What’s a sandbox game without some animal friends to share the world with?

That’s right - woodland creatures have been added into Planefarer! You can find them scattered throughout the world.

Bunnies hop through the grass, birds fly through the sky, and you may even be lucky enough to encounter a turtle or two as you play!

Unlike monsters, these animals cannot be provoked and will not harm you. Do be careful though because you can still harm them with your weapons.

Critters like these are important in sandbox games because without them, the world can feel empty or stagnant. Animals like these make the world feel more alive by adding an ambient sense of activity to the environment. They can also provide a fun distraction as you’re navigating through the world.

Monster spawns have also been tweaked in this update. You’ll now encounter monsters in packs, not just individually.

In some sandbox games, the combat can grow repetitive over time when enemies spawn in sporadically. It can get very easy to defend yourself when you’re only getting attacked from one side.

To help remedy this, in Planefarer groups of monsters will now occasionally spawn in. This helps to create more varied combat situations and difficulty. It’s now more important than ever to stay on your toes while you’re out and about!

That’s all for this update. We’ll see you in the next one!

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Added

• New buildings on the main map. Explore!
• Several props that can be used for cosmetics.
• New monsters.

Improved

• Major revamp to flying creature physics and knockback.

Changed

• Modified game background to better fit the zone.

Fixed

• Graphics error with square tiled objects.

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Added

• Tutorial zone! This is a first revision prototype, I’ll be adding more to it later. This was a surprisingly large technical challenge to get in.

Improved

• Visual quality of high-res/zoomed-out objects.

Fixed

• Infinite-range destruction.
• Uncommon crash in error conditions in dialogue.
• Weird camera movement behavior when teleporting.
• A pretty large revamp of UI elements that should fix a lot of weird behavior.

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We’re back with another blog post - this time talking about platforms and pathfinding!

Up first: platforms can now be angled! Angled platforms enable players to create more complex platform layouts without having to manually jump up and down a dozen different levels of flat platforms. They also work nicely as accent pieces for rooftops and other decorations.

In other 2D sandbox games the process for angling platforms can be clunky and in some cases - impossible. The platforms in Planefarer were designed with these shortcomings in mind. Angled platforms are able to be placed as small as just one tile, which is especially useful if you want to create slopes going up one-block steps. Rather than dealing with external tools or menus, platforms can be angled with precision, currently using the F key to cycle through different orientations.

Next up: NPCs have gotten upgraded pathfinding. This makes it much easier to assign characters such as the Sage to a new home, as long as there is a solid ground route between locations. This also gives NPCs a greater ability to find their way back home if they were driven out of it at some point.

Look forward to more updates just around the corner!

This update focuses mostly on the environment. Encounters should be more interesting, and when you’re not actively exploring, you’ll find more wildlife and creatures that aren’t trying to kill you. Let us know if it feels better!

Added

• New monster-spawning behavior, designed to spawn encounter packs instead of individual monsters
• Ambient neutral critters to provide extra atmosphere
• Unarmed animations when you don’t have your weapon equipped

Improved

• Better despawn behavior for creatures that constantly remain out of view

Changed

• Terraform tool now prioritizes reaching the right layer over AoE destruction.

Fixed

• Flying creatures no longer spawn underground

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In sandbox games, it’s the little details that help make a world feel alive.

One thing that really gives a game world some depth is weather. Seeing the same environment in the context of different weather scenarios can add some much needed variety to the visuals. In some games, the weather is purely aesthetic but in Planefarer there will be different interactions with the environment based on the forecast. We’ll have more to discuss on that at a future date, but in the meantime you’ll now be able to encounter rain showers as you’re playing the game!

If you’re worried about getting wet, not to fear! Even a humble home made out of dirt can keep you dry.

Another element that helps a game feel alive is - unsurprisingly - plants! Various species of trees and foliage have been added into the game.

As time passes, foliage will decay and regrow just like in real life. If you stand still in one place long enough, you’ll see the greenery around you change dramatically. This cycle of growth and decay helps to create an environment that is visually dynamic and stays fresh after long periods of playtime.

Stay tuned for more updates!