Ylands

[Asid]

Dev Diary #255 Welcome to 2023!
Fri, 6 January 2023



Ahoy there, Ylanders!

Welcome to the first post of 2023! We're all back at work, discussing various features and improvements planned for 1.12, but there's still one thing we need to do first - release a patchthat will fix and improve various aspects of Update 1.11. Those are either some smaller improvements that we were not able to test thoroughly enough in time, as well as fixes for issues that you've reported. You can expect this patch to be released before the end of January.

Before the end of the year, we had a really nice holiday-ish live stream [/b ]where we looked at some of your creations and, boy, were there some truly magnificent pieces! We also realized that it's been some time since we did a specific Q&A stream so you can expect one in the near future.

Also in the upcoming weeks, we'll start sharing various pieces of information about the 1.12 update with you, as well as info related to Creators Club.

By the way - Ylands EDU, an alpha version of Ylands specifically suited for use in schools has gained quite a large momentum here in the Czech Republic, which we use as a testing ground for the education version. The feedback from the teaching community has been absolutely epic, and it's very likely that this year will see many schools here using our game.

Why should you care about EDU you ask? Not only will this eventually lead to a bigger Ylands community, but it will result in Ylands becoming a more tested and stable product, that will be with you for many years to come.

And that's it for today. You stay classy, Ylanders!

[Asid]

1.11.0.3 Patch Changelog
Tue, 24 January 2023



Highlights


💰Additional Coyns packages.
🐛Tutorial bug fixes.
📘Blueprints shop fixes.



Fixed

[YLD-41901] Fixed: Exploration local save entries are now flagged as 'unsaved' before the first write to disk actually succeeds. If a player attempts to continue an 'unsaved' entry, it transparently redoes the initial starting sequence to avoid corruption of that particular map entry.
[YLD-41902] Fixed: Blueprints: The main carousel does not update the download number until restart.
[YLD-42121] Fixed: Blueprints: Preview does not sometimes show particles when rendering the preview for a second time.
[YLD-41422] Fixed: Blueprints: Sometimes have their generated preview image missing.
[YLD-41844] Fixed: Glowing carpets and sledgehammers are pickable in one of the haunted encounters.
[YLD-41870] Fixed: Arrows and space keys can no longer control UI elements when the tutorial overlay is on.
[YLD-41916] Fixed: Rabbits drop raw rabbit meat again instead of raw meat.
[YLD-37944] Fixed: Tutorial: Mobile flow for equipping an axe did not account for not all inventory slots being visible on mobile at all times and could get the user stuck.
[YLD-41874] Fixed: Tutorial: Flow explaining how crafting works should no longer highlight incorrect entries under very specific conditions.
[YLD-41895] Fixed: Editor: multiselection of objects referencing different objects in the same property can break the Properties window.
[YLD-41885] Fixed: Editor: you can not change the color of the brush entity.
[YLD-42100] Fixed: VS: Show next/previous usage does not work.
[YLD-42017] Fixed: Custom HUD/Window: Undo does not work correctly when deleting tree of widgets with buttons as leaves.
[YLD-42015] Fixed: Custom tools: Undo in tool's script and editing HUD layout may break tool's script.
[YLD-42178] Fixed: Custom Tools: Duplicate Objects tile doesn't work in Tool Mode.
Fixed: DLC gifting was producing "invalid input" errors.


Added / Removed / Tweaked

[YLD-40072] Added: Confirmation popup displayed when unlocking a biome via the Expedition now displays the resources required.
[YLD-29662] Added: Multiplayer games can now also be removed from the games list.
[YLD-40121] Tweaked: When a popup that requires input from the player opens on mobile, it will try to position itself so that it's at least somewhat visible under the software keyboard.
[YLD-42182] Tweaked: Coyn packages in the in-game shop are now sorted by their price and not alphabetically.
[YLD-42280] Tweaked: Errors during login/registration are now more specific. From now on, the generic "check your inputs" message will be shown only in cases, where we get an unspecific response from the backend.

[Asid]

Dev Diary #259 The things you'll notice
Fri, 3 February 2023



Ahoy Ylanders!

As we have moved from the designing phase to fully implementing 1.12 features, we will - as always - start sharing with you information about various new or improved features
that you will be able to find in the next update.

Today we would like to mention two specific changes we made based on your feedback.

The first one we already mentioned in the last Live Stream (which was a lot of fun as usual ). We know that sailing can get a bit tedious at times, so for 1.12 we're making some exciting adjustments that should make it more fun. The first one is - fishing on moving boats
! Got a few moments to spare before you reach your destination? Take out your fishing rod and spend some quality time getting the pretty fish (and other stuff).

The second thing is more subtle but many will love it. For quite a long time some of you have complained about the camera not moving smoothly
- which was especially obvious with higher fps. Well, we made some changes to the camera system and we're pretty sure you will notice the difference.

There's a ton of other cool stuff planned for 1.12 so stay tuned ... and classy!

[Asid]

Dev Diary #260 The Sound of Ylands
Fri, 10 February 2023



Ahoy Ylanders!

We often ask you to look at an image or read some new information, but this week, this week is different. And that's because we want you to listen!

Let's set the scene. Just imagine you're on the beach of a beautiful yland, sun just starting to peek on the horizon, shashlik being roasted on the fire, coconut drink in hand, your ship anchored nearby and Track Number 2: Serene Sunrise starts playing... eh... what's Track Number 2 you ask? The answer is easy! That is the track that comes after Track Number 1: Adventure Awaits on the Ylands Original Game Soundtrack!

The Ylands OST is now available for you to stream on Spotify, Apple Music and other music streaming platforms! We are extremely happy to share this with you and make the wonderful music of Ylands easily available for you to enjoy whenever and wherever.




You may or may not know that the music was composed by a Czech composer Varhan Orchestrovič Bauer who hand picked the individual musicians who performed the tracks.

Because we enjoy making fun of ourselves, we'll share a funny story from the implementation of the soundtrack... At one point, we started receiving feedback from players that they heard someone talking when they were inside caves. We thought to ourselves: "That's impossible! We never recorded any dialogue for the game!" So we really dove deep into getting to the bottom of the mystery. And indeed, there it was. When you walked into a cave, you could hear the word "Super!" at times, which was kinda creepy. So we went to consult our sound department and it turned out that they left in a part of the track, where the conductor complimented the great job of the orchestra with a single word... "Super!"

That's it for today, Ylanders!

Stay Super... and Classy!

[Asid]

Dev Diary #262 Changing Challenge
Fri, 24 February 2023




Ahoy Ylanders,

Let's talk about more changes that you will see in the game in the future. Many of you noticed that we are not oblivious to fixes that need to be done in our game. However, they take time. We take each feature that needs tweaks and we try to rework it step by step. So we asked our designer Prokop what changes is he working on:



For some time, we hoped that we can make the combat in our game more entertaining and balanced. And we hope we are on a right track. The AI is now much more responsive with larger zones where it can hit you. Players can no longer easily confuse the enemy by running through it when it attacks or just jumping on a bush and attacking from above. Enemies also respond much better to your repositioning and are able to fluently change attack angles.

Spamming dodge and jump attacks will no longer be the way to conquer. Although spamming dodge will no longer stun the player, you will not able to dodge as often as before. Also, jump attack damage will be significantly lowered and enemies should be able to attack you even when you jump above them.

The formula for counting damage is changing. Previously, it was using simple (INCOMING DAMAGE) - (TOTAL ARMOR RESIST) = (DAMAGE RECEIVED), which was balanced to the era when Ylands used difficulty tiers and no map traveling. Thus combat mathematics had to adapt to the new systems of difficulty scaling by biomes. The new formula is based on percental damage reduction, a system of vulnerabilities and resistances, which you will be able to explore by yourself while fighting enemies all around the biomes. What we expect from this new combat mathematics is a much more balanced and also balanceable (in the future) system, where it makes sense to use every protective gear you can get while still being able to fight across resources tiers and no longer being invincible like in the previous case of Guardian Armor.

This brings us to damage types. Those got some love as well as they will be much more important when fighting with special enemies and monsters in caves and REs. You can expect that ghosts could be quite resistant to physical damage and wood-based golems vulnerable to fire. Players will have more access to various damage-type weapons and armor, and utilizing those will be much more difficult than before. That does not mean that you will need to bring five different weapons and three different sets of armor while adventuring, but it means you will be rewarded with much easier combat, when you learn what themed enemies do and how you can prepare for them, like grabbing some fire-based weapons when going to loot some Temperate encounters in the night.

This being said, there are also some minor tweaks, renaming, balance changes, and new weapons, armor, and enemies to be expected, which we will keep as a surprise for now.

Thank you Prokop for telling us about all the processes that go into reworking combat. We look forward to exploring the changes in the future.
And you Ylanders,

Stay Classy.

[Asid]

Dev Diary #263 Swift sprint
Fri, 3 March 2023



Ahoy Ylanders,

You asked we listened. Are you also tired of not being able to run and having to roll over like a boulder every time you want to be faster? We are. We listened to your feedback and decided to implement sprinting.

In the next Update, the option to sprint will now be available. Sprint is triggered by the same button as roll. To roll, you will simply need to click SHIFT and to run, you will have to hold SHIFT down. That will trigger a new animation and faster movement. We also added a stamina bar that will be depleted by sprinting. The bar will appear under your character just like the oxygen bar does when you are swimming.

The dodge action also went through changes. You will no longer get stunned by using it too often however it won't be possible to spam as much.

Now you may ask - how fast will I run? The sprinting is 80% of the speed of wild boar. Yes, we measure speed in wild boars. Do you have a problem with that?

Thanks to our designer Pypse for giving us the details about this feature.
Are you excited to run? Let us know what you think.

Stay Classy!

[Asid]

Dev Diary #266 Where Adventurers Are Born
Fri, 24 March 2023



We know that one of the things that keep you up at night is the question "What is C.A.G"? Or at least we are pretty sure it would, if we ever mentioned it before.

So what is C.A.G. ?

No, it's not Cool Angry Gorillas, it stands for Classy Adventurers Guild. It's the most prestigious guild, whose members are bold men and women traveling to all corners of the world to explore the unknown. (So far no other guild for travelers exists, so the competition for the most prestigious one was not that big). They are fighters. They are builders. They are survivors and dreamers. They are...

Adventurers.



So from this day, wherever you see its emblem and the strong, wise message "Ne biberis mare" you'll know that adventure is close. And you can trust us that you will get to see this a lot in the upcoming months and years.

Let us conclude with a personal message from one of the greatest living adventurers of our time, a proud C.A.G. member, Mr. Horatio Reginald Elmwood:

"There will be times when you'll have to fight tooth and nail to survive. When all you have is your will to go on, your mission, and a cup of that unique, delicious Elmwood Classic Tea - now also available with the new Guava and Slimy Dirt flavors. It's these moments when boys become men. Girls become women. Old people become older. That is the circle of life. Just think about it. I do. Always."

Stay classy, Ylanders!