Peak is a slight overstatement, but apart from animating characters, we have been hard at work with the insides and outsides of Ale Abbey's crown jewel, the monastery! Expect to see a lot more these coming weeks ;)
So, let's hear it!
-- Revamping the Cellars, and more!
We are going through an architectural renaissance. Going back and forth between older designs, trying to perfect the entirety of the monastery. The rooms with the biggest differences from the rest of the monastery, due to their overall nature and difference in lighting, happen to be the Cellars.
A complete revamp of the stairways that connect them to their above-ground counterparts, some room lighting fixes making them feel darker and colder, but more fitting to their purpose (storing and aging ale), better fits for the furniture and equipment, the whole shebang.
Having said that, the Cellars are - of course - still WIP. As you can see there are still a few lighting fixes that need to take place, like the contrast of furniture that still looks like it doesn't belong yet.
And since we're taking this internal design dive here, we are also tackling an old thorn in our sides: how to deal with furniture and equipment placed in front of room windows. This one goes to all of you who would love to have unrestricted access but realistic outcomes when you adorn your future Abbey.
As you can see, once a piece of furniture/equipment finds itself in front of a window, the cloister around it becomes a solid wall. This will, of course, affect the available natural lighting in the room, so plan your internal design endeavors wisely!
-- New Facade
A project left in the backseat for quite some time was preparing a new facade for the monastery. We had to revisit it because we needed to take into account the multiple floors that you will be building around it.
This past week we have been experimenting with a few ideas, the most prominent one being the one you see below. Windows show open spaces behind the facade and follow the same arched design as other spaces in the Abbey, filling its emptier parts with more intricate designs to keep them interesting, and a more fitting level design to better accompany the floors' heights.
-- Animating Laymen/women
And of course, new character designs and animations! This week we had a good time finishing up some animations from the latest Layman and started working on the Abbey's second Laywoman archetype.
And a few of her animations right off the bat...
And an extra detail added by Raimo's artistic restlessness, cause not everyone can carry barrels as easily, a few single-pixel sweat droplets adorning the efforts of Ale Abbey's workers!
-- Warm beer?!
Forget about Ale Abbey's cold Cellars for a second and hear me out... is there a beer that can be not just consumed but enjoyed without it being chilly cold?
If you're reading this from the perspective of a wine-drinker, then you expect certain styles of beer to be quite interesting to consume in higher temperatures, to allow certain of their ingredients to shine. Not necessarily hot, of course, but warmer. These styles would be:
- English Ales: Many English-style ales, including bitters, porters, and stouts, can be served at slightly warmer temperatures to allow their complex flavors to shine.
- Belgian Ales: Certain Belgian ales, such as Belgian dubbels, tripels, and quadrupels, are often served at warmer temperatures to bring out their fruity and spicy notes.
- Barleywines: Barleywines, whether English or American, are strong ales that can benefit from being served at a warmer temperature. This allows the rich malt flavors to develop.
- Imperial Stouts: These robust stouts with high alcohol content often have complex flavors that are more pronounced when served at a warmer temperature.
- Saisons: Saisons, farmhouse ales originally brewed in Belgium, are often served at slightly warmer temperatures to highlight their fruity and spicy yeast character.
- Scotch Ales: Scotch ales, including Wee Heavy styles, can be enjoyed at warmer temperatures to allow the malt sweetness and complexity to be fully appreciated.
If, however, you'd want to go for something more unorthodox, you could actually try warm beer... but we'll leave that one for next week :p
Enjoy your weekend responsibly, and join us next week for more Ale Abbey news!
-- Hammer & Ravens
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