Disclaimer: Features discussed in this post reflect what is currently under development and not necessarily what will be shipping with the next test. Anything mentioned below may change at any time due to the experimental nature of Pre-Alpha development. Nothing mentioned here should be taken as a promised feature or addition to the eventual game.
DIRE RAVENS
The next creature being added to Anvil Empires is the Dire Raven. This animal will roam the skies and swoop down on unsuspecting prey. Dire Ravens will dive down at players, sometimes attacking in groups. They will represent one of the more challenging environmental threats in the current game.
The Dire Raven paves the way for flying animals in Anvil Empires. To support such creatures, the movement system had to be expanded upon to support flying entities. Flying entities must avoid obstacles in the environment such as structures, adapt to changing conditions on the landscape such as mountains, and must always be on the move while roaming.
Another challenge was in rigging and animating the Dire Raven. To do this, an entirely new type of rig had to be created and extra care had to be taken as the animal is closer to the camera than any other character in the game. As an additional challenge, this was the first animal rig for the project that was created exclusively using Unreal Engine 5's new rigging tools (previously Maya was used). Auto-spacing of the wing feathers, selective mirroring from one side to another, and auxiliary controls that drive specific poses are all rigging features that had to be researched and implemented using the new tools.
DEADWOOD TREES
A new type of tree, Deadwood Trees are now found in the world. They will yield a special type of resource, Deadwood which is required for the crafting of weapons like Bows. Dire Ravens often congregate around Deadwood Trees, making these resources difficult to procure without a well armed group. Once these threats are dealt with, Deadwood Trees can be chopped down with an Axe like any other tree in the world.
The design of the Deadwood Trees required much iteration to achieve the desired look and feel. While there hasn't been much lore added to the actual game world yet, this was an opportunity to integrate some elements of worldbuilding that are being developing behind the scenes. Hanging corpses will appear on Deadwood Trees, but they are randomized to avoid repetition in the visuals.
Be sure to add Anvil Empires to your wish list on Steam. If you want to join the community, head over the to official Discord server or Subreddit.
