The season is upon us and you are most probably reading this itching to get back home and start your long weekend and Xmas celebrations or you're already in the comfort of your haven, preferably with a mug of joe or tea in hand. Either way...
These being the last couple of weeks before the end of the year, we still have our fair share of development shenanigans while still nailing quite a few milestones. Glassware has been refined and extended since last week, we are experimenting with glassware/color/foam to change dynamically based on player choices, and we got a few character animations done to keep things going ;)
On with the news!
-- Glasses and baubles (+UI)
Not so much baubles, but a lot of glassware. With Ale Abbey being this focused on beer we couldn't stay away from working extensively on making beer styles VASTLY different from one another, and that starts from their serving glass. These glasses will help you immediately pinpoint what a beer's style is in the in-game UI.
Of course, all of these will have to be ready to serve your beers regardless of the ingredients you chose during the Recipe Crafting phase, or the minute changes you made in the brewing and fermentation phases (which can differ from what a style suggests). And this is why we made a matrix of different glassware with colors and foam variations galore.
Your choices won't necessarily ensure an award-winning beer, but you can bet they will still affect the end result in obvious ways.
-- Dynamically depicting player choice
And of course, all this work culminates in this one objective we have been planning for some time: the feature of allowing player choice to be dynamically portrayed on the beers they are creating.
When presenting the player with a beer they created, a beer they can only vicariously enjoy through in-game characters, we wanted to create a level of interactivity that gives them ways of understanding what they have created.
Scores are easy to read and understand; you're either nailing it, did well, or missed the mark. But when it comes to the nature of beer, the 4 in-game Virtues (Taste, Color, Strength, and Foam), we just had to find ways to portray as many of them as possible.
By using the matrix of glassware, color, and foam explained earlier in the post, we will be able to dynamically show what a newly crafted beer will look like. This way the player can be at least a bit closer to appreciating their creation!
-- Animating the Laymen
If you've been following us on Social Media (you better!), you might have seen them lifting heavy things and moving them around like it's nobody's business. This week we touched upon their animation needs, making them feel more alive, while also helping us make some decisions on asset sizes and movement.
Still WIP, especially in the case of carrying barrels up and down Cellar stairs without being able to see past your nose, but you never know what a Layman's job title might include by the time we're done with them!
-- Beer styles for these festive times!
Whether the Xmas spirit has taken you over or not, you still won't miss the opportunity to celebrate with rest, food, and drink! And given what will probably fill your table this year, you might want to think about what can pair nicely and still taste festive enough. Forget about flavor and style purity, this time we go for either something special and unique or all-out funky and preposterous!
- Winter Ales: These are often spiced with flavors like cinnamon, nutmeg, and sometimes even hints of ginger. They can be darker and have a warming quality.
- Christmas Ales: Breweries often create special brews for the Christmas season, sometimes incorporating holiday spices, fruits, or other festive flavors.
- Pumpkin Beers: Although more associated with fall, pumpkin beers are often released around Thanksgiving and can have spicy and autumnal flavors.
- Holiday Stouts: Some breweries create rich, dark stouts with flavors like chocolate, coffee, and sometimes spices, perfect for sipping during colder months.
- Special Edition Brews: Breweries may release limited-edition or special batches for specific holidays, such as New Year's or Independence Day.
- Fruit-infused Beers: During the warmer months or for special occasions, breweries might release beers infused with fruits like berries, citrus, or tropical fruits.
Depending on where you are located, it might get a bit harder to find some of these... Still, if on your trips to an open market, you happen to find any of them, make sure you grab one or - better yet - stock up for the next couple of weeks!
As always, enjoy your weekend responsibly, and join us next week for more Ale Abbey news!
-- Hammer & Ravens
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