Coral Island News

Welcome to Coral Island, farmers!

[h2]Kickstarter is now LIVE![/h2]

Our Kickstarter is finally live and will run for 30 days. Support us below:

Kickstarter linked here.




We reveal all coop and barn dwelling animals, get a glimpse of never before revealed NPC's and more. Our first goal is $70,000, which will guarantee Coral Island production.

[h2]What's Next[/h2]

We will post campaign updates and fun insights into game development throughout the month through blog posts and tweets. As always, your feedback is appreciated.

Thanks for reading, Stairway Team

Welcome to the December 2020 development update!

[h2]Announcement Trailer[/h2]

The moment is finally here. Coral Island's announcement trailer is now live! Click on the following link to check it out:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Everyone in the studio is excited to hear what you think. You can let us know by joining our Discord server!

[h2]Kickstarter Pre-Launch Page[/h2]

Our Kickstarter pre-launch page is also live. Click the Notify Me On Launch and you'll be the first to know when the campaign officially launches. Click on the following image to follow our project:



We'll have exciting stretch goals and exclusive perks, including mythical pets and even access to the private Coral Island pre-alpha, and much more.

[h2]Character Reveals[/h2]

Folks, this batch is our last character reveal. That said, there are still many unrevealed NPC! We want to keep them a mystery to give you something to look forward to, for when you arrive in Coral Island. Look around and meet them in person!


Meet Kira, Jack, Zarah (left to right)!

Kira. As a retired huntress with an adult son, everything in Kira’s life, right now, is basically self-sustainable. She spends her day keeping watch of the forest from the comfort of her cabin. Kira also enjoys doing yoga and playing the flute. Though retired, she still wears her combat boots, just in case...

Jack. He, his wife, Kira, and their son, Kenny live in a humble cabin in the forest. Jack works as the island’s rancher. Aside from taking care of animals, Jack spends his day managing the shop’s supplies, making sure that they have enough to sell. On some days that they don't, the ranch is closed early. His hobbies include watching cooking shows and “experimenting” in the kitchen.

Zarah. An eligible bachelorette who is an adventurer at heart. Zarah lives on a boat. She enjoys going around the island and finding treasures; be it gems, old artifacts, or a buried history. Zarah was born and raised on the other side of Coral Island. When her boat is not docked at its usual place, she is presumed to visit her family. But what really is going on in her life, nobody really knows. She can be a bit mysterious at times. Allergic to cats.

The Lineup So Far


[h2]Our Very Own Discord Server Emoji's[/h2]

Last but not least, we're releasing the first batch of official Coral Island emoji's on our Discord server. What do you think?



One can never have too many emoji's at their disposal... which means we want to involve you, our community, in deciding what emoji's we should make next. Head on over to Discord and cast your vote!

[h2]What's Next[/h2]

Next month is a special one, folks! The Kickstarter campaign for Coral Island is launching on February 1, 2021. We will post campaign updates and fun insights into game development throughout the month through blog posts and tweets. As always, your feedback is appreciated.

Thanks for reading, Stairway Team

Welcome to the November 2020 development update!

[h2]Character Reveals[/h2]

Meet Bree, Jim, Randy, Emily, Luke (left to right)!

The Lineup So Far

Bree. This model-turned-housewife spends her days doing quality control for her vineyard. She is also an excellent homemaker who loves cooking gourmet meals and throwing parties. With a little bit of light detective work, Bree should be in her late 40s, though she's never directly confirmed this. To this day, it remains a mystery.

Jim.As a retired fisherman, he used to supply fish and seafood to local establishments. His son Theo inherited his boat and now fishes, something Jim is indifferent towards. With plenty of time on his hand, he spends the day making killer smoke salmon and helps run the Beach Shack.

Randy. As a full-time elementary teacher, Randy's remarkable ability to explain complex ideas in a very simple and easy-to-understand manner comes in handy. When he isn’t at school, he can be found at the Vineyard enjoying a glass of wine with his wife, Ling, or reading at the Library.

Emily. She runs the hair salon with Erika and lives on the second floor of the General Store, with her husband, Sam. The couple has been wanting to start a family since getting married, however have been unsuccessful. Emily has a heart for vintage items and thinks mushrooms are disgusting.

Luke.Coming from old-money, this bachelor lives with his parents and dog, Taco, in the manor behind the vineyard; a family business that he feels pressured to take over. Not a fan of the silver spoon, Luke runs Socket Electronics in his spare time in an attempt to create a name for himself, separate from his family legacy.


[h2]Farm Animals: Goat and Sheep[/h2]

For Coral Island's Cow and Pig concept art, we went with a cute and kind-looking design, so we thought it would be fun to switch it up to a dignified and brisk look for Goat.

Goat. A barn-dwelling animal. They produce Goat Milk which can be turned into Goat Cheese for a premium charge. PS: extra goatee for that extra wise look.



Another barn-dweller, Sheep! Sheep can be sheared for its wool every several days. Keep in mind that a bad mood slows down wool growth. Also, we decided to go with four growth stages to emphasize its design.




[h2]Animation: Cow[/h2]



This month, we want to share Coral Island's cow animation. As shown above, Cow is idling, presumably grazing grass outdoor on a sunny day! Don't worry about leaving your farm animals outside. To retire at the end of the day, cows will walk themselves back into the barn. So, relax and go about your business!


[h2]Summer Main Theme Music[/h2]

https://soundcloud.com/user-527150285/summer/s-0TzMhIP9zsW


[h2]What's Next[/h2]


Next month, we will be revealing 3 more characters, some animal showcase, and music. It's also a month away from the announcement trailer! As always, your feedback is appreciated.


Thanks for reading, Stairway Team

Welcome to the October 2020 development update!

[h2]Character Reveals[/h2]

Meet Sam, Ben, Ling, Alice (left to right).

The Lineup So Far

Sam. He owns the general store and lives on the second floor with his wife. Sam usually spends his day off relaxing at home, enjoying home-cooked meals, and working on puzzles. On the rare occasion that he goes out, he visits the Beach Shack to catch up with his friends over chess.

Benis a nomad who lives in a caravan stationed in the forest. If you knock on his window on the weekend, he might have some random things to sell -- be it items he finds scavenging around the island or things that he doesn’t want anymore. Ben spends his money attending the Fall music festivals and green tea.

Ling. She spends her day working as a marine biologist at Coral Island laboratory. During time off, she knits cold-weather accessories, beanies, scarves, etc. She has dedicated her life to study coral reefs, and how to make them more resistant to rising ocean temperatures.

Alice. A bachelorette. Alongside her twin sister Suki, they own, run, and live by the beach in Coral Inn. Running a business is hard, and running it with your sister is harder. Alice spends her days working at the inn, and her free time hanging out with friends in town. Loves minced jackfruit pies.


[h2]Beach Environment Showcase[/h2]

Coral Island has a white sand beach along its coastline. You'll come across various wildlife and scavenge for items that only appear here. Islanders go here to fish, and on the weekends, spend time with family playing volleyball.


Take a peek at Coral Island’s coastline... And a cute little crab!



[h2]Ranching[/h2]

This month, we've decided to show off ranching! Showcased here are level 1 coops. Small and cozy, they occupy 7x4 tiles. Before farm buildings are ready for use, they go through a construction phase.


To keep ranch animals happy, you have to feed them every day. If you forget to feed animals, it affects their mood. An upset Chicken won't produce any eggs. No fodder, no egg!



PS: The coop interior is a work in progress. Also us before and after coffee.

Ranch animals have an indicator to let you know whether they can be petted, sheared, or milked. The Heart emote will disappear once a Ranch Animal is petted.

Imagine having 5 cows and 10 chickens out in the field and not being able to keep track of which ones you've already petted? We think this might help.



Ranching in action!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h2]Farm Animal: Cow[/h2]

We’ve shared Pig and Chicken back in April (shown animated in July) and now, it’s time to reveal a chonkier, barn-dwelling animal, Cow.


Brown Cow vs. Regular Cow

Coral Island's Cow comes with four different horn designs. The design will be randomly selected when you purchase Cow from the Ranch. We think the diverse horn will give our Cow more identity.


When you welcome an adult cow onto your farm, they will come with one of four horn designs. We hope these horns will give your cows more identity, and make them more personable.



Once Cow is an adult, it can get pregnant and give birth to Baby Cow. During the pregnancy, Cow will stop producing milk. Keep in mind that Baby Cow can not produce milk until they mature.



[h2]NPC Activity Animation[/h2]

In addition to having different personalities, each islander in Coral Island also has their own hobbies and professions. Shown below is Theo, a daytime fisherman and an amateur entertainer by night. A look at how Theo spends his weekends, making a quick buck performing live at the Tavern.



[h2]Bug of The Month[/h2]

Theo makes it to the bug of the month! Is it a bug or mad guitar skills? Twitter seems to think the latter, but we will let you decide on that.




[h2]What's Next[/h2]


Over the next 2 months, we are going to have less content to share on the blog. The reason being that the team needs to focus on delivering the announcement trailer, planned for January 2021.

Instead, we will be doing mini updates with character reveals, music, animations and animals. The Diving blog post has been moved to the end of January 2021, to coincide with the trailer release. This means any update until then won't include game features. As always, your feedback is appreciated.


Thanks for reading, Stairway Team

Welcome to the September 2020 development update!

[h2]Character Reveals[/h2]

Meet Nina, Kenny, Pablo, Betty, Suki (left to right).

The Lineup So Far - We are officially over halfway through our character reveals!

Nina. This bachelorette technically doesn't live in Coral Island anymore, but still visits her vacation home at the beach, from time to time. Aside from wild rumors around town, she's never talked about her abrupt departure, so it remains a mystery until now. A close friend with Suki.

Kenny, a part-time rancher, and full-time bachelor. He grew up in Coral Island and has fostered close relationships with other islanders-- be it people, animals, trees, spirits from the beyond-- all of them. Besides making friends, he loves having lunch outdoors, playing the flute, and cold kombucha

Pablo: He and his brother, Rafael, are both blacksmith and bachelors. When Pablo isn’t smelting ores, he can be found around town, lending hands to the townfolks, cleaning up the graveyard, or tossing anecdotes at the Tavern. Hates beaches—Dislikes sands in his shoes.

Betty. Back in the day, Betty used to run the Tavern with her late husband, Frank Sr.. Now, she spends her retirement days going around town re-filling bird feeders, educating kids about coral reefs, and baking patisseries.

Suki is recently divorced and, according to her nightstand, currently “finding love from within,” and learning “how to expand love.” Focusing on herself, she drowns herself in work, exercise, and building a healthy co-parenting relationship with her ex.

[h2]Tile Menu Animations[/h2]

Very excited to show more of the title menu. We've added several more animations. You can also check out styling for the options, new game and load game sections.



[h2]Interior Decoration System WIP[/h2]

We've been hard at work implementing the logic of the interior decor system. It is now fully functional! Next is designing the UI, paying attention to both style and function. We'll be asking the community for feedback in Discord this coming month.



[h2]NPC Activity Animation[/h2]

Coral Island features a large cast of NPC's. Several of the islanders have unique professions and or responsibilities in town. We're implementing a wide range of animations that certain NPC's will play. The goal is to breathe life into these characters.



[h2]Spring Main Theme Music[/h2]

We feel that music can help us to transport you to the shores of Coral Island. Today we are pleased to reveal the main theme song for Spring. Please let us know your thoughts!

Spring Main Theme Music Link

[h2]Town Center Building & House[/h2]

A lot of work continues to be done in populating the game world. Featured this month is the town center, where both the museum, library and communal area reside. Somewhere in town, check out the house belonging to Lily, Theo and [redacted].



[h2]What's Next[/h2]


For October, we are not yet sure if we will reveal diving or ranching, but it will be one of those! You can also expect to see more character reveals and other areas in game. As always, your feedback is appreciated.


Thanks for reading, Stairway Team