A status update on v1.6 for INSOMNIA: The Ark.

v1.6 update status + Space Exploration Sale

20 Jul @ 3:20am - Vault_13

Hello everyone! Today, we’d like to share details about a few other improvements coming with the next patch. In addition to the list of bugs mentioned in our previous post, we’ve managed to narrow down and address a few more issues reported by the community including:

• Character generation bug is fixed allowing you to get the desired look for your insomniac without extra hassle;
• Somnic dogs can now be “deactivated” again;
• The problem with the main menu buttons being inactive in full-screen mode on various 4K resolutions is no longer the issue;
• NPCs don’t act weird anymore (previously, most of them were in standing position even when they were intended to be sited).

Please keep in mind that this list may still expand in the future since we are testing a number of additional fixes at the moment (including the false SteamVR initiation bug). We will keep you posted on our progress.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

Porcozaur spotted patch #5 for INSOMNIA: The Ark:

The wait is over: patch #5 is out!

Hello everyone! Today marks the release of v1.5 for INSOMNIA: The Ark, something that we have all been waiting for so long. Previously, we’ve outlined a roadmap regarding the specific issues we’ve been working on (#1, #2, #3, #4). So let us go over some of the highlights below:

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This video showcases game’s transition to the latest version of Unreal Engine 4 in action and lightning effects being improved thanks to DirectX 12 support.

• INSOMNIA is now running on Unreal Engine v4.21.2 (it used to run on v4.16.3). Since the difference between these two versions was huge, we couldn’t jump from the older version to the newest one in one go. We had to update the game step by step and fix many new issues that weren’t causing any trouble previously;
• DirectX 12 support is introduced, so get ready for some dramatic changes to the appearance of in-game locations! The lighting effects have been improved drastically, making Object 6 look and feel more realistic and sinister than ever before. You can also expect DirectX 11 support, even though INSOMNIA worked only with DirectX 10 initially;
• The texture streaming feature was added to fix the missing textures issue that some of you have experienced before for specific in-game models. Localization-related glitches have also been addressed which was technically impossible without UE4 upgrade (along with missing textures bug);
• Better optimization for AMD powered machines and overall improvement of game stability, along with fixing all known critical blockers, crashes and freezes that prevented some players to continue with the game at certain stages.

Below you can find an additional list of bugs that have been addressed in the latest patch:
[...]

A progress update for INSOMNIA: The Ark and another more recent one here.

Community Hub news + v1.5 update status

11 May @ 2:09am - Vault_13

 

Hello everyone! Today, we would like to summarize the latest Community Hub activity that might come in handy both for newcomers and veteran insomniacs. Also, we will give you an update on the current status of the v1.5 patch for INSOMNIA so you can get a better understanding of when to expect it.

 

Pen and Paper INSOMNIA RPG

 

As we have mentioned before, one of our community members started to work on a PnP version of the game. The author has already published an introduction to the system, a character sheet, and a mechanics summary. If this is something you might be interested in, you are welcome to participate and/or give feedback:

To give you some extra inspiration, here’s a complete list of lore bits we have posted in the news section so far:

 

• Hungry or unconscious - the philosophy behind the Big Sleep

• The Exodus - from the ashes of despair spread the wings of hope

• The Nomah Autonomy’s Guide to Object 6

• The factions of Object 6

• The wildlife of Object 6

• Things you might have missed while playing INSOMNIA + PT II

• The origins of citizen KZ0012

• The man behind the House of Bea Kera

 

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Current progress on v1.5

 

Recent testing session of the latest release candidate for v1.5 showed that localization issues are fixed indeed. However, the general report from QA indicates that v1.5 patch still requires additional work.

We are expecting to get a new release candidate on May 17th and start our next QA session on May 20th, which should give us a better idea of when v1.5 is going to be released. As always, we will keep you informed in our future updates. Thank you for your patience.

Until next time!

Thanks Farflame!

A new lore update for INSOMNIA: The Ark looks at the man behind the House of Bea Kera.

The man behind the House of Bea Kera

13 Apr @ 5:46am - Vault_13

Hello everyone! Previously, we have covered some of the factions that you get to meet on Object 6, and today we are continuing our INSOMNIA: The Ark lore series with a fresh installment. Since the House of Bea Kera is one of the largest groups in Reservation D-106 and the entire sector D, it’s time to give some extra attention to their leader.

Opherod

Being an eccentric and charismatic personality, Opherod had a big impact on the religious perception of ghetters, the descendants of illegal inhabitants of the space station. He was born in the Junkyard and had to live through many hardships with wit and resourcefulness as his only weapons.

After moving to Reservation, Opherod mostly engaged in petty criminal activities and worked on improving his own education. He also managed to become a family man: his wife gave birth to two boys — Darat and Kololei. At the age of six, Darat became a victim of a severe form of somnia which also granted him strange abilities. Due to the fears surrounding somnia, Opherod was forced to do everything possible to hide his condition and find a cure.



A few years later Opherod met Scuffler, a deformed psychonaut who was known as a talented chemist. He invented “wax” — a psychedelic crioma based drug that was able to increase the somnic level of the consumer. After his first experience with it, Opherod realized that this might be the way to study somnia closer and to bring Darat to normal life.

He started studying “Taboro” — a guidebook to somnia’s world written by a long time deceased nameless author who tried to describe his somnia fueled visions. This brought him to the idea of building an underground “wax” manufacturing facility. He started developing a syncretic religious concept and attracting followers that served as test subjects: this is how the House of Bea Kera was born.

[...]

A new lore update for INSOMNIA: The Ark shares some information on the backstory of the protagonist.

The origins of citizen KZ0012

1 Mar @ 6:28am - Vault_13

Hello everyone! Today, we will shed some light on the backstory of the main character who is generally known as citizen KZ0012 (but you can call him Elliot, if you so desire). One can make an assumption that these letters and numbers are random and meaningless. However, this is not the case when it comes to INSOMNIA’s world, which we have been developing for so many years. So what does KZ0012 mean?

Over four centuries had elapsed since Object 6 started on its journey. Its destination - the Evacuation Point - remaining a symbol of hopes and dreams. Thousands of people are lying in synthetic slumber in order to one day occupy their place in a well-oiled government machine.



Traditional reproduction and the institutions of family have long been abolished. The population numbers are kept in check by embryonic incubation and genetic engineering.

Citizen ID is a personal number which is given to each citizen of Urb on the day they are born. Each ID consists of letters and digits which stand for the generation indicator and index number respectively. The first artificial generation was born 97 years after Exodus and got an AA indicator:



You start your journey as citizen KZ0012 after an automatic awakening procedure is executed and your multi-year sleep session is brought to an end. KZ0012 was born in 382 (each second letter in a Citizen ID stands for one of the 26 years which are part of a certain generation) and was the 12th baby born in this particular year.



He experienced his first Big Sleep procedure in 399 when he was 17, spending 5 years in stasis. KZ0012 was 23 the second time he was hibernated, spending 2 more years in Limb before the terrorist attack shook the facility and many citizens were brought back to reality in the most shocking manner. Upon awakening, KZ0012 starts experiencing the symptoms of somnia in form of hallucinations and visions — his first taste of somnic space.

But that is a whole different story...

INSOMNIA: The Ark has received a new update about patch 1.5. Also there is a bit about the making of INSOMNIA itself.

Patch v1.5 news + the making of INSOMNIA

Hello everyone! We know you are waiting for the next patch/update for INSOMNIA and news will be coming soon. As a reminder, this patch is expected to improve the performance in some of the larger locations, introduce DirectX 12 support and texture streaming which should fix the missing textures bug. We will have an updated list of improvements and patch notes when the process gets to its final stages.

Interestingly enough, this is not the first time we’ve been updating/switching technology that INSOMNIA utilizes in order to bring Object 6 to life. And since we still get questions along the lines of “what took you so long to deliver the game in the first place (around 8 years)?”, we’d like to cover this question today. Sit down for some story time :)

The pre-production phase

It started with the simple idea of making a game that would continue the legacy of the classic “Golden Era of RPG” titles. Most ideas never find their physical form and keep haunting their authors forever after. Not in our case. INSOMNIA started to materialize on paper in the form of words and sketches almost immediately. This process continued for quite some time since no one on the team had any previous experience in coding games.

And while the team and the design document was growing, it was actually time to pick the engine and the technology so that we could finally start bringing INSOMNIA to life.

Ogre3D: real development begins

So the decision was made and Ogre3D, the open-source graphics rendering engine, was picked for the first version of the game that was proudly presented to the public back in 2013. At this point in time, INSOMNIA was presented as an isometric co-operative online role-playing game with tactical elements.

However, potential fans were clearly not interested in yet another online RPG. After some deliberation, we’ve made the decision to focus on single player elements instead. Developing the game in this direction took another year, and we came back with our first publicly available tech-demo in 2014.

This change made quite a few people happy and we were able to successfully kickstart INSOMNIA! The secured funds allowed us to expand the team, improve working conditions and continue the development more effectively. However, all the previous months spent working on the projects have shown us that the Ogre3D engine was severely limiting our capabilities. We had to spend more time on developing our own tools and improving the engine instead of working on the game itself. This is when the idea to move INSOMNIA to the Unreal Engine 4 had first popped up in our team meetings.

Unreal Engine 4: the way to go!

The UE4 engine seemed to include all of the tools our team wanted: incredible visuals, powerful development environment and detailed documentation. The downside was — we had to transfer everything that had been done so far using Ogre3D to the new engine. This took quite a lot of time and resources, which pushed us to reach out to our Kickstarter community for their support once again. Thanks to their help, we were able to get additional funds and continued to breath life into INSOMNIA’s world.

It’s always hard to tell if the decisions that are being made at certain moments are right or wrong. Looking back, we still feel that switching to Unreal Engine 4 from Ogre3D was worth it in the end:

It took around 3 years for us to move from one engine to another and actually add all of the remaining content to the game. We also had to update the UE4 itself once in a while to stay up to date with the latest improvements to the engine, which also took time. At some point we had to stop this process, so that we could start locking down changes and wrapping up development.

Steam release: getting the necessary feedback

When INSOMNIA was released, our team was using the the 4.16.3 version of UE4 (with the current version being 4.21.2) which performed well on our in-house machines. However, the launch brought in thousands of people with all kinds of graphics cards, monitors and other computer hardware on which the game running on an outdated version of the engine did not always work as expected. The feedback you’ve been providing us for the past 3+ months resulted in 4 patches and our team realizing that we need to update our technology once again to fix the issues that can’t be addressed otherwise (localizations being mixed up, optimization problems, missing textures etc.).

Since the difference between 4.16.3 and 4.21.2 is huge, we couldn’t jump from the older version to the newest one in one go. We had to update the game step by step and this is why this has taken a few weeks of our time. Luckily, the hardest part of this transition is already behind us and we are in the middle of finalizing the build as we speak. There’s still more testing to be done though.

Until next time :)

P.S. here’s a little bonus for you: an old “The Making Of” video that we’ve never shown to our Steam crowd before:

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Thanks Farflame!

INSOMNIA: The Ark has answered some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about what to expect from the game going forward.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

If you are reading these lines it means you want to know something specific about INSOMNIA: The Ark, right? In this case you are at the right place in the right time! Below you can see our attempt at collecting the most popular questions about the game and tried to give meaningful answers to them. Didn't find what you've been looking for? Then start a new topic in Discussions and sooner or later someone will help you out :),

P.S. this collection of questions and answers is not final. So if you happen to ask something in Community Hub, got the answer that helped (to solve your problem etc), AND you believe it will be useful for everyone else to know -- leave us a tip in the comments below. Thank you!

General questions

Does this game support controllers?
You can play this game with a controller. Read this guide for more info.

What about Mac, Linux?
We will be dealing with these versions of the game as soon as we make sure that most of known critical issues are being dealt with. We will keep you posted in the news section.

Will it be out for consoles?
There’s a possibility of this. Technically it can be done since Unreal Engine 4 (which powers the game) allows to make this happen.

How long it takes to complete the game?
60+ hours with side quests taken in consideration.

Is it an open world game?
Despite the fact that you can’t discover locations in the game in random order or by just wandering the global map, you can do whatever you want and in any order you’d prefer.

Can you choose to play as a female character?
At this point of time you can play as a male character only. We are working on adding an opportunity to play as a female character.

What are your plans for the future? Can we expect DLCs?
We have certain plans and ideas. We will let you know about those as soon as we can.

Are there factions in the game and can you join them?
There are quite a few factions in the game. You can do quests for them and become a member. However your background is quite specific in terms that you start out as a member of a specific faction and can interact with other factions mostly to achieve the goals of your own organization.

Is this game non-linear?
There are certain quests that are mutually exclusive. Also most of the time there are different ways to complete tasks you are given. Other than that you can expect to get unique quests and dialogue lines that will be available depending on what background you will pick for your character (you can do this while creating one).

Can you craft items?
Yes, you can craft ammo, grenades, explosives, medicine and a certain amount of other unique items. You will need specific schematics and benches / labs to do so.

These game has been developed 8 years. What took you so long?
This is our first game. Before INSOMNIA nobody in the studio had any experience with game development, so basically this was a completely new thing for everyone. First 4 years were spent on pre-production: creating design documents, writing lore, and learning everything else necessary for future work.

Next 2 years were spent on developing the game using the Ogre 3D engine (this is when the game has been created as isometric). At some point we realized that more time is spent on creating custom tools for the engine instead of developing the game itself. So to increase the chances of the game being released in this century we have decided to switch to Unreal Engine 4. So next 2 years were spent on this transition and further development of INSOMNIA. Therefore the actual development of the game you know today took around 2 years.

How many people work at your studio?
12 people.

Do you plan to add Cloud Save support?
As soon as we will take care of existing issues with the game, we can focus on adding more features.

And what about adding mod support / map editor?
Please see the answer above.

When we can expect Spanish, Polish, German, Chinese ... localizations?
We will be able to make this happen after we feel that existing localizations (Russian and English) are good enough.

I’ve supported the game through Kickstarter but never got my key. Can you help?
Sure, just drop us a line at support@insomnia-project.com

I had an access to beta version of the game but it has been revoked. What happened?
We’ve discontinued the beta testing just before the full version of the game got released. If you are one of our Kickstarter backers, please see the answer above for more details. If you happen to get the beta key as a prize for participating in contests or in any other way, you will have to buy the full version of the game or you can wait till our next contests / live broadcast for a new giveaway.

Can we expect character animation to be improved? Voice acting added?
The resources of our team are somewhat limited and we need think twice before taking decisions. Currently we are focused on improving the existing mechanics and content. After this is done we might consider doing other things as well.

Any ETA on v1.5?
Next patch (v1.5) that is expected to include the Unreal Engine 4 update is being tested at the moment. We will keep you posted on our progress in the news section.'

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

Patch 1.4 has been released for INSOMNIA: The Ark.

V1.4 has arrived + plans for the future
13 DECEMBER - VAULT_13

Hello everyone! Today is the day as we are releasing the next patch for INSOMNIA: The Ark. Previously, we've outlined a roadmap regarding the specific issues we've been working on. So let us go over some of the highlights below:

• A key remapping option has been added to the Settings menu. Now it doesn't matter if you are using QWERTY, AZERTY or a custom made keyboard scrapped from the computer terminal of a lost civilization - we've got you covered!
• Endgame dialogue with Thel now allows you to get all of the possible story outcomes based on the decisions made throughout the game. Were you helpful enough to the ones in need? Or maybe you pursued your own goals all the way down to the end? Let's find out!
• Lack of option to talk to Riebel in order to complete the "Bane of Mills" quest has been fixed, which was an issue if you were skillful enough to progress with this quest using your hacking skills. Hold on Thyper, we are coming!
• Inventory sorting now works as expected and previously equipped items no longer overlay other items. You can now get back to your regular scavenging activities. Just remember to keep your inner kleptomaniac in check or you may find yourself encumbered with heavy loot and your character will suffer from poor combat performance!
• The volume level toggles for music and sound effects are sorted out in the Settings menu. Now you can have better control over what you want to hear while roaming Object 6 on your way to... what you've been doing lately anyway?
• Numerous smaller bug fixes and improvements.

We are still battling our way through a bug with the "Collector" quest and some other settings-related issues, which is something to look forward to in v1.5. And since 2018 is almost over, you are probably wondering about our plans regarding INSOMNIA, aren't you?

2019 and beyond

Obviously we will continue to collect the feedback you are providing via the Community Hub, comments and other means of communication in order to continue improving the game. At the same time, our priority for the near future is to update the version of the Unreal Engine 4 that INSOMNIA currently uses to the latest one. This should help resolve a few issues like missing textures for specific in-game models, localization-related glitches and generally make the game more stable.

We are researching the subject at the moment and doing all kinds of tests to get an idea of whether the engine update is worth pursuing, as well as what our team and you, our community, can expect from it. Anyway we've got plenty of good stuff planned for INSOMNIA in 2019, including content updates, so stay tuned!

P.S. we still have more news for you till the end of 2018, so no worries. See you next week insomniacs ;)

Indigo Gaming has reviewed INSOMNIA: The Ark:

INSOMNIA: The Ark Review | Old-School Fallout Successor

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Don't like the direction Fallout 76 went? Here is the debut episode of a series where I explore the games that emulate that old-school Fallout feeling. Apocalypse Archives is going to be a set of reviews of post-apocalyptic RPGs, action and survival games that are compelling, fun and immersive, with great alternatives to Bethesda's more divisive Fallout 4 and Fallout 76 titles.
The first game covered in this series is Insomnia: The Ark, a game by Studio Mono, set on a decrepit space station where factions, clandestine operatives and supernatural forces collide in an unusual but compelling setting. Borrowing elements from old-school Fallout, and new-school RPGs like Mass Effect, this game is one to keep an eye out for.

INSOMNIA: The Ark was reviewed by Indigo Gaming.

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This is the debut episode of a series where I explore the games that emulate that old-school Fallout feeling. Apocalypse Archives is going to be a set of reviews of post-apocalyptic RPGs, action and survival games that are compelling, fun and immersive. A great resource for those turned off by the latest official entries by Bethesda, Fallout 4 and Fallout 76 in particular. The first game covered in this series is Insomnia: The Ark, a game by Studio Mono, set on a decrepit space station where factions, clandestine operatives and supernatural forces collide in an unusual but compelling setting. Borrowing elements from old-school Fallout, and new-school RPGs like Mass Effect, this game is one to keep an eye out for. Full disclosure: I was given a Steam key for this game free of charge by the developer.

Patch 3 will be merged with Patch 4 for INSOMNIA: The Ark.

Patch #3 news + $1000 video contest results

20 OCTOBER - VAULT_13

Hello everyone! Today we will cover quite a few topics regarding the latest INSOMNIA-related activities including the current situation with bug fixes and the lucky winners of the video contest that was available with the game's launch.

Patch #3 is getting merged with patch #4

As you may know, the release of our next patch has been delayed to make sure it won't follow the same path as patch #2, which introduced a few issues like disappearing weapon icons. And due the continuous work on solving the issues faced by our players so far, we have decided to combine patch #3 with the release of patch #4, which should be launched next week.

We are thankful for all of the the feedback you've been constantly providing us via the Community Hub, the submission form, email, social media and other mediums. This feedback is collected, analyzed and transformed into specific tasks for our team to address. We are lucky to have such an active community as you guys, who care enough about INSOMNIA and put time and effort in discussing the issues and the best ways of solving them. We couldn't ask for more!

[...]

Patch 2 for INSOMNIA:The Ark has arrived.

Patch #2 at your service!

6 October - Vault_13

Hello everyone! It’s been a week since INSOMNIA’s release, and boy was that a ride: the amount of discussions in the Community Hub has jumped from 130 to 540+, the first wave of guides was published by our most active members, as well as some overdue wiki updates[insomnia.gamepedia.com]. And of course, we’ve released patch #1 as a first step to make INSOMNIA: The Ark a better game. It’s time to make another step in that direction.

So what about patch #2?

Earlier this week, we’ve published a list of fixes included in this patch. More issues have been addressed since:

• Fixed invisible walls around the stairs for the quest "What is the price of freedom".
• Fixed a quest item disappearing after completing the quest "Ancient One".
• Fixed the capsule not opening in the location "Morach Base".
• Fixed door collisions so that the player character doesn’t get stuck in the location “Reservation D-106”.
• Fixed the quest log for the mission "Closet showing" not updating correctly.
• Fixed a dialogue branch at the location "Vulture’s Nest" to resolve a conflict with another dialogue in the location “Zone B-27”.
• Improved companion A.I. to better follow the player character upon entering a new location.
• Improvements to the “Bypass” location:
  
  1. eliminated the possibility of the player character getting stuck in certain spots
  2. added the ability to use the elevator
  3. added more cover options

Please keep in mind that the actual amount of fixes is bigger (UI, collisions, etc.) and mainly concern bugs submitted by the publisher’s QA team.

We have already started working on patch #3 and will continue gathering your feedback via the submission form[docs.google.com], Community Hub discussions and social media, so please keep going! We highly appreciate the time and effort you’ve put in helping us improve the game.

Thank you!

Techraptor share their first impressions of Insomnia: The Arc.

In my preview of the closed beta of Insomnia: The Ark, I expressed my concerns that the game could get bogged down by its ambition while neglecting its strengths. Insomnia can indeed be very messy and frustrating as a whole, but it’s also one of the most compelling gaming experiences I’ve had in a while. The build I got to play so far was actually v0.9, but the release build will likely be v1.0. So, for the record: my impressions are based only on my experience with the v0.9 build.

I’ve clocked 50 hours so far, and I have yet to finish. My character is level 12, and I assume the level cap is at least 20. I’ve completed a good number of side quests, and I’ve made substantial progress with the main quest. I’m still struggling to understand what’s going on in the grand scheme of things. There is almost no handholding or introduction, and no tutorial at all. Everything you learn about the game and its world comes from the UI and the characters you meet.

...

Insomnia excels at its worldbuilding, as already mentioned in the preview. This, of course, requires that you have some interest in the world and the building behind it. And it’s not so much a plethora of lore dumps so much as the patience to put together all the bits and pieces that you gather from documents, books, and dialogues. I know that the vast majority of gamers won’t care for it, but I find it fascinating myself. It’s a rewarding and very obsessively designed fictional universe.

The localization from Russian improved somewhat when compared to the closed beta preview, but it’s still far from optimal. There’s still some text in Russian, and there’s still some poor translations and awkward sentences. There was also a residue from gender scripting for the player character in some dialogues. Some of the NPCs will say things like “you gender(dumbass, whore).” Apparently, it was possible to play as either male or female at first, in the early stages of development. Then they changed it to an exclusively male player character. This might be a really bad look if it makes into the final release.

The Dieselpunk RPG INSOMNIA: The Ark has been released today:

INSOMNIA: The Ark

INSOMNIA is a complex story-driven RPG that takes place on a colossal space metropolis brimming with the secrets of a long-gone civilization. Develop your character, explore lovingly handcrafted locations, interact with peculiar NPCs and factions, craft equipment and try to stay alive.

You awaken on Object 6 - a retro-futuristic space station set on a 400-year journey in search of a new home. Stricken with a rare psychological disease, you have to uncover macabre secrets and the truth behind humanity’s journey to the ghost-like Evacuation Point.

Exploration is rewarding…and dangerous

Search for valuable technology and resources in the confines of Object 6. Pay attention - INSOMNIA’s nuanced world can conceal unexpected quests from treacherous characters, as well as savage enemies and deadly hazards. Hunger, thirst, fatigue and hostile environments will be your main companions throughout this journey.

Strategic real-time combat

INSOMNIA features both close and ranged combat, as well as destroyable covers. Choose your gear wisely - every armor and weapon type in the game has its own tactical virtues and shortcomings.

Personalized journey

Break free from character classes and unwanted grind with a flexible perk system combined with a huge amount of craftable items and equipment for an experience unique to every player.

Your choices matter

INSOMNIA offers an intricate, non-linear storyline with ‘points of no return’. Navigate a system of thorny relations with characters and factions and make tough decisions that affect the game world. Each major problem can be solved using a variety of different (and sometimes unexpected) solutions.

A rich universe

Experience the game’s rich lore through retro-futuristic noir visuals with elements of dieselpunk. Witness man-made apocalyptic landscapes imbued with a dark noir jazz soundtrack and echoes of a decaying civilization.

@DSOGaming The release trailer for INSOMNIA: The Ark.

HeroCraft and Studio Mono have revealed a brand new launch trailer for their upcoming dieselpunk RPG, INSOMNIA: The Ark, which will launch for PC via Steam on September 27th. The new trailer gives players the best taste yet of the labour-of-love RPG, eight years in the making at Samara, Russia-based developer Studio Mono.

[...]

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Thegg previewed Insomnia: The Ark.

I also think that it’s extremely satisfying to fight in “Insomnia”, because the combat is very straight forward without any unnecessary slow downs or halts. That’s also why I felt like all the combat moments in the demo just ran like running water, and since the combat is fun, it’s a great combination (a mix of “Max Payne” and “Fallout Tactics” actually comes to mind).

Other than that, I had a great time just exploring the world of “InSomnia”. Because even though I was just playing a tech demo, there were still quite a lot of exploring to be had. I also got the chance to talk to a handful of people (there are some rather “interesting” dialogs to be had), fool around with my inventory, play around with my gear and try out InSomnia’s character development feature.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

@DSOGaming Insomnia: The Ark will release September 27th.

HeroCraft and developer Studio Mono have announced that their upcoming dieselpunk RPG, INSOMNIA: The Ark, will launch for PC via Steam on September 27th. This RPG, that has been under development for more than eight years, will feature more than 60 hours of content, as players explore a colossal space metropolis brimming with the secrets of a long-gone civilization.

[...]

Thanks Joxer!

A new update for Insomnia: The Ark shares some lore.

Hungry or unconscious - the philosophy behind the Great Sleep

Many a RPG world has broken down when simple questions, such as "how do these people survive in such conditions?" or "where do their get their food from?" are asked. Not in INSOMNIA’s case :). Today, we reveal some of the game’s lore to help you better understand the complex world that you will get to interact with.

The Great Sleep 

Despite the fact that resource management was a priority for Object 6’s administration, the station’s production capacities were unable to fully supply the population with food. The problem was finally solved with the help of the Great Sleep procedure, which allowed citizens to spend from 5 to 10 years in stasis, depending on their status and qualifications. A colossal repository of delta modules called Limb was created, where three-quarters of the station’s official population were suspended in cryosleep.

But what about those unfortunate souls that managed to sneak onto the station illegally and couldn’t be a part of the Great Sleep program? How did they survive without access to regular food supplies?

Cryoma  

The abandoned sectors of the station have been populated with the descendants of illegal refugees over the course of years. The only way for them to survive was stealing, killing and cannibalism. With time, they have also discovered cryoma - a plant that could spread across the station’s tunnels and various sections at incredible pace, mutating constantly and producing "fruit" of various shapes and with strange properties.

Eventually, these illegal refugees learned to consume cryoma as food and use the plant as raw material for a large number of goods. 

After Object 6’s officials became aware of the "wonder-plant", it was discovered that cryoma was developed prior to the war as an experimental food product able to survive in a variety of conditions. The genetic basis of cryoma was algae and several moss species.    

How exactly the mutated cryoma colonies have spread throughout the station remains unknown to this day. The wild culture quickly adapted to harsh conditions and developed a number of adaptive mechanisms - in particular, it began to reproduce by toxic volatile spores, hazardous to humans. Those working at the Cleaning Service’s border brigades are tasked with destroying the spreading cryoma sprouts every day.

The long term effects of cryoma’s toxicity was also believed to cause Schizophreniform Anar’s disorder - a mental illness also known as “somnia”. The main symptoms of this disease include psychosis, impaired perception and emotional distress. However, somnia still plagued the population of the station even after the plant breeders of Object 6 managed to create a safe analogue of the plant called "oma".

Was cryoma’s toxic influence the real reason behind somnia? Or was it a more complex problem hidden by the officials of the space metropolis? You will have to embark on an epic journey later next month with INSOMNIA: The Ark to find the answers...

P.S. in case you’ve missed our GeForce® GTX 1080 card giveaway results live stream and are eager to know if you’ve won anything, check out our latest Steam update.

Thanks Farflame!

Dualshockers reports on a new lore trailer for Insomnia: The Ark titled 'Remember the Exodus'.

With some shots of the crumbling space station and the “accidents” that have befallen it, Azar encourages its citizens to strive for their future. It’ll be interesting to uncover the history of the war that caused everyone to escape from their original planet and to find out exactly what Azar’s intentions are when Insomnia: The Ark is fully released.

[...]

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Insomnia: The Ark has been previewed by many outlets now that the beta embargo has been lifted.

Cram Gaming Impression can be read at the link or you can watch the videos:

The Opening Segment:

Cultured Vultures shared their gameplay impressions:

When you’re fighting in an area, you’ll notice some characters have yellow names and some have red, as well as some of them having different symbols, too. The symbol tells you what type of weaponry they use, and yellow names generally mean that they don’t see you as a threat to be attacked, whether that means they see you as an ally is a different question, although they will defend themselves if your enemies get too close to them. Red names mean they see you as an enemy, but that can also mean that they cower in fear and hope to not die.

TechRaptor came away positive:

There are also quite a few very clever minigames for hacking, lockpicking, and mechanic fixes. The influence of the minigames in BioShock is very obvious, but there is an original strain here that makes them satisfying and fun to play. Some of them require a substantial amount of crafting material, making it challenging and rewarding. It’s not just a distraction, it fits the setting and the RPG system in a way that is seamless and compelling.

Thanks Farflame!

A new update for Insomnia: The Ark announces that the embargo on Beta streaming has been dropped and there is a new trailer to celebrate.

Hello everyone! Today we have some cool news for you:

1. After processing more than 150 suggestions and bug reports from testers since May, we are ready to move to the next stage of beta. Starting from this very moment, anyone playing the current game build is allowed to publish any materials regarding the game online: screenshots, streams, videos, reviews etc.

2. To celebrate this event, we have prepared a new feature packed trailer:

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Go to Steam for more info: http://bit.ly/2OfTRxT INSOMNIA is a dieselpunk sci-fi RPG about the slowly degrading remnants of human society attempting to survive on an abandoned space metropolis.
You can expect quite a few let's plays, streams and previews to be published in the near future, and we will try to bring your attention to the most interesting ones in upcoming updates.

3. If you've missed the news earlier, we are going to stream INSOMNIA today on our Steam page in approximately 1 hour (7pm GMT+3 / 09:00 PDT / 12:00 EDT). The link to the stream should appear at the top of the page:

We plan to demonstrate different gameplay mechanics and scenarios, as well as give away some beta keys in the process. Be there and let's have fun!

The latest update for Insomnia: The Ark announces the Beta update.

Beta update has dropped!

Hello everyone! INSOMNIA’s beta branch has been updated on Steam today and we are happy to share the details.

Regarding the English localisation: additional text has been added. You will finally know what those items in your inventory are for! Now it's just a matter of further editing and fixing occasional spelling errors or missing dialogue.

We have also addressed the following issues:

• Crawler IV texture turning black after talking to Riebel
• system error appearing upon exiting the game
• game crashing after guns get jammed during non-stop shooting
• game crashing after placing items which are being used (consumables) in other inventory slots
• regular attacks with melee weapons doing no damage
• never ending loading screen while entering the H-27/55 location
• Tank Armor sprint animation issues
• game resetting current settings after beta is complete
• inventory background turning white while consuming food
• player pre-emptively notified about a quest update before it is active
• Vulture Nest quest bug related to fixing generator before talking to Riebel

Our future plans include solving a few issues that crop up while playing the beta with 1920х1080+ screen resolutions, as well as any other problems the testers may find.

As always, we are very interested in receiving your feedback about each and every aspect of the game. This is the ultimate way for our team to know what needs to be fixed or improved from your perspective.

Until next time!

Insomnia: The Ark has given five people the chance to join its beta.

Announcing Beta Access Contest winners

23 Jun

Hello everyone! Today we are announcing the winners of our first Beta Access contest. We had a blast with more than 4000 participants. To everyone who participated - you have our gratitude. Keep it up!

So, who are the lucky fellows to get the beta keys? Let’s find out! There was no easy way to export the list of participants in the Steam admin, so we had to improvise a bit.
Each winner was selected in two steps: a randomizer tool was used to pick a page number from the list of eligible participants (see the screenshot above). Then the tool was used to pick the ‘block’ number that contained specific Steam usernames (there were about 40 blocks per page).

Sounds complicated, huh? Nevertheless, we have filmed the whole process for your amusement (and transparency):

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 If you are one of the winners: add our team representative to your Steam friends list in order to get your reward. If you don’t see your name in the list above - have no fear! We are planning to run more contests of this nature in the future, so stay tuned for further updates :)

Thanks Farflame!

Insomnia: The Ark has won two awards and the developers have been interviewed by GameInsight.

INSOMNIA nets two awards! Gets interviewed

26 May - Vault_13

Hi everyone! Last week our team took part in DevGAMM 2018 - the biggest conference for game industry professionals in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. One of the cool things about this event is that they welcome smaller developers and even host a prestigious indie awards show judged by industry professionals.

INSOMNIA: The Ark was one of the 110 games that entered DevGAMM Awards. Only 25 titles made it into final list of nominees (including ours, of course) to compete in one the categories on offer. Our team has submitted INSOMNIA for the "Excellence in Visual Art" and "Best Desktop Game" awards, and boy were we surprised to find out we won both of them:

Also, CEO and Lead Developer of Mono Studio was interviewed during this event. You can check the subtitled video here:

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ProTip: click the "CC" button in the bottom right corner of the video to turn English subtitles on ;)

The interview covers different topics, such as the game's lore, planned features and potential release window. Let us know if you have any additional questions!

Until next time :)

Thanks Farflame!

Gamewatcher reports that Insomnia: The Ark has a new trailer and an exclusive closed beta has launched.

HeroCraft and developer Studio Mono have released a new trailer for its dystopian sci-fi RPG, INSOMNIA: The Ark, which will be released for the PC this year.

INSOMNIA: The Ark was successfully backed on Kickstarter raising almost $100,000, so HeroCraft wanted to reward those players with an exclusive closed beta, which is launching today. A larger closed beta for other players is planned for later in the summer.

[...]

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Insomnia: The Ark gets an official teaser trailer and the Steam page is now available.

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About This Game

INSOMNIA is a complex story-driven RPG that takes place on a colossal space metropolis brimming with the secrets of a long-gone civilization. Develop your character, explore lovingly handcrafted locations, interact with peculiar NPCs and factions, craft equipment and try to stay alive.

You awaken on Object 6 - a retro-futuristic space station set on a 400-year journey in search of a new home. Stricken with a rare psychological disease, you have to uncover macabre secrets and the truth behind humanity’s journey to the ghost-like Evacuation Point.

Exploration is rewarding…and dangerous

Search for valuable technology and resources in the confines of Object 6. Pay attention - INSOMNIA’s nuanced world can conceal unexpected quests from treacherous characters, as well as savage enemies and deadly hazards. Hunger, thirst, fatigue and hostile environments will be your main companions throughout this journey.

Strategic real-time combat

INSOMNIA features both close and ranged combat, as well as destroyable covers. Choose your gear wisely - every armor and weapon type in the game has its own tactical virtues and shortcomings.

Personalized journey

Break free from character classes and unwanted grind with a flexible perk system combined with a huge amount of craftable items and equipment for an experience unique to every player.

Your choices matter

INSOMNIA offers an intricate, non-linear storyline with ‘points of no return’. Navigate a system of thorny relations with characters and factions and make tough decisions that affect the game world. Each major problem can be solved using a variety of different (and sometimes unexpected) solutions.

A rich universe

Experience the game’s rich lore through retro-futuristic noir visuals with elements of dieselpunk. Witness man-made apocalyptic landscapes imbued with a dark noir jazz soundtrack and echoes of a decaying civilization.

Farflame spotted Kickstarter update 42 for InSomnia, in which the RPG-system of the game is explained:

InSomnia - role-playing system overview

Hello everyone! While we still fight our way with translating closed beta content to English, we would like to give you a more detailed look at current state of InSomnia role-playing system.
Creating your character

While most of the RPGs give you an opportunity to distribute the skill points and set your other stats before the actual game even started, we believe that playing a game such as InSomnia using that approach is not the best solution. How would you possibly know who you want to be in the world you are experiencing for the first time?

What we do is giving you a starting point - an opportunity to pick a background (biography) for your character which will influence your starting gear and give you initial boost for one of the skills (you'll have at least 5 various bios to pick from). After that point whenever you get a level there's a skill point that you can distribute to develop one of many skills and attributes available.

Each one of them has 4 levels (except the ones that are listed in italics under the images below) and getting higher levels require more skill points to be invested simultaneously, so no easy mode or "Jack of all trades" type of character creation will be possible. Getting levels is tough work here.
[...]

The beta test for InSomnia is coming up next:

Christmas presents come early this year

Hello everyone! We kept radio silence for quite some time now but there was a good reason for that. As a reward for your patience this update will contain some very pleasant news. So let's roll...

Closed InSomnia beta test

So long story short: the closed beta test for everyone who is eligible to have an access to it will start later this month. This means you definitely will have something to occupy yourself with by the end of the year. Hopefully you are as thrilled about this as we are. When the time comes we will finally distribute the Steam keys that will eventually transform into final InSomnia build.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

Farflame spotted a new Kickstarter update for InSomnia:

New screenshots and progress report

Hello everyone! Today we will show you some new in-game screenshots and give you more information on where we at right now.

Much of our work these days consists of testing of all the new game levels and especially the combat system behaviour, light and sound effects (radio, loudspeakers music etc.).

We continue to add unique content such as in-game rewards for backers and also work on balancing the craft system (as you might remember you will need resources to craft stuff and we are heading towards lack of those to make the whole process more complex and rewarding).

We also started the process of scripting the cut-scenes for the end of the game and lets say there will be quite a few of those. Other than that we are expanding on boss fights which means adding new types of enemies and all necessary animations.

Plus we have finally started to work with the publisher who is helping with translating all the text content of the game at the moment. We still have to solve a few legal questions before starting a full-fledged cooperation and as soon as it's done you'll be the first one to know all the details.

Other than that the process of character development and achievement system testing has also started. These achievements will not only add some cool looking icons to your Steam account but will also slightly affect the gameplay itself (and not always in a benefiting way).

Generally we feel quite good about the current state of InSomnia and will be able to finish the biggest chunk of development by the end of September. We will continue to tune the balance and improve each and every aspect of the game until it's humanly possible. So it's safe to say we will be ready to name release dates for different versions of the game (closed beta, Steam EA, final release) in September.

We do realize the game release has been postponed far more than anyone could expect but we are moving forward to this goal each day. We are very happy to have you as our backers and will do everything possible to satisfy you with the final game.

More news to be revealed next month, stay tuned!

Thanks Farflame!

Farflame spotted a new playable updated InSomnia combat demo:

Updated version of Fighting Arena is released

Hello everyone! After processing first batch of feedback we have received since the first version of Fighting Arena was published, we have introduced a number of fixes, improvements and additions. So today we are giving you an updated build of this stand alone combat playground.

What's new?

Here's a comprehensive list of most recognizable features and mechanics that have changed:

• fixed AI for all gunner NPCs engaged in close combat
• fixed animation of rifle attack in close combat
• sniper rifle is added
• the impact system has been tweaked: now enemies will twitch when you hit them in the armour
• Tyrang soldiers armed with sniper rifles / shotguns have been added as possible companions / enemies
• character movements now look smoother
• all execution animations became quicker
• some bugs related to stimulator usage have been fixed
• interface for planning your fight has been updated: now there's a certain limit of enemies / companions you can pick during one fight
• new general music track was added to fight preparation area (written by our own artist and inspired by works of Mark Morgan)
• the effectiveness of using ranged weapons in close combat has been slightly increased
• middle quick slot can be used for grenades and can be reached by pressing G, while first quick slot can be used for stimulators and can be activated by pressing F
• both Ctrl and C buttons can be used to sit
• new types of armours have been added and some fixes to the old ones have been introduced
• aiming logic has been changed, now you can shoot without actually aiming
• both general and aiming interfaces were simplified
• rag doll feature added
• you can now perform all kinds of actions while sitting: attack, reload, heal etc.

[...]

Farflame spotted the Kickstarter update #29 for Insomnia:

Fighting Arena update, the Fallen of Object 6, official wiki, and other news

Hello everyone! It's been a while since our last update and we have so much to share with you now. Today we will cover a really vast number of topics, so without further adieu... let's roll!

Fighting Arena

We've made quite a progress with Fighting Arena which we have mentioned in our previous update. Currently we are finishing the special interfaces, shots/impact sounds, particles effects of explosions (grenades/gas canisters), covers, tuning the standard arms balance and adjusting the animations. This process will take 1-2 weeks and we will be ready to  release it after a few internal tests.

The Fallen of Object 6 initiative

We have already dispatched our first batch of emails to everyone who expressed their interest in becoming a corpse on the board of our massive space ark (click here for more details). So if you took part in this initiative when our Kickstarter was still in progress and didn't receive any message from us asking how exactly you would like to name your virtual remains, please do it know via comments or personal messages.

If this is the first time you hear about this thing or you somehow missed it back in the day, we are happy to announce that we have added a new option to our PayPal store that allows you to join the jolly pile of corpses on Object 6.

[...]

For a limited time you can support InSomnia via PayPal:

Studio MONO's Retro-Futuristic RPG, InSomnia, looks to achieve further stretch goals via its newly opened PayPal Store.

"The Studio MONO team and I would like to once again say thank you to all the press, streamers, YouTubers and, more importantly, our incredible community," said Anatoliy Guyduk, lead developer at Studio MONO. "We would like to invite those of you unable to pledge on the campaign to our new PayPal Store. We have the Kickstarter rewards and tiers, and existing backers can also manage their pledge to support the game further and reap the rewards!"

For a limited time, buyers can still support the game via the PayPal Store, complete with backer rewards from the Kickstarter. All funds collected with continue towards further stretch goals that were not achieved during the campaign.

The Kickstarter campaign for InSomnia has reached its goal. Here's some info about the bosses:

Meet the Bosses

Hi all! After talking of shotguns, SMG and rifles, it is now time to give you a more detailed look at the fiercest enemies you will meet during your time on Object 6; the bosses of the InSomnia universe!

But before we get to it, we'd like to once again thank everyone for their incredible support during our campaign! We now have four days to go, and thanks to the help of over 1,350 backers, we are now over 86% funded! We're less than £8,000 away from the goal, so please continue to spread the word, consider raising your pledge to be part of The Fallen of Object 6, and do consider pledging for one of the limited edition InSomnia Boxed Sets available from the Archivarius tier and higher!

From time to time your journey will lead you into the lairs of the most dangerous and powerful dwellers of this space metropolis. Don’t expect them to meet you with hugs and a warm cup of coffee – bosses fights are quite a task and will challenge even the most skilled of players. They are so strong that sometimes you will just have to deal with the fact you can’t win.

[...]

Learn more about the rifles of InSomnia in this Kickstarter:

Time For Some Rifles!

Hello everyone! For today's update, we'll be talking about a very handy type of weapon that will help you survive the dangers in Object 6. What do you do when shotguns and SMG are not good enough for the task at hand? That’s right, for those cases you pick up a rifle!

Rifles are powerful weapons that are particularly useful against armored targets. Average armor can be penetrated without any additional effort while heavy armored foes can only be damaged if you target the weak spots - such as joints. As expected, rifles are great at trying to hit something that is not right on top of your face. Their fire rate is low, take a while to reload, and are not ideal when you're on the move.

And now let’s take a more detailed look at one specific rifle model:

MT-4 Linear Rifle

The MT-4 Linear Rifle is a powerful six-shooter that can penetrate a standard army protective vest from a 70m distance. A very reliable and accurate weapon based on the structure of heavy rifles of used in the Last War. This model is a simpler version (although still very deadly) that was downgraded a bit as there was no need to fight heavy armored SORG golems anymore after Object 6 left the dying planet of the Nomahs.

[...]

TGG has interviewed Anatoliy Guyduk of Studio Mono about InSomnia:

Some of you might already have seen my “InSomnia” video. Well, for those who haven´t done that yet. I really enjoyed Studio Mono´s tech demo of their upcoming retro-futuristic/dieselpunk RPG “InSomnia”. And thus I decided to do an interview with Studio Mono, so I got a chance to talk to Anatoliy Guyduk about their plans for “InSomnia“. And with that said, please enjoy my interview =)

Robin TGG
Could you perhaps tell us how Studio Mono and “InSomnia” came about?

Guyduk Studio Mono
Hi! It all started quite long time ago when few of my other friends and I started to discuss the possibility of developing of an RPG. At first this was more like joke, but by the end we asked ourselves: why the hell not? This made me write first design document of the project, which took about two weeks to complete. After that I started looking for programmers who could implement all these ideas in form of working code. I searched for all information online I could find about game development, asked friends of my friends to join the cause etc. So, step by step, month after month the vision of the project grew stronger, we had new people to help us and add some personal input. We tried things and learnt stuff. My home was like a focal point at first, but then we were able to find a small office, moved a few old PCs there. This is when we decided to create a studio and called it Mono.

Robin TGG
What can you tell us about “InSomnia´s” story and its main characters? And how big do you think the world of “InSomnia” will be in the final version? (hours of gameplay and the actual km size of the world).

Guyduk Studio Mono
The story takes place onboard a gigantic space metropolis, which started its journey through the universe over 400 years ago. This ship is inhabited by descendants of a once great civilization who were forced to leave its dying planet in search of a new home. The last hope for these people is to reach the Evacuation Point, which is a distant planet where they plan to start the history of humanity once again. This is exactly when the player enters the scene – to find out the real reasons for what remains of humankind to proceed with this dangerous trip, and face a new threat that might easily kill everyone who’s left.

Regarding the size of the world, I certainly can’t tell how many KMs are there. InSomnia consists of a number of locations of differing sizes, all of which are connected with the help of global map, with occasional random encounters with generic content happening in between. However, it will take up to 33-50 hours to complete the main storyline. So the game is pretty expansive!.

[...]

-> Kickstarter

With just 8 days to go, the recent Insomnia Kikcstarter is still needing some more funds to reach it's Kickstarter goal. To see what the current development startus of Insomnia is and what motivated the devs to come back to Kickstarter again, Farflame talked to the Insomnia devs about that.

RPGWatch: How much is the combat dependent on player's skills and how much on hero's skills and stats? Because your initial pitch was about RTwP combat with companions and special morale system. Now it seems its a little more action oriented with real physics (cover can be broken etc.). So I wonder what was changed in combat design and why?

The initial concept remained the same. We always wanted to have a realistic close and distanced combat system. The only thing that did change is the role of companions - now it's less prominent and we pay more attention to main the character's gameplay. When we first implemented the basics of the combat system, we had blocking mechanics, punches and covers. We started to test it and realized that the player won't have time to take control over his companions as well. However, you will still have an ability to pause the game and give orders to your NPCs, such as "take cover" and to "perform a distant attack", or "rush into the battle" to give yourself more time. Mostly the effectiveness of any battle will be determined by skills of the player himself, and not the level of his character.

Farflame spotted two more Kickstarter updates (#6 & #7) for InSomnia:

NPC Animation and Behavior

Hello everyone, in this update we’re going to cover InSomnia’s NPCs – the hundreds of people who dwell within the different sectors of the space metropolis, known as Object 6.

Each one of them has their own itinerary, and they react to everything that happens around them. So if one glorious day you happen to stumble upon a fight between Morach clan members, and the Church of the Forgotten Path, you will witness all shades of red. The two factions can’t stand each other, and they won’t tolerate you as well. It’d be wise to stay out of their way!

Our artists have created hundreds of animated behaviors and reactions for NPCs, and you can see some of them in this video below:

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[...]

Level Designs of Object 6

Today we are going to give you a look at the level design for the game - rusty pipes with steam coming out of them, giant clusters of twisted wires, neon light signs, abandoned sectors, and the sterile corridors of Urb. To make this update really shine, we prepared some brand new screenshots that depict various locations within the game.

As you’ve probably realized by now, the main storyline for InSomnia will take you around the various sectors of this space metropolis. You will find, and explore, numerous interesting locations, including large settlements such as Reservation D-106 and Asagras Warbase, as well as small Ghetters camps.

Designing a location is a very long and arduous process, as each level is being constructed manually using various assets. We start with the biggest ones and work our way down to the smaller and finer details, such as the cogs and bullet shells that are picturesquely scattered around.

All assets are tuned to fit each other perfectly. So, for example, the light sources are set to provide realistic shadows and hotspots, particles and effects are added. This is paramount in order to provide a realistic atmosphere.

With more than 20% being funded and 24 days to go an update was provided for Insomnia, showing the Crawler-4, a light armored carrier, and Garon, a heavy armored suit, which you get to use in the final game.

You can also download the prologue demo, to check it out yourself.

Studio MONO started a second Kickstarter campaign for the Dieselpunk RPG InSomnia to secure the funding to complete the game. You can download the prologue-demo here.

InSomnia (PC, Mac, Linux)

The InSomnia Prologue is an introduction, where you’re playing as Typer - a possible future companion in the final game. The story of this chapter takes place a few days before your main character finds himself in a cryogenic chamber within the Urb. 

This is a Prologue part of the game’s aim is to introduce the player to the many mechanics of the final game. However, it's still treated as alpha-version; there are still many aspects that will be changed in the future. Within the Prologue are elements that will teach the player the prehistory of InSomnia and to get you familiar with the controls, the combat situations and to introduce you to the game’s world - Object 6.

Playing it will give you a general idea about the project. In the final game the end of Prologue will lead to the character creation, and of course the start of the main plot.

What is InSomnia?

InSomnia is a dystopia with a dismal dieselpunk setting that takes place in a semi-deserted space metropolis. A real-time RPG, that focuses heavily on a non-linear plot in an open world, as well as on realistic combat mechanics.

Story:

The story of InSomnia unfolds on a massive interstellar space ship, where the sole descendants of a once great civilization fled from a dying planet, engulfed by the flames of war. Object 6 has now been travelling for over four hundred years, hurtling towards its destination - the Evacuation Point. Supposedly a far-away world, the inhabitants of this gargantuan metal arc hope to begin the history of mankind anew.

[...]

Farflame spotted this Kickstarter update for InSomnia:

Vote: veteran item-set and returning backer discounts

Hello everyone! We are steadily approaching to launch of our subsequent Kickstarter campaign for InSomnia, and while there are still some actions we need to perform for a perfect launch we would like to know your opinion on a few things.

Veteran item-set

As we indicated before the development process of the game never stopped and now our team is ready to show you one of the in-game rewards that was promised for everyone who pledged $25 and above. Basically this update will give a quick look at two versions of Veteran item-set so you can make yourself heard and tell us which one looks better (click on images to watch short demo videos):

[...]

Returning backer discounts

We haven't brought up this question "officially" in any of our previous updates but certainly there were talks regarding this topic in the comments for a while now. Some of you were interested in privileges that will be available for returning backers in terms of our next campaign for the game. 

One of the things we always wanted to do is to give you the opportunity to upgrade your pledges, so combining these two things made us think of a proper way to thank anyone who will be generous to support us once again in this final step to the finish line. So basically the idea is to give a 30% discount to any returning backer who would want to upgrade an existing "old" tier no mater how much money he or she pledged initially.

[...]

There's a new combat video in Kickstarter update #48 for InSomnia:

Fighting for your life: combat video

Hello everyone! Today we will share a few more details about the updated InSomnia demo and current status of the project.

New combat video

So lately we have reworked some of the existing combat mechanics and introduced a bunch of new essential features. This video below will show you a fight with a well protected target both with melee weapon and a shotgun, some sneaking, blocking, dodging, executing, recharging, healing, looting and new main UI in action:

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[...]

Thanks Farflame!

In a new update for Insomnia we are presented with a video where we get to see it's game world as a whole.

Farflame spotted some nice InSomnia-screenshots on the Kickstarter-page:

Updated InSomnia demo screenshots and details

Hello everyone! As we've told you before there's an updated InSomnia demo that's being in works for some time now. And we've got a bunch of juicy screenshots to show you today, click to open in high resolution...

Morrandir informs us that Insomnia has been delayed to a date that will be announced in January (original date was this month).

Hello everyone! We've got a few important news regarding InSomnia release for you today. 

Currently we are working on finalizing the vital parts of game's content, especially the main story line. As developers we truly believe that intriguing and well-thought story is one of the most important elements of any great RPG, making which is our goal #1. 

This process is very complicated one and requires tons of our attention and time. However we are planning to end this development stage by January, making the general plot of the game fully complete, so it can be played from the beginning till the end (even with any possible changes we might introduce in the future).

In other words by the end of this year we will have all main content for InSomnia ready, though the release date itself is going to be postponed, unfortunately.

We will be able to determine the new time frame for release throughout January 2016 after considering the schedule of finalizing the development and tuning all planed mechanics, balancing gameplay, proofreading, translating and voicing of all necessary texts, finding and fixing all possible technical issues and problems etc. 

For better visualization of everything we achieved so far we will provide you with the detailed report on our progress by the end of December. One of the goals of this special update will be showing you how big the scope of the game became comparing to what we initially offered.

As you might remember originally we promised to deliver 15-20 hours of gameplay, however we felt that this amount is just not enough, so we expanded that up to 40-50 hours instead.  Other than that we continue exploring the cross-platform features of Unreal Engine 4 and currently it looks like we'll be able to release the final version of InSomnia for Windows, Mac and Linux simultaneously, without any gaps and not one by one as we considered in the beginning.

Kickstarter update #43 - news about guns in InSomnia:

Guns: kill or be killed

Hello everyone! As we have already brought you some details about combat system and protecting yourself from the violent world of InSomnia, it's time to find out more about guns and their variety.

Energy weapons

Energy weapons will be quite different from what one might expect from them. Each energy weapon will require a skill that is relevant to it's characteristics. For example you will have to be proficient in "light weapons" skill to use laser pistol effectively, and be generally good with rifles whenever you want to use a laser rifle as your basic weapon.

The other feature of energy weapons you would want to know about is that they don't require any ammo - you will have to be equipped with the power generator instead. This portable battery will need to be recharged from time to time. It can be also used for other energy consuming equipment you want to get working.

Obviously energy weapons are high-tec and require certain knowledge and skill to be maintained properly. There will be several types of them including:

• laser weapons (instantly hits the target; damage is based on the distance; highly accurate)
• plasma weapons (fire rate is relatively slower; very effective against well protected enemies; high energy consumption)

The concept of impulse 

Impulse is the power that affects the target upon impact with the help of bullets, blast wave etc. Different types of weapons have their own impulse parameters which can be increased by certain features of your character. 

So what exactly impulse does? Based on the power of the impulse you are experiencing it can impact your aiming ability, any actions or attacks you were planning to perform or even knock you out for quite some time. This will work against your enemies as well.

...and even more guns!

See you next time!

How to stay alive in InSomnia? Kickstarter update #42 gives some information:

Armors & Shields: Keeping yourself alive

Hello everyone! While our studio is working hard on further developing incredible world of InSomnia, we will continue giving you additional details on internal mechanics of the game. Today we will talk about everything related to armors, shields, other means of protection and some additional details that weren't mentioned before. 

Separate damage zones

This was already brought up a few times at our forum boards but we feel like there's a certain need to gather all this information in one place. So basically there will be three zones to protect and inflict damage to: head, torso and legs.

Shooting someone who wears no helmet in the head means that there will be no damage resist for this kind of attack no matter how fancy their armor is. The same strategy will work for other body zones mentioned above so keeping this in mind will give you a serious strategic advantage while in combat.

Even though there will be no separate damage zone for hands which will be treated as a part of torso zone, shooting legs will give you an opportunity to make your foes less mobile. 

To better fight well protected enemies you will have a variety of armor piercing ammo in your disposal as well as some special bullets that are able to penetrate the hardest armors out there but will be almost useless as a regular killing force. Both types are going to be pretty rare and expensive, so using them wisely would be a good idea.

Shields

Besides protecting yourself with armor you will be also able to use shields which give a major defense bonus. Sure you won't be able to use shields while attacking your foes with weapons that require two hands, and there will be certain disadvantages in terms of damage amount you inflict and accuracy of your attacks as well, but this is the price that has to be payed.
Oh, did we say that you will be allowed to use small guns while protecting yourself with a shield? Well any weapon that requires only one hand to use will do.

Shout-out

We've been contacted by Red Cloak Games, a small indie studio formed just by two men for one purpose only - to bring a game of their dreams to life. Wanderer is an episodic 2D adventure game blending cinematic platformer and RPG into an immersive and beautiful lo-fi sci-fi universe.

So whenever you are into things like this - give them a shot. You can find their Kickstarter campaign page over here.

53 min gameplay of the InSomnia backer alpha version without commentary:

In Kickstarter update #40 Studio MONO announced the release of an InSomnia demo:

InSomnia demo is released!

Hello everyone! During next few hours you all should receive emails with InSomnia demo download links. So while Kickstarter mail servers are doing their incredible job we will discuss yet a few more details.

What to expect

This demo will get you acquainted with several starting locations of the game and story line initiation. For this purpose you will get a premade character, while the final version of InSomnia will let you create your own hero as was expected initially. 

You will be able to test all basic game features including combat system (fire arms, melee, hand to hand), inventory, barter, looting, dialogues etc, some skills like Medicine, Mechanics, and enjoy the visual magnificence of InSomnia world, of course. Basically we are giving you a demonstration of an early development build of the game, so please keep this in mind in case you will witness any bugs or crashes.

There is a long list of things we would like to improve (additional details and interactivity of the game world etc.), and we will achieve these goals after all fundamental parts of content for InSomnia will be completed.    

In other words: treat this demo as a technical report of the current state of the game. If this is not exactly what you would like to start your InSomnia journey with, please consider waiting for a final release to experience all dark marvels of a world born during a 400 years long travel on a giant space station. [...]

Some gameplay footage can be seen in Kickstarter update #38.

Thanks Farflame!

Farflame spotted this interesting news about InSomnia:

Philosophy behind the inventory & demo news

Hello everyone! During our latest activity on Kickstarter we have already showed you screenshots of different variations of InSomnia inventory system and items. This update will give you more details on this matter along with the philosophy that inspired us along the way. And yes you can expect some demo news today as well!

[...]

In Kickstarter update #36 we learn about camping, shelter and the transportation system of InSomnia:

Let's camp together

Camping is something you can do almost always and everywhere: during your global map adventures, while exploring specific locations etc. You will have a separate button in UI for this purpose:

Building a camp gives you an opportunity to craft items, manage inventory of your character and NPCs, have some food and water (yes, you will have to do that to survive), heal your wounds and rest to reduce the overall level of exhaustion. 

Note that you won't be able to camp while being in combat mode or in company of any hostile creatures sniffing nearby. Some missions you might take won't give you an opportunity to rest until you finish, along with certain locations which are generally considered to be too dangerous to stay there for too long.

You should also remember that camping in abandoned corners of the station will likely get your party an unwanted company.  

Your shelter

Each lost soul should have a place to call its own and you are not an exception. Your shelter is located on the territory of one of the station's military bases. Basically this location will offer you the same advantages as any other camp you build throughout the game. However the amount of features you'll be able to make a use of here is going to be slightly... bigger:

Here you will also find a special locker for everything you are too in love with to throw out, all your loyal companions you ever had in your party, a few merchants to suit your medical and technical needs etc. And of course what home it would be without workbenches of all sorts? You will definitely like this place.

Delivery terminals and instant transportation system

Station is a gigantic space ship so you can't always count on being around your shelter. This is when delivery terminals come to the rescue. This special tech can be found all over the place being connected with the help of complicated system of shafts.

By using these terminals you will be able to exchange items with the locker from your shelter. It will take some in-game time and you should be ready to wait even more if you find yourself too far from home.

To access the terminals you will need special cards which are rare. Also do not expect that all existing terminals will be perfectly functional  - some of them will require extensive repair and other manipulations before you can actually use them.

You will be able to travel using a similar transportation system yourself:

loading...

Thanks for reading this update and until next time!

In Kickstarter Update #35 we get some info about the elements of the InSomnia combat system:

Tactical pause

Though combat will run in real time mode you will have an opportunity to use a feature generally known as a "tactical pause". It will give you some time to think, analyze the current situation, make up your mind with commands and use your resources wisely.

However you won't be able to do just everything at once using this little helper - the number of actions you can perform will be directly connected with the amount of action points you have. APs can be spent to immediately heal your character and his team with meds, for energy shields activation, accessing your inventory etc.

It will take some time to restore your action points so you won't be able to use tactical pause non-stop. The maximum amount of APs of your character will depend on his parameters and traits.

Sure, you will be able to switch between your NPCs and give them orders even without ever using the pausing mechanism. This way however you should be ready to feel the consequences of someone firing right in your face while you are trying to heal. Ouch!

Combat statuses

Any conflict can cause all kinds of outcomes that might make your character suffer in different ways:

Exhaustion - this penalty goes active whenever endurance indicator of your character drops to zero. This status has a temporary influence on the following things:

• the damage you do to others is decreased
• the accuracy of your long-range weaponry drops
• you can't sprint

Disorientation - whenever you get hit during the close combat your character might feel some additional negative effects of this damage. While this status is active your fire rate drops, so the best idea is to deal with anyone who is close to you before aiming at distant enemies.

The other interesting thing that might happen to your character while being hurt is interruption which will interrupt (well wasn't that obvious) your current action like using healing items, taking aimed shots etc. It can be ignored if your durability parameter is developed enough. However chances to do that decrease if the damage is too high.

Critical condition - if your character's health drops too low you will lose ability to perform any actions with his help at all as he will be in coma. To fix that you'll need another NPC with a proper item in his inventory.

You will be pleased to know that your enemies will also experience critical conditions... and you will be able to "finish" them. The execution animation depends on the weapon you are currently equipped with.

Other combat aspects

There is a list of things that you won't be able to do while fighting, including the following:

• traveling between locations and visiting global map
• saving your game progress
• talking and performing barter
• building a camp

All these activities will be available for you again after you kill all enemies around. The other alternative is try to hide from your foes and stay out of their sight at least for some time.

Hopefully this was an enjoyable read, as we really enjoyed to prepare this update for you. Until next time!

Some news on the status of the Insomnia demo has been made avialable.

Although we already have a playable build of the InSomnia demo version we still are not ready to give it you. This tough decision was made after recent internal play test which showed that some core systems of the game didn't reach the certain level of our own quality standards yet.

Currently we work on upgrading the character control and close combat systems, English and Russian localisations, the special InSomnia client that is able to self update which will transform the demo into the full version of the game with time (basically a DRM-free version), and some other tiny things like main menu etc.

And some details on the Role Playing System:

There's no doubt many of you were interested in knowing at least some details about how exactly we will allow you to mold your unique characters to dwell in the world of InSomnia.

A set of icons depicting the attributes etc

The basics for creating your alter-ego are attributes which can be picked at the very beginning of the game. As you would have suspected they have a direct influence on a number of secondary parameters. Although it's always very wise to invest a good amount of time thinking on how exactly you want to spend your precious attribute points, there will be some cases when you'll be able to change a picture a bit in the future.

The most common way to achieve that is to get so called attribute level which is available whenever you get your skills pumped up to a certain degree. You will also be able to improve your attributes with traits which are also a part of InSomnia role playing system. Other than that you should also take in account special meds and equipment that can also alter your attributes as long as you use them.

The next logical step for you to take while shaping your character is to choose your combat and non-combat skills. Each one of them has its own "tree" which will help you make your playthrough even more unique each time.

In the latest update for Insomnia, we learn about the durability of items and repair:

All items has their own durability in game. For example each time you attack someone your weapon durability decreases - the same happens with your armor whenever you get damaged. When items durability gets too low the negative effects will follow and it will be much harder to repair them. So basically it's in your best interest to keep your things in good order.

To fix your stuff you will need special instruments and appropriate skill. You will also need a certain amount of resources (depends on the type of the item and its overall condition) to perform the repairs. If you don't succeed your equipment stays unfixed and you loose all the resources you've used while trying.

The crafting system:

You will be able to create new items using workbenches of different types: for creating medical supplies; for mechanical objects; for hi-tech objects; for disassembling and assembling all kinds of ammo.

So whenever you'll feel like crafting something, you should send your character to appropriate workbench and use it. This way you'll see your current inventory with all available resources for crafting purposes and a list of items you can build.

And the inventory:

Shoulder bags are very important as they are directly connected with capacity and maximum weight your character is able to carry. In other words capacity and weight parameters means how much items you can keep in your inventory.

Your character can carry up to 150% of maximum weight. The same second you'll pass that mark no more items can be placed in your inventory. Starting with 90% your character will start to feel the negative effect of "Overload" which will get him tired much faster.

Thanks Farflame.

Studio MONO finally released a new update for InSomnia that apologizes for the lack of updates, and shares information the developer will be moving to a new office.

Good day to all! We haven’t been in touch with you for some time, but for a very good reason. We have already mentioned that we were investing our own money in the project, because the amount gathered at Kickstarter would not be enough for full-blown game development. During the last couple of weeks we have managed to obtain additional funds, which allowed us to almost double our developers’ staff. This greatly increases our chances to implement, already by the end of 2015, the what was declared during our Kickstarter campaign: the main storyline meant for 15 to 20 hours of gameplay + some side quests.

A short update was posted about the development process for InSomnia.

Hello everebody! A small update this week, just several images that illustrates the development process.

Studio MONO's latest update for InSomnia has information about the games demo.

Hi there! We’d like you to know that the demo will be completed real soon, but please have patience. We still don’t know the exact release date, because we want to deliver to you something that’s really worth playing. What we can tell you are what will be probably the most important systems for you to test in the demo, to estimate them or to indicate how they can be further improved.

The next update from Studio MONO has information about the Bea Kera Society.

The Bea Kera Society consists of three principal castes: the Retainers, the Executors and the Debtors. The Retainers wear long robes with hoods that cover their faces, and make almost no contact with usual Ghetters. Most of the Retainers are people who have been with Opherod from the beginning: an inner circle of trusted individuals rarely seen on the Reservation’s territory. The Executors are newly-fledged adherents of the Society who burst to prove their devotion to the Bea Kera. Less different from usual Ghetters, they nevertheless wear the gang signs on their clothes. The Executors are the Society’s backbone and its most numerous component. They guard the Bea Kera turf and fight skirmishes with the Children of Morach.

Another specific feature of the Society is the system of “working out” the debts. The Society provides “aid” to all in need, which can mean money loans or protection. But there is one condition: the person is then supposed to render a service to the Society. A Debtor has to wear a special collar that makes it possible for the Bea Kera to maintain constant surveillance of him, or to kill him wherever he could be in case of contract breach. The Debtors of the gang include all types of people, from rather well-off traders or mercenaries to common workers. This way Opherod has built up an agent network throughout the whole territory of Reservation D-106 and its environs. This system is one of the main reasons why the Bea Kera is able to intensify its influence so quickly and to compete with a rival as strong as the Morach clan.

The next post-funding update for InSomnia was posted last week with information on the games development,, and more details on weapon modifications.

Finally for today, I would like to apologize for not answering all of your emails or Kickstarter messages for far too long. Today, we answered all the messages that we got so far, and if you failed to get an answer from us, please feel free to contact us via Kickstarter or by email: samasta.ikar@gmail.com We will certainly respond to you. However, please be patient, as you can imagine we’re getting a huge amount of questions from our community and since we cannot afford to hire a team of professional community managers and we are spending all of our time and money to keep the promise that we gave to you during our Kickstarter campaign: to ship the game with a storyline containing 15-20 hours of gameplay by the end of 2015 – beginning of 2016. We’re aiming to keep our promise without delays.

We finally got a new kickstarter update from Studio MONO that gives information on one of the more important areas in InSomnia called Reservation D-106.

Here are the details.

In this update we will reveal some information on one of the main locations of the upcoming demo – Reservation D-106, and share some facts on those who inhabit the area.

Historically, the origination of the reservation was caused by the necessity to service the Urb’s external technical infrastructure. The reservations appear relatively comfortable for the colonies of Ghetters with the population from between 1,000 to 20,000. All the reservations are located within the Closer Radius of the Urb. The Ghetters inhabiting the reservations share partial civil rights of the Autonomy and they have proper registration. Nonetheless, the citizens of the Urb do not see many distinctions between Ghetters and the inhabitants of the abandoned part of the Station, referring to both as dumpsters or scavengers.

As such, segregation is rooted into the history: during the Exodus, the riots allowed far more people to enter the Station than what was actually listed, and the Urb was unable to host the mass of thousands of refugees that were arriving to the Station. The descendants of the few survivors later inhabited the Dump – the abandoned part of the Station. With time, the Autonomy of Nomah through its expansion has organized the voluntary migration of dumpsters into reservations, created by the Urb’s government on its controlled territories.

Yet another update that was missed earlier this month Studio MONO posted a new kickstarter post about the development of the demo for InSomnia.

Good day to everyone! Due to a number of reasons, we haven’t posted any news for a while. We had a lot of work to do regarding the transition to Unreal Engine 4. We chose this engine to speed up the development and, mainly, to get make it easier for us to release PC, Mac, and Linux versions at the same time. At this moment we finished transitioning the old functionality and now we are starting to add new features.

As you already know, we are now working on the demo of the game with 3 to 5 hours of gameplay. The demo will take place on a colossal space station that has been moving to the evacuation point: a faraway planet, where station inhabitants hope to start over the history of the human race. The working name of the demo is “The Premise”. It’s going to be a part of the game that includes a tutorial and a kind of prologue to the main events of InSomnia RPG. 

In the demo, you’ll be able to try the main features of the gameplay: close and range combat, leveling up, the dialogue system, and main and side quests. Also, you’ll be able to try some of the basic skills like mechanics, unlocking, stealth, and medicine. During the demo you’ll be playing for one of the main characters of the game - Typer (in the release version of the game you’ll create your own character from scratch). This character has his own story, unique skills, social position, weaknesses, and strengths. Some of the inhabitants are friendly with him and some of them are not.

The next post-funding kickstarter update for InSomnia has some new concept art from Studio Mono, and provided a new link to the image gallery on the games website.

Our concept art & Ilustration galleries had some extensive upgrades! The section got some new art pieces by the team’s artists, whose talent and hard work serve to make InSomnia’s visual style deeper and wider with every day. New pieces aside, the section’s got some new technical changes as well: concepts can be shared on social networks, saved for later use and viewed with more comfort.

Give the updated galleries a look - and we, again, thank our artists for their amazing work. More media updates are coming we are preparing additional galaries of miniatures and sculptures that were developed by our artists. Music section are coming soon.

Studio MONO's latest update for InSomnia brings news the official forum are now up.

InSomnia Forum UP in Test Mode

Hello to all of our backers and followers! 

We have some very news today: Our forum is finally up, in test mode but you can already use it!  Registration is open for everybody; the forums themselves are set to read-only for unregistered guests, while posting is open for everybody with an account. 

We also ask you to acquaintance yourself with the rules - they’re short, seriously, give them a glance. Also, please keep in mind that the forums are basically in a beta. Pretty much everything can change, expand or, on the contrary, get deleted. If you have any ideas or thoughts about the structure of the the forum - give us a notice! There’s a special topic ready for your suggestions. 

The forum is available here: http://www.insomnia-project.com/forum-3/ 

In other news, we’ve began to actively collaborate with those fans who wanted to help InSomnia professionally - 3D modellers, artists, composers and others. We’ve collected quite an amount of interesting, quality content, which we’ll start compiling and showing off for everyone who’s interested - and all of this content will make it’s way into the game! That’s it for today! See you on the forums!

The latest post-funding update for InSomnia has news on the games development.

Studio MONO has posted the first post-funding update for InSomnia.

InSomnia Post Campaign Update

First off all; we're now working on a date for our first real playable demo, that'll give the player around 3-4 hours of play time. We're also looking into the opportunity to move development over to the Unreal Engine (UE4), it will help us greatly and we'll be able to focus all of our resources creating the game itself and not engines and middleware, but there are still some questions we need answers to. The other big opportunity is that Mac and Linux versions of the game will be much easier to support if we will continue with UE4. We will wait for some more time until our programmers have given us their feedback and opinion.   

The other really good news, that we think many people will be happy with it, is an opportunity to work with a legend. We've not made a decision but we are working on this and during the campaign, we got in touch with Mark Morgan, a composer of several great RPGs and we're in the process of working together on InSomnia RPG. It's an exciting proposition to be potentially working with such a talented composer, keep tuned for further updates.

At this moment this is all our our news but, again, thank you for your support!

Studio MONO released a press release that thanks all the backers, and talks about the games funding. Here are the details straight from the release.

InSomnia Funds - Thank You From Studio MONO

Samara, Russia - July 24, 2014 - Studio MONO are today would like to thank all the press for their support and of course their backers who really came through to help them exceed their initial funding goal for InSomnia, which has finished its Kickstarter at $92,268, which represents $20,000 over the funding target.

'Words cannot express how grateful we are to each and every backer, journalist, streamer and all of the websites all over the world, who helped us fund by sharing their love for InSomnia.  A huge thank you from everyone at Studio MONO!' said Anatoliy Guyduk, Studio MONO's lead developer.

'We've now opened the webstore and accepting payments via PayPal to carry on helping InSomnia fund and to achieve further stretch goals. Thanks to all of the support, we're able to now go into full development of InSomnia; but the journey to the evacuation point hast just begun.'

The Game

InSomnia pitches the player in a dark and damp, deliciously retro-futuristic space station (“The Ark”) on its 400-year journey in search of a new home. Several centuries earlier, war-torn Noman survivors boarded the Ark to flee their planet and escape the conflict between the Republic of Noma and the SORG Regime. Most of InSomnia takes place inside the gargantuan, half-deserted vessel—which is slowly making its way toward the elusive Evacuation Point. If the Ark fails to reach the Evacuation Point, billions of Nomans will have died in vain.

InSomnia aims to immerse the player in rich storylines that are updated regularly. The game will ship with 15-20 hours of main storyline plus 20-30 hours of side quests (first season/year). More than 20 free chapters are planned after release, with 3-6 hours of gameplay each.

About Studio MONO

Studio MONO was founded in Samara, Russia in 2011 by a group of artists, technologists, and enthusiasts united by their dream project - InSomnia. With a development team comprised of individuals from all over the world - including Malaysia, the U.S., Russia, Great Britain, the Netherlands and Ukraine - Studio MONO is a talented group of professionals who have been active in the world of game design for many years. http://www.insomnia-project.com/

Studio MONO's Kickstarter for InSomnia is now over and successfully funded. The developer also released two more updates in the last day.

The fist update talks about PayPal Pledge, and the voice over sretch goal.

Now we've achieved the first stretch goal of $90K, we can now give our characters the voices they deserve. High quality voice acting helps immerse the player into the gaming world, enriching the game and giving them the experience they deserve.  

Again, thank you all for your support and excitement. With your help, we CAN build the RPG of our dreams.

For those asking about PayPal, we have launched the first version of the page that will allow us to continue gathering funds after the Kickstater campaign is over. Over the next days, we will continue to edit the rewards to include all the add-ons and descriptions. Stretch goals will move over to our site which means that all funds secured by Paypal WILL count towards all pending stretch goals! If at some point you see the page change, do not be alarmed since we’ll just be working on making it better (which is why there will be some periods where it will be offline for maintenance). On top of all of this, current Kickstarter backers will be able to upgrade their pledges after the campaign is over, in case someone wants to go from, say, the HARDENED VETERAN to ARCHIVARIUS, and pledge the extra funds with Paypal.

The second update is a thank you to all backers, and people who helped.

The InSomnia Kickstarter campaign is now over and there’s something we’d like to say to all of our backers, supporters and journalists who showed their support for our project and believed in us and our dream.

The next 14-18 months will be incredibly intensive for the team, but we get our heads down and strive on, with your support. We’re still learning on how to improve our communication skills to better the rapport with our community. This is paramount for InSomnia to not only be a good game, but a fantastic, memorable experience. The first thing we will do is overhaul our site and start building the forums and will be live in 2-3 weeks. 

 We will also be revealing the date for the first fully playable demo for you to all sink your teeth into, so stay tuned!

The next kickstarter update for InSomnia has information about the games difficulty, and mentions you can purchase some new add-ons.

Difficulty Level, Survival and Hardcore Gameplay\Add-ons

We want InSomnia to remain difficult as well as engaging. We’re fans of non-linear development, chance meetings and unique situations. When players begin to understand the underlying principles that drive the plot—or how to solve all available puzzle types—gameplay becomes stagnant. Challenging gameplay design makes players want to explore, and it forces them to carefully “read” the surroundings, paying attention to every detail. Achieving the right difficulty level truly immerses players into the world... and this is what we want for InSomnia. In fact, our goal is to create “thoughtful challenges” - fine-tuned gameplay that can keep players fully engaged for hundreds of hours. We’re not interested in “unfair hardcore,” which would only lead to frustration, and that is not what we want for InSomnia.

This is not to say that surviving will be easy, but it does mean that recovering health points won’t be overly complicated. Provided that stimulators are available, that is. Stimulators allow you to gain health points slowly over time. If you have suffered serious trauma, you’ll take progressively more time to heal, which is to be expected. If you ignore the wound, it will only get worse. On that note, hunger, thirst, and sleep deprivation are among the parameters you’ll need to keep track of at all times. Whenever possible, if you want to survive you should avoid eating rotten food, drinking dirty water, and entering extreme high or low temperatures. Healing burns is rather difficult, so keep a safe distance from fire. A punch or kick taken during a fight will not leave any major damage and you’ll be back to full strength in no time at all. But be warned: critical damage from a rifle can either kill you or require significant recovery time.

We know that having a proper balance between hardcore elements and fun gameplay mechanics is essential. We will strive for that balance with your support and more importantly, your feedback.

Studio MONO latest update for their funded kickstarter RPG InSomnia talks about how wounds will heal, and how they will affect you while playing the game.

Battle ‘Scars’

As always, a massive thank you for all of your support and pledges. We still have a chance at reaching the $90,000 stretch goal & we have a new update today and several more to follow!

Everybody loves to level up their characters. For InSomnia, you’ll gain traits by leveling up and selecting from a list. Characters will gain positive and negative traits. Some will be a mix of the two, and others willbe purely negative. You may get rid of some traits, but others will be permanent.

Most traits are gained accidentally, but others will result from quests and other factors. For instance, if you break your arm and forget to treat it for a long time, the bones will grow back improperly and you will gain a negative trait that will affect your shooting accuracy. However, you’ll be able to remove this trait if you see a qualified doctor that’s capable of treating your affliction.

There are no clear instructions on how to lose a specific negative trait, so you’ll need to look around carefully and think hard about possible solutions. Other players may be able to help, or you may find a “manual” of sorts, with some instructions. To balance things out, you will be able to choose a Perk that neutralizes up to three negative traits, which will remain on the character without having further negative effects. Throughout the game (and each time you start a new game), you’ll receive unique karma, physiology and traits—both positive and negative, keeping the experience fresh.

Studio MONO is happy to announce their kickstarter game InSomnia is now funded. The game sofar has managed to make $71,469 of $70,000 goal. Congratulation guys.

InSomnia RPG is funded!

To quote Professor Farnsworth, “Good news, everyone!” We’re now officially funded! Thanks to all of your help and your hard work, we made it! Hitting our $70,000 goal means that InSomnia RPG will soon go into full time development and the team will be able to commit exclusively to the project. We ourselves will be investing an additional $80,000-100,000 to help speed up the development. It’s an incredibly exciting and inspiring moment for Studio Mono, and we’re truly humbled that so many people believe in our vision! We still have 7 days before the campaign is over, so we’re now set on using all of our energy to achieve some stretch goals! We’re also now preparing our new website which is being rebuilt right now so that it will be ready soon after the Kickstarter campaign is over.

Once again, we want to say “Thank you” to all the backers and of course, to those who helped to spread the word about our project. Reaching our goal would have been impossible without your help! We will make this project a reality and we will create the game we’ve been dreaming of developing for all these years. We have a lot of things to do, and this will be an incredibly hard 18 months of work, but we will do it! Right now we are working on our first fully playable demo (different from the tech demo) and this will be a sort of prologue chapter that’ll offer the player around 3-4 hours of gameplay. Obviously, we need to plan carefully and create several roadmaps before we can give you a clear release date, but Kickstarter backers will get their hands on the demo first, and we definitely look forward to receiving your valuable feedback for the team. We’ll announce more about the demo towards the end of August.

The latest kickstarter update from Studio Mono talks about the game music. The game is close to being funded, and has managed to earn $67,281 of the $70,000 goal.

Music is the spice of life

Greetings, everyone! Today we would like to share a small update about the music in InSomnia RPG, but first we would like to mention that we are really close to reaching the main goal of $70,000! Thank you so much to everyone who has backed the game, and to all who have helped to spread the word so far. We still have 9 days to hit our target, as well as to reach some stretch goals!

I also found two more inteviews for the game.

Gamecloud

How would you best explain InSomnia to someone unfamiliar with the game?

Anatoliy: The Story takes place on a gargantuan, half-deserted space station known as “The Ark” that is slowly making its way toward an elusive planet known only as the “Evacuation Point.” The Ark is inhabited by the descendants of the Nomans, a race of people who escaped their home planet several centuries earlier when it had become uninhabitable due to a cataclysmic conflict between the “Republic of Noma” and the “SORG Regime”. You play as a character who awakens from cryogenic sleep, who, unknowingly, holds the future of humanity in their hands.

What has been the biggest challenge since you’ve been working on InSomnia?

Anatoliy: The biggest challenge was not to stop the development. There were several times where things were not going so well, where we could have given up. So, with that thought, I would definitely say it was about perseverance.
     
Could you tell us how you feel InSomnia stands apart from other games in the genre?

Anatoliy: From our aesthetics to the setting, we feel that we’re offering something truly unique. Add to this a rich storyline, decisions that affect not only the plot, but the game’s climax, and a team deeply inspired by classic RPGs, means that we’re excited to be creating a game that’ll pay homage to the past while still pushing boundaries.

Gamereactor

If you don't have a clear recollection of it, Insomnia is an RPG that was first announced last year when it hit Kickstarter. That first campaign never really got off the ground, but Studio Mono are back for another bite at the crowdfunding apple.

At the time of writing, the game is about $5k short of its Kickstarter goal. Last time they tried to go through this route they pulled the plug after getting just over $5k in total. We asked lead developer Anatoliy Guyduk what had changed this time around?

"The main thing that changed is that we now have a much more clear overview of the project when compared to the first KS campaign. We have a presentation scene and tech demo proving that we're really making our own game engine and showing that the game is more than just vapourware. They don't look too bad, so I think this is a good way for us to prove that we can deal with complicated tasks and of course, that we're capable of building the game of our dreams. Our first campaign had many problems, like the bad start date and really bad copywriting and explanation of what InSomnia should be. We gathered all of our feedback from the previous campaign and we realised our mistakes and decided to work on them more, improve our campaign's message, get some playable concepts together and re-launch."

As promised here is the community Q&A with Studio Mono about their kickstarter RPG InSomnia. So a big thank you to the RPGWatch members who sent me their questions.

RPGWatch:Thank you for agreeing to the interview. Can you give a short description of your game company Studio Mono?

Studio MONO: I’m Anatoliy Guyduk and I’m the lead developer here at Studio MONO.  We’re a team from Russia, USA, Malaysia, Poland, Lithuania, Netherlands and Japan, all united by the singular vision of wanting to create the RPG of our dreams!  You play as humanity's last bastion of hope, on a colossal spaceship, a character awakens from cryogenic sleep.

RPGWatch: Where did you guys get the idea, or inspiration for the game ?

Studio MONO: This is quite a  complicated question, it is the work of many people, each give their own inspirations, so there are multiple prototypes and inspirations InSomnia is developed on. We have a lot of inspirations in literature (Stanislav Lem, Arkadiy & Boris Strygatskiy and many others), cinematography ( Tarkovskiy, Terry Giliam, Jim Jarmush & many others) we are fans of Planscape Torment & the classic Fallout series if we are talking about the video games. But it is just a small part our inspirations resources.

The latest update for InSomnia has news from Studio Mono about a few changes to the game based on backer feedback. Here are the details from the update.

'You asked, we listened'

Hi everybody! Today we have some news that and we think it will be a good surprise for many people who are waiting InSomnia RPG. You asked, we listened carefully and we've analysed all the feedback we received from the start of campaign. Here's the result:

 InSomnia RPG on consoles  

The first on, from this day we will be working on opportunity of porting the InSomnia RPG on different types of consoles, before we start KS campaign we plane only Linux, Mac and PC but after we start, we receive so many messages from backers and even publishing companies - they all want to bring InSomnia RPG to consoles. Game mechanics allows us to port it but we need time to make careful analysis with various professionals from publishing companies in order to not give our backers false and empty promises. So, clearer information about which consoles the game will be ported to and what date; depending on PC release. We'll we will announce more several months after KS campaign is over.

Female playable character stretch goal deleted

The second, one we receive a lot of messages from backers about female playable characters and that this opportunity is really important for them, so we listened to you and we've deleted this stretch goal and will the find money, to make sure it's possible to play as a female protagonist, our own. There will be a female playable character, each with their own special perks, dialogue, some differnt quests and even different reactions of companions and key NPCs. The next stretch goal after 70.000 will be professional voice-overs!

“COMRADE” Reward tier added to reward section  

We have received several messages from backers that would like to receive as a reward 2 copies of the game, to play with their friends. We've listend and added a new reward has been added to reward section!

Developers Forums are under construction  

We started building developer forums, and absolutely rebuilding the InSomnia RPG site, to move discussions on it after KS campaign is over. We need to do a lot with the forums, its structure and private cabinets to make future discussions comfortable and ergonomic and most importantly fun. But it will take some time, please be patient and we will launch the Developer's Forums 2-3 weeks after KS campaign is over.  

20 additional chapters on 3-4 hours of gameplay transformed into 3-4 big seasons that will be released after main campaign release  

Again according to multiple discussions and messages from backers, we understand that most of backers will prefer several really big updates rather than a numerous number of small chapters. We've agreed that it is really more logical and ergonomic for developers and for players. There will be no less content just it will be released by 3-4 big updates in 2-3 years after the release of main campaign, so all the KS backers will receive these expansions for free once they're released That is all for now! 

Thank you to all the backers and visitors for you support!

Studio MONO has released the next kickstarter update for InSomnia about what inspired the new RPG game. The game still has 14 days left to get funded.

The styling and inspiration of InSomnia RPG

A big hello to all of our backers and visitors! Today we’ll cover more about the styles and designs of InSomnia RPG and the process of its development. We are dedicating a lot of time on making a really unique look & feel within InSomnia RPG. Our RPG is based in a complicated setting, consisting of many different stylistics and inspirations, from Retro-futurism to Noir, dieselpunk, Atom Punk and Tesla Punk dark monumental Art Deco elements.

Studio MONO has released the next kickstarter update for InSomnia. We get infimation on the games mutants, and the somnia disease. The game itself is going strong, and managed to earn $53,276 of the $70,000 goal.

Somnia disease \ Mutants & Somniacs nature details

Good day! It is time for an important update. So, here's some details about an important feature of the story line. A strange disease that appears on the station between survivors, some 30-40 years after the Exodus and some info about the circumstances of this disease, that lead to appearing Somniacs and Mutants.

I also have a new interview hopefully up by Friday with the game developers.

Studio MONO has once again released two more kickstarter updates for InSomnia. The last update they released the demo managed to earn $46,547 of the games $70,000 goal.

Update #8 - New download Links for TECH DEMO

Hello everyone, It looks like Google DOES have a limit after all =) (just kidding)  

Here's a new download links for the tech demo: 

Link 1

Link 2

As always, if you have any issues please email me at samasta.ikar@gmail.com

Update #9 - The Mysterious SORG Regime

The Mysterious SORG Regime

It's time for the next update :)

Today we'll talk about the SORG regime, a powerful force that came close to eradicating the Noma civilization during the “Last War."

The Ark's inhabitants have feared the SORG regime for 400 years. After the war, the Noma Descendants' only chance of survival was to abandon their planet and search for a new home. Because the Last War lasted more than 200 years, everyone forgot why it happened in the first place -- and who shot first. This is one of the mysteries that InSomnia players will have to solve during the campaign -- as well as:

• What were the reasons why war broke out between the SORG Regime and the Noma Republic? 
• What does the SORG want for itself? 
• Who do they own allegiance to?

Studio MONO is proud to announce the release of the first playable build of InSomnia, and hopes the demo will help players back the kickstarter.

PLAYABLE DEMO RELEASE

We have some AWESOME news for our backers today! We have reached 50% - $35,000 - in less than 10 days, can you believe it? We can (and should) celebrate today, but we still need your support! Thank you so much for spreading the word about InSomnia; we couldn't have reached this milestone without your help.

Today we are releasing the first PLAYABLE DEMO for InSomnia. You can download it from the link below or from the Kickstarter's home page/project description.

Please read the accompanying text before downloading. This is work in progress after all :) Most animations, sound effects, even the character's 3D model will be greatly improved on the final build. Also, you should expect a few bugs and maybe even crashes - we still need to do a lot of work on optimization. 

To learn how to play, just press ESC after the game has loaded! 

FAQ 

You'll be happy to know that we now have a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) in the home page. It answers the most popular questions about InSomnia in detail. Check it out if you have some time - and share it with your friends and/or co-workers if they're still on the fence :) Again, thanks for supporting InSomnia. We'll share a lot more about the project in the next 20 days, so stay tuned!

Studio MONO released two more kickstarter updates for InSomnia. The game so far has managed to earn $34,001 of the $70,000 goal with 21 days left.

Update #5 - Randomly generated event and missions\Details

Our main goal with randomly-generated events is to make the main storyline even more interesting as a result of unpredictable events, fights, and side quests. You might remember how random encounters work in Fallout 1-2; InSomnia’s random encounters will be more thoughtful and require a high level of interaction. Some events will be mutually exclusive, and others will happen randomly. Some will require completing objectives before they become available. 

For example, while travelling through the Iron Jungles, you may spend a lot of time roaming abandoned corridors. Occasionally, you may encounter a gang of marauders—and you’ll need to either negotiate or show them the taste of lead. In some cases, an NPC will lead you to secret locations or even open up a whole chain of special side quests--if you communicate in a certain way. If the character you’re looking for has died, you’ll have to obtain the required information some other way. Or while walking through URB, you may encounter a group of soldiers who want to fight just for the hell of it. Going on a simple mission on URB’s perimeter patrol will always carry some risk; there’s always a chance that the unexpected is lurking just around the corner!

Update #6 - Armor Types

So here is the time for next update, this time we will reveal several details about Armor and some concepts showing armor\outfit customization options that will be available. Hope everybody will enjoy this update.

The armor in InSomnia RPG works as a means of personal protection. If you’re hit by a burst of fire from a 9-mm machine gun and your character is not wearing armor, your chances of survival would be close to zero. Armor significantly increases the survival capacity of the carrier. It not only decreases the damage (Damage Absorption) but also eliminates it completely, whereas different types of armor have various front and back stats.

Well since I was gone it seems the kickstarter for InSomnia was launched, and has managed to earn $28,050. The developer has also posted four new updates.

Here is the latest update.

Hi everybody! InSomnia RPG is funded on 35% already! We want to thank everybody for their pledges and info support! Without you we will not make this. But still there are 24 days of Kickstarter campaign, and we hope that together we will get InSomnia RPG Funded. And here is some additional infor about Shelters and Interactive environment.

Insomnia, which is claimed to be an atmospheric single-player/co-op RPG set in a "living" dieselpunk sandbox with real-time tactical gameplay and which we have reported on before, has launched on Kickstarter.

On a colossal spaceship,a character awakens from cryogenic sleep—unknowingly holding humanity’s last best hope in his bare hands. . . .

InSomnia is a Dieselpunk RPG that transports you to a retro-futuristic space station on a 400- year journey in search of a new home.

Explore the world as a warrior—or hide in the shadows as an outcast. Perhaps you’ll be a charismatic leader—or maybe you’ll become an apex predator with bloodshot eyes and a thrill for the kill. Either way, you will have to muster the strength to survive in order to find out why mankind has embarked on such a risky journey through uncharted space. InSomnia offers an epic, non-linear storyline with many ‘points of no return’ (think of them as forks in the road) and deep, immersive gameplay. The fate of the space station’s many inhabitants will depend on your choices.

Thanks Kordanor and Alexander.

I mentioned InSomnia a few days ago you can check it out following this link. The developer Studio MONO released a new press release with more information about the game.

The atmospheric Dieselpunk RPG returns!

Rejuvenated and much improved ahead of its launch on Kickstarter and Steam Greenlight

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK & SAMARIA, RUSSIA – 5^th June 2014 – Seven months after its initial Kickstarter campaign was aborted, Studio MONO, an independent developer straddling three continents, are excited to reveal a new and much improved InSomnia ahead of its launch on Steam Greenlight and new Kickstarter campaign on June 23^rd.

Set in a diesel-punk styled universe with dystopian, retro-futuristic styling, InSomnia was initially revealed and launched on Kickstarter in November 2013 but quickly ran into problems as Lead Developer Anatoliy Guyduk explains. “We didn’t have a clear enough description for InSomnia which ended up confusing some potential backers and alienating others. We therefore decided pretty quickly to abort the Kickstarter campaign, go away, rethink, work on our mistakes and relaunch at a later date when we had a clearer vision of the project and had more content to show the public. Seven months later, here we are!”

More of the brand new and improved InSomnia will be revealed in the coming weeks ahead of the Steam Greenlight and Kickstarter campaigns, but in the meantime the new Kickstarter campaign video will give everyone a fresh new taste of what to expect from this dark and unique game world!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dh-ofMVpxRY&list=HL1401819542

About Studio MONO

Studio MONO was founded in Samaria, Russia in 2011 by a group of artists, technologists and enthusiasts united by a goal to create their vision of InSomnia. With a team comprised of individuals from all over the world including Malaysia, the US, Russia, Great Britain, the Netherlands and Ukraine, Studio MONO is a talented group united behind a single vision, containing professionals who have been active in the world of game design for many years.

InSomnia is a new Dieselpunk RPG from a new developer called Studio Mono. I also have a new kickstarter preview video to see if anybody is interested.

InSomnia is an Atmospheric Single\Coop RPG, set in the dieselpunk, Apocalyptic universe, "Living" open world sandbox & realtime, tactical gameplay. InSomnia will send you into murky retro-futuristic universe of metal jungles permeated by Noir and Dieselpunk. Young "Noman" awakes from the cryogenic sleep on a colossal space station travelling through space for about 400 years to an elusive Point of evacuation, a distant planet, where the residents of the station will be able to revive the mankind. Either way, you will have to survive this tough world to learn the real reason for the mankind to embark on such a risky journey, and how mistaks of the past have influenced the present.