Roots of Pacha News

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At first glance, all animals of a herd might look the same, but after closer inspection you’ll start to recognize different colors and patterns. Some special ones might appear on certain seasons or after an event happens.



Develop a bond with the one you like the most and it might want to live with you and let you ride it.



Our ancestors used caves not only for shelter but to leave an impression of the way they lived, perhaps as a way to transcend, to communicate, or simply admiration for the surrounding nature.

The Clan uses cave walls too, to express their Ideas. As part of discovering the world, you’ll get to see their parietal art.


Nokk: What is this “riding” and animal?.
Okka: Make an animal like you, get on its back, and go places.
Okka: Look, this is what I mean.



Nokk: Ohhh, I see. That might work.
Nokk: Why is a heart floating around though?

Grob: So you’re saying that the red thing on the wall is my house.
Voda: Yes.
Grob: But I see my house. It’s right there.
Voda: That’s right, but this is your house too. See, it’s to the left of the main fire.

[Grob tries to enter to painted house in the wall and bangs his head]

Grob: I told you it wasn’t my house!
Voda: ...


Some Pachans actually do get the idea of a map. This is how it actually ends up looking after some research has been done.



- Never miss that Pachan you were looking for. Find hints for quests and important stuff they might have to tell you.
- Get an overview of your farm, or that new piece of land that you need to clear. Take a screenshot of your village and share it with your friends.
- See what’s being built and where.


If you’ve been following our feed you might have noticed a gradual change of style. As we play the game, we keep making changes to the style so that it can flow with the overall feeling. This month it was the time to refine the backgrounds. We felt it was a bit too cluttered and confusing and wanted to have more space in between things.




Some say Halloween is a pagan festival. Well, we say it’s a pachan festival



Even though there are no candies nor doors that can be knocked, Pachans remember their ancestors that day.

It is a time to give thanks for the fall harvest (pumpkins, yay!), ask for the upcoming winter to be mild, and to be grateful to those that came before us and made possible that we’re here.


We had a lot of different fires and wanted to change the style and behavior of them. Here’s a look of the central plaza at night, with a renewed central fire, new torches and lighting system.




Who doesn’t like gifts? Isn’t that the way we all develop friendships and eventually love? Don’t get us wrong, we love that mechanic, but we’re also exploring some other ways you might deepen your relationships with the Clan.



Now that we have the dance emote, we thought that dancing with other Pachans, when they feel like it, would be a good way to do it.


November 13th we will be spreading the word of Pacha live on twitch.

We’ll be streaming Roots of Pacha, showcasing the gameplay for the first time ever! Join us to get to know us, watch us play, and for a surprise we’ve worked on this month.



Mark your calendars for Nov 13th and stay tuned for details on the time.

Will Pacha be able to make this our lucky day and impress you?

[h2]Life at the Land Between Two Rivers[/h2]
What did our ancestors do on an everyday basis? A lot of their time was probably spent gathering provisions in the warm seasons to be able to outlast the cold ones, making pottery and weaving baskets to hold their belongings, curing meats and fermenting grains. They also built basic structures and made the tools needed for survival. As social animals, they chatted, told stories, played music and danced.



In Roots of Pacha, each NPC excels at something, like Croll being the best at building. But all of them contribute to the everyday activities of the clan. You might find Gin, the Clan’s leader, training for a hunting expedition, or Jizu gathering plants in the forest for Ada, the healer, to use.

[h2]Lucky for you that’s what I like[/h2]
Oh the things we cherish and the ones we hate. We improved the gift system so that NPCs will show a different portrait depending on what you give them. And because one man's trash is another man's treasure, you’ll have to discover what they like and what they don’t.



[h2]Buildings[/h2]
Building takes time and sometimes a village. That’s why when the Clan decides to build something, the schedule of some NPCs change while in construction. How about some paint for that Sundial?



[h2]Mini map[/h2]
To make the world more immersive, we’re trying an approach where every quest, idea or cutscene is initiated by an NPC or by a location. Spreading out the events feels more realistic, but sometimes it’s too hard to find an NPC you’re looking for, or you just want to know where your friends are.

We’re developing a minimap per region with indications of the whereabouts of the Clan and key points of interest.



Wondering how on earth could someone know the locations of everyone?. You’ll have to develop an idea with Voda, the tracker, to use the eagles' help.

[h2]Food preservation[/h2]
Without proper refrigeration, the Clan needs ways to improve food nutrition and make preserves that can last longer. Some things need a few steps to be made but the ending result is always so satisfying and is a much valuable contribution to the Clan.



Now, if we could only make some butter to go with it...

[h2]The power of fire[/h2]
We’ve made improvements to the lights engine. Our goal is to add depth to some objects in the world. When you are walking through the forest, lights will illuminate the trees on top of you but not the bottom ones.



In the darkness of the night and the deepness of the caves, you need to carry a torch to see further around you.



[h2]New plants[/h2]
It all starts and ends with plants, right? If you’re in our Discord, you may have noticed our fascination for the natural world (if you’re not, join us).

We’ve changed the look of the plants when they’re in the wild, they’re usually smaller and not very nutritious. As you plant them and keep growing them, they’ll evolve into their improved versions with larger roots, fruits and seeds, brighter colors and nice scents (we’re working on how to propagate smell through the speakers, so far nothing).



We also thought plants looked a bit too far apart, and now they have a better sense of depth.



[h2]Baaaaaa[/h2]
So we have a mountain, and what animal likes mountains? Yep, goats. We researched the oldest domesticated goats and one of them is the Ibex. Without further ado:



[h2]Under the water[/h2]
As we develop more locations, we’re adding fishing spots. Some of the new fish you’ll encounter at different times of days and throughout the seasons:



[h2]In-game emotes[/h2]
All that hard work is fine, but we needed a way to celebrate your first successful harvest with your friends.



Dance is so ingrained in human history, it even appears in cave art. It’s used to perform ritual and religious ceremonies, as a way to connect with each other socially, and to entertain. Dance is important in Roots of Pacha too, and might even help you strengthen friendship with the Clan.

[h2]SFX[/h2]
As we polish the world, we continue to add more sound effects. Have you ever heard an Ostrich?
Ostrich - SFX

[h2]Discord[/h2]
We’ve added more emojis with NPCs expressions, an animated gif icon and a couple of new channels where we revere mother nature and prehistoric science.

Join us!

Pacha, our mother earth, can be felt in every part of the world. She has blessed us with cracks in the mountains, entrances to deep caves that get us closer to her. Mysteries, older than our Clan’s oldest ancestor, await in their depths.




This past month we worked on the first cave that you’ll have access to. Caves are places where you can obtain resources, but also where you’ll connect with Pacha, and discover more about the spiritual world.



The wise Owl, a son of Pacha, welcomes you upon entering. Its powers feel strong here, almost as if we could use them too.



If you are brave enough, you’ll venture deeper. What are those strange artifacts? It looks like they have a purpose, a way to arrange them maybe...



Inside the cave, you’ll reach special rooms. They’re filled with resources buried long ago when the earth formed, or with stories from other humans that explored the caves before you.


Once again, it will be up to you to discover the tools you want to use. Once discovered, you’ll gather the materials and develop more ideas on how to use them.

These are some of the resources you’ll need to upgrade the tools.



We wanted to talk about one of the starting tools, the handaxe. You might have seen it in some of our previous posts or tweets.



It appears to be just a rock, but it’s not any rock. It has years of perfecting the art of chipping flakes to make it a pointed tool, without breaking it in the process. The other end should be blunt and relatively thick so we can hold it firmly.

Although it’s not very strong, it lets you do a wide variety of tasks. From breaking small twigs and preparing soil, to fishing in shallow waters and extracting materials from soft ores.


Once you get your home, it’s time to make it yours! How about a stone table here, with a rug underneath?. You can even get some help from your friends!


Living in the stone age doesn’t mean you need to be all ragged and dirty (unless that’s what you like). Customize your character by choosing a preferred body type, skin tone, eye color, hair color and style, clothes and shoes.



This month we’ve added some new clothes and colors, and will continue to do so. We also plan to add accessories!


There’s nothing in the Clan more precious than knowledge. It’s what drives the Clan forward by discovering and inventing stuff.



One of the buildings you can build is the library. This is where Garrek spends most of his time. He’s always talking about weird things, like why things fall to the floor instead of going up. He also likes mixing materials and experimenting with ropes and rocks.



By bringing Garrek things that you collect in the wild, new plants and their produce, and anything else that exists in the world, the Clan’s knowledge will increase. In the library, you can display any items you want and preserve them in amber stone for posterity.


Another building we developed this month is the sundial. It might seem a bit advanced for the time, but in some way or another, using the sun’s shadows was probably one of the first ways we had to track time.



Also, did you know the thing that the thing that projects the shadow is called the “gnomon.” That alone made it a must have in Roots of Pacha.

When you build it, time in the world will be more accurate so you don’t miss that NPC you were hoping to give a flower to.


A way to share resources, or just to clear your bag after collecting sooo many rocks. Drop it to the floor, so someone else can pick it up. If you leave it overnight, wild animals take them away so make sure to collect anything you need.


This has been something we’ve wanted to do for a while. Join us on discord to perform a ritual , harness the power of fire , get surprised and profess your wildest love .



Thanks for reading again, hope to read your comments!

Hello Pachans, in this 4th edition you'll learn more about your home, resources, trees, the importance of "ideas," and the mysterious caves that dot the landscape of Pacha.

Join us on Discord!



When you reach The Land Between Two Rivers, you and your friends will first live with your adoptive parents, the elders Igrork and Maeri. But you’re a grown up now, and probably want to get your own place. With a few materials and the help of Croll, the builder, you’ll build your home wherever you want.

You won’t need a lot of space in the beginning but will probably want to expand it later on!


We started talking a little bit about ideas last month. They’re a core part of the evolution of the Clan. Our ability to imagine things, to try our ideas and push ourselves to new things that might seem impossible, is what sets us apart from the other Pacha creatures.

All Clan members have ideas that they’ll share with you at some point in time, when improving their friendship and trust, discovering new regions, or finding elements. An idea is not more than an image in someone's mind, they’ll tell you a little bit about it and show you a rough sketch of what they’re thinking. It’ll be your choice to use the Clan’s Knowledge to develop ideas in any order you want.


They don’t move but are always there, growing and reaching to the sky. Trees are usually taken for granted when they give us so much: shadow to rest, wood to make tools and build, bark to heal our wounds, fruits for food and medicine.

We’ve added 3 trees that grow natively in The Land Between 2 Rivers:



We worked on the placing system for the craftables in your farm. There are now wood fences and gates that can open/close automatically when you’re nearby.

We also added a new small water well so you don’t have to go to the river everytime you need water for your crops.

Most craftables will have to be unlocked through an idea too, so you’ll have to decide which ideas you want to develop first!


Your contribution will mainly be the crops that you grow, the food that you make from them, and anything you can find throughout the world.

This large vessel holds the daily contribution. It seems bottomless, but someone from the Clan distributes its content every night.


Throughout the world you’ll find different items that will help the Clan survive and progress.

Maybe a mushroom for rituals, some datura flowers with strong healing powers, poop for the hunters to camouflage their scent, or oregano to make your favorite dishes (prehistoric pasta sauce?).


We improved the dialogue UI, with a new layout, answers and style. As you talk with the Clan members, give them gifts and help them in their everyday tasks, you’ll develop friendship.

And what’s a friendship if not a plant that needs to be nurtured and cared for. That’s why we represent it as one. Start from seed and watch it convert into a beautiful flower.


Following up with previous month’s animal love, we’ve started trying out the first shed you can invent, build and place in your farms.


You are walking next to a rock cliff, and suddenly see this entrance partly hidden with vegetation. An entrance to the inner depths of the world, where Pacha’s manifestations take real shape.

Caves are places where you can find resources and encounter magical beings. To venture deeper there’ll be challenges, but rewards will be worth them. In following devlogs we’ll be revealing more about them.


Good for you if you made it this far, it’s been a pretty intense month with lots of stuff taking shape. See you next time!

June brought us summer (or winter if you’re in the southern hemisphere), and with that came along new animals and their taming mechanic, improvements to the regions, and new ideas and buildings that can be discovered and built.


In Roots of Pacha, animals aren’t just simply bought. Being part of nature and children of Pacha, they live freely in herds and packs.



Among the different regions, herds of several species of animals will appear in their natural habitat looking for food and shelter. Some of them won’t stay for long and will migrate during colder seasons to look for warmer spots, or during their mating season.



Herds are families, there’s at least one mom and one dad, and then there are the babies. They’ll all age and new generations will take their places.



In the wilderness when trying to approach them, they get bothered by your presence. It’s their instinct to be scared of strangers. With the help of your clan, you’ll learn how to care for them and they’ll even take food from your hand. Just remember they might not like everything you want to give them.


After gaining their trust, you might want to build a place for them to live with the Clan. By continuing caring for them, and discovering some tools, they’ll start rewarding you with valuable products. Others will let you ride them and take you places further and faster than you could have ever imagined.



Going somewhere and wanting to take along a friend?. Some of the animals will be so happy with the Clan that they’ll take as many as they can fit.

Our work with animals is not done yet. Some of our ideas for next round are: different colors for animals of the same species that will change from season to season, and breeding when a male and female of the same species live with the Clan.


       




Living in the stone age means a lot of what we take for granted today wasn’t invented. Part of your task, if you choose to, is to talk and discuss ideas with the people of your Clan.



By domesticating plants and improving their quality, taming new animals and getting to know them, and simply by exploring the world, the Clan will gain knowledge. It’ll be your choice to spend the knowledge however you want to develop an idea.

New ideas will start popping up here and there, when you mine a new type of rock, discover an unknown plant, or spot a different kind of animal. Some ideas come from people not in your clan but will only be revealed when you get to know them.



As part of evolving the Clan, you’ll gather materials and construct buildings. What you build and where you place the building, will affect the schedule of the Clan members.



This past month we added more sound effects to player actions, footsteps that change according to terrain, and music loops for different seasons. This is a preview of one of the spring loops.

Spring - The land between two rivers



On July, we'll be working on revamping parts of the UI, the objects placement system, animals sheds, decoration, player customization and balance.

That's it for now, thanks for reading and let us know how we're doing and what you'd like to see next.