July 2024 Update
Dear Grand Voyage crew,
Greetings from Denver, Colorado! Mike here and I'm excited to bring you some much-anticipated updates to our exciting upcoming project 'Grand Voyage.' The team has been monstrously hard at work these past months and the project is almost unrecognisable to how it appeared back in February when we last showed off some things in a video.
To begin with let me address the elephant in the room; frequency of project updates has dropped off in the last few months. We've tried to keep our social media active with glimpses into what the team has accomplished and we have Sarah, the project's marketing coordinator, to thank for this. My role within the project is to produce it - to bring together all the moving parts and direct it as a creative lead. Part of this is also the production of update videos - these can be lengthy and difficult to put together, especially since as you all know I also run the channel Oceanliner Designs. The combined effect of my business trips, a long-overdue vacation and workflow challenges with the channel has meant it is difficult for me to produce update videos and, by the time I have been ready to do so, the team has moved the dial on Grand Voyage so much that I need to commission new renders to show you!
The story here is that while I have not been able to create an exciting update video for the last couple of months the team has been absolutely burning the candle at both ends and the project has soared ahead in leaps and bounds. Today I have decided to create a text post to update you on a few things that I intend on including in an update video which we are currently animating for. We have encountered some technical issues as regards animating renders for the update video but once this is sorted out you will be able to see things in glorious 3D. Until then please enjoy this text and photo update as we run through some major milestones.
The Project’s Progress
So, where is Grand Voyage at?
Originally the game was supposed to be a simple 'walking simulator' with simple environments and ship models but as we have continued to work on the game it has blossomed into something grander with more detailed spaces and many things for the player to do. This has meant the original timeline for the project has shifted somewhat - but we are working with a singular goal in mind which is to focus on delivering a product in a timely manner, something that is detailed without going overboard and delaying it indefinitely. We are recreating the 'spirit' of the era and the ships, not a 100% accurate reproduction - but at the same time some things just need to be up-detailed and optimised for players' enjoyment.
The other aspect behind all of this is the fact we are an amateur team made up largely of enthusiasts who have never worked together before. One of the major milestones over the last few months has been onboarding new team members and getting workflows together. It sounds banal but for a team of 15-20 people who have only ever worked as individuals, learning to work together as a team has presented challenges when it comes to what everybody needs and when. We're still learning the ropes but I have been absolutely blown away by how everybody works together. One great example of this is our texturing specialist Sylvie and historical overseer Robin. Together they have maintained a near-daily back and forth for months re-creating spaces for the Empress of Ireland's interiors. I cannot put into words how in-depth their work has been and they have organically created a workflow where they work as a team, Robin providing historical input and guidance and Sylvie masterfully creating the textures. Because of this mammoth volume of work we are excited to announce we have completed one of the major rooms in the Empress and the team continues to work on the rest. We will be revealing these soon but, in the meantime, have released a teaser image; you can see the incredibly ornate dome towering over the space. This was no easy task whatsoever and major props are owed to the team for getting this beautiful thing done!
So what does this mean for a release for Grand Voyage? Originally I had floated, back at the start of the project, that I was aiming for a summer 2024 release but given the volume of work and some of the learning opportunities we've encountered this is not possible. In an ideal world the project would be complete in time for Christmas - this makes the most sense economically for a major project release of course - but this too may prove difficult. I hate to set expectations on deadlines and then blow through them so will continue to say that at the moment Grand Voyage does not have a release date set in stone. It will be finished when it is finished and Patrons will get their early access. The team is working hard to achieve this as soon as possible; some of them even work on this as their full time job. If Christmas this year is not possible then we will be aiming for a 2025 release. I wish I could be more specific on release dates but I want to make it clear that the amount of work involved in putting this thing together is no small task and in many cases we are learning as we go. We are extremely confident we will be able to release a polished and complete product - this is not vaporware nor is it a can we will kick down the road into 2027 - but it is a labour of love and I hope that will be apparent from the exciting screenshots we have to share!
Another question you may be wondering - how is this all funded? Well I have paid for this using Oceanliner Designs' channel revenue as well as your generous support dollars through Patreon! All of your support has been of immense help since my objective has been for the entire team to be justly paid for their work - to be blunt the cost of this project is working out at the moment to be somewhere in the vicinity of $10,000 per month as most of the team is paid on an hourly basis for their work and volunteers do so by choice as a way to support the project. I want to tell you this to say a heartfelt thankyou for your generous support as it eases the burden of cost and ensures all our talented team members are rewarded for their beautiful works.
So with this context out of the way let's dive into the thick of it!
What have we been up to?
1. The game's engine and mechanics
This has, by far, been the steepest learning curve for our enthusiast team. At the start the game's models were relatively simple and there were few environments but as the game has been added to the models have become increasingly more complex putting strain on the base engine. Fortunately we have had assistance from some very knowledgeable parties including one games industry professional who has worked on AAA titles you'd be familiar with and is volunteering his time and expertise in an uncredited and anonymous capacity. Matt, the project's lead dev, has worked tirelessly to bring the game's various elements to life. Just doing this is, in itself, an art. The workflow kind of goes like this;
I come up with an idea for an environment or a thing. I discuss it with Matt and he agrees that if we can create the assets he can bring it together.
I commission one of the art team - 3D modellers and texture artists - to make the objects we need.
The artists give the assets to Matt and he installs them in-game, either on ships or in land-based environments like our various ports
The amount of work Matt has done on all of this cannot really be put adequately into words - but fortunately the end result speaks to this. Some of the early game environments like Liverpool and Southampton have been completely overhauled and revamped and up-detailed to extraordinary quality. Liverpool, probably the most sparse when we began this project, has now been utterly brought to life by a combined effort from the art team and Matt's careful hand.
The NPCs have proved more troublesome to implement - we have had dozens of authentic costumes modeled but getting them in-engine without obvious defects has presented some challenges which we are just now, thankfully, overcoming.
Performance on gaming PCs will need some careful attention but in the coming months Matt, Kelsey and our engineering volunteer will work to optimise and streamline the game so it runs the best it can. This is deeply technical work - I can barely understand it myself (sorry, I am purely a creative guy) but progress has been made and even some custom code and AAA game techniques are being tested which will help the thing run smoothly.
2. The Environments
I mentioned above that the environments have been up-detailed and brought to life in a convincing way. I can give you some good examples of this; Vicente, a new addition to the art team and an exceptionally talented artist, completely remodeled the iconic Liver building from the Liverpool waterfront. Andrew, another new team members, has been at work on some interesting spaces for Liverpool; passengers will now be able to explore a ticket booking office at the Liverpool landing stage and learn about how passengers booked and boarded ocean liners.
Another aspect of this work has been in creating new environments tied into the game's experience and narrative. If this just sounds like a string of buzzwords to you let me break it down.
The primary question that drives the creation of docks and places for players to explore is this; what is the point of Grand Voyage? Originally it was to explore legendary ships - but without the critical context of the infrastructure and places that actually supported the ships and were their primary reason for being a huge chunk of the story was being missed. In Grand Voyage we want you, the players, to experience a voyage on an ocean liner or a cruise ship from one destination to the next in a convincing enough way that it gives you an idea of what it must have been like in, say, 1910 or 1963. To do this you need to board the ship and disembark the ship at either end of the voyage - this means each ship needs at least two ports to be modeled.
Lakonia is a good example of this. She was a cruise ship introduced in April 1963 that burned and sank in December that year, but for those short few months she was a successful and popular cruise ship. Originally we had players board the vessel at Southampton, experience life at sea, and then return to the same port; but we were missing half the story. The ship was a regular sight at Madeira and Funchal - exotic locations that Britons loved to explore, sunny locales with exciting, vibrant culture and atmosphere. So - how could we simply have Lakonia bypass this magnificent spot? We couldn't - so we've now modeled Madeira in Portugal where players will be able to disembark Lakonia and explore areas of the island.
To that end the current list of environments and spaces planned for the various ships is as follows;
Empress of Ireland (at game's release):
Liverpool - WIP but at an advanced stage of completion
Quebec - WIP and at an intermediate stage of completion
Lakonia (game's release):
Southampton - WIP but at an advanced stage of completion
Madeira - WIP and at an early stage of completion
R101 Airship
RAF Cardington - WIP, only a mockup done as yet
Aquitania (future DLC):
Liverpool: as above
New York City: WIP; groundwork done, piers modeled
Andrea Doria (future DLC):
Genoa: Proposed only, not yet started
New York City: as above
This will provide players with a huge amount of space to explore, massive amounts of historical context and a deeply exciting feeling as you walk through the docks to board your ship. I can't put it into words how exciting it is to step through the Liverpool dockside and see the Empress' twin tunnels shining in the sun. You know that's your ship and you'll be boarding soon - it is really enthralling stuff.
A huge shoutout to 3D modelers Matteo, Vicente, Andrew and Sylvie who have worked very hard to bring these environments to life!
3. The Experience
So what is there to do in Grand Voyage?
Well aside from a huge amount of exploration and ambiance we are working on some exciting ideas to provide a unique experience. I'll list them here;
i) Free-cam and screenshot mode
This was a community request, one we originally shied away from but one we have now implemented - actually this was all Matt's handiwork and I'll show it off in the upcoming update video. Simply put you can now control a free camera to zoom around the ship and docks, add filters, take screenshots, adjust focal length and more. Of course you can also control the weather and the time to get exactly the right shot you want.
ii) 'Snapshot' levels
This is one I came up with after a lot of soul-searching. We want Grand Voyage to serve as a tribute to these magnificent vessels of old in their heyday. The Empress of Ireland had a near-decade long career and was a very happy, popular ship She deserves to be remembered that way; but she did sink and in a truly horrific way. We want to include this part of history without being macabre or voyeuristic. Real-time sinking modes are out of the question, both technically and - in my opinion - ethically as they seem somewhat lurid. Instead we plan to provide the player with glimpses into what it might have been like to be aboard the Empress of Ireland the night she sank or the Lakonia the night she caught fire. This is an early concept and only a few tests have been completed to date but the idea is for players to explore small levels depicting stages of the ships' demise interspersed with cut-scenes and animations. At the end you will be able to explore artifacts related to the ship's sinking before the clock is rewound, the ship is 'brought back to life' again for you and you can explore her once more in her heyday. To be clear this is not a 'sinking mode' - but it is a deeply moving, atmospheric experience where you can get some small sense of the terror that many must have felt when their beautiful ships were destroyed. We include it because it is a part of their story; it needs to be told, but the emphasis will always be on the life of the ships and not their deaths. To that point we are not just working on ships that sank; Aquitania is in the works and she had a very long and storied career indeed.
iii) Minigames and activities
The concept of some minigames one would expect to find aboard ships is something I'm excited to pursue. I don't know or even think that they would be ready for a release and I certainly don't want them to delay the game in any capacity but if we can add some fun games like poker in the lounge or shuffleboard on deck then we will do so. Some early investigations and underway and we can keep you posted on this in the following months.
4. The Ships
I probably should have had this higher up the list since I'm sure it's what you're all most interested in but truth be told we are all just as excited by the environments and experience as we are by the ships themselves! I'll update you ship by ship:
SS Empress of Ireland
Our most complete ship yet. The exterior model may need a few spots of up-detail work and Matteo completely revised the hull to include accurate plating - but more recently the team has been focused on her interiors. Liam finished modelling popular public rooms including the main staircase, cafe, music room and dining saloon complex and they are installed in the ship. Robin and Sylvie are working through texturing them and they have just finished the Music Room; next is the cafe and soon that entire three-story complex will be finished! As part of up-detailing works Matteo has remade the Empress' lifeboats to a beautiful degree of detail and through his own exhaustive personal research. Meanwhile Ethan has been hard at work down in the engine room - this space will probably present the only planned 'cut away' between exterior and interior where you will need to sit through a brief loadscreen before you enter the compartment. This is because the engines are so incredibly detailed and complex they will probably need their own dedicated level! Players will be able to walk through the engine room and into the boiler rooms and the engines will be fully rigged and animated - in fact Ethan has knocked together some test animations we can show you in the upcoming update video.
TSMS Lakonia
The less famous of the two release ships but one which the entire team has fallen in love with. Her development lagged behind as we all worked on the Empress of Ireland but now she has emerged, after a huge amount of work, as a convincing and beautiful depiction of the real thing. I did some research to assist on this using plans and brochures to map out what spaces were used for what activities; fortunately, preserved programs from the ship's final cruise told us that the promenades were split into sections and used for everything from cold buffets and high tea to ping pong. All these areas have been decorated and filled out; the Agora shopping center at the stern is full and the shops now have their own inventory. Some fun discoveries along the way have brought the ship to life in a way I could never have imagined given how few resources there are for her! Now the interior rooms are being modelled by Vicente, Liam and Andrew; Vicente is working on the ship's cinema on the promenade deck. In the game you'll be able to take a seat and watch real life footage of cruises from the 1950s and 1960s including one incredibly rare colour reel taken aboard Lakonia herself. Andrew has finished the ship's pool, the first ever to set to see with a retractable roof. Meanwhile Liam is working on the 'Lakonia Room' lounge with its ornate carvings and unique Dutch decor. Matteo has reworked the ship's lifeboats too; we plan for one to be controllable as a tender to ferry you ashore when you visit Madeira.
R101
The infamous airship's development was protracted in real life and the same is proving to be the case in GV. This is not due to inactivity on the part of Tino, the airship's modeler; rather that sources are conflicting and scant and it is hard, slow-going work. Tino has done an incredible job on some rarely-photographed spaces; at time of writing he has completed the control cab, crew smoking room and a galley. He will continue to work on the interiors but there is a chance R101 will not be ready at time of release and we have contingencies to deal with this and a subsequent release of the airship.
RMS Aquitania & the DLC ships
'The ship beautiful'! Lucas did an amazing job updetailing his model of the exterior and worked with Matteo to create probably the most accurate virtual recreation of this ship ever attempted. Matt has brought her into engine for testing and fitting-out and the bridge, with its beautifully-polished instruments, is complete and a beautiful sight. That said the ship is an empty shell and will need a LOT of work to complete. We are not working on her in any great amount until after release. The same is true of Andrea Doria - exterior nearly complete thanks to Matteo (she really is his baby) but with no more work to be done until we are happy and finished with Empress and Lakonia. There is one more DLC ship we have elected to begin working on whose identity I will keep a secret but suffice it to say her size shocked Matteo when he began working on her and the hull plating that seemed to go on forever!
5. The Music
We've released a bit of the music composed for the game as teasers in update videos but I don't think the audience is aware of the full extent or beauty of the music and we plan on rectifying this soon! Suffice it to say that around 80 or 90 minutes of original music has been composed, recorded, mastered and supplied for the game; each ship will have its own theme and ambient tracks. On top of this, a dozen historically-accurate piano pieces have been recorded by a classically-trained pianist for use in the game. You will be able to walk up to pianos in lounges and public rooms and interact with them and a virtual pianist will then play the song of your choice kind of like a juke box. Some of the recorded tracks included 'The Blue Danube' and 'Alexander's Ragtime Band' for the Empress of Ireland while aboard Lakonia you will hear 'Hawaiian Wedding Song' which played as the ship burned as well as classics like 'By The Light of the Silvery Room' and 'My Blue Heaven'.
IN CONCLUSION
As you can see we have been a busy bunch! We can't wait to show off our works in video format and will continue to work on some of the tech challenges surrounding that - but until then please keep engaging with us on social media and Patreon, tell your friends about us and if you'd like to join the community go ahead and jump into the Oceanliner Designs Discord server where you can inform a member of the mod team of your Patron status and log into the Grand Voyage patron chat!
Thanks so much for all your support and patience and we cannot wait to show you more! Until then stay safe and stay happy and I will see you again. :)
~Mike
