100 Copies of The Garden Path are now on offer on Itch.io! ššæ
Hello gardeners,
I'm just stopping by with a small but exciting update for you all today~
I'm thrilled to announce that 100 early access copies of The Garden Path are on sale RIGHT NOW on Itch.io ahead of the full launch on PC, Nintendo Switch, and Linux later this year! š
Itch.io is the place to be, to walk The Garden Path early, to make friends, to make tea.
While this decision came partially from the desire to give those who missed out on backing The Garden Path during our Kickstarter last year another chance to support the game, this limited release also serves as a thank you to everyone for everything you've done to encourage and strengthen this game, this community, and myself and the team. Truly none of this would be possible without you!
"Farm, fish, and befriend enchanting residents as you explore the old garden and welcome your role as the new gardener in this pensive taste of the simple life."
This launch features early access to the full game, which means some features are still missing and some bugs are still lurking along the path. Your feedback will help guide me in making sure The Garden Path is as polished and charming as it can be in time for the full release later this year, and I appreciate every piece of feedback or bug-spotting you share!
This early access build will also receive all future updates to the game and will be updated regularly as development continues with your help.
Oh, and did I mention the price will be cheaper than at full launch!?
For those of you who have already backed the game here are some answers to what you might be wondering...
š± If you chose Itch.io as your preferred platform then you will be getting access to this same early build of the full game! Expect to see that pushed on the Itch.io dev log, or keep an eye on our Discord server! š± If you chose Steam as your preferred platform then unfortunately the wait continues. You'll have access to the game at full launch, as soon as possible. If you would like to switch to Itch.io then just send us a message here on Kickstarter and we can link that request for you and make it happen!
Thank you so much as always, whether you backed the game last year, will be buying the game on Itch.io, or are just hear reading and supporting The Garden Path!
March Update ~ Introducing Buttercup and more game updates! š·
Hello gardeners,
If you follow The Garden Path on other platforms such as Twitter or TikTok, then youāll likely have met some of The Gardenās vegetable-headed residents. From Caroline to Art, Molly to Otto, Iāve been sharing some facts about the folk you might meet during your play.
I thought it would only be fitting to share a little bit more about some of the animal travellers that will wander through The Garden from time to time - sharing wares in addition to some wise words.
Who else could we start with, then, on National Pig Day?
So please welcome Buttercup...
Buttercup is a British Landrace Pig who loves digging through the earth and mud. With a cheery, cheeky attitude, Buttercup is a classic āsalt of the earthā kind and is a treasure to meet.
Most of her time is spent underground mining for irrigation. However, itās not unlike her to get lost on occasion and sheās known for scrambling up and stumbling into growing gardens ~ much like your own.
Still, getting lost is a difficult business. As such, Buttercup is likely to take a break and treat herself to a reinvigorating cup of tea while taking her well-deserved rest.
Because of her time underground, Buttercup has managed to collect an impressive cluster of different soils. If youāre lucky enough to catch her while sheās above-ground, then be sure to offer her a fine brew, and maybe youāll get a sample of her collection in exchange.
Game Updates
The player map is being revisited, now generating itself automatically according to the layout of trees, rivers and bridges. It still needs a bit of work, but helps to provide a more accurate overview of the garden, and will change now as the garden changes. It also alleviates my task of hand-drawing each map portion, as it was done previously.
Bunk's new artwork has finally landed, along with a refresh to the tea-pouring visualizer.
New reeds and rocks decorate the rivers and water-ways, helping them visually settle into the garden's landscape.
A subtle new foliage effect has been added to the game, where the artwork slowly fades in and amongst itself, giving it a better feeling of depth, and a more ethereal mood to the garden, without being distracting.
Caoimhe will now find their way into the garden, and will be stocking up on the latest garbs and trends for your character to don.
...And because small touches are important, there's now a subtle dust animation when the player runs, and you'll leave behind little footprints in your trail.
But there's more that's yet-to-come this month.
Soon, depending on how keen-eyed your character is, you'll begin to notice spots for treasure, either buried underground or tucked into the nooks of trees. Among other goodies, you can begin to unlock the old gardener's journal this way, and learn more about the old garden.
And finally, Cold's Pass will soon be arriving to the game, an end-of-year ceremony to say goodbye to the cold weather, and welcome in the new spring. Seems particularly fitting this time of year...
Itās still Winter, still cold. But work on The Garden Path hasnāt been hampered by the chill here in the UK. On the contrary, work has been in full force and I am pleased with the place itās in right now.
Letās head into the update to see whatās new.
Featured features
With new content being implemented behind the scenes, The Garden Path has a whole host of new features to mention
Furnishings for the garden can now be layered, allowing you to hang smaller items on trees or place them on tables or cabinets.
Many new plants and flora have also been added to the game, including marigolds, pansies, daffodils, chrysanths - but youāll need to find the seeds to plant them!
The movement system has seen some updates, including the base speed for the character increasing, increased base stamina, and faster sprint speeds, which should help you get to where you want to go in good time. A new sprint animation has also been added, so you can really feel the wind in your hair.
The new pathfinding system has been introduced to the game, which will eventually allow characters to traverse more intelligently across the map, but for now should provide shorter loading times ~ something weāre working on whittling down further.
The game has been moved over to GLES3, which should provide better performance on newer systems, especially in areas with many lights.
Tents have made a triumphant return. Theyāre now easier to place, and no longer require a loading screen to enter or exit, simply walk up to the tent, unzip the door and youāre in. A great way to start your corner of the Garden.
A Little Bit of Fun
Something our Community Manager, Alex, has been working on lately was a little personality quiz based on some of the animal travellers you might find in The Garden Path, and now you can give it a go.
Itās short and sweet but great fun. I spent too much time answering the questions myself! Find out which character you are here, and be sure to share your results in our Discord server or in the comments.
2021 was a pivotal year for The Garden Path, and surely one to remember. From officially announcing the game, to launching a Kickstarter; growing a team, to releasing new builds ā itās been as daunting as it has been exciting.
While it hasnāt yet been a full year since the game was officially announced, it is only fitting that we celebrate how far we came in 2021 as we see in the new year.
A retrospective
Perhaps the best marker for how far the game has come over the last 12 months is going back to watch the gameās āFlash Talkā for the 2021 digital Godotcon, which aired close to a year ago today. The game really was hanging on by a thread at the time, and to see how much has changed visually and mechanically is hopefully a good sign for what we can achieve in 2022.
Following that, spring was a busy and exciting time for The Garden Path (which might be fitting for a game about gardening).
On May 26th the game held its official press announcement and was met with an incredibly humbling response. I couldnāt have asked for a warmer reaction.
Nearing the end of Spring, The Garden Path was lucky enough to be featured in the Wholesome Direct Showcase as part of E3 2021. It was surreal seeing the game being played alongside a whole host of great games.
After some long talks and some trepidation, we launched our Kickstarter in the summer. It was a challenge that, when beginning work on the game, I never imagined I would undertake. It was good fun designing and drafting the rewards for each tier, which I hope helped capture some imaginations along the way.
The gameās time on Kickstarter came to a close at 152% funding with an amazing Ā£30,474 pledged ā a feat that could only have been achieved thanks to the trust and support of the gameās backers and followers who did so much in lifting the game to the finish line and beyond.
Thanks to everyone who supported the game, that extra 52% helped us to hit both of our stretch goals and is now helping us to bring The Garden Path to Nintendo Switch and multiplayer.
The demo from the Kickstarter, and later for the Steam Next Fest in October, proved to be invaluable as sources of feedback for the game, and where things could improve moving forward.
Following that feedback, many things were reworked, rewired, rewritten, to make the game better to play as well as more accessible. In early December, Kickstarter backers got access to the beta version.
Weāve still got a little way to go from here, but letās take a look at the work thatās already been going on over and under the hood since the betaās release.
Game Updates
Thanks to the help of willing backers, there's been a real effort already in testing the game, finding bugs, and fixing them on the community discord. If you were a backer that opted for the itch.io version and would like to join in, hop on over to our Discord.
Many dozens of bugs, from quirks to crashes, have already been fixed since then, but I've also been focusing on providing new features and tweaks to hopefully make the game better to play.
A big request from the start of the game's inception has been the availability of multiple saves, and we now have a rudimentary system in place to support them. You can hop between your different gardens from the main menu, and starting a new game will no longer overwrite your old work. Soon the system will receive more polish, allowing you to delete old Gardens you no longer want.
A big quality-of-life improvement was added in the form of 'Nearby Indicators', which now appear when an NPC is off-screen but close by. This makes finding that NPC you're looking for even easier, without the need to pause and search the map.
The function of the player's map has also been given a redesign, now allowing you to sweep the map with a reticle rather than by the acre. Today I implemented pins which you can place across the map to aid you as a reminder. Soon the pins will be integrated into the Nearby Indicator system, making it even easier to find your way around the Garden.
In-the-works and soon-to-be-available is a big overhaul of the game's mapping-navigation system which will allow for better character movement and placement. Some NPCs that are currently on the bench rely on this new system so will be soon to make an appearance. It should also speed up the game's loading time by some margin.
Development is back in full swing in 2022, and Iāll be sharing as much progress as I can along the way.
And there we go. Thank you so much to everyone who has followed and supported The Garden Path this year, I owe it to all of you for sharing this turbulent and exciting year with me.
