Coral Island News

Hi, Farmers!

First thing first: Alpha testers will be able to play and stream Coral Island TWO DAYS before everyone else, on October 9! We’re looking forward to the streams!

As we get closer to the Early Access launch, we’ve been working hard to make sure everyone who plays on October 11 has a great experience, and we’ll be working on the final touches almost right up until launch. Exciting time ahead!

How this will work:

• We’ll make sure that all of our Alpha backers have their game keys on or before October 9
  
  
• Please hold off streaming or posting any videos of the game until October 9 at 00:00 UTC
  
  
• After 00:00 UTC on October 9, there are no restrictions on streaming or posting videos about Coral Island early access. You can stream anything from the game on Twitch, post YouTube videos, make TikToks - whatever you’d like!
  
  
• For non-Alpha backers and all other Coral Island players, the game will become available for streaming and other content creation at launch on October 11
  

Second: A bit of an update about the localization of the Early Access version of Coral Island. When the game first enters Early Access on October 11, the game will only be available in English while we continue to work on localization for other languages.

This doesn’t change our plans for localizing the game into other languages, but it will take us longer than initially expected. We will provide an update as soon as possible to let everyone know when we will be adding support for other languages.



Q: How will I get access to the game?
A: If you backed Coral Island, keep an eye out for your keys to be delivered to you via email from Backerkit system!
Q: Can I stream the Alpha version of the game?
A: No. Now that we’re so close to early access, we’ll be instead asking our Alpha backers to play and stream a more complete version of the game, which will be a better experience for everyone.
Q: Why can’t we start streaming the game earlier than October 9?
A: Because we’re releasing the game in Early Access, we’re trying to make the game better right up until launch. We want to make sure the playing and viewing experience is as good as possible, and this is the best date to ensure that happens! Last but not least, we want to thank backers, the Coral Island community, moderators, and especially you for the continuing support from the beginning of development, Alpha period, and of course, Early Access and beyond!

Thank you for reading,

Stairway Farmers

Welcome to the June 2022 Coral Island development update!

Please check out our Steam page to wishlist the game and find out more: swg.gg/corstm

This month, we look at mouse-based controls, the Hotspring, more updated NPC models, and more!


Alpha v0.09 will launch on July 11 @ 11:59PM PDT.


[h2]Mouse based controls[/h2]


You asked, and we listened. By default, you now use your mouse to determine which tile you to hit. We're very pleased with how this turned out.




We're also still on track to release the controller support and look forward to receiving feedback from Alpha players.


[h2]The Hotspring[/h2]

Ah, the Hotspring, a place to relax and unwind. When functional, pay a visit and soak yourself in the warm water to recover some stamina!



[what happened to the Hotspring?]


[h2]Updated NPC models[/h2]

Check out the upgraded models for Dippa, Zarah, Frank, and Yuri!



[Dippa usually spends their day looking for inspiration and painting around the island. Luke's store sells their paintings! Check often!]



[A bachelorette. Zarah is an adventurer at heart. She enjoys going around the island and finding treasures; be it gems, old artifacts, or a buried history.]



[Frank is married to his high-school sweetheart, Erika and the couple lives in Starlet Town with their two cats, Peanut and Butter.]



[Yuri's goal in Coral Island is to be a part of a community and hang her traveling coat on the rack for good. Will the traditional lifestyle bore a thrill-seeker like Yuri? Or is mainstream good?]









[correction from last month, who doesn't love a good A pose]


[h2]Furniture store UI[/h2]

Check out the furniture store UI. We've spent a lot of time making sure the shopping experience is frictionless. This is especially important given the large number of items you can purchase to decorate your farm and house with.



You can shop by looking at styles or selecting the catalogue and view items by category. Let us know what you think!








[h2]Future blog posts and minimizing spoilers[/h2]

For this month, we had originally planned to showcase revamped diving and reveal more interior locations. To make sure you have the best experience playing Coral Island for the first time when it launches into Early Access, we've decided to hold off on doing this.

For Alpha players, note that for the Alpha 0.09 update, we've unlocked all interior locations and most of the newly revamped diving will be accessible too. Looking forward to getting feedback!


[h2]Cat[/h2]

Mood.



[h2]What's next?[/h2]

We will resume the monthly dev blog in September. Between July and August, all hands will be on deck finalizing the Early Access game content, polishing assets, and optimizing the game performance.

Thanks for reading,

Stairway Team

WE HAVE A DATE!!!!!!!
Coral Island releases into Early Access on October 11, 2022!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

FAQ

- Pre-order store?
No news on when the pre-order store will be open yet.

- When is it available to stream?
We will have more to share soon.

- Price?
Nothing is set in stone, but we've been eyeing the $20~ mark for the initial early access price, and incrementally increasing the price each time a big content update is pushed. Where the final price ends up will depend on what features we can push out.

- What is the proposed timeline?
October 11, 2022 - Early Access Launch
(TBD) 2022/2023 after EA - Console / Switch Ports
(TBD) 2023 - Full 1.0 Version Release


For more information, join our Discord server: http://discord.gg/stairway


Thank you for reading,
Stairway Games

Welcome to the May 2022 Coral Island development update!

Please check out our Steam page to wishlist the game and find out more: swg.gg/corstm

This month, we tease the diving revamp, look at the furniture store, and showcase some updated NPC models!


Alpha v0.09 will launch on July 11 @ 11:59PM PDT.


[h2]Revamped diving tease[/h2]


Diving is going through a major rework. Unfortunately, we're still finalizing things, so we can only share what's confirmed to stay today.


We're adding a bunch of underwater sea-creature NPCs you'll come across when diving. You'll need to bribe some of these NPCs, like Grantle below, to gain access to more diving areas.




Grantle is part of a squad of turtles that roam the 10m depths of the ocean. Check out Grantle's portrait!



[Meet Grantle! a.k.a Grandpa Turtle]


The diving maps are being combined to make one, big sprawling open world. We've added a pressure meter to help communicate the sense of diving deeper into the ocean.

You'll need to upgrade your suit to reach deeper diving depths.



[As you go deeper into the ocean, the pressure will increase]


[h2]Furniture store part 1 [/h2]

This month, we're revealing both the exterior and interior of the furniture store!


There are two ways to purchase items: the catalog and direct display purchase. The catalog allows you to access all items the store has unlocked. Items purchased from here will be delivered the following day.



[Dinda and Joko own the furniture store in town]

With direct display purchase, you'll be able to snag any of the 7 display items at a small discount. Don't dilly dally though, because display items are cycled every week.



[Dinda and Joko's relatives help run the furniture store]


[h2]Updated NPC models[/h2]

Check out the upgraded models for Ben, Eva and Charles!



[Ben lives in a van somewhere in the forest and is dateable.]



[Eva is the town's baker, loves good red velvet cakes and is dateable]



[Charles is one of the doctors in Starlet Town. He is dateable, and enjoys burrito.]







[who doesn't love a good t-pose]


[h2]Bonus: updated Peanut model[/h2]



[just a cat being a cat]


[h2]Bug of the month[/h2]



[wheeeeeeeee]



[h2]What's next?[/h2]

Next month, we'll provide updates on the following:

- Revamped diving overview
- Furniture store UI
- Combat mastery
- Updated interiors & exteriors
- Updated NPC models


Thanks for reading,

Stairway Team

Welcome to the April 2022 Coral Island development update!

Please check out our Steam page to wishlist the game and find out more: swg.gg/corstm

This month, we'll go over Mount riding, New decor mode UI, and Combat!


Alpha v0.08 will launch on May 9 @ 11:59PM PDT.


[h2]Mount Riding[/h2]

A trusty steed awaits you on Coral Island. To acquire one, you'll first need to build a stable on your farm. Some perks include increased movement speed and, most importantly, trotting into town with style.




[yeeehaaaaw]

While on your horse, you'll still be able to chat with folks in town. Don't think about entering stores though!



[yes, my name is Player, Player Player]


[h2]Movement Mechanics[/h2]

Dashing

We've added dashing to the game! It makes exploring the island more enjoyable, but it's also an essential move-set for combat, allowing you to dodge enemies.




[press space bar to dash]

Vaulting

We've gone and done it. Listened to and reviewed the feedback from alpha players and voila! Vaulting is officially in the game!



[vaulting feels good y'all, press space near a fence to vault over it]


[h2]New decor mode UI[/h2]

We're in the process of improving the interior decor UI. We added categories so you can find the items you're looking for more easily. There's also an added benefit: your house will now have storage space for furniture after upgrading it!



[Still a WIP!]

There will be A LOT of decorations for you to choose from on Coral Island. Take a look at some WIP assets below!



[what style do you want to see in the game?]


[h2]Combat[/h2]

Our first iteration of combat will be available to test out in the upcoming Alpha update.

Fleshing out combat will be next, so we're looking forward to the feedback from the community, what feels good, what needs improving, ideas, thoughts, all of it! We'll do a deep dive into combat in a future update.



[attack, block, stagger, dash - these are essentials for combat]


By the way, crates in the mine? You can now break those!



[oddly satisfying to break crates]


[h2]Other updates[/h2]

For 0.08:


- All seasons unlocked, available to test (assets are WIP)
- Fight a boss in the earth gate (WIP)
- Water gate now accessible (early WIP)
- Revamped questing and progression
- Greenhouse is now accessible to test (WIP)
- Furniture store accessible (WIP)
- Town board requests are testable (WIP)
- Diving continues to be reworked
- Multiplayer?! (experimental, host/join, very buggy)
- Cherry Blossom minigames added (Balap Karung and Apple Bobbing)
- Place objects (like chest) almost anywhere on your farm
- A glimpse at one of the new NPCs
- Ton's of environment/asset updates


[h2]What's next?[/h2]

Next month, we'll provide updates on the following:

- Revamped diving (we needed more time on this)
- Furniture store
- Combat mastery


Thanks for reading,

Stairway Team