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TS!UNDERSWAP [Undertale Fangame]

1 year ago

Dev Update - December 2023

Hey there!

Today is the 3rd Anniversary of Demo v1.0's release -- and what better time than now to share a Dev Update that details some changes regarding our plans for future releases!

Coincidentally, we posted our first (and only, so far) Dev Update a year ago. Then, we estimated that Starlight Isles was approximately 80-90% functionally complete (closer to ~83%), and that TS!UNDERSWAP as a whole was potentially ~26% functionally complete.

Now, Starlight Isles is approximately 99% functionally complete -- while Crystal Springs is currently at ~4% (albeit without everything fully outlined internally), and TS!UNDERSWAP as a whole is potentially ~35% functionally complete!

It goes without saying that it's taken much longer than we had anticipated. Last year, we originally hoped to have Starlight Isles functionally complete by the end of 2022 -- though due to a variety of factors (i.e. personal responsibilities, underestimating development time, lacking required assets, etc.) this goal ended up not being feasible.

Fortunately, we're finally finishing up with Starlight Isles -- and the lessons we've learned over the course of its development will be integral for Crystal Springs, and other major areas moving forward.

Speaking of...!

Release Plan Changes

Originally, our plan was to release major updates to the demo upon the completion of each two major areas. This would have looked like the following:

v1.0 - Ruined Home (Ruins)
v2.0 - Starlight Isles & Crystal Springs (Snowdin & Waterfall)
v3.0 - Boreal Bluffs & The NEXUS (Hotland & The CORE)
Full Game - The City of New, Endgame, final polish, etc. (New Home)

Starlight Isles has taken us much longer than we had originally anticipated. This has been our first major area after finally escaping the project's initial development hell stage (2016-2018), then finishing and releasing Ruined Home (2018-2020) -- and we had initially figured that the lessons we'd learned from those experiences would allow for Starlight Isles development to be much faster.

Unfortunately, this didn't end up being the case for a variety of reasons, including:

We didn't define the scope of Starlight Isles off the bat, which resulted in the area becoming significantly more ambitious than Ruined Home in many regards -- as well as constant changes to existing plans, uncertainties with exact progression details, etc.
At times, it'd take us significantly more time to functionally implement content due to a lack of assets, rather than relying more on placeholders until the assets were finished.
Due to the hobbyist nature of the project, we've all had to prioritize personal responsibilities and obligations (i.e. school, jobs, family, etc.) -- which has also caused hiccups in development in regards to the previous point, since we've waited for assets before implementing certain content.

Because of these points, it's safe to say we severely underestimated how long work on Starlight Isles would take us -- and, as a result, for a while we've been privately considering different release plans. Now that Starlight Isles is finally nearing completion, we're ready to discuss these publicly!

New Plans

Before anything, it's important to note that these plans are subject to change. We've been considering restructuring our release plans to focus more on developing the game as a whole -- as opposed to on a per-area basis, which significantly holds us back in the long term.

For the time being, though -- instead of a major demo update upon the completion of each two major areas, we plan to release a major update per major area. Here's how this would look:

v1.0 - Ruined Home (Ruins)
v2.0 - Starlight Isles (Snowdin)
v3.0 - Crystal Springs (Waterfall)
v4.0 - Boreal Bluffs & The NEXUS (Hotland & The CORE)
Full Game - The City of New, Endgame, final polish, etc. (New Home)

As a reminder: SAVE data from older versions will transfer to newer updates, but will not be backwards compatible -- for example, Demo v2.0 data cannot be used in Demo v1.0.

We'll be updating this information (and more) on our website alongside the release of Demo v2.0.

Supported Platforms

Since Demo v1.0 released, we've supported Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android devices.

While we've hoped to continue supporting these throughout future major releases, however, we'll have to make some changes moving forward.

For one, we no longer plan on supporting Mac for the time being -- particularly due to how Apple's build process is complicated and difficult for individual creators.

Our main priorities moving forward will be Windows and Android -- we currently still plan to support Linux, though we recommend using the Windows version with Proton instead.

Lessons Learned

When it comes to the lessons we've learned from developing Starlight Isles, and how they'll apply when moving forward with Crystal Springs and beyond:

While the entire outline for Crystal Springs hasn't been entirely finalized, we have a general outline of progression and plot details for the area as a whole.
We're working to define the scope of Crystal Springs -- meaning we'll have a better idea of what we want to accomplish with the area, the kind of content it'll have, and how to avoid getting over-ambitious and taking too long.
We'll be relying more on placeholder assets moving forward, rather than waiting for finalized ones before implementing content -- in addition to prioritizing earlier functional completion over fully-polished content.

When Demo?

Demo v2.0 is targeted for January 2024.

Originally, we hoped to do a surprise release of Demo v2.0 today in celebration of our 3rd release anniversary -- but with the timing of UnderEvent, Deltatraveler, and Undertale Yellow's releases (we've been in contact with both teams), we didn't want to interfere with anything or overshadow other projects' times to shine.

Fortunately, this delay has given us more time to further refine and polish various aspects of Starlight Isles, just to make sure we get everything right without needing to make major cuts or compromises.

We also wanted to share our new release plans alongside the launch of Demo v2.0. However, we've been getting more and more questions regarding whether our initial plans were still accurate -- and so we thought it'd be better to communicate what's happening instead of staying silent for the sake of a surprise.

Brief Catch-Up!

In our August 2023 Progress Report, we reported that Starlight Isles reached functional completion, with the entire area being fully playable from start to finish -- though from a technical standpoint:

"Functionally complete" refers to having an area fully playable from a technical standpoint -- meaning that players can get from the beginning to the end.
Not all assets have been implemented, nor some writing.
Functional completion does not account for any side content that is not required to fully progress throughout the area (i.e. sidequests, certain route material, etc.)
Out of everything that's been implemented, not all content is fully polished or playtested.

This meant we've been able to begin more in-depth development of Crystal Springs in addition to what's left for Starlight Isles!

In case you missed our October 2023 Progress Report, here are its major highlights:

Writing -- The entire Starlight Isles script was finished, in addition to the introductory rooms of Crystal Springs.
Artwork -- Necessary assets for village content, sidequests, polish material, and Crystal Springs preparation were made.
Soundtrack -- We had 34/36 planned tracks for Starlight Isles, 4/4 current Crystal Springs tracks, and a new version of "A Special Feeling" completed.
Programming -- Various major & side content additions have been made, as well as bug fixes and polish changes.

We also shared some small content previews! These included:

An updated version of "A Special Feeling" by Devilredd, to improve upon the old one.
Mini dialogue portraits inspired by DELTARUNE, used for certain characters (i.e. the Ruined Knights)
Sidequest notification bubbles, which hover above quest NPCs' heads (both in Starstruck Village, and The City of Old.)

Progress Updates

Given our change in release plans, our current prioritizations have been:

Essential content (high priority) -- implementing still-needed content, major content polish passes, gameplay balancing, important fixes.
- This is currently ~92% complete!
Non-essential content (mid priority) -- refinements to major content and gameplay, small changes and additions based on playtester feedback, and smaller tweaks.
- This is currently ~78% complete!
Aesthetic content (low priority) -- polish work that isn't necessary for release.
- This is currently 29% complete, though is the least important of all priorities, with some things potentially being added in a future release or cut altogether.

In total, that brings our polish phase to ~66% complete -- though if you were to factor out the aesthetic content, that's ~88% complete!

Here's what this looks like in regards to our general progress:

Writing -- Script as-needed has been written for small content additions (i.e. playtester feedback changes, or anything else that "slipped through the cracks.")
Artwork -- Final assets for village content, sidequests, polish material, and Crystal Springs preparation are being made.
Soundtrack -- We only have ONE more song to finish for Starlight Isles, and then we're done! In addition to this, we're working on various sound effects for major content polish passes.
Programming -- There's a LOT that's been done here in terms of content implementation, polish work, bug fixes, fine-tuning, and more.

Enjoy the new look of Crystal Springs! We've done some major changes to the color palette, and overall enhancements for the area since the first time we teased it.

In terms of some post-Demo v2.0 content, we've also:

Outlined the entirety of the Crystal Mines (first sub-area of Crystal Springs) for non-Evac / Ruthless routes.
Roughly outlined most of Crystal Springs for non-Evac / Ruthless routes.
Very roughly defined all sections of Boreal Bluffs.

Quicker Reading

In our December 2021 Progress Report, we showcased two new methods of quickly accessing the journal that we implemented in response to player feedback:

Opening the STAT menu and pressing C / CTRL (or whatever key is assigned.)
Holding C / CTRL (or whatever key is assigned) whenever you get a journal notification, which will open the journal once the notification finishes.

While these methods were definitely more intuitive than going through the KEY items menu, we felt they weren't a perfect solution. They still suffered from the following issues:

Ease of Access -- both methods of opening the journal required something else to do so (i.e. opening the STAT menu, or getting a notification)

Communication -- these methods were not clearly communicated to the player at first glance, and required hints that could be forgotten or missed.

In order to make the journal easier to access, and in a way that was more clearly communicated to the player, we decided to go back to the drawing board -- scrapping the previous two methods, and implementing something more intuitive.

Now, accessing the journal is as easy as holding down the menu key (C / CTRL by default) when you open the menu!

Ease of Access -- opening the journal can be done immediately through the menu, without going through any further steps.
Communication -- the small journal icon and progress bar immediately draws the player's attention, and conveys how holding the menu key is used to access it.

Like with our previous methods, we also made sure to design this with speedrunning in mind! That way, it won't interfere with various techniques (i.e. holding down keys to skip text, etc.)

The only caveat here is that closing the menu with its designated key, as opposed to the "cancel" keybind (X / SHIFT by default) has noticeable latency / delay. Depending on player feedback, this is something we may or may not change in the future.

Community Spotlight

As part of today's celebration, we're including a Community Spotlight for this devlog!

We started these back in June 2021 to highlight community fanworks, and fellow fan-projects.

Counting today, we've had a total of 13 Community Spotlight segments!

If you'd like to check out the fanworks featured in each of these, explore the links below:

July 2021 | Aug 2021 | Sept 2021 | Nov 2021 | Dec 2021

Jan 2022 | Feb 2022 | April 2022 | May 2022 | June 2022 | Aug 2022 | Dec 2022

TS!UNDERSWAP Fanworks

In celebration of Demo v1.0's 3rd release anniversary, we asked our fans to post their creations for a chance to be featured in today's Community Spotlight! Here are the ones we've picked:

First, we have fanart of Ser Scratchalot by Kopf_Salat -- along with their creator, Doctor Undyne! We always really enjoy seeing fanworks of characters that haven't been explored just yet in-game, especially when it comes to the later-game characters.

Next up, we have some fanart of Papyrus and Crossbones by LuchLaRana! Both brothers can be seen doing their own poses, standing against the artist's rendition of a Starlight Isles backdrop.

Here's some fanart of Temmie and Chara by darkzlone! The outstretched arms with clawed hands, and creepy face hiding in the shadows, are definitely some nice touches here. Thankfully, Chara doesn't seem too fazed by these!

In this piece, Astral!Void depicts the encounter between Chara and The Ruined Knights! We really enjoy the varied poses for each Knight -- as well as Chara's reaction to what's unfolding.

Here, we have Alter9Code's rendition of a Crossbones Comic Cover! His trusty ketchup gun in hand, the Starlight Savior can be seen front and center.

Here's some fanart of Mettacrit by kleymont_! We're always happy to see depictions of this show-stopping specter.

Finally, here's a fanwork from our Discord server -- Crossbones by anasumeruku! We're really stunned by the clear passion, time, effort, and attention to detail that's gone into this piece.

Fellow Fanworks

We're ending this Community Spotlight by going through some recent updates and announcements for several UNDERTALE-related fan projects!

After approximately 8 years of development, Undertale Yellow released on December 9th!!

The team has gone above and beyond working on this project, and it really shows. We don't want to spoil anything for you -- go check it out for yourself!!!

By the time you're reading this, UNDEREVENT 2023 has already premiered!

Much like previous years, this was an unofficial presentation of UNDERTALE and DELTARUNE fanworks -- showcasing teasers, trailers, and information about each project -- similar to a Nintendo Direct!

In case you've been out of the loop: on December 2nd, we were teased as one of the main "event reveals" for UNDEREVENT -- and for our showcase, we've shared a mini-trailer for Demo v2.0!

Go and check out the entire UNDEREVENT stream to see everyone's project showcases! Speaking of which...

DELTATRAVELER Section 3 JUST released!

This section features Snowdin from RynoGG's Underfell interpretation (GG!UNDERFELL) -- which you may recognize from its ongoing animation series! Go check it out!!

On December 20th, Poppy's Story: A ChristmAUs Carol was released!

It's an interactive experience complete with over 200 characters from various UNDERTALE and DELTARUNE fanworks. There aren't any battles here, just character interactions!

This game serves as the seventh and final iteration of FMSDraws' ChristmAUs -- a yearly collaboration held since 2017, intended to celebrate the creative talents of the UNDERTALE (and eventually DELTARUNE) community. Each year, he would put together an art piece with characters from various AUs -- and every time, he would strive to outdo his previous years' works.

Check out the game page for more information, and the full collection of 2017-2022 ChristmAUs collaboration pieces!

Can you believe it's been another year since we released Demo v1.0?

As of writing, we've received 455,992 downloads -- or approximately 8.05 Greenlands! We know the wait for more content hasn't been favorable, but it's been incredibly encouraging to see the outpouring of kind words, patience, and praise that many have expressed to us.

While the past few years have been full of ups and downs, it's made us really happy giving people something to look forward to with our little project. UNDERTALE (and by extension, DELTARUNE) is a game that's very special to us, and helped us discover brand new passions in our lives.

Realistically, we won't be working on TS!UNDERSWAP forever, and eventually we'd like to develop original games with one another as Team Switched -- despite this, we really want to see this project through. It's meant as a love letter to the game(s) that inspired us, and has its own characters and stories we're proud to have created.

Have a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year!

We'll see you guys in 2024.

- Beethovenus and Team Switched