What happened these last 6 months?
Well, we took a break. Didn’t want to spend the summer months working on virtual festivals, but party at actual festivals, during this post-covid era. Also, some major personal stuff happened, causing me to simply lose interest in developing the game for a while.
But we couldn’t resist getting back to work, performing some major updates, including updating the Unity version we were using, some graphical improvements, some simulation additions, and much more.
So much more in fact that we won’t be discussing everything in this update. Instead, we’ll be posting more short videos of the stuff we’ve been working on to our Youtube channel, and we’ll post some very technical devlogs to steam, to better outline how we’re building the game and the challenges we are facing. This type of content is what I like to write most of all, though not very interesting to those of you who simply want to play the game.
Also, we've had to accept that we won't be able to release the game in full this year. We aim to go into Early Access in the first quarter of 2023, with the aim to release the full game in the second quarter. We promise to keep you updated. And you don't have to wait that long to play the game ...
Coming to Steam Playtest!
As you may know, we’ve been alpha testing the initial versions of Festivals - Headliners since the start of this year. We used a complicated system with a Google form and custom scripts and emails to send out Steam keys, which would grant alpha testers access to the game.
Due to problems with this workflow, we’ve decided to start using Steam’s Playtest feature, which allows us to get new builds out to players a lot quicker and easier, along with a more streamlined way to manage tester signups.
The Steam Playtest page is up now, just head over to the regular Steam page to sign up, and we’ll be starting to grant access to early birds very soon!
New Simulation of Activities
Probably the biggest change that was made has been to the underlying simulation used by both visitors and performers, soon to be joined by crew. To be able to do an accurate simulation, all characters in the game now have a list of activities they want to do at your event - like watch a specific concert, have a meal, or take a rest at some picnic tables. These activities are shared with other members of their group - just like you would at an actual festival!
Graphics Enhancements
The most notable graphical improvements are probably the Bloom and Dynamic depth of field, both of which can be enabled and disabled using individual settings. Dynamic depth of field changes the focus of the camera as you zoom in and out, allowing for a more natural appearance of the game.
Also, we've added bits of shrubbery and long grass to each of the demo festival sites, providing a more authentic and diverse look, especially in combination with the Bloom and DoF effects.
UI Tweaks
The InfoPanel, which is shown when you select an object or a character at your event, has been updated and extended to include things like scheduled activities. Also, several bugs were fixed which caused the panel not to be shown when selecting something. Furthermore, we've added a "follow" function which allows you to follow a visitor or performer around your event, experiencing everything as they would!