Hi folks and welcome back to the newsletter!
Whether you've never heard about Diets and Deities before or you're familiar with our project, thanks for dropping by! 💞
Diets and Deities is an upcoming PC rhythm cooking game developed in Darwin, NT! Discover the music and recipes from diverse cultures as you dodge to the beat and uncover the flavours of the universe!
I'm Skye 👋 the concept artist and community manager for Dieits and Deities! We've got a lot to cover this month so let's go!
Let's get into it!
✨ Visual Update ✨
Over the past few weeks, we've done a massive update on our game's visuals! It looks pretty different from when you last saw it! Check out this before and after! 🙌
Here's what's new:
1. Note designs - These new notes reflect the characters' culture, design, and personality. As the level progresses, the notes change and grow!
2. Idle Animations - Our main character, Nephele, now has a selection of new unique animations (check her out wielding that rolling pin)!
3. Attack Animations - Each enemy has a special animation when notes fall down (keep an eye out for the other characters' attacks in future updates!)
4. Progress Bar - Keep collecting notes to fill out the bar to successfully complete the level!
5. Enemies Move on Beat - Your culinary opponent will move to where the notes spawn. We felt that it helped the player anticipate what's coming and added to the enemy's agency in the fight!
Thanks so much to our incredibly talented artists Sam and Manu for all of their hard work and dedication to the project. They've really made a world of difference! 💗✨
We're still very much polishing our game, so expect to see more changes over the next few months!
We're also making content! You can check out our socials here:
🍦Youtube
🧇 TikTok
🌟How We Concept Level Art🌟
So I'm actually the concept artist behind all of the level art you see in the game!🥳✨
Like a lot of us on the team, this was a completely new experience for me, so my design process might not be the same for others! I just thought it would be fun to share how our levels go from idea to final.
Let's check out Barong's level design!
Stage 1: Ideas
I started out with a moodboard with these considerations in mind:
- What is the natural landscape of Indonesia? How can I showcase a region in a few images?
- What kind of visual storytelling do we want to convey? Should we depict temples, beaches, islands, etc.
- What are the important cultural symbols or environments to capture and represent?
Stage 2: Thumbnails
Based on my moodboard I create some quick thumbnails! I try to simplify shapes with the goal of capturing the landscape. I'm also looking specifically for how the player might progress to each level.
I also make a lot of different iterations. I want to give our level artist the ability to create the best artworks possible without too much guesswork and uncertainty!
Stage 3: Concepts
After I create a selection of thumbnails, the team and I start to decide which ideas we like best. At this point, I also alter the artworks to best represent the level scene where necessary.
Here are the designs we decided on as well as my inspiration and references!
Stage 4: Level Art
Now I hand off the concepts to our level artist, Manu! Similar to any other drawing process, Manu gradually adds more detail or lighting to eventually create the final artwork!
And Tada! ✨
We have 4 areas in the game (with a total of 16 levels)! With each new area, we all gain so much valuable information and insight into the design process. I hope you enjoyed that lil sneak peek!
Some Sweet Links 🍰
News 📰
Game On - 19 August
On Saturday 19th August, we had a stall at Game On! 🎮🙌
Game On was a combined event with CDU Open Day and Bite of Science! We had an amazing time showcasing the newest build of the game to everyone who stopped by!
We were also there alongside Salty Games, Code Zephyr, Tangled Ventures, and so many awesome local creatives!
If you missed out, don't worry we’ll still be showcasing Diets and Deities at some really cool events later this year!
FAQs🥞
When Will Diets and Deities Be Released?
Late 2023! Keep an eye out for updates on our various socials!
Is Diets and Deities Coming Out On Consoles?
Nothing is planned for now!
Can I Become a Beta Tester?
If you're interested, join our Discord Server and connect with the team! 💫
Where Can I View Content and Updates?
Check out our video content on TikTok and Youtube! Discord and Steam will have our updates and announcements!
That's it for this month! But before you go...
We'll leave you here with this amazing Balinese recipe! 🧑🍳
Enjoy A Balinese Recipe 🍽️
Tempe Manis
Ingredients:
- 2 blocks of tempe
- 10 garlic cloves
- 4 Shallots
- 250ml of Coconut oil
- 100ml Kecap Manis
Method:
- Chop tempe into bite sized rectangles.
- Heat oil in a deep pan.
- Put tempe into hot oil and cook until golden brown.
- Remove tempe from the oil and place on paper towel or rack to dry and turn the heat off.
- Finely chop the garlic and shallots.
- Place in a hot pan with some of the oil used for frying the tempe.
- Fry until light brown then add kecap manis.
- Add the deep fried tempe to the pan and toss until all the tempe is coated in sauce.
- Plate and serve with rice.
Thanks to amazing music producer, Liam, for recommending this recipe from Oke Lifestyle!
We're currently working with the team to get personal and authentic recipes from our chef team and our grandmas!
In Our September Update…
Interested in knowing how we created our levels? Stay tuned to see my process of how I developed concepts for each level in the game! 💫
Here's a peek before next month!
Diets and Deities is an upcoming PC rhythm cooking game developed by NT indie studio Larrikin Interactive. Discover the music and recipes from diverse cultures as you dodge to the beat and uncover the flavours of the universe!
If you're interested, you can support us by checking out our Steam Page or joining our Discord Community!
Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again 💕