Skywatch #2 - Saborians: Self-Proclaimed Gods

It's Friday, which means it's time for another Skywatch! 

Firstly, thank you so much for your feedback and comments following last weeks Skywatch, it means so much to us to see the excitement and encouragement from our community, we're keeping a close eye on the feedback coming in.

If you haven't already done so, please join the discussions over at the Lost Skies Discord server and make sure you sign up to the open development community for a chance to be selected to playtest early builds of the game!

With that out of the way, let's deep dive into this weeks development update!

Last week, we gave you a glimpse at some of the game assets from one of our ancient lore cultures in the game - The Saborians. The history of Lost Skies is rich and steeped in mystery - what was the old world like before the events that caused the planet to shatter? What caused that cataclysm anyway? What were the inhabitants of that old world like? The cultures? The technology? The answers to all of these questions and more await you in Lost Skies, in your search to uncover the secrets of Foundation.

In this weeks update, we want to introduce you to the Saborians and give you a glimpse of what this proud people were like before the world ended.

Introducing the Saborians: Self-Proclaimed Gods.

The Saborians are perhaps the most controversial of all the nations that once inhabited the planet. From the moment their ancestors left the asp-ridden jungles of Koinos in search of a better life, paddling across the small strait to the uninhabited island paradise they would dub Sabor, they seemed destined to have an impact on the world.

The Saborians grew up alongside the Redusa river delta on the continent of Amum, a land that while hot, was as rich and fertile as any. Four once-disparate city-states unified there under the shared tenets of freedom and equality. Saborians were physically strong and athletic and had a dark skin tone, much like the Bandini, with whom they were almost certainly related. They believed in creating a utopia, self-sufficient and untainted by the rest of Foundation - an inclusive society, without crime or poverty. They dreamed of an afterlife known as Aetherium in which they would one day take their place as gods. Saborians spent most of their lives at a bathhouse called the cloistrum, where they exercised and socialised.

Aesthetically, Saborians used a lot of angular geometric shapes with sharp edges, jutting extensions and symmetry in their architecture and designs. Even their clothing followed a similar uniformity. We're using familiar shape language to inform the design decisions and keep uniformity across the Saborian culture assets that will be found in-game. Below are some early concept pieces of Saborian architecture that demonstrate this.

The video clip below shows some of the Saborian ruins Island Creator assets for Lost Skies.

We are working on a few shared shaders and materials for the Saborian stone ruins. Our first biome will be temperate biome, so we’re testing some shader features that will help make the ruins feel overgrown with moss.

Below is a look at some of the Saborian wall assets that are being worked on for the updated Island Creator for Lost Skies. The first image shows painted Saborian wall patterns and the second image shows Saborian wall carvings. Inspired by Art Deco and more futuristic sci-fi motifs. The teal/green colour feels like it's going to be important for defining the Saborian style. For the carvings, we are imagining Atlas energy illuminating the wall patterns.

In the video below, you can see some of the work being done on the Saborian wall Island Creator asset in Unity. The clip shows our 3D artists adding some Saborian pattern designs to the wall assets, using projected textures to keep the detail size consistent when the asset is scaled to different sizes.

These defining characteristics carry across to other Saborian assets too. Below is a recap of the Saborian turret concept pieces that we shared with you last week, as well as a first look at the initial 3D model for this asset.

Many of the technologies that you'll discover and craft in Lost Skies will also inherit various Saborian characteristics. Below is a recap of the Saborian ship engine concepts from last week, as well as the first pass at the 3D model based off of those concepts. Once again, you can see the Saborian influence in the sharp angles and art deco inspired elements of the design.

Besides engines, you'll also be able to craft other Saborian inspired ship parts and workstations. Take a look at some early concept pieces for our tier 1 Saborian helm, wings and cannons, as well as an early look at the Saborian shipyard where you'll craft your very own skyship!

The images below are some early renders and texture work for our first Saborian outfit. A lot of attention is being paid to applying the signature Saborian style to smaller details such as the belt buckle, the shoulder spaulders and the knee guards.

And finally, the images below take you through some early concepts of the Saborian grappling hook that players will get access to early in the game, as well as some early greybox models and lastly, a look at the current render with textures and VFX applied.

And that's all for this week! We hope you've found this glimpse into the Saborian culture enlightening. This civilisation may have long since faded to memory by the time the events of Lost Skies occur, but just like humanities own ancient civilisations, they've left their mark on the world of Foundation, and the secrets of their past await your discovery.

If you haven't already done so, please go add Lost Skies to your wishlist on Steam to show your support and make sure you join the Official Lost Skies Discord Server too. We'll have more to share with you next week!