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The Garden Path News

November Update ~ New Trailer, New Release Window 🌻

[h2]Hello gardeners,[/h2]

How was your November? It’s certainly been a busy month for The Garden Path.
This is an exciting update, with a new Autumn trailer to reveal, plenty of game updates, and even some release date news. Let’s get started.

[h3]Autumn Trailer [/h3]
While we may be inching ever closer to the end of Autumn and the oncoming of Winter, it’s not too late to enjoy the comforts of the season. What better way to feel cosy, then, than with a brand new Autumnal trailer for The Garden Path? Take a peek inside the Gardener’s journal, and say hello to some familiar travellers.
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Not only that, but with this trailer we’re also revealing that The Garden Path will now be blooming in Spring 2023!🪓

I understand this might be a disappointing set-back for some, as I had hoped to have the game ready before the year came to an end.

It's important to me to make sure I get the game right, and while many have enjoyed the game during our demos and beta builds, with so many more fresh eyes on the game there has been a wealth of feedback for me to work through - be it something 'not feeling right', or sometimes not understanding why certain parts of the game work the way they do.

Myself and the team came to the decision that this extra breathing room would be the best option to ensure that the final product is as good as possible when it comes to launch. The game is already so much stronger than it would have been had I decided to keep the builds closed, and I'm confident in how the game will shape up in 2023 - I'll be keeping you posted in my updates as usual!

I hope it'll be worth any extra wait - it's well and truly been a privilege having anyone waiting on my work at all.

[h3]Game Updates[/h3]
0.6 has been in-the-works since the summer, and it's a great relief to finally start introducing the changes into the main game. Starting today, the update will be rolling out to different beta platforms for testing.

Welcome to the Garden: Weyley and Terracotta! These two sisters will travel to your Garden on-schedule, and carry with them on their caravan all sorts of different garden furnishings they've collected on their travels - they'll be the go-to for larger decorations, planters and paraphernalia. Unlike other travellers, Weyley and Terracotta's stock will be available in the Garden to browse, so you can get a real-world before you buy. Also, before arriving in the Garden, they will notify you when they'll be visiting, and what items they'll be especially looking out for - giving you time to gather-up and get the best deals.



To help keep you notified while playing, the function of the community board has been expanded to support bulletins. While the daily report keeps record of what's happening that day, bulletins will help to give you a heads-up on what will be happening in the coming days. You can now also view the daily report from the community board, should you wish to read it again.



The social tab in the game's overview is now fleshed out to help bring the Garden's residents to the forefront. You now have a record of the residents living in your garden, and your progress to unlocking a new resident. Locked residents are even automatically ordered, so you can see who you're closest to unlocking.



Those who joined me in last week's stream will know we can also welcome in two new residents - Jaime and Leslie! Perhaps no taller, nor wider resident has stepped into the garden until now.



And you might not have to wait too long to meet them, as each day a new resident will now visit the Garden whether unlocked or not. If you haven't met the requirements to unlock a resident, a random resident will visit the Garden to say hi, giving you a chance to see just who’s wandering around, and who you might want to stay.

Remember: how you customise the Garden will change who wants to call your garden their home. The Garden designer was introduced in the summer to help those who wanted to plot out their vision for the Garden, and now it's becoming the central place to alter and preview your garden design. All furnishings in your inventory can now be accessed through the designer menu, and selecting furnishing from your inventory will also open the menu. It's now much easier to place paths, fencing and garden furnishing while also building projects of your own.



Much of the guess-work has been removed in a small rework of the game's star system. Names of stars now always show, no matter whether you've observed the star or not - important for residents that require certain stars to be unlocked. Observing stars now reveals their unlock requirements. Star maps no longer observe a random star in the sky, but can be used from the star map to unlock a star of your choosing. Constellations are also no longer hidden, allowing you to see which stars you need to focus on to unlock a constellation.



Tea has also received a shake-up. You can now purchase and collect different 'vessels' for containing your tea. You'll start the game with a camping flask, but you'll soon be able to browse and collect various teapots and gaiwans to best suit the tea you're brewing. Different vessels will be able to carry different capacities of tea, keep your tea warmer for longer, or have effects on the brew itself.

And new on your equipment list - your favourite mug! A variety of mugs will be available to purchase from travellers for you to sip from. These changes are in place for a planned rework of the player stat system, toward something that feels more impactful while playing - more on that coming soon.



Dye colours are also now shown on botanical items, so you can start to track which items to collect for which colours, as the dye system is rolled out in the coming months for hair and clothes.



And that's me all caught up. Looking forward to hearing any and all feedback. As with any new features in the beta, there may be quirks, oddities, and breakages, all of which I'll be working through in December. Otherwise, plans are to begin a steady trickle-in of 'mini-content' - all the furnishing, clothing and stories that have been in the works but yet to be finalised. Work on finishing up multiplayer and the Switch version begin in January - so hopefully we'll start seeing some footage of each soon, stay tuned!


Until next time…
Louis, carrotcake

*

Join our Discord server
Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake
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https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/

October Update ~ Day of the Devs, Itch Updates, and more šŸ’€

[h2]Hello gardeners,[/h2]
A belated Happy Hallow’s Eve. October has been and gone, with some exciting happenings for The Garden Path. Today, we have a shorter update for you as we ramp up elsewhere, with an indie dev celebration to share alongside your usual game updates. Let’s dive in.


[h3]Day of the Devs[/h3]
We're so excited to be a part of Day of the Devs 10th Anniversary celebration, and it’s happening this week!

The Garden Path is fortunate enough to have been invited to take part in both the Digital Showcase and the In-Person event taking place at The Midway in San Francisco.

We will be showing some brand-new gameplay footage (including some bits you might expect to see in our new Itch update) and will have a demo available to play for those visiting on site.

Tune in November 3rd at 5pm GMT for the digital show, or head on down this Saturday from 3pm PST to see The Garden Path and some other wonderful indie games.

[h3]To learn more head to: dayofthedevs.com! [/h3]


[h3]Game Updates[/h3]
We had a big influx of interest and new players for the Steam Next Fest demo, which we decided to continue throughout October. It was a great opportunity to see the response to the game through new eyes and expectations, while also providing a sweep of new bug reports that came about after porting the game to the new two-player system. (For those out-of-the-loop, the game doesn't currently support two players, but the game's system has been largely redesigned to accommodate a second player).

The new tutorials were a success, and helped focus feedback and attention toward game-feel and balance, rather than new players feeling lost on what to do.

Perhaps most overwhelmingly the response was that interacting with the garden could often feel cumbersome and overcomplicated. It can, for instance, be frustrating when you wish to chop a tree, but a small fern in front of the tree takes priority. The Garden is densely populated with trees and flora, and so conventional interaction systems don't always work, despite my efforts with fine tuning. The existing focus system was introduced to remedy this, but it's a mechanic that becomes more natural to use as you become experienced with the game, and so was often forgotten by those jumping in for the first time.

As such, the interaction/harvesting system has been redesigned to bring focussing to the forefront, and make focussing as a concept more friendly to newer players. The old harvest button now draws an area in front of you, highlighting the trees and flora inside. This not only gives you a more clear overview of the space around you, but also allows the harvesting of multiple flora. With harvesting now done symbolically, you're free to queue up harvests, and move between flora on-the-go.



The response to the new system so far has been positive, and I'm looking forward to hearing how it holds up long-term. I think it feels quite novel to have a whole button dedicated to analysing the space around you, and I think it helps bring a sense of your surroundings to the forefront. The old focus system is still in-place, activated by holding the focus button rather than tapping it, so it's a natural progression to move from one to the other.



I'll be gathering more feedback in the coming weeks, but for now I hope working the garden feels more deliberate, and more satisfying as a result.

0.6 has been in-the-works alongside 0.5, and I'm really excited to finish up the new content for the backers who'll be joining us for the first time before the official launch. Be sure to follow us at the usual places for more updates!


Until next time…
Louis, carrotcake

*

Join our Discord server
Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake
Check out our TikTok: @fromcarrotcake
Find us on Instagram: @fromcarrotcake
Keep up via Mastodon: @ldurrant

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/

Join the dev play šŸŽ® 🪓

[h2]Hello gardeners,[/h2]

For our next trick, carrotcake game dev Louis will be joined by cozy connoisseur Fern as they jump into The Garden Path's brand new demo for Next Fest!

Catch the two at 4pm BST on Saturday, October 8th, right here on Steam carrotcake

Grab your fishing rod, watering can, trusty axe, and... well, maybe you'll need a rucksack first...

So, set a reminder and come wander with us...

Watch the dev play šŸŽ® šŸƒ

[h2]Hello gardeners,[/h2]

Join carrotcake game dev, Louis, and his streaming partner in crime, Fern, as they play the brand-new demo of The Garden Path in the first of our Next Fest streams!

Catch the pair at 12 o'clock noon BST on Wednesday, October 5th, right here on Steam šŸƒ

Will we catch some fish?
Will we make some veggie-friends?
Will they just sit around and drink some tea?

Set a reminder, and find out...

September Update ~ Steam, Demos, and Local Multiplayer šŸŽ®

[h3]Hello gardeners,[/h3]
I hope everyone has enjoyed the now-passing summer season - or whichever season you might find yourself in over on your part of the world. It’s been good to take a couple of weeks away and return with a fresh head, and I’m looking forward to the Autumnal weather (already well underway) and getting stuck-in with the busy months we have ahead of us.

Sizeable work has been made on The Garden Path since our last update in July. So, let’s dive in and see what’s new.


[h3]Steam Next Fest[/h3]
Up first, Next Fest! The Garden Path is going to be in the Steam Next Fest starting on October 3rd. From then until October 10th, you’ll be able to download and play a brand-new demo for the game.

Not only that, but myself and my streaming partner in crime, Fern, will also be dropping in for some special Steam exclusive streams. Keep your eyes peeled to find out when we’ll be going live. Learn more, and wishlist The Garden Path, here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/.


[h3]Steam Backer Access[/h3]
More exciting Steam news: The Garden Path beta access will be coming to backers sometime in October!
For those of you who chose to get an early digital copy of The Garden Path through Steam, you’ll be getting your hands on that soon and I can’t wait for you to begin wandering and growing gardens of your own.

When this goes live, you’ll receive an email with your code and information on how to activate it. So, keep an eye out but worry not, we’ll likely be sending out another mini update telling you to check your inboxes when it drops!


[h3]Game Updates[/h3]
Firstly, thanks to everyone for your patience on the upcoming build. While I had hoped for the new tutorial system to be ready this Summer, to help keep things going smoothly work on local multiplayer has taken priority and started earlier than planned.

As such, the game's code has had sweeping changes to support an extra player character occupying the Garden. Not dissimilar to renovating a house, when everything's in bits it's a good excuse to improve the foundations, and so I've taken the opportunity this summer to do some proper Spring cleaning to help make the game more stable and debuggable in the long-run.

The good news is that most of the heavy-lifting for local multiplayer is now done! The next version of the game will be running on the new build that is built with two players in mind, only without the second player present just yet. This means that, if all's gone well, you'll notice very little difference! The downside for those excited for upcoming content, with most of the work under-the-hood, you'll notice very little difference.

I hope all the hard work in this update will soon pay-off, when it eventually comes time to pick up that second controller. For now, here's a snippet from a build a few months ago!


As mentioned, the tutorial system has had a full review, and there'll be plenty of changes for new players to enjoy. Tutorials have been promoted from small notification cards, and are now fully fledged - designed to present the most important information first, with further details available for those who want to get into the nitty gritty.


The Old Gardener's Stones have been redesigned to no longer accept dustflies, but instead Guide Stones which you will collect as you explore the garden and gather tutorials. Something small to help the tutorials feel less of a nuisance, and something of a reward.

A new tutorial tab in the Overview keeps a record of the tutorials you've seen, so you can revisit them any time. And another tab will soon be making an appearance - the social tab. Moved away from the encyclopedia, it'll soon be much easier to keep tabs on which residents are available, and how you can attract them to your Garden, whether or not you’ve progressed to unlocking the encyclopedia itself.


And there'll be even more yet to come! Work is well underway for new NPCs, events and furnishings, which I'm excited to finally take across the production line once the new build is stable.


[h3]Your usual reminder![/h3]

And as always, here is your reminder that you can join our official Discord Community server, which you can join here. Here you can chat with the team, meet fellow backers, and help me shape The Garden Path. And of course, we encourage you to share your real-life gardening with your fellow gardening gamers.


Until next time…
Louis, carrotcake

*

Join our Discord server
Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake
Check out our TikTok: @fromcarrotcake
Find us on Instagram: @fromcarrotcake
Keep up via Mastodon: @ldurrant

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/