Weâve made some big strides in development with the near completion of the caves, expanding on fishing, the characterâs stories, and creative mechanics in the game.
Fishing
We expanded the number of fishy friends in the world. Fish now have specific regions and times in which they can be caught. As you fish, youâll gain knowledge about what you catch.
This newfound knowledge will make their silhouettes appear in the mini-game quicker and increase the fishâs quality. Youâll also be able to keep track of your biggest catch in the collections tab.
A Friend Indeed
We continued work on cutscenes by adding new animations and portraits to bring more life to the characterâs stories. This last month Era, Jukk, Garrek, and Vallah had their stories expanded.
Caves
Within the caves, youâll meet spirits and borrow their powers to find your way through the great halls of the underground. Youâll uncover new areas and corridors that conceal Pachaâs secrets.
We continued to expand this important region from last month to give it all the love it deserves.
WIP Art Station
We started work on the clanâs art station which will allow you to get creative in how you decorate your home and village.
Backer Updates
In case you missed our last devlog, all who pre-purchased Roots of Pacha during the Kickstarter now have access to the Beta version of the game. If you havenât already requested a key and would like to join the Beta, please request your key here: https://rootsofpacha.com/orders/
Most of the physical rewards are almost done! We are just finishing some final touches for the handmade crocheted plushes and embroideries. Those and the enamel pins will be shipped out in early December. Those who got the postcard love letters can expect to see them arrive in the mail in February.đ Please make sure your correct address matches what we have in your survey.
The digital rewards will be delivered near release. As we get closer, we will keep you updated.
Thank you all for your support.
You rock! -The Soda Den Team
Devlog 27: đ The summer competition festival
Hello Pachans! Another month of hard work has passed. Weâve continued to expand NPC animations, portraits, and their stories. Now, in this devlog, we will focus on a brand new festival and the expanded caves.
Update on Release
We have decided to move Roots of Pachaâs release to early 2023. We have aimed to be as transparent as possible and need more time to deliver the experience we promised and the one we all dreamed of playing.
Game development is an iterative process with many interconnected systems that all need time and energy dedicated to them. The team is comprised of talented individuals who have both met and exceeded expectations regarding the alpha, beta, and demo. We are incredibly proud of these accomplishments so far.
With that said, even with a talented team and the âquick paceâ weâre working at, we unfortunately lacked the experience to gauge how much time it would take to create the game we promised you all. To achieve the level of quality we want and that you all expect and deserve, we would rather take the necessary time to deliver. Weâre confident it will be worth the wait. We may not have made our 2022 projection, but we arenât far off either. We can see the finish line and need a little more time before we can give you an exact release date. Weâre looking to announce a final release date in December.
We will continue to post devlogs to keep you updated on our progress as we take transparency very seriously. Our goal is to be as honest and forthcoming as we can with you.
For our Kickstarter Backers, we are forever grateful that you chose to support the development of the game that allowed us to grow our team and make our collective dream a reality. So, as a token of our never-ending gratitude, weâd like to ease the wait a little by inviting you to join the Beta. To receive your Steam Key, just enter the email you backed with here (https://rootsofpacha.com/orders/) and a key will be sent to you.
The summer competition festival
Pachans are ready for some summer fun at the Beach! We added a competition festival to the clan's calendar so you can have tons of fun with the communityâs minigames.
Join Grob and Touk at the target shooting with spears; play âbonesâ with Ron and Tetith; share food and hang out with Anda and Illoe; dance with Zeda and Vallah; watch Krak create a sand sculpture, and enjoy a host of other events!
Celebrate and join in on the festivities. Fun is guaranteed with the clan!
New animal caves
The caves have expanded by several rooms and now contain two new totems: Monkey and Bear. Youâll discover new resources like copper that will help change the way the clan lives.
Once you complete Monkey and Bearâs challenges, youâll use their powers to find passageways with Monkey's leaps of faith or muscle your way through obstacles using Bearâs strength.
On your way to the cave's completion, youâll find hidden rooms and other mysteries along the way.
Thank you for following our development journey with your continued support! The team is truly grateful for it. Stay tuned for more news!
You rock! -The Soda Den Team
Devlog 26: đș The Pyramid mysteries
Since last July, the team has been working hard to bring more depth and complexity to the Roots of Pacha experience and thereâs still more to come!
New cutscenes
We continued to create cutscenes to breathe more life into our characters' stories, specifically Ibon, Jelrod, Touk, and Krak's. We want to make sure the moments you spend with these Pachans are special.
New expressions
We've also been working on portraits, specifically by adding a variety of expressions. Several of our Pachans can now blush, smile, be surprised, contemplate, and more!
New clothes
We adore fashion and the wide range of clothing choices in Roots of Pacha so we've developed an even greater variety of outfits. Each player can now play stylishly dressed in their preferred attire.
Collections
Keep track of what youâve found in the world and whatâs left to discover.
Jungle pyramid
You may remember some rumbling about a Pyramid in past devlogs. Well, weâve given extra attention to it this time around, along with the jungle map. New mysteries will be revealed as a series of challenges are completed. But worry not, your clan is there to help you accomplish even the greatest of feats.
As we always say, we can't thank you enough for your support. Your feedback contributes to the development of Roots of Pacha and its eventual release. Take care and stay tuned for more information! See you in the next devlog.
You rock! -The Soda Den Team
Devlog 25: đ A new way back home
We had a pretty amazing June! We started off with Day of the Devs and the associated Play Days event, IGN Summer of Gaming , Steam Next Fest, and releasing a demo alongside it all. Seeing our work in the limelight has been an unbelievable experience, but nothing can top the amount of love weâve received from people playing the demo.
With so many players, weâve received helpful feedback that weâre incorporating into the game. Some examples include a way to return from the top of the Forest mountain without retracing your steps, increasing options in the character creator, and more!
One of the incredibly exciting parts has been seeing our community grow. We grew so much this month that all 5 fires were lit in the Discord mini-game!
Cutscenes
Weâve been busy creating storylines, music, and animations to bring another layer of depth to the game. In this last month, weâve given a little extra attention to Illoe and Garrek.
New Processors
The clan has more Ideas in the works such as a pickler, vinegar maker, brewer, and cask. Youâll be able to process your crops into something that lasts a little longer and is more valuable to the clan when you contribute it.
Map Redesigns
We already had a beautiful waterfall in place, so it seemed like a fun idea to be able to go behind it. Now, players will be able to find their way back home by taking a shortcut to the bottom of the hill. So those late-night trips back from the caves should be a little less stressful.
The landscape of the Savanna is also receiving a few changes to add more diversity and detail to the landscape.
The Future
With the knowledge gained from our Beta and the demo shortly thereafter, we plan to go full ânose to the grindstoneâ (while of course maintaining a healthy life for the team) in these upcoming months and focus on what is essential to get us to a solid 1.0 release. Our future devlogs will likely be sparse compared to our usual updates or include [redacted]s so that we can avoid spoiling too much.
As always thank you for your support.
You rock! -The Soda Den Team
In-demo rewards and Beta raffles đ!
The reception of the demo has been beyond our wildest dreams. Thank you all for playing and giving us your feedback too!
With so many awesome events; Day of the Devs, IGN, and Steam Next Fest. We wanted to do something fun with the community that rewarded people for being active, so we decided to celebrate Pachan style with a festival! The community completed the challenge far quicker than we thought (and we couldnât be more proud), so we wanted to share those demo rewards with you too. đ„°
To get these unlocked rewards, enter the codes listed below: đ„ Pacheems Statue: PACH33MS đ„ Bunny Hat: LILBUNNY đ„ Item for max animal friendship (golden Pomegranate): ELDORADO đ„ Two more in-game days in the Demo: D3M0PLUS2
& a total of 15 Beta Key Raffles in Discord (be sure to enter before the 20th)!
To redeem the codes navigate to this section of the menu:
Be sure to tune into our stream tomorrow, June 16, at 11 AM PDT to watch three of the team play the Beta.
Thanks for being on this journey with us! You rock! -The Soda Den Team
Demo is now live đ
Hopefully you caught Day of the Devs! If not, we announced that the Demo is now live đđ
Demo festival
The community has already unlocked the Pacheems Statue and a Bunny Hat in the Demo Festival Challenge. There are still fires to be lit that unlocks more in-demo rewards like 2 extra demo days and a golden pomegranate!
Let us know how you like the demo! đ„°
đ„ Let's play in the stone age
Hello all!
Join us on June 16 at 11 am PT | 2 pm ET | 6 pm UTC as we play Roots of Pacha and answer questions from chat.
We hope you get a chance to check our demo. Roots of Pacha is a farming sim set in the stone age where you develop the ideas that shaped humanity.
If you enjoy the game you might also enjoy our âDemo Festivalâ where the community can unlock rewards for following us on social media. Find out more on our website.
Join us on June 13 at 5 pm PT | 8 pm ET | 12 am UTC we play Roots of Pacha and answer questions from chat.
We hope you get a chance to check our demo. Roots of Pacha is a farming sim set in the stone age where you develop the ideas that shaped humanity.
If you enjoy the game you might also enjoy our âDemo Festivalâ where the community can unlock rewards for following us on social media. Find out more on our website.
Weâre celebrating our upcoming demo Pachan style with a Festival! Besides the release of the demo, we have a few exciting events planned this month, including a segment in Day of The Devs (a part of the Summer Game Fest), streams, and more! Be sure to tune in at 11 am on June 9th for the kick-off of Summer Game Fest. We think youâll like our segment.
The Demo
Most demos are around 30-60 mins long, but the Roots of Pacha demo will be eight in-game days or approximately two hours. We went into detail about whatâs included in Devlog 23.
The community will have a chance to get two more days (about 30 minutes of playtime) by unlocking fires in the Demo Festival Challenge.
A Collective Experience
During the Kickstarter, we had a social media challenge where the community could achieve smaller stretch goals without backing the project. This support helped us reach a larger audience and was a way for anyone to contribute to the campaign without spending money.
Besides earning more Beta raffles, the community can unlock items in the demo that arenât âneededâ but can change the experience. Youâll get things like a decorative statue, a bunny hat, two more in-game days, and a golden pomegranate that raises your friendship with animals.
By using the power of your social networks to spread the word of Pacha, the community will âearn firesâ when a milestone is reached. Every 2 fires lit, a reward will be unlocked.
Once a code is unlocked, weâll post it on the official Root of Pacha Discord and our website for all to use.
We think youâll enjoy the content and the community weâre building around this game. đ
New Additions to the Demo
Character Customization
Weâve made significant strides in the character customizer, including more skin tones, hair colors, hairstyles, and another outfit.
You can now get hats from Jizu and equip them in the âyouâ menu tab.
Mini-map Update
The more detailed mini-map will help you find your way. There are icons for the animals and plants youâve found. The list of people also now gives you more info on each character, like their in world sprite, if they have an idea, and if you can exchange with them like Jizu, the clothing maker.
Game Intro
The demo will have a shortened version of the game intro that explains why you moved to this new land.
New People to Exchange With
You can now exchange with Grob for meat and other animal products. For now, it can be smoked and dried, but it will be a part of recipes you can cook. In the future, there will be vegetarian substitutes for the recipes that require meat.
You can get a fabulous new hat from Jizu, the clothing maker. In the future, she will have other outfits you can exchange for as well!
Beta Update
Because of the way Steam works, Beta backers wonât be able to see the demo since they already own the game. To work around this limitation, weâll add a âBeta Branchâ for the demo that backers can switch to, allowing them to play the same demo build as everyone else. This is super important if you want to play in co-op.
These same updates will be added to the Beta! So you can enjoy the new map and new character creator.
Thanks for being on this journey with us! You rock! -The Soda Den Team
Devlog 23: đȘTrials
We want to thank all of those who were able to play and test the Beta. The warm reception the game has received is beyond our wildest dreams. Thank you for all your continued support.
We canât wait for you to see all that is being developed and planned for the gameâs release. In the meantime, we are excited to have people try out a demo next month.
Demo
Along with developing the game, weâve been working on a demo thatâll be in Steam Next Fest (June 13-20th). Most demos are 30 to 60 mins long, but with all the content we have, that wasnât enough time to really get a feel for Roots of Pacha, so we are aiming to have a demo thatâs about 2 hours long with some tailored features.
Exploration
Exploration is such a big part of the game, so you will be able to discover plants, befriend animals, adventure in the caves, and forage through the forest and the land surrounding the village.
Ideas
âIdeasâ are a major mechanic for progression. In the demo, youâll be able to discover the power of time through the sundial and develop the idea of animal taming. One change for the demo is that youâll start with the Idea of âanimal friendshipâ already developed, so youâll be able to use the flute to befriend animals. After progressing your friendship with them, youâll discover the Idea of animal taming and riding. To allow you to rapidly develop these ideas for the limited demo, youâll start with some contribution as well.
Fishing
Along with farming, youâll be able to fish in the waters surrounding The Land Between Two Rivers. Youâll use your handaxe to track fish and strike when the time is right. We hope you enjoy our unique take on fishing.
Processors
There will be plenty of processors and the ideas that accompany them for the final game. For the demo, youâll be able to complete a contribution quest with Tare to earn a smoker and a fishing quest with Frer to earn a dryer. Processing the fish you catch and some of the plants you find will yield better contributions.
Lore and the World
Youâll be introduced to Pachaâs world by befriending your fellow Pachans, watching a shortened intro cutscene, and experiencing your Rite of Passage Festival. The Rite of Passage is an important event in every Pachanâs life when their totem is revealed. At the festival, youâll be able to earn a perk along with learning more about your world.
The Caves
Explore the depths of Pachaâs caves and overcome the challenges that await you.
Saves
The demo is only a sample size of the game, but another big part of the game is âplaying at your own pace.â To give people the opportunity to try different play styles weâve decided to allow you to save, start multiple runs, and play in co-op.
Beta Update
Weâre working on a Beta that includes improvements for multiplayer, more player customization, an intro to the game, updates to fishing, and improved character schedules.
All âBe-ta Shamanâ Kickstarter backers and above should have received their keys. If you canât find the email you can have the key resent by entering the email you backed the game with here: https://rootsofpacha.com/orders/
Pachan Festival
Pachans love a good party, and so do we. The Beta was a big milestone in development and the demo is another. To celebrate our very own âRite of Passage,â we have some cool things planned for the community. So keep an eye out for next monthâs devlog and our social media for the details.
