Wind Carrier; Pre-Alpha 1.81

Hello all!

I'm going to omit the normal format for this week because there is only one real update, but it's a big one.
Oh! I am also sick, again, because of co-worker negligence, again. So, excuse me if anything that I say is a little less than coherent.

Note: Ignore the sky!

I guess there were actually around three~ changes which all are illustrated here, at least a bit. 

1. I changed the way that weapons equip to the body. Originally, they were done through skeletal meshes, but now they are simply statics which are attached to sockets. This was done mainly with bows (and other things which must move) in mind. It also allows for weapons to be visible on the body while not actively equipped. 
2. Another post processing effect. The shader itself is almost done, save its effects on the sky. I was working on the mostly yesterday and hadn't gotten around to it. Expect the completed shader by next week.
3. And finally, we upgraded to UE4 4.18! Woo! The only reason I did this is because UE4 now has its own clothing tool integrated straight into the engine! Which means soft things, like the leaves on A TreeCleaver can flop around as they should! Which can kinda be seen here. Kinda. 

And that's it! At least I got important things done this week I say to myself. Now next week, I should actually be able to get A Poisoner's Paradise working along with maybe adding the bow weapon class. 

Anywho!

Until next time, 

-Lucas Cady

Project Director

Wind Carrier; Pre-Alpha 1.80, Demo 1.1.6

Hello all!

Our newest build is up at the usual place. And as always, can be found from that rather blocky widget up there at the top of the page.

This week I have literally two changes. Well, probably more than that, but I only recorded two changes in the changelog. So, lets get that over with. u.u


Changelog, 1.80


Player Updates:

-The player now can name themselves!


Quests Added:

-Re-added the quest The Missing Mate

Woo! Wasn't that just a trip?

The only reason the naming thing was added this week was because one of our playtesters mentioned something about it and I was like, "Oh, right." And thus this change came to pass. 

Coming Up:

Hopefully more than this week. This week the wife and I were quite busy doing this and that in preparation of our move. I managed to make a few tiny props in blender, but each time got to the texturing part and then remembered, right, I don't have a functioning tablet. But, yeah. 

Until next time u.u

-Lucas Cady

Project Director

Wind Carrier; Pre-Alpha 1.79

Hello all and welcome to another update!

There are more changes this week than I expected there to be. >.>
I made a few changes, which are still in testing, to the way that influence works. I did that mostly because it felt too static to me, I suppose and I wanted to add something to it.

Along with that, I began work on a new dynamic dream. :p
I haven't worked on any new animations, skeletal or static meshes, or any new textures for it yet, but that actual map and most of the boss AI is worked out already.

Anywho, onto the changelog!

Changelog, 1.79

-Influnce levels now fluctuate randomly on each day (TESTING)

-Added a new type of spawner, an influnce spawner

-These spawners are a guarenteed spawn and the creature/enemy type is based on the prosperity levels of the civilization that they overlap with

Ex. At the 'Prosperous' level, within a Vulpine city, an influnce spawner will spawn a Vulpine Sundrinker, however, at the 'Destitute' level, within the same Vulpine city, it will spawn a Lizard Spearman

-The player can no longer build in dreams


Player Updates:

-The player can now have a two weapons equipped at the same time

-by pressing 'Q' the Wind Carrier will switch between their first and secondary weapons

-to equip a secondary, the Wind Carrier will need to use the 'Equip Second' button in the inventory


Enemy Updates:

-Re-added the Vulpine Poisondrinker which was inexplicably missing >.>

-A Crazed Cleric

-Increased the delay after Vine Shot from between .5 and 1.25 to between 1 and 1.5


Dream Updates:

-An Earthen Sky

-Added a camera showing the location of the teleporter after all the necessary enemies have been killed

-Added a few more props

-Added a single, lonely loot crystal

-Adjusted the landscape to work better for what I had intended

-A Poisoner's Paradise

-Another dynamic dream, not quite ready, but I have been working diligently to get this one worked out as well

-Drops from Vulpine Poisondrinkers


Bug Fixes:

-Fixed a bug where the dodge/tumble would double dodge/tumble the very first time that it would be used on any given map

-Fixed a bug where equipping a weapon over another would have the first weapon unequipped twice

-Fixed the bug where at the end of A Ritualist's Respite, the reward widget did not spawn correctly


Coming Up:

Seeing as there isn't a huge amount of work for APP (A Poisoner's Paradise,) that'll probably get done during this next week. I'm thinking that the boss, who is still nameless, will be an archer. Which means I should have most of the assets to add the 'bow' weapon class after this is completed. I'm also feeling like the unique drop for this one is going to be our first legendary card!

Legendary cards only have one upgrade track and only a single version of them can exist in the game at any given time!
I suppose with that I'll need to add a way to get legendaries back that have been destroyed or lost, probably from shrines.

Anywho, screenshot!

Just a shot of some of the changes to An Earthen Sky. I just realized that it doesn't have any clouds. >.>

And that's all that I have for this week. 

Until next time,

-Lucas Cady

Project Director

Wind Carrier; Pre-Alpha 1.78

Hello all!

Welcome to the first technically on time Saturday update! Woo!

First of all, the changelog this week is probably the smallest that it has ever been, but that has a reason. The wife and I are planning on moving back to, how did I put it? The ancient and mystical land of Finland? Something like that. We've been working on that as of late, getting everything arranged and what-not; so the updates will likely be rather sparse for a while. I, however, do intend to continue to post an update every Saturday as to update you on Wind Carrier's status.

But, the changelog! No matter how small it is. >.>


Change log, 1.78

-Dynamic Dreams can now spawn

-Changed the mesh for A Crazed Cleric's vineshot from the lavaleaf to its own, new mesh

-Quest saving/loading is indeed fixed!

Quests Added:


-Updated The Begining to require two standard yurts, as opposed to an upgraded home

-Re-added Tho-To and, thus, this quest

Bug Fixes:

-fixed some bugs within the dream waking logic


Note: Twice while formatting the blog did I accidentally press ctrl+V instead of ctrl+b. *cough*


Coming up:

As I mentioned, not a lot is likely for a bit. I will continue to work and release monthly updates, but I cannot guarantee that they are going to be super exciting. Though, they always could be, because sometimes I just get an idea in my head and I can't rest until it is out there in the world.

I HAVE been working on that creature that was mentioned some time ago along with another that the wife was super excited to see. Neither of which are even ready for import into the engine, let alone ready for anyone to see.

But! I do have a single, lonely screenshot of the new bramble!

Lonely bramble :(

The actual material was done using a high contrast voronoi noise heightmap as the alpha between two different colours. I like how it turned out, especially since it was entirely generated within UE4!

Note: I'm not sure what is going on with the landscape in the background. I noticed it as I was taking the screenshot, but I didn't have any idea what was going on with it. I think it may have to do with the fresnel effect on the dirt portion of the landscape, but I can't be sure. I do, however, know that it doesn't do that in the map proper. 

Anywho, that's all I got. I'll keep ya'll (>.>) posted on Wind Carrier's progress as per usual. 

Until next time,

-Lucas Cady

Project Director

Wind Carrier; Pre-Alpha 1.77

Hello all!

I guess with my current schedule, this should be an early Saturday update instead of a late Friday update. :p

Anywho, this week I mainly working on getting A Ritualist's Respite up and running... which it is! The only thing left to do is actually add the logic to the enemy class that allows it to spawn; which should only take about 5 minutes, but I couldn't fit it in this week which is rather absurd when you think about it, but I suppose that that isn't the point.

Proof of concept and alliteration, woo!

To the changelog!



Change log, 1.77

-Added a widget to the end of dreams, informing on: experience, mana crystals, influence, and items

-Added the dynamic dream, A Ritualist's Respite

-Added a new crystal type, the white crystal, which acts just like a treasure chest

-It requires testing, but I may or may not have accidentally stumbled upon the solution to the quest saving bug?!

Note: I just noticed and fixed what seemed to be the problem with the quest saving system yesterday, so I have yet to test it. I should have a definite answer on whether or not it was fixed by next week. 

Item Updates:

-Added the weapon, A TreeCleaver, a scythe and the unique reward for ARR


Card Updates:

-Finally fixed Thunder Egg so that it doesn't 1 hit everything. >.>


Enemy Updates:

-A Traitorous Witch should now have the proper amount of health

-Can now drop Soul Crystals in addition to Sortien's Fate

-Added A Crazed Cleric, the boss of A Ritualist's Respite


Bug Fixes:

-fixed a bug where the fliers in An Earthen Sky didn't have proper collision with the landscape

-fixed some floating grass

-fixed a bug where dream completion wasn't being saved properly

-fixed a bug where dropped building items wouldn't spawn with the proper mesh

Coming Up:

Aside from actually adding ARR to the game, I will make sure that the quest system is actually fixed and if it is, then I can start rolling out more quests as well as updating the few that I have already. I've a new, more efficient, system for quest objectives and such in mind, so that should be worked on as well.
I am quite hopeful that it actually got fixed. >.>

Screen shots!

A Ritualist's Respite

Centered around a massive, blooming lavaleaf plant, the dream revolves around climbing the plant to its apex a defeating it's patron inside.

A Crazed Cleric

A manifestation of the chaos that unchecked lavaleaf use can do, A Crazed Cleric has long since been blind. He stares far off into the cosmos, watching and waiting for something that will certainly come for him.

And the aforementioned crystal. Pick it up and it drops loot! 

PS: I need to make a lavaleaf texture that will look good large. >.>

And that's all I got for this week.

Until next time,

-Lucas Cady

Project Director

Wind Carrier; Pre-Alpha 1.76, Demo 1.1.5

Hello all!

Build day is upon us and has been since yesterday, I just didn't manage to get the blog up!
The new build can be found here or from the widget at the top of the page.

Anywho, changelog time!

Change log, 1.76

-Updated the enemy Ai a bit

-Added two dozen wandering ally spawns; note: wandering allies can be killed by enemies

-fixed some map tears

-Lowered the maximum sell price for resources from 20/unit to 15/unit

-Decreased day length from 10 min to 6 min

-lumber trees, mining nodes, and mana crystals all leave remnants behind after collection

-finished adding meshes back to mesh-less NPCs and enemies


Player Updates:


-can now double click to use items from the inventory


Bug Fixes:


-fixed a bug where the Gruesome Trophy building was displaying the Basic Yurt building's properties

-fixed a bug where building's that the player started with wouldn't properly apply their stat boosts

-fixed a bug where the finisher widget would occasionally stay on the screen

-fixed a bug in the stat tool-tip where the damage was incorrectly shown when comparing items

-fixed a bunch of floating objects

-fixed a bug where bee hive trees would allow the player to gather wood from the more than once


Coming Up:

I've been toying around with an idea for our first dynamic dream, probably boringly named A Ritualist's Dream, or, if I'm feeling the alliteration, A Ritualist's Respite. I've the boss just about mapped out, his animations are done for the most part as are his attacks. I just need to actually hash out the dungeon bit of it. I'm thinking a bit of a puzzle entwined with this one, but no one quite knows what I'll do. :p

I've only one screenie for this week, the broken meshes.

I just put them all together, since they're almost the same thing. >.> But, yes, broken things.

I also have this banner, I guess, so you can see that too. :p

And that's all I have for this week. The build changelog over on the itch.io page should be updated here soon, I just need to compile all the info and put it there. But, anywho...

Until next time,

-Lucas Cady

Project Director

Wind Carrier; Pre-Alpha 1.75

Hello all, late again!

Another week with a small number of changes, but the changes that were made were massive; as far as I'm concerned, at least. :p

But, to the changelog!

Change log, 1.75

-Adjusted the visuals via a post processing volume and quite a bit of work on the landscape material

-I have noticed a large number of NPC's/enemies have lost their meshes entirely. I believe this was caused by an earlier information loss, which has been fixed, but the meshes were never reassigned. I have been working on correcting this problem, but many are still without their meshes...

-Added a wandering ally class which will increase the player's civ's population if saved


Card Updates:


-Fixed the cards: Fennoc Breath, Fennoc Meteor, and Hummingbird Sprite

-each were entirely empty, one of UE4's regular shenaigans


Enemy Updates:

-Dragonbone Shaman

­ -Added an internal cooldown to their summons


Bug Fixes:

-Fixed a rare bug where if the player gained enough xp to level as they were dying, their would gain full health and still die

I know, right?

Full disclosure, I used UE4's Stylized Rendering showcase as a guide and modified it to work for me. The landscape material itself isn't quite finished yet and the pp volume needs to be adjusted for shadows, but I love the new look.

A second screenshot, because, why not?

And that's all I have for this week. A little late, but a lot worth it, if I do say so myself. :p

Until next time, which will also be a new demo week,

-Lucas Cady

Project Director