Rock Bottom - Dev Update 01

I recently released the playable demo for Rock Bottom. The response from players has been fantastic and I am so happy to see people are excited to play Rock Bottom. Thank you!

I am now hard at work to build out the world that is Rock Bottom and ensure the game delivers the fun experience that players expect. After reviewing player feedback from the demo, I have a really clear understanding about the features players love, and what additional features they'd like to see included in the full release. I have been adding in a tonne of features and changes so far. Let's quickly review the biomes included in the demo, before I give you a sneak peak of the new biome, Crystal Caverns.

Sunken Canopy

Steam post imageMost of you know this one well from the demo. It was the first level I designed and worked on. There is still something satisfying about hunting for gold ore among the overgrown vines and flowers. It is a nice, green breather before things get a lot more intense in the next area.

Spore-Light Caverns

Next up on our look back at the demo levels is Spore-Light Caverns. I wanted this area to feel mystical but a bit dangerous. Instead of searching through vines, you are navigating around neon fungi to track down cobalt ore. It is one of my favourite levels to look at because of how the blue light interacts with the dark stone.

Static Peaks

Static Peaks wraps up our look back at the demo. It is a noisy, rainy level where you hunt for iron and gold amidst gravity wells and static discharge. It is definitely one of the more challenging biomes I have designed, and it marks the final area familiar to players before we head into new territory.

Welcome to Crystal Caverns

The next stop for players in the Rock Bottom world will be a unique biome. The player is surrounded by bright and colourful crystals and begins their hunt for crystal ore.

Each level has a unique tile set that reflects the specific biome.

In this level, I was heavily inspired by pink and purple Amethyst crystal structures, which is one of the key decorations found in Crystal Caverns.

The other key elements that make Crystal Caverns unique are the decorations inspired by cave geology - stalactites and stalagmites - but of course, I had to keep them in the beautiful pastel palette.

What is next?

I am currently working on adding in a new mechanic at the second orc base - introducing the foundry!

The foundry adds in a way for players to make alloys, which are made by combining two different bars into stronger and more valuable resources. Players will be able to unlock automation advances and new technology with these new resources.

Next time...

In the next Dev Blog, I will be giving players a sneak peak at the next biome, where things really start heating up.

Until then, thanks for your interest in Rock Bottom. If you haven't already, please consider adding the game to your wishlist - it really helps get the game seen.

Zach