Snacko News

This one was a bit hard to title, since it's got a wide variety of changes that sort of make up the whole "ah, we made the game feel less grindy". The short of it is, we've increased the scope of what you can do and how you can achieve these goals, instead of "wait for 30 Turnips to grow". However, since these are still paced with the intention that an unguided play-through can be roughly one season per Obelisk and MIAO, they still require some elbow grease! Paw grease? Ew...

There's also some quality of life additions and bug fixes, so feel free to jump between headers if you'd like to skip something!

So, I'd say they're broken down into three parts:

1. Obelisk offering changes
   
2. MIAO changes
   
3. Fertilizer and Seed Maker changes
   

I'll go through those three first, then at the bottom, touch on the QoL, balance, and fixes we've also included with this patch.


For a full table of Obelisk and MIAO changes, you can view the full version of these notes on our blog.


This is something we've had an issue with both the Obelisk and MIAO: they ask for specific, arbitrary items that sometimes feel like they overlap (GP Obelisk asks for 30 turnips, MIAO1 asks for 30 potatoes, etc.)

We want to stick by Snacko's whole "there should be a lot of player choice and agency" core concept, so the Obelisks have been changed to reflect that.

• Obelisk slots now have slots that are a choice between different options
  
• Hovering over one of these "optional" slots will stop the auto-cycling
  
• Each optional slot has 3 options that span a variety of different activities or ways to obtain them (ex: fishing, cooking, resource gathering, farming)
  
• If you had items inside your Obelisk that is still a work in progress, they were refunded to your overflow storage
  

The kind of gameplay we'd like to encourage is looking through the options and weighing what you'd rather do: "I can try my luck and get 3 gems! I'm not interested in the Amethyst's effects on my tools anyways!" versus "Hmm, maybe it's just easier if I get a bunch Cobalt and wait for my furnace to make some Glass"


To go along with the Obelisk changes, we've also reworked the MIAO goals to better align with natural gameplay and ways to nudge you to try different things, rather than grinding for arbitrary items, like shipping corn.

Now, the MIAO will offer a variety of subtasks such as:

• Cook 5 times (like, anything. Even Dubious Dishes.)
  
• Donate 20 items to the Cultural Center
  
• Earn 500,000 Cocoa Beans
  

...and so on

We've tried to think about ways that different people would like to play the game, and included activities that would allow you to complete the goal in different ways. If you hate fishing, you can always just donate furniture or cooked dishes to the Cultural Center! Stuff like that.


For the longest time, 1 Fertilizer application = 1 Star level.
That, uh doesn't seem right, does it? And the Seedmaker as well. 1 crop = 1 seed. Wait a minute...
So now, that's fixed!

• You need to fertilize your crops at least three times
  
• Just because you've fertilized it 9 times doesn't mean it'll grow even better! Once you hit 3X, the rest is just overdoing it
  
• A combination of fertilizing and adding to the Seed Maker is key to raising the quality of your crops!
  
• Seed Makers now give 2 seeds for every crop, at +1 quality
  
• Adding a Myst Crystal to the maker will give you a chance of getting an ✨extra✨ seed from a crop.
  
• Adding a Cat-a-lyzer in the maker will reduce the time to generate each batch of seeds. Of course, you can also whack the maker with your tools
  

[h3]NEW ✨ New crop to grow: Myst Flower[/h3]
Myst Flowers can be crafted into 3 Myst Crystals per flower. They take a while to grow, but they'll regrow several times. It's a more passive way to obtain crystals without having to run down to the mines
Old players will get the quest automatically added to their save file. New players will unlock the tutorial and the seeds when an alchemist moves to the island
Myst Flowers can be also placed as a decoration

• Removed gems from pinball machine, you can still have a chance to get shards
  
• Gem shards are now more expensive when bought at the Alchemist
  
• Removed Myst Crystals as a buyable item from Alchemist shop
  
• Removed tools and gems crafting recipe from blueprint shop; tools are now unlocked by default and gems will be learned during the newly "tool upgrade" quest
  
• New quest "Them Apples" for new players to help nudge towards the Grassy Plains to start the MSQ
  
• New quest that gets posted early game to let players know how dyes are obtained and give a couple of colors to play around with
  
• New quest that gets posted early game to give players the basic bush and flower crafting recipes instead of inside the blueprint shop. Nobu also mentions how a sword is an easy way to gather petals and Plant Material
  

[h3]NEW ✨ Save files will now show you a screenshot of where you saved. If it's an autosave from sleeping, you will be loafed[/h3]

• Mine doorways were only destroyable using un-upgraded tools or bomb arrows
  
• Townhouses did not retain buildables placed inside
  
• Specific inventory bug where moving two storage containers with a gamepad twice resulted in an empty inventory generated (items are still there, save migration to fix those affected coming later)
  

Some of you might have noticed worse than usual luck...
"My fish are always moving really fast in the mini-game!"
"Why can't I get any bamboo shoots if the drop rate is 70%???"
...and so on.

So, we've pushed out a couple of mini-patches that fixes the following:

• Land Sprite now helps you hit items inside the mines
  
• Nerfed tool grade requirements: +1 Desert Canyon, +2 Mushroom Forest (previously 3), +3 Frozen Tundra (previously 5)
  
• Fish spawning % now align with reality
  
• Fish speed should now properly go between a range, instead of picking one extreme for some people and staying that way (too fast or too slow)
  
• Drop rates from resources (trees, etc) now align with reality
  
• Fixed issue where recipe for Egg Custard Tart and Plain Cake were the same, causing players to only be able to cook Plain Cake
  
• Bomb Arrows now have more OOMPH and feel better to clear resources with
  
• Fixed issue where "SEASONS" text for seeds/crops will overlap with upgraded tools in rucksack
  
• Changed button in Jeweler's Table for swapping between Items and Tools to text
  

Meowllo! It feels like yesterday that I just wrote that giant patch note that was for character customization. I think it was also in April, no? Both rec and I got a lot of motivation from the positive feedback from the past couple of updates, so we really went ⭐ all-out ⭐ for this next big update: Tool Upgrades!

[h2]🌱 0.9.3 Ongoing[/h2]

This patch isn’t just this singular one: we have a couple of other things, including a Seed Spreader to sow more than one tile at a time, that we want to implement before moving onto the mines.

Over the next couple of weeks, look forward to MIAO and Obelisk re-balances, as well as new food items to help the game move smoothly from early into mid game. As always, recursive will diligently write save migrations, so your save files and progress won’t be affected!

[h2]💎 Jeweler’s Table[/h2]

The star of the show: the Jeweler’s Table is here! All tool upgrades will be made at this handy little station.



In Snacko, the main way to improve your tools actively and passively is by affixing gems. Currently, there are 8. Citrine, Emerald, Lapis, Ruby, Aquamarine, Amethyst, Opal, and Diamond.

Each gem gives different effects based on which tool it’s slotted on, and you can combine them to really suit your play style!



Some gems give multiple effects, being balanced out by both a buff and debuff. Maybe you can try to cancel some of those out with other gems…?

Any gems affixed to your tool can be removed at the Jeweler’s Table by using 5 Fire Fragments. The gems you used will get refunded to you, so we really encourage playing around with them once you’ve farmed up some gems to see what vibes with you!

You can even go really silly and do…whatever this is. You know, if you affix all rubies, fishing kinda becomes like mini golf. It becomes an angle and power bar guesser…



I did waste quite a bit of time playing around with this when we were testing…

Anyways, this applies to other equips, such as the Bow, Kart, and Summoning Bell.

Each time a gem is successfully affixed, it raises your tool level by 1, up to 5. So you start out with level 0 (no upgrades), all the way up to 5.



Each level, the amount of gems required increases by one.

So, for example, if you do want to follow in my clown footsteps of affixing only rubies to your fishing rod, you will need 15 rubies total to reach the max level.

The required number will be shown in the Jeweler’s Table, so no fret if that just went over your head!

[h2]✨ Effects[/h2]

To help facilitate these new additions to the game, we’ve added a “Player” info panel in the Status portion of your journal. Please check it out once you have some tools upgraded to see what effects you have!



These effects are split into “Passive” and “Active”.

Active means that you’ll have to have it equipped (it’s the tool visible on your tool bar), or you have to be actively using it (like chopping down a tree).

Passive means that as long as it’s in your rucksack, you’ll be able to reap the benefits. This is for things such as move speed buffs and a passive incremental stamina restore.



You can also view per tool inside your rucksack easily!

There are way too many different effect combinations to cover in these notes, so I’ll leave it at that. There are 40 of them, so please experiment to your heart’s content!

[h2]🏹 Resource Gathering[/h2]

In the past, there weren’t that many uses for the bow and arrows you could craft outside of speed running the shrines with a specific technique, or for taking down the few enemies in the mines.

Now, everyone can enjoy the pleasure that is shooting arrows!

Arrows now deal damage to resources. By upgrading your bow using a gem that gives a damage modifier, you could one-shot a tree. Or, you could add a bunch of +Extra Shot to your bow and end up with a spread shot.



Another thing to help make the whole experience of resource gathering feel better includes another re-balance of some resource health. Specifically, the old buildings in town are now easier to destroy.

It’s also now easier to see how much you have left to go as resources now display an HP bar. Enemies have the same bar, but in red.

When you’re out of stamina or using the wrong tool, the HP bar won’t show. If your tool is not high enough level, the HP bar will turn gray. We hope this makes it more clear why you can’t hit something!



Some of the later game resources in the forest or tundra have more health, but it should be offset by your tool upgrade effects.

This update also comes with the addition of a “defense” for resources: some resources will require your tool to be above a certain level in order to damage it. These go from non-upgraded tools in the town, farm, and Grassy Plains, to level 1 in the Desert Canyon, level 3 in the Mushroom Forest, and level 5 in the Frozen Tundra.

To help with the transition into this new upgrade, if you have affixed gems in your tools, we have refunded those gems into your overflow inventory. You also gain a free Emerald as a returning player in the mailbox.



New players who haven’t yet finished the Plains yet will have a quest posted to the bulletin board after the Plain’s Obelisk completion. Returning players can find that quest on their bulletin board as well. Nobu will teach you the basics, as well as give you some materials to help you on your way, so make sure you grab his quest!

We’ll be keeping a close eye out on balance and these recent changes in the upcoming weeks and tweak as hitches come up.

[h2]📫 Other[/h2]

We’ve made some optimization to the fishing mini-game. If you were noticing high fan speeds or battery drain on your Deck when fishing frequently, we hope this will drastically improve your experience!

We also hope that with the variety of different effects you can apply to your fishing rod, those who find trouble reeling in fish can utilize the “start closer” or “fish speed” modifiers to make the mini-game more accessible.

It’s rough getting into early game stamina sometimes, right? Mikan has graciously opened up her kitchen to you! You can now use the stove at your BFF’s house.



To prevent potential softlocks, although this hasn’t happened yet to our knowledge, we have also added a usable workbench by Nobu’s house.

The “close” button on the Journal has moved! Instead of being in the top right, it’s now in the bottom right. This should help navigation with the gamepad feel smoother as it will no longer snap to the close button when trying to navigate to the right page. You can still close out using buttons and ESC like always!



We’ve also polished up the gamepad experience in the Skills page of your Journal. Although not all skills are currently being given EXP properly, most of the stats are still being tracked and will be retroactively rewarded to your save files once we are ready to implement all of them.

…And that’s the bulk of it! Nobu, as well as the “Upgrading Tools” book in your bookshelf should go into more detail on the specifics of the process.

We hope you have fun with this update! We’ll be pushing out other incremental additions and changes to 0.9.3 for a bit, so look forward to further improvements~

[h3]Thank you for your support! As always, any questions or issues, feel free to ping us in Discord any time 💌[/h3]

[h3]It's here! Hide HUD and Toggle Grid Visibility is now available when you're using your camera in Select Mode in the builder's kit![/h3]

It'll allow you take better screenshots of your town, farm, or house creations.
You can explore these two new options following the control prompts on your screen when using the input device of your choice.



To take a screenshot on the Steam Deck, use the STEAM + R1 button together! We can't wait to see everyone's layouts without the pesky building grid on the screen!

For some inspiration, here's some player creations shared in our Discord!


By Farren


By cloud

Some new items to help out with this newfound freedom include the ability to buy crafting recipes and place flowers and bushes as buildables!



Once placed, these will become regular resource nodes you can harvest from, like the saplings.