Day of Dragons Genesis Open Beta goes live for everyone on July 21st with our first starter dragon, the Shadow Scale. On July 21st the beta client and server will be pushed to Steam default branch and the early Alpha build will be deprecated. Players who update to beta will need to delete their save folders. Detailed instructions are available in both our Steam pinned messages and on our Discord. Server owners will want to visit our Discord to download our new server config guide. Kickstarters with the Beta Access perk and owners of the Acid Spitter DLC can try out the preview Beta 1 week early by switching Day of Dragons to the beta branch.

The Open Beta is just the beginning for Day of Dragons, we still have more content to put in before the game can come out of Early Access (to see the content we are working on check out our roadmap on Trello). We still have more dragons to make, more animations to make, more sounds to make, more biomes to make, we have so much more work to do, but Open Beta is the true beginning of our Early Access game, it's the first taste of the Kickstarter-funded Day of Dragons game. This is what we have been working on for almost 2 years and we cannot wait for you to play it as it is only the beginning of what is to come for Day of Dragons.

We will fly with you all in the Forgotten Forests on July 21st!

Greeting Dragons,

As you know, we do not have a dev blog this month as we are all hands on deck working hard on the Open Beta release coming next month in July (confirmed). With the release of the Beta, it brings with it a new era for Day of Dragons, a completely new and different game than the Alpha, built on a different version of UE4, with many new features, optimizations, and feel. That said, when the Beta releases next month, the old Alpha will be deprecated and no longer available or playable. In it's place will be the new Beta version of Day of Dragons which we have spent the past 20 months since our very successful Kickstarter campaign building from the ground up. It's the reason the Alpha has not been updated in over a year, because we deprecated it, and replaced it with the Beta. I say that because there is a lot of confusion concerning the Alpha. The Alpha was a passion project, the work of one person trying to do it all himself with absolutely no funding, then pitched his idea on Kickstarter hoping to raise $12k to hire someone to make 3 simple models with the hope that after enough time, the game would self-fund itself to where more custom content could be made and added. But Kickstarter didn't raise $12k, it raised over $500k, which enabled us to make a much higher quality and custom game from the ground up than the Alpha was ever planned to be. The funding enabled us to make Day of Dragons the way it was dreamed to be! (Thank you Kickstarters!) Being that we had the funding, there was no reason to spend any more precious time on updating the Alpha, and so we put all of our time into building the Beta, which is so much better than the Alpha in every way. Once you play the Beta, you would never want to touch the Alpha again, the difference is like night and day.



The Day of Dragons Beta is the accumulation of 20 months of hard (funded) work by our small team of developers to bring to you all the promise we made during our Kickstarter campaign, a dragon survival game like no other. We have used the funding to design and create our own models, sounds, animations, mechanics, effects, music, UI, and code - just as we said we would - and have proven the naysayers on YouTube all wrong. We didn't do what they accused us of doing, we didn't do what they said we'd do, we did exactly what we promised we'd do, we made a dragon survival game from the ground up using the funding our backers supported us with - and we're just getting started! It's only been 20 months and we have made tremendous progress! Most games take over 5 years and millions of dollars to finish. We're by no means finished yet, we have A LOT MORE planned for Day of Dragons, just look at our new Roadmap on Trello. But we have come along ways from a Kickstarter demo to a fully functioning game in just 20 months, and I want to thank our dev team for working so hard these past 20 months to get us to the Beta stage.



Day of Dragons has the goal to bring you something truly special, a game where you literally feel like you are the dragon. A game where you can roleplay, a game where you can PvE or PvP, a game with quests, AI boss fights, alpha class progression, secret unlockables, exploration, clans, and the most amazing physics-based flight system you will have ever have experienced in any survival game! The flight is beawesome! We offer server communities the tools to host their own dedicated servers, with custom configuration options to help server admins create the environment they want with the rules they want for their world - and our servers are very stable, highly optimized with very little lag able to host up to 100 players with no issues. We also provide server owners an intuitive admin panel for server admins which makes managing your server communities very easy - and all of that will be available to you next month with the release of the Open Beta as you will be able to host your own Day of Dragons Beta servers. If you want to rent a server, we highly recommend Nodecraft and have been working closely with their team to ensure Day of Dragons server hosting is fully supported.

We have so much planned for Day of Dragons, our devs love our game and we love our community. I hope you are all as excited as we are for the Day of Dragons Open Beta scheduled for release in July (Kickstarters with Beta Access perk will get it a week early). We are passionate about our game, we have goals, we have plans, and we have the vision. Day of Dragons is the Dragon survival game you have all been waiting for - and we are going to prove it to you starting with the Open Beta as we introduce to you all our first flyable dragon (and first starter dragon) the Shadow Scale available to everyone with the Open Beta release in July!

We hope to fly with you all soon!

- Jonathan Slabaugh, Lead Developer for Day of Dragons

Day of Dragon's will be 20% off from June 24th to July 8th for Steam's Summer Sale! With Open Beta coming in the next few weeks, this is the perfect time to grab your copy of Day of Dragons. See you in the skies!





Don't want to miss out on updates? Follow us on our social media accounts or become a patron to get updates before they are released!


Discord | Twitter | Youtube | Instagram

Hello, everyone!



We know our Roadmap image has been out of date for some time and we have been working hard to create an updated and easier to use roadmap.


Well, we'd like to announce that our Trello Roadmap is now live! This new roadmap shows what's in the works all the way up to Update 1.7 and shows exactly what we are working on at any given time.


The Roadmap will be updated as development continues. Please note that things may be changed or moved around.


Thank you again for all of your support!

Day of Dragon's Development Team

Hello again!

We have a lot of exciting stuff to share with you! Our team has been working full speed to get Open Beta out as soon as possible. Testers have had a lot of fun with our new mechanics and we can't wait to show you what we have been working on. But first, a word from our Lead Developer.




I cannot believe another month has passed. Time flies when you work all the time. ːsteamfacepalmː We just put out a small update to the Exclusive Beta that is live on the beta branch currently which is an extension of the holiday free play event. The update included survival mechanics such as starvation and dehydration, animation tweaks, AI to kill and eat, and many other things. We're still working on bug fixes, polish and finishing the Shadow Scale, but everything is coming together nicely, including the new physics-based flight system. Parrot and I were playing on the server yesterday and nested in a few lucky players as Shadow Scales and they were able to learn to fly, which was very amusing for those of us watching. Flight does have a learning curve, but after about 10 minutes, you'll have the hang of it, though it will probably take hours before you master it. It's a unique and fun mechanic that I know you will all love. I spent a lot of time on it especially the networking part to make it as smooth as possible and those animations will make you feel like a dragon.

Open Beta is getting close, we have 2 more test branch updates to push out before we can update the beta branch. Once ready, we'll announce the update to everyone and if everything works well, we'll release the dedicated server to the public and server communities will be able to begin hosting their own servers. We have a lot of server options to choose from including PvP/PvE, Player Cap, Admin/Friends/Ban lists, Nametags, MOTD, and even Discord links. The full list of server config options can be found in our Discord and we'll post them to our Steam page as well once the server is released. Our friends at Nodecraft have already begun setting up their server panels so all the options will be available to you in the server host panel.

By the way, this is the Dragon game you have all been waiting for, you'll see ːsteammockingː

I look forward to watching you all fly in the upcoming Open Beta targeted for Summer 2021. I know I will be there flying as a Shadow Scale. ːsteamhappyː Be sure to hop in the beta server if you can, if you catch us online Parrot or I might take you for your first flight on a Dragon. \o/

- Jonathan Slabaugh
Lead Developer of Day of Dragons



Now its time for the rest of the blog!





Status icons and the effects they represent are now in game on the Test Branch. Hunger and Thirst now show up as a meat (for carnivores) and water drop icons you reach 50% hunger/thirst. Reach 100% of either, and you will begin taking damage until the percentage is lowered.

Other effects are also currently being tested, including Bleed, Poison, and Decay. Bleed reduces your health as long as it is active. It is recommended to lay down or sleep when bleeding, as your healing will increase per tick. Decay, caused by the Acid Spitter's Decaying Bite, eats away at the dragon's stamina and armor. This can ground flying dragons and make them more vulnerable to the drake's attacks.

Poison is currently caused by eating Thornbacked Crawlers and increases your Sickness the more you eat. While the poison itself does no damage, you will want to keep a close eye on your Sickness level. You can sleep off the effects of Poison, or just wait it out.



So what is Sickness? Well, after some testing, we decided that we did not like the Torpor mechanic and decided to replace it with Sickness, instead.



Now, instead of making you fall asleep, Sickness distorts your vision and can cause damage. The only way to decrease your sickness is to sleep it off or wait and hope for the best.




We have a bunch of new in-game mechanics this month, including the Status Effects! Jao has been hard at work coding and has created some beawesome new additions to the game, including the one most have been looking forward to...




Flight v2.0 is now being tested on the Dev Branch! Our new flight system is physics based and unlike any other survival game at the moment. Players will have to manage their velocity and momentum to stay airborne, making AFK flying a thing of the past.



Players will also now be able to swoop close to the ground, but be careful. Crashing is another mechanic in the works and will cause a great deal of damage depending on your velocity.

We've also made a change to flight for babies. While they won't be able to achieve full flight, they will be able to glide if jumping from high places or being dropped in the air.

We still have a few more things to add, like a take-off and landing animation, before flight is ready for Open Beta. However, we are getting closer and soon we will be soaring the skies with you!





Probably the cutest mechanic yet, Hatchling Carry v2.0 is currently being tested in our Testing Branch. Unlike in the Alpha, any proper sized adult (group member or not) can pick up and carry a baby. However, babies will be able to break free from the adult's grasp by struggling. Struggling also reduces the adult's stamina, making it harder to chase after the baby again.

Hatchlings will automatically be dropped if they grow too large and can be carried while flying.




Our team is working full speed to prepare for the Open Beta. Check out what our other departments have done this month.


Flicker has been a busy bird this month. She has been working on several projects at once, including the Flame Stalker's Heat Sense, the Shimmer skin Texture, and the Shadow Scale's Cloaking ability.



The Flame Stalker's Heat Sense is getting some much needed love. The effect will now resemble real life infrared cameras and players can use foliage to hide themselves from a Stalker.



Exclusive skins, like the Kickstarter and Patreon skins, will have an extra effect to them, known as a Shimmer. This effect will give the dragon's scales an iridescent shine that can be passed down to the dragon's offspring.



The Shadow Scale's Cloaking ability will also get a fresh look in Genesis.


While Hao is continuing work at prepping some more models for future updates, Brigade is working on environmental assets for Genesis.



She is creating a generic drake carcass, which will be used for corpses that are nearly emptied. The carcass will have options for varying levels of gore for our squeamish and hardcore fans.

Brigade is also working on some undisclosed projects... but we will leave you guessing for now ;)


Burt, our newest animator, has been working hard on the Magma Elemental. He is finishing up on all of the Elemental's attacks and then moving onto some more of his actions animations. Check out a few of the completed animations!


Magma Elemental Bile Attack


Magma Elemental Swipe Attack

Karly is continuing work on the Shadow Scale. She has created some new adult animations to polish the flight system as well as creating the baby and juvenile versions of all the current animations.


Shadow Scale Take Off


Baby Shadow Scale Hover




What a busy month and we aren't slowing down! We will see you at the end of next month for our next blog post. As always, thank for reading and for your support!





Our next Q&A livestream has not yet scheduled. Stay tuned and watch for updates to find out when the next one will be!





Each blog post, we pick some of our favorite screenshots and artwork posted by the community to showcase here. Want a chance for your submission to be showcased on our next blog? Post it in the appropriate channels on our discord!



by Zenora#2649


by Synder#2521


by Neist_Sakimichi#1785





by ProwlerPaws#1414


by Draka#5202


by mickeyrose97#3400



~The Day of Dragons Development Team



Don't want to miss out on updates? Follow us on our social media accounts or become a patron to get updates before they are released!


Discord | Twitter | Youtube | Instagram

Day of Dragons will be on sale from May 27th to the 31st for Steam's Open World sale! Celebrate infinite exploration with a 10% discount on Day of Dragons and get ready to fly with us in the skies during our Genesis: Open Beta coming this summer!






Don't want to miss out on updates? Follow us on our social media accounts or become a patron to get updates before they are released!


Discord | Twitter | Youtube | Instagram

Hello!

April has flown by! Our team has been hard at work on our daily tasks over here at Beawesome Games. We have a lot of cool new things to share with you as well as some big news. But first, here is the Big Hamster himself...



Greetings Hatchlings,

Another month is behind us and we have been putting the work in and getting a lot done. One of the areas we were bottlenecked in was the area of animation as we only had one part-time animator. Today we are happy to announce that we have added a new fulltime animator to our team who has been working in the gaming industry for many years, Bret Church. You can read more about him below, and check out the latest Spined Scrab video to see Bret's work in action.

The past 12 weeks I have been busy working on design and artificial intelligence. The AI update just hit the test branch yesterday with bug fixes going out today. Things are looking really good and the testers have enjoyed watching the AI hide from them behind rocks and trees. (They get scared cuz they tiny.) It's been a lot of work but I think you will all like it. I decided to design the AI system from the ground up for Genesis 1.0, the old AI system in the Alpha used a third-party plugin for the AI behavior mostly designed for humanoids. Our new AI system of my own design is very robust and fun to interact with. I also designed and built a AI spawning system that stores AI in memory in a dormant state when players are not nearby to save on resources, then when players come back in the area, it wakes the AI back up, this is very similar to how ARK does it and necessary when you have maps as big as ours with AI everywhere. I'm sure you will all love our new AI system when you get to try it in the Genesis Open Test.

Speaking of the Open Test, now with AI out of the way, I am focused on integrating the Shadow Scale with all of its animations into the game along with Flight v2. After that, I will be integrating our newly designed particle FX (thanks Flicker). Once the build passes QA, we'll be pushing it to our public servers for the Public Open Test. We will then focus on adding the Elemental, Flame Stalker, Inferno Ravager, and Spined Scrab. Once all of the characters are in and everything is working well, we'll push out the Day of Dragons 1.0 Genesis update to Steam for all to download, after which the Alpha version will be deprecated.

It's all going to happen quickly and will be here before you know it. I think we're in for an exciting Summer. Thank you all for your support and enjoy our dev blog.

- Jon Slabaugh
Lead Developer of Day of Dragons




Some of you have already seen our new Youtube video, featuring the Spined Scrab. What you might not have known was that the Scrab was rigged and animated by our new full-time animator! We are happy to introduce to you our new animator, Burt (aka mbcburt).

"Hello everyone!
I am a new animator on the dev team. I am now working on creating amazing animations to bring these cool creatures and dragons to life. I am excited to be apart of this game and community! I have worked for many years in both the film and games industry on all kinds of projects ranging from first person shooters, to racing games, role playing, and horror adventure games. With all the types of animations (humanoid, animal, creature, mechanical) that I have had the opportunity to work on, my favorite for sure that I am super passionate about is creatures, especially Dragons. So this is super exciting for me to be animating on this project and I will show that passion in my work and look forward to seeing them the game! :) "
-Burt



With the Spined Scrab now completed, Burt will now be focusing on the Magma Elemental. Expect new updates on the Magma's development in the next Dev Blog!






All but one of the Adult Shadow Scale animations are now complete! Up next we will be making the baby animations which will be a much faster process, since the baby animations are edited versions of the already existing adult animations.

While the baby animations are being created, we will move to testing the new flight system, adding status effects, and adding the visual effects as well.


Drinking Animation


Eating Animation



The first version of our custom made AI system is complete! Right now. our Closed Testers are taking a bite out of these bugs. The Thornbacked Crawler will be the first in the game and will join the Shadow Scale and Acid Spitter in Open Testing. Check out a behind the scenes look at how these creatures think.




Pictured above, you can see the AI's thought process as it decides which location to travel to. Being a passive AI, the Thornbacked Crawler wants to avoid all players (aka his predators) and it needs to decide the best course to go to avoid getting eaten.

The green dots show the best choices while the red, yellow, and orange are less favorable. The AI uses distance and cover to determine the best course to take. If available, the AI will be more likely to choose a locations that blocks it from the player's line of sight and thus can hide behind rocks and trees.




Like the deceased Acid Spitters, the Thornback Crawler corpses will have a rag doll effect, making them limp when carried. Large enough dragons will be able to carry whole AI carcasses to bring to their young or just save for later.

However, Thornbacked Crawlers are not a free meal. These bugs are toxic and eating one will take a hit to your stamina. Make sure you are in a safe place before chowing down on one of these creepy crawlies.


AI Carrying




As always, our other departments are also working hard to get everything ready for Open Testing and beyond. Check out what they've been up to.



Inferno Ravager and Flame Stalker fire attacks

Flicker has been focusing on the fire attacks of the Inferno Ravager and Flame Stalker along with the beam of the Singe Crest. We plan to make the bile attacks of each dragon unique which is why you see a big difference between the fire of the Flame Stalker and Inferno Ravager.


Inferno Ravager fire attack rotating


Singe Crest cauterizing beam




While Hao works on the concept of the Ice Behemoth (likely coming in the next Dev Blog), Brigade has been working on the fish AI that will be joining the game with the Singe Crest. The fish is inspired by Bichirs and Catfish and will be the perfect size to fit inside of its main predator's mouth.





Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for more development news in next month's dev blog.




Our next Q&A livestream has not yet scheduled. Stay tuned and watch for updates to find out when the next one will be!





Each blog post, we pick some of our favorite screenshots and artwork posted by the community to showcase here. Want a chance for your submission to be showcased on our next blog? Post it in the appropriate channels on our discord!



by Minatrix#6615


by Stupid Discord#2668


by Papillon Petit#9342





by Flame#5312


by Milo#3392


by Mossrium6157


Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for more development news in next month's dev blog.

~The Day of Dragons Development Team



Don't want to miss out on updates? Follow us on our social media accounts or become a patron to get updates before they are released!


Discord | Twitter | Youtube | Instagram

Hello!

We have another set of discord questions that we have taken the time to answer.

If you have a question and it wasn't answered here, check out our FAQ on discord. If you don't find the answer there, feel free to ask your question in our discord #dev-q-and-a channel.





Not at this time.
There are currently no plans to mix bile types as breeding can not currently occur between different species.

Yes.
We are currently testing acceleration increases for our next version of flight.

Taller than the in-game mountains.

Not at this time.

For Genesis, just an invisible wall.
If we decide to do something more, it will be later in development of the game.

As of right now, the Shadow Scale.
Having the Shadow Scale in the game and in a playable mode will move us to our next step in development. We are just as excited as you are to see the game move forward, so having the Shadow Scale in the game will be awesome.

At this time, none are planned.
While there are not currently any plans to add other creatures, it could be an option for later in development.

Yes and maybe.
There will be some dragons with unique movements. For example, the Acid Spitter will be the only one of the starter dragons that can sprint (faster than run). It is still not decided if there will be unique mechanics for flight or not.

Not at this time.
The elemental was put on hold while we focused on the AI and Shadow Scale, but his animation process will start again likely next month.

Yes, but not for Genesis.
Guides and other tools will be added eventually, but this will not be until the final part of development. Right now our focus is on creating and perfecting the mechanisms and game play.

Probably.
We plan to eventually have at least one example of every type of dragon in the game.

Elementals will be unique to dragons in several ways. They will be an unlockable species that you must unlock again after death. They are fueled by their element and dragon flesh and must stay close to their element source. They will also not reproduce and each server will have a cap per elemental species. Each elemental will have a unique set of attacks

Yes and no.
There will be environmental collision, but not character collision. This means your dragon can not run through trees, but it can run through other dragons. However, you can not bite or attack through a dragon to hit another. This means young can hide under adults for safety.

Some, yes.
Some species of dragons will be able to perch on larger dragon species, like the micro feathered dragon. We also plan to add a climbing mechanism when the micro is added that will allow some dragons to climb cliffs and trees.

Yes.
Though it will not be in Genesis, there is a sensory system mechanic planned for the game that will include scent.

Yes, but not at this time.
Like in-game guides and tutorials, we plan on adding mechanics to make the game fun for everyone. However, these mechanics will not be added til the final stages of development.

Sometime after the Genesis update, but a date isn't confirmed.

No.
Karly has always been a part-time animator for Day of Dragons. This is not due to budget restrictions as some have claimed, but due to her limited availability. If her availability changes, we'd love to have her as a full-time animator.

Not in Genesis.
However, when crafting is added later in development, items needed for crafting will be interactable and can be carried by dragons.

Yes.
However, piscivore dragons will not receive as much nutrients from other food sources and will have a difficult time hunting non-aquatic AI.

Not at this time.

Yes.
In fact, they already have been and will be added in Open Beta.

When they are ready.
We are working very hard to get the dragons out as fast as we can while still maintaining quality of animations and models. We understand this can be fustrating, but we really appreciate your patience.

Yes.
There will be several maps connected to the Forgotten Forest map through portal systems. These maps include the Lava Lands, Dangerous Dunes, Winter Winds, and the Shimmering Caverns Biomes.

Maybe.
We are planning an aquatic expansion after full release. However, this is not finalized and will be several years away if we decide to create it.






We hope that helps answer some of your questions. We will have another dev blog at the end of this month to discuss more development news. Thanks for reading!

~The Day of Dragons Development Team



Don't want to miss out on updates? Follow us on our social media accounts or become a patron to get updates before they are released!


Discord | Twitter | Youtube | Instagram

Hello everyone!

Wow! We had an amazing 76 entries to our first Skin Creation contest, featuring the Bioluminescent Dragon on our official discord. The prizes for this contest were rare Bioluminescent Dragon Kickstarter Keys, which are now only available through special community events like this one. After several days of voting, the community has spoken and we now have our first, second, and third place winners. The first place winner received three Bio keys, the second place winner received two, and the third place winner received one. Below you can check out the community contest winners:

FIRST PLACE & WINNER OVERALL

SECOND PLACE

THIRD PLACE

In addition to (and excluding) the 3 aforementioned community contest winners, we also have three Staff Choice Award winners we'd like to announce today, Each of the Staff Choice Award winners will receive a single Bioluminescent Dragon Key.




Voted best overall design that didn't win by the DoD Community Staff.




"I really love the uniqueness of this skin and the color palette used. The markings feel very natural and I could imagine this on a real life animal. The colors are very bold and I love the way the tail fades to a lovely purple."
-Bad Parrot




"First, wow! This one was the first design submitted, so to have this kind of quality done so quickly is deserving of recognition. Second, I love the color contrast with the blacks, cyans, and magentas, the skin very much catches my eye. Third, the flower is beautiful and something I could see growing in the Glimmering Caves. Actually, I could see both this skin and flower existing in the world of Jrakhon."
-SuperRhino






While we only were able to pick a few winners, we loved all the skins and really enjoyed hosting this community contest. Check out all the lovely skins below:















Thank you to all those who entered and voted in our very first Skin Creation contest! We had so much fun with this one, we will definitely be hosting more events in the future.

~The Day of Dragons Development Team



Don't want to miss out on updates? Follow us on our social media accounts or become a patron to get updates before they are released!


Discord | Twitter | Youtube | Instagram

Hello again, everyone!

March has been a great month in animations, models, and VFX for us. We have lots of cool new things to share with you. First, here is a message from our head hamster himself.


Q1 2021 is coming to a close wrapping up 16 months of funded development on Day of Dragons, and with that, I get to be the bearer of the news you all have not been waiting for - that being that the 1.0 update will not release in Q1 of 2021 as we had originally planned. We thought we could get it out by the end of March back when we put out our production schedule, but when it comes to game development, you never really know for sure which is why I was hesitant to release a release date when we did several months ago. Q1 was a stretch back then, but we thought we could get it out by then, but that didn't happen.

So what's holding back DoD Genesis? Well, we still have a few things to finish first, such as animations, AI, the new flight system, and a few sounds and particle effects. The good news is that the 1.0 Genesis Open Beta will most definitely be coming in Q2, most likely sooner than later and that will happen once the AI and the Shadow Scale animations are finished. At the time of this blog, we are 90% done with the adult SS anim set and are working on the hatchling anims. Once the Open Beta is live, the remaining production items such as the animated FS, IR, and Magma will be added into the Open Beta as soon as they clear Closed Testing Q&A. Once all the items are out of testing and the Open Beta is cleared of any blocker bugs, Genesis 1.0 will officially release to the public replacing the current alpha build (which will be deprecated) and fans will be able to host their own private Genesis servers. Then, we will begin testing Update 1.1. Speaking of which, our modeling team has already completed most of the 1.1 modeling content and are starting on update 1.2 modeling content this week. Modeling and Sound FX are much farther along currently than Programming and Animations, which I think is usually the case for every game studio.

Some of the things we are doing to help improve our production pipeline include hiring more talent, offload some of my jobs onto other capable developers to allow me to focus more on programming, and better distribute the workload for tasks that can be completed by other developers.

We know that not everyone will take the news of the pushback kindly, but I believe most people understand that game development takes a lot of time. So thank you for your understanding and patience as we continue to work on Day of Dragons Genesis. Those who follow our updates know we are getting things done, and one day at a time it is all coming together. There will come a day when you see Update 1.0 has been released, ːsteamhappyː but it is not this day. ːsteamsadː But someday in 2021! ːsteamhappyː

Thank you for your beawesome patience, beawesome understanding, and continue beawesome support.

- Jon Slabaugh
Lead Developer of Day of Dragons



Alright, back to the blog...
Some of you following our Twitter account may have noticed our new weekly "Dev Diaries", a feature that was requested by the community. These short diaries go over what we have been working on in each department each week. Then at the end of the month, you get to see the results in the monthly Dev Blog! Here is what we worked on this month.






Wow. This dragon was sure a challenge to create and one we could have never completed without the help and support of our awesome community. In total, it took us 5 months to complete this dragon with many scrapped designs. Patrons have already seen part 1 of the concept process and will be getting the second half sometime next month.

However, with the help of the community, we feel we delivered on our promise of the Bioluminescent Dragon being the most beautiful dragon in the game. This is a pure Kickstarter dragon and will only be available for the Kickstarter's who backed for the bio pledge (or winners of the Bio Key). Other players will have to acquire an egg invitation to become one of these dragons.

A special shoutout to ThatOneArtist#2163, 🌻KyraG🌻#6415, and Ulta (Nicole S.)#8037 in our official discord community for their work in helping create the sketches that inspired the final bio concept design.



There will still be chances to get a bio key if you missed out on the Kickstarter and your first chance is happening now in our official discord.

We are currently hold our first skinning contest featuring the Bioluminescent Dragon! The winners of this contest will be chosen by the community and have the chance for their skin to be added into the game. The top three prizes include Bio Keys.

The contest runs until April 2nd, with voting lasting until end of day on April 4th. For more information, check out our official discord.


We still have a handful of promised concepts to finish including the biggest dragon so far; the Ice Behemoth. This kickstarter dragon will be next followed by the Fire Behemoth. Stay tuned for updates on these dragons next month!




As stated above, this month we have a lot of new future content to share with you. Our VFX, Environmental Asset, and Animation teams have done a great job as always. Check out what they have been up to this month.


Like the last few months, the Shadow Scale has been the focus of our animation team as we get closer to permanently opening the Open Testing branch. This month we focused on the remaining ground locomotion as well as his attacks.

The Shadow Scale didn't get all the love this month. The Acid Spitter also got some new moves. Please keep in mind, these are all first takes on the animations. The animations will be polished later on in development.


Stalk


Stalk Idle


Plasma Blast Attack


Backup


Swimming


Mating Display



Flicker has been EXTRA busy this month. She has worked on everything from burning nests to burning dragons to puddle splashes. Check out some of the work she has done in this past month.


Blood Splatter


Bleed Status Effect


Splashing


Swimming


Fire Burn Status Effect


Acid Burn Status Effect


Nest Incubating Effect


All of the nests for Genesis are now complete, thanks for the hard work of Brigade. Each nests is unique to that species and made to fit their incubation needs. In the last two blogs, you saw the nests of the Acid Spitter and Shadow Scale. Now, here are the remaining two.


The Flame Stalker's nest is made out of an old burnt tree stump. This cozy design allows the eggs to stay extra warm as the nest burns.


The Inferno Ravager nest is built from a mount of ash and coal. The warm embers from these nests are perfect for reaching the ideal incubation temperature of the Inferno eggs.



Now that all the nests are complete, Brigade will be turning her attention to her next project; sculpting the aquatic AI for the 1.1 update.






Our next Q&A livestream has not yet scheduled. Stay tuned and watch for updates to find out when the next one will be!





Each blog post, we pick some of our favorite screenshots and artwork posted by the community to showcase here. Want a chance for your submission to be showcased on our next blog? Post it in the appropriate channels on our discord!



by Nomi#4129


by Kuda the Noodle#1432


by Zenora#2649





by Nihil#0404


by ✪That Darn Plague Doctor✪#4724


by Guppies27#8123


As always thanks for reading and your continued support. See you next month for our #12 blog! Don't forget to follow our official Twitter account for our weekly "Dev Diaries".

~The Day of Dragons Development Team



Don't want to miss out on updates? Follow us on our social media accounts or become a patron to get updates before they are released!


Discord | Twitter | Youtube | Instagram