Howdy Ranchers! Today's the day! The Vampire Rancher demo is available! Please give the new and improved demo a try. It comes with controller and Steam Deck support. View game page
Howdy Ranchers!
Today's the day! The Vampire Rancher demo is available! Please give the new and improved demo a try. It comes with controller and Steam Deck support.
Howdy Ranchers! I am happy to announce that the new demo will be available from August 14th onwards for everyone to try. Big update ahead: two new regions, rituals, the compendium, new crafting and furniture, and a bunch of QoL fixes. New Region: Silverlake Desert Once you're far
Howdy Ranchers!
I am happy to announce that the new demo will be available from August 14th onwards for everyone to try.
Big update ahead: two new regions, rituals, the compendium, new crafting and furniture, and a bunch of QoL fixes.
Once you're far enough into the story you'll head out to Silverlake Desert. Every region beyond Rockhound has its own environmental challenge. Out here the sun sets later and rises earlier, so your working night is shorter. Silver is a natural resource here, which is great for crafting and terrible for you. You'll be weakened while you gather it.
The desert also features an abandoned mine that'll contain more mobs and ore for you to venture. Apart from that, you can grow cactus fruit, spicy pepper, and agave out here.
The swamp is thick with acidic fog, rich in herbs and sulfur, and infested with blood-sucking mosquitoes. You'll want a repellent before you spend much time here. Making one means bringing something you grew back in Rockhound out to the desert first. It’s work in progress, but there will be a swamp-themed mine down here too.
A new wiki/codex menu that tracks your boons, buffs, relationships, town status, and collected items. Good news if you like a checklist.
With patrons and travellers that are well fed and plethoric, you can perform Rituals. Sacrifice blood, items, gold, in exchange for power.
Some are environmental, like invoking weather, rain for your crops, and lightning for crafting. Practical rituals like Abundance regrows trees and forageables for you to harvest, and perhaps Brainwashing humans to turn a blind eye to your vampiric degeneracy and antics.
Others cost more. Through the Ritual of Greed, you’ll make a deal with the devil and sacrifice some coin. In return, you’ll have a double income modifier for the day. And if you're willing to sacrifice a traveller, you’ll be able to absorb them for highest tier boons and blood.
Rockhound's quest characters: Arthur, Hana, Chauncey, Kale, Marco, Benjy, and Simon now run their own daily schedules. You'll catch them fishing, cleaning, running errands around town, and generally getting on with their lives whether you're watching or not.
Shared crafting storage: stations now pull resources from nearby chests
Quest map markers: early quests open the map with directions
Clearer building grid for large objects
Status/Conditions: tooltips in Compendium
More furniture, including extra tables and crafting and cooking ranges tiers, birdhouses.
Streamlined quests - better starting/onboarding experience.
New fish, butterflies. squirrels.
That’s all for now!
Borispixel
March Update! TLDR: New furniture, automation, enthralling mechanic, better character creation colors/shirts/hair, new smithing minigame. Howdy Ranchers - After several months of development, this update introduces a new Enthrall system, improvements to L’Hotel Belmont, a Smithin
TLDR: New furniture, automation, enthralling mechanic, better character creation colors/shirts/hair, new smithing minigame.
Howdy Ranchers - After several months of development, this update introduces a new Enthrall system, improvements to L’Hotel Belmont, a Smithing minigame, and expanded character customization.
After unlocking the Enthrall ability, you can subjugate travelers in Rockhound by consuming their Sanity. Once enthralled, they will automatically perform tasks and gather resources for you based on their occupation.
Farmers water crops surrounding a Water Pump.
Miners join you in the Mines and collect ore around a Minecart.
Fishers produce fish near a Worm Bin (if bait is stored inside).
Lumberjacks produce logs in a Wood Pile placed near trees.
While enthralled, you'll get gathered resources, boons, and a steady supply of blood. Enthrallment lasts 3 days, and you'll be notified when the enthrallment breaks, so be sure to re-enthrall them if you want certain travelers to stick around indefinitely. Also, remember that they are still human and you'll need feed them as normal so that they don't perish.
Rockhound’s hotel has undergone renovations! After progressing Chauncey’s questline, you can now assign your travelers to rooms. Roomed travelers generate passive income every night, depending on their Class and the quality score of the room.
Over 50 new craftable furniture items have been added, ranging from plants, beds, dressers, bathtubs and other decorations, each of which contribute to a room's quality score, increasing the income it produces.
Enthralled – When housed in the Hotel, your Enthralled workers will gain XP when working. As their Level increases, feeding on them grants access to higher-level and rarer boons. Gatherers gain XP from gathering, Artisans gain XP from crafting, and Elites gain XP from using town amenities.
When smithing an item for the first time, you must complete a Smithing minigame. Successfully smithing the item lets you Quick Craft, allowing you to smith the item in the future without repeating the minigame.
Based on feedback, we've added more things to Character Creation:
Custom color palette (skin tone, hair color, shirt color)
Improved hairstyles
New shirt styles
Thanks for making it this far. Here's a sneak peek - what exactly is Cranberry up to?
Howdy Ranchers! In this month’s devlog, we’re diving into two big updates: improvements to the Saloon and new additions to your Vampire Lair. Saloon The Dinner Service is one of the key ways you’ll earn money in Vampire Rancher, so getting the mechanics right has been a priority
Howdy Ranchers!
In this month’s devlog, we’re diving into two big updates: improvements to the Saloon and new additions to your Vampire Lair.
The Dinner Service is one of the key ways you’ll earn money in Vampire Rancher, so getting the mechanics right has been a priority this month. I’ve been refining how patrons arrive, order, and react as you serve them. If you've ever played any order-fulfillment or time-management style restaurant games, then hopefully this should feel familiar to you.
Once you ring the Dinner Bell, guests will trickle into the Saloon. From there, it’s up to you to:
Take their order
Prepare or fetch their meal. Food cooked during Dinner Service will have the "Fresh" modifier which increases a dishes base price.
Serve it before their patience runs out
After their first meal, guests will continue ordering drinks and extra courses, boosting your earnings. Dirty dishes accumulate as the service goes on, but the Sink lets you wash up and recover used Tankards.
Additionally, you can activate your Blood Ability - Gluttony, hypnotizing humans into craving even more food and drink. It's a good way to earn even more cash, so make sure you have extra food and drink stocked up to serve.
Food and Drink will keep your humans sane and full of that precious blood. Feeding on them later fuels your research, unlocking new technologies and crafting recipes to improve your town and grow your influence.
In the demo, I played around with a grid-based room-building system, but I’ve since moved to a more pre-defined layout. This lets me craft moodier spaces that fit the vampire theme much better.
Your Lair starts out small, but it’ll expand as your influence grows. You’ll unlock new rooms—like the Prisoner Cell, Cellar, Moonroom, Arcane Study, Kitchen, and Dining Room by completing quests for the townsfolk around Rockhound.
Cell
If you like some of the boons that a certain human possesses, you can keep them in the Cell indefinitely. In exchange, you'll need to feed them and their Sanity recovers much more slowly.
"I like watching you sleep. It's, um, kind of fascinating to me".
Kitchen and Cellar
Food prepared in the Kitchen cooks a little faster and rewards extra XP, giving you a nice boost if you're stacking food for Dinner Service. Likewise, anything brewed, fermented, or processed in the Cellar finishes sooner, making it a great place to speed up your production cycle. The Sink here will also recover used Tankards from the Saloon.
Arcane Study
Blood-processing equipment will research faster in this room. Additionally, you'll be able to perform Rituals, like regenerating overworld resources, conjuring rain, or summoning a Thrall/Beast of Burden to help in the Mines. I'm still figuring this one out, so if you have any ideas, let me know in the comments!
This wraps it up for this month's devlog. Thanks for sticking with us and for all your patience. your support means the world, and I can’t wait to share more with you next month.
BONUS: Here are a few extra GIFs. They’re quest-related teasers, so I’ll keep the details a mystery for now!
- Borispixel
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Howdy Ranchers! A quick update on what’s been cooking behind the scenes this month. 🌙 Night Market The Night Market is really starting to come together! The Night Market is an otherworldly area which you can visit once a week, offering various activities and shops where you can
Howdy Ranchers!
A quick update on what’s been cooking behind the scenes this month.
🌙 Night Market
The Night Market is really starting to come together! The Night Market is an otherworldly area which you can visit once a week, offering various activities and shops where you can barter for rare goods and special items. The vendors here won't accept human money, so you'll have to trade using Trading Sticks to get what you want.
🐺 Hellhound Companion
You may have noticed this wild pupper in the demo. You'll be able to tame this hellhound to join you in your adventures. Once bonded, it'll also lend a hand (paw?) in combat deep within the mines.
🎮 Controller Support
Here's a sneak peak of Inventory and Crafting using a controller. We researched how inventory management works in similar crafty-farmy games, so we're hoping that the controller scheme feels natural and easy to use.
📖 Monster Cookbook
We’ve added a new Monster Cookbook. A collection of crafting recipes made from the mobs in the mines. Right now, we have ideas for Cooking Recipes for strange (and sometimes cursed) dishes, but we'll start thinking of Crafting and Brewing Recipes that might use monster parts.
The update’s running a bit behind schedule (life things). I want to make sure the game feels right before they reach your hands. Many indie games have stumbled by rushing out releases too soon, and I'm determined not to make that mistake. As a result, the game's release will be pushed to Q2 next year alongside a Steam Next Fest.
Since we’re fully independent (no publishers, no deadlines hanging over us), we have the freedom to release the update only when it’s ready. As always, thanks so much for your patience and support, it really keeps us going.
Howdy Ranchers! We've been hard at work bringing you some exciting new features and improvements! Here's what's coming to Rockhound: Post Office - You can finally step inside and meet Delilah, our postmaster! This retired Pony Express courier has seen it all and has plenty of sto
Howdy Ranchers!
We've been hard at work bringing you some exciting new features and improvements! Here's what's coming to Rockhound:
Post Office - You can finally step inside and meet Delilah, our postmaster! This retired Pony Express courier has seen it all and has plenty of stories to share. At the Post Office, you'll be able to:
Puzzles - As part of Chauncey's Quest, you'll venture into the Hotel basement and need to solve a few puzzles to get the boiler back up and running. We'll be collecting feedback on these puzzles regarding difficulty and accessibility.
Better Visual Interaction Cues - No more guessing what you can interact with! Objects you can use now display a helpful blue outline when you're nearby, making exploration more intuitive and reducing frustration.
🎮 What's Coming Next
Controller Support - We're putting the finishing touches on full controller compatibility! This was a tremendous effort as it required reworking some of the UI to make sense when using a controller.
This feature should be ready for the next demo release. We're testing extensively with Steam Deck to ensure smooth gameplay - this should hopefully work similarly with other handheld gaming devices like the ROG Ally.
As always, thank you for your support and patience. Join us on Discord.
Borispixel
Hey Ranchers! I've been hard at work polishing, improving, and addressing feedback for Vampire Rancher. I'm glad to say that our demo will be available to play in participation of Tiny Teams from August 7th to 14th. Here's what's new in development: New Faces Everyone’s got a fac
Hey Ranchers!
I've been hard at work polishing, improving, and addressing feedback for Vampire Rancher. I'm glad to say that our demo will be available to play in participation of Tiny Teams from August 7th to 14th.
Here's what's new in development:
Everyone’s got a face now - no more mysterious featureless folks roaming the world. This was a highly requested feature, and it took a while to get the art style nailed down (who knew drawing pixel art faces was so hard). What do you think? Down the line, you'll be able to customize your eye color too.
You’ll now see your current location on the map. This one was highly requested from the last public demo, so navigating town and its outskirts should be more clear now.
The Midnight Company quest now connects more clearly with the brewing tutorial, making the early game smoother and (hopefully) more intuitive. You’ll learn the basic mechanics—and why you’re doing it.
You can now sell items at the general store, with payment arriving at the end of each day. That said, not every item is a good sell—some things (like crops) are far more profitable when cooked into food and sold directly at the saloon.
Blood can be analyzed to generate blood tokens. Tokens, combined with drinking a traveler's blood, are used to unlock new technologies. Every traveler type first unlock gives you a craftable workstation. That means you’ll be able to start producing useful items faster than ever. In the demo, these include:
The first version of the lair-building system is here! Expand your vampire lair by constructing new rooms underground. You can also begin customizing wall textures and lighting setups. Stay tuned as more themes and props are in the works.
While controller and gamepad are still being actively worked on, I've addressed various bugs, QoL and stability improvements. There's also a new face in town, as well as updated quest dialogue in some parts, but I'll leave that for you to discover.
As always, thank you for support and following our journey! If you're interested in participating in a closed beta, please check out our Discord.
The demo will be open for two weeks (1 week more than Tiny Teams), so that we have enough time to collect feedback.
- Borispixel
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Vampire Rancher’s first playable demo is out now! We’re thrilled to invite you to the sleepy town of Rockhound, where you'll meet new characters and uncover their stories as you craft, mine, and fish. 🦇 Feed on unsuspecting travelers* ⛏️ Explore the mines 🐕 Give a dog a bone (.
We’re thrilled to invite you to the sleepy town of Rockhound, where you'll meet new characters and uncover their stories as you craft, mine, and fish.
Because even vampires need to unwind.
This is the first demo ever, and I’ll be iterating and improving each demo on the road to release. Thank you all for your support and patience as we celebrate this milestone. It's been a long journey and we're just getting started!
The demo will be open for a few weeks, with a tentative end date in last weeks of June so that we have enough time to collect feedback.
- Borispixel
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It’s been a few months since our last update and as we wrap up 2024, I wanted to share what we’ve been working on. I’ve been adding new characters, but I want to highlight Arthur, our resident museum curator with a peculiar fascination for ancient artifacts. You’ll be able to col
It’s been a few months since our last update and as we wrap up 2024, I wanted to share what we’ve been working on.
I’ve been adding new characters, but I want to highlight Arthur, our resident museum curator with a peculiar fascination for ancient artifacts.
You’ll be able to collect various artifacts you find in the world in the museum and even auction them off for gold. Naturally, higher-tier and wealthier visitors will be willing to spend more, making this an excellent way to earn additional gold.
As a vampire, the sun is not your friend! Lingering too long in the morning hours will result in some crispy consequences. You’ll incinerate - losing blood and gold. Make sure you get back to your coffin (or at the very least, indoors) in time! However, as you rise through the ranks of the vampiric council and grow stronger, you’ll be able to resist the sunlight a little longer with the help of some nifty crafting recipes.
We’ve been focusing on worldbuilding, drawing inspiration from vampire mythos and popular media. Be sure to interact with and examine objects to uncover pieces of lore and even new crafting recipes.
Based on feedback, I’ve introduced a larger homestead area south of the town where you can build your farm and place crafting stations as you please. This area is still a work in progress but it will include new structures that you can repair and upgrade over time. You’ll need to complete a few quests to unlock this area first.
A big thank you to our closed beta testers! I’m happy to report that your feedback has been addressed along with many other issues. Keep an eye out for a new build in the coming weeks with tons more content as we push towards Early Access in 2025.
As we close out the year, we want to express our gratitude to all who have supported Vampire Rancher’s development! As a tiny team, your enthusiasm keeps us going. Wishing everyone a happy and restful holiday season and a fantastic new year.
- Borispixel
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Hey Ranchers! I'm thrilled to share some of the latest updates that I've been working on for Vampire Rancher. This devlog will cover the new and improved fishing mechanics, a small update to quests, a sleek summary screen, and a peek into bosses you may encounter in the mines. Fi
Hey Ranchers! I'm thrilled to share some of the latest updates that I've been working on for Vampire Rancher.
This devlog will cover the new and improved fishing mechanics, a small update to quests, a sleek summary screen, and a peek into bosses you may encounter in the mines.
First up, fishing! Get your fishing rod handy if you notice any fish swimming around in the nearby ponds. You'll be able to cook fish into recipes like Fish Stew, and use their guts for compost. Additionally, you'll be able to use baits like Worms and Feathers to catch rarer fish.
Quests are an integral part of Vampire Rancher, so I've been writing and refining quests lines out. In addition to the usual fetch and delivery quests, I've added a bit of puzzle-solving and mini challenges to keep things fresh.
Once you've ended your night (or day) in your coffin, you'll be prompted with a summary page. This'll be a recap of what you've accomplished that "day". I'll eventually add a detailed version of this view if you're into stats and all that.
For those who crave a bit more bloodlust, here's a preview of Millicent the Mad, one of the bosses you may encounter in the mines as you explore the Vampiric Ruins. Players will be rewarded with crafting recipes and loot for defeating these bosses.
And that concludes this round of updates! We hope you're as excited as we are about these. Stay tuned for more updates, and thank you for being a part of our community!
Borispixel
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It's finally here. This trailer took a while to make, from things being changed or reworked, and just re-filming a lot of things. I hope you all enjoy this one! Join us on Discord for more updates, beta sign ups, and discussion! Borispixel
It's finally here. This trailer took a while to make, from things being changed or reworked, and just re-filming a lot of things. I hope you all enjoy this one!
Join us on Discord for more updates, beta sign ups, and discussion!
Borispixel
Howdy Ranchers! Welcome to the first Devlog of 2024! This post, I’m excited to share updates to the Brewing Skill. You’ll be able to brew beverages for your Saloon, and also potions down the line. To brew Ale, we can start by growing crops like Hops and Barley. You’ll have to wat
Howdy Ranchers!
Welcome to the first Devlog of 2024! This post, I’m excited to share updates to the Brewing Skill. You’ll be able to brew beverages for your Saloon, and also potions down the line.
To brew Ale, we can start by growing crops like Hops and Barley. You’ll have to water, tend, and grow them, just like any other farm crops by the light of the moon (or sun, when you get strong enough!).
Start the fermentation process by using these ingredients in a Fermentation Vat, then inside a Cask.
Eventually, you’ll be able to brew Spirits like Whiskey, and more interestingly - potions, with rare ingredients.
Serve these to your Visitors and Guests to ensure they’re happy. The happier the human, the tastier the blood.
We’ve also spent time updating the UI for the Skill Tree. You’ll be able to level up as you gain experience through different skills. Each Talent in the Skill Tree can be upgraded with Talent Points, which you can get from naturally leveling up, or feeding from certain types of humans.
We’re looking for beverage ideas, so if you’ve got a cool name for a beer, ale, or any other drink, let us know here: https://forms.gle/ogDTjNY3ez1ovHPFA
As always, please let us know if you have any feedback or suggestions, and stay tuned for more updates as we continue to develop Vampire Rancher.
Boris
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Hey Ranchers! I’m thrilled to bring you the latest update for Vampire Rancher. As we begin the holiday season, let's dive into the details of what's new in this month's devlog! Forageable Creatures 🐌 In the corners of your town, you'll now find forageable critters! These creatur
Hey Ranchers! I’m thrilled to bring you the latest update for Vampire Rancher. As we begin the holiday season, let's dive into the details of what's new in this month's devlog!
Forageable Creatures 🐌
In the corners of your town, you'll now find forageable critters! These creatures, like snails and frogs, are more than just garden pests; they're valuable resources waiting to be discovered. Collect them and use them in various cooking recipes, alchemical potions, and collect their eggs to create a mini-menagerie. So make sure to keep an eye out for these charming critters during your strolls.
Rainy Nights ☔
I’ve worked on adding rain to Vampire Rancher. Say hello to gentle rain showers that not only add a soothing ambiance but also bring benefits to your crops. Rain will automatically water your crops to save you some time. Note that the rain might affect the mood of certain town guests, so be sure to stock up your tavern with mood-boosting foods and drinks.
New Shop: Seed & Sundry 🌱
Seed & Sundry is your one-stop shop for all your farming needs! You’ll be able to buy seeds, farming tools, and other sundries to help you grow better and more crops. I’m still developing Seed & Sundry’s shopkeeper, so keep an eye out for this character in a later update.
Cooking UI Improvements 🍲
I’ve spent some time improving the cooking and crafting screens. You’ll be able to see the different recipes, their ingredients, and fuel costs more clearly. The quality and nature of your ingredients can affect the traits of the cooked meal.
Fuel System for Crafting 🔥
Some crafting stations, like the Cooking Range and Fermentation Vat, will require fuel to operate. You can create firewood from splitting logs and mine coal ore from deep below in the vampiric ruins for fuel sources.
I hope you enjoy these additions and improvements so far. I’m almost a year into development and am ecstatic about the progress so far. I understand waiting isn’t easy, so thank you for being patient and giving me the time and space needed to create an awesome game.
To folks that celebrate Christmas, Merry Christmas; and to others, and those that find it a stressful time of the year, I hope that you have a restful holiday season. 🎄✨
Borispixel 🦇
Hey Ranchers! Fall is finally here 🍂 and I'm excited to share this month's update for Vampire Rancher. Daylight! I've been working on some of the vampiric dungeon stuff but needed a break from the darkness. So I've started drawing and building out the Town Square. I'm thinking i
Hey Ranchers! Fall is finally here 🍂 and I'm excited to share this month's update for Vampire Rancher.
Daylight! I've been working on some of the vampiric dungeon stuff but needed a break from the darkness. So I've started drawing and building out the Town Square. I'm thinking it will be used for quest and seasonal events, as well as giving players the option to decorate the space to their desires.
I've spent some time cleaning up the Inventory interface. You'll be able to hover over items to inspect their description, type, and unique properties.
This is particularly useful for inspecting different types of food and animals where they can take on various traits and attributes.
I also took a stab at adding combat mechanics. The caverns below are wrought with dangers and vampiric curiosities, so you'll need a way to arm yourself in combat. I've added a sword for now, but I'm hoping to add ranged weapons too (or even magic if I'm feeling spicy).
Martial weapons will have damage, range, critical strike chance stats, which can be improved by crafting new weapons with different materials gathered in the cavern or traded in the overworld.
As always, thank you for being patient with the game! I'm a solo developer so I don't always have as much time as I would like to work on this game. Rest assured, progress is happening and I hope you enjoyed this month's update.
As always, check out our community on Discord.
Borispixel ✨
Hey Ranchers! In this month’s update, I’ll be diving deep into the vampiric ruins that you’ll be able to explore in Vampire Rancher. To get to the caves, you’ll need to craft a Blood Compass which can be created from the blood harvested from visitors. The Blood Compass is a speci
Hey Ranchers!
In this month’s update, I’ll be diving deep into the vampiric ruins that you’ll be able to explore in Vampire Rancher.
To get to the caves, you’ll need to craft a Blood Compass which can be created from the blood harvested from visitors. The Blood Compass is a special item which points to the entrance of that cave system, which can be anywhere on the map.
The caves and vampiric ruins is a challenging dungeon filled with various loot such as precious metals from mineable rocks, as well as drops from various hostile mobs. The caves range from small (easy) to large (hardest) sizes and difficulties, depending on how the Blood Compass was crafted, so you’ll need to plan your expedition accordingly.
As you progress through the caves, you’ll notice rarer resources start to surface, as well as stronger mobs.
Don’t be afraid of the dark - as you traverse through the caves, you’ll be able to activate beacons to light up sections of the cave. A minimap will also be available so you don’t get disorientated. Light up all beacons to receive a special XP bonus when you exit or complete the dungeon.
At the heart of the dungeon, lies the vampiric ruin. Ah, the pièce de résistance - the boss battles. At the deepest point of the cave system,
It’s a boss room with high value resources guarded by an ancient vampire boss. Yes, it’s vampire on vampire action. These vampires have been hibernating for centuries and don’t like to be disturbed, even by their kin. Conveniently, the last beacon will also be located in the boss room so you’ll want to slay the boss to redeem all the bonus XP.
If you feel like you’re running low on items to sustain your expedition, you can exit the cave anytime from the way you came, or with a crafted Escape Rope. You’ll leave with all the items you’ve gathered as well. Be wary - if you overextend your stay, you might lose all your loot if you’re not careful!
As a vampire, you’ll also be able to exercise some of your abilities like transfiguring into a bat and echolocating ores and other loot. I’ll be working on adding more vampire abilities in the future as well.
That’s all I have for this month. Thank you to everyone that’s shown interest in playtesting the demo! I’ll be reaching out accordingly on Discord when the time is right.
Borispixel
Hey Ranchers! We're well in to summer (if you're in the northern hemisphere, at least), and this month I’ll be sharing updates on animal ranching and skill trees. After completing a quest from Mrs. Brown, you’ll be able to purchase chicks, lambs, piglets, and calves. Given time,
Hey Ranchers!
We're well in to summer (if you're in the northern hemisphere, at least), and this month I’ll be sharing updates on animal ranching and skill trees.
After completing a quest from Mrs. Brown, you’ll be able to purchase chicks, lambs, piglets, and calves. Given time, food, and attention - these younglings will grow into their adult forms. Adult animals can produce goods, like eggs, wool, milk, etc.
Once animals reach adulthood, they gain a set of traits. Traits are special modifiers that are unique to individual animals. Some of these traits are beneficial, like Gourmand - This animal eats more, and produces more. On the other hand, some traits are less desired: Stinky - This animal gives off an unpleasant odour.
Adult animals can mate with each other to produce offspring. Offspring get their own traits but can also inherit them from their parents. Beneficial traits are more likely to be inherited, so go wild in trying to cultivate the perfect breed.
The livestock purchased from Mrs. Brown will have randomized traits, that way you won’t be stuck with unwanted traits forever.
Here are some of the traits for example:
I’ve also spent some time improving the current XP system. Previously, doing a certain activity e.g. chopping a tree would reward you with woodcutting experience, which you then could use to unlock woodcutting talents.
I've reworked it so that experience won't be siloed to the specific activity your doing, so you'll be able to gain experience from everything, and the talent points are global so you can use it for any skill tree you want to advance.
Here’s a look into the talent tree for woodcutting skill 🌲
You can gain experience from harvesting blood from humans, chopping trees, fishing, and serving guests. The skills you can spend your talent points on are woodcutting, farming, fishing, mining, and vampirism.
There have been loads of updates since I first put the Steam store up, so I thought it was a good time to update some of the gameplay screenshots. If you've been following the blog every month (you're amazing ✨) these will look a little familiar:
Thank you to everyone that’s shown interest in playtesting the demo! I’ll be reaching out accordingly on Discord when the time is right. As always, if you're interested, please join our Discord and let me know!
Boris
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Hey Ranchers! It's the 1st of the month and you know what time it is - more updates! This month, I've been working on a highly requested feature, player (or vampire) customization. Here's what it looks like in action ✨ Over time, I'll be adding more hairstyles, outfits, and color
Hey Ranchers!
It's the 1st of the month and you know what time it is - more updates! This month, I've been working on a highly requested feature, player (or vampire) customization. Here's what it looks like in action ✨
Over time, I'll be adding more hairstyles, outfits, and colors so you'll be able to mix and match as you please. You'll also be able to customize your bat form. I'm also looking for suggestions if you have a favorite hairstyle you want me to add!
Interacting with your townsfolk is essential to building relationships and completing quests. Here's Clara in the General Store receiving a gift you got her.
Apart from the General Store, I've also started working on what the Hotel looks like from the inside. Chauncey, the hotel's concierge is there ready to greet and serve guests that visit your town.
As part of maintaining your town, you'll be able to customize, upgrade, and manage the rooms in the Hotel to cater to specific guests. Each room will have a cleanliness and prestige score depending on what furniture is placed in it, and how clean it is while it's occupied.
That's all I have for this month but here's a sneak peek at what's in the works 🐔
As always I'm continuing to work on the trailer and a closed-alpha demo (If you're interested, join the Vampire Rancher discord for updates on that!). Let us know if you have any feedback or suggestions, and stay tuned for more updates!
Boris 🦇
Join the Conversation on Discord: discord.gg/zCCj6UzBRk
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Howdy Ranchers! I am SUPER excited to talk about this month’s devlog for Vampire Rancher. But GIFs are worth a thousand words, so check these out 👀 Buildings that are open at night will have cozy lit windows. These shops or services are available for the player to use during the
Howdy Ranchers!
I am SUPER excited to talk about this month’s devlog for Vampire Rancher. But GIFs are worth a thousand words, so check these out 👀
Buildings that are open at night will have cozy lit windows. These shops or services are available for the player to use during the night and/or have guests inside them.
Why do Vampires ranch humans? Well, to feed on their nutritious blood of course! As you feed on visitors, you will gain more XP and unlock different recipes that you can use to craft new items.
I’d also like to introduce a new character in the town, Benjy. Benjy is a Vampire familiar that’s working for the local Vampire Lord in the town. You’ll team up with Benjy in the first quest to learn the ropes by preparing a feast to celebrate your arrival. From there, you'll learn skills like farming, crafting, feeding on humans, and more.
I am also happy to announce that a trailer for Vampire Rancher (HYPE!) will be available in the coming weeks. It will showcase the core gameplay loop, as well as some story content that’ll come in the demo (WHAT?). Yup, that’s right, the demo for Vampire Rancher is also in the works so that we can really get the ball rolling for this game.
Before launching the demo on Steam, I'll be looking for some alpha testers for some feedback. If you're interested, join the Vampire Rancher discord for updates on that!
As always, let us know if you have any feedback or suggestions, and stay tuned for more updates!
Boris 🦇
Join the Conversation on Discord: discord.gg/zCCj6UzBRk
Socials: Instagram | Twitter
Can you believe it's May already? Welcome back to another Vampire Rancher devlog. Today, we're excited to share some exciting progress on the latest features we've been working on for our game. First up, I’ve been hard at work adding two new characters for the game. Say Hello to
Can you believe it's May already? Welcome back to another Vampire Rancher devlog. Today, we're excited to share some exciting progress on the latest features we've been working on for our game.
First up, I’ve been hard at work adding two new characters for the game. Say Hello to Kale and Clara!
Kale is a hardworking and honest person who takes pride in his work. He is a little shy, but friendly once you get to know him. He has a dry sense of humor and enjoys making puns and jokes. Kale works in the Saloon and helps the player with cooking advice and selling them recipes.
Clara is a kind and nurturing person who enjoys taking care of others. She has a talent for gardening and is always willing to share her knowledge with others. She is a friend to the player character, offering gardening advice and selling them seeds and other supplies.
As expected, players can interact with these characters to begin quests, give gifts, or start special events.
Speaking of quests, I’ve also been working on a new quest system that will tie in with the new dialog system. I’m hoping to make quests story-rich rather than boring fetch quests, so you’ll be able to connect with the characters and learn more about the world.
In addition, we've also added a new building to the game: the town hall. This building will allow players to keep track of their collectables and progression. As you repair and contribute more to the town hall, expect new rewards to show up as well.
As always, please let us know if you have any feedback or suggestions, and stay tuned for more updates as we continue to develop Vampire Rancher.
Boris
Join us on Discord: discord.gg/zCCj6UzBRk
Socials: Instagram | Twitter
Hey Ranchers! This month, I've been working on adding interior lighting for buildings and furniture. This new addition will allow players to customize the look and feel of their buildings, creating unique and cozy environments for their visitors. Players can craft a range of inte
Hey Ranchers!
This month, I've been working on adding interior lighting for buildings and furniture. This new addition will allow players to customize the look and feel of their buildings, creating unique and cozy environments for their visitors.
Players can craft a range of interior furniture for the saloon, hotel, and other buildings which can have a practical impact on the game. For example, visitors will use tables and chairs in the saloon while eating, and sleep in beds in the hotel rooms.
Crafted items made from better resources provide higher stats in comfort and attractiveness, which can affect your visitor's happiness. When crafting an item, players can choose from a variety of different resources, ranging from basic materials like wood and stone to exotic resources found in other places (more to come on that in a later post).
I've also been working through a lot of under-the-hood improvements. One goal was to make the save system more reliable and robust, ensuring that players' saved games are not corrupted or lost. Unfortunately, there are no GIFs to show this off, so you'll have to take my word for it! I do have a WIP title screen to show off though:
As always, please let us know if you have any feedback or suggestions, and stay tuned for more updates!
Boris
Join the Conversation on Discord: discord.gg/zCCj6UzBRk
Socials: Instagram | Twitter