Solace Crafting News

Greetings and welcome to the second Producer's Letter for Solace Crafting.

I'm Fab, and today, we're diving deeper into the exciting features coming on this journey toward version 1.5. While we've previously shared our broader vision, today we’ll explore the nitty-gritty of what lies ahead.

But first, let’s take a moment to celebrate another milestone: Kyle, the brilliant mind behind Solace Crafting, is now a proud father!

Insert from Kyle:
It's been a crazy week! I've got a healthy new baby boy, who will be home with my wife in another 36 hours from the time of me writing this!
We had some problems with our version control that completely stopped development but the support from the service that we use was quick to respond, all thing considered, and I was hard at work getting things sorted out when my wife's water broke and we were off to the hospital on Sunday night! It was a chunk of hours I knew I was going to have to take off at some point, but was hoping to get the first preview patch we've been working on up before then. The past few days I've been commuting home from my in-laws to work during the day and had to redo some things that got lost in the version control problems, but I'm planning to have the patch up tomorrow so I can take another day or two off to try and help my wife get some at home rest and recovery which she's very much in need of.


So, sorry again things got delayed a little, but we're still on track in our overall progress 👍
You should hear from me again very soon!
- Kyle

Congratulations to Kyle and his growing family. It's truly poetic to see both a life project and personal life evolve simultaneously. With this in mind, we officially kick off the next chapter of Solace Crafting, starting with the new beta branch updates, outlined in our Patch Notes.

Let's go to the plans and Roadmap!
[h2]In the last month[/h2]
[h3]Player Controller[/h3]

• What we've done: We're starting out with improvements to the controller, to make it more responsive and make the character's handling more pleasant all around. That means smoother locomotion controls, which in turn will become more permissive gameplay-wise. Combat is also receiving a major update, where improved animations and controls will make the experience more dynamic overall.
  
• What we're planning: Further improvements to the Player Controller involving additional locomotion features to create class abilities like Blink, Slow Fall; advanced features like Sliding, Gravity adjustments and Swimming, as well Mount functions. As the worlds of Khora are receiving massive updates, so should your ability to navigate, explore and enjoy them.
  

[h3]Bot AI[/h3]

• What we've done: Bot AI also gets its upgrade path. Monsters can now fight. They move around, attack, combo, block, dodge, melee and attack at range dynamically, and fight each other; not just through math and hit/miss notifications.
  
• What we're planning: This foundational update allows us to open the door to more ambitious features, such as social mobs with interdependent behaviors and strategies, as well as companion NPCs and pets, which can follow you around and obey orders.
  

[h3]Game Art[/h3]

• What we've done: The first visual updates are locked in, with new assets for several biomes, such as plains, deserts and swamps, and early post-processing effects. We also have updated the player character. For the time being, this also means temporarily deactivating some functions like weather, skyboxes or NPCs in this beta branch, as well as character customization. We have a bit of work to make them all catch up with the update, which in some cases requires dedicated production. As it's nothing deeply technical, it's just a matter of time until everything is back in the game looking and working better than ever before.
  
• What we're planning:
  Short term, further updates to game art, especially in the realm of Solace/Building/Settlement textures and objects, allowing you to build better, more beautiful or expressive homes and villages. Improved atmospherics and post-processing are also planned for more atmospherics, more beautiful and more surprising worlds.
  
• Long term: New, better textures for environment assets and players, as well as texture variants to create a greater range of visuals for the same objects, whether trees, rocks, animals, clothing, etc.

[h3]World Generation[/h3]

• What we've done: Considerable work has been added to updating the biomes, giving them specific flora and placeables, improving placement as well as overall shaping of biomes. Plains, Desert, Swamps, Highlands have received their first update. This too is a work in progress but another foundational update nonetheless. Weve also added a custom landscape feature system that now allows the procedural spawning of hand built features, such as mountains and oasis.
  
• What we're planning: Updating the Snow biome, finishing up the Ocean biome as well as fine tuning terrain shaping and landscape features spawning parameters to get richer, more immersive worlds overall. Dungeons will also receive the same kind of treatment, as we update their assets and ensure more intriguing and richer dungeon layouts.

[h2]November & December[/h2]
[h3]Character Creation[/h3]

• What we’re planning:
  A solid character creation, mixing lore, stats and visuals, is the best entry point into an RPG, so we will be seeking to bring Solace Crafting’s up to standards. This will be a way for us to begin distilling elements of the updated lore of Khora, which always sat far in the back, and give you a sense of identity and purpose for your character. It will also be a way to introduce Classes and their dynamics in a more seamless way.
  
• Also, as of the visual revamp we’re deploying on the beta branch, we’ve had to suspend the character customization features. We’re planning to reintroduce them, enabling you to make good-looking characters that insert themselves seamlessly into the revamped world. This process will be an ongoing one rather than a one-off, as new assets, such as new clothes, textures and styling options gradually make their way into the game.

[h3]First Hour & Restructured Game Narrative[/h3]

• What we’re planning: we’ve redesigned the game’s emergent narrative, that is what you do in the game in terms of its meaning within this particular universe. This will give more direction and motivation to doing things, as they will no longer simply be video game tasks that you perform to entertain yourself, but part of a narrative specific to Solace Crafting: why you’re there, what Solaces are, why you use them, why you harvest resources and build things, what are the repercussions, what the progression logic is, etc. This should make entry into the game more meaningful, your actions more purposeful, but also tie up several aspects of the Solace Crafting experience together into something more flowy and immersive. The introduction of the tutorial quests were an important way to structure the first hour but we seek to go beyond that. We aim to give you something more organic, intuitive and evocative where you do things because you feel compelled to and experience tighter gameplay loops.

[h3]UI Update[/h3]

• What we’re planning: With the visual update we’ve brought to the world and character graphics, as well as the restructured Game Narrative, we have to ensure the UI is clear enough to navigate and visually relaxing. This might be a longer update process, through which we will work with you to tailor finer improvements. However, unifying textures, fonts and adhering to more established UI standards is likely to be the object of a quicker first update that should in turn contribute to making the game more accessible and fun.

[h3]Lore & Story Update[/h3]

• What we’re planning: Tied to the previous update items, we will do a lore unification pass to make as much content as possible world-specific, doing away with generic. From item names and descriptions to lore nuggets and quests, as well as narrative context introducing cultures, history and stakes, the goal is to help you feel like you’re navigating the multiverse of Khora specifically and not any fantasy video game world. This is an ambitious target but another that we will deal with progressively, in layers.

[h3]Art Direction[/h3]

• What we’re planning: Finally, it will be really important to us to elaborate on the visual identity of Solace Crafting not simply in terms of game graphics, but also in terms of artworks, themes, atmospheres, etc. Expect to see more on that front, as we work to flesh out this Multiverse a lot more for your immersion and enjoyment, enabling you to absorb or come up with new stories, new ideas, new inspiration!

[h2]Beyond[/h2]
[h3]Improved Player Content Tools [/h3]

• What we’re planning: Building Improvements, World Modification/Terraforming Improvements, Custom Quests

[h3]Items & Crafting Improvements[/h3]

• What we’re planning: Resources Tiering & Harvesting Updates, Itemization Revamp

[h3]Immersion Improvements[/h3]

• What we’re planning: NPC Relations, Companions & Pets, Exploration Updates

[h3]Revamped & Advanced Towers & Dungeons Mechanics[/h3]

• What we’re planning: Architecture Updates, Gameplay Challenges, Resources & Bosses improvements

[h3]…AND MORE![/h3]

This first series of updates and their follow-ups should take us to the spring of 2025 and profoundly change the face and structure of the game by adding a lot more fun, richness, depth, and accessibility to the Solace Crafting experience.

We’re essentially revamping everything, ambitiously but carefully. We are committed to taking this game to its next incarnation and doing so as transparently as possible. Through Kyle’s well-demonstrated work-ethic and dedication and my contribution in structuring and communicating, we want to improve both the game and your lives as its players..

Your support and feedback throughout this process, old players, returning ones and newcomers alike, are the lifeblood of this indie venture.

Thank you!
Fab

Hello everyone, and welcome to the first Producer’s Letter for Solace Crafting.

I’m Fab, and today I’ll guide you through the plan elaborated to take Solace Crafting beyond its current limitations and into a future where its creator’s original vision for this game is fully realized. Through this, we’ll be creating for you an experience that takes everything you’ve enjoyed about the game and gradually takes it to the next level.



First off, let’s celebrate the longevity of this project and the dedication put into it by its solo creator and developer. Creating a game like Solace Crafting is no small feat, bringing it to the market and ensuring its ongoing support and further development, all by oneself, is definitely a tall order. Many of you have put yourselves behind this game in appreciation of its creator’s hard work, ceaseless commitment and transparent character. It is the reason why I am here as well today.

[h2]Acknowledging the Journey So Far[/h2]

First, let’s recognize the dedication behind Solace Crafting. Created by a solo developer, it’s no small feat to build a game of this scale and depth. Kyle’s relentless hard work and transparency have won the loyalty of many, and it’s also why I’m here today. Over the past few years, I’ve supported the game in various ways behind the scenes and some might have seen my name mysteriously featured in the no less mysterious Associates section of the Discord. Recently, I’ve taken a more active role in structuring the next chapter of Solace Crafting, where I’ll be pooling more and more of my resources into helping bring the game into its future.

[h2]What’s Next: A Roadmap for the Future[/h2]

This letter is a glimpse into the key areas we’ll be focusing on as we move forward, with clear goals to enhance your experience.

[h3]Gameplay Enhancements[/h3]
The first order of business is improving the core gameplay. Right now, the game offers a vast world to explore, but some aspects, like character movement, combat, and interaction with the environment, feel limited in various ways and for various reasons. We’ll be making those experiences more seamless and enjoyable, allowing you to better navigate the vast worlds and interact with everything in them with greater freedom and satisfaction.

Creature AI will also be revamped, making encounters more varied and exciting, whether you’re engaging in combat or using stealth and, ultimately as well, interacting with and relating to NPCs.

[h3]A More Meaningful Procedural World[/h3]
Procedural generation has always been the absolute core element of Solace Crafting, offering endless exploration. However, procedural worlds can lack a sense of meaning or narrative or finality, by their very nature. To address this, we’re improving the quality of the content generated, focusing on tighter, more thematically rich environments. You’ll discover more engaging landscapes with distinct biomes that make exploration more rewarding. Resources will be found in logical places, encouraging more immersive and purposeful discovery.

The soul of Khora, the dimension that Solace Crafting takes place in, its history, and its mysteries will also be woven more deeply into gameplay, ensuring that you’re not just collecting resources, but uncovering the narrative layers of the world as you go, and weaving your own story into them.

[h3]Visual Uplift[/h3]
Visuals will be a key area of improvement as we replace, one by one, every asset in the game, as well as the game’s post-processing and visual flair towards something more cohesive, richer, colorful and atmospheric. We have long been aware of the fact that the game’s dated look has put a ceiling on its ability to provide the visually immersive experience we want, and in a game like this, immersion is key. Open worlds don’t need AAA treatment nor do they need the latest technology to satisfy and some very old games in that genre still deliver very rich experiences. So fear not, we aren’t going to overload the game with a lot of fancy high end visual features. But from the way the terrain itself is generated and structured, to what 3D models, textures and shaders give it its appearance; what atmospherics play out to express light, shadow and weather, and finally the look of characters, NPCs and enemies, everything will be reviewed and improved. This is going to be a long process but one that is vital for your comfort as well as to keep people wanting to come and experience Khora for all that it has to offer.

[h3]Enriching the Lore[/h3]
We spoke of contents previously. Also among the revamp is the world’s identity, its themes and its overall mood are also going to feature in this uplift: currently, the game does not quite have room to make you feel as though you are in an actual world with a fullness and richness of lore and character. The game plays out within a very potential-rich multiverse concept which has yet to be mined for its wealth. The way we will be approaching lore is not merely by dropping tidbits of information here and there for your consumption but rather by restructuring from the ground up the purpose, meaning, place and history of everything in that world. Your identity as a game character, the reason you’re here, the long-term of your goals, the resources that you collect, the creatures that you fight, the structures that you build, the NPCs that you attract and encounter, as well as the very process of creating new worlds…: all this will mesh together into a grand narrative that we’ll roll out over time. Again, Solace Crafting will not shift genres or turn into something it never was nor was ever meant to be. Simply, we will make sure to enhance and tighten what is current to the game into a richer and deeper presentation where things no longer exist in isolation or simply for gameplay purposes.

[h2]A Vision of the Future[/h2]

If all of this seems ambitious, well it is. We have spent the past few months planning it all out, writing pages upon pages of planned updates and material. My personal belief is that the work initially done for Solace Crafting is massive and, just as your patience and passion, deserves to be honored with a vision for the future that is sharp and decisive and takes you and the game into new territories. We all play games like this for adventure, escape, achievement, discovery and the satisfaction of some fantasy fulfillment: fighter, explorer, builder, storyteller… the list goes on. On the back of Kyle’s work and the wealth of systems and technology put into Solace Crafting, we will build something that resonates with the best that fantasy and RPGs have to offer, to bring the game to its full potential.

Thank you for being part of this journey. We’re excited about this reveal, about the coming updates, and to continue building something extraordinary together. Stay tuned as we not only deliver more updates and clarity but also find ways to involve you more in this exciting new phase of the game’s existence.

Fab

Greetings Adventurers!

I'm happy to bring you some exciting, albeit long overdue news! I now have a partner in crime. We're going to call him the Project Director for now, who I have been working together with day in and day out for the past couple of months. We have big plans for Solace Crafting I'd like to go into just a bit for now, but I will leave the majority of it up to him, scheduled for a post in the next week or two. Needless to say we are hard at work on creating a much richer, more engaging experience, in order to bring Solace Crafting to the many many players that have yet to hear its name.

Most of you know that I have always worked on this labor of love by myself, and no doubt the majority of you are aware of at least some of the many shortcoming of the game as it is right now. There really is no one to blame for these shortcomings other than myself, and yet that has never really bothered me because I am only one man.
The job of "indie game developer" nowadays can mean many different things, from multi-million dollar teams of nearly a dozen people, all the way down to zero funding, solo entrepreneurs like myself. On top of that, there are many different levels of difficulty when it comes to creating a video game, and Solace Crafting has pretty much all of the challenges that a game can. It's 3D, it's physics based, it's multiplayer, it's procedural, it uses a semi-realistic style, etc..
Were this being handled by a triple A company there would be teams of programmers, animation specialists, visual effects artists, character designers, level designers, writers, shader technicians, network developers, audio engineers, 3D artists, UI artists, managers, directors, marketers, you get the point. There are many many different professions that a strong game needs filled in order to thrive. Long story short, the majority of these professions, I'm just straight up not that good at. Our new Project Director is a great counterpart to me in that sense because his talents are very different than my own. I have my talents, but they do not stretch far and deep enough to cover even 25% of what a game like Solace Crafting really needs and deserves.
Having said all that, I don't have a million dollars to round up a team and get all of those problems solved. That's why over the past couple of months we've been putting together design documentation to redesign Solace Crafting from the ground up, keeping all of its core strengths, while filling in its many gaps with a much more player friendly, rewarding, and engaging experience. The first wave of major changes are things that we can handle with just the two of us, primarily a complete redesign of the art style, world generation, and player controls. We hope to then leverage this improved experience, along with our extensive design documentation detailing the further stages of improvement, in order to attract funding to help make those later stages possible.
We hope to have ready the first look at a re-imagined Solace Crafting around two weeks from now. Some of our plans further down the road very much include our community, some of you in Discord have been around from day 1, as well as some interesting ideas for our Patreon.

I'm sorry that during all of this the endless content and feature patches that I've been continuing for years now have pretty much grinded to a halt. So much time and stress had passed as a solo developer that I had really lost my direction, and was just doing what felt necessary to keep me and my wife warm and fed. It's was very hard to take this leap given I have my firstborn due in just two months! But there's so much more to Solace Crafting that I was never able to achieve on my own, and now that we've got a solid plan on how to get there, I'm more excited than ever!

I hope you'll all hang in there with us as we work through this transition from solo to staffed, and I wish you all the best!

Kyle Postlewait
Big Kitty Games

Some weekend fixes for a couple of new things that have cropped up with the recent major patch!

Again, there were a LOT of changes that had to be made to switch both major engine versions and the render pipeline. If there is anything that looks like a bug or feels like it isn't working as intended please let me know, preferably in Discord or on the bug tracker, and I will do my best to handle it in a timely manner!

Please note that this is a client side only patch and shouldn't prevent connection to v 1.1.0.1 servers.

v 1.1.0.2 2024.06.30
- Increased the overall game brightness and ambient lighting a bit
- Changed ground torch to be able to be placed on both ground and building floors
- Fixed a bad cactus shader
- Disabled two desert grass sprites causing purple flares in front of the camera, pending replacement
- Fixed binding keys closing the setting window
- Fixed the storage chest label text shaders
- Fixed rebinding the forward and backwards keys causing movement speed problems

You may need to restart Steam for the update to begin, or you can verify file integrity to trigger it.

Join us in Discord!

Interested in supporting development of Solace Crafting? Please consider becoming a patron via Patreon!

Check out the bug / suggestion tracker

Had some small problems reported on Discord, and a few in the anonymouse exception reporting window that I either tracked down and fixed or added some more details to hopefully better understand them tomorrow.

Heading to bed here, but I just went through the bug report forum as well and it sounds like storage chest text is not working. I will get that sorted out tomorrow among anything else I can find ːsteamthumbsupː big thanks to anyone that helps report a problem.

There does seem to be something funky with the game on Linux right now. Forcing it into vulcan with the launch command -force-vulkan seems to be a temporary fix for now.

v 1.1.0.1 2024.06.28
- Fixed the collider on some steps shining when it should be invisible
- Fixed the sign post shader
- Fixed updated weather modules not being linked to the ambient volumes settings
- Fixed a case where AOEs that don't hit any target could throw an error
- Interrupted a case where it seems the thunder sounds is not being properly populated throwing an error
- Improved logging on ItemDetailsUI.UseItem() that seems to be throwing an error
- Improved logging on TownData.CheckConstructionResources() that seems to be throwing an error

You may need to restart Steam for the update to begin, or you can verify file integrity to trigger it.

Join us in Discord!

Interested in supporting development of Solace Crafting? Please consider becoming a patron via Patreon!

Check out the bug / suggestion tracker