Research Story News

Happy fall, Researchers!

Another month has quickly passed, and I’m glad to say it’s been quite a productive one! Much progress has been made to liven up the world of Shimmerbrook, with a focus on NPCs!

[h2]Friendships 💕[/h2]

Relationships with NPCs are an important part of Research Story. By befriending townsfolk, you will learn more about their stories and lives in Shimmerbrook. Most of the content is still being worked on, but here’s a bit of a preview:

Track your relationships! Learn about the townsfolks' birthdays, loved gifts, days when they’re off work, and favourite creatures!



Shower NPCs with gifts! Like many other farming sims, players can gain friendship points by gifting and interacting with townsfolk. I plan to add more ways to gain friendship points in the future, and will share those mechanics when they are ready.



[h2]Quests 📝[/h2]

Research Story has a main storyline that players can follow. I can’t say much about it, but it’s something I’ve been actively working on as well. Here’s how quests are tracked in the game - you can differentiate between Main Quests and Side Quests at a glance. If the quest has a time limit, it will be tagged as well.



[h2]Shops 💰[/h2]

Last month, we set up the treehouse interior - and now players can buy items from Rhea! Get your creature supplies and crafting recipes from The Treehouse.



[h2]A new face in town 💎[/h2]

This update wouldn’t be complete without an NPC reveal! Meet Suo’e, a geologist at the Archive, studying the rocks, gems, and landscapes around Shimmerbrook. He’s quite the softie and unsurprisingly, a rock and gem enthusiast!



[h2]Happy Fall!🎃[/h2]

Lastly, I wanted to do something to celebrate Fall. There are now two new decor items: Leaf Piles and Jack-o’-lanterns. I also made seasonal updates to the environment, trying to make it feel as cozy as possible. I'm particularly happy about how the falling leaves turned out :D 🍁🍂



That’s all for this update - hope everyone’s having a spooky Halloween! 🎃

See you next month!

- Mikixen

Greetings, Researchers!

Last month, I shared a little about farming and plant characteristics. This month, I’d like to share some progress made on creature taming and management! 🐓

[h2]Taming Creatures[/h2]

To start off, wild creatures you find in the areas surrounding Shimmerbrook can be tamed. Observe them to find out their diet, and feed them to gain their trust! Creatures are either diurnal or nocturnal, which affects when they can appear. Here we have a Sproutkitten appearing in the day and a Raccoon enjoying a meal at night.



[h2]Creature needs and happiness[/h2]

After taming your creatures, you’ll need to meet their basic needs by giving them a home and feeding them daily. This is where Creature Pens come in, which are items that can be placed on your farm. Assign creatures to the pens, and add feed to the trough!





There are also pen upgrades that you can work towards to make management easier! Autofeeders store a stack of feed and add to the trough automatically. Music boxes help to keep creatures happy, so missing a day or two of interactions will not reduce their happiness significantly.



[h2]Creature perks[/h2]

Happy creatures bond with their owners more quickly, and after some time, these creatures unlock perks and become little companions to aid you with your daily exploration and farming! Activate these perks by having the creatures follow you.

Currently, we have a few variations of perks. For example, Chickens find additional seeds from foraging; and Sproutkittens magically grow seeds into sprouts when players water their plots!





[h2]Creature Research[/h2]

Going back to the theme of the game, the research process for a creature involves observing, taming, and raising them. Once those are done, you’ll complete a Creature Research Scroll, ready to be submitted to the Archive!



[h2]New interior: Rhea’s treehouse[/h2]

I’ve also started working on the interior of Rhea’s place - as a druid, she can guide you in creature taming and raising. I plan to have her sell items such as Feed and Creature Pens, and the shop has been set up in the top right corner in the treehouse. Here’s a first look at the interior:



[h2]That's a wrap![/h2]

Thank you for reading to the end! Recently, we've received a lot of support for the game, particularly due to Play with Josh’s video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwAi7lFZWxE
I’d just like to welcome new folks and thank you for the continued love and support! We reached over 1k wishlists on Steam in the past week, and I’m so happy that so many of you are interested in RS - it keeps me going strong!
In the meantime, check out our Twitter for more regular updates!

- Mikixen

In this devlog, I’ll share a bit more about how foraging and farming works in the game.

[h2]Foraging[/h2]

There are two types of drops you can get from foraging: 1) Plant Research Samples (i.e. the plant itself), and 2) Seeds. Seeds can only be foraged after you have observed the plants during research. When starting out, this means that instead of buying seeds, you have to find your own!

Some plants can only be found in the wild under certain conditions, so get them while you can!



[h2]Farming[/h2]

There are trees, weeds, branches, and rocks scattered all around your farm. You’ll have to make space for your crops and buildings! Equip the right tools for the job from your trusty toolbox.



With some space, you can start sowing seeds. Crop growth is affected by various conditions, including weather, distance to a water source, and sun exposure. Knowing how to care for your crops is important, else you might end up with a withered one - but that’s all part of research!



By foraging and successfully growing a crop, you’ll complete records for a plant research scroll, which can be added to the Archive. Vallee will be pleased!

- Mikixen

It’s been about a month since I announced Research Story on Steam. I just wanted to say thank you for all your support - whether you found me on my socials or stumbled onto this page and liked what you saw. I hope that Research Story grows into something you’ll really enjoy!

For our first devlog, I’ll share about the overarching theme of the game: research!

[h2]Starting and completing research[/h2]

Newly recruited as a researcher in the Violet Archive, your goal is to contribute your findings on the plants and creatures you’ll come across around Shimmerbrook. Collect samples, observe, and grow plants or raise animals - and record everything you discover!



[h2]Research Journal[/h2]

Your records will be stored in a journal, which also acts as a guidebook with tips on taking care of your plants and creatures.



[h2]Adding to the Archive[/h2]

Add your completed research to the Violet Archive! Your progress will be tracked and rewarded.



There are also other NPC researchers who are working on various topics - and you'll be building the Archive together with them. Maybe their work will help yours along the way, too! Currently, only Vallee has been revealed - she’s the Head Archivist, as well as the player’s mentor.



That’s it for this devlog! In the next few months, I’ll be working on the two research areas that the player is in charge of: plants and creatures. Stay tuned!

- Mikixen