The patching spree continues today, dear Farians. And with this latest update, a swathe of hearty improvements come to everyone's favourite (and only) party camp in FARIA: Spiritbird. Furthermore, a much-desired feature has been implemented. What is it? Let's find out!
1.) Fast Travel
Praise the Goddess, yes. Previously, you had to walk around everywhere. There did exist the function of warping back to Port Faria through interacting with Raine Meadowlark at the party camp, but needless to say, it was quite limited.
With the way it was, you still ran the risk of running low on supplies and having to walk a good deal just to get back to where you came from. Prior to release, I did have Amber run a makeshift apothecary at camp to mitigate the issue which stemmed from an absence of proper fast travel, but it wasn't enough.
Never to settle for half-measures, cue the "whynotboth" gif.
Talking to Raine Meadowlark now presents you with the opportunity to select a fast travel destination. Bear in mind, however, the offerings aren't granular. I still want players to walk and explore the world, and so the fast travel locations are associated with key areas of the game.
Primarily, towns and the ends of "spokes". Town are self-explanatory, but by spokes I refer to places such as the Tanglewood, which resides at the end of a chain of locations.
There is a big dungeon there, as well. So if you run short on supplies, the ability get out and get back in is far more convenient.
Currently, you can travel to Port Faria, the Tanglewood and Seabell (provided you have travelled there on-foot first). Acacia will be next, and she'll arrive in the next content update.
2.) Akitan Massages
Hawk Starlight, our errant-knight of the party, has learnt many things during his nomadic ventures across Faria. One art he has mastered in his journeys, is that of the Akitan massage.
Ordinarily, you can choose to revive and restore the health of your party at any restoration node in the wild (or an inn at town). After unlocking the party camp, the option still remains there at the node. If you would like to heal your party at camp instead, before venturing outwards once more, this option is now there for you.
3.) Amber-tinted Glasses
It's a lame pun, but it is what it is. Amber remains as she ever has been, with no changes. I just felt guilty not having a bullet-point concerning Amber, whereas Raine and Hawk have one.
Remember; if you ever need a couple of extra potions, an arch gem or maybe just some fishing bait, nip back to the party camp and go see Amber.
4.) Jingle All the Way
I would be surprised if you had not noticed it, but everytime you warp to the party camp, a delightful little jingle would sound. It's great, except it would overlap whatever background music was currently playing. The clash of the two could often resulting in a grating noise, but no longer!
Now, the jingles can sound in peace.
5.) Outfit Realm
This has been in the game for some time, but I don't believe it has been highlighted in a previous update announcement.
The outfit realm can now be accessed from camp. Previously, you could only access it from the wardrobe in your bedroom. Now, you can change your outfit whenever and wherever you desire. Return to camp and nip in the tent!
6.) Environmental Improvements
It's an ongoing process and it may seem like I mention something of the sort each and every week. Well, that's because there are constant improvements going on.
This week, some incorrect textures were corrected and certain maps have had their unplayable areas expanded to give players a greater sense of scale, and have them avoid seeing "space". The panorama-look of maps may have a certain charm, but I'll be doing more of this going forward.
7.) Ladder Fixes
Remember that all-important ladder improvement from two updates ago? Well, some ladders didn't receive their new animations. Now, they should all be done!
8.) Future Additions
If you have reached the later parts of the current release of Spiritbird, you may have been introduced to a few more of the main characters that will accompany you in your search for an Aural Mirror. Namely, Eden Spiritbird, Yoko Celeste and Moxxi the Demon.
The max party size is four, but if the story has these characters accompanying you, their presence will be reflected in camp. Do bear in mind this is not in your build of the game right now.
Extras
I spent an hour and a half composing this announcement, but I did it in the steam client. After a disconnection issue from publishing the update, I lost every last word of this announcement! This is a hasty rewrite, but I do not believe I have missed anything out.
Regardless, if you follow me on twitter, you may have seen a thing or two about what's coming to Spiritbird in the next content update. If you haven't seen it, allow me to introduce the "Painted Meadows".
That is an NPC-less, first take of the Painted Meadows hub area in Acacia. The Painted Meadows will be a procedurally-generated gauntlet of small zones. There are five random challenges you must overcome, but once they have been completed, you are rewarded with loot.
You'll fight wicked fiends, solve puzzles, test your luck and battle bosses. Current prototypes are showing a lot of promise, and it's something I'll be developing and refining for a while yet.
The randomised loot on offer is not too dissimilar to the Giving Grove, except you can run these dungeons as often as you want and not just once every real-life day. I also aim to add unique loot, like the magic shield you can find in Earthspoil Dig.
Well, that wraps up today's update!
Love,
Faria x