Hello folks, it’s Sam again! This week, get ready for a wild ride as I spill the beans on all the juicy details, the secret sauce, and the magical wizardry that goes into shaping DL9 into an absolute masterpiece! Now I know what you’re thinking - it’s probably something along the lines of “this game should look like the last game, but better!” And hey, you're kinda on the right track (we definitely want it to look better!) but there’s a lot more to consider when you’re pushing the series in a bold new direction. Let’s take a dive into the pre-production stages of The Flock, shall we? [h2]The early bird catches the worm[/h2] [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//44193778/da15a12f498d8da7b2155686bb6c3648d04f1f5f.png[/img] As some avid blog-readers may recall from my last post on the dev log, we’ve spoken about how the duck’s design has had to evolve now that they’re all living in this vibrant 3D world. However, there are also several other aspects about the new design that the ducks actually share with the world around them! You may have noticed that Featherhaven Island consists mainly of lush, pastel-y colours, and that some parts of the environment sport some stylish outlines. When it all comes together on-screen, this will hopefully marry every aspect of the visuals together into a design that stays true to the simple, cartoony look of the original games, while also functioning in a 3-dimensional world. [h2]Get out your crayons[/h2] [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//44193778/c29a3e213d2cbfa4d870efb36deb98ac1e43f798.png[/img] Next up - the colour palette! This time round, we’ve deliberately gone with a spectrum of colours that maintains some charm and appeal even when the subject matter isn’t quite as pleasant. For example, down below you can see a concept I put together for another area of Featherhaven Island where you learn to hone your balancing skills. One wrong move, and you’ll go hurtling into the poisonous fungi below! Even though this forest of dangerous growths very much dominates the area, I haven’t let that dim the mood of the zone overall, as well want to keep a lovely, chipper tone for your ducks to adventure in. [h2]Prepare for the big time[/h2] [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//44193778/17ef90c5f143013c52be592a6927e4f0d6d49fc4.png[/img] Now I’m afraid that we can’t share too many details on this last one, so I’ll have to be careful! Here goes… Time to talk about how the structure and progression of the game affects the design of the areas! By now you’ve seen a fair few of the areas across our beloved Featherhaven Island, the grassy starting area known as The Flock, and others including a blossomy meadow and sun drenched cove. As you work your way through the world of Duck Life 9, the pool of resources available to you will grow more and more as you discover new items that only certain zones can offer. With each new zones, the resources you acquire become increasingly fancy, and that is also reflected in the setting of the zones themselves! Plundering Spring Meadows? You know you’re gonna find some delightful flowers! Harvesting Crystal Desert? You bet you’re gonna be surrounded with sparkly shards! As the settings become increasingly extravagant and the stakes reach dizzying heights, get ready for an absolute visual feast awaiting you on this incredible journey! Come back for the next dev log in 2 weeks time, where we will be revealing some of the new duck outfits and shops. In the meantime, join our [url=https://discord.gg/NcBDJPutAP]Discord channel[/url] to keep updated and to join the discussion. We’ll also be posting trailers and updates on our [url=https://www.youtube.com/@WixGames?view_as=subscriber?sub_confirmation=1]YouTube channel[/url], and if you’d like to wishlist the game you can do so now on the official [url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/2416880/Duck_Life_9/]Steam page[/url] (wishlisting helps a lot with getting the game featured on Steam when it releases, so please do it if you can!)