Hey Steam fans, I can’t believe it’s December already - time seems to just be going so fast lately, for me at least! It’s very cold here in Germany now, and everything’s still pretty much in lockdown with all the covid stuff going on, so it’s the perfect time to get warm and cozy inside. But that isn’t making me any less busy - here’s an update on what’s been happening in Omno world: [b]Kickstarter Backer emails incoming![/b] As things are moving on with the project, I’m having to start thinking more about backer rewards recently. Depending on your pledge level, there may be some emails coming your way shortly from me and/or the friendly folks at Future Friends Games who are helping me out with this stuff so I can stay focused on development. These emails will be asking a few simple questions, just to gather any info we need to ensure we can deliver your backer rewards in the easiest way possible, and we’ll keep the number of emails we send to the absolute minimum so we’re not spamming you, of course! So keep your eyes on your emails and remember that official emails for Omno will ONLY ever come from @studioinkyfox.de or @futurefriendsgames.com domains! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33862400/6dd3f7f4b183b77014e9c51fe5d63976bc20b9ae.jpg[/img] [b]Alpha Update[/b] The first alpha test is getting closer, but given my experience in how long things take, I’m not putting a firm date on this just yet! I’ve spent a good chunk of time over the last month on performance adjustments, so I can roll out the alpha without turning your PCs into heaters! For the tech-interested among you: I’ve been improving on the level streaming system by breaking things up into smaller chunks, doing some sparring with Unreal’s Memory Manager and learning some valuable lessons about the so-called “garbage collector”! For the Alpha I’ll be using some pretty aggressive distance culling, so things like mountains in the background may pop in and out a bit, but rest assured this won’t be the case for the full game! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33862400/e5188729f0da411bec9489f5a22c6104e2bd2ea1.jpg[/img] [b]Music time![/b] One of the things I’ve been super excited about this month is the progress in the game’s music. The composer I’m working with, Benedict Nichols (he created the music for the Kickstarter demo back in the day) has been writing a TON of music for the game, so we’re slowly replacing the placeholder stuff that’s been there for months with the ACTUAL proper soundtrack, which is so exciting for me as a game dev! Kind of like watching a movie with the sound turned off, then turning it on - you realise just how important the sound is for portraying moods and emotions. So in the alpha what you’ll be hearing music-wise should be fairly close to the final feeling (though many of the sound effects and music tracks are still going to be work in progress)...but more on that later when it’s alpha time. [b]Bestiary Business![/b] Another new thing I’ve implemented this month that the completionists among you will be happy with is a brand new “Bestiary” feature, so you can keep track of all the creatures and critters you encounter in the world of Omno! Although it’s been planned from the beginning, it was pretty low on the priority list (HUD is not THAT much fun to work on from a developer perspective haha). It’s still very WIP and I’ve done nothing on the UI to make it look pretty yet, but it’s functioning properly which is always the first step! I’m also looking to use this feature to keep a “journal” of sorts, tracking the story fragments you’ll discover as you make your way through the world. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33862400/6c4c1ed649a5babd1269ecdf5f925d02a4b7ea19.jpg[/img] There’s LOTS more I’ve been adding, but for now, I’m going to focus on getting my head down and delivering the alpha to you alpha backers as soon as possible, so there will be plenty to talk about once that’s all ready to share! In the meantime, wrap up warm and enjoy what you can of the festive season, even if it’s a bit of a different one this year! -Jonas PS: If you’ve not joined the official Omno Discord, [url=https://discord.gg/omno]you can do so here[/url]. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1375540/Omno_Prologue/