This time around, we spent a lot of time working on cool new features that add a lot to the game. A lot of changes were focused on exploration so the player can explore more easily while not getting lost.
Features:
The player can now swim and go under water
Ingame release notes
Footstep sound fx change depending on what kind of ground you are stepping on
World markers to track the last bed you slept in and other players
BugFixes:
Item eat interaction isn't always working
Wild onion has no physics and just float in the air
There is an interaction text when looking at uninteractble objects
Item database does not load in build
LODs where not used correctly
Plant growth was not working as intended
Improvements:
Adjusted the time scale
Force the time to be static in the main menu
Got rid of some unwanted effects and sounds
Automatically detect the correct player vertical spawn position
Reworked terrain generation so it is more flat
Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/QBQPQjV9Rb
Watch us on Twitch: focuslabstudios
Follow us on Twitter: @FarNorthGame
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farnorthgame
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FarNorthGame
Wanna be extra super awesome? Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/focuslabstudios
DevBlog #5
Hello Pioneers! It's been a while since the last blog but we've kept making a lot of invisible technical upgrades that makes the game play much better. Beyond that we now use a new and much more versitile weather system. We are still some ways off before reaching parity with the old version of the game but we're getting closer!
Notification cards
New animation system reached parity to the old one
New weather system
Experimented with vegetation coloring
New sky
Improved performance by about 60%
Added new sound effects
Bug fixing
Here are some screenshots from the game
As the weekend approaches we wish you all the best.
Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/QBQPQjV9Rb
Watch us on Twitch: focuslabstudios
Follow us on Twitter: @FarNorthGame
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farnorthgame
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FarNorthGame
Wanna be extra super awesome? Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/focuslabstudios
DevBlog #4
Hello Pioneers! Todays post will be short and sweet but we still wanted to keep you all in the loop. For the past two weeks we've been making a lot of invisible progress such as fixing bugs, improving our networking solution and just really catching up on a lot of technical debt.
Here is a list of some of the things we've been working on:
Improved positioning of player status icons
Made the hotbar scrollable and only selects occupied slots for faster equipping
Players now sync properly in multiplayer
Multiplayer now validates server versions
Implemented a settings menu
Added new sound effects
Began using the new basic character model setup
Beyond this we're still working on the new animation system but it is finally approaching feature parity with the old system.
Screenshot of the new modular character, don't mind the lack of clothes for now!
Once the new system is in we will do an investigation into some technical aspects that we think could increase performance for players as well as simplify our development efforts, but more on that another time :)
Have a great weekend!
Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/QBQPQjV9Rb
Watch us on Twitch: focuslabstudios
Follow us on Twitter: @FarNorthGame
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farnorthgame
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FarNorthGame
Wanna be extra super awesome? Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/focuslabstudios
DevBlog #3
Hello Pioneers! After releasing our second devlog and hearing everyones feedback we've decided to make an attempt to more frequently post updates on Steam for all our fans. Before this we mainly posted updates in our Discord but we recognize that far from all of our followers are present on Discord.
That being said, since the second devlog we've been working on a lot of different stuff.
New movement mechanics
We've reworked the player movement mechanics as they felt sluggish during playtesting.
Customizable Character
We have been working for some time on a character that the player eventually can customize and that can show the various clothing they have equipped (we're still missing models for the clothes but the mechanics are in at least)
New Player Animations
Together with the new movement mechanics and the customizable character we've also been feeling that the animations of the character have not been up to par with what we aim for. Thus we have been working for quite some time experimenting and adjusting new animations for the player. This is still not complete but we're excited to implement it. Since we are missing a dedicated animator in the team it is all taking some extra time.
New Seasonal colors
We've calibrated the colors for all seasons. Before we had this very bright green for vegetation during summer but we found that the colors just didn't play that well in cohesion to the rest of the objects in the game. Because of this we have recalibrated all colors to what we feel is a much more fitting color scheme.
Snow
Together with calibrating the colors of the seasons we have also added snow which accumulates and builds on the ground the more it snows. We're also experimenting with making the snow volumetric (fluffy) but with that we also get some other gameplay challenges (such as finding items and buildings that are snowed over etc)
New vegetation and items
Every week the world of Far North become more diverse and sprawling! We've added the following collectible items that can be found in the world
Carrot
Onion
Stick
Chanterelle & other mushrooms
Apple
Thistles
Crafting
With the addition of the new collectible items we also added a crafting system. You can now craft.
Plank
Cordage
Sharp Rock
Stone Axe
Hand Drill
Torch
There are still a lot of missing functionality when it comes to the crafting in the game but we're slowly getting there!
Multiplayer
With great multiplayer comes.. lots of networking issues! We've been spending a lot of time redoing parts of our networking solution in order to make the game run smoothly when playing with friends. This is of course a constant work in progress, but we're a little ways off still until we complete the overhaul of the multiplayer.
Storage
As simple as that, we've finally added storage that the player can build to off-load their own inventory! Just be careful of your friends, you don't want them stealing your stuff!
If you have questions please feel free to join our discord or post in the forums.
Have a great week!
Watch us on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/focuslabstudios
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FarNorthGame
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farnorthgame
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FarNorthGame
Wanna be extra super awesome? Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/focuslabstudios
Far North Dev Vlog 1
Finally we have released our first devlog on YouTube. We will try to make new devlogs once a month or so, but we'll see how often it makes sense.
[previewyoutube="HbS3-GcHatU;full"]
If you would like to stay up to date on the game and/or are interested in helping us test it eventually then join the discord, we love new members! https://discord.com/invite/A3mxtUNDqJ
Watch us daily on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/focuslabstudios
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FarNorthGame
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farnorthgame
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FarNorthGame
Wanna be extra super awesome? Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/focuslabstudios
Behind the scenes: Making of the Soundtrack
Hi everyone, we are happy to share this behind the scenes look at how the soundtrack for Far North is being created.
For the past month, we have worked very hard. A lot lot has been done, let's start with the new sky effects. [previewyoutube="2KLBWpv1oCw;full"]
We have worked a lot on procedural generation. Our main focus was to generate vegetation and ensure it is optimized to have good performance. Also notice the redesigned UI which is smoother for the eyes.
The grass is now dynamic and is affected by physics such as the player's movement. [previewyoutube="yVWf3CKnIu4;full"]
We started modeling some new assets for the vegetation. Andrew has made a little sneak peek of how he made the chanterelle mushroom.
[previewyoutube="ZNTwSIK4Hh4;full"]
Player animations have been completely reworked to be smoother and feel more realistic. [previewyoutube="Zk-NO8gLqQs;full"]
We have our first OST for the winter theme. [previewyoutube="I4w0koAcW5o;full"]
Finally a small test was done with some animals on stream earlier today to get a feeling for later when we properly implement them. What would you do if you ran across this bear? [previewyoutube="TMr2m_MqLjY;full"]
Everything is a work in progress and subject to change.
If you would like to give some suggestions or feedback please join our community discord right below and leave a comment on this post.
