FTessaro - Lead Programmer
Hey everyone, as always it’s been another busy month filled to the brim with bug-fixes and rounding out the final additions for Update #4. You may recall that in the previous DevBlog I wrote extensively about a special system titled “Lag Compensation” which for those who hadn’t read the previous blog, is a system designed to combat issues relating to latency/lag, aka the time certain things take to go from the client to server and/or from server to client. As for where it is in terms of development, the system is now technically complete and has progressed to an internal “stress test” phase where we can appropriately evaluate how it functions and ensure that we’re delivering a system that improves the gameplay experience for all.
All of the remaining dietary plants that were scheduled for Update #4 have now been completed and have made their way into the game, however you should keep in mind that we’ll be continually adding to and expanding upon the Diet System throughout development as it’s an important cornerstone mechanic that applies to both current and future playable creatures. Speaking of the Diet System, based upon feedback I’ve made a number of adjustments to the diets for Deinosuchus & Pteranodon, two creatures that were having a rather difficult time according to the data.
Besides all that, as you’re all well-aware we’ve also been quite busy with the initial implementation of our human characters. They’ve been set up with an assortment of necessary basic features. We're all excited to see you take your first steps and truly get to experience the sheer scale and power of the fearsome creatures you’ll be wanting to evade. Happy Holidays Islanders!
dmIV - Programmer
I’ve spent the majority of this month setting up the basic implementation of the human character and tackling the assortment of issues that spring up as a result. Fortunately most of the movement systems that we built into the game were intentionally set up with the future implementation of humans in mind, so I only had to make some minor adjustments to get them running smoothly. In addition I also set up their animation system and the flashlight mechanic that I’m sure will result in some truly terrifying encounters as you’re stumbling about in the darkness, locked in first person with only that torch as your only solace.
On the topic of Update #4 and the Diet System, I also spent a decent chunk of time implementing an important overhaul to the way we displayed certain dietary information to the player. Previously you would navigate to a scented food source based upon the color of a generic icon, which quickly resulted in two very serious issues, most notably it left users with colorblindness at an enormous disadvantage as it was very difficult for them to distinguish which food source they should be moving towards, and other players would often find themselves moving a lengthy distance towards a nutrient type that they had already filled. To solve this we came up with three unique icons to make sure that each nutrient was visually distinct at a mere glance of your compass, while your non-preferred meals are all displayed as a generic leaf/meat icon depending on whether you’re a herbivore or carnivore.
Last of all, I’ve been working through an assortment of bugs to fix for the update that is now in your hands.
VisualTech48 - 3D Environment Artist
This month I’ve had the majority of my focus on assisting in the development of the human character. The most crucial task being the creation of a flashlight, so that you weren’t going to be stumbling around blind at night.
I’ve also been busy with my usual tasks of knitting additional props to flesh out structure interiors and optimizing the performance impact of the buildings themselves, which is now based on MeshBaking already complex building materials, significantly reducing their materials from 6+ per building, to just one very simplified mesh.
Wedge - Sound Designer
This month I have started designing the sounds for the courtship animation, specifically for the Utahraptor, Pteranodon and Tenontosaurus. The Utah’s vocals have a deep throbbing and purring quality, the male sounds more flamboyant, whilst the females purring is very low frequency and subdued in comparison. The Pteranodon’s courting sounds consist of a variety of sounds ranging from percussive beak clapping to low grumbly cooing. The Tenontosaurus is still in progress adapting to changes in the animation to convey the right character. I’ve also begun working on the sounds for the Troodon pinned animation, matching the aesthetic of its calls whilst trying to convey the pain and panic it would be experiencing during this animation.
Tapwing - 2D Artist
Compsognathus. The tiny hunters and scavengers of the island. Referencing small birds and lizards alike, these little guys are social and advantageous, from flesh to eggs, if you leave food unattended, these little guys might just pop out to surprise you.
Jake Baardse - 3D Artist
The last month I’ve continued work on the edible plant assets, we are winding down to the last of the needed plants and the more complicated ones have been saved for last. I’ve finished the Dulse, Fiddlehead, Fireweed and Papaya plants. Nothing too different about the workflow for any of these, just lots of texture planning and painting. I’ll drop some pictures of the final assets in-engine here
Only 5 more plants to go, then I’ll be moving onto new and exciting stuff!
KissenKitten - Producer
Update 4 has been released! Hop on and let us know what you think. It has been a long time coming and will be setting the stage for other adjoining features and mechanics in the future. We look forward to expounding upon the framework that the diet system has provided so we can craft some really niche interactions. We have also heard your concerns about juvie gameplay feeling lackluster, boring and at times, difficult . As such, we are working towards making the time you spend as a juvenile a more well-rounded journey. So you can enjoy the rise to adulthood rather than blazing through it.
When we return in 2022, we will be hitting the ground running with Update 5. Tackling the hotly requested nesting and skin systems. Nesting being one of the aforementioned systems that will have a direct connection to diets for instance. Nightvision will also be getting improvements with Update 5.5 so you can really feel the world shift when night falls. The perfect segue into Update 6 which will bring with it a terrifying and visceral tone the likes that have not been seen at any point in previous years. Buckle up because it’s going to get pretty terrifying if we have it our way.
This blog entry brings to a close another year of development. A year rife with ups, downs, failures and successes. Bringing us that one step closer to completion. We’ve got a lot of content in the works, particularly for next year. We will be publicly expanding the roadmap during the first quarter of 2022 which we trust will provide a clear understanding of what to expect for the rest of the calendar year and just from the game as a whole. So expect 2022 to bring a lot of intriguing changes to how the game is played and experienced. We really appreciate all the love, support and criticism alike as it serves to keep us motivated, challenged and vigilant. A special thanks to our veteran players for sticking it out with this tiny team of passionate people for this long and a big welcome to our newer players. We cannot thank you all enough. We are ever committed to raising the bar for this underserved genre and are happy to have you along for the ride. As always, be kind to yourself and to others. See you next year!
Happy Holidays!!!