SAND | May Development Update

Servus Scavengers!

With the announcement that SAND is coming to consoles earlier this week at the tinyBuild Connect, we thought it was only fair we give some updates to our PC players on what's going on at the Hologryph HQ and how development is coming along!

So today, we asked Maksym, the head of studio at Hologryph what he and the team are doing and how SAND is shaping up. Let's take a look at what he had to say...

What are the current focuses for the development team at this stage?

Currently, the team is focusing on three main areas:

1. Throughout April and May, we created many prototypes and searched for a final gameplay form that would address the issues we identified with your help during the last playtest. In the coming months, we’ll be finalizing the elements that passed internal testing and building balance around the new set of features.

2. Optimization and bug fixing.

3. Porting the game to PS5 and Xbox Series (together with support from an external studio). The external studio is handling most of the work. Our involvement is limited to providing guidance on project structure, and occasionally doing tasks that are significantly faster for us to complete. This does not affect the release timeline for the PC version.

Do you have any new/unannounced content or features in the works?

We have a number of new features currently in development. Not all of them will pass internal testing, so I can’t talk about all of them just yet.

What you can expect in the playtest:

1. Weapon Modifications – Different weapons will have variations that can be crafted or found during gameplay.

2. Turret Deployment – You'll be able to place and remove turrets during an expedition, which ties in with the next point.

3. Turret Conditions – Turrets will come in various states, ranging from “rusty” to “fresh off the shelf.” The condition affects certain turret characteristics, such as rotation speed and reload time.

How are optimizations coming along/what has been done?

As part of the console porting process, we’re currently optimizing the game for launch on Xbox Series S, which will also result in stable fps on many PCs with similar performance levels.

At this stage, the optimization process has touched nearly every aspect of the game:

• How the terrain is generated, stored in memory, and unloaded

• Trampler compartment models, including the number and quality of their LODs

• Visual effects like reactor smoke or explosions from destroyed Trampler units

• Character animation system

• Loot generation system for islands and points of interest

• Network data format for certain systems

• And some more extremely cool stuff we're not ready to share just yet, but we'll show you in the near future...

And of course, the work is still ongoing...

What has changed lately from previous playtests?

• New islands and partially reworked old ones

• New types of firearms + a grenade

• Crafting stations on certain islands, and a crafting compartment for the Trampler. Plus a wide variety of crafting resources scattered across the map

• Ability to swap out cannons during an expedition

• Many cannon variations, including several [REDACTED] -grade cannons

• New compartments

• A progression system that gradually unlocks access to more advanced compartments

• An orbital station shop where you can sell your findings and buy basic expedition supplies

• A loot distribution system after each expedition to ensure everyone gets what they need

• You can name your Trampler now

• Boost rods that temporarily accelerate the Trampler, helping you escape pursuit—or close the gap on enemies

• [REDACTED] —diverse, powerful, and mysterious

Finally, can we expect another playtest before launch?

That’s the plan! We hope to have a playtest this summer to show off everything we’ve been working on the last few months, but you’ll have to wait a little longer for some more firm details on that.

You can sign up for any closed or open playtests on the Steam page right now though, and you’ll be notified directly via Steam when they go live.

Sign up for the playtest now and wishlist SAND on Steam now to be notified when it launches on Steam!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1431300/Sand/

Come and join us on our social media pages to keep yourself up to date with all the news and updates for SAND or join the discussion over on Discord now!

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