Topics

106

Development News / A few selection related additions

« on: December 04, 2019, 05:04:13 PM »

The last update of year 2019 is coming up. Here's sneak peek of selection related additions to make your journeys in the far north a little more comfortable:

 - added: target selection if multiple creatures occupy the same location where an action is to be done

          If there are multiple creatures at the location where you proceed to execute certain actions
          you will be asked to select the target creature. This applies to following actions:

          - melee attack
          - packing and unpacking animals
          - looking at the location


 - added: when [C]ommanding animals the animal name is displayed in the menu title

          For example, if you would command a dog called Rekku the menu title appear as:
          "ANIMAL COMMANDS: REKKU"
          This helps owners of multiple animals to be sure they chose to command the desired one.


 - added: tree in front of the character automatically selected when cutting branches

          You don't have to specify a direction for cutting and peeling actions if there's a tree in
          front the character you. That tree is always automatically selected for these actions.


 - changed: need for heated room, fireplace or fire are checked first in cookery recipes

          It's more convenient that way as you aren't bothered with meaningless ingredient selections
          if these requirements aren't met.


These are future additions, not yet functional in the current version 3.60.
The update featuring these additions - and more - is to be released still in 2019.

107

Development News / Winter Update, Steam Autumn Sale

« on: November 27, 2019, 06:28:46 PM »

Firstly, Autumn Sale on Steam has started, so those who've been itching to enter the far north on Steam can now do it for discounted price.

Secondly, as mentioned earlier we're also planning a small patch update still this year. It's coming up nicely. News about some features will follow next week.

Thirdly, for those who are wondering when might 3.60 (and so on) to be released outside Steam, the answer is after the seasonal Steam sale periods for 2019 are over.

And lastly, here's some winter greetings to all of you!

108

Development News / Towards end of the year, towards more updates

« on: November 19, 2019, 07:07:05 PM »

Let's drop a few lines about the near future stuff. Let there be discussion if you feel like it.
So, the calendar year is turning towards its end and I guess it's been pretty evident that we've mostly been fixing bugs during these ever darkening days.
Luckily the bug hunting has been so succesful that there's time to slowly start thinking of new features as well. Even a little patch update still during 2019 seems like a possibility.

This might make some of you think if and when might 3.60 (and so on) to be released outside Steam, at the game homepage. Now I can assure that it will happen still in 2019, after the seasonal Steam sale periods are over. If you've been itching to buy the game on Steam but have hesitations there's this forum thread which may help you out. In any case we'll inform about the upcoming 2019 sales loud and clear to make it more affordable for some.

On our way towards end of the year update the intention is to add fistful of features that are relatively small but significant for many. For this purpose we're also browsing the Suggestions section. I guess I've said it many times that everything there is always read, even though my time for actual discussion is unfortunately limited. Well, soon you'll see that something was not only read but also coded
(Maybe, just maybe, we could also try running the good old "replies to suggestions" marathon before the year is over. )

Well, maybe this is enough for now. Take care, fellow adventures, and if something is puzzling you feel free to ask.

109

Development News / 3.60 (stable) released on Steam, with Halloween sale & Kekri celebration

« on: October 28, 2019, 06:43:34 PM »

Halloween sale is on at Steam, and our own festivities also include the release of UnReal World version 3.60 (stable) there.
You can grab the game for decent discount at UnReal World store page, and Lifetimers will find the release at the designated forum section. Now if you've been itching to start playing 3.60, maybe counting your coins, we're having the biggest discount so far to make it a little more affordable for You. Those who feel reluctant about playing connected Steam we remind that it's not a thing in case of UnReal World. You can be and play as offline as you want.


It's Kekri, not halloween, in the Far North.

Kekri is an ancient Finnish harvest festival celebrated in the fall when the annual agricultural activities were all accomplished and the harvest collected. Kekri meant the end of the crop year, which was a big turning point. It was the time when the souls and spirits of the dead wandered around and visited the living. The ancestors were respected and welcomed. Sauna was heated up for them, and meal prepared too. The living celebrated accordingly, and so do we. We have harvested and processed the bugs and to-dos since the last beta and now together with Kekri celebrations 3.60 stable is out.


Kekri Goat

Kekri time included tradition of Kekripukki (Kekri goat) figure. People would dress up as horned creatures, wearing furs or coats upside down, and went around in their disguises and were offered food and drink. So, what does a decent developer of tradition rich game do to follow the tradition?

Well, hello there, any foods or drinks to offer? Some purchases will do as well.


You can find full 3.60 changelog here and this is what's been added since 3.60beta-hotfix3:

UnReal World version 3.60 (stable) changelog:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- added: tree saplings

There are now small saplings of spruce and birch trees appearing on zoomed-in maps. Saplings are not obstacles for movement like the bigger trees but you can walk right through them. Saplings can be cut down like any trees, and they have use in making of withes.

MIGRATION NOTICE: Saplings can be found only on newly generated maps. If your character has explored the world extensively you may want to run map maintenance (key command [7]) which removes unimportant previously generated zoomed-in maps.

- added: withe - a new type of tying equipment

Withes are tying and binding equipment made from flexible, slender saplings of spruce or birch trees. Your character can make withes from [M]ake-menu under Tying equipment category.

- added: WITHE game encyclopedia entry [F1]

- added: fence building now requires two bands of tying equipment

Fences have been traditionally tied with spruce withes, which are the preferred and convenient choice, but any other tying equipment will work as well.

- added: villagers now cook their raw meat and fish

Villagers will now cook raw meat and fish in their possession. This doesn't necessarily happen instantly upon obtaining the meat or fish, but at convenient moment for the villager in question.

- added: inventory auto-filtered to show timber when birch-bark raw material requirement selection is being made

- changed: upon planting something the sprouts are not immediately visible

Only after some days you will be able to see the sprouts of what you had planted. Before the sprouts, planted tiles appear in thicker prepared soil graphics so you will be able to recognize them.

- adjusted: village dogs don't bark at sleeping characters

Watchdogs barking at restfully sleeping characters made it impossible to have good nights sleep in a village.

- fixed: using length based items as weight based crafting material got their properties modified confusingly

For example tanning with birch-bark strips.

- fixed: hunting NPCs might choose to hunt player character's domestic reindeers

- fixed: villagers rejecting traps in trading, claiming that they have enough even though they had none

- fixed: raft weight reasoned

They've been super light earlier, but now weigh around proper 1200 pounds. This makes hauling the only option for moving rafts around on dry land.

- fixed: young leaves could be picked immediately when plants sprouted

Now the plant needs to be few weeks old before picking of leaves is possible.

- fixed: double animal skin when skinning the same carcass as your NPC companions

- fixed: young animals meat yield occasionally being as high as that of the adult animals

- fixed: NPC butchering/skinning processes in the background might cause player spend times to jump or reset

- fixed: NPC owned dogs not leaving tracks in the wilderness

- fixed: tying equipment return issues after drying/smoking

If several stacks of food was dried/smoked at the same location using same kind of tying equipment all the tying equipment got returned when the first batch of food was ready.

- fixed: player crafted items occasionally appearing as roasted foods (if there was NPCs cooking nearby)

- fixed: when looking at tree harvested of its bark the tree info mistakenly said "partially felled"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Celebrate & Participate

We wish you happy Kekri time - or happy Halloween if that suits you better.
All in all, now just celebrate and participate in the festivities at this special time of the year.

110

General Discussion / MOVED: Pawboards not so good for trading now?

« on: October 17, 2019, 03:13:40 PM »

This topic has been moved to Bug reports.

https://www.unrealworld.fi/forums/index.php?topic=5210.0

111

Development News / Version 3.60 beta for all platforms now available on Steam, and for Lifetimers

« on: October 06, 2019, 01:19:32 PM »

Windows players have been able to explore version 3.60 beta branch for few weeks already, and now we have built and synced in also Linux and MacOS versions.

There's been few hotfix patches already, and all the supported platforms are up-to-date with them. Things have been stable and playable, and hopefully the trend will continue with Linux and MacOS builds. Our to-do list is still not completed so polishing and expanding many features continue as we stride towards the stable tag.

Version 3.60 beta is available on Steam as beta-branch you can opt-into at will. Lifetime members can find the beta version at the designated forum section.

There's been few hotfix patches already, and all the supported platforms are up-to-date with them. Things have been stable and playable, and hopefully the trend will continue with Linux and MacOS builds. Our to-do list is still not completed so polishing and expanding many features continue as we stride towards the stable tag.

Key features of version 3.60

The key features of version 3.60 version deal with NPCs, companions, domestic animals, village properties, and crafting additions. The list of additions and fixes is long and you can find the changelog here.


Who can have it?

You can have it, but you gotta get it from Steam. Standalone versions of 3.60 will follow after significantly longer time than what we have gotten used to in the past. This is because during past years donations have dried out disallowing solely donation-based development to thrive. Donations are still an option, people do it for a reason or another, but your generosity isn't any longer linked to the great perk of most up-to-date version being freely available for everyone. I'll be happy to answer possibly puzzled questions of relatively recent of near-future intending donors, so don't hesitate to eg. e-mail me if you feel like it.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheers, have fun, and let's keep our fingers crossed for the possible beta bugs being minor and scarce. But whatever their size and annoyance level may be, we've got our bows prepared for shooting them down.

112

General Discussion / Lord Mandalore reviews UnReal World

« on: September 28, 2019, 07:35:01 PM »

UnReal World review at MandaloreGaming is up. Enjoyable, informative, surprising, must-see, and something to share as well.

Here you go:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJBAmdXS_9E

113

Solved'n'fixed bug reports / [Fixed] 3.60 player crafted clothing issues

« on: September 17, 2019, 11:24:19 AM »

Hey, I'm posting a bug report! Or at least I think these two are bugs. You can expect a patch within 12 hours, but until then it's good to know that:

1. wrong properties of player crafted clothes made of other materials than leather and fur

          Mixed corrupted values, from coverage aspects to weight, could end up in eg. player crafted birch-bark clothes,
          possibly affecting modded clothes to appear wonky as well. This also resulted in clothes wearing out too soon
          if the weight property was one of the corrupted values.

2. player crafted fur and leather cloth weights calculated wrong

          Finished cloth weights were based on actual material usage, which didn't follow the intended addition of material
          requirements always slightly exceeding the finished cloth weight.


Fixed in just recently released 3.60beta hotfix 1.

114

Development News / Version 3.60 beta [for Windows] released on Steam, and for Lifetime members

« on: September 15, 2019, 06:46:48 PM »

Version 3.60 beta [for Windows] is now available on Steam as beta-branch you can opt-into at will.
Lifetime members can find the beta version at the designated forum section.

This first beta is available only for Windows at this point. Other platforms will follow in-time. We're sorry for the prolonged waiting time, but couldn't help it, and really needed to start 3.60 betas rolling.

And they get rolling from now on. Things are fairly stable already, but our to-do list is still not completed. So bear in mind that many of the features now available will be polished even further in patches to follow as we stride towards the stable tag.


Key features of version 3.60

The key features of version 3.60 version deal with NPCs, companions, domestic animals, village properties, and crafting additions. The list of additions and fixes is long and you can find the changelog here.

One of the most awaited additions is wandering NPCs now actively hunting animals on detailed map level. This opens up possibilities for numerous exciting incidents to take place as the woods with hunters and their game now becomes far more alive and complex than before.


Screenshot from version 3.60beta. The player character has followed an elk, freezing and starving. He bumps into a scene never witnessed before.
There's a pile of elk bones, raw elk meat and few arrows. And an adventurer, who has apparently downed that elk, now carrying it's winter fur and some cuts he had already roasted.
This is just one example of scenes which could have been witnessed by player character, turn by turn, from the start of the hunt to very act of utilizing the carcass.


Who can have it?

You can have it, but you gotta get it from Steam. Standalone versions of 3.60 will follow after significantly longer time than what we have gotten used to in the past. This is because during past years donations have dried out disallowing solely donation-based development to thrive. Donations are still an option, people do it for a reason or another, but your generosity isn't any longer linked to the great perk of most up-to-date version being freely available for everyone. I'll be happy to answer possibly puzzled questions of relatively recent of near-future intending donors, so don't hesitate to eg. e-mail me if you feel like it.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheers, have fun, and let's keep our fingers crossed for the possible beta bugs being minor and scarce. But whatever their size and annoyance level may be, we've got our bows prepared for shooting them down.

115

Development News / With a little help from companions. And the approaching release.

« on: September 04, 2019, 12:51:53 PM »

It's september. It's release month. We're making final touches, tests and preparations to allow first beta of upcoming version 3.60 to go live in few weeks - on Steam and for lifetimers, that is. It is also likely that the first beta will be released for Windows only, and other platforms will follow later on. This is because our OSX and Linux maintainer is super busy this month, and aiming for synchronized release would delay things far onto October. When the rumble starts we'll be seeing several beta versions on our way towards stable tag as there's still stuff on 3.60 to-do list.

As mentioned, the main focus of upcoming version is laid on NPCs and companions. Several new NPC/companion features have been mentioned in previous posts, and we'll hereby highlight one more big addition.

- added: companions can help you with laborous tasks thus shortening the working time

         Unoccupied companions now spontaneously help you with many different tasks. Their labor input
         helps to finish the physical work in shorter time, but doesn't otherwise affect to result
         or quality of the task outcome. The help companions provide is imagined to be something they
         can do without specific tools, but the kind which makes it easier and faster to finish the work
         together.
         For example:
            When building a log wall it helps to have extra hands around for moving and setting the logs
         in place even if the player character would be the one who does the necessary carving.
            When softening the skin with beater as a final stage of tanning process it helps to have
         somebody around to check, adjust or tighten the skin if necessary.
            When setting and retrieving nets it helps to have somebody to row the watercraft.

         The tasks where companions can currently help you are as follows:

         * all the building tasks
         * building trap constructions
         * setting and retrieving nets
         * harvestring bark
         * tanning stages of cleaning, applying tanning material and final softening
         * crafting rafts
         * crafting leather ropes
         * crafting birch-bark containers and ropes
 
         The tasks are 10-20% faster to perform with a companion and in many cases having multiple helping
         pairs of hands shortens the time 5-10% more per companion. However, the benefits of helpers
         is gapped at three (3) companions, so having more than three helpers doesn't shorten the
         the working time any further. It depends on the task how many helpers is the optimal number, and
         this varies from one to three companions.
   
         Companions do help you with these tasks completely spontaneously, without any commands, if they
         are free from other chores and can reach the player character. You will be notified about companions
         helping you with specific messages displayed right after starting the task. These messages also
         tell if you are being assisted with the optimal maximum number of companions for the task in
         question. If you receive help from some companion(s), but the task would be even easier with more
         helping hands the message is, for example, as follows:
            "You get some help with this task from Ahti."
         And if you have the optimal maximum number of helpers the message is, for example, as follows:
            "Tapio, Korjus and Visa help you with this task."



Screenshot of upcoming version 3.60. Companion helps the character with setting the net.

It should be noted that the beta version will be released on Steam, and for lifetimers, and standalone (donation-based, free-of-charge) installers will follow after significantly longer time than what we have used to in the past. This is because the donation-based distribution has been receiving very marginal and insufficient support for years already, and I have to reason things out how to balance with the current distribution models. I'll be happy to answer possibly puzzled questions of relatively recent of near-future intending donors but that will have to await until next week - but don't hesitate to even e-mail if you feel like it.

116

Development News / Summery summary in the midst of upcoming version hype

« on: August 05, 2019, 11:53:54 AM »

Yes, yes. Yet another version is cooking up. That's not news. That's how it goes with UnReal World.

But what it will be about, and when to expect a release?
That would be more like news. And that's what this post is about.

Summer is always a busy season. There's so much happening that it's hard to even summarize what's happening. Many of the warm days and nightless nights get spent on recreational activities, but working hours in the development chambers have been also been busy and sweaty. Now lets take a look at what has happened, and to where all this is taking us. Some of this stuff may have been announced already, but it doesn't hurt to drool once again.

The main focus of upcoming version is laid on NPCs. This applies to both companions you can hire for yourself, and wandering woodsmen you may meet in the wild. But that's not all. I'll cover some of the upcoming new features in the chunks of text below. I won't add screenshots this time, but a few selected historical image sources from Finnish museums and archives. Some of these may not be era-accurate, but mood and theme suitable nevertheless.


Wandering NPCs will actively hunt animals, based on their cultural preferences, and also utilize the kills the best they can.

This opens up possibilities for numerous exciting incidents to take place as the woods with hunters and their game now becomes far more alive and complex than before.
The very act of NPCs hunting is propably rarely witnessed by the player character but traces and remains found in the woods can tell a story of another human hunter at the area.
Wandering woodsmen and adventurers may now also occasionally have dog companions with them. And just like the dogs owned by player characters these will also protect their masters.


"Hunter with his gear"
Photographer: Sirelius U.T. 1898
National Board of Antiquities / Suomalais-ugrilainen kuvakokoelma / SUK36:263
License: CC BY 4.0

Companion usefulness gets boosted with several new tasks they can do on demand

New companion commands are:
* butcher and skin carcasses
* roast meat or fish
* make logs and boards
Companions skills naturally affect to outcome of the tasks so their expertise can be sometimes used to obtain higher quality goods than what the player characters could produce by themselves.
That's cool, you might think. And you also might think of few other tasks companions could do. Indeed. Same here. We actually do have a few more things regarding companions still under construction. Currently we're working on mechanisms to allow unoccupied companions automatically to help you with laborous tasks (eg. building) thus shortening the working time.


Well, we haven't concentrated solely on living things. Here's a few of probably the most interesting additions and features regarding item galore;

Harvesting and utilizing birch-bark

It will be possible to harvest and utitilize birch-bark in crafting. Birch-bark is peeled and removed from a tree in long strips which are then wound to a ball for storage. (As a trivia, this kind of balls are called 'Sommelo' in Finnish.)
It will be possible for player character now to craft birch-bark shoes, caps, boxes, baskets - and also birch-bark ropes.


Ball of birch-bark, 'Sommelo'.
The National Museum of Finland / Yleisetnografiset kokoelmat / VK5354:11
License: CC BY 4.0


Measure of length for tying equipment

Tying equipment such as ropes and cords now have a length property, and tying equipment requirements in crafting are now length based. There will be also options for joining and shorterning ropes and cords as sometimes specific length is desired.


Armour and cloth quality having impact on their protective values

High quality armours and clothes now provide more protection, and the low quality ones provide less. In most cases this covers more than one coverage aspect, but always at least the most important aspect for the item in question.


Footwear wearing out in use

Shoes and boots now wear out in use ie. when walking or otherwise moving around by foot. Footwear material determines their durability.


Reindeer fur boots, 'Nutukkaat'.
The National Museum of Finland / Suomalais-ugrilaiset kokoelmat / SU4724:35
License: CC BY 4.0


Let this be enough for summery summary about what to expect. Now then there's that other question...

When we're done with those "few more things" still pending to be added it is time to start wrapping things up for a beta release. I'm quite reluctant to set or mention any deadlines as they usually don't keep, but if we think it out loud then...
It shouldn't take more than few weeks to finish the most urgent pending to-do's. Then a week of extensive testing and adjusting the latest additions, and then if everything goes fine it's time to start final packaging.
So...
...we could be seeing first beta of the brave new version in early september. And from there on, what has been laid in there will still be evolving and growing, stabilizing and multiplying.

It should be noted that the beta version will be released on Steam, and for lifetimers, and standalone (donation-based, free-of-charge) installers will follow after significantly longer time than what we have used to in the past. This is because the donation-based distribution has been receiving very marginal and insufficient support for years already, and I have to reason things out how to balance with the current distribution models. I'll be happy to answer possibly puzzled questions of relatively recent of near-future intending donors but that will have to await until next week - but don't hesitate to even e-mail if you feel like it.

117

Development News / Messing with measures

« on: July 10, 2019, 01:40:01 PM »

So, the length property has been added for tying equipment, and I've been working on to update item conversions and crafting requirements to accept this brand new addition.
Adding measure of length is a perfect example of seemingly simple, yet fundamental addition which extends all around the code and has brought up numerous related features.
Here's where we are at now with tying equipment additions, and now I hope to be able to catch up with more NPC stuff - where I was before getting entwined by ropes and cords.

 - added: measure of length for tying equipment

         Appropriate items, such as ropes, now have a length property. The unit of length we use
         is foot (ft), and should an item have a length property it is displayed both in inventory menu
         and when looking at items on the ground. This addition foremostly affects to crafting material
         requirements which can now be length based.

  - added: new crafting category under [M]ake menu: "Tying quipment"

         This category contains the usual ropes and cords, which are now removed from their previous
         location in "Utility articles".

 - added: Join and shorten options to manipulate tying equipment lengths

         Under "Tying equipment" category within [M]ake menu there are options for joining and shorterning
         ropes and cords as sometimes specific length is desired. You may not want to spend full length
         rope on something that requires only a short piece, or you may need to join cords together to
         come up with long enough string for a specific craft.

 - changed: tying equipment requirements in crafting are now length based

         Instead of requiring certain number of cords and ropes all the tying equipment requirements
         are now length based.

 - reasoned: required tying equipment types in some crafting recipes

         For example:
         When making arrows, previously you could use any "tying equipment" in the process - including
         ropes. Now arrow making requires "cord", a little finer and more specific tying equipment.

 - added: tying equipment used in cookery do not disappear in the process anymore

         You can pick your ropes and cords back after the smoking and drying processes are done.   

These are future additions, not yet functional in current version 3.52.

118

Development News / Summer Sale, Summer opportunities

« on: June 29, 2019, 07:39:39 PM »

I'm a bit late to announce this but it is live now: Steam Summer Sale, and you can get UnReal World  for discounted price until 9th of July.

I want to bring this to your attention because it is likely that when next version is released the interval between Steam version and standalone (donation-based, free-of-charge) installers will be significantly longer. This is because the donation-based distribution has been receiving very marginal and insufficient support for years already, and I have to reason things out how to balance with the current distribution models. I'll be happy to answer possibly puzzled questions of relatively recent of near-future intending donors but that will have to await until next week - but don't hesitate to even e-mail if you feel like it.

Why this announcement is late then, is because while the sale was launching I was busy attending to 'science-art-forest' themed seminar and workshops at Koli in eastern Finland - a location famous of its hills and cliffs which are well-known national sceneries of Finland. 
In addition to presentation about working with the game I also performed an archery demonstration in the most awesome location I have ever shot a bow.
Summer is full of opportunities. Let's not hesitate. Cheers!


Archery demonstration, shooting with Japanese bow.


Giving a presentation about UnReal World and the related stuff..


The highest summit of Koli; "Ukko-Koli"

119

Development News / Craftable birch-bark items and associated ponderings

« on: June 14, 2019, 12:09:23 PM »

Craftable birch-bark items are a thing now.
You can make boxes, and baskets, and shoes and caps - and also birch-bark ropes.
Character's CARPENTRY skill determines the success of birch-bark crafting.

And while I was at it, leather/fur cloth crafting times and material requirements were also touched a bit. All the material requirements have been increased to slightly exceed the finished cloth weights, and crafting times of smaller clothes have been reasoned by increasing or decreasing the required time.

And while I was studying the nature and construction of birch-bark shoes, I found a remark that if birch-bark shoes were used in a field work they lasted in usable condition for maybe two weeks. So in real life birch-bark shoes should wear out pretty quickly if used extensively.  And as our characters usually tend to walk ridiculously excessive distances on almost daily basis it got me thinking of adding wearing out mechanism for shoes and boots so that you would need to replace them every once in a while.
So...something like that is also very likely to be added now.

120

Off-topic / Breakthrough in the discovery of DNA in ancient skulls buried in water

« on: June 11, 2019, 06:34:24 PM »

The unique archaeological Iron age site of Levänluhta in Western Finland is the most intriguing burial site in Finland:
Skulls of 98 individuals, mostly from women and children, have been buried in water.
A team of researchers from the University of Helsinki have used new DNA technology, including the analysis of strontium-isotype composition in tooth enamel to find significant information on the skulls.
The DNA matches present day Sámi people. The presence of the Sámi people so south in Finland has been verified for the first time.
Anna Wessman, Director of the Levänluhta project, Antti Sajantila, Professor of Forensic Medicine and Laura Arppe PhD Researcher of Stable Isotope Research, share their insights on the finding.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_AcAyYmLuA