Scenery and voice-over from the upcoming sci-fi horror game SOMA.
SOMA – Lambda
In-game shots from the upcoming sci-fi horror game SOMA.
SOMA enters pre-beta
So what exactly does that mean? First of, it isn’t the same as Alpha. SOMA was in Alpha mid-March this year, and since then we’ve made loads of additions, changes and fixes based on feedback and our own evaluation of the game’s state. The pre-pre-Beta that happened a few weeks back was our final big test of that work. The game’s current state, pre-Beta, is a milestone in preparation for the proper Beta, basically the full game without the final polish, which will happen a few months into next year. The pre-Beta marks final our chance for us to evaluate a number of crucial elements in the game.
SOMA is now Pre-Pre Beta
Today is the day SOMA reached Pre-Pre Beta, which marked the first time the game could be played from start to finish.
Thoughts on Alien: Isolation and Horror Simulation
Alien: Isolation is an interesting game. It is the latest entry in a lineage of games that I refer to as horror simulators. It does an excellent job at creating tension and uses a lot of the knowledge built up over the years to great success. But, because it has such a laser focus on a certain type of play a bunch problems arise and other parts of the package suffer. It is a great game in many ways, truly excellent really, but there are some fundamental problems. These lead to, for me at least, a devastating flaw: At its core it fails to be a faithful emulation of the original Alien (1979) movie.
People of Frictional: Samuel Justice
My name is Samuel Justice. I became audio lead here at Frictional Games in February of this year. However, I’ve been directly and indirectly involved with the studio for 3 years. I work from home in a place called Worthing in England – a small seaside town that’s fairly sleepy.
Peter Wester: Engine programmer
I’m Peter Wester and I have been an Engine Programmer here at Frictional Games since late 2011.
I work from my apartment in Stockholm, Sweden. I used to have a nice big desk, but after getting a PS4 Devkit it has become cramped.
Editor Fly Mode
Hey there! Vacation time is really close now and there’s so much to do before it arrives, but I still wanted to drop by and keep you posted on new editor stuff, so I’m gonna keep it short this time.
Steven Redmond: Gameplay Programmer
I’m Steve, another newcomer to the ranks of Frictional Games from the foggy British Isles. I joined around the same time as Ian give or take a few weeks and, like both Ian and Patrik, am responsible for level and gameplay scripting.
People of Frictional: Ian Thomas
I’m Ian, one of the handful of Brits on the Frictional team. Like Patrik, I’m a level scripter and gameplay programmer. I’m a recent recruit – I only joined Frictional in October 2013, and have been on SOMA since then.
