Join us for BostonFIG's Virtual Expo on February 5
On February 5, we'll be bringing Mondrian - Plastic Reality to the BostonFIG Virtual Fest! This all-digital event is being held on Gather.town, along with a lot of other great indie games that deserve your support! It is free to attend, but you can pay what you'd like in order to support the show.
Visit the Eventbrite page to learn more: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bostonfig-2022-virtual-fest-tickets-226606224317
For Mondrian, we'll be pulling out all the stops during the day. Here's what you can expect:
Day long demonstration of Mondrian - Plastic Reality gameplay
Three Mondrian Maker creation workshops, at 11:00am, 1:00pm, and 3:00pm EST. If you can't make these, our monthly Procedural Art Workshop will be on Twitch the following Monday, February 7, at 5:30pm EST.
Razer ChromaRGB Light Show at 4:00pm. This will be a soundtrack listening party with RGB audio visualization. Razer device owners, join us on Twitch for the full immersive experience!
Big Steam Key giveaways at 12:00 and 2:00 EST. We'll have some kind of raffle going for this so everyone has a chance!
Members of the team will be around all day to answer questions about the game, what you can expect when you play it, and what's in store for the future.
An update for the game will be releasing the day before BostonFIG, on February 4. This is version 1.0.11, which will coincide with the release of the game's "Free Admission" demo. We will also be running a Gala for BostonFIG. Much like the Art Hallow's Eve and Makersmas Galas, there will be a creation contest with prizes. The theme will be "Indie Love," and the Gala will run for one week, so start brushing up your Mondrian Maker while you can. More details on the Gala and the Free Admission demo soon.
Can't wait to see you at BostonFIG on February 5! Don't forget to sign up to lock in your spot. And as always, thank you for playing. - Danny
Looking Ahead - Mondrian Plans for 2022
Happy New Year to all our wonderful artists! 2021 was filled with trials and tribulations, but it's tough to be more excited than we are about where the last year took Mondrian - Plastic Reality. Here's just a little summary of everything that happened with the game in the last year:
The Creators Update introduced Mondrian Studio, a built-in design suite to create Steam Workshop thumbnails and shareable social media images from your Mondrian Maker creations
Cross-promotional contests with our friends at SmartEgg Games and their wonderful Mondrian Blocks tabletop puzzlegame led to unbelievable amounts of growth for the game and our social channels. Big thanks again to everyone participated! More of these to come in the future, keep an eye out.
Introduction of live events like Art Hallow's Eve and Makersmas to encourage community participation.
We brought the game to lots of digital events, like Nordic Games Conference, and finally returned to in-person events with the Indie Showcase at Balance Patch in Boston!
Began hosting Creative Workshops on GamerJibe and Twitch
Added slightly more in-depth tagging functionality to Mondrian Maker, so you can now make your levels private or friends only, plus submit them to any live event Gala contests we have ongoing.
More big improvements to Mondrian Maker, like precision painting and more logical Z-ordering (new blocks are always on top)
Lots of gameplay improvements, such as end-of-level proximity homing and increased Museum inventory size.
Introduction of Columns, Ceilings, and Baseboards in the Museum, resulting in (currently) over 10 BILLION different Museum spaces you can build!
Ended the year by getting Mondrian - Plastic Reality Intel™ Iris Graphics certified!!!
[previewyoutube="6AXCykRBiVw;full"]
2022 Plans and Goals
With such an enormous year behind it, how could we possibly top it? Well, there are two - just two - high priority goals we have for 2022:
Steam Deck: We have already received confirmation that the game runs, looks, and sounds great on Steam Deck! With today's 1.0.10f9 update, we've also made sure that images exported from Mondrian Studio will no longer awkwardly crop at screen resolutions other than 1080p, meaning creating Mondrian levels and artworks on the go will be easier than ever! That said, Mondrian Maker itself, admittedly, has a ways to go to be completely Deck-ready, so our highest priority for the beginning of the year will be making sure Touchscreen and Controller functionality is working everywhere. Mondrian Maker will be receiving an extra amount of attention in this regard. We want it to be possible to make creations with just a controller, while also making a combination of controller and touchscreen functions feel not just natural, but beautiful. Mondrian Maker needs to be a show-stopper, and a killer app for all Steam Deck owners.
Episode 2: I know I haven't talked about this in a while and it's way overdue. Wish I could say more, but what I will say is this: a good portion of development time last year was devoted to improving our internal storywriting tool in preparation for Episode 2, and that is still getting picked at. Ultimately, all story data for an episode will get contained in a single file, so even Episode 1 will receive an update. I'm hoping there'll be more to say in a few months, especially with regards to where the story is going, but keep your fingers crossed we can get Episode 2 out this year, and get on a steady stream of story content from that point forward.
Two more endeavors this year include the DLC galleries and a demo version. While both are still in a very early, pre-production state, they both fit with our mantra of making creativity as widely available as it can be. The tricky part is that the demo version does need to include regular gameplay, Maker, AND Studio, so the current plan is that the demo will include ~10 levels, Endless Mode, Mondrian Maker without the Open Level window, and Mondrian Studio with a watermark and corner logos forced on. However, it will also be fully compatible with Steam Workshop, so any levels you want to share, you can, and any levels you want to play in Endless, you can play. While it won't be possible to play these levels in Test mode since Mondrian Maker won't have its open window, you will be able to test out anything you make, and get back to it if you purchase the game or... just never close it. 😂
Ideally, this demo will be more like a Free Version than just a demo, and kept up-to-date with the Premium version of the game. Expect more news on this very soon!
Full Patch Notes
The keen-eyed among you probably noticed a pretty sizeable patch was pushed this morning. The game has indeed been updated to version 1.0.10f9! This will be the last addition to the Anniversary Update Movement, with the next Movement due out later this winter/early Spring. This particular patch has some exciting new additions to Mondrian Studio to help you mix up your thumbnails even more, and of course requisite bug fixes and adjustments. Plus, we have updated the core game engine, to help with text rendering times.
Features
Studio: Added a “Negative Color” function under the Custom Framing tab, which lets you set the color of the Negative Space outside the frame. You can choose between the day/night mode Gesso Color, the current Frame Color, or the current Primary Color.
Studio: Added a “Transparency” slider under the “Background Canvas” tab, which lets you control the transparency strength of background images. Default is 50%.
Studio: Added a “Canvas Fill” slider under the “Background Canvas” tab, which lets you control the color behind the background image. You can choose between the day/night mode Gesso color, the current Frame color, or the Primary Color.
Changes
Global: Ended the “Makersmas” event
Global: Updated core game engine to the latest version, which may result in slightly improved text rendering
Studio: Reworked Snapshot Capture to be based on screen width/height percentage, rather than the pixel position of the Gallery Frame. This has fixed the issue of captures being cropped awkwardly at resolutions other than 1080p.
Studio: Limited functionality across the Custom Framing, Color Palette, and Background Canvas tabs when in Mask mode to only the options that will not interfere with masking
Bug Fixes
Game: Fixed story and tutorial dialogue loading from campaign progress, rather than the selected level
Museum: Fixed story levels unlocking by continuously beating previously completed levels
Studio: Fixed a bug where 4 image selection arrows would be created in the Background Canvas tab rather than 2
Studio: Fixed one-color background images resetting to the Primary Color when selecting the Background Canvas tab under the Random color harmony
Studio: Fixed thumbnail images exporting in an awkwardly cropped state with black borders when saving or copying an image at screen resolutions other than 1080p
Now that the New Year has hit, it's back to the grind. Top priority is getting that Steam Deck verification as quickly as possible, while also trickling out other updates and keeping up support as we've always done. While there is no specific roadmap for 2022, there's lots to do, and all of it doable, but we'd prefer to do it with your help, so please make sure to Like and Share this post, buy a copy of the game for a friend while it's still on sale (Winter Sale ends Wednesday!), or grab some merch off our Redbubble.
Thank you all so much for playing! Let's make 2022 ours. - Danny
Makersmas Challenge #2: Bauble!
Challenge Prompt: Bauble Submission Deadline: December 17, 11:59pm EST
Time now for our second Makersmas Challenge: Bauble! These popular tree ornaments can have all kinds of designs on them, and it's up to you to decide what wonders they behold. To help you out, we've uploaded a Bauble template onto Steam Workshop. Simply click the Subscribe button on the above template, open Mondrian - Plastic Reality, and it will automatically download! You are then free to paint or add to this Bauble however you'd like. You have until Friday evening to submit a publicly visible Bauble level of your own.
Levels must be built in Mondrian Maker, thumbnails created in Mondrian Studio (external editing is okay), set to Publicly Visible, with "Level" and "Gala Entry" tags applied before the submission deadline. Please see this Pinned Thread for full challenge rules.
All eligible Gala entries will receive a Wooden Frame around Thumbnails, and a POAP commemorating Makersmas itself, sent via the Developer Comments. Of course it wouldn't be a Mondrian Maker Challenge without some 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes, so here's what's in store:
First Place
Gold Frame
Lantana Games Twitch Subscription
Mondrian Bundle Steam Keys
Lantana Games Discord VIP Role
Social Media Shares
Twitter Like/Retweet
Second Place
Silver Frame
Mondrian Bundle Steam Keys
Lantana Games Discord VIP Role
Social Media Shares
Third Place
Bronze Frame
Plastic Reality Steam Key
Lantana Games Discord VIP Role
Social Media Shares
Winners will be selected by the end of the day on December 19, and contacted with prize info in the Developer Comments section.
Looking forward to seeing your creations! - Danny
1.0.10f8 Patch Notes
Hi everyone! We've just pushed the Makersmas 1.0.10f8 Hotfix for Mondrian - Plastic Reality. See the list below for details.
Changes
Main Menu: Increased the number of snow particles
Main Menu: Added other snow particle designs into the mix (made in Mondrian Maker!)
Bug Fixes
Museum: Fixed gifted Construction coupons not being spent when selected. Each item's pricing will now return to normal when you have none of that item left.
Makersmas Challenge #1: Snowman!
Challenge Prompt: Snowman Submission Deadline: December 10, 11:59pm EST
Merry Makersmas, fellow artists! The time has come for this year's first Makersmas Challenge: Snowmen! To help you out, we've uploaded a Snowman template onto Steam Workshop. Simply click the Subscribe button on the above template, open Mondrian - Plastic Reality, and it will automatically download! You are then free to paint or add to this Snowman however you'd like. You have until Friday evening to submit a publicly visible Snowman level of your own.
Levels must be built in Mondrian Maker, thumbnails created in Mondrian Studio (external editing is okay), set to Publicly Visible, with "Level" and "Gala Entry" tags applied before the submission deadline. Please see this Pinned Thread for full challenge rules.
All eligible Gala entries will receive a Wooden Frame around Thumbnails, and a POAP commemorating Makersmas itself, sent via the Developer Comments. Of course it wouldn't be a Mondrian Maker Challenge without some 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes, so here's what's in store:
First Place
Gold Frame
Lantana Games Twitch Subscription
Mondrian Bundle Steam Keys
Lantana Games Discord VIP Role
Social Media Shares
Twitter Like/Retweet
Second Place
Silver Frame
Mondrian Bundle Steam Keys
Lantana Games Discord VIP Role
Social Media Shares
Third Place
Bronze Frame
Plastic Reality Steam Key
Lantana Games Discord VIP Role
Social Media Shares
Winners will be selected by the end of the day on December 12, and contacted with prize info in the Developer Comments section.
Looking forward to seeing your creations! - Danny
Happy Makersmas!
Ah, Makersmas. That most obscure of artistic Holidays has once again graced us with its modernist beauty, and bestowed upon us gifts from a plastic reality beyond the canvas.
Yes friends, our annual celebration of creativity has returned. We have a LOT in store for the entire month of December, so buckle up.
What is Makersmas?
Makersmas is a celebration of creativity, and cannot happen without you! For the month of December, our Artwork tab is open to anything you're working on: Mondrian Studio creations, more traditional works, music, your Etsy, you name it. Think of our Community page as a little popup arts and crafts fair. Anything you're selling, SOMEBODY is buying!
What is there to do during Makersmas?
First and foremost, in the game's Adventure Mode, you will notice a Green Pine and Red Crystalline tree in the Museum. The Green Tree will give you daily cosmetics that you can use in your Museum, and the Red Tree will give you daily Gem Bonuses! We've updated the Green Tree with EVERY COSMETIC FROM THE LAST YEAR, including all the columns, ceilings, and baseboards; the Porcelain Collection; and the Art Hallow's Eve, Autumn Barn, and brand new Icy packs. More than 50 cosmetics have been added in total, so you're bound to get something great!
Each week we will be doing different things in terms of community involvement. This includes:
Themed Mondrian Maker Contests with new Holiday and Wintry templates
Steam Key Giveaways
Twitch Sub Giveaways
POAPs, Custom Frames, and other stocking stuffers
Cross-Promotional Opportunities with some old friends
Celebratory Livestreams
Discord Stage Art Discussions with Special Guests
As mentioned above, the Artwork section here on Steam is yours to self-promote! Share your works and we'll help signal boost as best we can. We'll also have new, Makersmas themed merch (yup, that means ugly sweaters!) available on our Redbubble Store within the next couple of weeks.
Patch Notes
Of course, it wouldn't be a Mondrian update if we hadn't gone above and beyond with new additions and fixes, so here are the full patch notes for the 1.0.10f7 update!
Features
Global: Activated the Makersmas event! This means snow, as well as a general Bluish color harmony, on the Main Menu, and the return of the Makersmas Trees in the Museum. The Green Tree gives you free Cosmetics, and the Red Tree gives you a random number of Gems. Grab your daily gifts to help you build out your space, and snag the limited-time Makersmas Riches, Goodies, and Avarice Achievements. Makersmas runs through January 1, 2022.
Museum: Added the Icy Cosmetic pack for Makersmas
Wall: Ice Castle
Floor: Frosted Metal
Ceiling: Vaulted Igloo
Baseboard: Frosted Victorian
Column: Ice Pillar
Museum: Added cosmetics from the last year to the gift pool in the Green Tree
Studio: Added a “Mask” slider to the VFX tab. This slider displays your creation in strict Black & White (switch on Night Mode for an inverted version). By pressing the Copy to Clipboard button, you can then quickly paste it into the graphics editor of your choice and use these masks to create transparent images out of your creations! Check out our Masking Guide for more details.
Changes
Studio: Backgrounds can now be toggled back on if they are turned off under Options > Audio/Video
Steam: Removed the “Gallery Mode” Guide tag
Bug Fixes
Main Menu: Fixed Backgrounds showing if Backgrounds are turned off under Options > Audio/Video
Main Menu: Toggling Backgrounds On and Off will now toggle the background on and off in the Menu itself
Main Menu: Made a small fix to controller movement
Main Menu: Fixed “Razer Chroma RGB” being selected when the mouse cursor is over Film Grain under Options > Special Effects
Gem Chest: Fixed Backgrounds showing if Backgrounds are turned off under Options > Audio/Video
Leaderboard: Fixed Backgrounds showing if Backgrounds are turned off under Options > Audio/Video
Known Issues
Construction Presents from the Green Tree (Walls, Floors, Columns, Ceilings, and Billboards) are saving correctly, but coupons are not being spent correctly. This means that gifted Construction items will be infinite… temporarily. Good luck, have fun!
I think that will about do it for this update! The first Gala Contest begins on Monday, and in the meantime we'll have livestreams on Twitch and other little happenings on Discord. Happy Makersmas everybody, thank you for playing, and can't wait to see your art!
- Danny
Vote for Mondrian as a "Labor of Love"
Let's Win This Thing!
The Steam Autumn sale has arrived! Mondrian - Plastic Reality is 20% off, and the entire Mondrian Series Bundle is 52% (!!!) off through December 1. That means you can get 2 games AND a soundtrack for LESS than the price of one game. Grab this steal of a deal right here:
Meanwhile, we would be honored if you'd nominate the game for the "Labor of Love" Steam Award. Just click the button up there. It's free. Go ahead, do it. We won't tell anybody. Promise.
Here's a little overview of how we've supported the game in the last year, in case you need some convincing:
Added 50+ cosmetics to the Museum
Added 30+ levels to Steam Workshop
Fixed over 30 Bugs
Added the Mondrian Studio graphic design suite to make Steam Workshop thumbnail creation a breeze, at NO ADDITIONAL COST
Greatly improved controller functionality in story mode
Implemented additional Steam Workshop sharing options, like setting your level's privacy, and submitting to ongoing galas
Next week we'll be decorating the Museum for Makersmas! Our annual celebration of creativity returns, and this year we'll be including the Icy cosmetic set, expanding the Makersmas spotlight artwork collection, and teaming up with some friends, old and new alike, to throw one HECK of a party! Stay tuned for next week's in-depth announcement on the Gala to learn about everything that's in store.
That's all for now. Have a very Happy Thanksgiving! Oh, wait, did you click the button yet? No? I told you to click it. Click it already. Nominate Mondrian for the Labor of Love award! And thank you for playing! - Danny
Mid-November Update - Autumn Cosmetics!
Hi all! Today we have a small update for you which includes some new cosmetics for the Museum. These are some cozy, autumn inspired decorations to help you customize your space even more. In fact, there are now over 11 BILLION different Museums you can build!
Also, just for good measure, and other reasons, there's a small bug fix.
Features
Museum: Added new cosmetics:
Walls: Barn Wall, Craquelure
Floors: Red and Grey Buffalo Plaid carpet
Ceilings: Speckled Ceiling
Columns: Corner Tables
Bug Fixes
Game: Fixed chunked background images not loading beyond the first row in 720p screen resolution
Studio: Fixed Chunked background images not loading when starting with a Fullscreen background image, and vice versa
Maker: Fixed the cursor being able to drag the Main Swatch color across multiple Miniswatches
Maker: Fixed the cursor not resetting to an arrow after dropping a color onto a Miniswatch
Maker: Fixed the Main Swatch not setting its stored color when selecting a Miniswatch
Other News
Makersmas starts in a couple weeks, and as usual, there will be more Museum cosmetics and Workshop uploads. As is tradition, we encourage you to post your artwork and Mondrian Maker creations up here and in our Discord during the event! We'll have more details on December 1 about the plans for the month, but needless to say, it will be a lot of fun!
As we've mentioned already, 2022 is looking like a super busy year for the game. Steam Deck poses some interesting opportunities for Mondrian Maker in particular, so expect to see some major QOL and UX improvements next year.
We're also working with a new technology partner you may have heard of. Very soon we'll be bringing back a contest from earlier this year with some added opportunities. A new video is in the works that'll shed some light on how and why we're building this game out to the extent we are. Finally, we'll be bringing the game to more digital AND in-person events that are right around the corner. I know, I know, this is all very vague, but needless to say, things are NOT slowing down!
As always, thank you for playing, and stay tuned for more updates. - Danny
Art Hallow's Eve is Over!
Thank you to those who sent in their pumpkins. Please make sure they're public so everyone can see! We'll be reviewing and organizing prizes this week.
Our next Gala, Makersmas, begins December 1, and we'll have news about that in the coming weeks. See you then!
Art Hallow's Eve is Upon Us! Small Patch Notes
It is the night of Arthur Hallows, and the Museum has gained some new cosmetics to celebrate! Plus, the Museum is now FULLY controller compatible! You can use the D-Pad to select your Spotlight areas, the lower face button to open the Spotlight inventory, place pedestals, and using the D-Pad again to select pedestals will shine a spotlight on them for you to place artpieces. You can also press the Start button to open up the Construction menu, and the bumpers to scroll through pages.
Here are the full patch notes for tonight's update:
Features
Museum: Added 2 new cosmetics for Art Hallow’s Eve, including the “Wheat Fields” wallpaper, “Warped Wood” floors, and “Haunted Columns”
Museum: Added functionality for scrolling through inventory with Controller Bumpers
Museum: Added functionality for opening Construction menu with a Controller (press Start button)
Museum: Added functionality for placing Spotlight Artpieces on pedestals with a Controller
Museum: Added Analog Stick compatibility to inventory screen selections
Museum: Added functionality for returning to Main Menu (press Select button)
Changes
Museum: The Construction icon will stay Red, Blue, and Yellow when the inventory window is open
Museum: The Inventory window will always highlight the first item when opened and when changing pages
Bug Fixes
Studio: Fixed the game crashing when initially loading up a Fullscreen Background
Museum: Fixed Pedestals not being marked as “Taken” if they have a Spotlight Artwork when loading the room
Don't forget you have until the end of tonight to submit your pumpkins onto Steam Workshop for the Art Hallow's Eve celebration! We'll be looking through all the levels in-depth this week and contacting winners with their prizes ASAP.
Thank you for playing and have a very Happy Halloween! - Danny 🎃
