The Ranch of Rivershine News

Hi ranchers, I hope your summer is going well! I’m back with a ton of progress to share about The Ranch of Rivershine! In the past month I've been focused on implementing competitions and adding more interactions with your horses! 🍎🐴

[h2]Cross Country Competitions[/h2]

[h3]Overview[/h3]
The cross country competitions are the main way you'll be able to progress in the game and earn money. You’ll be able to access more competitions by completing quests, unlocking new areas and training your horses to a higher skill level.


[h3]Difficulty Level[/h3]
Competitions are ranked between 4 different difficulties: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced and Expert. You’ll need a horse with the required jump skill level to participate in higher level competitions, so make sure to keep up with their training!

There will be 6 unique maps for the competitions, each with all 4 levels of difficulty, for a total of 24 unique cross country courses.


[h3]Prizes & Ribbons[/h3]
Winning competitions is pretty straightforward, as your only goal is to cross all obstacles as quickly as possible. Depending on your time, you’ll place between the 1st and 6th position and earn the corresponding prize and ribbon. Each ribbon your horse wins will be displayed in their stall and will increase their value at the auction house, so make sure to perform your best!

Earlier last month, I released a video showcasing gameplay footage of the competitions and talking more in depth about this feature. If you’re curious to know more about the cross country, be sure to check this out!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h2]Ranch Improvement[/h2]

[h3]Stable[/h3]
The stable got a new look! As it’s now more spacious and with bigger windows, it’s easy to see your horses from the outside and get more natural light in. This 4 stall stable is the second upgrade you’ll be able to get for this building, as it can be upgraded from 2 to 12 stalls!


[h3]Pastures[/h3]
The pasture has been expanded from having only one large fenced area, to four of them! Each area is separated by gates you can open and close to control which pastures your horses have access to, and which horses should be kept together in the same pasture. This will come in handy when breeding is added, as you might want to keep stallions and mares separate!


[h3]Arenas[/h3]
Here’s an overview of the training area on your ranch, with the round pen as a new addition! While the round pen doesn’t currently offer any unique training activities, it will come in handy when I add foals later on. They will have their own training techniques, such as lunging, walking over obstacles or being introduced to equipment. These activities will mostly take place in the round pen, so keep an eye out for what I’ll add here!


[h2]Wild Forage[/h2]
You can now gather items in the wild to give to your horses! As you feed hay, grains and treats to your horses daily, they will need a lot of consumable items to be kept healthy. These items can either be purchased in a shop or, if you’d rather save some money, foraged around the ranch and the town!

As I add more areas and different seasons in the game, the items you’ll find will also change depending on the weather and area you’re exploring.


[h2]Horse Treats[/h2]
In addition to hay and grains, you can now also give your horse a treat every day! Treats are usually fruits or vegetables, such as carrots and apples. Compared to hay and grains, which are usually given in the morning, treats are best given in the middle of the day to increase your horse’s energy.

Energy is lost as you do activities with your horse, such as training them or participating in competitions. If your horse has lost too much energy, they won’t be able to do much, or even gallop for the rest of the day! It’s handy to carry treats with you in case your horse needs a little energy boost.


[h2]Halter Lead[/h2]
Horses can now be led around with a halter! It’s useful to move your horse around in the pasture, bring them in and out of the stable, or simply to have them follow you around! Once you’ve earned a horse's trust, you’ll be able to simply whistle for them to follow you. But foals and new horses will need to be led until they get to know you better!

Finally, I wanted to share a video I just posted talking more in depth about all the new features I’ve added in July! If you’d like to see these new features in action, be sure to check it out here!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Take care everyone! ❤️
Éloïse

Hi ranchers! 🐴 Development for The Ranch of Rivershine has been going really well this spring, which means I have a ton of new features to share in this devlog... So let's saddle up!

[h2]Rivershine Town[/h2]
After working on this level for months, I'm happy to finally share a full overlook of the town! This is where you'll begin your adventure, meet your fellow townsfolks, visit shops, bid in the auction house and start competing in cross country!







For now, the buildings are mostly empty indoors. I'll be modeling furniture and decorating the villagers' houses as I add more townsfolks!



If you're curious about the town's ambience, make sure to listen to the music composed by Matthew Harnage for the town! The game will feature a full original soundtrack, with unique tracks for each areas you'll explore!

[h2]River & Waterfall[/h2]
I also took some time to create nice water shaders and particle effects. Considering the name of the town, I figured the river should take a central part of it!



[h2]Villagers Behavior & Dialogue[/h2]
Now we'll need some townsfolks to populate Rivershine! I've created the first villager you'll meet in town... Madelaine Beauchamp, the auctioneer! She'll help you buy your first horse after arriving in town and get you set up for competitions.

The first step to interacting with villagers is a dialogue system, which I've now implemented. There's still a ton of content I'll need to write for tutorials, quests and the storyline, so this will be an ongoing effort. But I'm happy we can get chatting with the villagers!

Additionally, I've also been implementing a schedule for the villagers. This means that they'll change their behavior depending on the season, weekday and hour. Their schedule will impact for example when they sleep, when they open their store and where you can find them. But I want to add even more actions to their daily life, which brings me to our next feature!



[h2]Furniture Interaction[/h2]
To add more depth to the villagers' daily schedule, they'll need to be able to interact with furniture and tools. This will allow them to do a lot of different actions like go to sleep, sweep with a broom, brush a horse or eat a meal at the table. As I've just started implementing this system they can for now sit down, lay down and open doors. A good start, but I'll still have a lot more to add here!

You will also be able to use furniture just as the villagers do, so for example you'll be able to sit down at a table with them. While this doesn't add to the gameplay, I'm hoping that fans of roleplaying will enjoy this detail!



[h2]Horse Mane & Tail[/h2]
Now before the end of this devlog, let's get back to horse business! I've been redesigning the horses' manes and tails to add physics, different lengths of hair, multiple colors and patterns. I'm loving how unique and nicer this makes the horses look!



Thank you everyone for following my work on The Ranch of Rivershine! Please feel free to ask me if you have any questions about the game, or hop on the Discord if you'd like to join the game's community! ❤️

Hi ranchers! 🌱 I'm back today with a lot of new content for The Ranch of Rivershine. I took a little break to work on my other game Capybara Spa, but now that it's released, I'll be focusing 100% on this game until it's complete!!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h2]A Day At The Ranch[/h2]
Before we get into this devlog, I wanted to share a gameplay video I just posted on Youtube! This showcases a lot of the new features mentioned in this devlog and a full tour of the player’s ranch. While everything is still a work in progress, this might give you a better idea of what it’ll be like to spend some time at The Ranch of Rivershine!


[h2]Horse Whistle[/h2]
You can now whistle and call your horse over! Based on the trust your horse has for you, they’ll walk, trot or canter over. But keep in mind this only works if the horse is close enough to you, and will work from further away the more your horse likes you! Unless they’re still getting to know you, in which case… they won’t come over at all!

Whistling works both in the pasture, where multiple horses can hear you and come over, or when you’re out exploring trails with a horse. Be sure to spend time increasing your horses trust for you, so you won’t have to run around chasing them!


[h2]Better rider[/h2]
I’ve added more controls to make the horseback riding smoother. You can now stop quickly from a canter or a gallop, and walk backwards. While walking backwards on a horse is not easy, it will improve over time with your horse’s speed and flexibility skills.

You can now also change your controls to suit your playstyle better! Quickly change from freely moving the camera around and using the direction arrows to control your horse, or lock in the camera and use it to steer your horse in the right direction.


[h2]Jump Difficulty[/h2]
You can now train your horse to jump higher obstacles, and from a wider angle of approach! When approaching an obstacle, you'll now see a guide that will show if you can jump the obstacle.

If the whole guide is red, the jump is too high for your horse. If a section of it is yellow, it means the jump can be cleared if you approach it from the correct angle. An unexperienced horse will have to approach the obstacle face on to jump it correctly, while an experienced horse will be able to clear it from any angle! Once you see the guide turn green, it's time to quickly press jump to clear it!


[h2]Indoor Arena[/h2]
In addition to the outdoor arena on your ranch, you’ll be able to build an indoor arena! This will come in handy on rainy or snowy days, where horses would struggle to focus on training outdoors. It also gives you a really pretty view of your ranch!


[h2]Fellow Villagers[/h2]
I'm really excited to introduce the first three characters we'll have in Rivershine! From left to right, we have the auctioneer, the trainer and the grocer! I'll go more in depth about each character as I add them in the game, but I just wanted to share their adorable portraits with you all!


[h2]Upcoming Features[/h2]
I’m now shifting my focus to adding the villagers and the town they’ll live in! This will be a huge addition to the game as you’ll then be able to visit shops in town, purchase items and equipment for your horses, complete quests and chat with your fellow townspeople! This will take a while to complete, but I'll be sure to share more of my progress here!

Take care everyone!
Éloïse 🌱

Hi all!

I'm really excited to share today's update as it features a whole lot of new art for The Ranch of Rivershine! Here are a few gameplay screenshots of the new environment... Let me know what you think about it!









If you're curious to see more gameplay, I've also just released a new trailer!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

As I finish updating the environments, I've also started to work on the town area. There you'll be able to visit shops such as the blacksmith, the general store and the auction house! I'll be sharing more about the town map and these new features in the upcoming months.

Take care everyone! :)

Hi everyone! Here’s what I’ve been working for The Ranch of Rivershine in October! :)

[h2]Meadow Trail Map[/h2]

I’ve started working on the first trail map, the Lupine Meadow Path! Trail maps will be a core feature in The Ranch of Rivershine. Up to five trail maps can be unlocked and upgraded throughout the game, and each will be unique in their own way, including different environments and an original music track for each map!

You’ll be able to explore the trail and practice cross country with your horse as you’ll encounter natural obstacles. Forageable items such as wheat, oat, corn and hay can be found and gathered to feed your horses. If you’re lucky, you might even find a wild horse wandering around!



[h2]Horse Feed[/h2]

When your horse is in the stables, you’ll be able to do different care activities, such as brushing & feeding your horse. These activities increase your horse’s statistics such as their health and cleanliness.

You’ll be able to feed your horse hay, grains and a snack every day. Multiple feed options will be available, as long as you have it in stock! You’ll be able to get feed either by gathering it in the wild, growing it in your fields or purchasing it in town. Be sure not to forget to feed your horse, or it might fall ill!



[h2]Stall Mucking[/h2]

To keep your horses healthy, you’ll also have to keep their stall clean and add bedding to make it extra comfy! You’ll be able to avoid mucking stalls by leaving your horses to sleep in the pasture overnight, however, they’ll also be left with a lower energy level the following day.



[h2]New Coats[/h2]

Multiple coat patterns will be available in the game, such as appaloosa, splash and tobiano! I’ll be adding more patterns and colors over time. This month, I made three variations of the frame overo pattern and six new face markings!



[h2]English Tack[/h2]

I’ve also added an english saddle and saddle pad so you’ll be able to change up the looks of your horse’s equipment!



I’ll be taking a break in November from working on The Ranch of Rivershine to begin a small side project. I’ll be coming back to developing Rivershine and sharing more updates very soon though! Thank you :)