In this week's Something's Brewing, we showcase how we believe the Merchant's stall final version might end up being portrayed in-game (hint: horizontally scrollable stalls), a new fix on the game's perspective, and some new icons to keep you coming back for more UI!
Right on!
-- Working on UI icons
After last week's post on the new icons created for the Recipe Development UI, we followed suit with focusing on more details around the icons, like the value ranges' look and feel as well as their color and value indicators. All this effort lies behind the need to make this menu as efficient in sharing information about your potential brew (during the process of developing a Recipe) as possible and - of course - making your life as a brewer easier.
In addition to the Value ranges above, we have been working on new icons to represent Recipe Development Time, Recipe Cost, Shelf Life, Aging Time, and Lagering (think of it as Aging Time in a cooler environment - like a cellar). What we aim to accomplish with these is to make sure that information about the process can be read at a glance so that the player can make prompt educated decisions and get back to the activities they like the most! Why that wouldn't be even more Recipe crafting is beyond us...
-- Perspective Fixes!
An ongoing battle against the devil in the details... Yes, of course we'll still tackle perspective issues if we sniff them out and you know we will. As you see in the screenshot below - and with the help of the infamous red line - the room's floor, and especially the side further from the player, looks as if floating above the foreground's horizon.
This one was an easy miss, but Emiliano and Francesco are restless and it was only a matter of time for them to find it and for Raimo to fix it tweaking some of the environment assets on the fly. No harm, no foul!
-- Testing the Merchant's stall
And a video treat for today, extremely barebones and you can bet your hops it's WIP, the Merchant's stall and how we are thinking of progressing through looking at the 3 different categories of products he will be selling to you; Yeast, Fermentables, and Ad-ins.
-- Worst historical period for brewing
The first thing that comes to mind is, of course, the Prohibition that took hold in the US, or maybe the brewing decline in the UK during the 17th century. But, in reality, one of the worst periods for brewers was actually the two centuries directly preceding Ale Abbey's timeline (the 16th Century)... Unexpected, we know, but here are a few reasons:
- The Black Death (1347-1351): The bubonic plague that swept through Europe caused a massive loss of life, including many skilled brewers, which disrupted the availability and sharing of brewing knowledge and production
- The Hundred Years' War (1337-1453): This major conflict between England and France had economic repercussions that of course led to trade disruptions, which in turn inflated the prices for brewing ingredients IF one could even get access to them...
- The Statute of Ale (1351): In response to the labor shortage caused by the Black Death, the English government enacted the Statute of Ale in 1351. This law regulated the price and quality of ale, fixing the price of ale and restricting ingredients to barley, water, and hops. It aimed to prevent price gouging and ensure the quality of ale, but it also limited innovation and the vast number of local variations
- The Great Famine (1315-1317): Prior to the Black Death, a severe famine struck the European region. The food scarcity created also affected brewing since ingredients had to be prioritized and used to produce food instead, and increased their costs immensely
- Peasant Revolts: The social unrest and peasant revolts during the 14th and 15th centuries had significant impacts on the economy and stability of the region. Unrest leads to looting and obviously, the best loot at the time would be located in breweries and malt houses! Once all the loot was gone, the targeted breweries and malt houses would also be destroyed :/
Quite the food for thought for some in-game quests to get brewing back to its feet and in a Golden Age, don't you think? ;)
But, it's Friday! So be thankful that brewing made it through and crack open a cold one. Remember to join us next week for more of Ale Abbey's news! For now, enjoy your weekend responsibly ;)
-- Hammer & Ravens
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