Hello, dear Greenfeet friends! May the grass be soft under your steps!
Here's the development progress for this month. This is a synthesis of my weekly blog posts.
It’s been a few weeks since I managed to release the closed alpha version. I’ve received a lot of feedback: written, recorded, and through the in-game feedback system. Thank you all once more! It has taught me a lot about both the current weak points and the strong points of the game.
Tutorial
The game now features a skippable tutorial. It helps you understand the basics and will occasionally trigger to provide more context on advanced topics. It’s been designed to be as brief as possible, so you won’t spend 30 minutes reading to understand what’s going on.
Improved Exploration
The exploration mechanic has undergone another iteration, bringing significant gameplay and aesthetic changes. The fog of war has been redesigned to let you see a little through it, helping you decide which area to explore first. Exploration time now depends on modifiers and the number of explorers you send out. Most importantly, it will now require food, based on the number of explorers and the time they’ll be away.
Improved AI
I revisited the AI of the Greenfeet to add new behaviors, making their actions feel more natural. Not working on this part for several weeks gave me perspective and allowed me to solve many design issues that were hurting performance or causing bugs. Now, the Greenfeet will seek shelter inside buildings if their need for shelter gets too low. They’ll also tend to sleep at night as much as possible and take short naps during the day if they’re tired.
Graphical Boost
Making the game look good has been a focus for me lately, and I’ve secured time to work on this aspect. As shown above, the fog of war got an upgrade, as did the world generation! There are now more terrain variations and fewer uniform terrains.
What’s Next?
I’m still working hard on weekly updates for the alpha build. You can gain access anytime—simply join the Discord server and follow the instructions there.
Stay tuned for more updates, and don’t forget to wishlist Greenfeet Haven on Steam!