Hello psychonauts! I'm happy to announce that soundStrider will become free-to-play on Steam later this month. My goal is to bundle all paid copies of soundStrider with my next project when available. Full details about this change are available in my latest blog post. Thanks for your support!

[ 2022-03-12 17:38:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

• Adjusted some labels on the Audio Mixer screen
• Fixed a typo on the Audio Glossary screen
• Updated the desktop application to Electron 17

[ 2022-03-12 17:13:13 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello psychonauts! The v1.1.1 update fixes a hard lock that occurred whenever instrument unlocks were spawned. This should solve reported issues with crashes and black screens. Thanks for understanding. Cheers!

[ 2020-08-17 06:05:45 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello psychonauts! I'm excited to announce soundStrider's first minor update. Since release I've received several suggestions to help improve its accessibility. This update adds an audio glossary that explains its audio cues, settings to adjust the visualizer, and over a dozen new color schemes to choose from. Here are the full patch notes:

• Added Audio Glossary screen
  • Added button to access the Audio Glossary screen
  • Added audio previews for various cues
  • Added spoiler-free descriptions for various cues
• Added Visualizer Settings screen
  • Added button to access the Visualizer Settings screen
  • Added color scheme selector with various presets
  • Added sliders for brightness, contrast, hue, and saturation
  • Added slider for adjusting visualizer sensitivity
  • Added toggle for inverting visualizer colors
  • Hidden when graphics are disabled via Performance Settings screen
• Added color schemes
  • Achromatic (included in demo)
  • Cherry Blossom
  • Deciduous
  • Desert
  • Ink
  • Light
  • Magma
  • Monochromatic (included in demo)
  • Pastel
  • Plasma
  • Rainbow (included in demo)
  • Sky
  • Sunburst
  • Water
• Miscellaneous
  • Added Add Star toggle to Save Bookmark screen
  • Fixed delayed triggering of tempo-synced props on load
  • Fixed oscillator type of breadcrumb directional cues
  • Improved clarity of toggle button labels
  • Improved instrument preset spawning
  • Improved performance of visualizer
  • Updated manual to reflect changes
  • Animations may differ slightly with this release

Cheers!

[ 2020-08-13 20:36:59 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello psychonauts! The v1.0.2 hotfix addresses some performance degradation issues. Please visit the shiftBacktick blog to learn more. Cheers!

[ 2020-07-29 20:40:25 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello psychonauts! The v1.0.1 update fixes a hard lock on the Audio Mixer screen when using input other than the mouse. Cheers!

[ 2020-07-22 17:07:59 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello psychonauts! I'm excited to announce the release of soundStrider, a psychedelic audio exploration game, walking simulator, music generator, and relaxation tool. The past nine months have truly been an amazing journey. It began with a submission for Ludum Dare 45. After six months of full-time development it's received a new engine, an accessible interface, over a hundred more objects and sounds, an adventure mode with repeatable quests, and a playable instrument with collectible presets. Today's release marks a new chapter. Stay tuned to learn more about the future of soundStrider. I anticipate a few hotfixes and have early thoughts on free minor content releases. If you follow along on my blog, then you will eventually find a post-mortem of its development. With that said, I warmly invite you to enter soundStrider, explore, chill, and jam out. Cheers!

[ 2020-07-10 17:01:39 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello psychonauts! I'm excited to announce that soundStrider will be released on July 10! Since launching the demo on Steam earlier this year it has received numerous updates based on player feedback like an audio mixer, mouse sensitivity and performance settings, and an accessible online manual. To celebrate, please enjoy a poisonous trailer: [previewyoutube=WxExTdjoIMo;full][/previewyoutube] Upgrading from the demo unlocks a variety of new features:

• Twelve additional environments like cities, space, and underwater
• A poison system that affects both audio and visual cues
• A virtual instrument with two dozen collectible preset sounds

Thank you to all playtesters and early access players for your feedback and support. Cheers!

[ 2020-07-05 20:15:36 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello psychonauts! I hope you're enjoying the Steam Game Festival. After a productive week of working on soundStrider I'm looking forward to playing several of the demos. The Beta 6 update adds a few new things for folks enjoying the demo:

• Improved bookmarks screens and flow
• Improvements to screen reader accessibility
• Virtual instrument with MIDI, keyboard, and gamepad controls
• Updates to the online game manual

Demo players may notice that the notes they play on the virtual instrument are dead. Owners of the full game will be able to unlock and select from several presets as they play. Be sure to add soundStrider to your wishlist to experience its full potential. Cheers!

[ 2020-06-18 22:44:55 CET ] [ Original post ]

The game

soundStrider is a psychedelic exploration game, walking simulator, music generator, and relaxation tool. Explore endless worlds and save bookmarks to revisit for meditation, studying, or sleep. All of its sounds are synthesized in real-time to evoke naturalistic, abstract, and musical spaces.

The demo

Explore the beach, storms, pure oscillators, and more. Start an Adventure for a guided experience, or enter Free Roam to explore at your own pace. This demo is a vertical slice of the soundStrider experience. The full game includes sixteen unique environment types, additional quests, and secrets to discover.

The developer

I am shiftBacktick, the solo developer of soundStrider. I'm a web developer and accessibility advocate by trade with a background in computer music. soundStrider began as a submission for Ludum Dare 45 as a short interactive audio experience. Since switching to full-time development six months ago it has evolved into an entirely new identity and scope. Every day is a delightful learning experience. If you enjoy this demo, please consider adding soundStrider to your wishlist.

[ 2020-06-16 17:01:03 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello psychonauts! The Beta 5 update adds a performance settings screen with options to disable graphics, disable reverb, and adjust the rendering distance. They should help improve the experience for players having issues when playing below the recommended system requirements. Cheers!

[ 2020-06-16 05:27:41 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello psychonauts! This update contains several changes for everyone enjoying the demo:

• Audio mixer with sliders to adjust various levels
• Statistics screen to view distance traveled and quests completed
• Improvements to navigational cues
• Minor tweaks and fixes

Cheers!

[ 2020-06-11 05:09:43 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello psychonauts! I am shiftBacktick, the developer of soundStrider, a psychedelic auditory exploration game. Please mark your calendars and join me for a special live chat. Ask me anything about developing soundStrider, sound synthesis, being an introvert, or traveling through time and space! This event will be hosted in the Group Chat on the soundStrider Steam Community page. I plan to be available for about four hours and will answer whatever I can. I'm looking forward to seeing you there. Cheers!

[ 2020-06-07 19:35:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello psychonauts! I am shiftBacktick, the developer of soundStrider, a psychedelic auditory exploration game. Please mark your calendars and join me for a special live chat. Ask me anything about developing soundStrider, sound synthesis, being an introvert, or traveling through time and space! This event will be hosted in the Group Chat on the soundStrider Steam Community page. I plan to be available for about four hours and will answer whatever I can. I'm looking forward to seeing you there. Cheers!

[ 2020-05-29 00:16:53 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello psychonauts! This update contains several changes for everyone enjoying the demo:

• Steam Overlay support
• Larger and more varied worlds
• Quests send adventurers deeper into uncharted lands
• Minor tweaks and fixes

Cheers!

[ 2020-05-28 21:45:59 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello psychonauts, I'm excited to announce that the soundStrider beta has arrived! Its first beta update contains several changes for everyone enjoying the demo:

• Mouse controls for a more intuitive experience
• Remixed sounds for an improved dynamic range
• Reworked Elemental and Storm palettes
• Minor tweaks and fixes

To celebrate this milestone, please enjoy a new trailer: [previewyoutube=w3LWmlOQ2cE;full][/previewyoutube] While waiting for its full release in June, please enjoy the demo, share your favorite bookmarks below, and add soundStrider to your wishlist. Cheers!

[ 2020-05-21 22:49:41 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello psychonauts, I'm pleased to announce that the soundStrider demo is live on Steam! I've been working on this game full-time for five months. In that time it's grown from its initial concept as an auditory exploration game into a psychedelic walking simulator filled with imaginative environments. All of its procedurally generated sounds are synthesized in real-time to evoke naturalistic, musical, and abstract spaces. Its latest alpha update contains several changes for everyone playing the demo:

• Optimizations for all environmental sounds
• Improvements to world generation and object behavior
• Minor tweaks and fixes

Also included is a new breathing animation for its visualizer:
Progress on the game is advancing quickly. Over the next two months I plan to add over a dozen new sounds, more quests, and some secrets to discover. I'm looking forward to sharing more with you soon. In the meantime, please enjoy the demo, share your favorite bookmarks below, and add soundStrider to your wishlist. Cheers!

[ 2020-04-25 19:08:27 CET ] [ Original post ]