Craft, forage & farm across a whimsical land with new friends in this open world sandbox adventure. What world will you create? đŠđ
This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.
This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.
Hello Beastly friends,
Weâve got quite a lot of updates for you all!
Alpha Release:
We know youâve been waiting ever so patiently, but trust us, all of the little changes and elements that Cliff is adding in will make the game that much more enjoyable for when you get your hands on it. We donât have a firm date, but Alpha will be out by the end of June.
Game Progress:
The game is progressing really well. Cliff has been bunkered down in his studio working long hours to get as many elements in as possible for Alpha release, and Iâve been sculpting away to get some updated characters and flora elements in game.
Some of the huge improvements over the last month include:
-AI behavior
-Bonus abilities unlocked when an OddFauna joins your party (which includes building abilities, stamina, terraforming ect.)
-Ability to befriend and ride mounts
-Tuning up many of the existing elements (health and growth, actions and tools, game opening, Trogoâs ground terraforming)
-New Sproutling model in game
-New Grock model in game
-Fixed biome ground geometry
Weâve decided to get the basic growing system back in the game for Alpha release which Cliff is currently working on. Other than that there are only a few minor bug fixes to make before we hand it off to our Alpha Team!
"Ride" Mighty Sculpture:
We are finally moving forward to get the  "Ride" statue made! Itâs been a lot of back and forth because of supply chain issues, but itâs finally happening. They are still at the beginning stages of manufacturing, but we will update our Beastly Collectors when we have a better idea of when they will be available to ship and will be reaching out to everyone for updated addresses.
On a more personal note:
We are expecting a baby this summer! We will be taking a full month off to focus on family, (and trying to get as much sleep as possible) then Cliff will be back in the studio gearing up for Beta and early access.
This year has certainly been a wild ride, Cliff and I canât thank you all enough for your patience!
All the best,
Emma
Hey Beastly buddies!
Itâs been a month since our last update, and the game is really coming together! I've put together a VERY LONG (27 mins) gameplay video. Honestly itâs too long, but I thought I would try this format. Iâm not talking over the footage. Itâs just me playing the game until I grow the Terrabeast for the first time. Iâm very excited about how the game is playing, and Iâm glad that I've taken the time to rework systems that were feeling flat.
Continue reading below for lots more info, but here are the TLDR updates:
1. Reworked the building mechanic entirely. Itâs so much better, and Iâm loving it.
2. Redid the worldâs expansion. Itâs much clearer how and why the world grows.
3. Changed the blight
4. Improved plant gowing (but Iâm not including this in the first version of Alpha)
5. Added new tools (axe, pickaxe, hammer)
6. Changed the opening of the game
7. Improved the sound effects and visual effects
8. OddFauna joining party
9. Designed the Terrabeast edge of the world
10. Fixed tons of bugs!
I've done an overhaul on the building mechanic, and itâs such an improvement. For some context, building has always been a part of what I want the player to be able to do in OddFauna. The goal is to have a fun and challenging building system that allows you to build whatever you can imagine. The first versions were cubes and then hexagonal prisms. While it was simple to build with these, they were not giving me the visual design language I was aiming for. The system felt limited in terms of progression. Now, you have a pallet of shapes with which to build. Each have different costs, and you can unlock tiers of building materials. objects, and more. Ultimately, I want to tie this progression into befriending OddFauna that love to craft (like Mo birds).
The changes to how the world expands are another massive change. Previously, the world would grow at the start of spring. The world grows one ring of biomes at a time. One biome would expand into a 3x3 biome into a 4x4 biome and so on. It was taking too long to experience the expansion of the world. The impact of the playerâs actions felt very delayed. Now, the player feels the results of their actions every night and can see the progress of the Terrabeast growth. If you know what youâre doing, you can grow your Terrabeast 1 time in less than a week (about 20 mins). However, each subsequent growth level will take longer and longer to achieve.
Blight is now the first challenge you will face in terms of growing your Terrabeast. There will be other times of challenges, like under-developed or overgrown biomes, wildfires, etc., but blight is the most straightforward and visually impactful challenge.
Abilities and Tools: Weâve moved away from Astor having all the abilities, and weâve transferred those abilities to other OddFauna. However, Astor still needs a basic version of those abilities, and that is where tools come in. Let's use breaking boulders and gathering rocks as an example: At the start, Astor can craft a pickaxe, break boulders, and gather the rocks - simple and straightforward. Later in the game, Astor can befriend OddFauna that will expand the gameplay in different ways. These befriended OddFauna will allow you to break bigger, harder boulders, break lots of rocks quickly, and even auto-collect the rocks into their own inventory which will expand your own inventory.
Thanks for reading and following our adventure! If you like the longer format of this update (video & writing), please let me know.
Back to work!
Cheers,
Cliff
Hi OddFauna friends!
Progress with the Alpha version of the game has really been coming along. Iâve reworked how the blight appears and operates in the Terrabeast world which should pose an interesting challenge for players. Iâm currently updating the building system. Thereâs a new palette of building block types to utilize. Youâll be able to create a wider variety of creations with this new game system.
Regarding the Level 52 Astor & Mighty Beast sculpture, manufacturing conditions remain difficult and costly. Itâs put the squeeze on us, and weâve been forced to get creative. Our partners at Level 52 have been going above and beyond, and theyâre helping us to narrow in on a solution. Iâll send out an update on this sculpture once weâre locked in.
Thank you again for your patience with all of this. Our Kickstarter and Discord communities have really illustrated what awesome fans we have. Weâre grateful for you all. We want to be able to provide the best possible OddFauna products.
With appreciation,
Cliff