Leonardo's Island News

[p]Hello, subscribers![/p][p][/p][p]Those of you who have been following the game’s development for a while may remember that back in October 2024, a demo was released where you could build different structures on the island.[/p][p][/p][p]The original concept was:
In the first release you could build on land — different constructions, a fort, complete a few missions to learn building, defend the island from a pirate ship, open the shipyard, and build your first ship. This was done by October 2024.[/p][p]Later, I planned to add multiplayer with online battles and regattas, the ability to trade your constructions and ships, and many more mechanics like physics, flying, and so on.[/p][p][/p][p]Then Unity 6 came out! I tried Unity 6 URP and decided to migrate. As a result, I slightly changed the plan and decided that in the first release I would focus on multiplayer with battles, shipbuilding, upgrading cannons, sails, ship hulls, and only later add third-person characters, land building, and so on.[/p][p][/p][p]This led to two games. Recently, I had the idea to finally release the part that was already ready last year and call it the prologue game. After all, the essence was that after completing all the missions on the island, the player should build their first ship for the final mission. And the next part of the game continues with shipbuilding and multiplayer.[/p][p][/p][p]That’s how Leonardo’s Island – Origins and simply Leonardo’s Island came to be.[/p][p][/p][p]For me, Leonardo’s Island – Origins is something like crowdfunding that can help me finish the first multiplayer release faster — and then gradually add all the other ideas and mechanics.
But instead of just a description and pictures of what’s to come, you get an actual prologue game.[/p][p][/p][h2]What it includes:[/h2]

• [p]Third-person view: running, swimming, diving (as much as your stamina allows)[/p]
• [p]Chop trees and crush stones — resources for building[/p]
• [p]Different building types:[/p]
  • [p]Place beams and planks manually — full control[/p]
  • [p]Use helpers to build bases and stairs[/p]
• [p]Draw your own flag and place it anywhere[/p]
• [p]Fly with a kite[/p]
• [p]And finally, surf![/p]
• [p]Sail around the island on a catamaran (after building it first)[/p]
• [p]Fire cannons at pirates (and also at your own constructions if you wish)[/p]
• [p]Localization into 30 languages[/p]

[p]Thank you for your support![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]P.S. In the meantime, I continue working on multiplayer for Leonardo’s Island, and beta tests are coming soon![/p]

[h3]Finally, an Update! The Game's Journey: Past, Present, and the Road Ahead[/h3][p]Hey everyone! I’ve just updated the Steam page, and I’d love to share the story behind how the game has evolved—what it looked like before, where it stands now, and what’s coming next.[/p][p]On the main Steam page, you’ll see the current state of the game. But if you look back through the community posts, you’ll notice something interesting… the game used to look very different. So let’s dive into the journey![/p][p][/p][h3]- The Original Vision[/h3][p]From the very beginning, I had a strong idea of what I wanted:[/p]

• [p]A building system where you could construct on your own island[/p]
• [p]A playable character to explore your creations[/p]
• [p]A peaceful, creative gameplay loop centered around island building[/p]

[p]But then I asked myself: what’s the motivation to build? What do players do with their constructions?[/p][p][/p][h3]- Feedback & Evolving Scope[/h3][p]As I shared early versions, I started getting great feedback:[/p]

[p]“Will there be multiplayer?”
“Can we share our buildings?”[/p]

[p]That sparked new ideas. My roadmap grew:[/p]

• [p]Start with building on the Island[/p]
• [p]Add a character with a story and missions[/p]
• [p]Eventually go out to sea: build ships, battle other players, and race in regattas[/p]
• [p]Introduce team-based invasions, fortifications, and island conquests[/p]
• [p]Create a reputation system based on your choices: spare or sink, trade or invade[/p]
• [p]Even mechanical flight systems, honoring the island’s lore of a genius inventor[/p]

[p]So many ideas… and I didn’t want to lose any of them.[/p][p][/p][h3]- Years Later…[/h3][p]The building system kept evolving. I also transitioned from Unity Built-in to Unity 6 URP, giving the game a more modern, polished look. Still, a full release felt far away.[/p][p]I kept thinking about the feel I wanted—something adventurous, heartfelt, like reading Captain Blood: His Odyssey by Rafael Sabatini.[/p][p]Then I realized: the ship-building system works. It’s fun. So why not let players start there, enjoy some online battles, and meanwhile I could finally create a team and continue building out the rest of the vision?[/p][p][/p][h2]- First Release Features[/h2][p]Here’s what you’ll get in the first release:[/p]

• [p]Build ships: Customize your hull, place sails and cannons, and test them around your island.[/p]
• [p]Online battles & regattas: Fight, survive the chaos, or race to prove you’ve built the fastest ship.[/p]
• [p]Progression system: Unlock new ships, cannons, sails, and ammunition. Upgrade and combine for endless ship designs.[/p]
• [p]Create your fleet: bring multiple ships into battle.[/p]

[p][/p][h2]- When?[/h2][p]Right now, I’m aiming to have the game ready for Steam Next Fest – October 2025. That’s the current target, and I’m working hard to get the multiplayer features polished in time.[/p][p]However, if things aren’t quite ready by then—especially on the multiplayer side—I’ll shift the launch to Steam Next Fest – February 2026 instead.[/p][p]Either way, I’ll keep you posted and continue sharing updates![/p][p][/p][h3]- What Comes Next?[/h3][p]That’s why some older posts still show island construction and single-player elements—they’re not gone. They’re just coming a little bit later.[/p][p]Thanks for following the journey so far. This is just the beginning![/p][p][/p][p]Yours Danilec[/p]

[p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]Ahoy![/p][p]Don't pay attention to the interface — it's just an early mock-up so I can work on the core logic.[/p][p]I've long wanted to make it so that in the game, you could build not just your own ship with some customizable parts, but actually shape the hull itself — and have that affect gameplay.[/p][p]From physics, I remember that a drop has one of the best shapes in terms of aerodynamics. But not just a drop (a small water sphere), rather a falling drop — that's a very different shape. Also, I loved reading books about explorers as a kid, and one idea really stuck with me: the design used in Fram, the ship of Nansen. It was more round — almost oval — so when ice pressed against it, it wouldn't crush the ship, but instead push it upward.[/p][p]So I've been thinking a lot about how I could make a system where a single 3D model could have a customizable shape. In the end, I came up with a formula that simulates the curve of the hull from bow to stern. For now, I’ve exposed just two parameters in the interface: the main width of the ship, and the width of the stern.[/p][p]At this stage, the shape of the ship directly affects its speed, maneuverability, and capacity. A narrow ship is great for regattas — when you can strip it down, no cannons, no deck, just the bare frame, ribs, and sails (but you'll need to be careful when turning — it might capsize). A wider design is better for battles, where having more cannons gives an edge. But that’s just one example — it’s not always that linear.[/p][p][/p]

Hi everyone!
New update for the Demo is ready.

• While placing beams, planks, rope, and other items using drag and drop, you can cancel the placement by pressing the X key.
  
• Base building and stairs construction now display the amount of resources required.
  
• Stairs construction popup remains open, allowing you to continue placing additional stairs or close it if needed.
  
• Added the ability to place "details" items on tables and inside shelves.
  
• Now you can stack planks on top of each other!
  
• The Kite can now be placed not only on terrain but also on wooden items.
  
• Mass placement of fences on the terrain now features extended logic.
  
• Updated the appearance of hints in the bottom-right corner.
  
• Camera movement update.
  
• Rotation logic updated: while placing an item, you can now press the R key to rotate it.
  
• Removed the custom cursor, reverting to the default system cursor.
  

[h2]Mass placement of fences[/h2]

Press M to enter mass placement mode with the fence item selected. Click on points of the terrain to create a curve and adjust it by moving the handles. You can hold the current curve by pressing X. After pressing X, the curve created before will retain its shape, while the new curve will remain editable.



[h2]"Details" items on tables, benches, inside shelf[/h2]



[h2]Kite placement[/h2]

Now you can place the kite on wooden items. If you want to build something very high, place the kite on top and glide down!



[h2]Planks placement[/h2]

Now you can place planks on top of each other plank.



[h2]Rotation of items[/h2]



[h2]Camera movement[/h2]

Can now be controlled not only with the mouse but also using W,A,S,D for movement and Q,E for rotation.




If no critical bugs are discovered, I will now focus on:

• New graphics.
  
• Update to the main character's story: it will be completely different from what is currently known
  
• Instead of one big island, there will be three smaller islands where you can build your base in the style of flying castles.
  
• You'll be able to not only cut down trees but also plant new ones.
  
• Farming vegetables will help maintain the population of certain animals, which in turn will assist you with construction.
  
• Expansion of resource management, including trading with merchant ships.
  
• You'll be able to equip your ships with cannons, introducing naval battles. Trade or rob—it's your choice.
  
• New battle mechanics for defending your base.
  

Enjoy the building experience in the Demo!

Hello!

A big thank you to everyone who played my demo at Gamescom Asia 2024!
Your feedback, ideas, and bugs discovered have been incredibly helpful. The critical bugs have been fixed in this update.

I’ve also decided to open the shipyard in the demo, so now you can build a catamaran and sail around!

What's coming next for the building system? (I’ll announce every new feature as it’s added!)

• Improved camera movement to make it more intuitive and comfortable
  
• New logic for rotating items
  
• An option to cancel item placement when using drag-and-drop
  

…and more!

I’ll also continue working on improved graphics and adding more game content.