The end of 2023 is fast approaching: how quickly we go from frolicking on the beach to fighting strangers in a car park over the last honey-glazed ham hock every year. 2023 has been a landmark year for TerraTech Worlds: we announced the game, published our first trailer, started to show off gameplay footage, and finally held our first external playtest just a few weeks ago. [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//44238226/74d009e52887dcfd6d569d724befba0a498da4e7.png[/img] [u][h2]Feedback Focus [/h2] [/u] We gained a wealth of knowledge from our playtesters as they checked out TerraTech Worlds for the first time! Overall feedback was incredibly positive, and we also learned about a lot of things that might need tweaking or changing as we go forward with development. (We heard you all loud and clear about the mud: less mud, more not-mud.) Thank you to all our playtesters for taking the time to check out TerraTech Worlds! If you’re interested in taking part in future playtests, you can sign up to our mailing list over on[url=https://terratechworlds.com/] the TerraTech Worlds website[/url], which will keep you up-to-date with playtesting opportunities. (If you’ve already signed up for playtesting, you don’t need to submit your details again!) [u][h2]Looking to the Future[/h2] [/u] [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//44238226/269c66f31d6a087fd8b0bdee2514e5e91bb240d3.png[/img] TerraTech Worlds is currently in active development, and we’re adding new assets and features to the game every day. We wanted to take the opportunity to show you a few of the most recent things we’ve added, which we haven’t shown off before! (Just a reminder that all of these are subject to change/removal as development progresses!) [h3][u][b]Girders[/b][/u][/h3] The Oxford Dictionary defines ‘girders’ as ‘a large iron or steel beam or compound structure used for building bridges and the framework of large buildings.’ And if you think I didn’t know that before writing this article, I’ll see you in court. Our wonderful Art and Design teams have been hard at work developing new girder structures for TerraTech Worlds, which will help you with building larger and more complex bases. Here's an early look at a few of them: [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//44238226/439a5b5b41cd8af4cbfc6c8b2989554cf799fd62.jpg[/img] [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//44238226/6cb113fca146c8185aab96b383e9de8cb9f72d4f.png[/img] [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//44238226/8a5db64f5de23e5c3bc7aee2c4047330967a14d5.jpg[/img] [u][h3]Weapon VFX[/h3][/u] When you use various weapon types in-game, each one will have a different visual effect to it, depending on weapon type, ammo type etc. Our Art teams have been hard at work figuring out the correct ‘feeling’ for various weapon types in-game, translating this to some of the VFX Concept Art that you can see here: [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//44238226/deb05ce73ac1d9dbe66ef8972a303f2ae547bd39.png[/img] [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//44238226/bacccbd8c1d0f87e0c4077b80855270bd92d5060.png[/img] [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//44238226/3c18d74810790d5ec08ddcca244ce11dc989c0cd.png[/img] [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//44238226/0e6e3d687d3131069a14f47804c0a5c78e03def2.png[/img] [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//44238226/60e88050abd7afddbce9e0d1032d1b88585ad5b1.png[/img] [u][h3]Wrapping up for Winter[/h3][/u] We’ll be taking a break now until early January to let our Payload staff spend the winter season with their loved ones. If you find yourself lamenting the lack of updates, you can check out our backlog of TerraTech Worlds videos [url=https://www.youtube.com/@PayloadStudios]over on YouTube[/url], or follow the[url=https://www.tiktok.com/@payloadstudios] Payload Studios TikTok[/url]. Finally, just a quick word from me, Cassie, Community Manager for TerraTech Worlds: thank you for welcoming me to the world(s) of TerraTech this year, it's been such a delight to be able to share the game's progression with all of you and see your reactions to each and every update. 2024 is going to be an amazing year for TerraTech Worlds, and I can't wait to share more with you on streams, blog posts, across social media and more. Have a wonderful winter with your loved ones, play some [strike]Baldur's Gate 3[/strike] of your favourite games and we'll see you next year!