Another week is about to end and we got a few things closing in to their end alright! Umberto is reporting from the main UI front, Raimo is sitting on the edge of his seat as he is about to call it a day with designing the last wave of Monks and Nuns we designed both with their portraits and animations!
Short and sweet, read on!
-- Almost done with Nun animations
Following last week's post on one of our latest Nun models being animated, Raimo continued for one last stretch to finish off the rest of her animations this week. A few very interesting examples follow:
-- Work on portraits resumes
Yet another task that continues from last week, the Monk and Nun portraits. You can already identify some additions and - of course - we have a few more brewing, coming in the next couple of weeks ;)
Although it's been a "process" that has been going on for quite some time now, we're slowly approaching the end of working on the Monks and Nuns of the Abbey. Yeap, almost in general. Raimo, who has been the one predominantly working on our brewers' looks, is now - let us say - very eager to start with the next challenges ahead... stay tuned!
-- Recent changes in the main UI
And a news item coming from Umberto's UI work and his notes of suggestions after playing around with Ale Abbey's main UI!
Very much on the WIP of things, you can already recognize the already existing placeholders for the mini-map and the statuses that might affect your Monastery, but if you squint a bit and maybe pay more attention on the bottom side of the panel, aligned to the middle of your screen...
With the topmost elements, as well as the Notifications area at the bottom left having already received some love, Umberto's sights are now on the most crucial UI element in Ale Abbey. With the important role of granting you access to almost everything you need to worry about (be it building a new room, equipping it, etc.), we'll be working hard to make sure it's first and foremost functional, but also as fitting as possible to its Middle Ages context.
With even more ideas sneaking in, like radial menus that won't meddle with your sense of aesthetics or management style and a - suggested - shape that follows the Abbey's form, we're very excited to see what else Umberto has in mind!
-- The hardest beer recipe to nail!
This week's beer section should be taken as a little foreshadowing for next week's post, as we know what we'll be working on already ;) So, what would be the hardest recipe for someone to nail in a cozy homebrewing environment... drum roll to Yannis' absolute "joy," a good contestant would be a wild yeast beer called Gueuze, a traditional Belgian Lambic.
Gueuze is a type of sour beer that undergoes spontaneous fermentation, relying on wild yeast and bacteria present in the environment. Recreating this style at home involves capturing and cultivating wild yeast strains which is a pain in and of itself... The strains necessary would be something like Brettanomyces and lactic acid bacteria, which can be unpredictable and very challenging to control. Achieving the right balance of sourness, funkiness, and complexity, while avoiding off-flavors, requires a deep understanding of fermentation dynamics and patience. And because Gueuze is also typically aged for an extended period, sometimes years, it demands a level of commitment, note-keeping, and cellar management that goes far beyond the typical homebrewing timeline.
If you add to that the fact that Gueuze sometimes requires a second fermentation of a mixture between younger and older lambics, you understand that a homebrewer trying to tackle it would have to have a lot more experience, knowledge, and patience!
As always, enjoy your weekend responsibly, and join us next week for more Ale Abbey news!
-- Hammer & Ravens
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