Astroworkers, we have returned! Today’s update includes the ability to make and play on custom planets, a feature requested by many! Yes, you can now design your own stages to share with friends! Here we’ll explain the steps necessary to carve out your own section of the galaxy.

Basics

To create a custom planet:

1) Open the custom planets folder located within your Nom Nom Galaxy folder (Steam\steamapps\common\NomNomGalaxy\custom_planets)

2) Create a new folder here for your custom planet. Folder names can include standard alphanumeric characters as well as spaces, hyphens (-), underscores (_), and the pound sign (#).

3) The custom planets folder contains a file named NomNomGalaxy_palette.pdf which shows what pixel colors correspond to what map features.

Using the color palette info, make your own planet in an image editor like MS Paint. One pixel corresponds to one map tile, and different pixel colors correspond to different kinds of map tiles. For example, black pixels are standard terrain, grey pixels are stone blocks, and blue pixels are water.

The placement of rare plants, animal nests, and certain creatures is determined by single pixels. Note that some require a certain amount of space for proper placement. In the above screenshot the orange pixel representing a mammoth is placed above the “I love soup” platform due to its large size.

4) Save your custom planet as a PNG file and add “_map” to the end of the file name (example: “Custom Planet_map.png” for a stage called “Custom Planet”).

5) Restart Nom Nom Galaxy and your new stage should appear in the list of custom planets accessible via the SoupCo Planet Database planet.

Tips

Your planet design may not work well (or at all) on your first attempt, but don’t give up! Trial and error are key. There are also a few things you can do to build a better world:

-As a general guideline, maps shouldn’t exceed 160,000 pixels. For example, current maps include sizes such as 400×400, 320×500, and 250×640.

-The planet background and foreground colors are currently randomized, so if you’re not happy with the results try changing a pixel. One small change may do the trick.

– Make sure the bottom layer of your planet is filled in. While it’s possible to make floating islands (as demonstrated in one of the samples included), you’ll still need sturdy ground.

– Give yourself enough matter. No matter how lovely your planet is, you won’t be able to build an equally lovely factory without enough raw materials.

– Remember, factories aren’t waterproof! Getting water in your factory can shut everything down. Of course, you might think of a way to overcome it…

Post your best creations! We’ll be on the lookout for strange and interesting planets to share on Twitter and Facebook!

We’ve also made a number of improvements and bug fixes!

Control Improvements:

– Added mouse support for the maintenance menu (options are now clickable).
– Added mouse support for the company name entry field at the start of the game.
– Added ability to plant ingredients with the X button (Xbox format controller).
– Added ability to rotate construction parts with the mouse wheel.
– Added ability to close the office menu with the same key used to open it.

UI Improvements:

– Updated on-screen UI hint for “Throw” to the left mouse button to help clarify that throwing direction is determined by pointer position when using mouse and keyboard.
– Newly acquired gum is now sorted with the same type instead of being added in chronological order.

Other:

– Changed Fever Time music.

Fixes:

– Fixed an issue that caused players to get stuck in the tutorial.
– Fixed an issue where players could join a multiplayer session before a second controller option was available.
– Fixed an issue with the options menu displaying invalid resolutions for the active display in multiple-monitor setups.
– Fixed an issue where attempting to click options at the bottom of the key bindings menu could inadvertently select a list item in the background instead.
– Fixed an issue in which the game would crash at startup when the settings file wasn’t deserialized properly.
– Fixed an issue where the game would crash when the window was resized.
– Fixed an issue found to desync multiplayer sessions.
– Fixed minor localization issues.
– Fixed other miscellaneous bugs.

We hope this update enhances your SoupCo profit margins to the max!

Earlier this month we sent our new Soup Co. chef-in-training Roger Hicks to SXSW to give Texas a taste of Nom Nom. We were nominated for the Gamer’s Voice Award alongside many other great indie titles like Nova-111, Hyper Light Drifter, and Chroma Squad.

“Everyone seemed to really enjoy the game a lot,” Roger reported. “A lot of people instantly thought it was Terraria, and then they quickly realized it wasn’t. But they still really enjoyed it! A lot of people were asking about the Steam Early Access and when the full game was going to come out. They also wondered if it was multiplayer.

A lot of people also asked me about Tomorrow Children. I couldn’t really answer anything about that. A bunch of people also want another Pixel Junk Monster game!”

Thanks, Roger! Our soup didn’t take the top prize this time, but there were still plenty of future Astroworkers trying their hand at galactic soup conquest! We were proud to get yet another nomination for Nom Nom Galaxy.

We’re working hard on getting Nom Nom ready for our next update, which should be in the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned!

One year ago, we brought our first original PixelJunk game to Steam via Early Access. It’s been a unique experience for Q. We’ve earned our reputation as the quiet studio in Kyoto making the quirky PixelJunk games. The quirky gameplay mechanics of the series was born from engine experiments or re-imagining gaming genres in 1080p (That was a big deal in 2007!) . Nom Nom Galaxy was a big departure for our development style. Since entering Early Access, we’ve experienced first hand the merits and demerits of developing in public and learned a few lessons. But ultimately, we think that Nom Nom Galaxy is a better game, and us a better studio, for it.

You may have noticed that we’ve had our heads down since successful showings at GDC China (Best Music at IGFC) and the inaugural PlayStation Experience last year. We’ve spent the past few months working with Double Eleven, our partners in the UK, adding content and tweaking based on internal and community feedback. We’re happy to announce that we’ve got an update coming in the next couple of weeks with a host of improvements, including new enemies, new planets and some much-anticipated optimizations!

There are a lot of other changes and additions in the next update, so jump back in when it’s released and let us know what you think!

Merry Christmas, Astroworkers!

It’s been a little while since we’ve seen any updates for Nom Nom Galaxy, but we elves have been working hard behind the scenes. We’ve left a bounty of Nom Nom presents under our Cosmic Christmas Tree for everyone!

The first present under our tree is a new way for Astroworkers customize their bases. These nifty escalators will transport soup and ingredients up or down automatically and add some variety to base designs.

This is sure to make Astroworkers who construct huge bases happy. We’ve added a crystal generator that can supply additional power to your base. You’ll have to find crystals hidden on the planets in order to create one first though.

If you’ve ever dreamed about zipping around the planet quickly, the new Warp Gates are right up your alley. For the cost of a little matter, you can teleport to and from your office to different Warp Gates that you set up around the map.

Our last big present is something we’re cooking up for our PixelJunk Monsters and Tower Defense fans. Astroworkers can now build Stun Towers to stop fast moving enemies and give your Shot Towers time to attack them.

There’s a lot more under the tree, so check out details below.

Update Notes:

• Added new research tiers to increase rocket speed. Speed can be increased 5 times, with a 10% increase each time. Key cost will increase by one with each upgrade.
• Added Warp Gate to research. Costs 10 keys to unlock.The Office serves as the warp gate home. Multiple gates can be built and the Astroworker will travel round robin to each gate before returning back to the office. Warping costs matter that increases according to distance.
• Added Escalator to research. Cost 3 keys to unlock.
• Added Long Throw to research.
• Added Stun Tower to research. Costs 4 keys to unlock. Stun Towers will temporarily stop enemy movement within their range.
• Added Building Defense Up to research.
• Added Crystal Generator to research. Crystal Generators supply additional power to base equal to the main office. Astroworkers must find a crystal on the planet in order to construct a generator. Crystals can be found on Iddil, Pomelyk, and Apoxus-67.
• Added new in-game BGM some stages

Changes

• Adjusted the timing of punches to make it easier to combo.
• Added knockback to the shotgun when enemy gets hit
• Added some knockback when you punch enemies
• Astroworkers can now do a rapid fire punch at the expense of some of their oxygen.
• Adjusted the action icons (Eat, Plant, Ladder, etc.)
• Increased the damage on the Dash Punch from 10 to 15. You can’t cancel out of this attack now.
• Added radar function to soup factories. Radar on the factory will now direct you to the closest ingredient. In 2P mode, the factory will find ingredients close to the last player to put an ingredient into the factory.
• Added a day timer at the bottom of the screen.
• With the Maintenance Menu open, you can now us L1 R2 (1, 2 on keyboard) to switch between buildings in the area.
• Changed the unlock key icon.
• Added button prompts to proceed on the Earnings Report and Research menus.
• Collectables (matter, floppy disks) can now be transported via treadmills.
• Charlie and Charles can now pick up items from the storage.
• Oxygen will no longer block water.
• You can no longer build a second base and must use Crystal Generators for additional base power.
• Fixed players being able to put items into buildings that no longer have power.
• Robots will no longer take damage from players.
• Seasonal changes will now be determined on a planet basis, not galaxy-wide.
• Added hint when placing blueprints (Corridor connection hints).
• Astroworkers can no longer punch while grabbing ledges

Bug Fixes

• Fixed building defense bug fix which would cause buildings destroyed using the maintenance menu to only deal damage to the building instead of destroying it.
• Fixed a bug where picking up an ingredient at the last second of decay would cause it to become invisible.
• Fixed a bug while climbing ladders underwater.
• Fixed a bug where the character would not be placed properly on the ladders.
• Fixed a bug where carrying a robot that carries a heavy object (soup) would not slow the player.
• Fixed shotgun pellet fire start location.
• Fixed a bug where you can achieve very high speed by punching while floating (In girdiers).
• Fixed problem where wielding a robot would prompt Eat and Plant commands.
• Fixed a bug where the player could climb into walls while getting hit by monsters.
• Fixed a bug which would cause the Astroworker to stop mid-attack if touched by enemies

As always, please let us know what you think in the comments here, on our Steam Community, Facebook, or Twitter! See you next time!

A brisk hello to you, Astroworkers!

Autumn is in full swing, and this update contains a number of things to help you bring in the soup and bring home the bacon in Nom Nom Galaxy. The changes this time run the gamut from small adjustments to BIG changes-and maybe even a glimpse of the future…

The Good Earth

It’s actually really low gravity.

First up is something that I know many have hoped for and pleaded with Robo-Shacho’s suggestion box for over and over. Astroworkers can now pull blocks of dirt out of walls and out of the ground! When standing next to a dirt wall, press and hold the Interact button, then pull in the opposite direction to pop out a block. If you want to pull a block out of the ground, press down first, grab it with Interact, then pull up to pop it out. Blocks of dirt can be placed or thrown, and will stick to other terrain. Try out new ways to blaze a path!
You can also pull blocks with matter and floppies in them, which could make collecting resources even easier.

No Limit, Soldier!

Astrokinesis!

Thanks to the Astroworker healthcare plan now covering visits to the optometrist, you can now place corridors, turrets, and other factory parts anywhere on screen, with no distance limit. Hopefully, this will make expanding your factories (and stacking those soup bucks) a much more simple and streamlined process. Of course, you still need to make sure the parts are connected and powered up!

Corporate Affairs

Yamasoup is on the rise!

Speaking of stacking bucks, our last big change has to do with the financial future of the Nom Nom universe. We’ve added “Company Funds,” which are earned by beating rivals. You’ll be able to get an idea of how industrious your rivals are at a glance by checking the amount of funds their defeat is worth. As for what these company funds will mean for the industrious Astroworker…keep your eyes on the soup market (and this blog)!

Of course, these are not all of the changes this update brings!

Other Updates/Fixes

• Players no longer returned to office at the end of the day.
  Players will remain in the place they were at the start of a new day with full health and oxygen.
• Company name now displayed on in-game office.
• Players can no longer ledge grab while using the buzzsaw.
• Players can now jump-cancel autoclimb.
• Ingredient search animation added to Ben.
• “Money” tab in construction menu changed to “Shop” tab.
• Travis research cost changed to 2 keys.
• Building defense up/Iron Suit researched unlocked.
  Building defense boost is 10%, Iron Suit defense boost is 30%. Both cost 4 keys.
• Protective Wall removed from research
• Q logo display bug fixed.
• Iddil pumpkin crash bug fixed.
• Creatures dropping incorrect ingredients bug fixed.
• Seasons not changing during gameplay bug fixed.

As always, please let us know what you think in the comments here, on our Steam Community, Facebook, or Twitter! See you next time!