• NPC conversation bubbles - You can now read all text in conversations much more slowly and still get the main point.
  
• Claiming more vehicles bug - You can now claim all the vehicles for which you have available slots.
  
• Random Encounters in ancient ruins - Our bad! Now you can actually get rewards from ancient ruins!

[YLD-53877] Fixed: Cut scenes on Story ylands are 2 times faster.
[YLD-53890] Fixed: Vehicles will be only auto claimed on construction when there are available free slots.
[YLD-53891] Fixed: When deleting an yland in a region other than the one the player is currently in, the exploration map refreshed with data from the region the player is currently in - instead of the one they're looking at.
[YLD-53951] Fixed: Issue when companion would be set free and indices of elements in the UI rm menu would not match db indices of companions.
[YLD-53961] Fixed: Recipe for cobalt ingot is now in correct workstation.

[YLD-53896] Fixed: Editor: Naming custom variables/functions with the same name as dev properties/functions can cause problems.

Fixed: Drop from animated furniture.
Fixed: "Laugh" emote is not available in the radial menu.
Fixed: Placeholder emote definitions are visible in the radial menu.
Fixed: Some Ancient Random Encounters have an inaccessible Encounter Secret.

Are you ready for the latest update? We are, and we hope you'll find it enticing since this update is bringing something MORE to the game!




One ship simply doesn't cut it. Every adventurer knows that. Finally, the solution is here! Now you can claim far more ships, boats, cars, and other vehicles. See the radial menu and shop to get your limit expanders so you can show off in front of your friends!


Whether you are based in the arcitcs, temperate or tropical, some things don't change. More animal companions are ALWAYS better. There is nothing worse than not being able to catch them all. Well, not anymore! Not only can you get companion limit expanders, but the animal baits have also been refreshed. Befriending those cutie pies has never been so simple.



Playing with friends has never been so easy! Feel free to start your multiplayer sessions directly from the Region Map in Adventure mode and change them to any type on the fly. What's more, you can now rent servers even for just 7 days, and we've changed them so that any group travel you want to undertake with your friends is as easy as it can get.


As always, you can find all the changes here in the changelog: https://ylands.com/community/topic/32896-24-fleet-friends-changelog/


Stay Classy!

You said you wanted to flex with your stylish ship or car and we heard you. Now you can claim more than one and switch among them as you see fit! You can get the limit expanders via store/radial menu.


Playing with your friends is now easier than ever, as we have streamlined the multiplayer game setup and made it more user-friendly. Multiplayer sessions can be created directly from the Region Map in Adventure mode and can seamlessly be changed to any type on the fly.


Rented servers can now be purchased for 7 days to make them more accessible. Additionally, they can function as a travel server. When traveling to a different scenario, the server owner can swap the current scenario with the destination scenario on a single Rented server slot. This makes group travel much more convenient.


We made some small changes to the way animals are tamed. Baits now have to be deployed instead of just placed, attract animals more reliably and all the animals take the same amount of time to actually eat the bait (heartfelt sorry to all rhino tamers).


Even more types of animals can now become your companions and it's easier and more fun to tame them. You can also expand your companion slots to hold up to 30!


We have changed the old aggressivity and animal baiting indicators to new, flashy variants. These also direct you outside of your field of view, so you can be aware of those pesky badgers in time this time.


Let the world see how great you look! Your avatar portrait now reflect what cool clothing you wear.


Did you ever want to quickly access the Tech Tree? We know you do and so you can now do that via the "P" key.

• Custom scenario localization: added UI to simplify localization key editing, importing and exporting.
  
• Custom Interactions are now Custom Actions.
  
• New Game Logic called Action which can be referenced on objects.
  
• Up to 3 Custom Actions can be defined on an entity (including items held in hand).
  
• Added ability to use animations for Custom Actions.
  
• Game Logic objects can now be snapped to vehicles in the editor (this does not apply to Game Blueprints).
  
• Drag and Drop to reorder items in NPC and Container inventories.

• Animated Furniture
  
• Jötunnlin
  
• Mutated Golem Alpha
  
• Mutated Hyena Alpha
  
• Mutated Tiger Alpha
  
• Mutated Puma Alpha
  
• Mutated Wolf Alpha
  
• Mutated Bear Alpha
  
• Mummy Warrior
  
• Automaton Enforcer
  
• Automaton Sentinel

• Mountaineer Armor set
  
• Lantern Backlight
  
• Light Bulb Backlight

• Mythical Fishing Rod
  
• Alien Hand Drill
  
• Monofilament Knife

• Stone Plank
  
• Copper Plank
  
• Steel Plank
  
• Mason Statue
  
• Lady Automaton Statue
  
• Sir Automaton Statue
  
• Engineer Statue

• Tall Mast With Sails
  
• Spanker Sail
  
• Copper Blocks
  
• Roped Log Joints
  
• Wooden Ship Window (2 variants)
  
• Steel Ship Window (2 variants)
  
• Trash Bin
  
• Roof Blocks (Steel, Straw, Wood)
  
• Completing various missing block sets

• Exploring Emote
  
• Sad Emote
  
• Job Done Emote
  
• Bossy Emote
  
• Impatient Emote
  
• Yawn Emote
  
• Air Heart Emote
  
• Sniffing Emote
  
• Yeehaw Emote
  
• Chicken dance

[YLD-41660] Added: Popup with ship details will now display the preview of the ship in question.
[YLD-53382] Added: Info about number of container slots / power of engines + masts / usable power by vehicles to a crafting menu.

[YLD-40159] Added: VS: Transform direction / Inverse transform direction script tiles.
[YLD-40295] Added: VS: Rotate around script tile.
[YLD-52404] Added: VS: Relation lines between objects when you use just variable/function from script of another object.
[YLD-52500] Added: VS: You can now set custom functions to be displayed vertically by default. (one argument per line).
[YLD-52501] Added: VS: Global storages can now have attached Logic storage in editor.
[YLD-53214] Added: VS: Add Enable custom camera <player> <camera> <blending style> <blending time>.
[YLD-53246] Added:: VS: Remove diacritics script tile.
[YLD-53257] Added: VS: Weld entities script tile.
[YLD-53612] Added: VS: Is Local Player Ready script tile.
[YLD-53640] Added: VS: On local player ready event for single player games.

[YLD-52823] Added: Editor: Option for scenario settings to disable stamina feature (to have infinite stamina).
[YLD-53496] Added: Editor: Export button for Data set GL so it is easier to review which data you have currently imported.

Added: "TINY" landscape preset that fits into default universal area.
Added: You can now see visual of ship in ship UI. 
Added: Automaton statues.


[YLD-53183] Tweaked: Explore: when you learn a new recipe from RE then you will see its image in notification.

[YLD-49741] Tweaked: Wind direction in new map will point from player position to center of the map.
[YLD-52452] Tweaked: GUI: inconsistent behavior of pets/costumes tab when you have nothing selected.
[YLD-52796] Tweaked: The free-placing indicator will no longer bounce when it's hiding. It's sad you no longer need it, after all.
[YLD-53028] Tweaked: Usable items for blueprint are now shown first in the project table UI.
[YLD-53232] Tweaked: /unstuck command now always acts like the mode 1 (/unstuck 1), modes 0/2/3 were removed and the syntax is just /unstuck.
[YLD-53702] Tweaked: The white panther in the Druid House random encounter is no longer friendly, just indifferent.

[YLD-52268] Tweaked: Editor: You can now use decimal comma ',' in properties window for decimal numbers.
[YLD-52766] Tweaked: Editor: Spot light's angle is now limited to 175°. It is not working well above this value.
[YLD-52934] Tweaked: Editor: changing property sliders for Light game logic now have immediate visual effect.
[YLD-53585] Tweaked: Editor: .ylands file name do not use |ct| anymore. Instead there is a valid English translation.

[YLD-52641] Tweaked: VS: String literals now supports multiline input.
[YLD-53038] Tweaked: VS: Text variant of VS script now does not add number in the end of each variable/function identifier.

Tweaked: Smaller Mythical Animals now run closer to the bait instead of walking at the beginning of the scripted encounter.
Tweaked: New monsters were added to random encounters (mummy warrior, animated furniture, jotunlinn and automatons).
Tweaked: Since you can have more companions now we create separate categories for tamed animals and companions in radial menu.
Tweaked: Axes which cannot be used in crafting are no longer stored in toolbox.
Tweaked: New mutant alphas replaced the old alpha bear which spawns during night in adventure.
Tweaked: Any new multiplayer game has turned OFF PvP by default.
Tweaked: Players with visitor coop rights can no longer summon animals.
Tweaked: Bronze Plank is now made in Copper Caster.
Tweaked: Crickephant animations removed overscaling of it's trunk due to scales on Trunk03 joint.
Tweaked: Removed minimal required dig strength for Rock voxels.
Tweaked: Better hand and spine movement in player Pet Ostrich animation.
Tweaked: Better spine movement in Player Pet Rhino animation.
Tweaked: Exposed emotes for editor updated.
Tweaked: Polished player movement in Bear Pet animation.
Tweaked: Bear Combat Walk is matching Combat Idle for better transitions.
Tweaked: Big Cat's Combat Walk has pose more closer to Combat Idle resulting in cleaner transitions.
Tweaked: Increased spawn rate of eggs in bird nests.
Tweaked: Propeller Pack discovery node no longer costs Exploration Points.
Tweaked: Elemental weaknesses of enemies are more significant.
Tweaked: Temperate made little bit less grindy.

Tweaked: VS: Switched positions of Enum and Variable main categories.


[YLD-21272] Fixed: Respawning on a different yland temporarily shows weather from previous yland.
[YLD-29710] Fixed: Drinking tea and coconut drinks should have proper sound now.
[YLD-49357] Fixed: Connecting certain types of unsupported controllers should no longer confuse the input system.
[YLD-49723] Fixed: Map generating: surface cave is sometimes connected to a sea cave.
[YLD-52324] Fixed: Store BP section header layout (button icons overlaping button borders).
[YLD-52578] Fixed: Free-placing indicator on mobile should correctly size to fit its contents and will now be located on the left side of the screen.
[YLD-52757] Fixed: Droping BP camera will disable the related actions.
[YLD-52919] Fixed: Equip command now checks also inventory containers when used.
[YLD-53013] Fixed: Incorrect hands in profile window after being in creative and equiping costume.
[YLD-53166] Fixed: Lowering hardness of rock so players can flatten/smooth terrain.
[YLD-53341] Fixed: Recipe for mud moloch bait has correct seed now.

[YLD-51376] Fixed: Editor: Plus button in value slot of array tiles in CT doesn't update correctly based on array's data type.
[YLD-51990] Fixed: Editor: Undo does not work correctly for moving child groups with Custom tool's script.
[YLD-52145] Fixed: Editor: Object storage variables don't reflect type change in properties of objects with assigned storage.
[YLD-52988] Fixed: Editor: Updating script module can cause delete some function calls.
[YLD-53200] Fixed: Editor: Camera transitions between static cameras could behave not as expected.
[YLD-53479] Fixed: Editor: Active FPS camera in Creative/Adventure mode affects visibility of player in custom game with a custom camera.
[YLD-53581] Fixed: Editor: Player can still jump using W in game using side scroller camera even though jumping is disabled for him.
[YLD-53646] Fixed: Editor: There is a label with animal name next to animals for animals which are set to be not interactable.

[YLD-52609] Fixed: VS: Update/Fixed updates triggers even if game is paused.
[YLD-53339] Fixed: VS: Function with recursion can cause crash when saving the game.

[YLD-53032] Fixed: Blueprints: "Active" on "use blueprint" button isn't present on PC.
[YLD-53163] Fixed: Mobile UI: Incorrect string in profile window : add credentials.
[YLD-53238] Fixed: Terrain: Player respawns under the terrain when dying on specific position.
[YLD-51585] Fixed: GUI: Full inventory icon disappears after reconnect.
[YLD-51662] Fixed: GUI: Cannot use craft more in certain cornercase.
[YLD-52221] Fixed: GUI: Delete account button is not functional after you close ''are you sure'' dialogue (the popup now closes upon changing your mind).

Fixed: You are stuck in loading if you close steam overlay quickly with escape (this is driven by Steam backend and there's nothing we can do to properly fix this, so we added a Cancel button to the specific loading overlay).
Fixed: Several encounters were missing tasks and could not be finished properly, should be fixed now.
Fixed: Several random encounters have inaccessible secrets, should be fixed now.
Fixed: Fortress library mystery yland should no longer remove your unique items like Cosmic ray shooter.
Fixed: Camera is no longer faster in editor when you are in energy mode.
Fixed: Many phones including iphones 13-15 should now her proper audio.
Fixed: Some hats missing the Head tag.
Fixed: Recently played games search does not filter the files correctly.
Fixed: Garden Fence recipes in Wooden Fence group.
Fixed: An issue where secondary action trigger mapping for gamepad input devices was ignored.

Ahoy Ylanders,

We've been hard at work on the upcoming update, which we titled Fleet Friends. And before we release it, we bring you the experimental build!

Available only to Steam users, the Experimental build offers you guys a chance to:

• test upcoming features & changes
  
• report any bugs & provide early feedback (#experimental_build room on our Discord server is a great way to do that)

HOW TO TRY THE EXPERIMENTAL BUILD

1. Go to your Steam library and right-click Ylands
   
2. Select Properties, click the "Betas" tab, and enter "YExperimentalPublic" as the password (excluding the double quotes)
   
3. This will unlock the "i_will_back_up_my_saves" branch. (Please note that you don't need to back up your saves anymore this is just the name of the branch).
   
4. After selecting the branch and confirming it, Steam will begin downloading the new experimental branch

SUPER IMPORTANT INFO!

• Any progress you make on the experimental build DOES NOT carry over to your live game!!!
  
• When you start playing experimental, we will now copy your live progress into experimental for you. You can try your actual progress in the new update right away (remember that you are playing in a separate environment so it will not affect your progress on live by any means).
  
• What WILL be copied:
  
  - Adventure mode progress,
  - All editor scenarios and tools,
  - Non-protected workshop scenarios and all the blueprints you have uploaded to the workshop
  - All your purchased blueprints
  - All your local blueprints
  
• What WILL NOT be copied:
  - Sharegames
  - Rented servers (if you want any of those maps on experimental, you will need to turn them into singleplayer maps before you start experimental for the first time)
  - Any workshop assets with global user data (leaderboards, game sets, etc)
  
• Do not copy any local files! Any TAMPERING with local data can lead to irreversible loss of progress!!!
  
• Not all features that will be released in the full release are necessarily available in the Experimental build. It is possible that some features available in the Experimental build might be changed, balanced, or removed before the full release.

...with that out of the way...onto the good stuff!



Claiming more boats and vehicles
You said you wanted to flex with you stylish ship or car and we heard you. Now you can claim more than one and switch among them as you see fit! You can get the limit expanders via store/radial menu.

Multiplayer setup simplification
Playing with your friends is now easier than ever as we streamlined multiplayer games setup and made it more user-friendly. Multiplayer sessions can be created directly from the Region Map in Adventure mode and can seamlessly be changed to any type on the fly.

Rented server behaviour changed
Rented servers can now be purchased for 7 days to make them more accessible. Additionally, they can function as a travel server. When traveling to a different scenario, the server owner can swap the current scenario with the destination scenario on a single Rented server slot. This makes group travel much more convenient.

Animal Taming Improvements
We made some small changes to the way animals are tamed. Baits now have to be deployed instead of just placed, attract animals more reliably and all the animals take the same amount of time to actually eat the bait (heartfelt sorry to all rhino tamers).

More companions
Even more types of animals can now become your companions and it's easier and more fun to tame them. You can also expand your companion slots to hold up to 30!

Avatar Portrait
Let the world see how great you look! Your avatar portrait now reflect what cool clothing you wear.

Open Tech Tree with "P"
Did you ever wanted to quickly access the Tech Tree? We know you do and so you can now do that via the "P" key.

EDITOR improvements:

• Custom scenario localization: added UI to simplify localization key editing, importing and exporting
  
• Custom Interactions are now Custom Actions
  
  - New Game Logic called Action which can be referenced on objects
  - Up to 3 Custom Actions can be defined on an entity (including items held in hand)
  - Added ability to use animations for Custom Actions
  
• Game Logic objects can now be snapped to vehicles in the editor (does not apply to Game Blueprints)
  
• Drag and Drop to reorder items in NPC and Container inventories

ACTORS

• Animated Furniture
  
• Automaton Enforcer
  
• Automaton Sentinel
  
• Jötunnlin
  
• Mutated Golem Alpha
  
• Mutated Hyena Alpha
  
• Mutated Tiger Alpha
  
• Mutated Puma Alpha
  
• Mutated Wolf Alpha
  
• Mutated Bear Alpha
  
• Mummy Warrior

APPAREL

• Mountaineer Armor set
  
• Lantern Backlight
  
• Light Bulb Backlight

TOOLS & WEAPONS

• Mythical Fishing Rod
  
• Alien Hand Drill
  
• Vibro-knife

DECORATIONS

• Stone Plank
  
• Copper Plank
  
• Steel Plank
  
• Mason Statue
  
• Robot Statue
  
• Engineer Statue

BUILDING

• Tall Mast With Sails
  
• Spanker Sail
  
• Copper Blocks
  
• Roped Log Joints
  
• Wooden Ship Window (2 variants)
  
• Steel Ship Window (2 variants)
  
• Trash Bin
  
• Roof Blocks (Steel, Hay, Wood)
  
• Completing various missing block sets

ANIMATIONS

• Exploring Emote
  
• Sad Emote
  
• Job Done Emote
  
• Bossy Emote
  
• Challenge Emote
  
• Impatient Emote
  
• Yawn Emote
  
• Air Heart Emote
  
• Sniffing Emote
  
• Yeehaw Emote
  
• Chicken Dance Emote

Ahoy Ylanders!

Welcome to another entry in our developer diary! Today, we’re excited to take you on a journey through the lush, diverse vegetation that breathes life into the world of Ylands. Our team of 3D artists has worked tirelessly to craft the unique plant life that populates each of our distinct biomes. These plants not only add to the beauty of the game but also play a crucial role in your survival and adventure.




In Ylands, the vegetation is divided into five main categories: Trees, Bushes, Plants, Mushrooms, and Underwater vegetation. Each category plays a crucial role in the ecosystem and offers different resources and interactions for players.

Trees, Bushes, and Plants are dynamic elements in the game, each going through three distinct growth stages. These stages represent the plant’s life cycle, from a small sapling to a fully mature form. Over time, you’ll see these changes reflected in the game world, adding depth and immersion to your experience. Notably, trees can be cut down to gather essential resources, which is vital for crafting and building in Ylands.

In Ylands, we have six biomes, each with its own climate and environment. While some are rich in flora, others are more barren and challenging. Here's a closer look at the vegetation that you'll encounter as you explore these varied landscapes:

The Polar Biome is an unforgiving and hostile environment. Here, ice and snow dominate the landscape, creating a barren wasteland where nothing can grow. The lack of vegetation in this biome highlights the extreme conditions adventurers face, emphasizing the importance of preparation and resource management.



The Arid Biome is characterized by its hot and dry conditions, with landscapes that range from savannas to deserts. In this challenging environment, vegetation is sparse but resilient. You’ll find iconic Saguaro cactuses, Opuntias, Sisal agave, and tough savanna grasses. Scattered savanna shrubs and hardy Acacia trees add to the landscape’s rugged beauty. Each plant in the Arid biome is a testament to survival, thriving in one of the harshest climates in Ylands.



In the Temperate Biome, the world comes alive with fresh, green growth. This biome is home to rich meadows and sprawling woodlands, featuring a diverse range of vegetation. Majestic Oaks and elegant Birch trees form the backbone of the forests, while Maples and sunflowers add splashes of color and variety. Cow parsnip can be found in open meadows, its tall stalks and broad leaves swaying gently in the breeze. This biome offers a peaceful and vibrant environment, perfect for those who appreciate nature’s beauty.



The Monsoonal Biome is a place of contrasts, with a humid, green environment that experiences dramatic seasonal changes. This biome is lush and teeming with life, featuring towering Willows, ancient Metasequoias, and sturdy Cedar trees. The vibrant Rhododendrons and delicate Prunella plants add a burst of color to the landscape, while the iconic Bamboo and Cherry trees bring an exotic touch. This biome’s dense vegetation provides a stunning backdrop for any adventure.



The Taiga Biome offers a cold, quiet environment where coniferous forests dominate the landscape. Here, you’ll find towering Spruce and Larch trees, alongside resilient Dwarf pines. The undergrowth is rich with ferns and other hardy plants that can withstand the biome’s chilly conditions. The Taiga’s serene atmosphere, with its dense conifer woods, is perfect for those who seek solitude and peace in the wilderness.



Finally, the Tropical Biome is a humid, overgrown paradise brimming with life. This lush environment is dominated by Rainforest trees and towering palms, creating a dense canopy that shelters a vibrant undergrowth. Banana trees, colorful orchids, and sumac add to the biome’s rich diversity, creating a thriving ecosystem where life flourishes. The Tropical biome’s dense vegetation and vibrant colors make it a truly immersive experience for any adventurer.




Crafting the vegetation for Ylands has been a labor of love. Each plant, tree, and shrub was carefully designed to reflect the unique conditions of its respective biome. We aimed to create a world that feels alive, where every piece of vegetation contributes to the overall experience, whether you're gathering resources, building a shelter, or simply taking in the scenery.

We hope you enjoy exploring these diverse environments as much as we enjoyed creating them. Stay tuned for more insights into the world of Ylands in future diaries.



Stay Classy!

The summer holiday season is in full swing, people are having a great time outside the office, but do you know what makes them excited to come back to work? It's our furry colleagues! We figured we might introduce some members of our team who you probably don't know yet.



Yes, we have our own team. Working in the gaming industry is quite mentally demanding and this is the best way to cope with all the stress. Let's meet the team!

Rocky

This good boy is a senior canistheraphist for Ylands team who is present almost every day and boosts our morale tremendously. He received his canistheraphy license in 2019 (seriously, he passed the test) and is spreading joy in our team for almost year and a half now.




Haiki

She might be small but her dedication to driving away any potential threat is immense! Sometimes, it's a bit too much, as pigeon outside a window can mean an involuntary break from a meeting. Yet, she makes up for it by letting us scratch her belly, so win-win!




Charlie

The smallest of our therapists, Charlie sits at the reception, making sure we are always stocked up on fruit, vegetables and candies.




It would be a pity to stay in the team of Ylands so we've included more Bohemia Interactive pet workers from other teams as well. Especially cats, as they are the most active home office helpers. You know, sitting in your spot, judging the quality of our work or sleeping on our keyboards.







Yes, that's what we do. Whether it's from the office, home office or holiday people are sending their cuties for others to admire. It is called #Random-Aww and everyday you can find photos just like these there. A lot of our furry friends even have their own emoji on our company Slack!





Feel free to share your own pets with us here or on our Discord server: https://discord.com/invite/ylands

As you probably know, it takes a while to create a video game. Once it is done, there is still a long way to go as the testing begins. The story ylands are basically like small games within Ylands and testing them before the experimental is released can get quite interesting. Peek behind the curtain and see some of the more interesting screenshots from our testers. We will go from the least disruptive bugs to the most, so you have something to look forward to.



1. Once the Starcharter sends you here the door should unlock for you. These minor scripting errors are basically must-haves.



2. Off with the heads! Eh...we mean, not the heads but placeholder statues. Yes, even "bugs" like this is what our testers are capable of noticing.



3. How many dogs do you see? Even though someone might see one cerberus those are actually just two dogs in one spot. One bug, two dogs.



4. Let's enter the mobile realm which is abundant with proper bugs! Forget barely noticeable double dog or easily fixed locked door we present you random blank spots! It appears that parts of the Ylands world ceased to exist here. Ooopsie!



5. DANGER! DANGER! PARTICLE EFFECTS OVERWHELM!



But if you played the 3rd story yland you know that we successfully managed to mend all of these. In case you didn't play the story, you should definitely do so! Let us know how you like it once you are done.

In the meantime...

Today, we want to share one of the bugs we've encountered in our game. As developers, we sometimes come across bugs that are more funny than frustrating, and today was one of those days.



While testing costume changes in the profile window, we discovered that when you go into the game and change into any costume, after returning to the main menu, you might be in for a surprise when you check your profile window. Instead of seeing your character in their default outfit, you’ll find them standing there in their undergarments, but with the hands from the last costume you had on still attached.

We reproduced this bug several times with different costumes, and the results were quite interesting.





While this bug has given us a good laugh, it’s something we need to fix.

Sometimes, issues can be funny and easy to solve, but it's not always like that. Some issues are so complicated that we can spend months sending them back and forth until we find a fix.

It is very important to see reports from you about the issues you are experiencing. For example, there are many combinations of hardware, and we cannot have them all in our offices. But if you experience something that we are not, sometimes even looking at your log can give us answers we need to solve your issue.

Thank you for your continued support and for your feedback that helps us make our game more bug-free.

Happy Ylanding and Stay Classy!

Ahoy Ylanders!

Today, we spoke with our Art department about what's coming to Ylands! And we bring you a short peek into the brand new guardian of Arid caves!

Conceptualizing the Arid Hyena
The creation of our new hyena creature for the Arid region in Ylands started with the need for a guardian of the dark, mysterious caves. We chose a hyena for its reputation as a cunning and resilient animal, aiming to evoke a sense of danger and challenge. The goal was to create a creature that fits the harsh, unforgiving nature of its environment. This creature is meant to add a new layer of depth and excitement to the game, challenging players in unexpected ways.




From 3D Model to Life: Crafting the Hyena
We built the hyena directly in Blender, focusing on sharp edges and glowing green crystals to emphasize its role as a cave guardian. Following our pipeline, we skinned the model in Maya to ensure smooth integration with our animation workflow. The final model, with its intimidating stance and piercing eyes, meets our vision of a menacing creature. Every detail was crafted to enhance the creature’s unique and formidable presence within the game world.

Animating the Guardian: Breathing Life into Our Creation
For the animation, we reused the set from the Wendigo, as both creatures share the same skeleton. This approach allowed our artists to add more variations while enabling our animators to focus on other critical tasks. Creating a new animation set is very time-demanding, so reusing existing animations was a practical solution. By optimizing our resources this way, we were able to enrich the game’s animation quality overall.

What are your thoughts? Are you looking forward the the hyena? Let us know! 


Stay Classy!

Ahoy, Ylanders!

Today, we're diving into the creative process behind our latest trailer, which features an exciting live-action segment. We want to give you a behind-the-scenes look at how we bring our trailers to life, blending in-game footage with real-world scenes.

Concept
Every great trailer starts with a concept. We ask ourselves: What do we want to convey? What’s the purpose of this trailer? This stage involves brainstorming ideas and determining the key messages and visuals we want to showcase.

Script
Next, we draft a detailed script. This outlines the individual scenes and specific shots we need. The script acts as our blueprint, guiding the entire production process.

Asset CreationOur fantastic artists get to work building the scenes in Ylands. This time, we went a step further and created a real-life set. We transformed an office into a cozy living room, adding an extra layer of immersion to our trailer.

Capture
With the scenes ready, our super talented video team steps in. Using our internal tools, they capture the scenes outlined in the script. When live-action elements are required, we bring in actors. Luckily, we have an actress on the team—our very own Brand Manager Nikki. She performed in the latest trailer and also did a voice-over for another trailer. Can you find which one it was? Post the link in the comments! (Hint: It was a few updates ago 😉)

EditingOnce we have all the footage, we begin the editing process. We review the scenes, pick the best ones that fit the script, and sometimes reshoot if needed. Our video team assembles the scenes into a rough cut. Once we’re happy with the concept, they fine-tune it to perfection.

SoundWith the final cut ready, it’s time to add sound. We choose the music or have our sound team create something new. In some cases, like with this trailer [link], the music is composed first, and the editing is done to match the finished track. We also add sound effects like creaking ship wood, underwater bubbles, and animal sounds to enhance the experience.

EndcardOur graphic designers create an endcard based on the marketing team’s information. Sometimes, these endcards are even animated, adding a dynamic finish to the trailer.

Final TouchesFinally, we review the finished product, export it in the required formats, and our trailer is ready to share with you!

This ideal process isn’t always smooth sailing. We occasionally face hiccups due to time constraints and need to adapt on the fly. However, we're proud of how this latest trailer turned out. What did you think of it?

That’s all from us for this week!

Stay classy, Ylanders!