With a new season upon us, it's the perfect time for updates in Pixelia! It's been a while since my last update, so I'll be sharing as many details as possible.
This update will be divided into three sections:
What's been done. โ
What's currently in progress. โณ
What's planned for the future. ๐ญ
Important Note: While it is not certain, it is anticipated that your current save files may encounter bugs due to significant changes made to the game in the past few months. These early versions are not stable, and many elements & features are subject to change based on your feedback. Thank you all for your incredible suggestions, ideas, and support!
1) v0.2.0 Update Notes ๐
Let's start with what we've already done:
-Pets ๐ฐ๐ฑ
Beware! Your home has been taken over by our fluffy friends!
We'd like to start by announcing that Pets have been added to the game. Currently, you can have Dogs, Cats, Rabbits, Hamsters, and Ducks roaming inside your home.
Following our Kickstarter goal: New Pets & Vehicles, we will continue to introduce more animal options, potentially expanding to around 20 different animal types initially.
Besides the variety of pets, we will also include special actions & tricks they can perform. Youโll be able to take your pets for walks, feed them, and build relationships with them.
At this early stage, we are focused on adding different animal types and designing their unique features. All these additions will be implemented in future updates.
-New Dialogue Options ๐ฌ
Another exciting update involves our New Dialogue Options!
We've decided to remove the Insult and Blackmail options. In this early version of the game, these options lacked depth and didn't serve much purpose. Based on the feedback we've received, it made more sense to replace them with two new, more meaningful options.
Ask Questions โโ
So.. does the egg come first or the chick? ๐ฃ
You can now ask other Pixelians questions, which are divided into two main categories: General and Private.
This new feature is the first step in giving each Pixelian a unique personality, as their responses will be tailored to their individual character.
You will be able to learn whom they like or dislike, and who their bestfriend is, what they do for a living, what their hobbies are and etc..
In the future, some of these informations will have some effect on your relationship with them. Being friends with their rival will surely have a negative effect. We will also increase amount of the questions and add specific traits for each one of them.
Give Gifts ๐งง
Giving gifts will help you increase your relationship faster, but it will also take a toll on your wallet.
In general, you will also get some Reactions from each Dialogue option you choose.
-Mini games ๐ฏ
Initially the way to develop skills were through mini games. At first, we have received feedback that some mini games were difficult for our players, also to increase your skills, playing 60 seconds of mini games repetitively would not be such a cozy experience in long term.
We've introduced a solution inspired by traditional systems like those seen in other life simulation games.
Your Pixelian will now autonomously practice their skills, but this will slightly decrease their Mood. Excessive practice can lead to exhaustion and boredom, so it's crucial to ensure your Pixelian receives enough entertainment to counterbalance this.
This change applies only to skill practice and development. Mini games will still be part of the game for activities like creating art, composing music, writing a book or for side jobs. This update will prevent mini-games from becoming repetitive.
Furthermore, skill advancement has been optimized for faster progression.
-Homework ๐งพ
The mini-game for attending classes has also been removed.
Now, your Pixelian's classroom success hinges on a combination of factors: their Mood, Intelligence, and level of preparation achieved through homework.
With these elements in mind, your Pixelian's performance in the classroom will be determined.
-Inviting Other Pixelians to your Home. ๐
You can now open your door to other Pixelians and invite them to your cozy space when you have achieved a certain level of relationship.
They'll spend time with you and interact with the objects in your home.
-Interests ๐
Your Pixelian's life would be dull without some interests of their own.
There are currently 6 Main Interests you will see;
Family (More information in Work In Progress)
Pets
Politics (More information in Work In Progress)
Basketball
Music Band
Boxing.
Each interest will come with its own set of requirements, but once you meet those, you'll have the freedom to form a band, establish a political party, join a basketball team, or become a licensed fighter. The decision is entirely up to you!
-Trait Tasks ๐ด
Trait tasks have been adjusted to align with our 'skill practice' updates. Upon finishing each trait task, not only will your Prestige increase, but your Mood will also increase as you fulfill your character's desires based on their Trait.
Additionally, we're actively working on adding more methods to boost your Mood. This is certainly on our radar for enhancements.
-Sprint Can Be Toggled On. ๐โโ๏ธ๐จ
Now you can toggle on Sprint instead of holding the Shift to run. Not only that, sprint will not decrease your Energy at all, so feel free to use it as much as you'd like ๐ค
We're also considering tweaking the sprint speeds based on your character's Strength, providing a more dynamic experience.
Also, for those that have accidentally got into Fighting stance and found themselves in an uncomfortable situations, fret not, we've got you covered! We've included extra icons to guide you on how to deactivate it. ๐
-Minor Updates ๐ฐ
Rent prices are lowered.
Job salaries have been increased
Bus tickets are lowered to half price.
Stats are decreasing slightly slowlier.
Changes/improvements in UI.
Turkish language has been added.
-Minor Fixes ๐งฐ
Previous problem of having to enter the exclusive item codes for each characters is a thing of past now. Exclusive Kickstarter Outfits will be saved for all of your characters now. (You might need to enter the code for once again, just to get it saved).
Sequence error for Super Model job has been fixed.
Being hit by a car after you get out of Art Studio has been fixed.
2) Works In Progress โ
Now let's get to what we are cooking ๐ณ๐ฅ๐จโ๐ณ
While not all features could be included in this update, many are currently in development behind the scenes. I'm eager to discuss these, as they'll certainly find their way into upcoming updates.
-Family ๐ถ
As hinted in the Interests section, our highly anticipated Family feature is nearing its completion. So, what can you expect?
You'll have the opportunity to marry Pixelians, free from any gender restrictions. Additionally, you'll be able to have children through adoption too.
These children will progress through various life stages, starting as babies, advancing to toddlers, and eventually becoming adults. The timing of their growth transitions will be optional, allowing you to control when they age up.
Furthermore, you'll have the ability to educate your children and help them develop new skills. Once they reach adulthood, they'll be capable of contributing financially to your household.
We're considering further optimizing wedding ceremonies, including options to select guests, and incorporating multiple scenes to enhance the experience.
-Pixenville ๐ธ
To Pixelia was originally developed with the idea of keeping the game exclusively within an urban setting. However, why to put any limitations for those that want to enjoy both?
Originally, we aimed to introduce Pixenville alongside our Exclusive Beta Outfit, Pumpkin Pal. However, we decided not to rush its release until it was fully polished.
Soon, you'll have the opportunity to journey to Pixenville via train and immerse yourself in a vibrant new community. You can explore new areas, new jobs and enjoy the natural surroundings!
Fishing, tree chopping, and farming are just a few of the activities awaiting you in Pixenville, along with the introduction of new animals like cows, pigs, and horses. Additionally, you'll have the opportunity to purchase and navigate & customize your own yacht in the lake of Pixenville.
-Elections ๐ณ
Each year, presidential elections will take place, providing you with the opportunity to exercise your right to vote.
You can establish your own political party and actively participate in these elections. However, your success will hinge on the level of effort you've invested leading up to the elections, necessitating the recruitment of assistants for various departments.
Should you emerge victorious in the elections, you'll gain the authority to enact new laws, adjust tax rates, and oversee a plenty of management tasks that lie ahead.
-Museum, Pawn Shop, Cinema, TV Studio and more! ๐ฅ
At the moment, several buildings remain locked as they are still under development.
Museum will be a shop offering unique items that cannot be purchased with money. Instead, you'll need to spend your Pixelian's Prestige Points to unlock new outfits, hairstyles, facial styles, furniture, and more.
Pawn Shop, found in Bottom Town, will operate similarly but will feature random items every day, which you cannot find anywhere else.
TV Studio will provide new career opportunities, while the Cinema will be a place where you can take a date or visit alone.
-Localization
Those langauges are our only way to understand the unique language of our beloved Pixelians. ๐ค
Our Alpha & Beta backers may have noticed that the game was previously only available in English.
But now, we're excited to announce that our Localization process has kicked off, with Turkish becoming the second language added to the game.
Stay tuned for more languages coming soon! Additionally, we're planning to reach out to our community soon to see if anyone would like to lend a hand in this localization effort.
3) What's In The Future?
-Steam Next Fest
๐ We're thrilled to announce our participation in the upcoming Steam Next Fest, scheduled to run from June 10th to 17th. ๐
During this event, everyone will have the opportunity to play a free public demo for a week, and we're eagerly anticipating your participation!
Following Steam Next Fest, we're planning to launch the game shortly thereafter.
Lastly, feel free to join our Discord if you'd like to be part of our community. ๐
A little personal tribute
I'd like to take a moment to pay tribute to my beloved Felix, who passed away a month ago. He was not just my first cat, but the most wonderful companion I could have hoped for. ๐ฑ
Felix was by my side for nearly the entire development journey of this game. I always pictured him staying with me for many years to come.
This update addresses some of the feedback I've had on the A-10 etc...
1. A-10 will now fire more rockets in a salvo. This should guarantee a kill on APCs. IFVs may still survive if they're lucky! However, they will now hold their target and will re-engage if they survive. The 2nd run should get them! หsteamhappyห
2. A-10 will now fire their cannon at a closer range ensuring better accuracy.
3. A-10 will now call out "Guns, guns, guns" properly.
4. Fire zones are now fixed so the A.I. won't wander off after targets outside the initial firezone.
5. A-10 will now report if it is out of targets. You'll need to reposition them manually.
6. A-10 now has its IR textures.
7. Updated the flight model of the A-10 so that it isn't quite as fast in turns when fully loaded and it's roll rate is slower - It now flies in a more realistic manner.
8. Updated the Harrier's gun to the new sound system so that it sounds much nicer!
9. Updated most of the missiles now to have better sound effects.
10. Updated some of the priority logic for rockets and guns so that they will engage APCs before IFVs except when using HEAT rockets in which case they'll go for IFVs before APCs.
11. Wingmen should no longer call out "Rifle" twice when firing their missiles.
I have done what I can to simplify the merger of seasons one and two. If you purchased season 2 prior to season one, all you have to do now is copy the season2.rpa file (as in right-click and copy) and paste it into the game folder where season one is located inside the folder named game. I will do my best to keep adding to the first season this way in the future so it remains everything in one folder and there is a continuation from season to season. I have set everything up for season three within the season 2 script already.
Gather your loved ones, collect some wood for a fire, and snuggle up in a beach chair together to watch the sun set behind the edge of your planet. Itโs time to get cozy!
Gettin Cozy in Lightyear Frontier
Creating a cozy homestead is crucial to feeling at home, especially on a far-away planet! Thatโs why weโve created a system that rewards you with bonus effects in-game for taking your sweet olโ time to decorate.
The Coziness System
Our Coziness system comes with four different buffs thatโll help you thrive on the Frontier: Keen Eye, Animal Friend, Critical Strike, and Bountiful Yield.
To unlock these handy dandy buffs, you'll need to level up your homestead's Coziness level. For each level of Coziness, a new buff will become available. While a humble tent will only give you access to level 1 Coziness, the Mansion can reach the highest level of 4!
Make sure you and your friends stop on by your homestead to activate the buff before heading out on your adventures in the Frontier! The buffs reset at the end of the day, making it an ideal time to return to your farm, drop off collected materials, and get some rest in.
To get the sweet effect of the buffs, build your decorations within the homestead area โ indicated by the surrounding white lines that pop up when youโre placing the hologram! Each piece of decoration built within range will increase your Coziness points, but having different pieces of decorations grants yโall more points than having multiples of the same kind!
Crafting and producing resources is crucial to getting around in Lightyear Frontier, but ainโt nothing cozy about waking up next to a noisy Grinder! Make sure to build your work sheds separate from your homestead area, as they wonโt increase your Coziness value.
Cozy & Family Friendly Games Celebration
Thank you to our friends over at rokaplay for inviting us to be part of this year's Cozy & Family Friendly Games Celebration! Check out some other cozy games in the sale over here
Weโre always looking for ways to make our game even cozier. Let us know what cozy things you like to see more of in Lightyear Frontier in the comments or swing on by our Discord! The door may be a bit rusty, but itโs always open for you, our fellow exofarmers!
Happy decorating!
-- Follow our social pages for the latest on Lightyear Frontier:
This season brings new content, improvements, and fixes to make your gaming experience even more explosive. Letโs dive into the details!
๐ถ New Animal: Introducing Hitz!
Get ready to meet the newest addition to the hyper animal roster, Hitz! This fiery character is sure to heat things up on the battlefield with its unique abilities and style. Donโt miss your chance to add Hitz to your collection and dominate the competition!
๐ New Bomber Pass!
Season 9 brings the new Bomber Pass. Earn exclusive rewards as you progress through the tiers.
๐บ๏ธ New Map Theme!
Explore the new volcano map theme and events that will keep you on your toes!
๐ Bug Fixes
Some pesky bugs reported by the community, like the back button missing for a few players, have been squashed to ensure a more stable and enjoyable experience.
๐ Performance Improvements
Weโre always looking to improve the performance of Bombergrounds. These enhancements mean a faster, more responsive game.
If youโre excited to join our growing community and stay updated with all things Bombergrounds, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/bombergrounds
This June, we celebrate with our LGBTQIA+ Spartans near and far. Halo is a place where everyone can be themselves and we strive for unity and inclusion for all ๐ณ๏ธโ๐
Celebrate with the Unity nameplate by logging into MCC all month long! ๐ซฐ
Greetings Lords of Rigel, while real summer starts later this month we're plugging along on our goal of quality of life features and bug fixes on the road to 1,0 thanks to your input and save games.
The next update will include performance and quality of life fixes including:
Fixes for uncreative species research when gifted technologies
End turn optimizations
Adjustments to threat dialog
Ground combat balance of power display accuracy increase
Hiding dead factions in diplomacy filters
New late game technology for leader XP gain bonuses
Image 1. Rebel scum taking a ringworld, and leaders defecting
Image 2. New endgame technologies
Image 3. Artbook Preview
Your games have been crucial for making sure that systems like rebellions have been working correctly and has allowed for continued tweaks to the AI and finding places where end turn processing might have issues in very long games.
Again, please keep sending us your save files and any issues you might be facing to: contact@rhombus-studios,net