Ending another week of development and the progress seems to be going as expected; in Emiliano's words, that's our lead, pedal to the metal!
This week we spent quite a lot of man-hours on the programming side of things, mainly what's happening under the hood with the Laymen and Laywomen. We also strained our brains thinking and planning about progressive research trees and unlockables for your monastery as it evolves. When there is more information about the latter, we will be able to share a few diagrams that might - or might not - make some sense :p
Having said that, we also worked on things that are visually appealing and presentable already, like preparing the assets for things that can go wrong with your beer, the Superiors' room, and catching up from last week, more animations for the Abbey's strongest helpers!
-- Laymen & Laywomen animations
With all that work in their backend, it was a great opportunity to keep ourselves busy with Laymen/women animations. Lifting the heavy things and putting them back down is a thing. These cute but beefy little helpers know it all too well. And so does our pixel artist Raimo, it seems.
Raimo proves time and time again (and we don't mind repeating) that he is our supreme animation overlord. A well-deserved title when he painstakingly animates every single character as uniquely as possible, making it look easy in the process.
-- The place where management happens
Ah, the Abbot's Office (name still WIP)! Yet another room we are returning to to make a few adjustments. Having started with the extra furniture for the room earlier this year (you can see a bed, fireplace, file cabinet, banners... the lot!), this week we worked on the Abbot's desk which will be the centerpiece of overviewing your monastery's operations.
This is where the magic happens!
-- Bad Brews in the Abbey
Ale Abbey is designed to be a realistic and zen tycoon, we've said that much before. That doesn't mean that we can be picky about its realism and we have to inject some of the more unwanted realities of brewing.
If today's homebrews (with all the technology and knowledge available) can go bad, imagine what woes could befall a monastery's ales in the late Middle Ages... Those brewers did their best, but not all brews remained unscathed. So, while brewing in Ale Abbey, chances are your ale might get contaminated with whatever "bug" got caught in the mix. Good for the bug, not so good for your beer.
From personal experience, any brew that starts smelling stronger than "pleasantly funky" has a few issues that might need to be resolved or it will end up being unsalvageable.
And because we love showing some before and after action of the development process, the design guidelines for something like this, were:
If you ever felt like asking, our Art Director, Francesco, puts up with us a lot...😅
-- Earliest signs of a doomed brew
And, since we're bringing it up again, and knowing we've talked about this before, no amount of preparation on the matter of contamination in homebrewing is enough. In the hopes that prevention didn't work and you might be able to salvage your brew if you caught the problem as it was developing, what would be some telltale signs that you can consider red flags early on?
- Unusual Smells: Even before fermentation begins, if you notice strange or off-putting odors coming from your wort, it could be a sign of contamination. The presence of wild yeast or bacteria can produce distinct and unpleasant smells.
- Slow or Stalled Fermentation: If your fermentation takes longer to start than expected or comes to a sudden halt, it could be a sign of an issue. Wild yeast or bacteria competing with your brewing yeast can interfere with the fermentation process.
- Unusual Krausen Formation: The foamy layer that forms on top of the fermenting beer, known as krausen, can have unusual characteristics if an infection is present. It might look strange (imagine stringy, webby), discolored, or have an abnormal texture.
- Inconsistent Bubbling: While airlock activity is not always a reliable indicator, a sudden change in the bubbling pattern or unusual airlock behavior could be a signal that something is amiss.
Again, make sure all equipment is properly cleaned and sanitized, and follow good brewing practices. If you suspect contamination early on, you might be able to take corrective actions if needed, such as repitching yeast or adjusting fermentation conditions. Remember, your best defense, if for contamination not to be there in the first place!
Enjoy your weekend responsibly, and join us next week for some more Ale Abbey news!
-- Hammer & Ravens
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