Empluna

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• Announcements·7 Sept 2026Official

  The construction progress is ready to be tested

  The construction phase has hit a new milestone 🧱 and is ready to be tested. A quick recap: after that first early demo on Steam, it was important to us to work your feedback into the game. Because you had some genuinely great suggestions. And now you can test it. You can join the Playtest on our Steam page and try out the new changes. (Store Page) For now, the Playtest only covers the changes coming to the demo version, which will then go live in the demo itself, provided they don't contain any major bugs. So how are we imagining this testing works? If you're in the Playtest pool, you get to play a new, unstable version ahead of time. If you run into any ideas, bugs or things that feel off, there are two ways to send them our way: Option 1: The built-in report tool, available in the individual scenes and in the settings. Bugs via the bug report, ideas and comments via the other form. You stay anonymous there, which also means we can't come back to you with follow-up questions.Option 2: Send us an email at: empluna-reporting@bigcodersplanet.comThat way we can stay in touch if we have questions or need more detail. How we'll be making announcements to the group is still up in the air. We'll try a few things and see what works best. You'll get a sign. ;^)Right, enough admin. Here are the expected release notes for the new version: Empluna 0.1.3 — Release NotesPrevious version: 0.0.2 (demo, June 2026)This version came almost entirely out of your feedback on the demo. We focused on the three points that came up most often: road building was too fiddly, mistakes couldn't be undone, and the interface was cluttered. All three were tackled from the ground up.🛣 Road building rebuiltThe most-mentioned criticism of the demo. The mechanic was rewritten, not just patched up.Terrain adapts to the road: as you lay a road along the spline, the terrain deforms automatically. This also applies at junctions, when moving existing roads and with tunnels.Multi-snapping: a newly placed jun...
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• Community & Events·23 Jun 2026Official

  Next Fest Recap

  Phew, what a week and first of all: thank you.Thank you to everyone who took the time to play our Empluna demo during Next Fest.To be honest, we were quite surprised ourselves at how many of you gave our game a go. Especially as Empluna is still at a relatively early stage of development.That makes us appreciate your support, your patience and, above all, your honest feedback all the more.A special thank you also goes to everyone who sent us feedback, started discussions or reported bugs. Some of you even spotted issues that we hadn’t noticed internally beforehand.In some cases, we worked with you directly to investigate the causes of errors, analyse logs and narrow down bugs. This exchange was incredibly valuable to us and helped us in many areas.That’s exactly why a demo is so important to us.What we’ve learnt from your feedbackMuch of your feedback was very constructive and, in some cases, critical. That’s a good thing.Especially with a game like Empluna, where the core mechanics underpin the entire gaming experience, honest feedback is hugely important.The following points were mentioned particularly frequently:- The road system - Placing buildings along roads - The game’s introduction, which currently still feels a bit sluggish and linear And we agree with you on many points.Some core mechanics simply don’t feel quite polished enough at the moment.Our focus for the near futureBefore we add major new content, we’d like to strengthen the foundations first.Above all, this means that the core mechanics need to feel right.We’re therefore currently focusing heavily on a rework of the road system.This includes not only road construction itself, but also the placement of buildings along the roads. We aim to make this entire flow significantly more intuitive, cleaner and more enjoyable.At the same time, we’re also taking another close look at the game’s introduction.Our aim is for Empluna to get you into the heart of the game sooner. Where it really shines: creative bui...
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• Community & Events·16 Jun 2026Official

  🎢 Rollercoasters and the Steam Next Fest are here!

  The Steam Next Fest in June 2026 has officially begun and we’re right in the thick of it! First of all, a huge thank you to everyone who’s already tried out our demo!A little taste of the late-game 🎠We know that many of you are curious to see where the journey with Empluna is headed. Today, we’d like to give you a first glimpse of something we’re currently working on for the late game:Yes, you read that right. In Empluna, you won’t just be building cities and production chains, but you’ll also be able to create your own little amusement parks.The image above shows our current progress: an early work-in-progress screenshot featuring a completely custom-designed rollercoaster layout, a Ferris wheel, circus tents and plenty of atmosphere. All set within the typical Empluna world.What this means:You’ll be able to freely lay out rollercoaster tracks, including curves, elevation changes and, in future, loops with twists.Amusement parks will form part of your civilisation’s late-game expansion and will be introduced to your city project alongside tourism.This is still very early in development, but we wanted to share it with you because we’re having so much fun working on it ourselves right now.Why amusement parks are a good fit for EmplunaYour urban development project will attract craftspeople, families, professionals, researchers, artists and tourists – each group with its own needs and expectations. An amusement park is not a luxury, but a response to genuine demand: tourists come for the attractions, families are looking for experiences, and a vibrant city needs places to enjoy.What's next and things to bring to the demonstration. A preview 🔭Your feedback on the demo, which we have already taken on board:Connecting buildings to other buildings. In the demo, a farmhouse is set up with a field and a silo. The control scheme wasn’t entirely clear there, so we will be tweaking it in future.Please feel free to use our built-in reporting tool to share your concerns and sugg...
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• Announcements·18 May 2026Official

  It's almost time!

  The time has come – or almost. We’re currently in one of the most exciting phases of Empluna’s development, and today we wanted to give you a glimpse of what the next few weeks will look like for us and for you.In short: the demo is ready. It’s currently with Steam for review, and as soon as it’s approved, the fun can begin. But first things first.16 May – Internal testing phaseBehind the scenes, our internal testing has been in full swing since 16 May. Before we put the demo in your hands, we want to make sure the most serious bugs are already a thing of the past. Anyone who’s ever developed a game knows: there’s always something left to find. But that’s exactly what this phase is for.1 June – Demo ReleaseThe demo launches on 1 June – a full two weeks before the official Steam Next Fest. This is a deliberate choice: we want you to have the chance to try out Empluna at your leisure, settle in, build your first city and get a feel for the game before the event’s main hustle kicks off.From this day onwards, we’re really looking forward to your feedback. Do you like the building system? Do you have any ideas on what could be improved? Is something broken that shouldn’t be? That’s exactly why we’re building a bug and feedback reporting system directly into the game, designed to be as simple as possible. Bugs, suggestions for improvement, praise, criticism – everything is welcome. You’re really helping us with this.15–22 June – Steam Next FestFrom 15 to 22 June, it’s official: Empluna is taking part in Steam Next Fest! For a small indie game like ours, this is a real highlight.For anyone who isn’t familiar with it yet: Steam Next Fest is a regular event on Steam where games still in development are presented to a wide audience. Players can try out demos, watch livestreams and discover new hidden gems before they’re officially released.And afterwards?The demo will remain available even after the Steam Next Fest, right up until Empluna is officially released. So you’ll hav...
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• Announcements·25 Jan 2026Official

  ModernEra – One world, many possibilities: The vision behind Empluna

  When we started Empluna, one question came up very early on:Why should a city-building game be limited to a single world or era?The answer was clear: it shouldn’t.Empluna is designed from the ground up to be playable across a wide range of settings and eras. Each era comes with its own rules, challenges, and opportunities and that’s exactly what makes it so exciting. Empluna begins with the Modern Era, the present-day world of the 21st century.Here’s a brief look into the background story:The Beginning: A Discovery No One ExpectedAn expedition encounters something unknown. A land that should not exist. Since the 19th century, the world was considered nearly fully mapped, and yet suddenly an island appears, hidden in the fog, untouched and seemingly forgotten.What is discovered there quickly exceeds all expectations:Dense forests, astonishing biodiversity, and nature that appears to have been left entirely to itself for centuries.But with the discovery inevitably comes the next question:What happens to this place now?And this is precisely where the mood shifts.What began as hope threatens to be shattered once again. Because as soon as the extent of the discovery becomes clear, old patterns return. Discussions become more heated, interests clash, mistrust grows.Overburdened cities, crumbling infrastructure, social tensions. None of this is a distant vision of the future, but rather the result of earlier decisions. Another hesitation, another clinging to the familiar, and the newly discovered world would be just the next arena for old conflicts. A proposal that changes everythingInstead of division, exploitation, and competition, a new idea emerges:A joint research and development project.A place where knowledge, planning, and responsibility come together. A city that grows not out of necessity, but out of a conscious decision. A new beginning! Not perfect, not risk-free, but driven by the will to do better than before.After endless debates, the decision is finally mad...
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