March 10, 2023
All Hands On Deck
2023 is escalating quickly as we gear up for the upcoming Soft Launch of Sipher Odyssey.
We’re excited to share our progress with you & showcase all the hard work of our team. Enjoy!
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NOTABLE COMPANY MILESTONES
LUNAR NEW YEAR CELEBRATION
Ather Labs welcomes the Year of the Rabbit giving lucky red envelopes to the team and dressing up the office for this special occasion.
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BLING TO THE FUTURE
Ather Labs is very proud to be accompanied by extremely talented and enthusiastic people. We hope that all our beloved members will continue to be side by side and conquer many more new journeys.
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All 3 offices of Ather Labs had a one-of-a-kind celebration to kick off 2023, sharing a night of glamour & style.
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HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY
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SOCIAL MEDIA
We proudly present more and more well-polished assets on our social media channels in the future.
DOMAIN MIGRATION
We’re excited to announce that our email domain migration from @SIPHER.XYZ to @ATHERLABS.COM was a success.
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TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT: CRYPTOGRAPHY IN BLOCKCHAINS
Our training & development workshops continue in full effect as Senior Blockchain Engineer Khoa shares his knowledge of Cryptography in Blockchains.
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TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT: GENERATIVE AI
During the informative workshop, members of our team were introduced to insights and demos from Tin's talk on AI and its workplace applications. We have mini-projects ongoing so that our members can better understand AI and how to apply it effectively to our work and products.
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GAME DEV UPDATES
CHARACTER UPGRADE
Instantly see how your characters get stronger over time.
Power Score? It’s over 9,000!
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WEAPON CRAFTING
Weapon crafting offers a dynamic experience with the ability to customize based on your desired build.
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GAME MODES
A new & improved version of the Game Mode screen - choose your adventure & establish your legacy in Sipheria!
IN-GAME ANNOUNCEMENT
Get all the latest info so you can stay ahead of the game.
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PROFILE OVERVIEW
Achievement Unlocked: Profile Overview Upgrade
See all your achievements in one place.
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CHARACTER LIBRARY
Choose Your Fighter!
A collection of all your heroes ready for some dungeon-crawling action.
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CHARACTER PREVIEW
A glimpse of what each character brings to the table.
Great for strategizing which builds work best for solo or team runs.
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RANKING ICON
See you at the top!
The chosen few who will climb the leaderboard get marked with a special icon.
NEW BOOST ICONS
A fresh take on a few of the many boosts you will be able to equip.
BOOST DECK
Roguelite elements on full display!
Customize boosts to build your unique character.
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CONCEPT ART
What did the INU & BURU get themselves into?
What do these resources represent?
In-game Concept Art WIP from our amazing artists.
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IN-GAME STORE DESIGN
SIPHER STORE is open for business soon!
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SEASON PASS DESIGN
SEASON PASS screen to showcase exclusive rewards players can get.
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IN-GAME CURRENCIES DESIGN
A taste of the different in-game currencies (RAM, ROM, BYTE) which will be useful throughout your journey.
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FLAG DESIGN
Choose from different flag designs to showcase your style.
FLAG DESIGN IN ACTION
Here’s a preview of how flags add that extra flair to your character.
CHARACTER COSMETICS
BURU & INU are ready to blast off into the Sipherian skies in their aviation outfits.
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Predict your opponent's next move & always be a step ahead with the psychic gear.
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The freshest duo in Sipheria - who says you can’t raid dungeons in style?
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Can you smell what the INU is cooking?
BURU is ready to serve some knuckle sandwiches!
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WEAPON CONCEPT
Different concepts for a scythe, but all as deadly as the other.
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CHARACTER CONCEPT
Waiting for you in the magical world of Sera.
A boss that’s ready to blast you into pieces with its dynamite-inspired abilities.
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Another colossal boss guarding Sera.
Likes to blend in with the environment but is ready to pounce on sight.
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CUTSCENE STORYBOARD
A cinematic storyboard of the Conductor.
Armed with various weapons at his disposal, be careful coz’ you might get shocked.
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IN-GAME CUTSCENE
The Conductor makes an electrifying entrance in this in-game cinematic.
Well, that escalated quickly…
The Conductor is about to unleash a barrage of attacks!
CUTSCENE STORYBOARD
Preview of a cutscene storyboard for one of the destructive bosses of Zendor.
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Charging in with all its might!
This aggressive boss won’t take no for an answer so be ready to kill or be killed.
CHARACTER INTRO
Neko Felis is doing her signature move to impress her enemies and dominate them later!
Look at that slowww mooo flip!
Crystalis Neko teasing us with her Super Nova ability.
Wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of this one!
IN-GAME CUTSCENE
Wondering what mysteries lie inside?
You’ll find out soon enough!
BOSS INTRO
The 2 headed monster that you will be facing in Dopamis.
You know what they say, 2 heads are better deadlier than one.
MINI-BOSS ANIMATION
Quick, deadly, & armed with multiple strikes, you’re in for a treat with this mini-boss.
A mushroom-like being armed with two sharp & deadly weapons.
What defeating a mini-boss looks like!
Don’t be fooled however, this isn’t an easy challenge to beat.
CAN YOU COUNTER ALL OF THESE ATTACKS?
MAP IMPROVEMENTS
Our team is also focusing on many key elements to polish the look & feel whenever players enter a dungeon.
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New Decoration, Enhanced Layouts, and More!
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How about some spectacular views of dungeon scenery?
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Hey! Watch out for those electrified traps! ⚡
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And we decided to put brand new challenges for everyone.
Looks so fun!
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Adding more interesting decorations for you to explore.
Dungeons are now lively and full of points of interest.
Can you feel the heat of Dopamis?
STORE PAGE SETTING
In preparation for our game launch, we are preparing marketing assets to set up our store pages for Apple & Google.
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NARRATIVE
Attention players! Allow us to introduce you to one of the main NPCs you'll encounter in your SIPHERIAN Journey: "The Grandmaster"
Her guidance through the regions will prove invaluable as you navigate the challenges that await you, and her unwavering commitment to her mission as a loyal emissary of The Goddess Kusoka makes her an invaluable asset!
So prepare to learn from one of the greatest masters of combat and strategy you may ever encounter, and embark on your adventure with "The Grandmaster" by your side!
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Can you feel it, Sipher? How far you’ve come”
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What dangers and mysteries lie ahead around every corner? Stay tuned to find out more!
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GAME BLOCKCHAIN INFRA: A UX 1ST APPROACH TO SCALING
All blockchain infrastructure modules that have been marked have been constructed and are now ready for integration with the game server.
Also, the game server has successfully connected and communicated with the blockchain infrastructure.
Once the game client is ready, we'll be able to commence testing the system and get one step closer to launch!
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PERFORMANCE OPTIMIZATION
We are employing various best practices:
- Trimsheets to combine many materials
- Applying LODs to reduce polycounts
- Selective-shadow usage
- Selective see-through shader for certain meshes
- Frustum culling to reduce draw calls
- Memory budget optimization
- VFX Pooling
- Atlas optimization
- Merging & Instancing meshes
And more that we’ll share on our Ather Tech Blog
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INTERNAL RELEASE NOTES
We have been working tirelessly to improve various aspects of the game, and we are excited to share them with you.
We have redesigned the main UI lobby to provide a more visually appealing and streamlined experience. The flow has been optimized to make it easier for players to navigate and find what they need.
Next, we are introducing a new trap system that will offer more challenges for players to overcome. With new traps added to the game, players will need to strategize and use their skills to avoid them.
We have also balanced the stats of Dungeons, Weapons, and equipment to ensure a fair and challenging gameplay experience.
Furthermore, we have improved our reward distribution system to provide players with the appropriate rewards based on their performance.
Enemy stats have also been rebalanced to ensure that players will face appropriate challenges. In addition, we have added new and improved gameplay VFX and SFX to make the gameplay even more immersive.
Besides that, we are excited to announce a new soundtrack and BGM that will accompany players on their journey through the game.
Finally, we have improved our FTUE (First Time User Experience) to help new players get started in the game more easily.
We appreciate your ongoing support and feedback, which have helped us to improve the game. Please stay tuned for the upcoming game release!
GAME PUBLISHING DIRECTOR
THANG NGUYEN
COMMUNITY
Hi Everyone.
As you can see, the Game Team is hard at work pushing for the release of the game, we’ve come a long way since last year, and we are getting closer and closer to the finish line. The first big milestone for us and the team, the big open play test, and the soft launch is coming soon, and in rapid succession.
The Details of the playtest will be announced soon, with the soft launch following not soon after. This will be the first time that a majority of our holders can try out the game, and the first time traditional gamers can play our game.
We are taking the first step into showing people that NFTs & Blockchain can and will have a use in gaming, but first and foremost it starts with a good product. Your critique and guidance will be critical for the development of the game in the year to come, to fine-tune it into the first breakthrough for a blockchain game.
I can’t wait, and as always, thank you all so much for your continued support.
COMMUNITY HEAD
PEEK
ABOUT SOFT-LAUNCH
The soft-launch phase is scheduled for the first half of 2023, during which specific countries will be targeted to gain insight into their playerbases.
This stage is expected to last a few months, enabling us to collect enough data to refine the game and make critical decisions before our global launch.
Furthermore, there are plans for additional activities that will leverage the branding of Sipher Odyssey for players, communities, and partners in the future.
We are currently working on polishing a store listing for both the Apple Store and Google Play, including the app icon, screenshots, app name, and description.
We are eagerly looking forward to delivering the game right into your hands.
Please stay tuned!
SIPHER ODYSSEY TEAM
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GENERAL STUDIO UPDATES
RED PACKETS GAME
As part of the Lunar New Year celebration, our team created the “Red Packets Game” where you can test your luck to win special prizes - all done within the Ather Labs Dashboard!
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ATHER PROFILE IS LIVE #ATHERWRAP2022
SIPHERIAN TALES - TABULA RASA PART II
The Sipherian Tales series continues with Part II of Tabula Rasa.
This is an emotion-packed edition as Yul takes a blast into his mysterious
past. Make sure to check it out if you haven’t already!
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MERCHANDISE
The ATHERversary merch has arrived & is ready to be shipped to the winners!
Featuring the Limited Edition bandana & shirt.
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ATHER ATLAS REVAMP
Our Ather Atlas is undergoing a major revamp to showcase all the info you need to thrive in Sipheria.
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FINAL WORDS FROM OUR WORLD ARCHITECT
FOUNDER’S NOTE
Dear everyone,
2023 continues to be a tough and challenging year for all of us in the game industry. I remain optimistic and excited about what we have been building. We’ve made significant progress in terms of optimization of our game assets and code base for mobile devices while still retaining the performance targets in terms of FPS. All the hard work and lots of effort from both artists and gameplay engineers are paying off.
All members are focusing on making sure all three of our producer teams hit their respective goals of core gameplay, meta-game, and mobile optimization, while the Live Ops and UA teams are hard at work preparing our launch plans, UA ad-networks, ad channels, creatives and a whole lot more.
This past two months, as a studio, we spent significant time drafting, fine-tuning, and setting our OKRs for the next 12 months, both for the game and for the studio as a whole. We have big plans ahead for Sipher Odyssey, and the time we spent establishing our targets and metrics are important foundations to help us achieve those plans.
The next 9 months for Sipher Odyssey will be extremely important. We are so excited to soon see the game in the player's hands, on mobile.
I want to thank you for your continued support. Wish you all great health and until next time, take care!
FOUNDER
TIN NGUYEN
Thank you for reading this edition of our
ATHER LABS DEVELOPMENT UPDATE
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