Garden of the Sea (VR) News

[h3]Hello gardeners![/h3]

December 2nd is here and so is the UploadVR Showcase which will go live at 6 PM CET (9AM PT / 12PM ET / 5PM GMT depending on your local timezone). Grab some popcorn, heat up some glögg (mulled wine) and join the hype with us!

[h3]You can watch the Showcase when it goes live here:[/h3]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctPXpkoLsJg

And when it's done we'll be back with another announcement here on Steam (and we got something extra in store for just you), so be sure to swing by!

See you later~~



// The Neat GotS team

[h3]Hello fellow gardeners![/h3]

As the team hunkers down to get ready for launch of the ever fabled “1.0”, we are here to give you a quick update on the goings-on for Garden of the Sea. And oh, boy is there a lot going on right now?!





[h2]We’ve picked a release window, and we’re about to share it with you all![/h2]
That’s right! We’ve finally decided it’s time to reveal when we’re planning to launch and officially leave Early Access!

In about a week from now, we are excited to be part of the UploadVR Showcase, in which we’ll make some exciting announcements along with dropping that sweet, sweet ETA we know you all have been waiting for!

The UploadVR Showcase will take place on December 2nd, so be sure to add it to your calendar and bookmark the link so you don’t miss it!

You can read more about the showcase in their post here:
https://uploadvr.com/upload-vr-showcase-december-2


[h3]There will also be another post here on Steam![/h3]
For you who won’t be able to watch the showcase we will also be posting here on Steam on the same day (which will also be a bit more personalized for you who’ve been following and supporting the game here on Steam).

You may have noticed that there were a lot of changes in the last update and we realize we may not have been fully clear in exactly what has been going on with some parts of the graphics in the game: The update in visual fidelity is just a byproduct of the massive rework that was done around the launch of that update.

We want the game to be playable on as many hardware setups as possible and therefore decided we needed to do a small rework as we added the day-night cycle. Shadows and water were two of the highest impacted features and had to be rebuilt from scratch. What you’re seeing is the result of us starting with the weakest hardware and then working our way up from there. We've already managed to bring back some of that sweet, sweet eye-candy and will be showing you some screenshots of what that looks like next week on December 2nd!


[h2]Other updates coming on the 2nd of December[/h2]
At the same time as our announcement next week, you’ll also notice some updates here on the Steam store. So be on the lookout for our new artwork that we think will pop nicely in your Library, such as high end PC graphics screenshots and more!

Along with this the game will also be bumped to its final price point which it will keep through launch. As always; this won’t affect existing players who have already purchased the game.





But enough teasing! We’ll see you in December with the full update! (And screenshots, screenshots, screenshots!)



// The Neat GotS team

[h3]Now we can all howl at the moon and enjoy the small tapping feet of baby puffkins running around everywhere![/h3]

The day has come! After much tinkering and tweaking it's time to release the new Coral Island and day-night cycle to early access for all of you to enjoy!

Oh-boy was this a huge one! We merged this update with our internal Alpha milestone which means that all the core gameplay systems are in place (wow omg). It was a lot of work, but we got there! New features and improvements will of course be added to the game as we keep working towards that ever glowing "1.0 release" - but we have quite literally never been closer than this.

Garden of the Sea is taking shape and starting to feel like a proper game and we are so excited to get to that finish line (and beyond)!

Without further ado, let's dive into what this update brings to the game;


[h2]Save breaking changes ahead![/h2]

Much is changing in this update so sadly you'll have to start a new save game, but you'll be happy to hear that this is the last save-breaking change that will be released until we leave early access!

Making (and saving) games is a tricky process and we thank you for your patience in this! ♥





GOSH, What hasn't been changed in this update? It sure feels like everything got a bit of an improvement. Let's dive into all the new mechanics and features!

[h2]Highlights[/h2]


[h3]New Biome: Coral Island[/h3]
Explore yet another new island with a completely unique biome! Coral Island is shrouded in a permanent eclipse and brings new nocturnal plants and creatures for you to encounter.



[h3]A Dynamic Day/Night Cycle[/h3]
Time no longer stands still in Garden of the Sea! You can now enjoy a full range of colors as the sun moves through the sky, granting us those fiery sunsets we all love to snap photos of on our in-game camera. We also have a calm and cozy night-time with fireflies and warm glowy lamps for all you night-owls out there! ;)



[h3]Creature Breeding[/h3]
In our mission to expand creature interactions we have now introduced a breeding feature! With this new update you can build barns for each creature type which will then allow you to fully tame them and in turn allow them to - *ahem* - multiply. Look at those cute baby animals though! Who could resist such a cutie?



[h3]Unique Creature Variations[/h3]
But what is breeding without Individuality?! Each animal now has a unique color and other visual identifiers so you can tell your little buddies apart and keep track of which one (JEFF!!!) keeps eating all the turnips. How fab!



[h3]Cooking[/h3]
We know you've been waiting for this one! Well, wait no further! cooking is finally here! We're starting out with a few base recipes for you to try out while we go back to fully fleshing out the new system. Now, I just wish for a next-gen 3D printer that can print me edible versions of all those dishes. Some of them look truly delicious!



[h3]New Tutorial Area[/h3]
Starting a new game will now bring you through a brand new tutorial quest in order to help introduce new players to our crafting and gardening systems. It's also a great opportunity for stacking up on some useful plants before building your tent/home (nudge nudge, hint hint). ;)


[h2]Additional New Features[/h2]

• Creature affection system with tiers and rewards.
  
• New Barn building quests that ties into the new breeding system.
  
• Revamped quest chains to further allow the players to control the look of their home islands.
  

[h2]Visual Updates[/h2]

• Environment visual overhaul on water, sky and foliage.
  
• Light sources at night.
  
• Updated/Improved icons to better match the art style.
  

[h2]Updates to underlying systems[/h2]

• Improvements to the save system.
  
• Faster in-game loading of other islands.
  
• Lots of work on performance. (whew. so much)
  

[h2]Other Changes[/h2]

• Updates and improvements to the Crystal Island quest line.
  
• Improvements to grabbing large objects (like furniture).
  
• Improvements to interaction with seed bags - added alternative way to release a seed from the bag by pressing a button instead of physically shaking the bag.
  
• Added counter to inventory bubble that shows how many empty slots that remains.
  
• Improvements and bug fixes for the smooth locomotion system.
  
• Finger tracking for Valve Index controllers now works properly.
  
• Various improvements and bugfixes.
  

And as always: your thoughts, ideas and feedback are always welcome. You can always reach us here directly on Steam or join our official Discord server to get first access to the latest news and community events.




Until the next update,
// The Neat GotS team

[h3]Garden of the Sea is growing! And so is the price![/h3]

We're approximately one week away from releasing the new Day/Night cycle and Coral Island update to the main branch and we wanted to give you all a quick heads-up that once we do we feel Garden of the Sea is due for another small price bump.

The change will only be for future purchases so those of you who already own the game won't notice a difference and will still receive all updates as usual. But if you've been eyeing the game for a while or been planning to buy it as a gift for someone else this is a good opportunity to do so before the price goes up!


[h2]On Friday the 1st of October the price will be increased to 13.99 USD (11.59 EUR)![/h2]



We'd also like to take the opportunity to thank all of you Early Access supporters who've been with us so far! That the game has come this far is much thanks to you and we still love and appreciate all the feedback (and bug reports) you've sent us throughout development! You're all simply the best! ♥

If you're not already there, feel free to join our official Discord server and take part in on the discussions going on over there!




See you in a week with the new update,
// The Neat GotS team

[h3]Curious to hear what's next in store? We have good news for you![/h3]

It's been a long wait but the next update is finally on the horizon and oh do we have news for you! We hope you are as excited are we are as we are about introduce a completely new tutorial quest, a day-night cycle, a whole new island, cooking, and last but not least: animals taming and breeding in Garden of the Sea!

The update will go live on the experimental branch today but should reach the regular branch soooon, we promise!




[h2]Unveil the secrets of Coral Island[/h2]
With this update we're adding yet another island with its own unique biome and quests. Explore the depths of this under-yet-over the sea island to unveil the secrets within.



[h2]Watch your island come alive with the brand new day-night cycle[/h2]
We're introducing a dynamic day-night cycle into the game! Enjoy fishing to a golden sunrise or take a nap in the grass in the sunset. The world of Garden of the Sea has never felt this alive!


[h2]Build deeper connections with your animal friends[/h2]
The animals in Garden of the Sea are very dear to all of us and with this update we intend to expand interactions with them further. Caring for your animal friends will in the next update allow you to tame them and build a relationship with them.


[h3]New unique color system[/h3]
Tired of all the Manateecows looking the same? Sulk no longer as we'll introduce a new color system that will make each new animal more unique and recognizable. Now you'll finally be able to tell if it's "Kyle" or "Katie" who walked all over your crops!


[h3]Nurturing & Breeding[/h3]
With this update we'll also introduce breeding which will be a new way to introduce more animals to your island.

Aside from new animals coming to visit your home island, you'll also be able to expand upon your animal family through the brand new breeding feature. Build a barn and watch your island get filled with the most adorable little animal babies - each with their own special traits and features.


[h3]All this and more![/h3]
Stay tuned for the final update post once we go live to get the full list of new features and fixes!




[h2]Follow our progress on the Experimental Branch[/h2]
If you're one of those who likes to dive in and get an early preview through our Experimental Branch you'll be happy to hear we're sticking to that ritual for this update as well.

The first iteration of the upcoming update will be live on the Experimental Branch today. But as always, please be aware it's early alpha content and hasn't gone through much testing, bug fixing or polish yet.

You can download the Experimental Branch by switching to the experimental beta option under 'Preferences...'



[h3]Experimental Notice[/h3]
If you decide to try the Experimental Branch out, you'll need to start a new save game which will then be incompatible with the Main Branch. If you want to switch back to the Main Branch before the update is released there you might need to remove all new Experimental Branch save files before running the game to avoid issues.

Deleting Experimental Branch saves will not be needed once the update is released on the Main Branch however!




And as always: your thoughts, ideas and feedback are always welcome. You can always reach us here directly on Steam or join our official Discord server to get first access to the latest news and community events.




Until the next update,
// The Neat GotS team