Roots of Pacha News

We want to thank all of those who were able to play and test the Beta. The warm reception the game has received is beyond our wildest dreams. Thank you for all your continued support.

We can’t wait for you to see all that is being developed and planned for the game’s release. In the meantime, we are excited to have people try out a demo next month.

[h2]Demo[/h2]
Along with developing the game, we’ve been working on a demo that’ll be in Steam Next Fest (June 13-20th). Most demos are 30 to 60 mins long, but with all the content we have, that wasn’t enough time to really get a feel for Roots of Pacha, so we are aiming to have a demo that’s about 2 hours long with some tailored features.

[h3]Exploration[/h3]

Exploration is such a big part of the game, so you will be able to discover plants, befriend animals, adventure in the caves, and forage through the forest and the land surrounding the village.

[h3]Ideas[/h3]

“Ideas” are a major mechanic for progression. In the demo, you’ll be able to discover the power of time through the sundial and develop the idea of animal taming. One change for the demo is that you’ll start with the Idea of “animal friendship” already developed, so you’ll be able to use the flute to befriend animals. After progressing your friendship with them, you’ll discover the Idea of animal taming and riding. To allow you to rapidly develop these ideas for the limited demo, you’ll start with some contribution as well.

[h3]Fishing[/h3]

Along with farming, you’ll be able to fish in the waters surrounding The Land Between Two Rivers. You’ll use your handaxe to track fish and strike when the time is right. We hope you enjoy our unique take on fishing.

[h3]Processors[/h3]

There will be plenty of processors and the ideas that accompany them for the final game. For the demo, you’ll be able to complete a contribution quest with Tare to earn a smoker and a fishing quest with Frer to earn a dryer. Processing the fish you catch and some of the plants you find will yield better contributions.

[h3]Lore and the World[/h3]

You’ll be introduced to Pacha’s world by befriending your fellow Pachans, watching a shortened intro cutscene, and experiencing your Rite of Passage Festival. The Rite of Passage is an important event in every Pachan’s life when their totem is revealed. At the festival, you’ll be able to earn a perk along with learning more about your world.

[h3]The Caves[/h3]

Explore the depths of Pacha’s caves and overcome the challenges that await you.

[h3]Saves[/h3]
The demo is only a sample size of the game, but another big part of the game is “playing at your own pace.” To give people the opportunity to try different play styles we’ve decided to allow you to save, start multiple runs, and play in co-op.

[h2]Beta Update[/h2]



We’re working on a Beta that includes improvements for multiplayer, more player customization, an intro to the game, updates to fishing, and improved character schedules.

All “Be-ta Shaman” Kickstarter backers and above should have received their keys. If you can’t find the email you can have the key resent by entering the email you backed the game with here: https://rootsofpacha.com/orders/

[h3]Pachan Festival[/h3]
Pachans love a good party, and so do we. The Beta was a big milestone in development and the demo is another. To celebrate our very own “Rite of Passage,” we have some cool things planned for the community. So keep an eye out for next month’s devlog and our social media for the details.


You rock!
-The Soda Den Team

Hello Pachans!! This is a mammoth-and-a-half-sized 🐘 update for the game! We’ve added irrigation, expanded caves, romance and dating, a complete overhaul to the ui, new character portraits, and more! (more info on those in devlog #19, #20, #21). In this devlog, we cover a few new ideas, trading, animal updates like racing, and a whole lot more listed at the bottom of the devlog.

We can’t wait for Be-ta Backers to play (and send their feedback too!). For those anxiously waiting the game, we’ll have a demo in June we hope you’ll enjoy. 🔥🔥🔥

There’s still a “road to be walked,” with lots of content to develop, but we’re more than happy with the state of the game right now. To celebrate, we’ll be doing a live stream with SharkyGames on Tuesday, April 12th at 10 am PDT on YouTube 🥳🥳 Hope to see you there!

[h2]The Ideas of Ideas[/h2]

"Ideas" are one of the most important aspects of the game. We implemented and tested a few processors in the Alpha that are now "Ideas" in the Beta. For example, you'll help Tare develop a Press that helps the clan juice more things.



Once you explore deep into the caves, you'll find tin that will spark an "Idea" on how to work with this new material. From there, you'll be able to upgrade your sickle and make a tin bucket that holds more water.




Make watering your crops even quicker by developing the Idea of irrigation with Garrek. After he sees you using your new tin watering can, he will have an idea he would like to discuss with you.

[h2]Trading[/h2]



Our Pachan friend, Zelk, returns to the clan along with his partner, Nari, and their daughter Era, who have never met the clan before. Through Zelk, we'll get the "Idea" to trade with others, giving us the ability to get resources that are harder to find.



[h2]Social[/h2]



We need each other to not only survive, but to thrive. In this update, we implemented more of the social side, which was many, many months in the making.

[h3]Dialogues[/h3]

All characters now have a minimum of ten dialogues. The two romanceable characters in Beta Frer and Mana have over 50 and 40 dialogues, respectively. We feel this is a good "first coat of paint" on the social system and something we look forward to expanding upon for release.

[h3]Gifts[/h3]



All characters have a set of loved, liked, disliked, and hated gifts that will affect your friendship with them with unique dialogue associated. You can also get an extra boost to friendship if you give them a gift on their birthday, especially a loved gift.

[h2]A Few New Looks[/h2]



While redesigning the portraits, we gave a few characters a fresh look in the world that better fit their personalities and added to our cast.

[h2]New Place To Get Things[/h2]



Decorate with things that Reese made. Visit her and find what items will help you turn your hut a home.

She will also have some extra fabric that will allow you to expand your belt and carry more items as you travel the land.

[h2]Animals[/h2]

[h3]Racing[/h3]



In the Alpha, we could only race with others in multiplayer. Now, you'll be able to race Mana and Jelrod every Saturday. It also will become part of clan culture and something near and dear to some of the characters. We look forward to telling you more about this as we expand this Idea.

[h3]Animal Updates[/h3]



We had a few animals with color variations in the game, but we thought it was time for guanacos and bison (who are now rideable) to get some new styles. You can also gather fur from boars by shearing them.

[h3]Improved Mini-Game[/h3]



Like fishing before it, we felt it was time to give this game a little more polish. To attune to an animal, you will play the game until you fill all the notes. It may take you one try or a few. Some animals will be harder to tame than others.


[h2]The Lore Expands[/h2]

The story is something we don't want to spoil for those who wish to discover it for themselves, so we'll remain tight-lipped on many parts. So instead, we will tell you the question we hope to answer: what brought us to the Land Between Two Rivers?

Caves have been a spiritual place throughout human history and we aim to honor that legacy with a thoughtful experience and a dash of humor. We hope you'll enjoy the adventure.

[h2]Quality of Life[/h2]

We now have full controller support! This not only offers us a better experience now, but it will help us when we develop for consoles later.

We now have an easier-to-navigate UI. This was a massive undertaking that took a lot of time and attention. You can read more about it in devlog 21.

We’ll have a Mac OS build in the near future. So our alpha and beta backers who prefer to play on mac should have access soon.

[h2]Mark Your Calendars![/h2]



After a busy few months, we wanted to hang out with the community again, so we’ll start a new save and stream the game on Tuesday, April 12th at 10 am PDT on YouTube. Plus, we’ll be raffling a few Beta Keys! We hope to see you in chat!

We’ve mentioned it a few times in the Discord, but we are excited to announce we will have a demo on Steam in June. We can’t wait for people to play! Stay tuned for more info.

[h2]Added Features[/h2]

• Revamped UI
  
• Full controller support
  
• New portraits
  
• New game intro and initial quests
  
• New introduction to the Yakuan and Mograni clans
  
• Tutorials
  
• New Rite of Passage, choose offering
  
• Mortar, press & fermenter ideas
  
• Hammering idea
  
• Tin tools
  
• Irrigation idea
  
• Cheesecloth idea
  
• New preserved items: dried fruit, fermented vegetables, butter, mayo, sour cream, cheese
  
• Trading idea
  
• Arrival of trader family
  
• Inventory expansion
  
• Frer & Mana are fully dateable
  
• Kiss mechanic
  
• Pacha Tree Union
  
• NPCs now have more dialogue and schedules
  
• NPCs gifts and birthday reactions
  
• Skip button in cutscenes
  
• Overhauled caves with lore and new challenges
  
• Guanaco & bison variants
  
• Bison are now rideable
  
• Wild boar produces fur
  
• Anima domestication thresholds
  
• Mana and Jelrod race with players
  
• New tattoos
  
• Item placement outside farming area
  
• Host won't get kicked if the internet is lost
  
• Time stops when in UI
  
• Stamina hit if you pass out
  
• Steam Cloud saves
  

You rock!
-The Soda Den Team

Hello Pachans! With only one month left of development until the Beta milestone, lots has been done in Roots of Pacha and there’s still more to come. In this devlog, we’ll focus on two big changes: the intro to the game and the new UI.

[h2]New Beginnings[/h2]



With Beta backers gaining access to the game in a month, we thought now would be a great time to focus on and test out how players are introduced to the game. We wanted to create something that wasn’t overwhelming for new players yet not too intrusive for those familiar with the genre.

In the stone age, ideas were passed on through stories and art. On day one, Igrork will introduce you to the concept of farming and you’ll receive your first cave-art tutorial on how to farm. If you are familiar with the game or the genre, these “pop-ups” are easy to close and will be something that people can revisit later in a future update.



After this initial tutorial, other timed events will follow, like introducing other ideas, the opening of the caves, beach, and savanna. Spreading out these events allowed us to tie them more closely to the story of the world without intruding too much on how the player spends their time.

The game will also have its first “quests” introduced that will reward you once you complete them.

The story of how you arrived to Pacha's lands will be further integrated into the early stages of the game, but the full story will be told at the game’s launch.


[h2]New UI[/h2]



Great UI helps with accessibility and clarity, so this is something we’ve given a lot of attention to over the past few months with a complete overhaul. The new look and improved functionality will help us lay the groundwork for future integration with controllers and consoles later.



This new style gave us a chance to spruce up the characters’ portraits. We loved the previous art, but this new look is far more expressive and a direction we’re excited to continue.



With the new UI, you’ll be able to track your friendship status and what gifts they liked (or didn’t) and see when their birthdays are.


Thank you for your continued support. We’re just making a game about community and the importance of kindness, but we can’t help but hope life would imitate art a little more. Stay safe out there. If you can, we’d appreciate it if you did one extra kind act like buying coffee for the person behind you in line, donating to a worthy charity, or picking up litter. The little things add up. The world needs it right now. 🧡


You rock!
The Soda Den Team

Hello, Pachans! Love is in the air and the clan is feeling it too. In this devlog, we’ll focus on two aspects of the April 8th update: romance and caves.

[h2]Depths of the Heart[/h2]



Although Pachans don’t celebrate Valentine's Day, they’ve been in a romantic mood lately. In the next update, you’ll be able to date and form a union with Frer, Mana, and two other characters.

In an earlier update, Frer had 2 “world” cutscenes added to the game that told a little bit of his story. The upcoming build will have 3 additional “personal events.”



What’s the difference between “world” and “personal” events you say? Glad you asked!
World events are triggered by going to a specific location between certain times and will include all players, if playing in multiplayer. These types of events often carry over into the dialogue and daily routines affecting the world as well.

A “personal event” is player-initiated through dialogue and includes only that character and the person who initiated it. If playing in multiplayer, everyone else will go about their business as usual. These events are more like “dates” or hanging out with a friend, in some cases.



Once you gain enough flowers with Mana, Frer, or one of the other dateable characters, you’ll be able to pursue a relationship with that special someone and give them a kiss for a small boost in your relationship.

Once you reach 10 flowers, you can form a union! A union consists of a short ceremony with a reception following right after. At the reception, you’ll be able to walk around in your union attire and chat with guests before heading back to the village with your new partner in life.

This will continue to be expanded on beyond what will be in the next interaction of the build. We want your partner to be a meaningful part of your life and continue to have a life of their own as well.



[h2]Depths of the Soul[/h2]



You’ll cross into the edges of the spirit world in the forest cave. There, you’ll meet some totem guides that will help you through its mysterious depths.

Throughout the cave you’ll find challenges to test your ability to observe the world around you. This iteration of the caves is just the beginning with more totems and puzzles planned for the future.


[h2]Depths of Gratitude[/h2]

February 22nd is the one year mark from when we first launched the Kickstarter. It’s been beyond a dream come true. Because of all the backers and the support of the community as a whole, this game will be something even better than what we first imagined.

Over the last month, there’s been a resurgence of attention for our little game thanks to one of our artists posting on Reddit and an article on PC Gamer. To all those who have been around since Kickstarter or before, we hope you join us in welcoming the new folks to our community. The fact that so many people are interested in a game centered around discovery and kindness is truly inspiring.


You rock!
The Soda Den Team

Hello Pachans!

We’d like to wish you all a Happy New Year! Let 2022 bring you plenty of warmth, bright moments, and happy memories. 2021 was an amazing year for us, full of surprises, events, and unwavering support from our community. To our Kickstarter supporters specifically, thank you for believing in us from the start, spreading the word, and giving us a chance to fulfill our dream. We quickly smashed the initial goal and ended up 1,115% funded!

It was a wild ride, hitting stretch goal after stretch goal, with many happy tears shed.

Following the Kickstarter, we were able to achieve another enormous milestone: a playable Alpha. Since then, we’ve released 6 major Alpha updates, each containing new game mechanics, overhauls, and polish.

Your feedback has helped us improve Roots of Pacha and shape the game to become the best possible experience for players. As we continue to work on the game, please keep it up! We’re paying attention to everything you have to say.

At the end of 2021, we spent time scheduling things for next year and evaluating the team’s progress. Here are our plans for 2022:

[h2]Our next update will be Beta[/h2]

Those who pledged at the Beta level will get access to the game on April 8, 2022! This will be a huge milestone for us and we can’t wait for more players to try out the early version of the game. This date gives us an extra month in our development cycle so that we can polish this juicy update.

[h3]New Ideas[/h3]


As ideas shape our world, they continue to do so in Roots of Pacha. New Ideas like Hammering, Trading, and Irrigation will find their way into the Beta.

[h3]Item Placement[/h3]


Make your decorative mark on the village and place items where you’d like. Players will no longer be limited to placing items in the fields.

[h3]Dating and Marriage[/h3]


Eyeing that special someone? We will add 4 datable characters with which you can eventually form a union. Each character will have their own series of cutscenes, so you can get to know them a little better. Their dialogues will be expanded following the Beta, but we can't wait for you to learn more about our first 4 datables.

[h3]Polish[/h3]


Our mini-map reflects the village you create (including your crops), so it felt only natural to have it reflect the season as well.

We’ve been working on adding a new layer of polish to the game with new UI and updated character portraits.

[h3]And More[/h3]
We’ll expand on these and other updates in the future as we continue to do our monthly devlogs. So stay tuned for more. 🔥

If you still haven’t joined our Discord, be sure to do so. We have alpha/beta key giveaways, mini-games, and much more to discover!




[h2]Release[/h2]
After taking a hard look at what we wanted in our 1.0 release, and considering the increased scope that came with Kickstarter, we realized we need more time than our initial projection of Q2 of 2022. Our current plan is to release in late 2022.

This was not a decision we made lightly, as we strived to find the right balance of getting the game into your hands as soon as possible and how much content can be made to create a complete experience.

We take pride in our game, story, and community. Even if we too wished we could release sooner, we feel that given a little extra time, we can offer a more polished and meaningful experience - one that is worthy of you, who make this all possible.

We believe the future of this game is brighter than ever. The community centered around a game about kindness and cooperation has only grown. The team has only gotten stronger, and the dream of two brothers has become so much more.

You Rock.

-The Soda Den Team