Filipe - Lead Programmer
This month I've been mainly focused on fixing bugs in various systems as we work on bug fixes. However, I also had some time to work on upcoming changes to the skin system. There will be a limited selection of color gradients for skins that vary per layer and not every palette will be available on every pattern. Overall, this should provide more freedom and consistency in your pet's appearance. Also coming are some balance changes to jump-related systems such as bucking and grapple/pin, as bucking has not had the desired effect so far. These changes should help improve situations where players simply fall to the ground during a jump, as most animals are able to fight back even during a grapple. Further adjustments may be needed later, but we need to take things step by step to avoid excessive changes.
Ariel - Programmer
This month I've been working on a mechanic we call "slope sliding". The goal is to improve navigation on steeper slopes and make the experience more differentiated for two-legged and four-legged dinosaurs, without making the dinosaurs too mobile. Simply put, dinosaurs will be able to slowly walk up steeper hills as long as they walk sideways, but when trying to go down they will enter a sliding state. This also affects a situation already present in the game where players are thrown down the hill while running, often resulting in damage. This mechanic has been adjusted so that dinosaurs remain in the slide state and stay on the ground. Some adjustments and testing are still needed, but the implementation is going well overall.
Seiza - Video Editor
Over the past few weeks, I've been working on content for the upcoming Steam page change, including images, GIFs, and of course the trailer for the Steam page, which is radically different from our previous work. While our previous patch release trailers have been shot in more of a documentary style, this will be the first trailer in a long time that has a cinematic feel to it. Although Maiasaura, Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus rex, Allosaurus and the Pteranodon innovations make up the bulk of the trailer, we want to give as much space as possible to all the species and mechanics in the trailer so far. As always, all scenes are engine and in-game footage so as not to distort the game's presentation. The project is already very advanced and just needs some fine-tuning.
Baardo - Environment Artist
This month I had the opportunity to work on some assets for a new biome on the island, the Redwoods! We didn't want to use the same redwood assets from the market that everyone uses, but something that is unique to The Isle. The flora diversity in this biome will not be as great as in the jungle, the Redwoods themselves dominate the different layers of the canopy. For this I have created about 10 unique trees, ranging from small saplings to huge specimens over 300 feet tall. Such large trees must have fairly thick trunks. For trees with such large trunks, it was important to create something that would hold detail well at scale. In addition to the trees themselves, I created a handful of ground cover species, including clover and a leafy plant, to add some clutter to the forest floor and add rich green tones to the biome.
VisualTech48 - Environmental Artist
This month was dedicated to optimization, and many of our buildings were prepared for the new optimized decal shader that is now in place. Previously we were limited by the way Unreal stores specific information. The buildings are now correctly selected by both the server and the client. With this we should see much less performance issues across all of our human POIs. The new decal shader allows us to place what we had before anywhere in the world without a lot of restrictions and time loss, while maintaining the same aesthetics as before.
Wedge - Sound Designer
We start the new year with new calls for two new creatures coming to Evrima. I've taken on the Quetzalcoatlus calls, which are approached with a unique concept. While I'd love to share the design intent for his vocalizations, the rule here is: Less is more. Meanwhile, the rest of the sound team is working on Baryonyx's guttural shouts and growls, with a touch of moisture to complement his amphibious playstyle. In addition to the concepts for the vocalizations, some improvements have been made to various audio aspects, including a major fix to the custom muffle behavior and the volume/muffle scaling of foliage sounds.
KissenKitten - Animation Supervisor
I've been working hard on new species over the last few months. There's always a lot to do, but we're getting the job done. New playable species are being introduced to The Isle, including Austroraptor, Baryonyx, Kentrosaurus, Oviraptor and Avaceratops. After the sounds are implemented, they will be introduced to HT and we will monitor their performance, fix any issues and then prepare them for Live Evrima. The new playable species will likely upset the familiar balance on the island, so be prepared to adapt. The animation department has also been working on additions for older playable species and I look forward to the developments to come.
