Dev Blog #11 - How Player Feedback Shaped Seasonal Events

From the very beginning, Equinox: Homecoming has been built with its community in mind. Seasonal events are no exception. Since October, they have been a staple in Alderwood as the seasons change. But how has your feedback impacted how we design these events? In today's blog, we'll give you a sneak peak at our upcoming Midsommar seasonal event and share how community feedback led us to begin implementing seasonal events!

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One of the most consistent pieces of feedback we receive is that players don’t want seasonal events to feel separate from Alderwood. You told us you wanted events to feel natural to the world, something that enhanced the environment without interrupting it. That feedback led us to focus on:

• Events that fit into your routine.

• Activities that reward exploration.

• Seasonal changes that felt atmospheric rather than overwhelming.

Instead of isolating seasonal events from gameplay, we work to incorporate them with how you play. We see them as an opportunity to help Alderwood to feel more lived in. This led us to implementing visual changes, such as decorations, limited-time activities like scavenger hunts, and even unique cosmetics (whenever our art team can prioritize them!)

Cosmetics have been one of the clearest examples of player-focused design. In October, we launched Ghosts of Alderwood without any tack sets. By December, we knew that our biggest feedback was that players wanted themed cosmetics.

As a result of this feedback, our team focused heavily on creating a unique cosmetic set. We launched our first ever limited-time seasonal tack set, which included our iconic reindeer antlers. We ultimately went with a mix of flashy and understated, so that some of these items could be used year-round, rather than once off.

We’ve learned a lot here from you:

• You love cosmetics that tell a story about the season.

• Elaborate designs should have at least one item that can be used year-round.

• Choice matters - an array of options allows you to express yourself how you see fit!

We know unique tack sets are a top priority for our players! While we haven't be able to include them in each and every event, we are working hard to include something our upcoming Midsommar event. 🌸

We know that our players want events that aren’t demanding and respect their time.

Many of you play Equinox

Homecoming in short sessions, and we wanted to honor that.

That's why our seasonal events focus on

• Clear goals that don’t require constant play/grinding.

• Progress that is immediately rewarding, such as Discord roles for participating in our scavenger hunt.

We think this approach lets us create events that felt welcoming rather than stressful. The perfect compliment to this philosophy are scavenger hunts and screenshot competitions! These are popular, so we have continued to run these activities in our Discord server for every seasonal event since October.

Here's a look at some of our favorite competition entries so far!

Have you had a chance to check out Alderwood’s seasonal events? Let us know in the comments what you’d like to see in seasonal events going forward!

Alderwood's next seasonal event will be to celebrate the summer Equinox during Midsommar. You can expect to see flowers, wreaths, and other summer decorations throughout the island - as well as a few flower-y cosmetics!