Skye's Repose Demo - Showcase Update

This update changes a lot from the original build, but only has a couple changes from the last build. And given the early demo nature of this, I'm not quite sure how much to detail here... So, I'm going to start with the newest changes, and then a brief rundown of the update before this which likely should have had a Steam Post as well.

(I'm going to try to be better about these updates. I didn't realize Steam recommended weekly/monthly updates in this format.)

Showcase Update

A week ago, I took part in a local showcase for Skye's Repose, where around 20 people came and tried out the game. I took careful notes about that experience because I have never had the opportunity to watch others play the game, especially not people who have never played before. And this update is my attempt to streamline all the friction points I saw from them.

• I've tweaked the intro cutscene to better encourage the player to explore.

• I've tweaked the beach to better lead the player into the tutorial.

• I've made the runes unable to absorb irrelevant elementals.

• I've added a book to review the tutorials.

• I've added numbers to the hotbar and inventory, to make it more clear they're connected.

• Fixed some minor bugs and typos.

This update is nearly the final version of the demo, however I plan to have one more big update before the June Next Fest. So look forward to it as I finish polishing up this demo for you!

Housing Update

This was a couple updates over the past few months, so I'll just briefly touch on the highlights for the past while.

• Houses - The house has been replaced from a shack to a proper cabin that changes as you buy upgrades.

• Upgrades - All the research upgrades have been replaced and updated to accommodate the new house system.

• Journaling - You can now press J to open the journal, where you can read about the different puzzles or riddles you've located so far.

• Puzzles - Many more smaller puzzles and riddles have been scattered across the islands, there's a new discovery to be found around every corner.

• Dialogue - I've changed up how I'm handling dialogue, so now Understanding mainly improves your Journal entries, while Trust mainly advances their core stories.

• Environmental clues - I've added a variety of smaller items you can interact with to glean tidbits of info about the Mages. If it seems out of place, it might be worth investigating!

• Art Update - Once upon a time, I was using AI art for the characters. But that always left a bad taste in my mouth, which discouraged me from sharing... So I caved, and plugged in my own art programmer art instead. So meet Ori, in her current rendition!

Steam post image