One hundred Something's Brewings on IndieDB, one hundred Something's Brewings....
Another week... developing away,
One hundred and one Something's Brewings on IndieDB!
I am probably on the verge of losing any creative rights to Ale Abbey, but yeah... Another week of developing our upcoming Monastery Brewery tycoon, and we are still going strong, if not a little crazy!
This week we revisited a UI element on the game's main screen. We also followed up with what we focused on these last couple of weeks, the Abbey's Superiors, finishing up a few more animations for the Abbots and Abbesses of the monastery. Apart from that, we have already begun preparing for a bigger presence across the board that will follow future reveals of some changes in Ale Abbey's promotion strategy; not very fun, but immensely important...
Onwards with the news!
-- Abbots & Abbesses become even more realistic
The Abbots and the Abbesses in Ale Abbey will play a central role not only in terms of gameplay, but also in the narrative behind your Monastery's eventual story. And although their clothing, their presence, demeanor, and quarters seem to be more dignified - and almost divine - they are still human.
And having already focused on that in the past, we kept on animating what makes us all similar; not only extreme reaction to annoyance, but also food :p
And don't you worry, they won't be enjoying supper standing...
More to come ;)
-- Minor Main UI tweaks
Having worked so much on the more diegetic parts of the UI (specifically the Recipe Creation UI) and the plans to go neck-deep with the upcoming work on the Brewing UI, it feels like a good break to work on their quite simpler cousin again. Not much to be shared yet, but we are making a few element size changes to accommodate more information.
We are still testing it of course, but we made some room next to your Fiorins and Fame. What the Main UI looked like:
Versus what it looks like now that we want you to have an idea of the Monastery's overall comfort levels ;)
Yes, Comfort directly affects your brewers' mood... Yes, their mood is important!
-- Ramping up our presence
And finally, we are slowly planning to bring more and more information about Ale Abbey out in the open. This comes from the fact that we have yet to announce our publisher, who has been extremely helpful with very pointed feedback and immense assistance in asset generation esp. the ones aimed at promoting and presenting Ale Abbey in the future.
This will come with certain surprising changes, some small, others big, that we felt you might need to prepare yourselves for. Nothing TOO big, but still changes that will make Ale Abbey more irresistible (looking at our little brewers we too wonder if this is even possible!).
Although we can't share the assets in the works, we can still show some stuff we have been working on to get some eyes on the monastery!
-- The Case of Cold Crashing
OK, hear me out. Some beers look deliciously rustic and mysterious with their cloudy, hazy appearance. Others not so much. When you homebrew, you are going to have a few tools in your arsenal to make your beers crystal clear, with varying degrees of difficulty and success.
Cold crashing is one of these tools. It's mainly used to enhance the clarity, stability, and overall quality of a beer, however, like any brewing procedure, it comes with both advantages and potential drawbacks. Before I go into the nitty-gritty of the how-to, let us see the pros and cons for those :
Reasons to Do Cold Crashing:
- Improved Clarity: Cold crashing promotes the settling of yeast and other particulates, resulting in clearer beer with a more professional appearance.
- Stability: Removing excess yeast and sediment through cold crashing can increase the stability of the beer, reducing the likelihood of off-flavors developing over time.
- Reduced Oxidation Risk: Lowering the temperature of the beer before packaging helps minimize the risk of oxidation, preserving the beer's freshness and flavor characteristics.
- Aesthetics: Clearer beer is more visually appealing and can be especially desirable for styles that traditionally exhibit bright clarity, such as lagers and pale ales.
Reasons Not to Do Cold Crashing:
- Time and Patience: Cold crashing adds an additional step to the brewing process, requiring extra time for the beer to reach the desired temperature and settle. Some brewers may prefer a simpler and quicker approach.
- Equipment Limitations: Not all homebrewers have access to dedicated cooling systems or fermentation chambers for cold crashing. Without proper equipment, achieving and maintaining the desired temperature can be challenging.
- Loss of Aromatics: Cold crashing can strip away some of the delicate aromatics present in the beer, especially if dry hopping was performed before crashing. This may result in a slightly muted aroma compared to beers that skip the cold crashing step.
- Yeast Viability: Cold crashing can reduce the yeast's activity and viability, potentially impacting carbonation levels if bottle conditioning is planned. Adding fresh yeast at bottling may be necessary to ensure proper carbonation.
- Style: Some bears are meant to be hazy. Don't judge!
On our next Something's Brewing we'll put together some information on how to cold crash from home (if you decide to do so), so stay tuned ;)
Until then, enjoy your weekend responsibly, and join us next week for some more Ale Abbey news!
-- Hammer & Ravens
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