Hullo Melobees, It’s been a fair while since we last sharpened our pencil and sat down to scribble you some notes on what has been happening over at camp Growbot. With 2020 almost behind us and 2021 looming large on the horizons of space and time, we figured it was time to send a short update through the hololens. PLAYTESTING AND BUG FIXING The recent period has put Growbot through its paces, in more ways than one. We’ve been playtesting the game so far, to turn over every leaf and find the bugs that hide underneath. It’s a tricky process – trying to replicate what each and every gamer might try to do within a given scenario. Fortunately, we believe we’ve fixed all the glitches found so far, leaving us room to start working on the last part of the game (and inevitably create more fun bugs to chase in a never-ending game of hide-and-seek). KEEPING IT VISUAL Over the last few weeks, we’ve been addressing some of the puzzles in the game and restructuring their mechanics for balance. Marco from our publisher Application Systems Heidelberg has taken point on this and contributed greatly to these edits, especially on the music room and engineering puzzles. Lisa, meanwhile, has been able to focus on adding additional visual tweaks. Next time you see the game, you’ll enjoy a whole new visual presentation for the water animation, which she is especially proud of. Some of the visual effects add a lot more impact to simple scenes. Check out the funky visuals, a little further down the post. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29395506/314d6d3b05dcdfd4fe57947399c23898da4d070c.gif[/img] Lastly, we’ve had a unique problem to fix – how does Starbelly transfer his tea power into energy? (A question I am sure we have all asked ourselves). Late in the game, Starbelly enjoys a warm cup of tea, providing enough hot, glowing energy required to solve a puzzle and proceed through the game. But how does one gather this energy from our big fluffy friend (who is not a Yeti)? By headphones of course! Starbelly, seen below, is seen donning some snazzy new cups. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29395506/cb26fb781cdbc399dfc751f5216187b575a81377.gif[/img] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/29395506/ae165b23a53640803d9b3feea923b2297af637bc.gif[/img] WHAT’S NEXT? And with the year sphere rolling over for another go-around, I’m sure you’re left asking what’s next from these cute little space bots? Well, firstly, Lisa is working on finalising the art and gameplay for the later levels. From there, we’ll do some final playtesting and finally be in a position to deliver factory-fresh Growbots direct to your door. When that will be? Keep watching the stars!