Autonomica News

You, our community, have been asking us to launch on Kickstarter, and we've heard you loud and clear! We're excited to announce that Farm Folks will launch on Kickstarter in early 2023. Be among the first to follow the project and receive a notification at launch.

We would greatly appreciate your help in spreading the word! Bring your friends and loved ones along for this exciting journey!



[h3]💬 JOIN OUR DISCORD COMMUNITY[/h3]

Join the Farm Folks community on Discord and tell us what you're looking forward to with the Kickstarter. Talk directly with the devs, ask questions, and check out all the awesome behind the scenes progress on this ultimate farming life sim!



Additionally, we've created a Q&A channel on our Discord where you can get most of your questions answered.

We hope you’re happily preparing for the winter holidays! Our team, as usual, has been hard at work with Farm Folks and making it a game you all will love. As we’re sure you’ve noticed, we haven’t posted Dev Updates in a while. We enjoy sharing our work with you as we go along, but we also recognize that it’s nice to have everything compiled into one place. Since we’ve been working nonstop, there’s plenty to discuss! In fact, there’s so much to cover that we’re splitting this Update #5 into three parts.

As voted by our fantastic community, Part 1 below features character customization, NPCs, animations, questlines, and the Town!

For those of you who are new to Farm Folks, feel free to follow our development more closely by joining our Discord or following us on Twitter. We post updates on a near-daily basis.

Oh, and if you’re interested in what we’re doing and don’t want to miss our future Devlogs (or even our closed Alpha invites) make sure to sign-up to our emailing list.


Over the last few months, our talented character modelers have been developing character customizations and NPCs. Each piece of clothing can be substituted for another one from different sets. You’ll be able to unlock new clothing pieces by purchasing them in the local store of the Town or by receiving them as a gift from an NPC or other players in Co-op.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]



All of these clothing options need to be adjusted and rigged to support feminine and masculine body types and various animations.







Our goal is to provide a rich and immersive experience for you when you play Farm Folks. Because you’ll be able to do many things in this world, we have to ensure that there are a variety of unique animations to support your actions appropriately. Every possible character movement (including our animals) requires specific Rigging and Animation. Our incredibly talented animator, Julya, has been busy bringing all of our characters to life. Check out some of the animations below.



You can track animations that we're adding to the game here.



Last month, we specifically worked on masculine body animations. In order to achieve this, we had to adjust all of our current feminine animations and affix them onto a new body! We’re pretty happy with the end result.





Every NPC will have their own story for you to uncover. NPCs will also have a set of things they like and dislike.

NPCs will not only have storylines, but also random quests ranging from bringing some homegrown carrots to your friend to researching a particular technology for an NPC. The majority of random quests will be unique. Some quests will analyze player actions and, of course, all quests will give you precious rewards - resources, relations, special items, and even unique clothes and transport.

Here is a current list of Quest Types we’re planning to add:

• Craft specific items (and keep them, but also get additional rewards)
  
• Bring specific items to NPC
  
• Grow X plants of Y type
  
• Catch X fish of Y type
  
• Research specific technology
  
• Explore some places on island and discover treasure
  
• Construct specific buildings/furniture in your house (if it’s accessible for you)
  
• Other types
  

Most of these quests will have varying difficulties, allowing you to select harder (or easier) quest versions. Harder quests will yield greater rewards that would otherwise be inaccessible with quests of an easier difficulty.
The game will also track your progress and balance tasks so you can be well-informed about the odds of quest completion. A quest giver won’t overwhelm a newcomer with a quest to bring him thousands of advanced microprocessors or 20 tonnes of refined titanium alloys.



Each NPC will be prone to give quests associated with them. For example:

• Fishermen will give quests related to fishing such as bringing him fish, fishing tools, or components needed for a new boat, fishing rod, etc.
  
• A tailor will usually request some cloth, wool, or clothing that’s already sewn
  
• Town folks may request items ranging from bricks and carrots to advanced electronics and car wheels
  

We’re proud to say that every NPC in Farm Folks is romanceable! We’re designing romantic events that you can attend with your chosen one. Some examples of romantic activities include, but are not limited to: Skydiving, sharing Cocktails, hosting Yacht Parties, Jet Skiing, Romantic Dinners, etc.

Some NPCs, if you take the time to get to know them, will share their dreams with you. We will talk more about NPC behaviors and romance in the future, so be sure you’re signed up for our email updates so you don’t miss it!


In a previous update, we introduced Pietro, our wholesome trader and traveler. He owns his own trade boat that he inherited from his father. Now, we have a 3D model of Pietro and his beloved trade boat, Giuseppe’s Son.





NPCs will live their own lives and stick to their personal daily schedules. Some NPCs will have to attend work and can be met either at their place of employment or at their homes at certain times of the day. NPCs can change their haircut or outfit which will be reflected in your conversation with them. If you hint that you aren’t a big fan of their new look, they may revert their changes to how they originally looked.





NPCs will notice your presence and will greet you or comment on some of your behaviors. They may, in fact, compliment a fresh haircut or your clothing style. Some places in Town will have a dress code if you would like to attend them. For example, a Cocktail Party on a Yacht will require you to find a Cocktail Dress or Tuxedo before you can attend. And, of course, you can invite Anjelica to join you since she’s always dreamed of attending such a party. She may even need help in acquiring a dress.







Anjelica is a skilled engineer responsible for maintaining local structure and keeping everything together. Most of the time she can be found working with her colleague, Nico.

When Anjelica manages to pull herself away from work, her world quiets just enough to find herself reminiscing about her trip to the Island of the Dragons. During her time there, Anjelica foolishly fell in love with a beautiful mermaid that lived in the area. Anjelica hasn’t been back since, but dreams of meeting her mermaid again. Perhaps you’re the one to help reunite them.





Nico is always on the lookout for ways to improve his technological skills. In helping Anjelica with engineering work, he doesn’t mind stepping away for a moment or two to help you fix something. He also has a side hustle of selling homemade gadgets out of his garage.





Stella is the charming and charismatic florist of the Town. You can always count on her to brighten your day, whether that’s from the sunflowers or her own smile. As a big fan of exotic flowers, Stella has an incredible green thumb. Visit her shop to admire new and familiar plants and flowers that you yourself can learn to grow on your farm.



Need some help with your plantings? Stella may also share some secrets on how to increase the health and yield of your flowers and crops. Get to know her better and you may even discover what this florist’s favorite flower is.



Katarina works at the largest souvenir shop on the island. As a timid individual, you may find Katarina hiding behind some of the items in-store, but that doesn’t mean she’s not willing to lend you a helping hand. Ask Katarina for help in picking out some special decorations for friends or for your own home.



One of Katarina’s favorite hobbies include bird watching! She hopes she can once again see the strange bird she discovered in the Fairy Forest.



Rebeca is a salesperson at the local scooter shop on the Island. Rebeca has a spunky personality and avoids being placed in one box. Be it her hair, clothing style, or interests, Rebeca is always willing to try new things and lead a life of adventure. Need an electric scooter? Visit Rebeca in Town!





Aurora is a talented landscape architect with a love for nature and an eye for design. She strives to create yards and gardens that can act as safe and serene places for people, especially when they need help in turning their vision into reality.



Aurora will be happy to help you with your landscaping needs and can even provide you access to unique gardening accessories and decorations. As a lover of sunsets and boating adventures, Aurora is a kind-hearted soul you won’t soon forget.

Our NPC system is still in the early stages of development which means, if you have any recommendations or suggestions, now is the time to share them with us! Leave us a comment about what NPC catches your eye or what else you would like to see implemented in the game.



The Town and islands of Farm Folks are inspired by the archipelagos and islands of Sicily. The old, Italian-inspired structures of Town are going to become the heart of the game as you will need to visit them frequently to advance your stories. In Town, you will be able to meet new NPCs who will have their own character traits, stories, and preferences.



Here are some of the beautiful coastal cities that our amazing artists used as inspiration for the Town.
Inspired by the archipelagos and islands of Sicily.



You will also be able to buy customizable items/options from local shops. These items can include: a new T-shirt, pants, backpack, electric scooter, or even cosmetic options like haircuts, tattoos, etc.



We’re designing the world of Farm Folks to support future expansions. For the future, we’re planning to have multiple islands that host a variety of towns and scattered points of interest. You’ll be able to use various transportation like boats, jet skis, scooters, or speed trains that connect islands together to visit these new and wondrous places.





The world of Farm Folks will be filled with all sorts of mysteries and wonders to uncover. Since your character will be able to swim and dive, you’ll not only have journeys on land, but also by sea! On your underwater adventures, you may be introduced to some unique creatures, including the Mermaid Colony. You’ll be able to meet the inhabitants of this colony, discover their stories, and yes, even romance them.



Some mermaids will have the ability to convert into a more human-like appearance, using their legs (wow) to go on a date or two with you. We will talk more in the future about different kinds of mysterious colonies that inhabit our islands.

If you haven’t already, join our Discord where you can follow our dev updates on a daily basis, provide immediate feedback, and join the conversation with other farm folks!



[h3]If you would like to help us test the game in the future and don’t want to miss an update, make sure to sign-up to email updates here.[/h3]



If you’re enjoying what we’re doing and would like to see more, you can become a Legendairy or VIP subscriber on our Discord server! Learn more about it here. Every dollar that is contributed to the development of Farm Folks is much appreciated and helps us fund this expansive world! And to those who continue to hold these roles and support us, thank you!

Please leave us your like and comment below and don't forget to wishlist and follow the Farm Folks on Steam:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/895160/Farm_Folks/

A silver-tongued trader and a traveler at heart, Pietro is certain to catch your attention. After inheriting his father's ship, Pietro set out for adventures across the sea, driven to live up to the Giuseppe name.



His trading trawler has a bit of everything, making it the perfect place to look for anything you may need.



Pietro’s adventurous nature keeps him on the move and he takes his job seriously. As a result of his entrepreneurial mindset, his long-term relationships are few and far between. It's not easy to pin Pietro down, though he does appreciate a challenge.

[h3]MEET PIETRO[/h3]



Don't let his laidback attitude fool you! Pietro is an ambitious young businessman who hopes to one day have his own fleet of ships.

[h3]Join our Discord[/h3]

Wishlist Farm Folks on Steam
https://store.steampowered.com/app/895160/Farm_Folks/

[h3]Hello farming engineers![/h3]

We’re excited to share with you our latest development upgrades for Farm Folks!

But - before you continue - you need to make sure you’re part of our awesome Discord community. Click here to join. We love sharing unique development content, engaging with our friends, and are planning to run some exciting contests where you can influence development AND win some amazing prizes. What are you waiting for?



[h3]PRE-ALPHA[/h3]

The Pre-Alpha is very close! We're aiming to let qualifying backers play it very, very soon. We will have a separate update sometime next week with more details, including actual dates, who will get access, and what you can expect to see in the game at the current development stage.

SIGN-UP TO GET NOTIFIED

As things are settling down, we’re becoming more and more active on social media and would like to invite you to subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep an eye on our day-to-day updates. Leave us your likes and comments on new videos. This will help us grow our channel and unlock new YouTube perks which will allow us to share even more content with you. Subscribe here.

We’re also on TikTok and already have videos with over 100K views, crazy ha! Click here to check it out

Alright, enough with the social mambo jambo, let’s get to “business.”

[h3]WATCH THE DEVLOG #4 VIDEO SUMMARY[/h3]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h3]IN-GAME LIGHTING AND SEASONS
[/h3]

Farm Folks will have super duper awesome lighting systems that will allow us to have dynamic weather conditions along with breathtaking views - all of which are going to be very different from season to season. Expect very romantic experiences with NPCs like dinners that will take place at the hill cliffs during sunset.





Unlike in other farming life sim games, Farm Folks will have a continuous day/night system that will let you continue managing and/or building your farm - even at night. Your character will have the stamina that will allow them to continue their journey for several days at a time.



[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]







Things like wind, rain, or snow can also start dynamically and will have different lengths based on the current season in-game. You’ll be able to check the weather forecast on your laptop or TV. We will talk more about the forecast system in our future updates. Make sure to sign up for our updates so you don’t miss it!

[h3]HAIRSTYLES AND CUSTOMIZATION[/h3]

In Farm Folks, we’re planning to have a great set of various hairstyles to choose from and, of course, you’ll be able to customize the color of the hair. We’re also planning to add a Hair Constructor to the game which will give you absolute freedom over the haircuts you would like your character to wear. You can unlock unique hairstyles in the saloons of the Portorovigo Town located on Softsholl Island. We will talk more about Local Shops in the future.













[h3]REAL-TIME HAIR PHYSICS[/h3]

In addition to beautiful, custom hairstyles, we’re also revising our animations to ensure your hair - and every other character detail - looks soft and organic. We’re adding real-time physics to your character’s hair which means it will bounce and sway based on environmental conditions like wind.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h3]FISHING[/h3]

What farming game is without fishing? The waters in Farm Folks are going to be filled with fish and other discoveries. Each fish will have a rarity level, ranging from Common, Rare, and Epic variants. You can cook, trade, or even farm caught fishes. Yeh you read it right, you’ll be able to have your own fish farm!









[h3]Sunset PufferFin[/h3]

Named by WoolyPie#5699 and discovered by Finlay.

We just named one of our fishes with the help of our FanClub members.





Legendairy and VIP members can participate in closed community voting where they can come up with original names for items, animals, etc. in the game. If you would like to become a member, check available tiers here

[h3]ISLAND AND CONSTRUCTION[/h3]

For the last few months, we were working on our first island. This initial island is designed to give us maximum information from the closed tests as it has a diverse landscape. Unlike in other farming games, our goal is to give you the ability to build your structures wherever you want - be it on open ground, hills, the beach, or even against mountain cliffs. We will talk about the construction process in our next update.














[h3]NEW NPC IS ON THE WAY[/h3]

A brand new and super dateable NPC is about to be revealed! We’re finalizing their story and will showcase them within the next few days. There is a high chance that if you’re a VIP or Legendairy FanClub member, you already saw this upcoming NPC (so please remain silent, or else :D)!



[h3]TEAM UPDATES[/h3]

We’re also happy to welcome new members of our dev team! Meet Adam, an insanely talented technical artist, and Bruno and Camila, a husband/wife team working on beautiful concept art and character development. In our next updates, we will showcase a new Local NPC from the game and a few more construction elements that you’ll have to work with.

[h3]OUR FAVORITE VIDEOS[/h3]

Watch DoctorDDub and SharkyGames videos featuring Farm Folks

Make sure to sign-up for our newsletter so that you don’t miss anything. And of course, join our Discord to participate in our contests with prizes and share your feedback with our lovely community.



Have a great day!

Crytivo Crew



And don't forget to follow and wishlist!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/895160/Farm_Folks/

Hello farming engineers!

And we’re back with another portion of exciting updates for you. Our team has been working incredibly hard setting up the environments for the game’s future technology. The Farm Folks world is evolving each and every day and we daresay it’s looking really, really great! We hope you’re as excited as we are about the future of Farm Folks and, as always, we invite you to leave us your thoughts and comments below. You can also join the conversation on our Discord.



To help us advance our development further, we recently introduced a Patreon-like fan support system that allows anyone who’s eager to be closer to development to donate a monthly contribution. This fan system allows supporters to be among the first to see content in development by our talented art and dev team. It’s been a great success and we received support from so many fans - both old and new - that have helped us to do more for Farm Folks by hiring remote artists, animators, illustrators, etc. You can read more about it here.

At the same time, we’ve been posting plenty of Legendairy and VIP updates which have allowed close fans to participate in the development of the game as we progress. Whether something needs adjustments, some TLC, or we find a lot of interest and love around a piece of the project, we pride ourselves on receiving feedback and aren’t afraid to have our decisions influenced for the better. YOU are helping us create Farm Folks so thank you to everyone for your contributions and support. Please consider becoming a supporter and check out the tiers below.



Alright, enough bragging! Here is what we’ve accomplished, what is in production, and what’s next. You all are probably fed up with the pillows, sofas, and lights anyway. Farm Folks, at its core, is a farming and life sim game and we have no plans to deviate from that direction. We’re working on the core elements first (technical implementation system) that will allow you to build, customize, and place objects in the world. The core system to support those functions is complete!

Let’s talk about Modularity in the game

Our goal is to give you the tools that will enable your creativity as a player. We’re working on an intuitive and familiar modular construction system to help spur this creativity and freedom. By selecting the right construction modules, you can build anything you want: a barn for cows, a chicken coop, your living room, or a stunning kitchen. You will be able to select from various modules like windows, doors, short wall, long wall, staircase, railing, etc. And you’re not only able to choose the material of the module (i.e. wood, brick, stone, or concrete), you will also be able to paint it however you’d like or even wrap it in a beautiful wallpaper. Don’t forget to invite your friends to help you design all of these projects since Farm Folks supports 4 players co-op.


[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

As a side note, structures can have any amount of floors and rooms. There has never been a farming life sim game like this before. Your imagination is your limitation™



You also will have a place to create building presets and share them with other players online. This way, players that would love to build buildings at once can save a lot of time and grinding by placing packaged building blocks (this system will see the light a bit later in development).



FARMING

You can start farming anywhere you want! By selecting the hoe tool, you can start making plots and planting crops. We also designed modular planters that come with 3 height variations: low, medium, and high. These planters can be placed indoors or outdoors. When you place a single planter, it becomes a single flower pot. However, by merging a few planters together, you can build unique shapes and create beautiful green ferns or even a maze!


[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]


Plants will have multiple growth states and personal statistics. It will be important to water them based on plant needs.



FERTILIZERS

Fertilization will play an important role in the plant’s growth and will give plants unique characteristics or advantages. You can read more about fertilizers in our previous post here. We’re planning to talk more about fertilizers down the road.



GENES

We’re planning to add a plant gene system that will allow new plants to inherit characteristics of previous generations. If you get lucky enough and get a tomato with a unique color, you’ll be able to save its seeds and mix them with other colors to yield a very unique and blended palette. You will be able to sell unique plants for a greater price in the city too!



THE WORLD

We decided not to chase realism too much and make the world of Farm Folks mysterious and unique. Everything takes place in a near-future where technology is evolving and helping people lead happier lives. The world will have familiar plants and animals but it will also have unique and never-before-seen species. There will be scary caves full of unknown and isolated islands where no human has ever gone before. We’ll certainly be talking more about these mysteries in the future so be sure to sign-up for our email updates, just in case. You don’t want to miss it!



We started putting together our ‘prototype island,’ as we call it. This island is quite small and allows us to test most of the systems while we continuously build bigger worlds on either side. You will probably see changes to the geography as we release updates.



BACKPACKS

What engineer travels around without a backpack or suitcase? We’re designing various backpacks for you to carry on your adventures! Fill them with anything you need: crafting materials, crop supplies, or tools. Backpacks will have different capacities and can be found on the island in crates. You can also purchase backpacks in the city, win them as a reward during festivals, or receive them as a gift from your favorite NPC. Let us know in the comments which one is your favorite or if we should add one you have in mind.



WATERING

Nothing can live without water, right? Our plants in the game love water and they will require you to pay proper attention and water them regularly. Our goal with the watering system is to give you the ability to be efficient and carry water with you at any time. We invented Waterblee - a modern watering system that can be attached to your backpack! It comes with a replaceable water canister and watering handle. You can carry multiple canisters of water with you, as long as you have enough space in your backpack. Later on in the game, you’ll have automatic watering systems that can be installed and set up to water plants ‘automagically.’



OPTIMIZATION AND TECH

We’re spending a good amount of time considering low level systems as our goal is to create a beautiful world and, at the same time, allow as many people as possible to experience it by optimizing every step of this process. We started working on the foliage system and created our very first tree type. Chopping a tree will be a very satisfying process (of course, with every tree you chop you can plant two more in the world). A tree will chip out at the place where the axe meets the trunk and it will directionally fall based on the cut with real time physics. Branches will have animation bones, allowing branches to stay above the ground and not sink in - just like the real world.



We've also created a bunch of foliage that will be spread amongst the grass. We’re taking requests for what other flora you’d like to see in-game, so let us know what we should add next!



ANIMATIONS

The animations that you saw earlier are mostly placeholders and we are now starting to design the animations we actually need. Currently, we’re working on basic animations such as walking, jogging, running, etc. We’re working with our new animator on a character setup and, as a result, there’s multiple iterations and back and forth discussions as we adjust everything we need to have a cohesive project. It’s hard, but it’s shaping up pretty well. Here are some examples of animations (all still work in progress).



WHAT’S NEXT

We will continue working on farming elements, planting, watering, and growing plants. We’re also beginning the implementation of farm animals! We started with the turkey family and we will be adding chickens next. Additionally, some of our artists started to work on kitchen furniture. Kitchens will have a lot of functionality as you’ll be able to cook food on the stovetop, store food in the fridge or closets, wash dishes, serve dinner, etc. Food can spoil and affect the environment which can lead to sickness or unimpressed guests.



Thanks again for helping us develop Farm Folks! Our team is small, yet we’re producing 200% of awesomeness in a short time frame to ensure we deliver a great game for you. We know you would love to start playing it as soon as possible! Initially, we planned to let our Alpha backers play this month but we have to move closed tests to March or April. Please understand that we started developing the game just a few months ago and we’re working hard on reestablishing the fundamental systems that will support it. We don't want to give you anything that isn’t fun yet; we want to give you at least something to play with! Right now, there are 5 people working on the development and we think the results we’re delivering are at least very acceptable. So, please allow us some time to “cook” it longer for you.


Please make sure to sign-up for our updates and join our Discord. Leave us your comments and likes!

Also, make sure to add the game to your Wishlist if you still didn't do it ! =)






- Crytivo Team

https://store.steampowered.com/app/895160/Farm_Folks/