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
"Shiny" update is out! (30/04/2018)
Hello, Farians.
I have a smaller update being deployed today, that addresses a few of the leftover bugs in the game. Also, a brand new opening cutscene!
1.) New Cutscene
Let's start with this, shall we?
The opening cutscene of the game is a little "tame", so to speak. I'm very much the sort of person who appreciates a slow-boil. I like stories that take time to get established, and the same goes for characters that drive such tales.
Of course, there are those who think such an approach is boring. And that's fair criticism. But I decided to create an opening cutscene that is a lot more meatier. Many of the scenes allude to the closing events of FARIA: Starfall's ending, redone in 3D (Spiritbird starts off before Starfall).
Starfall's Ending: Reclamation of Fort Solitude (which is lost after Renee leaves with the Heart) with Highlander, Knight Ari, Wavemace, Ivy, Baldrick, Xander, Skargron and the armies of The Legion of Steel, Flames of Liberty, Rangers of the Song, Knights of Eternity and Protectors Guild right before the Black Star comes and stars fall.
Also, Blackheart breaks the Aural Mirror, trapping Skye and Lollipop --somewhere-- and leaves Princess Luna, Gob, Fiona, and Kristian with the Mekolo Demons (but are later saved by Zula).
What happens with the Fellowship of the Heart (Renee, Sarah, Bear, Linda, Thaddeus and Alvea) and their deliverance of the Heart of the World is not touched upon, however.
Anyway, this was such a good idea! While it does not contribute much to the grander scheme of this game's development, it's a lot more interesting than what it's like currently.
It's not perfect, but it's much better and will most likely see further improvements in the future when I have more assets and recreations of certain Starfall stuff in 3D.
2.) Accessory Fixes
Have you spent a good deal of money at Treasures of the World for an accessory, only to find that it doesn't work as advertised? Well, worry no longer!
All accessories should be working as intended now, with updated descriptions and revised prices.
3.) Misc Fixes
You know the dance. I know there's a bunch of other things, but I didn't list them!
"Realm Refurbishment" update is out! (21/04/2018)
A big new update to pre-existing content is here today, with what I have dubbed "Realm Refurbishment". Work on brand-new content is still underway and given my current commitments (full-time job), it'll be a little while longer before they arrive.
But, I must confess, Acacia is starting to look pretty good this time of year:
So, what has does this update entail? Let's start with the biggest things first.
1.) Engine Optimization
There's nothing worse than a janky frame-rate. It can put a dampener on almost anything. After much optimization, I've reduced crippling bottlenecks that caused low framerates and uneven frame pacing.
You should see a big improvement in performance, and a lot less "judder". Is it perfect? No, but it's getting there.
2.) New Field of View
This comes from the increased performance of the game. Before, the field of view and placement of the camera was a little too close and a little too narrow, and it made it quite difficult to get your bearings. Now, with the increased performance of the game's engine, I have been able to bring back the camera so you can see more.
But don't worry, you still have full control of the camera just as you previously did. You can still switch between first-person and third-person, and rotate or zoom-in as you please.
Here are two direct comparison of the change:
and
Also, I have fined tuned the default camera settings for each map. For indoor areas, the field of view has been reduced to bring you closer without the hindrance of not being able to see what you might need to:
3.) An Improved Intro
The "eerie cave" at the beginning of the game no longer requires you to use Blaze Grain to light the sconces, so you can rummage through the boxes for a Blaze Keg to remove the pillar that bars passage.
Only pushing the switches are required, so you can be in and out of that place in twenty seconds.
It's also worth noting I have tweaked the treasure placements in the Tanglewood beyond.
4.) Ladders
Before, Eveline would climb down a ladder in reverse, with her sprite facing whichever direction it pleased. The same also applied to the first-person camera, in which it could be facing away from the ladder while you climbed down.
No longer.
I made a gif for this super-duper important correction, so check it out:
5.) Map Retexturing
Many of the older maps still employed assets I made use of during the early days of development. I went around retexturing many of the maps to increase visual fidelity and ensure visual consistency when going from area-to-area.
Unfortunately, I did not produce screenshots for direct comparisons when I set about doing this. So, this very old screenshot will have to suffice:
OLD:
NEW:
I actually did that map in the last update, I believe. But those textures now extend to Port Faria, the Outskirts of Port Faria, the Logging Camp, Rot-Log Keep and the Blue Ridge Mountains.
6.) Bits and Bobs
That concludes most of the big changes included in this update. There are a bunch of other smaller fixes and improvements been made over the past month, but I didn't exactly keep track of what they were.
At least I am being honest!
But now, I look to the future. There is much to come. The story was penned long ago, so the road ahead is well-defined. All it will take is its building, plus, things are a little slower right now with my new job. That being said, I'm getting a grip on managing my time around it, so development will steadily increase in speed.
When the next content update does arrive, it should be primed with a host of new places to explore, story to experience, quests to complete, dungeons to delve, towns to cruise through and much more.
This camera helps so much more.
New Patch Released! (29/03/2018)
A new patch was released today, that fixes a few bugs.
. In Port Faria, discussions to enter the Antediluvian Ducts won't position the character incorrectly.
. In Port Faria, the Lime Pan-Pan won't interrupt certain cutscenes.
. The pillar in the Eerie Cave is correctly referred to.
. Zula Elkheart on the Greatroad to the West has been fixed.
. Numerous smaller issues and dialogue corrections.
"Measured Butter" update is out! (24/03/2018)
"Butter scraped over too much bread," a Hobbit once explained succinctly. Those words are how I view Port Faria. The town is large and diverse, but a little too big for its own good.
Shops and establishments are spread out, secrets and NPCs are scattered, and the performance issues make it a frustrating struggle to traverse. Player aggrevations regarding the lack of a map undoubtedly stem from Port Faria, your primary entry into the Kingdom of Faria, and I want to fix this.
While the requested maps are not included in this update, a brand-new Port Faria is. I have remade the entire starter city with two things in mind; accessibility and performance.
This is now Port Faria. Every store, every amenity and every NPC is now situated in this one small district, the "Blue's Kiss District".
All 22 unique wandering NPCs now reside here, which makes the town feel more lively.
All establishments are found here as well, these include:
Red Dragonfly - Remedial Merchant
Sootbeard's Smithy - Weaponry Merchant
The Iron Maiden - Armour Merchant
Beauty and the Beach - Fashion Store
Passing Bird Inn - Inn and Tavern
Brewed Awakening - Cafe
Flower Power - Bomb Store
Succuhome - Exclusive Club
Cut Loose - Salon
Post Office - Mailmaster
Treasures of the World - Accessory Store
Antediluvian Ducts - Dungeon
Domain of the Celestial Arts - Spellbook Store
Lok Yi's Dumplings - Open Air Cafe
Angler Joe's Emporium - Fishing Stall
Knick-Knack Stall - Alternative Items Stall
Loreforge - Library
Self-Service Jam-Station
It also includes your home and Item-Seeker establishment, and your good friend Amber Farfaith's home directly next door.
Frame-rate and overall performance has now stabilised, too. There should be no frustrations with the constant stuttering that plagued the area previously. It is now an actual joy to wander the promenades of home.
That is not all, either. I have partially redone the Outskirts of Port Faria. Framerate was a little iffy here and was the primary motivator for its change. The map size has been reduced, and object count has been significantly decreased. Blacktrap Burrows has been moved, but it shouldn't be too difficult to find. I have also textured the geography differently now, too. Overall, you should see some frvrmy performance gains.
Are there more optimizations to come? Definitely, but this is a great initial change that benefits new players. And the changes to Port Faria benefit all, since the town is your home and you're never gone for long stretches (right now, anyway) of time.
I have also fixed a few bugs:
. Moved a misplaced Eventide Herb.
. "O Brother" questsheet now provides the correct information.
. Camera correctments in certain areas.
. Misc. dialogue fixes.
IMPORTANT: If you have a save file that puts you in the old Port Faria, do not worry. All you have to do is leave town and re-enter. I make it a priority to not break save files whenever I make fixes or update the game with more content. Still, it makes good practice to keep saving frequently
Speaking of more content, it is on the way, but its development took a backseat this past week as I reworked Port Faria. Here are a few rough screenshots of what is to come:
FARIA: Spiritbird EA has been released!
It has been a long and daunting road to get to this point, but there is a further trail I must traverse. It is, however, one I will not have to walk alone.
Over the next year, FARIA: Spiritbird will be at the mercy of you, and as such, it is sure to become something even greater. Faria and The World stand for union, togetherness and love, and I seek to honour the values of Faria's inhabitants with those who play this game. I want the game to evolve and improve with your feedback and suggestions, so I hope you will join me on this arduous trek.
If you jump in, I thank you.
If you don't, and have only just read this message... I still thank you.
Love, Faria
Spiritbird's Store Page is Live!
Yep, it's live. You can look at it, you can not look at it. You can admire it or despise it. Whatever the case may be, it's up. Yes. FARIA: Spiritbird's store page is live and available for viewing.
