It's september. It's release month. We're making final touches, tests and preparations to allow first beta of upcoming version 3.60 to go live in few weeks.
It is also likely that the first beta will be released for Windows only, and other platforms will follow later on. This is because our OSX and Linux maintainer is super busy this month, and aiming for synchronized release would delay things far onto October.
When the rumble starts we'll be seeing several beta versions on our way towards stable tag as there's still stuff on 3.60 to-do list.

As you may know, the main focus of upcoming version is laid on NPCs and companions. Several new NPC/companion features have been mentioned in previous posts, and we'll hereby highlight one more big addition:


Unoccupied companions now spontaneously help you with many different tasks. Their labor input helps to finish the physical work in shorter time, but doesn't otherwise affect to result or quality of the task outcome. The help companions provide is imagined to be something they can do without specific tools, but the kind which makes it easier and faster to finish the work together.

For example:
* When building a log wall it helps to have extra hands around for moving and setting the logs in place even if the player character would be the one who does the necessary carving.
* When softening the skin with beater as a final stage of tanning process it helps to have somebody around to check, adjust or tighten the skin if necessary.
* When setting and retrieving nets it helps to have somebody to row the watercraft.

The tasks where companions can currently help you are as follows:

* all the building tasks
* building trap constructions
* setting and retrieving nets
* harvestring bark
* tanning stages of cleaning, applying tanning material and final softening
* crafting rafts
* crafting leather ropes
* crafting birch-bark containers and ropes

The tasks are 10-20% faster to perform with a companion and in many cases having multiple helping pairs of hands shortens the time 5-10% more per companion. However, the benefits of helpers is gapped at three (3) companions, so having more than three helpers doesn't shorten the working time any further. It depends on the task how many helpers is the optimal number, and this varies from one to three companions.

Companions do help you with these tasks completely spontaneously, without any commands, if they are free from other chores and can reach the player character. You will be notified about companions helping you with specific messages displayed right after starting the task. These messages also tell if you are being assisted with the optimal maximum number of companions for the task in question. If you receive help from some companion(s), but the task would be even easier with more helping hands the message is, for example, as follows:
"You get some help with this task from Ahti."
And if you have the optimal maximum number of helpers the message is, for example, as follows:
"Tapio, Korjus and Visa help you with this task."


Screenshot of upcoming version 3.60. Companion helps the character with setting the net.

Yes, yes. Yet another version is cooking up. That's not news. That's how it goes with UnReal World.

But what it will be about, and when to expect a release?
That would be more like news. And that's what this post is about.

Summer is always a busy season. There's so much happening that it's hard to even summarize what's happening. Many of the warm days and nightless nights get spent on recreational activities, but working hours in the development chambers have been also been busy and sweaty. Now lets take a look at what has happened, and to where all this is taking us. Some of this stuff may have been announced already, but it doesn't hurt to drool once again.

The main focus of upcoming version is laid on NPCs. This applies to both companions you can hire for yourself, and wandering woodsmen you may meet in the wild. But that's not all. I'll cover some of the upcoming new features in the chunks of text below. I won't add screenshots this time, but a few selected historical image sources from Finnish museums and archives. Some of these may not be era-accurate, but mood and theme suitable nevertheless.


This opens up possibilities for numerous exciting incidents to take place as the woods with hunters and their game now becomes far more alive and complex than before.
The very act of NPCs hunting is propably rarely witnessed by the player character but traces and remains found in the woods can tell a story of another human hunter at the area.
Wandering woodsmen and adventurers may now also occasionally have dog companions with them. And just like the dogs owned by player characters these will also protect their masters.


"Hunter with his gear"


New companion commands are:
* butcher and skin carcasses
* roast meat or fish
* make logs and boards
Companions skills naturally affect to outcome of the tasks so their expertise can be sometimes used to obtain higher quality goods than what the player characters could produce by themselves.
That's cool, you might think. And you also might think of few other tasks companions could do. Indeed. Same here. We actually do have a few more things regarding companions still under construction. Currently we're working on mechanisms to allow unoccupied companions automatically to help you with laborous tasks (eg. building) thus shortening the working time.


Well, we haven't concentrated solely on living things. Here's a few of probably the most interesting additions and features regarding item galore;


It will be possible to harvest and utitilize birch-bark in crafting. Birch-bark is peeled and removed from a tree in long strips which are then wound to a ball for storage. (As a trivia, this kind of balls are called 'Sommelo' in Finnish.)
It will be possible for player character now to craft birch-bark shoes, caps, boxes, baskets - and also birch-bark ropes.


Ball of birch-bark, 'Sommelo'.


Tying equipment such as ropes and cords now have a length property, and tying equipment requirements in crafting are now length based. There will be also options for joining and shorterning ropes and cords as sometimes specific length is desired.


High quality armours and clothes now provide more protection, and the low quality ones provide less. In most cases this covers more than one coverage aspect, but always at least the most important aspect for the item in question.


Shoes and boots now wear out in use ie. when walking or otherwise moving around by foot. Footwear material determines their durability.


Reindeer fur boots, 'Nutukkaat'.


Let this be enough for summery summary about what to expect. Now then there's that other question...

When we're done with those "few more things" still pending to be added it is time to start wrapping things up for a beta release. I'm quite reluctant to set or mention any deadlines as they usually don't keep, but if we think it out loud then...
It shouldn't take more than few weeks to finish the most urgent pending to-do's. Then a week of extensive testing and adjusting the latest additions, and then if everything goes fine it's time to start final packaging.
So...
...we could be seeing first beta of the brave new version in early september. And from there on, what has been laid in there will still be evolving and growing, stabilizing and multiplying.

How's that? Sounds like a plan to me. :urw_sage:

I'm a bit late to announce this but it is live now:
and you can get

Why the announcement is late is because while the sale was launching I was busy attending to 'science-art-forest' themed seminar and workshops at Koli in eastern Finland - a location famous of its hills and cliffs which are well-known national sceneries of Finland.

In addition to presentation about working with the game I also performed an archery demonstration in the most awesome location I have ever shot a bow.

Summer is full of opportunities. Let's not hesitate. Cheers!



Archery demonstration, shooting with Japanese bow.


Giving a presentation about UnReal World and the related stuff..


The highest summit of Koli; "Ukko-Koli".

Things have been cooking and development has evolved up to an extent where a sneak peek of what to expect in the future is in place. We don't have a deadline for the upcoming release, it's a work in progress, but we do know what the core content will be about.

The core content of the next release will focus on NPCs. The most important additions will concern the wandering woodsmen you may meet in the wild and the companions you can hire for yourself. They'll be given a bit more wits, tasks, and meaning for their existence in the game world as follows.



Let's start with few a introductory features regarding NPCs and dogs.

• Wandering woodsmen you may encounter in the wild may occasionally have dog companions with them - and their dogs will also protect their masters.
  
  
• Village dogs are now released out of their pens to roam freely at the village area. This allows dogs to truly protect the village from possible threats. Intruders may be now first greeted with alarm barks and approaching watchdogs.
  
  
• Moreover, all the domestic animals may now have subtle varieties in their coat colors. Adds some flavour, but also makes it easier to distinguish different pets from each others just by their looks.

Free roaming dogs and domestic animal color variety.




NPCs who roam the woods can now actively hunt animals. They seek the game based on their cultural preferences, and within their hunting possibilities. The very act of NPCs hunting, or running after a game, is probably rarely witnessed by the player character but bones and remains found in the woods can now tell a story of another human hunter at the area.

As we know, the hunts can end in unimaginable ways, so many different scenarios may arise from the NPCs now taking their chances with the wildlife - and occasionally maybe even the very same wildlife that you were after.

Witnessing an NPC hunting scene. Seal-tribe woodsman has been met in the wild, and he's busy trying to shoot down a squirrel.




Companion usefulness gets boosted with some new tasks they will be able to do on demand. Currently it's been added:

• butcher and skin a carcass
  
• make logs
  
• make boards

...and the list is likely to grow with a few more crucial tasks. There's a great level of complexity to make companions proceed these tasks with similar detail than the player character so tasks to be added are prioritized with the quality over quantity.

The list of companion commands - so far:


As companion skills naturally affect to outcome of the tasks their expertise can be sometimes used to obtain higher quality goods than what the player characters could produce by themselves. We also need to add an chat option to ask NPCs about their general skills and expertise so you know what kind of craftsman you've hired.

The companion was commanded to butcher and skin one of the reindeers we managed to hunt down. We got meat now, and a fine reindeer skin, which is way better hideworking result than what Jurks could have done in his current condition.



Exciting times ahead.
The work continues, more is to follow.
Stay tuned.


These are future additions - not yet function in current version 3.52

Once again it is time for new video greetings to thank you, dear UnReal World Steam players.

For more than half a decade already we've had a habit of creating characteristic video greetings with varying themes to thank and delight the supporters. These video works have been brought on Steam as a free DLC for UnReal World Steam players.




Feel free to add Video Greetings to your cart if you like. The package now contains six video greetings in total, and more will follow in time.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/505100/UnReal_World__Video_greetings/

If you grab the Video Greetings DLC you'll find the videos within your local UnReal World files in BonusMaterial/ folder. And the game main menu also shows BONUS MATERIAL option which guides you to the right folder.

If you're curious about what the video greetings may be about you can browse the older stuff at:
Enormous Elk YouTube channel.

Cheers!

For the sake of inspiration and related interest how would you like a little picture story from the real world adventures of unreal world developer?


So, I went skiing the other day, and the ski trip then turned into a tracking exercise. Soon after entering the forest I spotted some lynx tracks, but our paths then departed as I went about my own trails.



Later, when returning home, strange curly tracks caught my attention - and sparkled my tracking instinct. I guessed that this might be the same lynx now dragging its kill, and had to confirm the theory.



I scouted the area, found lots of hare tracks, and then the lynx tracks which eventually turned into sneaking tracks as it approached the location.


The hare's last dance with the lynx went to many directions until finally the place where it ended was found, with some hair and (not too old) bloodscape.



There, the lynx had dragged its kill to a more peaceful location for eating it. That was some twenty meters away, among thick young spruce trees. Not much was left of the hare, but a few hairy bits on the snow.



Afterwards, I had to search for my backpack for half an hour as I had left it somewhere on the snow in excitement. :urw_tree:

The time has come for me to start reaching back into the development chambers after the sick leave. My fractured shoulder is still far from fully healed, but computer work seems doable, so here we come development year 2019. Slowly but steadily that is, as the priority remains in exercising the injured arm a lot to increase mobility - rather than to get it stiff from the office work.

Oh boy, little did I know how slowly fractured shoulders heal. Somebody made a remark that this might be my hardcore first hand research on injuries and recovery. :) Well, yes, going through this actually got me thinking of going through game's recovery rules in case of fractured joints. I've been of the arm sling for five weeks now but it will still take months before I can shoot a bow again, and raising the injured arm above the shoulder level is a feat I have been doing reliably only for a week or two. And there's no way I can do it with carrying load of more than few pounds, so any hard work that requires both arms is out of the question. It also takes time to learn to move the arm 'normally' again, as the early pain didn't allow all the proper muscles to be used with some arm trajectories. It is easy to understand how easily deformed body postures are born.

But here I am, dedicated to work on the arm and the game as much as possible during the 2019.
I've gone through the swamp of e-mails lately and hopefully answered to everything urgent - but if you miss a reply, please do re-send your e-mail.
Getting back on the track with the forums will take a bit longer, but soon enough you can expect replies to pop up here and there.

Luckily my physiotherapist has also given me permission to ski, just guaranteed that I do not fall on the injured arm in any circumstances.
2019, here we come.

There went the winter solstice here in the Northern Hemisphere, and we're heading towards the increasing daylight. I've also got my fractured shoulder off the sling by now, but the recovery continues. All the movements are painful, and I'm increasing the range of motion bit by bit. The official sick leave has been extended until January 2019, and my absence from the forums continues.
But you'll be fine, and I'll be back eventually. Thanks for all the warm words and understanding and wishes.

Winter Sale is going on here on Steam so once again it's good time to grab UnReal World for yourself, or gift a friend into the Far North.

And lastly, huge big seasons greetings to each and everyone of you, from the tiny dev and the winter tree. Merry whatever, fellow adventurers!

You know what... During the past two decades it hasn't been too many times that I have been on a sick leave, or unable to work on the game due to medical condition, wounds or injuries. But now a week ago I fractured my shoulder when falling of the horse during horseback archery training. Doctors orders are to wear arm sling for the next two weeks. After that a new xray will reveal how the recovery goes. Luckily no operation was needed. I just have to rest and wait, and so do you. So, I'll enter on a sick leave now and report back after two weeks.

I am mostly unable to answer to emails or at forums, but we'll try to handle the urgent cases somehow. Not to worry, I will survive. Game development and archery endeavours to be continued when the doc says so.

My current wounds and injuries screen looks like this :)

Time for a small but essential patch update. Additions in the now released version 3.52 are foremostly bugfixes for smoother survival, but some balancing of exploitish issues is also featured.

Find the full changelog below.

Cheers!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


** Saved characters from version 3.40-> are compatible with this version. **

- balanced: villagers' interest to buy boards

Previously trading boards could be used an exploit as villagers did buy them without any reasoning. Now there's a cap for villagers' interest in boards and they only buy the amount they want to have as a reserve. This varies from village to village, and some villages are not necessarily interested in player character's board trading attempts at all.

- added: NPCs will store the obtained timber in the village

NPCs may obtain timber (eg. boards) through trading. Previously NPCs just carried the heavy loads around causing unncessary burden for themselves. Now they eventually store the timber in the village.

- added: roasting meat/fish decreases its weight

We tought this was featured already, but no. Now roasted meat/fish loses about 25% its weight in the process.

- updated: NORTHERN BOW game encyclopedia info + image added

- added: new NPC kid portrait

Still not much variety with kid portraits, but if you are into portrait customization more of them can be now added for kids as well -> truegfx/kid?.png

- fixed: character creation extra skill point issue for 0% skills

Increasing and then decreasing skill for 0% level skills mistakenly allowed two points then to be spent on the said skill.

- fixed [rare condition]: quest generation and companion rehire delays

Long lived migrated character might encounter extremely long intervals between new quest generation and earlier NPC companions willingness to be rehired.

- fixed [rare condition]: bird thief quest sages forgetting about the quest

This occurred only with long lived characters. Sages involved in the quest first talked about it normally, but might not recognize the quest anymore after a while.

- fixed: kids not recovering from wounds and injuries

- fixed: young animal skins were worth the same as adult animals skins

Now the price is reasoned according to the skin size.

- fixed: when trading with NPC the accepted items they couldn't carry just disappeared from their inventory after the trade

Now the excess items NPCs can't properly carry are put on the ground as a common village property.

- fixed [rare condition]: aquatic birds flying still above the frozen waters

This was a result of aquatic birds terrain exploration routines failing to find them new meaningful areas to check if the waters at their habitat got completely frozen.

- fixed [rare condition]: irrelevant quest related persons appearing in chat dialog

Sometimes you were given chat options to ask whereabouts of irrelevant quest related persons in the village.

- fixed: young animals giving as much fat as the adults

Now the fat yield from young animals is more or less smaller depending on the cub/calf actual age and size.

- fixed: nameless villagers ie. occasional blank NPC names

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------