[h3]Now we can all howl at the moon and enjoy the small tapping feet of baby puffkins running around everywhere![/h3] The day has come! After much tinkering and tweaking [b]it's time to release the new Coral Island [/b]and[b] day-night cycle [/b]to early access for all of you to enjoy! [i]Oh-boy[/i] was this a huge one! We merged this update with our internal Alpha milestone which means that [b]all the core gameplay systems are in place[/b] (wow omg). It was a lot of work, but we got there! New features and improvements will of course be added to the game as we keep working towards that ever glowing "1.0 release" - but we have quite literally never been closer than this. Garden of the Sea is taking shape and starting to feel like a [i]proper game[/i] and we are so excited to get to that finish line (and beyond)! Without further ado, let's dive into what this update brings to the game; [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35130380/c3ac9d2b6b455fb0052996c45b3e1b3af1a35dcb.png[/img] [h2]Save breaking changes ahead![/h2] Much is changing in this update so sadly you'll have to start a new save game, but you'll be happy to hear that [b]this is the last save-breaking change that will be released until we leave early access![/b] Making (and saving) games is a tricky process and we thank you for your patience in this! ♥ [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35130380/ef6e6f9cf07399e908ad6d01596f9959385f4dff.png[/img] [h1]Patch Notes[/h1] GOSH, What hasn't been changed in this update? It sure feels like everything got a bit of an improvement. Let's dive into all the new mechanics and features! [h2]Highlights[/h2] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35130380/c70cf43c26bfb5d8287f579c7681a41c2546f769.png[/img] [h3]New Biome: Coral Island[/h3] Explore yet another [b]new island with a completely unique biome[/b]! Coral Island is shrouded in a permanent eclipse and brings new nocturnal plants and creatures for you to encounter. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35130380/a7907ffe5cc44af977fe4bd5fa21342015d52e4d.png[/img] [h3]A Dynamic Day/Night Cycle[/h3] Time no longer stands still in Garden of the Sea! You can now enjoy [b]a full range of colors[/b] as the sun moves through the sky, granting us those [b]fiery sunsets[/b] we all love to snap photos of on our in-game camera. We also have a calm and cozy night-time with fireflies and warm glowy lamps for all you night-owls out there! ;) [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35130380/965a683aaa16210f03b7d4b6ea6d924b7bd84dfb.png[/img] [h3]Creature Breeding[/h3] In our mission to [b]expand creature interactions[/b] we have now introduced a [b]breeding[/b] feature! With this new update you can build barns for each creature type which will then allow you to fully tame them and in turn allow them to - *ahem* - multiply. Look at those cute baby animals though! Who could resist such a cutie? [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35130380/c7d18889368bb6d5474dc7cad81c96a7ebcefc60.png[/img] [h3]Unique Creature Variations[/h3] But what is breeding without Individuality?! [b]Each animal now has a unique color and other visual identifiers[/b] so you can tell your little buddies apart and keep track of which one (JEFF!!!) keeps eating all the turnips. How fab! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35130380/397f12213a08d95b71f0a04f9337e7907552d78d.png[/img] [h3]Cooking[/h3] We know you've been waiting for this one! Well, wait no further! [b]cooking is finally here[/b]! We're starting out with a few base recipes for you to try out while we go back to fully fleshing out the new system. Now, I just wish for a next-gen 3D printer that can print me edible versions of all those dishes. Some of them look truly delicious! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35130380/41981729ebc2634e70611028bf3227e16d96716c.png[/img] [h3]New Tutorial Area[/h3] Starting a new game will now bring you through a [b]brand new tutorial quest[/b] in order to help [b]introduce new players to our crafting and gardening systems[/b]. It's also a great opportunity for stacking up on some useful plants before building your tent/home (nudge nudge, hint hint). ;) [h2]Additional New Features[/h2] [list] [*] Creature affection system with tiers and rewards. [*] New Barn building quests that ties into the new breeding system. [*] Revamped quest chains to further allow the players to control the look of their home islands. [/list] [h2]Visual Updates[/h2] [list] [*] Environment visual overhaul on water, sky and foliage. [*] Light sources at night. [*] Updated/Improved icons to better match the art style. [/list] [h2]Updates to underlying systems[/h2] [list] [*] Improvements to the save system. [*] Faster in-game loading of other islands. [*] Lots of work on performance. (whew. so much) [/list] [h2]Other Changes[/h2] [list] [*] Updates and improvements to the Crystal Island quest line. [*] Improvements to grabbing large objects (like furniture). [*] Improvements to interaction with seed bags - added alternative way to release a seed from the bag by pressing a button instead of physically shaking the bag. [*] Added counter to inventory bubble that shows how many empty slots that remains. [*] Improvements and bug fixes for the smooth locomotion system. [*] Finger tracking for Valve Index controllers now works properly. [*] Various improvements and bugfixes. [/list] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35130380/ef6e6f9cf07399e908ad6d01596f9959385f4dff.png[/img] And as always: your thoughts, ideas and feedback are always welcome. You can always reach us here directly on Steam or join our [url=http://discord.gg/NeatCorp]official Discord server[/url] to get first access to the latest news and community events. [url=http://discord.gg/NeatCorp][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35130380/5c53bb6ddcfc8469d52eeddb56980c245348c3ec.png[/img][/url] Until the next update, [b]// The Neat GotS team[/b]