Animalkind News

[p]This demo has us very excited, we can't help ourselves so we just keep doing updates! This update, Update 0.4.3, continues to improve our controls for the Steam Deck and controllers. We've also added new UI elements that help illustrate the passage of time in the game as well as what happens when you complete quests or read recipes. And as usual, we also squashed some bugs. We hope you enjoy version 0.4.3![/p][p][/p][p]Version 0.4.3 Changes[/p]

• [p]Improvements to controls for Steam Deck and controllers as well as the functionality of our menus[/p]
• [p]New UI that shows in-game time, illustrating the day / night cycle[/p]
• [p]New main menu background that shows off what is possible in the demo[/p]
• [p]New celebration UI for completing quests and unlocking various recipes and items[/p]
• [p]Adjustments to content to resolve minor bugs and unintended configuration[/p]
• [p]Adjustments to sizing, alignment, and behaviors of some of the HUD UI elements[/p]

[p]Two updates in one week, we've been busy! There are less changes in this release but there are some significant changes under the hood. As always, thank you for supporting Animalkind![/p]

• [p]The game is now completely playable offline. Previously we had some multiplayer infrastructure being referenced but since the demo is single player, we took it out. You might notice your world names change after this - please feel free to rename them from the main menu![/p]
• [p]Controlling your character while dragging items will now work a lot more like normal movement.[/p]
• [p]Tracking icons (for example, Barney’s location icon) will now stay on the edge of your screen when you are not looking in its direction.[/p]
• [p]After sleeping through the night without a house or bed, you will wake near the portal rather than the game starting point.[/p]
• [p]Improving the mech unlock cutscene.[/p]
• [p]Changing the first portal quest from dragging 3 mech parts to dragging 1 part and picking up 2 parts.[/p]
• [p]Active tutorial screens will update if you switch between keyboard and controller.[/p]
• [p]Our villagers didn't notice some objects around them and would walk right through them - we've given them contact lenses.[/p]
• [p]Sam is now more direct about what she wants for her daily quests.[/p]

[p]Thanks to everyone who has checked out the demo so far, we hope you enjoy this portion of Animalkind! We've made some updates based on your feedback and have also quashed a bunch of bugs. Please check out our Discord if you'd like to offer suggestions or need any help with the game![/p][p][/p][p]Settings[/p]

• [p]We've added more visual settings to the Settings menu to help people fine-tune the game to their needs.[/p]

[p]Content and Villagers[/p]

• [p]Certain objects and villagers associated with an active quest will be more noticeable now.[/p]
• [p]NPCs will respect the boundaries of our trees more often![/p]
• [p]Fixes issues with several NPC quests.[/p]
• [p]Addresses some typos in NPC dialog (oops!).[/p]
• [p]Adjusts doobers for various items in Sam's shop.[/p]
• [p]Addresses some categorization issues for items in both shops.[/p]
• [p]Mushrooms will now respawn, so you can continue feeding Barney his favorite food![/p]

[p]Controls[/p]

• [p]Fixes an issue where fishing was not working with controllers.[/p]
• [p]Adjusts how sensitivity is calculated during fishing, based on screen size.[/p]

[p]Performance and Technical[/p]

• [p]Addresses performance issues caused by tree foliage.[/p]
• [p]Addresses edge cases around day end that could put players into problematic states.[/p]

[p]Miscellaneous[/p]

• [p]Carrying FLOOF fragments is easier now![/p]
• [p]Our animals wear out from zoomies a little faster, they are going very fast after all.[/p]
• [p]The mech has a little extra battery now.[/p]
• [p]Removes legacy user interface elements from a prior playtest.[/p]
• [p]Adjusts how the tutorial related to claiming a building behaves when dismissed.[/p]
• [p]Fixes an issue where the mech swaps rapidly between swimming and power down when the player jumps out of the mech in water; the mech now stays in the swimming state until it returns to grounded.[/p]
• [p]Fixes an issue where the mech swaps rapidly between freefall and sliding if holding the crouch button in midair.[/p]
• [p]Swimming animation will no longer player the "mech power down" sound.[/p]
• [p]Sliding visual and sound effects will only play while grounded.[/p]
• [p]The portal will now show up on the map.[/p]

[p][/p][p]Hello everyone!

Our team at Uncommon has been working diligently to create Animalkind, and we’re so thrilled to announce the launch of Animalkind’s first demo today, December 4th! As of writing, the demo should be available to all users, so please check us out![/p][p][/p][p]Here are some highlights of the demo:
[/p]

1. [p]A redesigned home island: an entirely new island to explore with its own secrets and new features! [/p]
2. [p]Zoomies: sometimes our animals need to get out and explore! Our friendly critters can’t help but race around the island at striking speed while automatically scooping up all items from the ground![/p]
3. [p]New decorations: more customizable options to decorate the island and town, making it really feel like your own! [/p]

[p]
[/p][p]… and more![/p][p]
[/p][p]If you’d like to chat with fellow players and animal-lovers, share feedback with our team, or just have a good time, please join our Discord server here!
[/p][p]As always, we appreciate your support and hope you enjoy our brand new demo! We hope to hear about your island and what your favorite furballs are up to! 🐶😺🦝[/p][p]

[/p]

[p][/p][p]🌟🏝️ Island of Imagination Contest Winner Announcement! 🏝️🌟[/p][p]Thank you to everyone who shared their ✨Island of Imagination✨ with us! We’re so grateful that you played in the Alpha 2 playtest and embraced the game in so many different ways. 💖[/p][p]The Uncommon team is thrilled to announce that the winner of the Island of Imagination contest is…[/p][p]🎉 Flufftail Island by Resident Steven! 🎉[/p][p]Their island stood out for its originality, stunning use of terraforming, and a clear, charming theme that captured the cozy spirit of Animalkind perfectly. 🐶😺🦝[/p][p]🏆 Prizes:[/p][p]A special feature across all Animalkind social media - watch it on YouTube here![/p][p]A unique role in the Animalkind Discord - Master Builder![/p][p]Once again, a huge thank you to every player who scampered into the contest. We loved seeing how you used everything in the game to realize your dreams and imagination. 💕[/p]