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Four Divine Abidings News

About the Art and the Artist

[p]Art is an aspect of the Four Divine Abidings that frequently receives compliments. It draws initial attention, supports a calm atmosphere, and communicates meaning for the game's Encounters. It is all hand-painted in watercolor, which creates quite a unique look for a digital product.[/p][p]I was very fortunate to meet Natali Arsenova through a friend's recommendation. She created all the hand-painted artwork for the game over the course of several months. Today we'd like to share her story.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]"My name is Natasha Arsenova. I am 34 years old and live in Podgorica, Montenegro. I am a drawing teacher, a creative person, and I love to go hiking.[/p][p]I am an artist-painter-teacher by education. I studied for 5 years at college and 3 years as a book illustrator at an institute. I loved drawing so much that I could draw after classes and on weekends! I drew everywhere: at the station when waiting for the train, at friends' parties, on trips![/p][p]I was born in Siberia, Russia, and every summer we went to the Altai Mountains to draw in nature and hike in the mountains.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]I worked as a 2D artist for 12 years, drawing for computer games. The most well-known game I worked on is Beholder, parts 1 and 2, for Steam. But in February, my life turned upside down. On February 9, 2022, my son died 43 days after birth - he had a heart defect and did not survive the operation. This was the most terrible period in my life and it changed me profoundly.[/p][p]I could not return to my previous job, so my husband and I moved to another country. Here, I began to try new things and get to know myself. I fell in love with watercolor, conducted master classes, and tried teaching. This whole journey led me to where I am now: teaching drawing in Podgorica and online. I am preparing for an exhibition in August and am happy that I am in my place, doing what I love."[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]
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Update 23072025

⬖ Minor UI improvements for Skills and Insights.

Update 19072025

[p]⬖ Tier 1 Level 3 where many players experienced a progress wall is now 60% easier. This will apply to new Encounters.[/p][p][/p][p]⬖ Fixed game import/restore during offline time calculations.[/p]

Launch week recap and what's next

[h2]Launch week[/h2][p]For me as a developer of a free game, the key performance indicator (KPI) is player engagement and enjoyment with Four Divine Abidings. It tells me if it makes sense in further development or is it better to move on. For the first week, this KPI can be summarized in the following numbers:[/p][p][/p][p]⬖ 418 daily active players.[/p][p]⬖ 10h 5m median play time.[/p][p]⬖ 79 Supporters.[/p][p]⬖ 21, 90% positive reviews.[/p][p]⬖ Ongoing engagement:[/p][p][/p][p]I'm thankful for the feedback and suggestions provided, which have already resulted in game updates improving the players' experience (1, 2). I'd like to specifically thank people who provided this feedback as well as those who wrote extensive reviews covering different aspects of the game, including the theme - I experienced appreciative joy reading them (Mudita :) ).[/p][p]I've recently added Beginner Insights which cover some of the early game basics to make first steps smoother.[/p][p][/p][h2]What's next[/h2][p]Given such engagement, I'm happy to continue the development, integrating the feedback and ideas that you provided. I've thematically grouped some of them:[/p][p]⬖ A glossary, where every term, whether game systems or lore related, can be easily searched for.[/p][p]⬖ A place where all uncovered game lore can be easily viewed again.[/p][p]⬖ Real meditation instructions with a timer.[/p][p]All of these fit well into a Library - an addition to the game I will focus on. It will take some time to develop, so I'll make sure to still implement smaller suggesstions and improvements while this bigger add-on is being developed.[/p][p]I'm also working on Mac support: while the build is ready, there are restrictions that Apple implemented for developers of the country I'm from. If you are enrolled in the Apple developer program and would like to assist in signing the game - kindly contact me in Discord.[/p][p][/p][h2]Thanks for playing ❤️[/h2][p][/p][p][/p]

Update 15072025 "Know your Tools"

[p]⬖ Level progress information of all Spiritual Tools can now be accessed by clicking Tool names in the Tools panel.[/p][p]⬖ Minor UI improvements.[/p][p][/p]