Hello Sumerians!

Its taken a whole heck of a lot longer than we anticipated, but the promised day is drawing near: online multiplayer for Steam is nearly complete. We will, barring the unforeseen, release it at the end of the summer. That will let us mark the end of our time in Early Access and launch the full game.
Before that, though, we want to get some public testing in, so were opening the game up to online play. It isn't on the main branch as its not quite stable enough yet, but anybody who owns a copy of Sumer can enable it by right clicking on Sumer in their Steam library, selecting Properties, moving to the Betas tab, and selecting multiplayer in the drop down menu.



Get some internet friends together for a game and let us know how it goes! If you find any bugs, let us know! If any part of the game isnt fun to play or feels unfair due to latency, let us know! If theres a feature you feel is missing, let us know that, too! Weve set up a bug report page for you to submit any errors you find to. Well also be keeping an eye on our Steam Discussion page.

Dev Playtest - Thursday August 15th 7PM EST
We are setting a time and date to be playing online ourselves. If you want to test your skills against Sumers creators, come online next Thursday (August 15th) around 7PM EST and throw down the gauntlet!

NEW BLOOD Update
Patch 0.34.1


Introducing Dipid (Pink) and Kir (Yellow) , the newest additions to the Nobles of Sumer!

Audio

• Six new Harvest tracks have been added to the game, replacing the music during the main phase. As you build up the board the music will now change to reflect the growth of your civilization!
  
• Added player specific sounds effects that play when goats hit the score UI.
  
• Increased the volume of some of Gugalanna's voice lines.
  

• Golden Ram Update: The Golden Ram now doubles the points you would get from goats at the end of the game: 2 points for every three goats.
  
• Staff of Anu Update: The Staff of Anu now grants you an additional resource in each ritual at the start of the year. This adds a dummy resource to both rituals (currently displayed by a clay) that counts only for majority.
  
• The Staff of Anu and Golden Ram are now slightly more common in Four and Six year games.
  
• Removed the chance for extra clay pits to appear in the Two year game auctions.
  
• Breeding Pens may now appear in the 2nd auction of Four year games.
  
• Goat Farms now cap out at 99 goats.
  

• Sumer now recognizes Nintendo Switch controllers!
  
• Taking over an AI will now show your control type.
  
• Tapping the fallthrough input very quickly now lets you fall through the floor.
  
• Slightly increased fallthrough input buffer time.
  
• Improved precision of landing while falling quickly.
  
• Can now control Credits using UP and DOWN.
  

• Various performance improvements.
  

• Added Unjoin control instructions to player homes on character select menu.
  
• Removed ability to pause while sun is setting at end of the day.
  
• Fixed a typo in the credits.
  

• Favor tablets now explode when Favor hits the score UI.
  
• UI discs for sleeping were remastered and are more noticeable and smooth.
  
• Favor tablets now scale correctly when hitting Year Update .
  
• Auction heads now jiggle when at max overbid.
  
• Improved fonts for character names.
  
• Widened background and added border to fix screen resolution issues.
  
• Fixed borders on bread icons to match others.
  
• Fixed font for return to main menu text on stats screen.
  
• Replaced down joystick icon with a clearer version.
  
• Added fix to screen resolution issue that could lead to a black screen under certain fullscreen conditions.
  
• Added a saving icon.
  
• Goat growth will no longer display when pausing.
  

NEW BLOOD Update
Patch 0.34.1


Introducing Dipid (Pink) and Kir (Yellow) , the newest additions to the Nobles of Sumer!

Audio

• Six new Harvest tracks have been added to the game, replacing the music during the main phase. As you build up the board the music will now change to reflect the growth of your civilization!
  
• Added player specific sounds effects that play when goats hit the score UI.
  
• Increased the volume of some of Gugalanna's voice lines.
  

• Golden Ram Update: The Golden Ram now doubles the points you would get from goats at the end of the game: 2 points for every three goats.
  
• Staff of Anu Update: The Staff of Anu now grants you an additional resource in each ritual at the start of the year. This adds a dummy resource to both rituals (currently displayed by a clay) that counts only for majority.
  
• The Staff of Anu and Golden Ram are now slightly more common in Four and Six year games.
  
• Removed the chance for extra clay pits to appear in the Two year game auctions.
  
• Breeding Pens may now appear in the 2nd auction of Four year games.
  
• Goat Farms now cap out at 99 goats.
  

• Sumer now recognizes Nintendo Switch controllers!
  
• Taking over an AI will now show your control type.
  
• Tapping the fallthrough input very quickly now lets you fall through the floor.
  
• Slightly increased fallthrough input buffer time.
  
• Improved precision of landing while falling quickly.
  
• Can now control Credits using UP and DOWN.
  

• Various performance improvements.
  

• Added “Unjoin” control instructions to player homes on character select menu.
  
• Removed ability to pause while sun is setting at end of the day.
  
• Fixed a typo in the credits.
  

• Favor tablets now explode when Favor hits the score UI.
  
• UI discs for sleeping were remastered and are more noticeable and smooth.
  
• Favor tablets now scale correctly when hitting Year Update .
  
• Auction heads now jiggle when at max overbid.
  
• Improved fonts for character names.
  
• Widened background and added border to fix screen resolution issues.
  
• Fixed borders on bread icons to match others.
  
• Fixed font for “return to main menu” text on stats screen.
  
• Replaced down joystick icon with a clearer version.
  
• Added fix to screen resolution issue that could lead to a black screen under certain fullscreen conditions.
  
• Added a “saving” icon.
  
• Goat growth will no longer display when pausing.
  

Hello Sumerians,

Were excited to announce that next week Studio Wumpus will exhibiting Sumer at a board game convention! Well be at PAX Unplugged in Philadelphia, PA from November 16th to 19th.

PAX Unplugged is brand new this year! The convention features the best of non-digital design and were honored to be sharing the next evolution of board game design with attendees.

PAX Unplugged Giveaway
To celebrate PAX Unplugged well have a little prize for anyone who wins at a game of Sumer while at the convention. Play Sumer at Booth 653 and in the demo area for your chance to win a sticker to commemorate your victory!


New Characters!

You might notice that there are two unfamiliar faces in that image. Say hello to our new contenders for the throne of Sumer!

Stay Tuned!
Even if youre not making it out to Philadelphia, keep your ear to the ground in the coming week. We have an exciting announcement to share at PAX Unplugged!

Sumer: Early Access will also be getting an update with the newest additions to the roster of nobles so you can join the fun from your living room.

Enjoy the rest of your week!
Geoff, Studio Wumpus

Hello Sumerians,

We’re excited to announce that next week Studio Wumpus will exhibiting Sumer at a board game convention! We’ll be at PAX Unplugged in Philadelphia, PA from November 16th to 19th.

PAX Unplugged is brand new this year! The convention features the best of non-digital design and we’re honored to be sharing the next evolution of board game design with attendees.

PAX Unplugged Giveaway
To celebrate PAX Unplugged we’ll have a little prize for anyone who wins at a game of Sumer while at the convention. Play Sumer at Booth 653 and in the demo area for your chance to win a sticker to commemorate your victory!


New Characters!

You might notice that there are two unfamiliar faces in that image. Say hello to our new contenders for the throne of Sumer!

Stay Tuned!
Even if you’re not making it out to Philadelphia, keep your ear to the ground in the coming week. We have an exciting announcement to share at PAX Unplugged!

Sumer: Early Access will also be getting an update with the newest additions to the roster of nobles so you can join the fun from your living room.

Enjoy the rest of your week!
Geoff, Studio Wumpus

Hey there, Sumerians!

In order to fix a rare issue caused when trying to adjust the resolution of your game (discussed here:
Textures not rendering?) we've added a new build to the beta channel. This build also features a few things we're experimenting with, as well as a few fixes. While none of this is official as of yet, we wanted to share them as if they were patch notes:

Audio

• Added player specific sounds effects that play when goats hit the score UI
  
• Increased the volume of some of Gugalanna's voice lines
  

• The Staff of Anu and Golden Ram are now slightly more common in Four and Six year games.
  
• Removed the chance for extra clay pits to appear in the Two year game auctions.
  
• Breeding Pens may now appear in the 2nd auction of Four year games.
  

• Fixed a typo in the credits
  

Hey there, Sumerians!

In order to fix a rare issue caused when trying to adjust the resolution of your game (discussed here:
Textures not rendering?) we've added a new build to the beta channel. This build also features a few things we're experimenting with, as well as a few fixes. While none of this is official as of yet, we wanted to share them as if they were patch notes:

Audio

• Added player specific sounds effects that play when goats hit the score UI
  
• Increased the volume of some of Gugalanna's voice lines
  

• The Staff of Anu and Golden Ram are now slightly more common in Four and Six year games.
  
• Removed the chance for extra clay pits to appear in the Two year game auctions.
  
• Breeding Pens may now appear in the 2nd auction of Four year games.
  

• Fixed a typo in the credits
  

Greetings Sumerians!

Were pleased to report that Update 0.30.01, Her Divine Voice, is now live on the main channel. Patch Notes below:

Audio

• Added new voice over lines for Inanna.
  

• Added a track that will play while two or more players are overbidding.
  
• A pause menu track will now play while the game is paused!
  

• Added an instant statue scoring variant to the variants menu.
  

• Updated ritual pairings
  

• Bid rushing from the onset will now extend an auction round: If two or more players begin bidding at the start of the auction and have not stopped increasing their bid since the auction will continue, even after the timer has finished, until one player stops bidding.

• If an input device is connected and is not paired with a player then a Press [INPUT] to join message will prompt players to take over AI.
  
• Improved mouse controls for profile selection menu
  

• Graphics now gives the option to pick an aspect ratio and screen resolution
  
• Reshuffled some menu options placements (eg-moved Subtitles to Audio)
  
• Improved legibility of menu text font
  
• Top level menu has been aligned to the Ziggurat floors
  
• Simplified some text and option formatting
  
• Menu carrots now display in the color of the player that paused
  
• The Interact room on Ziggurat Menu now has character highlight
  
• Player homes on Ziggurat menu now prompt to select player. Standing in front of a home will also prompt you to pick a name
  
• Weve updated our credits with some amazing people!
  
• Hint thought bubbles are now on by default and can be turned off in
• Gameplay menu under Options
  
• Text on several auction cards have received improvements
  

• Fixed rare issues with minimizing the game during tutorial select menu
  

• Big Head mode has received some visual improvements
  
• Changed the victory pose to be more exalted
  
• Minor fixes to background goat behavior
  
• Resource icons on workshops now darken when the shop is used.
  
• Watermarks matching the pentagon and circle tokens have been added to rooms during room placement
  

• Did a whole bunch of invisible work getting this closer to being ready for public release.
  

Greetings Sumerians!

We’re pleased to report that Update 0.30.01, “Her Divine Voice”, is now live on the main channel. Patch Notes below:

Audio

• Added new voice over lines for Inanna.
  

• Added a track that will play while two or more players are overbidding.
  
• A pause menu track will now play while the game is paused!
  

• Added an “instant statue scoring” variant to the variants menu.
  

• Updated ritual pairings
  

• Bid rushing from the onset will now extend an auction round: If two or more players begin bidding at the start of the auction and have not stopped increasing their bid since the auction will continue, even after the timer has finished, until one player stops bidding.

• If an input device is connected and is not paired with a player then a “Press [INPUT] to join” message will prompt players to take over AI.
  
• Improved mouse controls for profile selection menu
  

• Graphics now gives the option to pick an aspect ratio and screen resolution
  
• Reshuffled some menu options’ placements (eg-moved Subtitles to Audio)
  
• Improved legibility of menu text font
  
• Top level menu has been aligned to the Ziggurat floors
  
• Simplified some text and option formatting
  
• Menu carrots now display in the color of the player that paused
  
• The “Interact” room on Ziggurat Menu now has character highlight
  
• Player homes on Ziggurat menu now prompt to select player. Standing in front of a home will also prompt you to pick a name
  
• We’ve updated our credits with some amazing people!
  
• Hint thought bubbles are now on by default and can be turned off in
• Gameplay menu under Options
  
• Text on several auction cards have received improvements
  

• Fixed rare issues with minimizing the game during tutorial select menu
  

• Big Head mode has received some visual improvements
  
• Changed the victory pose to be more exalted
  
• Minor fixes to background goat behavior
  
• Resource icons on workshops now darken when the shop is used.
  
• Watermarks matching the pentagon and circle tokens have been added to rooms during room placement
  

• Did a whole bunch of invisible work getting this closer to being ready for public release.
  

Happy Friday, Sumerians!

Its been a long while since we last posted but we finally have a chain of announcements on the way. The first of which is that this weekend well be showing at Play NYC, New York Citys first video game convention! Tickets are still available and can be purchased here .



Well be demoing Patch 0.28.1 of Sumer over the weekend. This patch includes an experimental statue scoring variant that scores statues immediately and a new voice over for Inanna featuring our new voice actress, Nanna Gunnarsdttir! Wed love to hear your feedback on those additions as well as the various changes weve made across menus and the rest of the game. After our final pass of testing next week well push the build to the main channel. Whether youre joining us at Play NYC or are playing from home, you can play 0.28.1 on the beta channel right now.

Enjoy your weekend!
Studio Wumpus

Happy Friday, Sumerians!

It’s been a long while since we last posted but we finally have a chain of announcements on the way. The first of which is that this weekend we’ll be showing at Play NYC, New York City’s first video game convention! Tickets are still available and can be purchased here .



We’ll be demoing Patch 0.28.1 of Sumer over the weekend. This patch includes an experimental statue scoring variant that scores statues immediately and a new voice over for Inanna featuring our new voice actress, Nanna Gunnarsdóttir! We’d love to hear your feedback on those additions as well as the various changes we’ve made across menus and the rest of the game. After our final pass of testing next week we’ll push the build to the main channel. Whether you’re joining us at Play NYC or are playing from home, you can play 0.28.1 on the beta channel right now.

Enjoy your weekend!
Studio Wumpus

Hello Sumerians!

We’re ramping up for a Sumerian summer of development and shows!

Sumer goes to Japan!

We’re excited to share that last week we showed Sumer at BitSummit in Kyoto, Japan. Kickstarter just announced its expansion to Japan and selected Sumer as one of four games to represent them.

We love showing the game to new audiences and Japan was no exception. We had a great time and you should definitely check out the other games that were being shown:

La Mulana 2
Legrand Legacy
Project Scissors: NightCry


Sumer @ E3

We’re also thrilled to announce that we’ll be in Los Angeles in just a few weeks to show Sumer as part of Devolver’s E3 Indie Picnic. If you are at E3 you can join us in the Public Lot across from the Los Angeles Convention Center where the expo is being held. We'll be showing all three days (June 13 - 15) from 11 AM - 7 PM. It’ll be free to anyone with an E3 badge :D

With love,
Your friends at Studio Wumpus

Hello Sumerians!

Were ramping up for a Sumerian summer of development and shows!

Sumer goes to Japan!

Were excited to share that last week we showed Sumer at BitSummit in Kyoto, Japan. Kickstarter just announced its expansion to Japan and selected Sumer as one of four games to represent them.

We love showing the game to new audiences and Japan was no exception. We had a great time and you should definitely check out the other games that were being shown:

La Mulana 2
Legrand Legacy
Project Scissors: NightCry


Sumer @ E3

Were also thrilled to announce that well be in Los Angeles in just a few weeks to show Sumer as part of Devolvers E3 Indie Picnic. If you are at E3 you can join us in the Public Lot across from the Los Angeles Convention Center where the expo is being held. We'll be showing all three days (June 13 - 15) from 11 AM - 7 PM. Itll be free to anyone with an E3 badge :D

With love,
Your friends at Studio Wumpus

Hey Sumerians!

We pushed a hotfix to the build last night and just want to share what's new. In addition to fixing a bug that prevented some players from getting into games we have added music to the room placement mode and final judgment at the end of the game. This music is still in an early form and updates are already under way, so you can expect them to change a little down the line.

Thanks!
Studio Wumpus

Hey Sumerians!

We pushed a hotfix to the build last night and just want to share what's new. In addition to fixing a bug that prevented some players from getting into games we have added music to the room placement mode and final judgment at the end of the game. This music is still in an early form and updates are already under way, so you can expect them to change a little down the line.

Thanks!
Studio Wumpus

Hey Sumerians!
We’re helping out with the pilot run of a gaming marathon called Gaming for Pixels, a fundraising initiative to help stop violence against women. As part of our support we’ll be streaming today, Sunday, April 9th!

We’ve selected a handful of games that are either board game-likes or local multiplayer, including some of our recent favorites like Loot Rascals, Overcooked and Offworld Trading Company.

A few NYC indies have also volunteered to show local multiplayer games that they’re working on now! Stop by a for a sneak peek at some upcoming gems.

Tune in from 9 AM - 10 PM EST on our twitch channel: twitch.tv/StudioWumpus

Looking forward to seeing you there!
Geoff, Studio Wumpus

Hey Sumerians!
Were helping out with the pilot run of a gaming marathon called Gaming for Pixels, a fundraising initiative to help stop violence against women. As part of our support well be streaming today, Sunday, April 9th!

Weve selected a handful of games that are either board game-likes or local multiplayer, including some of our recent favorites like Loot Rascals, Overcooked and Offworld Trading Company.

A few NYC indies have also volunteered to show local multiplayer games that theyre working on now! Stop by a for a sneak peek at some upcoming gems.

Tune in from 9 AM - 10 PM EST on our twitch channel: twitch.tv/StudioWumpus

Looking forward to seeing you there!
Geoff, Studio Wumpus

Hey Sumerians!

We just pushed some fixes to our launch build including a few balance tweaks to the new rituals and improvements to the full screen mode. You can also now change the graphics quality in the options menu. We'll be keeping up with your feedback as we continue to work on online play and will be putting out periodic patches as the game continues to evolve.

Good worship!
Studio Wumpus

Patch 0.25.1 Notes

AI

• Minor tweaks to the lowest level of AI to make it more friendly to new players.
  

• Added improved Gugalanna lines.
  

• Prevented some rituals from pairing.
  

• Fixed bug preventing mouse players from picking a profile.
  Fixed bug preventing mouse players from picking up placed buildings.
  

• Full screen will now set your resolution to your monitor size.
  
• You can now change graphics quality in the Graphics menu.
  

• Fixed a bug that causes the slumber reward tracker to glitch.
  

• Loading Screens only show controls for now.
  
• Clarified controls of post-game menu.
  
• Small visual tweaks to character select screen.
  
• Corrected error in mouse control cheat sheet.
  
• Added a visual safety precaution to prevent especially wide screens from showing outside the game.
  
• Carrots work properly on the Variants menu.
  

Hey Sumerians!

We just pushed some fixes to our launch build including a few balance tweaks to the new rituals and improvements to the full screen mode. You can also now change the graphics quality in the options menu. We'll be keeping up with your feedback as we continue to work on online play and will be putting out periodic patches as the game continues to evolve.

Good worship!
Studio Wumpus

Patch 0.25.1 Notes

AI

• Minor tweaks to the lowest level of AI to make it more friendly to new players.
  

• Added improved Gugalanna lines.
  

• Prevented some rituals from pairing.
  

• Fixed bug preventing mouse players from picking a profile.
  Fixed bug preventing mouse players from picking up placed buildings.
  

• Full screen will now set your resolution to your monitor size.
  
• You can now change graphics quality in the Graphics menu.
  

• Fixed a bug that causes the slumber reward tracker to glitch.
  

• Loading Screens only show controls for now.
  
• Clarified controls of post-game menu.
  
• Small visual tweaks to character select screen.
  
• Corrected error in mouse control cheat sheet.
  
• Added a visual safety precaution to prevent especially wide screens from showing outside the game.
  
• Carrots work properly on the Variants menu.
  

We’re really excited to share Sumer with you. The game has gone through a lot of iteration since we first started it in grad school and its thrilling how close we are to the end.



You can expect periodic updates of Sumer over the coming months, but the real magic will be going on behind the scenes as we finish implementing online play. We’ll keep you in the loop of course and when online is finished Sumer will be officially launched!



Until then, we welcome your thoughts on the game’s local version. Try out the tutorial, test your skills against our AI and enjoy competing with your friends.



We’re excited to have you as part of our community and look forward to getting to know you all :D



Studio Wumpus

Patch 0.25.0 Notes
AI

• Improvements to AI behaviors.
  
• Fixed a bug that was preventing AI from using Enlil’s Decree to build out their territory.
  
• Added safety measures to prevent rare storage overflow bug.
  
• Fixed a bug that prevented AI from bidding during an auction where their player resigned.
  

• Added full voiceover for Gugalanna during gameplay!
  
• Temporary voiceover for Inanna’s lines has been added.
  
• Added variance to Inanna’s lines that occur more than once a game.
  
• Added audio feedback when mousing over menu options.
  

• Each year is now assigned a group of rituals that it will select two from randomly.
  
• Removed ritual pairing (at least for now) and designated several rituals as incompatible to improve each year’s matchup.
  
• Added several new rituals to each year’s pool.
  

• Locking a worker now prevents them from doing anything, period.
  
• Improved mouse control throughout the game.
  

• Fixed a bug that locked player spawns at the start of a game to their player order.
  
• Added safety precautions to prevent a bug caused by staying awake on the last day of a game.
  
• Statue Scoring no longer displays at the end of Room Placement if no player has a statue.
  
• During local games, the game will automatically pause if the screen focus is switched.
  

• Added an option to disable the sun’s rays to allow players to reduce the stress on their computer.
  
• Fixed a bug that allowed players to run around the ziggurat while in the Variants Menu.
  
• Removed pausing during the zoom onto a completed ritual.
  
• Added ability to pause after an auction before everyone has woken up for Room Placement.
  

• Improved text in tutorials to increase legibility.
  
• Fixed a bug that sometimes prevented tutorial cards from turning off during a ritual zoom.
  
• Improved sleeping permissions in some lessons.
  

• Improved the positioning and look of message during demo mode.
  
• Added new menu texts to improve compatibility at different resolutions.
  
• Improved alignment of ‘standings’ image at end of game.
  
• Fixed a bug that caused lines to appear in the river at different resolution sizes.
  
• Fixed a bug caused when workers receive resources from a shop while already having something.
  
• Added safety measures to fix permanent shop glow bug.
  
• The Year Announcement during auctions now correctly reads “Auction”.
  
• Fixed a bug that caused players to wake up momentarily after a ritual completed.
  
• Small improvements to bird timing and flight pattern.
  
• Fixed a bug that caused the thought bubble tips to always display
  

• Pausing can wipe the colors from the sleep tracker.
  
• PS4 controllers have been reported to occasionally disconnect. We’re looking into whether this has to do with our input manager, specific operating systems or something else.
  
• Some resolutions display cut-off menu elements around the edges of the screen. We’re still looking into which resolutions we need to make adjustments for.
  
• On super rare occasions AI stop acting during Room Placement. You can’t expect your children to behave all the time, right? We’re trying to be good parents...
  
• On rare occasions there have been alignment issues with the ritual text names.
  
• The reference cards are out of position, displaying a border at the top.
  
• Enabling and disabling full screen can cause weird full screen positioning, but it is fixed by disabling the option and then enabling it again.
  
• The yeller at the start of the auction reads ‘year’ instead of ‘auction’ in some cases.