https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DRVWnpnVrY
Hi Folks,

Interested in following development of Folk Tale more closely? Did you know that for the last 9 months we've been streaming Dev hangouts?

In each stream we take a look at the latest internal dev build and cover work from the last week or so. Dev Hangouts provide a way for community players to chat with us live and have questions answered on air while catching up on the latest developments.

http://steamcommunity.com/app/224440/discussions/0/540744937017373582/

For those who can't make the live hangout, we post videos to our YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfbRgg_s65Xez6fgTuWtIeTICYCqj6XH6

• To provide direct access to the dev team
  
• To investigate current issues in the forum
  
• It's an opportunity for us to test the latest code!
  
• To raise awareness of the constant progress being made

Because we use the daily builds, please note that bugs are to be expected and streams don't always go smoothly and to plan.

Hopefully we'll see you in the next hangout!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DRVWnpnVrY
Hi Folks,

Interested in following development of Folk Tale more closely? Did you know that for the last 9 months we've been streaming Dev hangouts?

In each stream we take a look at the latest internal dev build and cover work from the last week or so. Dev Hangouts provide a way for community players to chat with us live and have questions answered on air while catching up on the latest developments.

http://steamcommunity.com/app/224440/discussions/0/540744937017373582/

For those who can't make the live hangout, we post videos to our YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfbRgg_s65Xez6fgTuWtIeTICYCqj6XH6

• To provide direct access to the dev team
  
• To investigate current issues in the forum
  
• It's an opportunity for us to test the latest code!
  
• To raise awareness of the constant progress being made

Because we use the daily builds, please note that bugs are to be expected and streams don't always go smoothly and to plan.

Hopefully we'll see you in the next hangout!

Folk Tale milestone Alpha 20 (Patch 0.3.0)


This weekend we bid fair well to release cycle 0.2.x and welcomed in 0.3.x. Having massively expanded the scope of the 0.2.x cycle last year to make it by far the largest of all the cycles, we've had 17 monthly releases since. Many aspects of the game have matured including village building, economy, and the editor, which we use to design and deliver playable content. With the addition of Workbench - our visual modding tool - we're primed to deliver RPG content and gameplay in coming patches.

What can players expect in Alpha 20? As with any major milestone release, we have headline features to share, but also bug fixes which have an equally important role to play in improving gameplay.


Tier 1 buildings can now be upgraded to Tier 2 and Tier 3. Each tier delivers benefits, including support for more workers; 8 workers at Tier 2, and 12 at Tier 3. Each upgrade will expand a building's boundary bringing more resources into reach for workers. In later patches we'll introduce a pseudo tech tree with new research being unlocked at each tier; more complex production options that deliver additional benefit; and staggered crafting recipes bound to building tiers.








With a limited feature preview of Workbench included in the last patch, in Alpha 20 we've more than doubled the node count, introducing 35 new node types. We'll be updating the Workbench Guide on the website to demonstrate how the new nodes can be used to deliver engaging gameplay and storyline. We'll add more great features to Workbench throughout the 0.3.x release cycle targeting RPG gameplay including quest rewards and faction standing.




New players, and those returning to check progress can feel a little overwhelmed when experiencing sandbox for the first time. Using Workbench, we're adding a voice acted step-by-step tutorial to walk inexperienced players through early game mechanics. As the list of mechanics continues to grow, we'll continue to expand the new tutorial.




With each new patch we aim to add new kits and/or pieces so community level designers have something to play with. This release is no exception, with numerous additions. We have Mordrich's Factory kit, rusty pipework we'll be using to make his underground magic sandal factory; and the Grassland Caves kit for spider and dragon layers.

We've linked monster movement speed to their scale, so it's now possible to have giant skeletons and spiders that move naturally. Players can observe this in the spider lair added to the Crypts Level 1 map, which makes use of the Grassland Caves kit.

The Systems kit receives three new pieces:

• A new Point piece for marking locations where you want the command NPC's to go using Workbench. You can grab the position and rotation for exact placement;
  
• Sphere and box triggers for triggering scripts such as NPC interactions, monster ambushes, and in time traps;

Previously missing pieces make a return in the now separate Water FX, Bones and Spider kits.

Environment lights located in the Lighting kit are now scalable, adjusting the light range. A word of caution though - large lights can get expensive.




We strive to fix bugs and gameplay niggles in each patch release. Small changes such as eradicating the delay when commanding peasants to clear resources and making them run instead of walk instantly feels more responsive.

Building research is working once again, including the Tailor who wasn't progressing research at all. We've also modified the Building Dialog production tab to separate our worker happiness (and it's effect on production) from bonuses provided by research and epic items to give a clearer picture of what's going on.

The Monastery Of The Mangy Wolf has all of it's navigation and chest issues addressed, including being able to cross the bridge that connects the Tall Tower to the main Monastery. The map has been updated to add additional resources in key locations, so you don't always have to start in the same location.

Many loot items that were previously cluttering inventory now stack properly.


During game development it's usual to have lots of parallel tasks each month. Some of those are highly visible and make their way into the Dev Hangouts, while some do not. For months our character artist Allan and animator Tom have been working diligently behind the scenes on bosses, heroes, behemoths, and creeps. They are now ready to debut in-game, and we'll be adding them during this release cycle. So far we have fleshed out the Gladefolk, Withering Dead, Goblin Traders, and Toadkin factions.

The script writing for the Gladefolk and Withering Dead faction storyline is progressing well, and we'll soon be sitting with the recently cast actors to record the voice acting. Devin, our texture artist, has the task of producing the 3d weapons that can be equipped, and there's a small mound waiting to be added. Jen, our Illustrator is alternating between loot icons and NPC portraits that will appear during quest conversations.



Rich and Hayden recently finished adding the 34 building upgrade tiers, and have moved on to the lava zone. While the snow zone is my current favourite, the lava zone is a contender to take that crown.

Aron continues to be omnipotent. We've been eyeballing an upgrade to Unity 5.x for a while, and now seems like a good time. Then it's on to implementing heroes and all the RPG goodness.

As for myself, well I'm just here to make the coffee.

Folk Tale milestone Alpha 20 (Patch 0.3.0)


This weekend we bid fair well to release cycle 0.2.x and welcomed in 0.3.x. Having massively expanded the scope of the 0.2.x cycle last year to make it by far the largest of all the cycles, we've had 17 monthly releases since. Many aspects of the game have matured including village building, economy, and the editor, which we use to design and deliver playable content. With the addition of Workbench - our visual modding tool - we're primed to deliver RPG content and gameplay in coming patches.

What can players expect in Alpha 20? As with any major milestone release, we have headline features to share, but also bug fixes which have an equally important role to play in improving gameplay.


Tier 1 buildings can now be upgraded to Tier 2 and Tier 3. Each tier delivers benefits, including support for more workers; 8 workers at Tier 2, and 12 at Tier 3. Each upgrade will expand a building's boundary bringing more resources into reach for workers. In later patches we'll introduce a pseudo tech tree with new research being unlocked at each tier; more complex production options that deliver additional benefit; and staggered crafting recipes bound to building tiers.








With a limited feature preview of Workbench included in the last patch, in Alpha 20 we've more than doubled the node count, introducing 35 new node types. We'll be updating the Workbench Guide on the website to demonstrate how the new nodes can be used to deliver engaging gameplay and storyline. We'll add more great features to Workbench throughout the 0.3.x release cycle targeting RPG gameplay including quest rewards and faction standing.




New players, and those returning to check progress can feel a little overwhelmed when experiencing sandbox for the first time. Using Workbench, we're adding a voice acted step-by-step tutorial to walk inexperienced players through early game mechanics. As the list of mechanics continues to grow, we'll continue to expand the new tutorial.




With each new patch we aim to add new kits and/or pieces so community level designers have something to play with. This release is no exception, with numerous additions. We have Mordrich's Factory kit, rusty pipework we'll be using to make his underground magic sandal factory; and the Grassland Caves kit for spider and dragon layers.

We've linked monster movement speed to their scale, so it's now possible to have giant skeletons and spiders that move naturally. Players can observe this in the spider lair added to the Crypts Level 1 map, which makes use of the Grassland Caves kit.

The Systems kit receives three new pieces:

• A new Point piece for marking locations where you want the command NPC's to go using Workbench. You can grab the position and rotation for exact placement;
  
• Sphere and box triggers for triggering scripts such as NPC interactions, monster ambushes, and in time traps;

Previously missing pieces make a return in the now separate Water FX, Bones and Spider kits.

Environment lights located in the Lighting kit are now scalable, adjusting the light range. A word of caution though - large lights can get expensive.




We strive to fix bugs and gameplay niggles in each patch release. Small changes such as eradicating the delay when commanding peasants to clear resources and making them run instead of walk instantly feels more responsive.

Building research is working once again, including the Tailor who wasn't progressing research at all. We've also modified the Building Dialog production tab to separate our worker happiness (and it's effect on production) from bonuses provided by research and epic items to give a clearer picture of what's going on.

The Monastery Of The Mangy Wolf has all of it's navigation and chest issues addressed, including being able to cross the bridge that connects the Tall Tower to the main Monastery. The map has been updated to add additional resources in key locations, so you don't always have to start in the same location.

Many loot items that were previously cluttering inventory now stack properly.


During game development it's usual to have lots of parallel tasks each month. Some of those are highly visible and make their way into the Dev Hangouts, while some do not. For months our character artist Allan and animator Tom have been working diligently behind the scenes on bosses, heroes, behemoths, and creeps. They are now ready to debut in-game, and we'll be adding them during this release cycle. So far we have fleshed out the Gladefolk, Withering Dead, Goblin Traders, and Toadkin factions.

The script writing for the Gladefolk and Withering Dead faction storyline is progressing well, and we'll soon be sitting with the recently cast actors to record the voice acting. Devin, our texture artist, has the task of producing the 3d weapons that can be equipped, and there's a small mound waiting to be added. Jen, our Illustrator is alternating between loot icons and NPC portraits that will appear during quest conversations.



Rich and Hayden recently finished adding the 34 building upgrade tiers, and have moved on to the lava zone. While the snow zone is my current favourite, the lava zone is a contender to take that crown.

Aron continues to be omnipotent. We've been eyeballing an upgrade to Unity 5.x for a while, and now seems like a good time. Then it's on to implementing heroes and all the RPG goodness.

As for myself, well I'm just here to make the coffee.

Patch notes can be hard work, so why not check out the latest Dev Blog instead at http://blog.gamesfoundry.com/.

PC, Mac

Sandbox Player: Added Tier 2 and Tier 3 Building Upgrades
Sandbox Player: Added Sandbox Tutorial (Phase 1: Basics)
Sandbox Player: Added Active Quests UI (Integrated Into Workbench)
Sandbox Player: Added NPC Dialogue UI

General: Frame Rate Capped On Main Menu (60fps), Game Pause Menu (120fps), and Editor (120fps)
Sandbox Player: Peasants Now Instantly Run When You Tell Them To Clear Land
Sandbox Player: Spiders, Goblins and Beastmen Now Have Being Hit Animations
Sandbox Player: Walls Now Use Same Placement Conventions As Buildings
Sandbox Player: Billboard Grass Now Turned Off When Environment Detail Medium Or Lower
Sandbox Player: Added Mouse, Scroll And Keyboard Sensitivity Settings For Camera Speed Control
Sandbox Player: 74 Loot Items Added (Armor, Weapons, Quest Items, Jewelry)
Sandbox Player: Yellow Spiders Are Now Faster
Sandbox Player: Scaled Monsters Now Run At A Speed Appropriate To Their Size
Sandbox Player: Advisor Warning Added When You Must Build A Supply Wagon
Sandbox Player: Snow Map: Fixed Navigation Issues In Werefu Monastery
Sandbox Player: Snow Map: Fixed Chests In Werefu Monastery
Sandbox Player: Building Cornerstones Are Now Removed After Construction
Sandbox Player: Yield Of Honeycomb Per Visit Reduced By 50%
Sandbox Player: Building Dialog Production Tab Layout Changed To Separate Villager Happiness And Efficiency Bonuses
Sandbox Editor: Systems Kit: Added Sphere And Box Triggers Inc. Integration With Workbench
Sandbox Editor: Systems Kit: Added Point (For Character Positioning With Workbench)
Sandbox Editor: Mordrich’s Factory Kit: Rusty Pipework
Sandbox Editor: Bones Kit: Adds Back In Missing Bones Props
Sandbox Editor: Spider Kit: Adds Back In Missing Cobweb Alphas And Eggs
Sandbox Editor: Water FX: Adds Back In Missing Water Alphas
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: Performance Improved (At The Cost Of Wire Smoothness)
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: Zoom Added (Mouse Scroll Wheel)
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: Flashing Red Dot Added To Incomplete Node Connectors
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: BuildingDemolish - demolishes a building
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: BuildingSelect - selects or deselects a building
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: BuildingUpgrade - upgrades a building
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: Damage
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: CharacterDamage
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: AllCharacters
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: AllBuildings
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: NumberToString
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: TriggerCount
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: Trigger
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: Count
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: ListWorldObjects
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: ListAddWorldObject
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: ListDuplicateWorldObject
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: Store
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: Get
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: SetDay
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: Format
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: ForEachCharacter
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: ForEachWorldObject
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: Quest
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: SubQuest
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: SubQuestWhen
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: Trigger
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: CharactersInTrigger
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: Rotation
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: CountFields
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: Index
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: SetResearchEnabled
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: IsResearchEnabled
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: ResearchProgress
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: ResearchAddProgress
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: Happiness
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: Need
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: Gate
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: Change: Sound File Added To Conversation Node
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: Change: When Node Checks Less Often After Some Time
Sandbox Editor: Updated Grasslands Neutral Ambient Loop (Chirping Birds)

#0150 Sandbox Player: Kobolds Are Not Highlighting On Mouse Over
#0164 Sandbox Player: Settings Button On Topbar Doesn't Pause Game
#0165 Sandbox Player: Many Loot Items Not Stacking, Causing Inventory Clutter
#0166 Sandbox Editor: Workbench: Declining Performance
#0167 Sandbox Player: Research Failing To Unlock Crafting Options
#0168 Sandbox Editor: Roads Not Saving
#0169 Sandbox Player: Tailor Research Not Progressing
#0170 Sandbox Player: Destroying Resources During Construction Doesn’t Cancel Worker Animation
#0171 Sandbox Player: Research Bonuses Not Working
#0172 Sandbox Player: Decals In Snow Map Showing Hard Black Lines When SSAO On
#0173 Sandbox Player: Waterfall And Particle FX Not Respecting Fog
#0174 Sandbox Player: Arrow Trails Not Always Showing
#0175 Sandbox Player: Research And Crafting Complete Sounds Playing At Start Of Game
#0176 Sandbox Player: Crafting Recipes Not Affected By UI Scale
#0177 Sandbox Player: Skeleton Bones Clipping Through Armor

Research won't work in the Barracks and Storehouse.
Tutorial Quest ‘Chop Chop’ sometimes fails to complete.
Wolf Chow’s animations are glitched.
Undead Characters Kit/Skeletal Archer should be hidden.

After 17 patches we’re now saying goodbye to release cycle 0.2.x and welcoming 0.3.x. As players might expect from a major update, we have several headline features to share, as well as a host of bug fixes and game mechanic improvements.

Building improvements are now enabled, with 34 new visual states added in total. At the moment it’s more functional than pretty, and we’ll be improving both aesthetics and function throughout this release cycle. We’ll tie research and crafting options to each of the tiers; introduce new production options that provide additional benefit to your villagers such as better food; and add scaffolding. For now, the key benefit is more workers.

Workbench - the visual modding tool built into the Editor - is maturing rapidly and is now ready to pull together voice acted NPC dialogue, questing, triggered events and heroes. We’ve used Workbench to add a voice-acted sandbox tutorial map to introduce new players to Folk Tale. This is a transformational patch opening the valve so that RPG content can start to flow, providing meaning and purpose to those who prefer more structured play in the form of faction campaigns, over say the openness of sandbox.

To help new players and those who haven’t played since the original tutorial, we’ve added phase one of the voice acted sandbox tutorial. Taking what we’ve learned from phase 1 of the new tutorial, in this release cycle we’ll be working on implementing the Gladefolk and Withering Dead faction storylines. The art assets are ready, the scripts are approaching final draft, and the voice actors are primed.

Players who found the pan and rotate speed too slow will be pleased to hear that we’ve added control sensitivity to the settings menu. Hit escape, open settings, then click the last tab on the left.

Bug squashing continues, and research should be working once more. We’ve not had a chance to resolve the Barracks/Storehouse research mechanic yet, but research in all other buildings should now be working as expected, including the Tailors Emporium. Roads are saving once again, and items are stacking properly in the inventory.

And finally, for this patch, we’ve reverted back to DirectX 9.0c temporarily.

Patch notes can be hard work, so why not check out the latest Dev Blog instead at http://blog.gamesfoundry.com/.

PC, Mac

Sandbox Player: Added Tier 2 and Tier 3 Building Upgrades
Sandbox Player: Added Sandbox Tutorial (Phase 1: Basics)
Sandbox Player: Added Active Quests UI (Integrated Into Workbench)
Sandbox Player: Added NPC Dialogue UI

General: Frame Rate Capped On Main Menu (60fps), Game Pause Menu (120fps), and Editor (120fps)
Sandbox Player: Peasants Now Instantly Run When You Tell Them To Clear Land
Sandbox Player: Spiders, Goblins and Beastmen Now Have Being Hit Animations
Sandbox Player: Walls Now Use Same Placement Conventions As Buildings
Sandbox Player: Billboard Grass Now Turned Off When Environment Detail Medium Or Lower
Sandbox Player: Added Mouse, Scroll And Keyboard Sensitivity Settings For Camera Speed Control
Sandbox Player: 74 Loot Items Added (Armor, Weapons, Quest Items, Jewelry)
Sandbox Player: Yellow Spiders Are Now Faster
Sandbox Player: Scaled Monsters Now Run At A Speed Appropriate To Their Size
Sandbox Player: Advisor Warning Added When You Must Build A Supply Wagon
Sandbox Player: Snow Map: Fixed Navigation Issues In Werefu Monastery
Sandbox Player: Snow Map: Fixed Chests In Werefu Monastery
Sandbox Player: Building Cornerstones Are Now Removed After Construction
Sandbox Player: Yield Of Honeycomb Per Visit Reduced By 50%
Sandbox Player: Building Dialog Production Tab Layout Changed To Separate Villager Happiness And Efficiency Bonuses
Sandbox Editor: Systems Kit: Added Sphere And Box Triggers Inc. Integration With Workbench
Sandbox Editor: Systems Kit: Added Point (For Character Positioning With Workbench)
Sandbox Editor: Mordrich’s Factory Kit: Rusty Pipework
Sandbox Editor: Bones Kit: Adds Back In Missing Bones Props
Sandbox Editor: Spider Kit: Adds Back In Missing Cobweb Alphas And Eggs
Sandbox Editor: Water FX: Adds Back In Missing Water Alphas
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: Performance Improved (At The Cost Of Wire Smoothness)
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: Zoom Added (Mouse Scroll Wheel)
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: Flashing Red Dot Added To Incomplete Node Connectors
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: BuildingDemolish - demolishes a building
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: BuildingSelect - selects or deselects a building
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: BuildingUpgrade - upgrades a building
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: Damage
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: CharacterDamage
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: AllCharacters
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: AllBuildings
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: NumberToString
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: TriggerCount
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: Trigger
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: Count
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: ListWorldObjects
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: ListAddWorldObject
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: ListDuplicateWorldObject
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: Store
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: Get
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: SetDay
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: Format
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: ForEachCharacter
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: ForEachWorldObject
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: Quest
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: SubQuest
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: SubQuestWhen
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: Trigger
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: CharactersInTrigger
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: Rotation
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: CountFields
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: Index
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: SetResearchEnabled
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: IsResearchEnabled
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: ResearchProgress
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: ResearchAddProgress
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: Happiness
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: Need
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: New Node: Gate
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: Change: Sound File Added To Conversation Node
Sandbox Editor: Workbench: Change: When Node Checks Less Often After Some Time
Sandbox Editor: Updated Grasslands Neutral Ambient Loop (Chirping Birds)

#0150 Sandbox Player: Kobolds Are Not Highlighting On Mouse Over
#0164 Sandbox Player: Settings Button On Topbar Doesn't Pause Game
#0165 Sandbox Player: Many Loot Items Not Stacking, Causing Inventory Clutter
#0166 Sandbox Editor: Workbench: Declining Performance
#0167 Sandbox Player: Research Failing To Unlock Crafting Options
#0168 Sandbox Editor: Roads Not Saving
#0169 Sandbox Player: Tailor Research Not Progressing
#0170 Sandbox Player: Destroying Resources During Construction Doesn’t Cancel Worker Animation
#0171 Sandbox Player: Research Bonuses Not Working
#0172 Sandbox Player: Decals In Snow Map Showing Hard Black Lines When SSAO On
#0173 Sandbox Player: Waterfall And Particle FX Not Respecting Fog
#0174 Sandbox Player: Arrow Trails Not Always Showing
#0175 Sandbox Player: Research And Crafting Complete Sounds Playing At Start Of Game
#0176 Sandbox Player: Crafting Recipes Not Affected By UI Scale
#0177 Sandbox Player: Skeleton Bones Clipping Through Armor

Research won't work in the Barracks and Storehouse.
Tutorial Quest ‘Chop Chop’ sometimes fails to complete.
Wolf Chow’s animations are glitched.
Undead Characters Kit/Skeletal Archer should be hidden.

After 17 patches we’re now saying goodbye to release cycle 0.2.x and welcoming 0.3.x. As players might expect from a major update, we have several headline features to share, as well as a host of bug fixes and game mechanic improvements.

Building improvements are now enabled, with 34 new visual states added in total. At the moment it’s more functional than pretty, and we’ll be improving both aesthetics and function throughout this release cycle. We’ll tie research and crafting options to each of the tiers; introduce new production options that provide additional benefit to your villagers such as better food; and add scaffolding. For now, the key benefit is more workers.

Workbench - the visual modding tool built into the Editor - is maturing rapidly and is now ready to pull together voice acted NPC dialogue, questing, triggered events and heroes. We’ve used Workbench to add a voice-acted sandbox tutorial map to introduce new players to Folk Tale. This is a transformational patch opening the valve so that RPG content can start to flow, providing meaning and purpose to those who prefer more structured play in the form of faction campaigns, over say the openness of sandbox.

To help new players and those who haven’t played since the original tutorial, we’ve added phase one of the voice acted sandbox tutorial. Taking what we’ve learned from phase 1 of the new tutorial, in this release cycle we’ll be working on implementing the Gladefolk and Withering Dead faction storylines. The art assets are ready, the scripts are approaching final draft, and the voice actors are primed.

Players who found the pan and rotate speed too slow will be pleased to hear that we’ve added control sensitivity to the settings menu. Hit escape, open settings, then click the last tab on the left.

Bug squashing continues, and research should be working once more. We’ve not had a chance to resolve the Barracks/Storehouse research mechanic yet, but research in all other buildings should now be working as expected, including the Tailors Emporium. Roads are saving once again, and items are stacking properly in the inventory.

And finally, for this patch, we’ve reverted back to DirectX 9.0c temporarily.

Hi Everyone,

With today's latest patch (0.2.16), we've broken the install for Windows players. We're working on resolving the problem. We're posting status updates in the following topic:
http://steamcommunity.com/app/224440/discussions/0/618458030661853492/#p2

Thanks for your patience and support.

Folk Tale Dev Team

PC, Mac

Sandbox Player: DirectX 11 Now Default, With Fallback To DirectX 9.0c
Sandbox Player: Woodcutters Receive Plant Sapling Ability (Consumes Seeds)*
Sandbox Player: Seeds Are Now A Resource, Dropped By Monsters
Sandbox Player: Topbar Changed To Add Resources; Removed Stockpile Dialog
Sandbox Player: Buildings Can Now Be Constructed Over Resources**
Sandbox Player: Advisor Queue Added For Priority Voices (e.g. Tutorial Quests)
Sandbox Player: Walls Are Now Easier To Place
Sandbox Player: Objects Blocking Building And Wall Placement Are Now Highlighted In Most Cases
Sandbox Editor: Workbench - Visual Modding Tool Added***

Sandbox Player: Characters Get 30 Seconds Immunity After Recovering From Sickness
Sandbox Player: Roads Removed From Maps
Sandbox Player: Food Rations Removed From Wagon, Making Foraging More Important
Sandbox Player: Goods Are Now Only Removed From Inventory When Villagers Arrive At The Point Of Transfer Rather Than Removing Them Before They Set Off
Sandbox Player: Global Inventory Now Shows All Goods Be They In Storehouses, Being Carried, Or In Buildings
Sandbox Player: Character Collider Radius Increased To Make Selection Easier
Sandbox Player: Bakery, Butchery, Windmill and Fishing Hut Now Transfer Food To Storehouse. Food Now Bought From Storehouses.
Sandbox Player: Working Peasants Now Return Resources To Any Appropriate Building, e.g. Wood to Wagon, Woodcutter Hut or Storehouse
Sandbox Player: Need For Protein and Vegetables Starts When Culture Score Passes 30
Sandbox Player: Need For Firewood Starts When Culture Score Passes 35
Sandbox Player: Popup Confirmation Added When Save Game Successful
Sandbox Player: UI Tweaks (Font Change, New Text Rendering System For Improved Clarity, Button Hover States, Removed Background From Resource Proximity Locators)
Sandbox Player: Day/Night Cycle Extended, Crossfade Takes Longer
Sandbox Editor: Ice Palace Kit Overhauled
Sandbox Editor: 67 Kit Pieces Added (Ice Palace, Grassland Glade Props)

#0090 Sandbox Player: Trebuchet Class Deer As Enemies
#0149 Sandbox Player: Large Tree Stumps/Berry Bushes Not Cleared When Placing Building
#0153 Sandbox Player: Advisor Says Several Things At The Same Time
#0156 Sandbox Player: Woodcutter Harvests 5 Wood When Manually Ordered To Chop, Should Be Greater
#0157 Sandbox Player: Workers Don't Clear Closest Resources To Buildings First
#0158 Sandbox Editor: Bounding Box Doesn't Show On WorldObjects After First Selection
#0159 Sandbox Player: Building Walls After Placing Gatehouse Can Result In Perma-Smoke Cloud
#0160 Sandbox Player: Villagers Hammering Thin Air After Deleting A Wall Section Under Construction
#0161 Sandbox Player: Minimap Is White When Playing Crypts Map
#0162 Sandbox Player: When Constructing Walls, Removable Objects Under Walls Removed Even If Not Enough Resources
#0163 Sandbox Player: Small Ore And Stone Resources Not Giving Same Output

Paths Aren't Saving In Map Files
Several Ice Palace Props Are Broken
Several Construction Kit Props Are Broken
Some Systems Kit Pieces Cannot Be Used Or Selected If Placed (Save And Reload Map In Editor)
Zombie in Undead Kit Is Broken - Don't Use

We’d like to remind players that the default build for Windows is now 64-bit, which the vast majority of players are using. Players with older 32-bit versions of Windows will need to opt in to the 32-bit build. For more information, please visit http://steamcommunity.com/app/224440/discussions/0/540744474771635312/

* To plant multiple saplings, once the Woodcutter’s special ability is activated, left click will place one after another, until you run out of seeds or you right click to cancel.

** Resources that will be destroyed are highlighted in yellow. Blocking objects preventing construction are highlighted in red.

*** Workbench is the visual scripting modding tool integrated into the Editor. Press ‘Y’ to access it. We’ve written the Workbench Guide to help get you started, and you can watch the last two Dev Hangout videos on http://youtube.com/gamesfoundry.

We've iterated on the way economy inventory works to reduce player confusion. Crafting can now draw on goods in transit, so if peasants run off with all your Firewood, you can still craft items that require it as an ingredient (for example Plate Armor). We draw directly from the peasant’s carry load so their final delivery is smaller. Basically you can steal back your Firewood!

In March we cleared out the remnants of the old tutorial from the project, significantly changing the structure of the installation footprint. The patch size is therefore much larger usual.

PC, Mac

Sandbox Player: DirectX 11 Now Default, With Fallback To DirectX 9.0c
Sandbox Player: Woodcutters Receive Plant Sapling Ability (Consumes Seeds)*
Sandbox Player: Seeds Are Now A Resource, Dropped By Monsters
Sandbox Player: Topbar Changed To Add Resources; Removed Stockpile Dialog
Sandbox Player: Buildings Can Now Be Constructed Over Resources**
Sandbox Player: Advisor Queue Added For Priority Voices (e.g. Tutorial Quests)
Sandbox Player: Walls Are Now Easier To Place
Sandbox Player: Objects Blocking Building And Wall Placement Are Now Highlighted In Most Cases
Sandbox Editor: Workbench - Visual Modding Tool Added***

Sandbox Player: Characters Get 30 Seconds Immunity After Recovering From Sickness
Sandbox Player: Roads Removed From Maps
Sandbox Player: Food Rations Removed From Wagon, Making Foraging More Important
Sandbox Player: Goods Are Now Only Removed From Inventory When Villagers Arrive At The Point Of Transfer Rather Than Removing Them Before They Set Off
Sandbox Player: Global Inventory Now Shows All Goods Be They In Storehouses, Being Carried, Or In Buildings
Sandbox Player: Character Collider Radius Increased To Make Selection Easier
Sandbox Player: Bakery, Butchery, Windmill and Fishing Hut Now Transfer Food To Storehouse. Food Now Bought From Storehouses.
Sandbox Player: Working Peasants Now Return Resources To Any Appropriate Building, e.g. Wood to Wagon, Woodcutter Hut or Storehouse
Sandbox Player: Need For Protein and Vegetables Starts When Culture Score Passes 30
Sandbox Player: Need For Firewood Starts When Culture Score Passes 35
Sandbox Player: Popup Confirmation Added When Save Game Successful
Sandbox Player: UI Tweaks (Font Change, New Text Rendering System For Improved Clarity, Button Hover States, Removed Background From Resource Proximity Locators)
Sandbox Player: Day/Night Cycle Extended, Crossfade Takes Longer
Sandbox Editor: Ice Palace Kit Overhauled
Sandbox Editor: 67 Kit Pieces Added (Ice Palace, Grassland Glade Props)

#0090 Sandbox Player: Trebuchet Class Deer As Enemies
#0149 Sandbox Player: Large Tree Stumps/Berry Bushes Not Cleared When Placing Building
#0153 Sandbox Player: Advisor Says Several Things At The Same Time
#0156 Sandbox Player: Woodcutter Harvests 5 Wood When Manually Ordered To Chop, Should Be Greater
#0157 Sandbox Player: Workers Don't Clear Closest Resources To Buildings First
#0158 Sandbox Editor: Bounding Box Doesn't Show On WorldObjects After First Selection
#0159 Sandbox Player: Building Walls After Placing Gatehouse Can Result In Perma-Smoke Cloud
#0160 Sandbox Player: Villagers Hammering Thin Air After Deleting A Wall Section Under Construction
#0161 Sandbox Player: Minimap Is White When Playing Crypts Map
#0162 Sandbox Player: When Constructing Walls, Removable Objects Under Walls Removed Even If Not Enough Resources
#0163 Sandbox Player: Small Ore And Stone Resources Not Giving Same Output

Paths Aren't Saving In Map Files
Several Ice Palace Props Are Broken
Several Construction Kit Props Are Broken
Some Systems Kit Pieces Cannot Be Used Or Selected If Placed (Save And Reload Map In Editor)
Zombie in Undead Kit Is Broken - Don't Use

We’d like to remind players that the default build for Windows is now 64-bit, which the vast majority of players are using. Players with older 32-bit versions of Windows will need to opt in to the 32-bit build. For more information, please visit http://steamcommunity.com/app/224440/discussions/0/540744474771635312/

* To plant multiple saplings, once the Woodcutter’s special ability is activated, left click will place one after another, until you run out of seeds or you right click to cancel.

** Resources that will be destroyed are highlighted in yellow. Blocking objects preventing construction are highlighted in red.

*** Workbench is the visual scripting modding tool integrated into the Editor. Press ‘Y’ to access it. We’ve written the Workbench Guide to help get you started, and you can watch the last two Dev Hangout videos on http://youtube.com/gamesfoundry.

We've iterated on the way economy inventory works to reduce player confusion. Crafting can now draw on goods in transit, so if peasants run off with all your Firewood, you can still craft items that require it as an ingredient (for example Plate Armor). We draw directly from the peasant’s carry load so their final delivery is smaller. Basically you can steal back your Firewood!

In March we cleared out the remnants of the old tutorial from the project, significantly changing the structure of the installation footprint. The patch size is therefore much larger usual.

Workbench, the node-based visual scripting environment in Folk Tale promising to democratize modding.

For larger clickable images, please visit:
http://blog.gamesfoundry.com/2015/03/folk-tale-dev-blog-33.html


With the village building, economy and RTS controls maturing into a very playable state, and Load/Save added a few patches ago, team effort is firmly focused on delivering assets and systems to support the RPG side of Folk Tale. That means storyline, questing, heroes and factions. It's the juicy campaign goodness often missing from sandbox that provides context, purpose and flavor.

Campaign and sandbox are not mutually exclusive; campaign can sit comfortably within a sandbox framework and players can dip in and out of both as they please. Having developed the sandbox framework to drive world mechanics, I'm pleased to be revealing Workbench, our visual modding tool for Folk Tale. We've removed the need for writing lines of complex programming code, democratizing modding by lowering the barriers to entry.



Workbench is a node-based visual scripting environment similar to those found in game development engines as an alternative to programming. It's an easy to grasp visual environment that's great for level designers who don't have technical skills, but whom still require fine control and power over their environment.

Nodes provide access to objects, events, and commands within the game. For example, you might want the player to meet an NPC, fire off a branching quest dialogue, remove ingredients from the player's inventory, walk to a crafting anvil and forge an epic weapon, before returning to give the player their reward. Or perhaps a helpless traveller needing an escort through bandit territory to safety? That's all possible with just a few clicks, no programming required.

By investing heavily in framework and editor tools, we're building in replayability, longevity and value from the ground up. Had Folk Tale development continued as a linear campaign game, players would have played through the game a couple of times, before relegating it to the virtual shelf to collect dust. By empowering players to create worlds, the community can enjoy new experiences by downloading new maps and worlds.

I'm genuinely stoked about the possibilities Workbench brings to Folk Tale. It's the modern day equivalent of sitting down as a Dungeon Master with a pencil and graph paper, planning out environments and encounters for players to enjoy.

Workbench will be available in a patch update at the end of April.


Of course, we need content to deliver a superb RPG experience. So today we're also taking a first look at factions. In Folk Tale, each biome (grassland, swamp, snow etc.) has two opposing factions, each with fleshed out storyline, quests and heroes for players to unlock and add to their adventuring party. We're working on the first two factions that reside in and around the grassland biome, namely the Withering Dead, and the Gladefolk.

Spoiler alert. You may not want to read beyond this point if you want some of the storyline to remain a surprise. Please note that storyline may be subject to change.



Withering Dead

The Withering Dead are a necromantic faction residing in the dank, dark recesses of the world where the dead are laid to rest. Mordich, gatekeeper to the Plane Of Shadows, is raising a legion of undead to work in his cheap sandals factory in an attempt to pay the bills. With people living longer following the publication of the bestselling Tome Of Healthy Living, times have become hard, and moonlighting from his regular job of reaping seems like a great option.



After suffering the loss of her husband Brom at the hands of bandits, Lilith sealed a deal with Mordich that saw her summon him to the Physical Plane. In return Mordich would teach her the ways of Necromancy so that she could summon Brom's spirit and return him to life. As months turned to years, the shadow magic corrupted Lilith's soul, and her good natured spirit was replaced by something much more sinister.



Having arrived in the Physical Plane, Mordich summoned the spirit of Bonefinger, an ancient dragon from the Plane Of Shadows, binding it to the corpse of a recently dead and rotting dragon. From the primeval era, Bonefinger is a truly grueomsome behemoth capable of spewing acid breath, causing terror with it's roar, and slaming down opponents en masse with its powerful wings.



While Mordich's sandal factory is filled with an army of animated skeleton workers, Mordich also controls zombie harvesting gangs that raid the Gladefolk's Everbloom Pastures in search of the magic flowers that contain the energy he needs to power his factory.



Gladefolk

Over in the Glade, Nara, Earth Mother, is enraged by Mordich's raids, and is pushing back against the rot and decay that the zombie harvesting gangs leave in their wake.



With the help of her daughter, Willow, Nara plots to put Mordich out of business and banish him back to the Plane Of Shadows.



Summoning the behemoth Mossclaw to defend the Everbloom Pastures, Nara sends Willow on an epic journey into the underworld, where she'll resist the corruption of her soul and discover the Bone Phylactery that channels Mordich's life force between planes.



It's up to players to choose their moral stand point and help whichever side they please. Help the Withering Dead, and Mordich will lavish players with otherworldly items of immense power while corrupting the natural world. Help the Gladefolk, and you'll have Nara's thanks and Willow's restorative magic. It's never black and white in Folk Tale.

Neutrals

Not all heroes the players meet will be aligned to a faction. Some pursue their own agenda, and players can unlock them by helping neutral heroes on quests. Ser Gregory, a heavily armored tank, will be the first hero to be added to the game.