It's been 2 months since the launch of the Livestock Update and things are moving along quickly on the next mini-update.
In the next update, there will be many visual improvements made to the player and various areas of Gear Springs.
Environment Improvements
Many MANY more trees, bushes, rocks, and scenery have been added. Grass also got a little visual overhaul to add more volume (even though they have the same amount of leaves). There are many more paths and some of the areas have been adjusted slightly to make them look more natural and interesting.
Most of the tilesets also now have animations applied to them. So grass will gently blow in the breeze and water will bob up and down.
Player Improvements
The player has also had a visual overhaul, adding more frames of animation and detail. This also allowed me to add new customization options as well, so next patch will include customizable eye colors and beards.
(Old player walking/New Player Walking)
Portraits
The original NPC portraits were made very hastily and were deeply embarrassing to look at! They are all being updated in the next patch to be more consistent.
(I am personally very proud of how the Last Craftsman's hair turned out in the bottom right!)
Cooking
Cooking is being fully implemented this month. I already have around 30 foods added to the game that will be craftable with new kitchen appliances.
Cooking won't be a great way to discover or obtain new materials, but it will offer you lots of different bonuses for you to use while harvesting materials, fishing, or making friends. You'll start out with a few basic recipes, but the rest will be obtained by increasing your Cooking level. The more items you cook, the more experience you'll obtain. There may even be a way to gain bonus experience for specific dishes...
Pets
Pets are being added to the game! There are no planned special bonuses or mechanics surrounding pets. They will just be fun to have around.
That's all for now! I'm hoping to have the update ready before the end of April, so keep an eye out!
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