Dev Blog #13
Hello again!
We have a lot of exciting stuff to share with you! Our team has been working full speed to get Open Beta out as soon as possible. Testers have had a lot of fun with our new mechanics and we can't wait to show you what we have been working on. But first, a word from our Lead Developer.
[h2]Words from the Lead Developer[/h2]
I cannot believe another month has passed. Time flies when you work all the time. ːsteamfacepalmː We just put out a small update to the Exclusive Beta that is live on the beta branch currently which is an extension of the holiday free play event. The update included survival mechanics such as starvation and dehydration, animation tweaks, AI to kill and eat, and many other things. We're still working on bug fixes, polish and finishing the Shadow Scale, but everything is coming together nicely, including the new physics-based flight system. Parrot and I were playing on the server yesterday and nested in a few lucky players as Shadow Scales and they were able to learn to fly, which was very amusing for those of us watching. Flight does have a learning curve, but after about 10 minutes, you'll have the hang of it, though it will probably take hours before you master it. It's a unique and fun mechanic that I know you will all love. I spent a lot of time on it especially the networking part to make it as smooth as possible and those animations will make you feel like a dragon.
Open Beta is getting close, we have 2 more test branch updates to push out before we can update the beta branch. Once ready, we'll announce the update to everyone and if everything works well, we'll release the dedicated server to the public and server communities will be able to begin hosting their own servers. We have a lot of server options to choose from including PvP/PvE, Player Cap, Admin/Friends/Ban lists, Nametags, MOTD, and even Discord links. The full list of server config options can be found in our Discord and we'll post them to our Steam page as well once the server is released. Our friends at Nodecraft have already begun setting up their server panels so all the options will be available to you in the server host panel.
By the way, this is the Dragon game you have all been waiting for, you'll see ːsteammockingː
I look forward to watching you all fly in the upcoming Open Beta targeted for Summer 2021. I know I will be there flying as a Shadow Scale. ːsteamhappyː Be sure to hop in the beta server if you can, if you catch us online Parrot or I might take you for your first flight on a Dragon. \o/
- Jonathan Slabaugh
Lead Developer of Day of Dragons
Now its time for the rest of the blog!
[h2]Status Icons[/h2]
Status icons and the effects they represent are now in game on the Test Branch. Hunger and Thirst now show up as a meat (for carnivores) and water drop icons you reach 50% hunger/thirst. Reach 100% of either, and you will begin taking damage until the percentage is lowered.
Other effects are also currently being tested, including Bleed, Poison, and Decay. Bleed reduces your health as long as it is active. It is recommended to lay down or sleep when bleeding, as your healing will increase per tick. Decay, caused by the Acid Spitter's Decaying Bite, eats away at the dragon's stamina and armor. This can ground flying dragons and make them more vulnerable to the drake's attacks.
Poison is currently caused by eating Thornbacked Crawlers and increases your Sickness the more you eat. While the poison itself does no damage, you will want to keep a close eye on your Sickness level. You can sleep off the effects of Poison, or just wait it out.
[h3]Torpor to Sickness[/h3]
So what is Sickness? Well, after some testing, we decided that we did not like the Torpor mechanic and decided to replace it with Sickness, instead.
Now, instead of making you fall asleep, Sickness distorts your vision and can cause damage. The only way to decrease your sickness is to sleep it off or wait and hope for the best.
[h2]New Mechanics[/h2]
We have a bunch of new in-game mechanics this month, including the Status Effects! Jao has been hard at work coding and has created some beawesome new additions to the game, including the one most have been looking forward to...
[h3]Flight[/h3]
Flight v2.0 is now being tested on the Dev Branch! Our new flight system is physics based and unlike any other survival game at the moment. Players will have to manage their velocity and momentum to stay airborne, making AFK flying a thing of the past.
Players will also now be able to swoop close to the ground, but be careful. Crashing is another mechanic in the works and will cause a great deal of damage depending on your velocity.
We've also made a change to flight for babies. While they won't be able to achieve full flight, they will be able to glide if jumping from high places or being dropped in the air.
We still have a few more things to add, like a take-off and landing animation, before flight is ready for Open Beta. However, we are getting closer and soon we will be soaring the skies with you!
[h3]Hatchling Carry[/h3]
Probably the cutest mechanic yet, Hatchling Carry v2.0 is currently being tested in our Testing Branch. Unlike in the Alpha, any proper sized adult (group member or not) can pick up and carry a baby. However, babies will be able to break free from the adult's grasp by struggling. Struggling also reduces the adult's stamina, making it harder to chase after the baby again.
Hatchlings will automatically be dropped if they grow too large and can be carried while flying.
[h2]Models, VFX, and Animation[/h2]
Our team is working full speed to prepare for the Open Beta. Check out what our other departments have done this month.
[h3]VFX[/h3]
Flicker has been a busy bird this month. She has been working on several projects at once, including the Flame Stalker's Heat Sense, the Shimmer skin Texture, and the Shadow Scale's Cloaking ability.
The Flame Stalker's Heat Sense is getting some much needed love. The effect will now resemble real life infrared cameras and players can use foliage to hide themselves from a Stalker.
Exclusive skins, like the Kickstarter and Patreon skins, will have an extra effect to them, known as a Shimmer. This effect will give the dragon's scales an iridescent shine that can be passed down to the dragon's offspring.
The Shadow Scale's Cloaking ability will also get a fresh look in Genesis.
[h3]Model Work[/h3]
While Hao is continuing work at prepping some more models for future updates, Brigade is working on environmental assets for Genesis.
She is creating a generic drake carcass, which will be used for corpses that are nearly emptied. The carcass will have options for varying levels of gore for our squeamish and hardcore fans.
Brigade is also working on some undisclosed projects... but we will leave you guessing for now ;)
[h3]Animations[/h3]
Burt, our newest animator, has been working hard on the Magma Elemental. He is finishing up on all of the Elemental's attacks and then moving onto some more of his actions animations. Check out a few of the completed animations!
Magma Elemental Bile Attack
Magma Elemental Swipe Attack
Karly is continuing work on the Shadow Scale. She has created some new adult animations to polish the flight system as well as creating the baby and juvenile versions of all the current animations.
Shadow Scale Take Off
Baby Shadow Scale Hover
What a busy month and we aren't slowing down! We will see you at the end of next month for our next blog post. As always, thank for reading and for your support!
[h2]Dev Q&A Livestream[/h2]
Our next Q&A livestream has not yet scheduled. Stay tuned and watch for updates to find out when the next one will be!
[h2]From the Community[/h2]
Each blog post, we pick some of our favorite screenshots and artwork posted by the community to showcase here. Want a chance for your submission to be showcased on our next blog? Post it in the appropriate channels on our discord!
[h3]Some of our favorite recent screenshots...[/h3]
by Zenora#2649
by Synder#2521
by Neist_Sakimichi#1785
[h3]Some of our favorite artwork from the community...[/h3]
by ProwlerPaws#1414
by Draka#5202
by mickeyrose97#3400
~The Day of Dragons Development Team
Don't want to miss out on updates? Follow us on our social media accounts or become a patron to get updates before they are released!
Discord | Twitter | Youtube | Instagram
We have a lot of exciting stuff to share with you! Our team has been working full speed to get Open Beta out as soon as possible. Testers have had a lot of fun with our new mechanics and we can't wait to show you what we have been working on. But first, a word from our Lead Developer.
[h2]Words from the Lead Developer[/h2]
I cannot believe another month has passed. Time flies when you work all the time. ːsteamfacepalmː We just put out a small update to the Exclusive Beta that is live on the beta branch currently which is an extension of the holiday free play event. The update included survival mechanics such as starvation and dehydration, animation tweaks, AI to kill and eat, and many other things. We're still working on bug fixes, polish and finishing the Shadow Scale, but everything is coming together nicely, including the new physics-based flight system. Parrot and I were playing on the server yesterday and nested in a few lucky players as Shadow Scales and they were able to learn to fly, which was very amusing for those of us watching. Flight does have a learning curve, but after about 10 minutes, you'll have the hang of it, though it will probably take hours before you master it. It's a unique and fun mechanic that I know you will all love. I spent a lot of time on it especially the networking part to make it as smooth as possible and those animations will make you feel like a dragon.
Open Beta is getting close, we have 2 more test branch updates to push out before we can update the beta branch. Once ready, we'll announce the update to everyone and if everything works well, we'll release the dedicated server to the public and server communities will be able to begin hosting their own servers. We have a lot of server options to choose from including PvP/PvE, Player Cap, Admin/Friends/Ban lists, Nametags, MOTD, and even Discord links. The full list of server config options can be found in our Discord and we'll post them to our Steam page as well once the server is released. Our friends at Nodecraft have already begun setting up their server panels so all the options will be available to you in the server host panel.
By the way, this is the Dragon game you have all been waiting for, you'll see ːsteammockingː
I look forward to watching you all fly in the upcoming Open Beta targeted for Summer 2021. I know I will be there flying as a Shadow Scale. ːsteamhappyː Be sure to hop in the beta server if you can, if you catch us online Parrot or I might take you for your first flight on a Dragon. \o/
- Jonathan Slabaugh
Lead Developer of Day of Dragons
Now its time for the rest of the blog!
[h2]Status Icons[/h2]
Status icons and the effects they represent are now in game on the Test Branch. Hunger and Thirst now show up as a meat (for carnivores) and water drop icons you reach 50% hunger/thirst. Reach 100% of either, and you will begin taking damage until the percentage is lowered.
Other effects are also currently being tested, including Bleed, Poison, and Decay. Bleed reduces your health as long as it is active. It is recommended to lay down or sleep when bleeding, as your healing will increase per tick. Decay, caused by the Acid Spitter's Decaying Bite, eats away at the dragon's stamina and armor. This can ground flying dragons and make them more vulnerable to the drake's attacks.
Poison is currently caused by eating Thornbacked Crawlers and increases your Sickness the more you eat. While the poison itself does no damage, you will want to keep a close eye on your Sickness level. You can sleep off the effects of Poison, or just wait it out.
[h3]Torpor to Sickness[/h3]
So what is Sickness? Well, after some testing, we decided that we did not like the Torpor mechanic and decided to replace it with Sickness, instead.
Now, instead of making you fall asleep, Sickness distorts your vision and can cause damage. The only way to decrease your sickness is to sleep it off or wait and hope for the best.
[h2]New Mechanics[/h2]
We have a bunch of new in-game mechanics this month, including the Status Effects! Jao has been hard at work coding and has created some beawesome new additions to the game, including the one most have been looking forward to...
[h3]Flight[/h3]
Flight v2.0 is now being tested on the Dev Branch! Our new flight system is physics based and unlike any other survival game at the moment. Players will have to manage their velocity and momentum to stay airborne, making AFK flying a thing of the past.
Players will also now be able to swoop close to the ground, but be careful. Crashing is another mechanic in the works and will cause a great deal of damage depending on your velocity.
We've also made a change to flight for babies. While they won't be able to achieve full flight, they will be able to glide if jumping from high places or being dropped in the air.
We still have a few more things to add, like a take-off and landing animation, before flight is ready for Open Beta. However, we are getting closer and soon we will be soaring the skies with you!
[h3]Hatchling Carry[/h3]
Probably the cutest mechanic yet, Hatchling Carry v2.0 is currently being tested in our Testing Branch. Unlike in the Alpha, any proper sized adult (group member or not) can pick up and carry a baby. However, babies will be able to break free from the adult's grasp by struggling. Struggling also reduces the adult's stamina, making it harder to chase after the baby again.
Hatchlings will automatically be dropped if they grow too large and can be carried while flying.
[h2]Models, VFX, and Animation[/h2]
Our team is working full speed to prepare for the Open Beta. Check out what our other departments have done this month.
[h3]VFX[/h3]
Flicker has been a busy bird this month. She has been working on several projects at once, including the Flame Stalker's Heat Sense, the Shimmer skin Texture, and the Shadow Scale's Cloaking ability.
The Flame Stalker's Heat Sense is getting some much needed love. The effect will now resemble real life infrared cameras and players can use foliage to hide themselves from a Stalker.
Exclusive skins, like the Kickstarter and Patreon skins, will have an extra effect to them, known as a Shimmer. This effect will give the dragon's scales an iridescent shine that can be passed down to the dragon's offspring.
The Shadow Scale's Cloaking ability will also get a fresh look in Genesis.
[h3]Model Work[/h3]
While Hao is continuing work at prepping some more models for future updates, Brigade is working on environmental assets for Genesis.
She is creating a generic drake carcass, which will be used for corpses that are nearly emptied. The carcass will have options for varying levels of gore for our squeamish and hardcore fans.
Brigade is also working on some undisclosed projects... but we will leave you guessing for now ;)
[h3]Animations[/h3]
Burt, our newest animator, has been working hard on the Magma Elemental. He is finishing up on all of the Elemental's attacks and then moving onto some more of his actions animations. Check out a few of the completed animations!
Magma Elemental Bile Attack
Magma Elemental Swipe AttackKarly is continuing work on the Shadow Scale. She has created some new adult animations to polish the flight system as well as creating the baby and juvenile versions of all the current animations.
Shadow Scale Take Off
Baby Shadow Scale HoverWhat a busy month and we aren't slowing down! We will see you at the end of next month for our next blog post. As always, thank for reading and for your support!
[h2]Dev Q&A Livestream[/h2]
Our next Q&A livestream has not yet scheduled. Stay tuned and watch for updates to find out when the next one will be!
[h2]From the Community[/h2]
Each blog post, we pick some of our favorite screenshots and artwork posted by the community to showcase here. Want a chance for your submission to be showcased on our next blog? Post it in the appropriate channels on our discord!
[h3]Some of our favorite recent screenshots...[/h3]
by Zenora#2649
by Synder#2521
by Neist_Sakimichi#1785[h3]Some of our favorite artwork from the community...[/h3]
by ProwlerPaws#1414
by Draka#5202
by mickeyrose97#3400~The Day of Dragons Development Team
Don't want to miss out on updates? Follow us on our social media accounts or become a patron to get updates before they are released!
Discord | Twitter | Youtube | Instagram