 - Theme Music

0:14 - Introductions

3:42 - Classic space games

7:30 - Making The Ur-Quan Masters

11:30.- Writing and character design

15:1...

A Conversation with Massive Damage: Channel 44

Dan talks about game design with Peter McLaren and Garry Seto of Massive Damage, creators of Halycon 6 and Star Renegades. The duo share their insights on designing sci-fi concepts, building an indie studio, and the influence of The Ur-Quan Masters.

0:00 - Theme music

0:14 - Introductions

2:26 - UQM and Super Melee

12:48 - Alien dialog

16:37 - Creating alien races

26:42 - Building an indie studio

35:16 - Revitalizing retro game concepts

44:27 -...

A Conversation with Charlie Cleveland: Channel 44

Fred and Dan chat with Charlie Cleveland about Subnautica, Natural Selection, and his leadership at Unknown Worlds. They discuss the influence of The Ur-Quan Masters, and fun is more important than game balance. Charlie highlights the power of multi-linear storytelling, early access, and getting player feedback as soon as possible. Hosted live, on Twitch.

0:00 - Theme music

0:14 - Introductions

2:15 - Charlie's ...

New Channel 44 Releases Coming

We have a fresh batch of special developer interviews coming to you on Channel 44, our special video podcast series where we speak with other developers we love about The Ur-Quan Masters, games, our histories, and our processes. If you haven’t been following Channel 44 on our YouTube, now is the time to jump in! Our episodes release publicly each week at 10am PT on Tuesda...

Children of Infinity Live on Kickstarter!

Launch Fighters! Our Kickstarter for Free Stars: Children of Infinity is now live.

Head on over to check out everything we’re offering and learn more about the game. We have plenty of digital rewards and ...

Kickstarter Launch Coming!

Hello Hunam! On April 16th at 7am PT, we are excited to launch our Kickstarter for Free Stars: Children of Infinity. Sign up now to be notified when it goes live and help us garner more support! The more attention you can help us get and the more backers who join us, the more successful we will be with our entire campaign. Haven’t gotten a good look at the game in a...

Free Stars: Children of Infinity Kickstarter - April 16th

Free Stars: Children of Infinity is coming to Kickstarter on April 16th! The alliance needs you, Captain. Start spreading word that there is life still out there, that there is still adventure awaiting, and that we will need your support.

Visit our Kickstarter preview page to sign up and be notified when it goes live! We can't wait!

A Conversation with Richard Cobbett: Channel 44

Dan and Fred talk to Richard Cobbett about writing for games, including The Long Journey Home, Sunless Sea, Sunless Skies, and Nighthawks. Richard shares his love for The Ur-Quan Masters, and explains how a good storyteller can draw the player into a game's story, setting, and characters.

0:00 - Theme music

0:14 - Introductions

1:56 - The Long Journey Home

4:15 - The Ur-Quan Masters

5:52 - Layers of sci-fi writing

10:28 - Likeable villains

...

A Conversation with Chris Taylor: Channel 44

Fred and Dan talk to Chris Taylor about leading a game production, including Total Annihilation, Dungeon Siege, and more. Chris talks about running a game studio, engaging the audience, and why it's sometimes better to be an employee than a leader. 

0:00 - Theme music

0:00 - Introductions

1:16 - The UQM Team

11:48 - Chris's start in games

16:42 - Industrial Light & Magic

20:58 - Running a game studio

31:37 - Finding the fun

3...

A Conversation with Mac Walters: Channel 44

Fred and Dan talk with Mac Walters about his experience on Mass Effect and Jade Empire, plus his transition from his leadership at BioWare to his new studio, Worlds Untold. Mac breaks down his sci-fi inspiration, and how he approaches game writing, building a vision, and working as a team. 

0:00 - Theme music

0:14 - Introductions

01:22 - Mac's path to BioWare

06:20 - Inspiration and nostalgia

09:20 - How to begin a game story

12:00 - Playing...

A Conversation with Christine Love: Channel 44

Fred and Dan chat with Christine Love about indie game development, including her work on Digital: A Love Story, Get In the Car, Loser!, and more. Christine shares her love of science fiction, and her insights on writing a memorable game story. 

0:00 - Theme music

0:14 - Introductions

1:24 - UQM and science fiction

4:50 - Alien characters

9:17 - Indie game development

15:58 - Writing for games

24:07 - Immersing the player

30:56 -...

A Conversation with MinMax Games: Channel 44

Fred and Dan talk to Andrew Hume and Richard Clifford of MinMax Games, creators of Space Pirates and Zombies. The duo talk about building an indie game studio, the power of procedurally generated content, and the influence of The Ur-Quan Masters.

0:00 - Theme music

0:14 - Introductions

3:03 - Influence on Space Pirates and Zombies

10:14 - Discovering a game's focus

17:17 - Building an indie game studio

24:05 - Finding an audience

33:37 - Sp...

A Message for Patreon Supporters on Crowdfunding

Doing it Different

When we began Pistol Shrimp and started work on Free Stars: Children of Infinity, we set out to do things differently. I (Dan), in particular, was especially interested in pursuing alternate forms of funding, marketing, and selling our work to people who were interested in it. We wanted our process to create a community that feels valued, lets others participate in development, and allows us to share our work openly with everyone. We believe it will make a ...

Free Stars: The Ur-Quan Masters Available to Play

LAUNCH FIGHTERS! Free Stars: The Ur-Quan Masters is now available to download, play, and celebrate on Steam! If you’ve never experienced the award-winning space saga before, it’s now easier to play than ever. If you know someone who hasn�...

Steam Launch Party with BikeMan

To celebrate the Steam launch of Free Stars: The Ur-Quan Masters, Fred and Dan will be joining BikeMan live on Twitch on February 19th! We’ll talk about the history of the game,  the future of Free Stars, and get to watch BikeMan playing along. We anticipate starting around 5pm PT, so be sur...

A Conversation with Henrik Fåhraeus: Channel 44

Fred and Dan talk to Henrik Fåhraeus about his leadership at Paradox Interactive, including the game design of Stellaris and the Crusader Kings series. Henrik explains how artificial intelligence can bring a game world to life, and how The Ur-Quan Masters influenced the story and universe of Stellaris.

0:00 - Theme music

0:14 - Introductions

1:18 - Henrik and UQM

3:07 - Influence of UQM

6:40 - Science fiction and Stellaris

12:54 - What is creativity

...

A Conversation with Mark Darrah: Channel 44

Fred and Dan chat with Mark Darrah about his career at BioWare, including his work on Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Baldur's Gate, and more. Join the veteran game devs as they discuss the art of storytelling in an open world, and highlight the influence of The Ur-Quan Masters on the Mass Effect series. 

Check out Mark Darrah's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qabZM40_bN4 

0:00 ...

A Conversation with Chris Remo: Channel 44

Fred and Dan talk with Chris Remo about designing and writing Firewatch, his ongoing work at Valve, and getting his start at Double Fine. Chris talks about his love for The Ur-Quan Masters and Super Melee, and shares his creative experience across music, writing, and game design.

Check out Chris Remo's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUOi3hyPkt8 

0:00 - Theme music

0:14 ...