Dev Update #2: Deeper Villagers, Codex Scanning, and Performance!

This week we're happy to introduce some great new features to Animalkind, features that are just the beginning of a series of changes we have planned for the game. Steven introduces these features in the video above! Looking ahead, we're still cooking in the lab so we're not quite ready to share what else is coming for the game. But we've very excited and can't wait to share more updates in the future.

Here is a quick summary if you’d prefer to skip the video:

Codex Scanning

We’ve given each portal the ability to scan for codex fragments and pin a clue on your map. This should help you find those all-important fragments, even if they are hidden or tucked away outside of your sight line.

Multiplayer Catch-up

We've added completed quests to the quest log, as we found that players in multiplayer worlds could have a hard time keeping up with the progress made by those sharing their island. This should help players who have been away from their islands for some time catch up or recall where they left off.

Villagers can now take a seat!

While we were adding chat bubbles and chat behaviors to our villagers, we also gave them the ability to sit down. If you place furniture like benches around the island, you should sometimes see them kick and relax on them.

Villager Chatter

Our villagers will now proactively chatter as they go about their lives in your town. They will greet one another, react to things you are doing, and ponder whatever is on their mind. We hope you enjoy this addition to our villager behaviors!

Performance Improvements

It’s important to us that the game runs as well as it can so we spent some time in the past couple of weeks working on performance. These improvements shouldn’t impact the player experience outside of improved utilization, frame rates, and stability.

Placement Mode Improvements

We've spent some time making placement mode easier to use and more intuitive. This includes things like more granular rotation controls on mouse-and-keyboard!

Thank you again for being a part of the community, for playing, and for cheering us on. If you’d like to chat with fellow players and animal-lovers, share feedback with our team, or just vibe with our friendly community, please join our Discord server here!

See you in Animalkind!

The Uncommon Team 🐾