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AColony News

v0.3.016

Hi everyone,
a new patch is out with some fixes (v0.3.016):

  • fixed animals of animal traders were not always sleeping at night
  • fixed barter options had wrong faction influence
  • animal feeders also copy their values now when moved
  • animals & insects of traders follow their owner now
  • fixed pets auto attack enemies mode was not saved
  • schedule menu gets now instantly updated when accept new colonist
  • technologies where only 1 previous one is researched shows description & items now
  • slightly decreased sniper values (was too strong when enemies had one)


Cheers!

Pets & Animal Taming Update!

Hi everyone,

the new pets & animal taming update (v0.3.015) is finally here and comes with a -30% discount.

In this update I will summarize the progress and all implementations from the last few months.
Some of the points you have maybe seen already in the previous steam updates, but these were only news updates and now they are fully in the game.

Important Note
If you already have the game, it's recommended to start a new game to have all new animal groups in your world. If you want to continue with a save file from before v0.3.015, then you have to exterminate some animal groups in your world. (new groups that appear will have the new animals then).



[h2]New Animals[/h2]
AColony contains now 9 new animals to make the world and wildlife of the game more diverse.

  • Pheasant
    Pheasants appear in normal groups and are a standard animal which lives in the player's world. They are very similar to chickens and as pets their preferred food is animal feed which consists of plants.
  • Wild Boar
    Wild boars appear in smaller groups and are a standard animal which lives in the player's world. If hunted and butchered they offer a lot of meat and as pets their preferred food is animal feed which consists of plants.
  • Claw Wolf
    Claw wolfs are the first predators in the game, which means that they hunt from time to time other animals and eat from their corpses. They appear in relatively small groups in the player's world and as pets their preferred food is animal feed which consists of meat.
  • Cat & Dog
    Cats and Dogs are not a standard animal of the player's world and can only be acquired as a starting pet or by trading with animal traders. As pets their preferred food is animal feed which consists of meat.
  • Carrion Snails (Little, Medium, Centurion, Queen)
    Carrion snails are a new species and only appear if they detect more than 5 corpses which are laying very near to each other. They offer some new items when butchered (snail meat and mucous glands) and as pets their preferred food is animal feed which consists of human meat.




[h2]Animal Taming & Animal Cages[/h2]
To capture wild animals, tame them and make them so your pets, I have added 3 new constructions to the game - the animal cages - which are the following:

  • Basic Animal Cage
    Allows you to lock and tame low tier animals like chickens, pheasants, wild boars, centipedes (scouts & fighters), bees (workers) and more.
  • Modern Animal Cage
    Allows you to lock and tame mid tier animals like claw wolfs, bees (warriors), darkflies (warriors & shooters) and more.
  • Hightech Animal Cage
    Allows you to lock and tame high tier animals like centipedes (guardians & kings), bees (queen), darkfly (queen) and more.


In the menu of the animal cages you can find 2 options to capture an animal:

  • Lure Animal
    Each cage has a luring mechanism which can be activated when you put the right animal feed in the cage. The luring mechanism has only a short range (like 10 - 15 meters), but will allow you to lure hostile animals or insects into it too.
  • Immobilized Animal
    You can also transport an immobilized animal to the cage, but this will have a significant negative effect on the start trust value. This means it will take more time to tame the locked animal.


If an animal is finally locked in the cage, you have to feed it once per day with the right animal feed to increase its trust level. If you reach the first trust level, the cage gets automatically unlocked and the previously wild animal is now a pet of your colony.



[h2]Pets[/h2]

[h3]Trust System[/h3]
Each animal has a trust system which consists of a trust value, trust levels and action points. The trust value and action points of your pet always increase if it eats animal feed or gets pet by its owner. If the trust value hits a certain threshold, it will unlock a new trust level which offers new attributes and functionalities.

  • Level 1
    The first trust level usually only unlocks the option that a pet can follow its owner if the player select that option.
  • Level 2
    The second trust level usually unlocks the functionality to control your pet. this includes to give it commands, set it in combat mode and also to give attack commands.
  • Level 3
    The third and last trust level usually unlocks a modifier which increases melee or ranged combat attributes permanently, the functionality to let you pet eat from corpses and a special attack which costs a lot of action points.




[h3]Pet Mechanic[/h3]
In connection with the new pet mechanic / job, I have also added a new face expression to colonists, animals and insects, which makes them look very happy :)



[h3]New Constructions, Technologies & Items[/h3]
The new pet system also brings some new items to the game, which allow you to research new constructions to produce animal feed for your pets and to supply it in the best way.

  • Animal Feed (Plants, Meat, Human Meat)
  • Basic, Modern & Hightech Husbandry Technologies
  • Basic & Modern Animal Feeder
  • Basic & Modern Animal Feed Table




[h2]Animal & Insect Traders[/h2]

In connection with the new pets system I have also added 2 new types of traders which allows you to buy new pets or to sell your current pets.

  • Animal Traders
    Animal traders are part of the General Traders faction and offer animals like chickens, cats, dogs and more.
  • Insect Traders
    Insect traders are part of the frowned upon Colonist Traders faction and offer insects like bees, darkflies, centipedes and more.


In addition, I have also updated the functionality of the radio station, which allows you now to not only call animal & insect traders, but also to call wanderers.



[h2]Additional Updates[/h2]

[h3]New Job Section, Skill & Trait[/h3]

This update includes a new job section called Animal Husbandry which covers all mechanics related to the animal taming mechanic. I have also added a new skill called Animal Taming and a new trait called Animal Whisperer which increases the attributes of your colonists in connection with the animal taming functionalities.



[h3]Updated Medication System[/h3]
The medication system got finally an update which allows you now to medicate immobilized colonists or animals on the ground. Of course, this comes hand in hand with a debuff, but allows you to stop critical bleedings faster. This also works with your pets.

In addition I have changed the Medicine Basic item to Medical Herbs, added a new Medicine Case (Basic) item and added a new animation for medicating colonists on ground or in hospital beds.



[h3]Eating Stages[/h3]
In connection with the new functionality that claw wolfs and carrion snails can eat from corpses now, I have also added some "eating stages" which are visualizing how much mass of a corpse has been eaten. In addition there is a new "body mass" status effect in the status menu now, which informs the player about how much body mass is left. (body mass can also be reduced by explosions or acid burns.



[h3]Mysterious Wanderer[/h3]
The Wanderers faction have now an additional event which is the mysterious wanderer. This new barter guy gives you the option to increase the skill level of the interacting colonist. He only takes blood mucous glands in exchange which can be gained by butchering carrion snails.



[h3]Appearance Update[/h3]

I have also played around with the colonists skin color + face sets a bit, so that colonists can appear now in the default north european style, south european / middle east style and asian style.

I have to say here, this implementation is still very bare bones and in testing, because more variety in this area is planned to come with the final factions update.



[h3]Added Dutch Translation[/h3]
The game also supports now the dutch language. (But there can be still spelling or grammar mistakes, which will be fixed with the next updates)

[h2]Full Update List[/h2]
And here is the full patch list for v0.3.015:

  • added dutch translation
  • added animal taming & pet mechanic
  • added new skill (animal taming)
  • added new animal (pheasant)
  • added new animal (cat)
  • added new animal (dog)
  • added new animal (wild boar)
  • added new animal (claw wolf)
  • added new animal (carrion snails | little, medium, centurion, queen)
  • added 2 new constructions (basic & modern animal food producer)
  • added 2 new constructions (basic & modern animal feeder)
  • added 3 new constructions (basic, modern & hightech animal cage)
  • added 3 new items as animal feed (plants, meat, human meat)
  • added 3 new technologies (basic, modern & hightech husbandry)
  • added new job section (animal husbandry)
  • added new event (mysterious wanderer & revenge)
  • added new event (huge animal herds)
  • added animal traders
  • added insect traders
  • wanderers can be called via radio station now
  • colonists & pets can be medicated on ground now
  • added new item (medicine case (basic))
  • item medicine (simple) got replaced with item medicinal herbs
  • added squad manager (Ctrl + click on colonist or pet) (is still in testing)
  • updated all animals so that they can have different colors now
  • added trust system for pets
  • added trust level for pets
  • added many special actions for pets (depending on trust level
  • added new items (snail meat, new glands & snail queen's head)
  • added decompose states for colonist and animals
  • animals can eat corpses now
  • added body mass system in relation to eating corpses
  • insects have now a decomposing texture
  • added new mood effects
  • added new status effects, poisoning & injuries
  • added mechanic to pet a pet with new happy face expression
  • ethanol is now cheaper to produce
  • added new tab to building menu for stuff regarding pets & animals
  • added new section to priority overview menu regarding pets & animals
  • added option to display pets to colonists overview menu (new button)
  • extended technology tree size
  • pets can be selected in main menu now
  • updated door UI and extended functionality
  • fixed negative influence of factions on barter
  • conversations get quit now when exit dialog panel
  • fixed storage zone resource overview was not disable panels from previous zone
  • fixed immune has still shown poisoning effect in status panel
  • power cables can now also placed with priority by menu
  • combined nutrition & medicine panel in colonist status settings
  • updated combat / shield icons
  • fixed centipede nest respawn bug
  • fixed that steam connect didn't worked when at first in single player menu
  • fixed error when removing fuel rod from reactor
  • fixed prison brothers event error shown in modern age
  • fixed quest marker didn't got removed on client when send wanderers away
  • vertical power cables can now also be built from 1 block outside
  • pictures can now also be built from 1 block outside
  • fixed error shown when trader leaves trading table
  • fixed error shown when trying interact with leaving wanderer
  • many smaller fixes


[h2]Plans For Next Weeks[/h2]

In the next weeks (and during autumn & winter sale) I will more focus on smaller updates & additions, quality of life improvements and to implement suggestions which players have made.
There are also some smaller tasks open involving the prisoner system (like moving a prisoner to another cell) and the animal system (like legendary animals) that I want to keep an eye on.

I hope you enjoy this update,
Cheers!

October Update | Experimental Branch (Animal Taming Update)

Hi everyone,

it was a hot summer and there was more work to do than I've planned in, but I have a new short update for you which includes the access to the experimental branch. You can find all new additions for this version on the list on the end of this post (including the full animal taming mechanic, all new animals, all new constructions & more).

[h2]Experimental Branch[/h2]

With this update I will give you access to the experimental branch, so that you have the option to test and play upcoming updates before they are released on the public version. Here is a brief description of how to access this branch:

  • Right click on the game in your steam library and select Properties
  • Select the Betas tab
  • Enter password: password1234
  • Select the experimental branch


Important:
On the experimental branch can occur more bugs and errors and the only supported languages for the new text entries are English and German.

But I hope you enjoy it! :)

[h2]Plans for the Public Update[/h2]
The new full version will be released on the public branch in around the next 1-2 weeks. I have only a few tasks left and have to wait a little bit until the remaining translations come in.

A more detailed description about all new functionalities (plus screenshots) will come with related final update.

[h2]Update List (on Experimental Branch)[/h2]
Here I have a list of all new functions, mechanics and fixed of the experimental branch (v0.3.012):

Important:
It's recommended to start a new game so that all new animals appear in the world (otherwise existing animal groups have to be exterminated, which causes new animal groups to appear).

  • added animal taming & pet mechanic
  • added new skill (animal taming)
  • added new animal (pheasant)
  • added new animal (cat)
  • added new animal (dog)
  • added new animal (wild boar)
  • added new animal (claw wolf)
  • added new animal (carrion snails | little, medium, centurion, queen)
  • added 2 new constructions (basic & modern animal food producer)
  • added 2 new constructions (basic & modern animal feeder)
  • added 3 new constructions (basic, modern & hightech animal cage)
  • added 3 new items as animal feed (plants, meat, human meat)
  • added 3 new technologies (basic, modern & hightech husbandry)
  • added new job section (animal husbandry)
  • added new event (mysterious wanderer & revenge)
  • added new event (huge animal herds)
  • added animal traders
  • added insect traders
  • wanderers can be called via radio station now
  • colonists & pets can be medicated on ground now
  • added new item (medicine case (basic))
  • item medicine (simple) got replaced with item medicinal herbs
  • added squad manager (Ctrl + click on colonist or pet) (is still in testing)
  • updated all animals so that they can have different colors now
  • added trust system for pets
  • added trust level for pets
  • added many special actions for pets (depending on trust level
  • added new items (snail meat, new glands & snail queen's head)
  • added decompose states for colonist and animals
  • animals can eat corpses now
  • added body mass system in relation to eating corpses
  • insects have now a decomposing texture
  • added new mood effects
  • added new status effects, poisoning & injuries
  • added mechanic to pet a pet with new happy face expression
  • ethanol is now cheaper to produce
  • added new tab to building menu for stuff regarding pets & animals
  • added new section to priority overview menu regarding pets & animals
  • added option to display pets to colonists overview menu (new button)
  • extended technology tree size
  • pets can be selected in main menu now
  • updated door UI and extended functionality
  • fixed negative influence of factions on barter
  • conversations get quit now when exit dialog panel
  • fixed storage zone resource overview was not disable panels from previous zone
  • fixed immune has still shown poisoning effect in status panel
  • power cables can now also placed with priority by menu
  • combined nutrition & medicine panel in colonist status settings
  • updated combat / shield icons
  • fixed centipede nest respawn bug
  • fixed that steam connect didn't worked when at first in single player menu


I hope you enjoyed this short news and are already looking forward to the next update,
Cheers!

August News: Upcoming Animal Taming System (Part 2)

Hi everyone,

I'm still working fully on the new animal taming & pets update and I wanted to give you some quick news about the progress.

I have to say, there is still a lot on my list, but I hope I can release the update by the end of August :)
This will be a pretty large update.

[h2]New Animals[/h2]
In addition to the animals since the last news update, I've added 4 new ones to make the world and wildlife of the game more diverse.

Claw wolf
The claw wolf is the first real predator in the game and is a standard animal which lives in the player's world.



Pheasant
Pheasants are also a new standard animal in the player's world and are very similar to chickens, but they are looking different and will give the wildlife a nicer look.



Cats & Dogs
Cats and dogs don't appear as standard animals in the player's world and can only be acquired as a starting pet or by trading with animal traders.



[h3]New Coloring System[/h3]
A lot of work in the last few weeks was about updating all animals and their related models & textures, so that it is possible now to color them individually. Of course, these don't only have to be conventional colors, but it is also possible to create a blue or purple chicken, for example.

Note: There will come a new color or dye plant to the game which will give you the required resources to color your animals in custom colors.



[h3]Predators & Eating Stages[/h3]
With the claw wolf I have also added a new functionality to the game which is the predator mechanic. So all few days, these claw wolfs will hunt and kill a random animal and stay at the corpse to it eat.

To visualize that better (also for the carrion snails mentioned in the last update), I have added some "eating stages" to the animal models which will be shown depending on how much body mass of the corpse is left.

Note: Loss of body mass can also be caused by explosions and acid burns.



[h3]Decomposing Effects for Insects[/h3]
In connection with the eating stages for animals, I have finally added a decomposing effect for insects.



[h3]Updated Main Menu[/h3]
With the new pet system I have extended the functionality of the main menu, which allows you now to select a pet when you start the game in a new and unknown world.

Note: You can also already customize the colors of your pets here, but only with the conventional colors.



[h2]Animal Taming (Cages)[/h2]
While I first played with the idea that colonists could tame free-roaming animals, I came to the decision that it would be better to have a uniform mechanic to tame animals and insects.

Therefore I have added a new construction - the animal cage - which offers your colonists 2 ways to lock an animal or insect into it:

  • Lure Animal
    Each cage has a luring mechanism which can be activated when you put enough animal feed in the cage. The luring mechanism has only a short range (like 10 - 15 meters), but will allow you to lure hostile animals or insects into it too.
  • Immobilized Animal
    You can also transport an immobilized animal to the cage, but this will have a significant negative effect on the start trust value. This means it will take more time to tame the locked animal.


The next update will include 3 different cages:

  • Basic Animal Cage
    Allows you to lock and tame low tier animals like chickens, pheasants, wild boars, centipedes (scouts & fighters), bees (workers) and more.
  • Modern Animal Cage
    Allows you to lock and tame mid tier animals like claw wolfs, bees (warriors), darkflies (warriors & shooters) and more.
  • Hightech Animal Cage
    Allows you to lock and tame high tier animals like centipedes (guardians & kings), bees (queen), darkfly (queen) and more.




[h2]New Construction & Technologies[/h2]
In connection with all new constructions & items, I have also added 3 new technologies to the tech tree:

  • Basic Animal Husbandry
    Contains basic animal feed table, basic animal feeder & basic animal cage (+ production of all different animal feed)
  • Modern Animal Husbandry
    Contains modern animal feed production machine, modern animal feeder & modern animal cage
  • Hightech Animal Husbandry
    Contains hightech animal cage


And at last - here I have a screenshot of the 2 new modern machines which are the modern animal feed production machine (+50% crafting speed) and the modern animal feeder (+65% trust value):



[h2]Still Planned[/h2]
I have still some points on my list until I can release the new update and a few of them I have listed here:

  • Animal traders
  • Animal herds
  • Rare or legendary animal events
  • Updated scenario manager (also new difficulty modes including a very peaceful mode)
  • And a few smaller updates


I hope you enjoyed this short news and are already looking forward to the next update,
Cheers!

July News: Upcoming Animal Taming System

Hi everyone,

I'm fully working on the new update and I wanted to give you some quick news about the new upcoming animal taming & pets system!

I have to say, a lot here is still work in progress so there might be some changes when the final update will be released.

[h2]Animal Taming[/h2]
The next update will finally introduce the animal taming and pet mechanics to the game.

Of course, since this game is AColony, you will be able to tame any animal. This means that you can not only have chickens, foxes, cats or dogs as pets - you can also make bees, darkflies and centipedes of any level your favorites. (that includes queens and kings too!)



[h3]Trust Value[/h3]
The taming system will come together with a trust system which allows you to unlock different options / commands for your pets the higher their trust in you. Some of these option will be:

  • Follow owner
  • Execute non-combat commands
  • Execute melee attack commands
  • Execute ranged attack commands
  • Special commands which are only available for certain animals / insects


Pets can also be related to a colonist which is his owner. (one colonist can also own more than 1 pet)



[h3]New Job Section & Pet Display[/h3]
Since the mechanic for pets will later be extended to farm animals, I've added a new job section that will allow you to more easily prioritize colonist tasks in relation to animal care. (A new trait, called animal whisperer, is connected with this section too)

Additionally I have also implemented the option to show your pets at the bottom of the colonist overview menu.



[h3]New Items, Tables & Constructions[/h3]
In connection with the pets and animal taming system, there will also come new constructions, items and technologies. At the moment I'm working on the first parts which will also be available from the start of the technology tree.

  • Crafting table for animal feed
  • Basic animal feeder (gives higher trust value when used by pets)
  • Animal feed (plants)
  • Animal feed (meat)
  • Animal feed (human meat)


On the todo list there are also sleeping places and other various constructions for the pets.



[h3]New Animals[/h3]
Of course, the next update will also contain some new animals and insects and I have already designed a few of them:

  • Wild boars
    Wild boars will become a default animal in the world (like chickens or foxes) and will provide far more meat and clothing if your colonists butcher them (but they will also be more dangerous to hunt).
  • Carrion snails (or scavenger snails)
    These new and slow insects will appear in the world if you have many corpses (fresh or decomposing) lying around near to each other. They are usually not hostile and will try to eat the mentioned corpses.


There are also other animals in work, like cats, dogs, creatures living inside the mountains & more, but I will say more about them when the update is finally released! :)



[h3]Additional Points for next Update[/h3]
I'm constantly working on side mechanics based on your feedback and suggestions, and here are a few that should probably come in the next update as well:

  • Squad / multi-select manager for colonists
  • New mysterious wanderer event
  • Some new events regarding animals & very rare ones
  • Option to call wanderers via the radio station
  • Some improvements regarding the prisoner system
  • Some improvements regarding the building system
  • And much more


I hope you enjoyed this short news and are already looking forward to the next update,
Cheers!