Verdant Skies [In Development]

All other video games not related to the main farming series - Pokemon, Stardew Valley, My Time at Portia, and other indie-developed games.
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Also in the vote of 1&3 lol.
Very nice and subtle. :heart:
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Archiel wrote:Thanks Blue Rose. We have some nose mockups too:

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The mouths look great and these are not that bad. Course you can also have the 'no nose' as an option as well for the player character.
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Verdant Skies Coming to PAX West!
It feels surreal to say that we are showing Verdant Skies at PAX West September 1-4 in Seattle, but we are! Our booth is # 7115, and we are very excited to be right across the aisle from Larian Studios on the 6th floor of the expo hall. (We’re really big fans!)

This is a huge step for us in our development process, and it is exciting as well as stressful! Depending on how our meetings go with publishers, we may finally be able to say we have a release date!
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Best Artwork at 2D Con 2017!

Even though most of the compliments we receive are about our very unique art style, it is always a pleasant surprise to be officially recognized. Congratulations and thanks to our very talented artist Lizzy on a much deserved win! There were a ton of awesome games at 2D Con this year, so we feel extra proud of our win for Best Artwork! Congratulations to the other winners: Pinbrawl (Best Multiplayer & Gameplay) and Newt One (Best Single Player, Soundtrack, Gameplay, and Game of the Show).

Game Development as a Science
The Verdant Skies team was back at the Science Museum of Minnesota for their Social Science: The Science of Pixar event on August 16th. Andy (@kortham), Beth (@BethKorth), Lizzy (@Pixilizi_Art), and Troy (@YellowChord) gathered some valuable feedback on our latest build. Despite a strong hesitancy to cut down any trees in game, everyone really enjoyed themselves, and a bunch of folks joined our mailing list.
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New Animals!

While Lizzy would love to create every art asset in game, it just isn’t possible with the sheer number of items we need illustrated. With that in mind, we reached out to local artist Deborah Garcia to bring the animals of Viridis Primus to life. We don’t know about you, but the team is absolutely in love with the little critters!
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New Avatar Creator with Mouths and Noses

We really want our players to be able to see themselves in Verdant Skies. One of the key features that makes that possible is the avatar creation interface. Though the original interface wasn’t terrible, we think this revamp will really help folks visualize their options.

A recurring criticism of our avatars has been that they look “creepy” without anything occupying the bottom half of the face. We played around with different combinations to address this issue, and are pretty happy with the direction we’re headed. They need a little polish, but we now have mouth and nose options!
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Genetic Splicer Tutorial!

Many of our playtesters have loved diving into the genetic splicer to create seeds with amazing traits. However, some folks have trouble figuring out how the slider works, and how to best utilize the machine. So Andy made this handy video tutorial to explain how to get the most out of modifying your crops.
Combine two seeds of the same type to create a better hybrid!
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Play Verdant Skies at PAX West 2017!

We always love to meet our fans and get their feedback. If you, or someone you know is going to be at PAX, please stop by our booth and say hi!
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Congrats! :)

I won't be going to Seattle but good luck! Looking forward to having animals in game and yes they're adorable.
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Archiel wrote:Many of our playtesters have loved diving into the genetic splicer to create seeds with amazing traits. However, some folks have trouble figuring out how the slider works, and how to best utilize the machine. So Andy made this handy video tutorial to explain how to get the most out of modifying your crops.
Combine two seeds of the same type to create a better hybrid!
Hmmm ... just a comment on this. The major issue I had with the new Harvest Moon games is the crop mutation. I know others love it and that's fine, but for me the frustrating part was that there were no instructions IN GAME as to how to do any of them, nor after you found one it wasn't listed anywhere in game as to how you did it. Add this was a game on a handheld system and the idea of having to carry around spreadsheets, or sitting in front of a PC, while playing didn't appeal to me at all. Again, others love it and I get that, I just would prefer everything I need to know be in the game, not in on-line wiki's or videos. Like maybe a Farmer's Guide book or something at the house with slider formula's you've found or are given by NPC's, found in the wild, etc. listed in it.
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LeBurns wrote: Hmmm ... just a comment on this. The major issue I had with the new Harvest Moon games is the crop mutation. I know others love it and that's fine, but for me the frustrating part was that there were no instructions IN GAME as to how to do any of them, nor after you found one it wasn't listed anywhere in game as to how you did it. Add this was a game on a handheld system and the idea of having to carry around spreadsheets, or sitting in front of a PC, while playing didn't appeal to me at all. Again, others love it and I get that, I just would prefer everything I need to know be in the game, not in on-line wiki's or videos. Like maybe a Farmer's Guide book or something at the house with slider formula's you've found or are given by NPC's, found in the wild, etc. listed in it.
Hey LeBurns, good comments! I haven't actually played any of the HMs with crop mutation, but I read up on the system in Lost Valley here on Fogu. It does sound pretty obscure there, it talks about it being a massive trial-and-error effort. In Verdant Skies, the traits you have discovered are all listed on the right side, and it shows what you need to get that trait:

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My experience is that you have about 80% of them discovered after an hour of play and you'll have all of them after about 4 hours or so. They're not really meant to be hidden. So once you know about them, if you want something specific, it has that in-game reference. Most players don't really consult that reference, they pick two seeds they like and run the slider back and forth and take whatever looks good.. so there usually isn't much planning involved.

I think you definitely can get really into it. Spreadsheets might be an over-exaggeration for what we have, but if you have a specific end-goal in mind, a handwritten note might be helpful. I think you might write-out your target genome with the 5 or so desired traits, and then splice towards that.

Good concerns! Thanks for mentioning it!
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October Development Update
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Featured in PCGamer!
We are very happy to have been featured on PC Gamer's website. Lauren Morton focused on one of the mechanics that makes Verdant Skies stand out in the farming life simulation genre - genetic splicing! If you haven't checked out the piece, you should. It's a great read!

http://www.pcgamer.com/verdant-skies-is ... scientist/
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Exterior Excellence
One thing any homeowner can tell you is that painting your house is no easy task. Thankfully, Andy's made it a far more enjoyable experience to customize your home's exterior in Verdant Skies. You can now change the design and color of your door, windows, as well as the texture and color of your exterior and roof.
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Improved Beds
The exterior of the player's home isn't the only decorative feature that's received an overhaul! Our flat beds have been upgraded. The layers have been tweaked to give them a much more realistic depth. Check out the before (left) and after (right) below!
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Livestock Leashes!
Since adding animals to Verdant Skies our playtesters have had an overwhelming urge to treat their livestock like a pet. You asked, and we listened! Using the same awesome physics as the gardening hose, Andy created this little rope leash so that you can take your favorite friend out for a stroll.
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Meet Miles!
As a stipulation of his contract to sponsor the colony, Miles Kelly owns the only shop on Viridis Primus. Frugal and always on the lookout for a great investment opportunity, at times he seems more concerned with profits than people. However, Miles can make anyone feel like his most important customer once they enter his shop.
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Steam Page is Live!
Our Steam page ( http://store.steampowered.com/app/730050/Verdant_Skies/ ) is up! If you haven’t already, please visit and follow, favorite, or wishlist your copy of Verdant Skies today!
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Eclipse Season
There may be four seasons on Earth, but there’s only two on Viridis Primus – Summer and Eclipse. No crops grow during the Eclipse season, giving you a chance to catch up with the other colonists. But don’t worry! Unlike winters on Earth, Eclipse season only lasts 5 days.
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New Icons
Here’s a few of our new cooking and tools icons, courtesy of Sarah Seember Huisken ( https://www.movieshouting.com/ ). There will be more to come as we continue to expand our crafting systems.
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Customizable Furniture
Making your house feel like a home is hard work! Now you can change the color of the wood on your furniture to suit your style. Don’t worry about the high price tag! Once you purchase a stain color you may reuse it again and again.
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A Curious Cave…
No mining will be happening in this cave. It’s far too small for you to squeeze inside! But a voice from the depths implores you… “bring snacks…” Can you decipher the mystery of the tiny cave to unlock a special item?
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Introducing Skye Miller!
Despite being paid by Planetary Pioneers, Skye takes seriously her ethical responsibility to produce an unbiased narrative of the colonization of Viridis Primus. Her desire for an honest representation sometimes puts her at odds with Jade who would prefer a more positive spin on the colony’s progress.
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Winter Is Coming
As the cold weather moves into the Midwest, it’s the perfect time of year for game development. We’re definitely not going into hibernation over the holiday season! In fact, you can look forward to two developer updates in the month of December.
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As always, amazing work. I've recently gotten into Steam so I'm definitely going to add this to my wish-list. I was disappointed that I couldn't see you work live when you were in Minneapolis/St. Paul but I'm still routing for you :)
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Definitely be adding that to my wish list.

Like I said on YouTube the the old chipped ax does look a little out of place in a space colony setting. Kind of expect seeing something like a high tech laser saw or something. In fact any of the traditional tools from other farming games should be upgraded to something else. Though you already have a watering hose instead of the watering pot and a speargun for fishing, so some changes where made. For mining I would like some kind of jackhammer and not a pickax.

I'm really hoping we see more soon of the social side of things. Having the 5 day eclipse to do stuff other than farming is nice. Other farming games you get so caught up in a daily routine of everything you have that the social side often gets very little time for development.
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^Agreed. Though I have to admit it's the farming aspect that keeps me addicted to games. If we could have the best of both worlds when it comes to socializing and farming, this would be the best game ever.
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amazing!!! keep up the good work!!!
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LeBurns
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Lenna36 wrote:^Agreed. Though I have to admit it's the farming aspect that keeps me addicted to games. If we could have the best of both worlds when it comes to socializing and farming, this would be the best game ever.
Yeah one of the worse offenders I remember is Tina in ANB. I wanted to socialize her, but one of her events were in the morning. But I'm working the fields and animals till 2 or 3 in the afternoon every day so I could never get her relationship started and couldn't figure out why. Having some actual free days to socialize would be great.

Still love the farming part of course, but another thing it often got in the way of is time to mine/fish/etc., basically other gathering type work. Though I admit the last two SoS games were much better about this and I didn't notice the problem as badly. I guess the fact that mining was simplified to just knocking a mining location helped a lot.
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LeBurns wrote:Yeah one of the worse offenders I remember is Tina in ANB. I wanted to socialize her, but one of her events were in the morning. But I'm working the fields and animals till 2 or 3 in the afternoon every day so I could never get her relationship started and couldn't figure out why. Having some actual free days to socialize would be great.

Still love the farming part of course, but another thing it often got in the way of is time to mine/fish/etc., basically other gathering type work. Though I admit the last two SoS games were much better about this and I didn't notice the problem as badly. I guess the fact that mining was simplified to just knocking a mining location helped a lot.
For me, I feel that events shouldn't need a guide on how to trigger them.

Yeah, I liked the AP mines the best. Though I'll be the first to admit that it could be my nostalgia talking. My only issue with Trio mining is that I can't get all the gems with a fully upgraded hammer.
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Thanks everyone for the awesome positivity!
LeBurns wrote: Like I said on YouTube the the old chipped ax does look a little out of place in a space colony setting. Kind of expect seeing something like a high tech laser saw or something. In fact any of the traditional tools from other farming games should be upgraded to something else. Though you already have a watering hose instead of the watering pot and a speargun for fishing, so some changes where made. For mining I would like some kind of jackhammer and not a pickax.
Yeah, I definitely see where you are going with that line of thought. Here's a picture of the tools with the upgrades:
http://kortham.net/temp/VS-toolIcons.jpg

They get more high-tech as you upgrade them (instead of turning silver or gold, for example). I guess the reason we did that was to create a sense of progression and a sense that you're starting from nothing. But now that you mention it, you could start with an old run-down chainsaw and upgrade to a better one, etc. So I'm really considering redoing the art... heh. Mining originally was going to use the dynamite more heavily- like every time you mined, it would use a dynamite.. but as the game evolved, the dynamite became an expensive tool to unlock new areas instead, it made a lot more sense mechanically for the game.
LeBurns wrote: I'm really hoping we see more soon of the social side of things. Having the 5 day eclipse to do stuff other than farming is nice. Other farming games you get so caught up in a daily routine of everything you have that the social side often gets very little time for development.
Good suggestion, we haven't shared too much about the social mechanics. I don't want to spoil any stories other than the character intros. We're going to start doing two characters a month so we cover them all by release date.
Lenna36 wrote: For me, I feel that events shouldn't need a guide on how to trigger them.
Yeah, this was definitely my thought too, especially after playing SoS, if the weather isn't right on the right day of the week, I feel like you'd never stumble onto them yourself. The big thing we added to fix that was dialog like this:
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Most events don't even have time restrictions, and if they do, they have hints like that.

I also feel like the routines that players tend to adopt are more flexible than in HM games. I'm not 100% sure why that is, but I don't tend to see players having to choose between social stuff and the various gathering tasks. There's usually enough time to do that sort of thing and then the extra time is spent on painting, cooking, woodworking, or those sorts of crafting that fast forward the clock.

The eclipse season is definitely intended to break up your routine a little and let you focus on other elements of the game. I liked that part of HM winters, but 30 days is often a really big drag! Five seems much more reasonable :)
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