Hi there, everybody! Claudia here! It's been a whole month already.
First of all, I would like to invite you to join our Discord♥ (if you are not already a member). There I regularly post updates and answer questions:
So now to the actual update♥! We actually worked on a lot of things in May. Here is a selection for you:
New Locations
I'm still working on filling the world of Ova Magica with life. I share with you some new places you can visit.
Beekeepers The beekeepers are side NPCs which know all about bees and bee blobs and sell bee related products and blueprints.
Mine The inside isn't fully finished yet, so i can't share it yet. But here is the entrance and also a new fishing/lake area. In the mine you can gather coal and some common ores. But to get the rarest and most valuable ores you still need to visit the dangerous blob worlds.
New Feature: Fast Travel
In Ova Magica, time runs in days and seasons like in a typical farm sim. So every hour in the game is valuable. The Steamboard is your best friend for moving faster. The new fast travel feature now allows you to additionally skip long distances.
All potraits done
Our artist Ichigo*ranch has finally finished all the character portraits! There are currently 131 high quality hand-drawn portraits in the game! And most of them are completely different in pose and expression (not only facial changes). Also each romanceable character has a unique swimwear and wedding outfit. I'm showing some of Citrine here because she hasn't gotten that much attention yet♥.
New Battle Skills
There are many blobs and even more skills in Ova Magica. Here is a selection of some new ones that were added in May.
(I am still experimenting and working on the battle balancing. So do not wonder when some numbers appear odd, like too low or high. All skill videos represent a test situation for development.)
Hacking Lowers all stats of one enemy.
Wood Shield Raises the defense of your whole party.
Balloons A fun skill, hurting all enemies.
Royal Sword A strong attack affecting one enemy (ignore the low damage number in the video :-P it isn't balanced yet, it shall be strong)
Other stuff
I can't share everything we work on in the updates because it's either still very WIP, not so relevant or i am just too busy to record so many videos and write a lot of text. But here are some other things which happened in May:
- Created around 7 new side NPCs for the town - The writers worked A LOT on side NPCs and character dialogs the last weeks - Until now battle skills had a fixed strength/attack number. This was replaced by a strength/attack grade (A-F) which you can improve solely with breeding. You can see the change in some of the battle skill videos above but it's still WIP. I want to share the full system in next update. - Improved the UI for entering your birthday in the character creation - Made progress on Lapis and Lazulis home interior - Worked further on improving the blob breeding algorithm - Fixed some bugs (as always :-P) - Worked on some in-game quests
Thank you for reading so far♥ I wish you all a wonderful June♥!
In some cutscenes and events, you will receive items even though the inventory is full. These are now sent to your mailbox.
It would be a pity to use the mailbox only for this purpose. What do you think about occasional letters and gifts from friendly NPCs?
New Feature: All side NPCs can level up after battle
The NPCs in Clover Town all have their own blobs and you can challenge them to a battle. However, not all of them are equally strong. Defeating the frost prince and current Clover Cup champion Lapis is almost impossible. Some Npcs, on the other hand, don't take their blob training too seriously and are easy opponents. What is special in Ova Magica: If an NPC loses a fight against you, they will level up and I will be stronger next time. So there is always a challenge waiting.
New Festival: The Night of Roses
The famous performer duo Alto and Altair visit Clover Town and need a third for their show! The theme of the night is all about roses and music. You can also buy special items and blueprints.
In a mini game you and your blobs have to prove your skills by pressing buttons to a rhythm. Depending on your performance, the crowd reacts differently.
Put on a great show and you'll be showered with roses and impress the townsfolk of Clover Town!
But the response of the audience is not always positive...
In February I (Claudia) worked on numerous improvements and features for the barns!
In contrast to a previously fixed and expandable building, blob barns of various sizes are now available as a blueprint in the workbench! Which means what? You can place as many as you want and where you want!
[previewyoutube="IfbDGCvlRG8;full"]
To make it easier for you to find a particular barn, you can now also change the icon. Do you have any particular icon suggestions♥?
A big change from before, and something not found in many farming games, is that you can now decorate your barns just like the house by placing items over the workbench!
You can place functional items, like a feeding station, but also decorative items. Your Blobs will feel happier if a barn matches their preferences.
[previewyoutube="6zJziD-jpEk;full"]
I also implemented blob pooping :-D When Blobs are fed, they will poop overnight. Keep the barn clean, otherwise your blobs won't feel comfortable. You can remove the poop with a shovel (this consumes stamina).
[previewyoutube="je0ciCkvqp0;full"]
It is even easier when you unlock the blueprint for a litter box (several sizes can be found). Blobs then make their poop in it and you can easily empty the container in one go without using up stamina and time. Also a blobs mood doesn't get affected by poops in a litter box (so you avoid to having to empty it daily).
[previewyoutube="kL4Y8AESguw;full"]
And what do you do with the poop? You can use it as fertilizer, for example. One idea from the community is a compost pile that produces fertilizer over several days. What do you think of this idea?
Blob Mood and Products
Some blobs produce items overnight in a blob barn. A new addition is that the pig blob produces meat. Do not ask about the logic, we do not slaughter blobs;-P!
For this they must be fed and their mood must not be bad. If its mood is at the highest level, it may happen that a blob will produce a very special item( secret:-) ). Also blobs need to be in good mood to breed and the highest mood guarantees a better result.
Several factors influence the happiness of a blob (Icons from left to right):
Barn decoration: When a barn is decorated with things a blob likes, its mood is higher
Temperature: If the temperature is too different from the one a blob wants, it will be unhappy (see more below)
Barn Cleanness: Each poop in the blob barn reduced the blob mood. Poops in the litter box, do not affect mood
Affection: Petting a bob raises the mood and a blob is sad when it gets neglected for too long
Barn Temperature
Different blobs have different preferences for temperature. Some like it especially warm, others cold. The mood of a blob is better the closer the temperature is to its preference. If the temperature difference is too great, a blob is unhappy and will not produce items.
The temperature in the barn depends on the seasons. However, you can influence it with items, such as an air conditioner. Be sure to keep blobs with similar temperature preferences together in a barn.
In the video, the player checks the temperature of the barn (upper left corner in the UI- still WIP), then the mood of the cow blobs. Then they place an air conditioner, which changes the temperature from warm to comfortable, and the mood of the two cow blobs rises♥
[previewyoutube="96mujPZZ5zA;full"]
New fish: Shrimp
You can now also fish for shrimp and use them to cook several dishes.
[previewyoutube="sXhfH6VInV8;full"]
Some of you may have noticed the new beach texture in the video. Several of you found the old beach too colorful, so the texture has now been changed♥ Again thank you for your feedback on this!
"Shiny" Blob Experimentation
When you breed blobs you have a very small chance for a especially strong result due to mutations(comparable to shiny Pokemon). I am still searching for a good name and also experimenting with effects. I tried a rainbow effect but i am not happy yet (it's maybe too bold and "agressive"). But still wanted to share with you the first steps♥
New Potraits
Our artist Ichigo*Ranch also created new swim/beach wear potraits for Lapis, Opal And Jasper!
Final Words
Thanks for reading so far! Actually, I wanted to introduce you in this update some of the numerous NPCs of Clover Town on which we have worked continuously over the past months. However, the update is now already quite, so I save that for the next update.
The team wishes you a good start into march. Until next time♥!
December Dev Update
First of all, the whole team wishes you happy and relaxing holidays with your loved ones!
Character Icons
We are currently working on a mini map and a lot on improving the UI. For this Ichigo our artist has created an icon of each romanceable character.
In December we worked on adding new status effects tom the game: Shield, Sleep, Blind and Confus:
Shield This status effect protects your blob and make it less damage. [previewyoutube="MEkdv3slhI8;full"]
Sleep A sleeping blob will not move further on the action bar until it is awakened by an attack or item. [previewyoutube="oA115cZuDUM;full"]
Blind If a Blob is affected by the blind status effect, there is a high chance that it will miss attacks. The effect can be cured by items. [previewyoutube="GN6kLsmDh_E;full"]
Confus A confused blob does not follow orders in combat and randomly attacks friend or foe. The effect lasts until the end of the battle or can be cured by an item. [previewyoutube="X2IC_eTr41c;full"]
New Blobs
Also this month, we have created some new blobs. For the first version of the game, 75 basic blobs are planned, which you can combine as often as you like by breeding.
Galaxy Blob This blob literally comes from another galaxy. It is said to have mysterious powers. Supposedly, the galaxy blob can communicate with others of its kind between worlds and also receive signals from space.
Cactus Blob The catus blob prefers warm and dry climate and can be found mainly in desert regions. It is peaceful as long as you keep your distance. But if you get too close, you will feel its spikes - which hurts quite a bit!
Fox Blob This blob lives in forests and can be spotted in all seasons. But it is rare and only a few are lucky to find one. The annual blob beauty contest in Clover Town has often been won by a fox blob, especially its tail looks graceful.
Weather Blob This blob is so rare that little is known about it. Legends say it can influence the weather...
Blob ability "Love Spell"
In many farm sims it is very hard to befriend Npcs. In Ova Magica the cupid blob comes in handy! Its ability "Love Spell" increases the friendship level with Npcs - however, only once a day. [previewyoutube="uqvvFMGf2uY;full"]
Closet
We also added working closets to the game. When you place a closet into your home you can use it to change your outfit and accessoires anytime. [previewyoutube="YxB1r8fW2EA;full"]
Battle Skills
We also added many new battle skills for the blobs. Here is a preview of some (some of the UI elements and icons are still WIP/placeholders):
We also created some new hair styles for the character customization. Here is a preview of some: [previewyoutube="PdtCGeJTK6Y;full"]
Last but not least: Wishing you a fresh start with renewed energy and confidence throughout the New Year.
Blob Advent Calendar - Day 18
Peacock Blob
This blob is highly demanded among the noble and the rich. The larger the feathered tail of a peacock blob, the more valuable it is. Specially rare ones have a different coloration and their blob eggs fetch top prices at auctions.
Blob Advent Calendar - Day 16 + 17
Lotus Blob
The Lotus Blob lives in ponds and lakes and is said to have healing powers. People often do not notice it, because at first sight it is hard to tell it apart from a lotus.
Fossil Blob
You can find this blob mainly in excavation sites and desert regions. No one knows for sure if the fossil blob is ancient or just wears the bones as a costume to look more dangerous...
