A new year of adventure has began and we are back on the airship tinkering and toiling away.
2024 is set to be an exciting year for Project Grove with the development nearing the end of Alpha.
We have started the year focused on enriching the world with improving games features and events whilst making updates and adding polish to the narrative and levels.
CHANGING THE STORY
Throughout testing and development we have made multiple amendments and improvements to not only the structure of game itself but also the narrative.
Offering a smoother gameplay experience when adventuring and navigating Dacrima whilst increasing immersion and pacing.
These include:
Implementation of quest structure
Complete blocking of Cutscenes and Conversations
Updated Act II script
Addition of remaining story events
NO PLACE LIKE BIOME
Swamp and Temple biomes have been overhauled to streamline the overall experience of gameplay with:
Playtesting and polishing
Updates to some puzzles
WHAT’S BUGGING YOU?
Alongside these changes we have been working through the levels to identify and rectify known issues.
Fixed a number of bugs with potion abilities
Fix to bugs affecting gameplay devices
ONE LAST TIME
We are excited to announce that we are working on and developing the games final level.
Not much can be said about this mysterious and yet wonderous place, you will just have to see it for yourself.
We have blocked out much of the level, narrative and puzzles and can offer you a small work in progress spoiler.
LEAVING THE AIRSHIP
We wanted to say a huge thank you and a sad goodbye to Jordan, who's leaving Antler for new pastures this week! He's been incredibly impactful to our team and was Grove's #1 fan ever since he joined. He's established a new community for us on TikTok, injected heaps of momentum to our other channels and of course - kept you folks updated on our progress to finishing the game whilst we dev away! We'll miss him heaps but we're so excited to see his journey into the games industry :deer:
STAY UPDATED
We have some exciting videos and content planned for the coming months so keep an eye on our socials to stay up to date.
🦌 Check out the Discord and become part of THE HERD
🦌 Catch our development updates, unreal tutorials and more on our Youtube channel
POTIONS! PUZZLES! PROGRESS!
Welcome Alchemists,
The airship has been gaining speed and momentum since the last update and we have been working to improve, polish and expand on existing game features.
We have also been implementing additional features in to the game to improve immersion and exploration such as the ‘Fog of War’ map system, which gives players the chance to truly discover the world.
Alongside development of the game, we have also been out in the wilds, attending conventions such as EGX, getting the chance to meet a whole host of lovely people as well as other developers, publishers and creators.
LEVEL UP!
Exploring Dacrima has become more vast and exciting as we have made many adjustments and additions to existing biomes within the game.
From simple gameplay quality of life changes to complete reworks of puzzles, we have made sure that your time in Dacrima allows discovery and challenges at every step.
With that said, here are a few notes regarding the changes to the Biomes.
CLIFFS
- New area of the Cliffs
- All cliff puzzles improved and updated
WETLANDS
-New area of swamps
-Updated swamp puzzles based on sun potion changes
TEMPLE
- Updated temple puzzles based on sun potion changes
I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW…
Another major change is to navigation and the map system.
Previously, the map would allow the player to see the entirety of the biome.
We have now added in a ‘Fog of War’ feature to the map, which will obscure undiscovered sections until the player has explored the area.
BREWING TROUBLE
An alchemist should never be without their potions.
With that in mind, we have made changes to potions and abilities to ensure variety and functionality as you travel dacrima and solve puzzles.
IT STARTS WITH A SPARK
The utility of both Sun and spark potions have been combined and it is now unified under the Sun potion.
Edric can now empower mushrooms, crystals and dormant keys from a single potion making it easier to navigate and allows smoother gameplay.
We have also updated the controls so that you can press and hold too see 'empowerable' objects and release to charge them up.
DEFYING GRAVITY…. WELL
The gravity well can now suck keys out of locks, which seems trivial but opens up a huge amount of puzzle possibilities.
For example, you now have the ability to turn off locks from a distance which will have a great impact on how you play the game and navigate your way around puzzles.
THAT'S AN ICE PATH YOU'VE GOT THERE
We have updated the potion that allows you to create an Ice path.
Previously, utilizing this potion would in some circumstances crash the game (Which goes without saying, is counter to what we want).
By updating the spline mesh, we have created a new method for producing the path.
Now all you need to worry about is making sure you are wearing adequate footwear.
SAVE THE DATE
Our trusty ol’ Save Point machine has outstayed its welcome.
We always intended the save-point system to be temporary whilst we built check-point system with a friendlier death system.
Now when you die, you spawn close by where you were last rather than loading back to the last save point - its far more suited to the exploration genre.
We’re sad to see the comedic Save Machine go, but hey we might try and find another use for it in the game as it was loved by quite a few of you!
QUALITY OF LIFE FINDS A WAY
Additionally we have made many QOL changes to the game to improve game feel and accessibility.
- Control changes to puppet/Moon
- Lots of little bug fixes
BACK ON TO THE AIRSHIP
That’s all folks!
We’re nearing the end of the year now and we’ll be sure to update you again before we raise a glass to the new year
We are genuinely so chuffed and excited about how the end of this year is turning out and we can’t wait to update you folks on what’s to come .
STAY UPDATED
We have some exciting videos and content planned for the coming months so keep an eye on our socials to stay up to date.
🦌 Check out the Discord and become part of THE HERD
🦌 Catch our development updates, unreal tutorials and more on our Youtube channel
Introductions and Updates
Hello Alchemists!
It's the start of a brand new month and a chance to catch you all up with what we have been working on for the past 6 months.
We thought it would be a fantastic opportunity to not only let you know about all of the changes happening in Project Grove.
It also gives us a chance to introduce the man behind the voice of all of our social posts and videos, our Community Manager, Jordan.
If there is something we haven't covered in this video, feel free to leave a comment or join our Discord and Jordan will be reading and replying to them all.
STAY UPDATED
We have some exciting videos and content planned for the coming months so keep an eye on our socials to stay up to date.
🦌 Check out the Discord and become part of THE HERD
🦌 Catch our development updates, unreal tutorials and more on our Youtube channel
All Hands On Deck
Greetings Alchemists!!
There has been a lot of rumblings and movement in Dacrima this month.
New creatures have made certain biomes their home, we are due an influx of potential explorers testing the waters and the final zone has miraculously materialised.
ALPHA ACT 1 PLAYTEST
As many of you may have already seen on our Discord or Steam announcements, We are running a limited playtest, open to all, between the dates of July 10th-15th.
There has been a lot of development within Project Grove since we released the Prologue such as:
Upgrade to Unreal Engine 5
Movement mechanics
UI/UX improvements
New wildlife
Changes to potions
Graphical enhancements
As well as much more, the playtest will allow players to explore and roam Act 1 of our Alpha build and provide useful feedback on our development in the future.
If you would like the opportunity to take part in this playtest, sign up using the link below
There are many new creatures flying, crawling, bounding and glowing in Dacrima in the most recent build.
Here are a few to feast your eyes on:
Sky whale
Manta ray
Puffing squirrels
Glowing deers
Cockney spiders
Jellyfish
Platypus
We’ve really enjoyed seeing this part of our game come to life, having animals roaming across Dacrima gives another layer to the game and seeing how some interact with different potions is COOL.
MASTER OF PUPPETS
For this quarter we’ve been working on finalising potions relating to the Airius ingredient.
This entailed improving the Cloud potion, as we realised the UX wasn’t fun for many players (who found it quiet nauseous ! We’ve also built out the Puppet potion, which allows you to inhabit different Flora, Fauna and even L-P1N!
There’s a mixture of different use cases for this potion and we’re trying to ensure there’s a level of balance - for example, you can inhabit the puffer squirrel, however you can’t fly indefinitely with it and you must float up via geysers.
We’re really chuffed with how this potion is coming along and it’s moment for us where the ‘exploration’ side of Project Grove feels really rewarding and fun.
NO PLACE LIKE BIOME
We’ve got the final zone (AKA level) of the game in sight.
We had concepted this out last year, but when it came to blocking out the level earlier this year it felt a bit.. flat.
We didn’t have a great sense of ‘wow’ and this part of the game deserves a dramatic setting for a myriad of reasons. So we got down to concepting it out, figuring out what felt grandiose and what had a distinct aesthetic compared to the other zones of the game.
Once we agreed on the direction, Tom set about blocking out the zone and we’re incredibly happy with it so far. There’s still some technical hurdles to tackle with a zone like this, but we’re really please with what’s been achieved since we re-concepted it!
THATS ALL FOLKS
We wanted to thank you all your love, support and for welcoming Jordan into the herd with open arms.
He has a task on him injecting some momentum back into our community & we wanted to thank you for welcoming him with such warmth 💖
AND OF COURSE…
STAY UPDATED
We are full steam ahead with the development of Project Grove so if you want to stay updated, check out our social channels.
As this playtest is open to all, enter N/A on the form when it asks for a Backer Number
Full Steam Ahead!
Greetings Alchemists!!
The Antler team have been foraging and transmuting tirelessly to make your dreams of exploring the world of Dacrima a reality.
We wanted to share some of the most noteworthy and exciting updates to Project Grove’s development!
THE STORY SO FAR..
After a successful Kickstarter campaign we were able to create and deliver the ‘Project Grove: Prologue’, a short demo build of the game and world we are creating.
We were able to gauge player response in regards to all aspects of the game and have used this feedback to develop an even more immersive and streamlined game.
While our work is still not finished, we have spent that time cranking all the levers and stoking the engines to evolve Project Grove in to something we are truly proud of and a world that players will want to return to time and time again.
We will be updating the steam page regularly with news and features about the development and overall status of the game so that you never miss a beat!
With that said, here are a few of the key changes and developments we have made since:
A WHOLE NEW WORLD
UPDATE TO UNREAL 5 We bit the bullet and upgraded the whole project (whilst gaining a couple grey hairs in the process)! This has been a major factor in Project Groves development cycle with the benefits of:
With a handful of other useful features this means not only do you get to explore the gorgeous environment with enhanced lighting and particle systems, it will improve overall performance and gameplay so that you can live the alchemist life that you have always dreamed of.
BIOMES
Visiting the world of Dacrima has never been so exciting with 3 NEW biomes to explore.
CAVES Find your way through the cracks and chasms to unearth the secrets below.
WETLANDS Among the bramble and the fell, dangers dwell and alchemists never tell. What will you find lurking amidst the murky waters?
TEMPLES Remnants of a bygone civilisation or something more sinister? Only alchemists with the strongest of constitutions may need discover these relics
POTIONS
A little more science than magic, potions aid your journey throughout Dacrima. From traversing the environment to solving puzzles, there are over 18 potions to discover and utilise!
We of course want you to discover the potions as you set off on your grand adventure but here is a sneak peek at….
SUN POTION Transform your old pal L-P1N with the SUN POTION and unlock a treasure trove of abilities.
- Launch yourself across the landscape, clearing crevasses and chasms in the blink of an eye. - Attract all sorts of creatures and critters to your location - Turn L-P1N into your very own underwater geyser!
UI/UX
Fresh off the press: we’ve overhauled how you navigate around in your journal, from Potions, to Lore and Inventory pages!
With beautiful illustrations, an objective tracker and information on all the flora and fauna you have discovered, it’s the perfect pocket-sized companion for your travels (just don’t tell L-P1N)
IMPROVED MOVEMENT AND PHYSICS
Why walk when you can walk with style?
Movement has now been improved with updated swimming and mantling mechanics. With smoother animations and transitions, overall movement should feel more natural and fluid. Now you can truly reach all of those troublesome spots with style and finesse.
A VOICE OF THE PEOPLE
We are EC-STAG-TIC to introduce you all to Jordan, our new Content Creator & Community Manager. A streamer and content creator himself, we thought his warmth, tone of voice and passion for games is the perfect fit for Antler.
Jordan is taking the reigns of Project Grove’s community. He’ll be focusing on updating and managing our content on all of our social platforms as well as communicating directly with the community on Steam and Discord.
Welcome Jordan!
STAY UPDATED
We are full steam ahead with the development of Project Grove so if you want to stay updated, check out our social channels.
🦌 Here’s ournew TikTok page, come follow us for content drops
🦌 Check out the Discord and become part of THE HERD
🦌 Catch our development updates, unreal tutorials and more on our Youtube channel
RAISE A VIAL 🧪
We want to thank you all with your ongoing support and encouragement. Please pop in to our Discord and say hello, ask us questions or spam us pictures of your furry creatures (seriously we’d love to see them!!). We’ll be dropping some sneaky game content previous across Discord, so make sure you keep your eyes peeled for what’s coming up!
Project Grove: Prologue Releasing TODAY!
Greetings Alchemists!
Today our brand spankin' new Prologue will be released from 8pm BST & we cannot wait to see what you all think of our progress.
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This is has been a long journey for us, we're all super happy with how the game is shaping out & for the whole team it feels surreal seeing the beginning of our game come to life. We'd love to say a special thanks to our Backers out there who've made this a reality, as well as all those folks who helped out with some Alpha testing over the past few months. You're all legends.
The Prologue is approximately 45mins to 2hrs long, depending on your mad skillz. Everything in the Prologue will be featured in the full release of Project Grove. The only aspect we're anticipating to expand for the full release is potion crafting - but we can go through that on a later blog post!
We really hope you love our Prologue, please do leave us a review and let us know what you think! We don't bite.. much ːsteamhappyː
Love, STAG x
Funded with Kickstarter!
We're officially funded! Thank you to everyone who played the demo, gave us feedback, spread the word, and pledged!
Project Grove Demo Patch 1.06 Notes
Thank you for all your feedback about the beginning of the demo. You've highlighted some really key areas that we've been able to dedicate time to.
Updates
Improved opening with narrative context
Improvements to subtitles
Unreal Engine and Antler Studios screens while the Start Screen loads
