Prepare to Design Ships in ShipShaper
Indie developer Tomas Sala has rolled out a major update for the demo of his upcoming relaxing crafting game, ShipShaper, just a week after unveiling the project. The new demo is now live on Steam, accompanied by a brand-new trailer that highlights the game’s creative tools and soothing design philosophy.
ShipShaper invites players to build and shape their own vessels in an intuitive, hands-on way. Instead of wrestling with complex 3D modeling tools, players simply pull, push, and drag forms into place. The system allows them to craft everything from modest fishing boats to towering tall ships, ironclads, and even early dreadnoughts. Sala designed the experience to remove the usual tedium of ship design, replacing endless cube-stacking and technical hurdles with organic shaping tools and easy prop attachments.
Once players finish a ship, they can place it inside an Ursee Diorama to admire their creation. Or, they can even export it for use in Bulwark and Sala’s future projects.
The latest demo update introduces several notable features. Bottle View adds fully procedural glass bottles that automatically adapt to each ship’s proportions. Players can now directly export their designs as 3D files, making it possible to build and even 3D print their creations. The game also now includes a Creative Commons license, allowing players to use and even sell the ships. Sala describes the update as something of an “I couldn’t help myself” kind of update.
ShipShaper is currently participating in Steam Next Fest as well. So, make sure to check it out and test your creativity.