The Rabbit Haul News

The world of The Rabbit Haul is full of adorable yet devious raccoons, each with their own tricks to snatch your hard-earned crops! In this dev update, we’re introducing all the enemy types you’ll encounter in the game. Each raccoon brings a unique challenge, so knowing what to expect will be crucial to your success. Let’s take a look at these cunning critters!





[h2]Bandit[/h2]

The Bandit is the most common enemy type. These pesky raccoons will steal crops when they reach your haul. If the player gets too close, they’ll try to attack and maintain aggression for a few seconds before focusing back on the haul. Expect to see a lot of these troublemakers throughout your journey!





[h2]Ghillie[/h2]

The Ghillie raccoon is a master of stealth. These camouflaged bandits cannot be targeted by projectile-based towers, making them tricky to deal with. They will also evade the player if they get too close, making them resistant to melee combat as well. Like the Bandit, they steal crops when they reach the haul.





[h2]Reaper[/h2]

Reapers have a singular purpose: destruction. Their priority is to attack and destroy towers before they even think about stealing crops. If you rely heavily on defensive structures, these raccoons will be a serious threat to your farm’s security. Get to them before they destroy all your defenses and leave you vulnerable to the next wave of raccoons.





[h2]Feral[/h2]

Unlike other raccoons, the Feral does not attack the player or your towers. Instead, their goal is to reach the haul as quickly as possible and devour your crops on the spot. Unfortunately, once a Feral eats a crop, it’s gone for good—you won’t be able to recover it!





[h2]Bandit Level 2[/h2]

A stronger and more dangerous version of the regular Bandit, this upgraded thief has increased health and deals more damage. Expect a tougher fight when these raccoons come prowling!





[h2]Wizard (Coming Soon!)[/h2]

The Wizard raccoon isn’t in the game yet, but when it arrives, it will be a major threat. This mystical menace will have different spells and tricks up its sleeve to take down your defenses and give the trash panda posse the edge!





[h2]Giant Bandit[/h2]

Slow but incredibly dangerous, the Giant Bandit is a walking disaster. If it reaches the haul, it will steal a LOT of crops in one go! This tanky raccoon also has a powerful AOE stomp attack (coming soon). With a massive health pool, defeating it won’t be easy.





[h2]Raccoon King[/h2]

The ultimate challenge, the Raccoon King is a boss that relentlessly chases the player. This powerful enemy has multiple unique abilities, but we’re keeping the details under wraps… for now. Expect a tough battle!



That’s the full lineup of the Trash Panda Posse currently planned for the demo of The Rabbit Haul! Each raccoon brings a unique challenge, and we’d love to hear your thoughts. Join our Discord community to share feedback and propose new enemy types in our feature request polls.

And of course, if you haven’t already, wishlist The Rabbit Haul on Steam to stay updated on development and be ready for the next playtest.

Until next time and watch out for those raccoons! 👋

Hi everyone,

Happy New Year from all of us at Caldera Interactive! We’re starting 2025 with a look back at the December playtest for The Rabbit Haul. It was an incredible week, with over 70 players testing new features, submitting feedback, and helping us shape the future of the game.

Thank you for joining us on this journey. Here’s what we learned, what we’re working on, and how you can continue to be part of the process.



[h2]What You Loved[/h2]

• Art Style: The cute visuals stood out as a highlight, with many players praising the vibrant look of the game.
  
• Engaging Gameplay: The mix of farming, tower defense, and combat kept players entertained and eager for more.
  
• Sniper Violet: This new tower addition was well-received and proved to be a favorite among testers.
  
• Extended Inventory: Players appreciated the added organization and flexibility this brought to gameplay.
  
• Community Events & Interactions: The live Q&A during the playtest was a hit, with players enjoying the chance to connect with the developers and share ideas, and also chatting strategies with other playtesters in the Discord. Want to join the fun? Join our Discord.
  

[h2]What Needs Work[/h2]

• Combat Challenges: Combat was the most commonly mentioned area for improvement. Issues with hitboxes, weapon upgrades, and interactions between players and enemies made combat feel less polished.
  
• New Features Feedback: Stink Bombs: Players liked the concept but noted odd hitboxes behaviour and limited effectiveness during later waves.
  
• Sprinklers: While useful in theory, these were often replaced by Beehives, which provided more value for their cost.
  
• Controls and Accessibility: We received a few reports asking for more flexibility around remapping controls to make the game more accessible.
  
• Bugs: Playtesters submitted 51 bug reports, ranging from small UI issues to gameplay mechanics. We’ve already started working on fixes to address these for the next playtest.
  

[h2]Who Played[/h2]

This playtest brought in many new players—73% were first-timers, introduced through events like Gamescom, word-of-mouth, and social media.

Our audience’s favorite genres, including Survival and RPGs, align well with The Rabbit Haul’s design. It’s exciting to see how well the game resonates with its intended audience.



[h2]Community Highlights[/h2]

We love hearing your ideas! In our Discord, players can suggest new game features and vote on others’ submissions through our Feature Leaderboard. The top three suggestions right now are:

1. Ranged enemies (and more explosions) with 8 votes.
   
2. Ability to destroy or move plants and towers with 7 votes.
   
3. The ability to pet the pig with 6 votes. 🐷
   

These suggestions not only inspire us but also help us prioritize what’s most important to you. Want to share your ideas or vote on your favorites? Join our Discord to participate!

We also hosted a live Q&A session during the playtest, answering questions and diving deeper into The Rabbit Haul’s development. Thank you to everyone who joined and participated—it was a fantastic discussion! If you missed it, you can watch the recording on YouTube: Live Q&A Session.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

We’re planning to host more live Q&As in the future, so stay tuned for announcements!



[h2]What's Next[/h2]

Based on your feedback and our roadmap, we’re focusing on the following features and fixes for the next playtest:

• Boss Fight: Get ready for an epic challenge! The next playtest will introduce The Rabbit Haul’s first boss fight, adding a new layer of excitement and strategy to the game. Will your defenses be enough to take it down?
  
• Symbiosis Crystals: These will reward players for creating symbiotic relationships in their gardens, encouraging creative and strategic layouts.
  
• Haul Upgrades: Symbiosis Crystals will also unlock Haul Upgrades, letting you customize your strategy. These upgrades will add a new dimension to how you approach each run.
  
• Safe Zone Town: We’re replacing the current main menu upgrade store with a safe zone town. Between runs, you’ll be able to upgrade towers, manage your resources, and prepare for the challenges ahead. This immersive addition will deepen the game’s roguelite elements and give players more reasons to keep coming back.
  
• UI Updates: We’re continuing to refine the user experience with UI improvements such as the HUD.
  
• Custom Music: We will be working with a composer to bring fresh sounds to the game!
  
• Ability to Move Plants and Towers: Based on your feedback, we’re adding this highly requested feature to make gameplay more flexible and strategic.
  
• Balancing: Tweaking towers, crops, waves, and upgrades to be more fun and accessible.
  
• Bug Fixes: We’re actively addressing the 51 bug reports submitted during the last playtest to ensure a smoother experience.
  

Unfortunately, we can’t get to everything for the next playtest. We love reading all your experiences and ideas for the game. Please understand that as a small team, we have to prioritize balancing, bug fixes and new feature implementations. But I promise we take all your feedback seriously and will get to it eventually.



[h2]Support the game[/h2]

If you haven’t already, please wishlist The Rabbit Haul! It’s a simple way to support the game and stay updated on future playtests, announcements, and updates.

Want to be more involved? Join our Discord for discussions, sneak peeks, and a chance to shape the game through feature suggestions and live events.

Thank you for being part of this journey. Your feedback and enthusiasm make all the difference, and we’re excited for what’s to come in 2025!

-- Until next time! 👋

We are so excited to announce that our December playtest is live on our Discord. You can join by clicking here.

Below is a list of changes for the game added in for this playtest.

[h2]New Features[/h2]

• New Extended Inventory/Backpack feature
  
• Sniper Violet tower
  
• Stink Bomb (wild tower)
  
• Sprinkler tower
  
• Towers show their attack range as a circle on the ground
  Power flower now has a limited attack range

[h2]UI Updates[/h2]

• Updated inventory icons of all items
  
• Updated fonts
  
• New Shop & Haul UI
  
• New Extended Inventory UI
  
• Symbiosis - visual representation of tower/crop relationships
  Blue outline around towers/crops Blue square visuals on the ground Icons above towers/crops with symbiotic relationships
• Minor updates to item descriptions
  

[h2]Other Updates[/h2]

• New tilemap-based ground art
  
• New visual impact effects when attacking enemies
  
• Minor tweaks to player rabbit attacking animations
  

[h2]Balance Updates[/h2]

• TMN pellet damage increase - 10>>14
  
• TMN seed cost decrease - 22>>20
  
• Beehive cost decrease - 40>>35
  
• Power Flower cost - 35>>25
  
• Power Flower fireball damage increase - 10>>20
  
• Power Flower fireball travel speed increase - 25>>60
  
• Power Flower range decrease - infinite>>45r
  
• Run 3 online
  Decreased mobs spawned in the first 6-8 waves Increased mobs spawned afterwards
• Wild Rose cost decrease - 15>>10
  
• Skill Tree
  Wide Slash cost decrease - 18>>12 Wide Slash lvl.2 cost decrease - 50>>40
• Raccoons
  Reaper health decrease - 150>>130

[h2]Known Bugs[/h2]

Finally, we leave you with a list of known bugs for this version of the playtest.

• Controller is not currently supported in the new UI screens
  
• Items and Plants can fall outside of boundaries
  
• Infinite watering animations and sounds
  
• Infinite eating animations and sounds
  
• Pause menu combat glitch will crash game
  
• Wild Roses still apply Thorn/Slow while disabled
  
• Scythe Raccoons target Stage 1 plants
  
• No weapon sprite visual if added to currently selected empty inventory slot
  

We look forward to seeing you in the Discord this week and hearing what you think of The Rabbit Haul during our playtest.

If you are attending Gamescom Germany this weekend, you'll definitely want to check out our booth for The Rabbit Haul.

Located in Hall 10.2 at booth E40, you can try the shortened demo version of the game, get a selfie with the Rabbit, and learn more about what we have going on.

In addition, we have two very cool giveaways happening at the booth:

1. Play the Game, Receive a Sprout. You can join the #SproutSquad at Gamescom by playing The Rabbit Haul. We love seeing the squad grow, so feel free to tag us and use the hashtag to show your support on socials! Subject to availability.
   
2. Cozy Game Scavenger Hunt. We are partnered with four other cute and cozy games around Hall 10.2 for a scavenger hunt! Find each booth and show proof of game wishlist to receive a cute custom stamp, and when you get all 5, you'll be entered to win a $100USD Steam Gift Card! Limited postcards available, so grab it while you can.
   

We hope to see you this weekend at Gamescom!

It's August, and our team is heading off to Gamescom Germany to showcase The Rabbit Haul. This month is big for us in terms of updates and giving the opportunity for new people to try our game at the event and on our Discord!


Get ready for an exclusive, week-long playtest during Gamescom week, August 19 - 26, 2024! We are so excited to have two unique playtests available: one being hosted at the event, where attendees will have the chance to try out new features in a shortened, 6-wave run, provide feedback, and interact with our development team.

Our other playtest, hosted on our Discord server, will be a test of the full game, including our out-of-run upgrade and unlock system. This will be an excellent opportunity for our players to give some of their final feedback on the prototype version of The Rabbit Haul, as we head into our production of the full game - do not worry if your suggestions are not yet implemented, we have everything noted and will be working on them during our production phase!



As we head into one of our final playtests of the summer, we just wanted to take a moment to say thank you to each and every one of our players, who have tested any and every iteration of The Rabbit Haul, and who have provided the most valuable feedback about all elements of the game. We spend so much time looking over your answers, reviewing what we can do better and implementing plans to make each test a unique experience. Our community is the reason we are able to do what we do, and we truly appreciate your support.


Now to the juicy part - what’s new in The Rabbit Haul for July! We have a new crop and two new towers - one offensive and one defensive. In addition, there are language updates to note.

[h2]Watermelon Crop[/h2]
The Watermelon is a purchasable crop that has a longer growing time than most of our other crops. However, it sells for a high value, and if it's put in the haul, it will punish enemies who try to steal it.

When a raccoon picks up a Watermelon, a "heavy" effect will appear, and the enemy will be slowed while trying to exit the playing field, allowing the player extra time to attack and get back their crop!



[h2]Stink Bomb Tower[/h2]
Stink Bombs are our second wild encounter, after the blueberry bush that we introduced you to last month. They will appear sporadically, and can be picked up by the player to be placed where they prefer.

If an enemy walks over the Stink Bomb, they will be damaged with a chance of "poison" effect, where there will be damage applied over time. These are a one-time use tower, so be careful about when and where you use them!

[h2]Sprinklers[/h2]
We've heard you about how tedious watering can be, so we've implemented a new tower that can help speed up the process for you, and will also assist you during the night as well!

Sprinklers can be purchased at Gerald's Greens, and have 3 stages.

• Stage 1: waters in a plus (+), affecting the crops above, below, and to the left and right.
  
• Stage 2: waters all the plants around the sprinkler, including those diagonal to it; similar to the effects of the Beehive.
  
• Stage 3: waters two circles surrounding the sprinkler, for a total of 24 plants watered daily!
  In addition to its impressive daily properties, it will also assist you at night by spraying water at the enemies nearby and pushing them back, allowing you more time to fight and prevent them from hitting your haul.
  

Isael has been working hard at translating The Rabbit Haul into French. It is a slow process to find every line of text and translate it accurately, so we are unsure if it will be fully implemented by the time the playtest comes out - but stay tuned!

Courtney’s Fun Fact: je ne parle pas français, mais je parle un peu japonais et coréen.


We are very excited to update our Steam page to ten languages, allowing you to learn about The Rabbit Haul in whichever language you prefer.

These languages include: English, French, German, Spanish, Russian, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, and Korean.

Currently, these languages are just for the Steam page itself, with plans for in-game localization coming much later in our development process.

--

These are our updates from August! We hope that are able to playtest The Rabbit Haul in-person or online, and have a wonderful remainder of your summer.