Hi everyone,
Happy July! With a new month ahead, we wanted to update you all on what’s going on with Farm Folks. We are proud to say that the game documents are pushing the 100 pages mark! This fresh foundation is vital for us to ensure quality production and player experience. We have posted 4 pages worth from the Farm Folks GDD (Game Design Document) down below so you can get a sneak peek of developmental work as well as some game features soon to be in development.
Enjoy!
Animals
Husbandry is one of the main activities of Farm Folks and is associated with many other aspects of the game such as farming, crafting, and gathering. Animal husbandry is a generic term to describe the breeding and care of player-owned animals.
Farm Folks has 10 animal breeds, each with different characteristics and animal products. When a new animal is discovered, players can check their farmer's log for information like what type of feed an animal needs and what products they can produce. In the world, you will be able to encounter female or male animals. Each animal breed is subdivided into 3 different categories: small, medium or large.
Animals are divided into:
Animals that provide various resources of animal origin
Animals that the player can ride
Animals as pets that will keep the player company
Appearance of Animals on the Player's Farm
There are several ways to obtain animals:
- Buy them in the shop in the town of Port Merida (not all species will be available here)
- Breed animals and help care for their babies
- Receive animals as a reward for quests from NPCs
- Receive animals from other players
- Tame animals in the wild
Animal Habitats
The main habitat of pets is considered to be a corral. A corral is a fenced-in area. It should be noted that the fence may be broken by a hurricane, which can lead to animals being displaced around the neighborhood. If the animals that have been scattered are not returned to the pen within three days, they become “feral” and need to be tamed again.
Feeding
Each animal has its own preferences for food (main food and delicacy), but there is a general rule: animals provide resources only if you feed them the main food. If the animal was fed on that day, then at 6:00 am (the following day) the player can collect a resource. For example, milk from cows or wool from sheep.
The basis for animal feed is crop production.
Unfed animals have a question mark above their heads, which is seen from far away when the animal itself is seen. If unfed, animals will not produce any resources.
A treat is needed to increase the state of happiness in your animals.
Animal Care
In addition to feeding animals, you can also pet your animal, comb their hair, and wash them.
This is implemented through the USE function.
In order to pet an animal, you do not need any special devices. It is enough to approach them.
In order to comb, you must use a comb.
In order to wash, you must use a brush, water, and soap.
Each of these actions, performed once a day, increases the animal's happiness by 1 level. If actions are performed several times a day, then they do not increase the level of happiness by more than 1.
The State of Happiness and the "Golden Bonus"
The state of happiness directly affects the bonus capabilities of animals.
In a regular state, the animal has 1% change to produce an additional "gold" resource in addition to the regular one. At 6:00am in the morning of a new day, this takes into account the level of happiness of the animal for the previous day.
With an increase in the level of happiness by 1 unit, the chance to get a "golden" resource increases by 1%. So the maximum possible chance = 5%.
Fatigue and Sleep
All animals have a STAMINA level similar to the player, but in most cases this level is not needed for game mechanics. Animals spend their energy during the day in order to sleep at night. During sleep, the animals do not go anywhere but the sleep animation takes place (i.e. slow movements). Birds, in particular, spend the night in poultry houses.
In bad weather (rain or hurricane), animals try to hide for the night in a barn, if it is built by the player.
If the player does not have a barn or there are not enough places in it for all the animals, then after a cold night the level of happiness in animals drops by 1, which means that the chance of a gold resource falls.
The exception is a mounting animal, for which the STAMINA level is the most important. Those animals use it as they ride with the player on their back. As soon as the level drops to a minimum, the player must get off the animal (or it happens automatically) and the animal stops to rest. During rest, it will follow the player at his pace.
Mounts are divided into several types:
- Lightweight (can only drag the player and his inventory)
- Heavy (can drag the player and reinforced inventory)
- Draft (can also be harnessed)
Taming Wild Animals
Some of the wild animals that live on Softshoal Island can be tamed, but each of them should be approached.
Some of the animals will live in a strictly defined area, some will go out only at night, or vice versa - only at dawn. Some of them will be shy and, in order to tame the animal, you need to track it down and establish a snare into which this animal will fall. Others, on the contrary, will be gullible and the player will only have to treat them with their favorite snack.
Size
Animals are divided into three sizes: small, medium and large. Generally, the larger the animal, the more resources it consumes and generates. Animals can be kept on the farm.
The diagram below shows how small, medium, and large animals differ.
By the end of this month, we hope to select the new Farm Folks developer so that we can see this text and vision truly come to life. We have narrowed the candidates down to 3 developers who are currently designing prototypes for our final review. Stay tuned!
Thank you all for your continued patience, kindness, and understanding. It’s not an ideal situation for any game, publisher, or player, but we do love a good underdog story. We’re grateful that you are a part of it.
🦎 Crytivo Team
https://store.steampowered.com/app/895160/Farm_Folks/