Hello Haggis Lovers, Despite personal challenges and moving twice, I've improved game features and redesigned elements. Early Access is set for early to mid-August. Thanks for your support! [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//43805818/15aea3ae8f0951f559520aa397d814abba2da84b.jpg[/img] What a few weeks it has been! We have quite a few topics to cover in this post, including Early Access, Boss Life, the gaming universe, and more, though not necessarily in that order. Firstly, let's address the elephant in the room: what's been happening over the last couple of weeks. Due to some personal issues that required immediate attention, I had to take a week off. This was not an easy decision, but unfortunately, I had no choice. Moving home twice in two months, from the UK to Europe and back again, due to unforeseen circumstances beyond my control, has been quite challenging. [b]The Steam Demo and Steamfest[/b] I initially aimed to launch Early Access by the end of June and submitted a demo for Steamfest. However, the demo was not reviewed in time, and I had to withdraw from Steamfest. On the bright side, this has allowed me to delve deeper into the gameplay elements. [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//43805818/9e112ec5dd915934504d617bb5ed48242bda5252.jpg[/img] Despite a busy schedule, I dedicated every spare hour and evening to in-game housekeeping. This included redesigning the PCG forest, reducing culling distances, and adjusting nanite settings to save memory on load times. I’ve added new bushes, ferns, and other elements, and changed the rock styles and textures. [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//43805818/03ef9872ed0feb3f748df43309883a33cef9b222.jpg[/img] It’s time to introduce the first boss preview. Say hi to Sedrick, or at least a part of him. I have been working with AI behavior trees, animations, and sound to create another boss battle. This involved recording voice and animation sounds, foley, footstep sound editing, and Niagara attack effects. The behavior tree setup is versatile, allowing for unique boss battles while maintaining a template. [b]Early Access Update[/b] Early Access is on the horizon. While I’d love to announce a date now, there are a few hoops to jump through, including Steam approval. I aim to submit everything by the end of July, with a tentative release date for Early Access around early to mid-August. This timeframe gives me the opportunity to polish the game and add more content, ensuring a richer experience with deeper quest lines. [b]Other Developments[/b] I've also been working on Robbie the barman and the Rusty Badger. Utilizing MetaHumans and Faceware, I’m capturing facial animations for voice dialogue. My goal is to spend a day on each character, recording lines and facial animations with voice actors. While this is a stretch goal, I already have many voice lines recorded and ready for production. Integrating these into the dialogue framework is a priority, so most questlines should be voiced for Early Access. [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//43805818/9e112ec5dd915934504d617bb5ed48242bda5252.jpg[/img] [b]Conclusion[/b] Although I am disappointed that the demo was not ready in time for Steamfest, the extra time has allowed me to enhance features, flesh out quest lines, and develop more battles. I view this as a positive step, and with Early Access just around the corner, the additional time will help me deliver a polished and engaging game. I look forward to sharing more updates with you soon. Best regards, Haggis