Greetings, Researchers!
I've started working on the first Inventory QOL update (will be live sometime later in May). Auto-sort, auto-stack to/from chest, and coloured chests are on the top of the to-do list. This mini-devlog shares more about the coloured chests. Here's a fun screenshot!
Fox chest-art and little fox friend
When implementing coloured chests, I was choosing between a more straightforward "select colour from chest UI"-type of mechanic (like in Stardew Valley) and something that worked with paints or dyes (a bit more like Minecraft). After much consideration, I decided to go with the latter as it brings more potential for other coloured items in the future. It also lets the player be more involved in the process, which is something that has always influenced my design choices throughout the development of RS.
So, how does it work? First, players would need to craft a Mixer. Add water (from your trusty Watering Can) and a Dye material to the Mixer. By interacting with a Paintbrush , players will get a coloured Paintbrush to decorate with!
Mixer Process
There are currently 18 dye colours in the game. Most of them can be obtained using the flowers and plants:
18 Coloured Chests
Currently, white and grey cannot be obtained organically, as there are no corresponding Dye materials for them. Ming will be expanding his inventory to sell some Pigments on Sundays, so that is one way to get the rarer colours!
I'm quite excited about this change and am already considering other paintable items, such as fences. What do you think?
See you soon!
- Miki