Secret Style Breakdown

Hey everyone, I’m Dan Venhardt, the resident 3D Character Artist here at Monomi Park. We wanted to share part of our development process of the new Secret Style Pack for Slime Rancher, which adds a ton of new slime looks and largos to the mix.

Meet the new tangle slime style... Nightshade!



So what goes into making a slime? Let’s break down how we brought the new tangle slime style to life, step by step!

Early Explorations
We knew we wanted to keep certain thematic elements present on many of the new slime styles, and for tangle slimes we felt it was important to maintain an iconic flower element as well as plant colors. We worked through many ideas (some just for fun) in order to feel out the direction we wanted to go.


A few alternate ideations for the new tangle slime

Nothing was off-limits at this stage, but ultimately we wanted the design to work within the framework of the current slimes’ animations. In the end, we decided on a plump rose-shaped flower as a nice contrast to tangle’s current flower design.

Building the Model


Using 3D programs like Maya and 3D-Coat, a high-resolution model for the flower was created so that details and lighting information could be translated to an optimized low-resolution model in a process called texture baking.



Once the source mesh’s details are “baked” to the game mesh, we can bring this model and its base textures into Unity to apply colors within the slime’s materials.


Tangled Shades
In Unity, we can play with the flowers’ color gradients and smoothness to create a variety of different looks. Using color masks, we can control which parts of our slimes are shiny or soft.



While exploring colors, we found a nice velvety contrast with a darker flower that felt like a good fit for the new tangle slime. Ultimately we decided on a violet flower with a cool blue specular rim, as we felt it looked best in most lighting conditions.


Classic (left), Nightshade (center), and Early Variants (right)


Nightshade Largos!
After the models and materials for the new slime styles were done, we could finally begin the creation of every new largo combination. We want each largo to be distinct, taking advantage of multiple materials and shaders while inheriting their parent slimes’ major features. Each nightshade largo inherits the new flower (often deriving from the base slimes’ dominant color like its classic cousin), as well as its new tint of green when dominant.



I can't wait for you to discover all of the new slime styles and their largo combinations! Be sure to keep an eye out as we share more styles coming in the Secret Style Pack!



Search for special treasure pods throughout the Far, Far Range and discover each slime's unique secret style. Once discovered, you will be able to re-style every slime of that type whenever you choose!

Both the new Secret Style Pack DLC and Viktor's Experimental Update will be available this June, but you can wishlist the Secret Style Pack today!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1079180/Slime_Rancher_Secret_Style_Pack/


Be sure to follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on news, style reveals, and be the first to know when the Secret Style Pack is available :slimeamazed:

Coming to Slime Rancher This June





The Secret Style Pack is an all-new downloadable content pack for Slime Rancher!

Search for special treasure pods throughout the Far, Far Range and discover each slime's unique secret style. Once discovered, you will be able to re-style every slime of that type whenever you choose!

Both the new Secret Style Pack DLC and Viktor's Experimental Update will be available this June, but you can wishlist the Secret Style Pack today!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1079180/Slime_Rancher_Secret_Style_Pack/


Be sure to follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on news, style reveals, and be the first to know when the Secret Style Pack is available :slimeamazed:

Hey Ranchers! We’ve got some exciting new spaces upcoming in 1.4.0. Most different of all is none other than Viktor’s Workshop, a space unlike any we’ve created in Slime Rancher to date.

I’m Chris Lum, Game Designer at Monomi Park, here to talk about how we went about creating this unique new area.


Rough Blockout
We’ve always been in the position that design has typically had more spare cycles to iterate than art, so with Viktor’s we started with a rough blockout using existing assets we previously developed for Ogden and Mochi. Using these preexisting models, I was able to kitbash a quick mockup to help inform us of the type of environment we wanted to create and allowed us to start testing standard Slime Rancher gameplay early on (Example: How many corrals can we fit? Does the space feel open enough to accommodate decorations, fully upgraded corrals, and dozens of slimes?)




Concept
Once we had a basic layout, we started thinking more about how to fill in the space. We knew right away that Viktor’s expansion was going to be the most ‘technologically advanced-looking’ out of all the rancher areas and came up with concepts exploring what sort of devices he might have in his workshop. The earlier blockout helped us to discuss what sort of environment art would work in the space when interacting with our slimes.





Grayboxing
As Viktor’s continued to materialize, we decided to take the prototyping phase a step further and use greybox modelling to get a more accurate representation of the area. I was able to create a low-poly mesh much closer to the size and shape of what Viktor’s actually needed to be in order to test its viability as a space for slimes and player interaction.

This type of greyboxing pass has only ever really happened one other time in the history of Slime Rancher: the other time being with the Ancient Ruins. Much like with the Ancient Ruins, greyboxing the environment early on was very informative and allowed us to quickly see how slimes interacted with the more complex playspace as well as provided a much closer visual representation of how we wanted Viktor’s to look and feel. This also had the added benefit of taking some of the pressure off of our art team so they could focus on other important work that needed to be done.




Production Pass
Playtesting and iteration proceeded with the greybox environment for many months as we ironed out other features. However, eventually we were able to get around to building out Viktor’s “for real”, which presented many unique challenges given the difference in aesthetics, lighting, and construction from many other Slime Rancher expansions. Particularly, Viktor’s is the first fully enclosed rancher expansion we’ve done, so a lot of time was spent ironing out how slimes and their behaviors could impact the environment and vice-versa.

Finally, once we had everything else nailed down, Ian was able to do a full art pass on the Workshop to really push the visual themes and style - I think the results speak for themselves. Overall, I hope the result is a space that feels new, exciting, and full of possibilities!





P.S.
Viktor is always coming up with new ways to optimize and make life more efficient. Gadgets like this Dash Pad should give Bea quite a boost! ;)

Expect a variety of new Slime Science gadgets, both useful and decorative in Viktor's Experimental Update!

Viktor's Experimental Update is coming to Slime Rancher this summer!

Did you miss the Experimental Update Preview? Read the full post and learn more about the new slime and gadgets coming soon to Slime Rancher HERE!


Until next time, stay wiggly! :slimehappy:

Hey ranchers! We’ve got some development updates to share with you :slimeamazed:

As you know, the next big Slime Rancher update will take you to the underwater lab of Viktor Humphries! We have jam-packed this update with some incredible new stuff and are aiming to release it this summer. Here's a in-development preview of what’s coming next for Slime Rancher!



Viktor's Slime-ulations
Join Viktor Humphries and test his simulated reality of the Far, Far Range. Well, a work-in-progress version anyway. You see, his work is hitting a wall because of the numerous bugs in the code as well as an unusual phenomenon: glitches that take the form of... slimes?


Glitch Slimes
Glitch slimes have been discovered living inside Viktor's Slimeulations and it's up to you to help him capture, quarantine, and research them before they spread! But it won’t be easy! Glitch slimes can be difficult to find as they are often hiding in plain sight, pretending to be regular slimes or real objects that were definitely there before... nothing to see here just a regular tree in its regular spot and not out of place.



Use Viktor's patented debug spray to reveal hidden glitch slimes and vac them up before they disappear! Be extra careful while exploring: taking damage could give those tricky glitch slimes a chance to wiggle out of your tank!

The Slimeulation is still full of bugs and will begin to degrade over time. Collect as many glitch slimes as you can before the corruption starts to spread. When the exit portal opens, make a break for it before things get out of control and escape the simulation safely!

Glitch slimes will turn into bug reports after you leave the Slimeulation. Turn in your collection of bug reports for some cutting-edge ranch tech designed by Viktor himself.





New Gadgets
It wouldn't be a very science-y update without new slime science gadgets! Viktor's update will include a smattering of fun and useful (and questionably useful) gadgets. Here are just a few of the gadgets Viktor has been working on:

Advanced Drones
These new-and-improved drones can handle not one, but TWO programs! Talk about advanced! Set a primary AND a secondary task to keep these busy bees busy while you’re busy being breezy.

Portable Water Tap
Water taps are a small, placeable water source that can be used to refill your tank if there aren’t ponds nearby.

Chicken Cloner
This is an experimental gadget constructed by one of Viktor’s scientific peers and, when it works, it creates a perfect clone of any chicken. When it doesn’t, well, that’s a data point at least!



The Decorizer
We’re adding a brand new storage device that will be unlocked via the 7Zee Rewards Club as a mid-tier reward. It allows you to store, clean up, and manage decorative ranch items (ornaments, echoes, etc.) with the press of a button!



Viktor's Experimental Update is shaping up to be a pretty big update and there's even more packed into it that we will be revealing soon! :slimehappy:



We’re developing some paid cosmetic DLC that will allow you to reskin every slime into an awesome, exotic form! Current designs include angelic phosphor slimes, tiger tabbies, and lilly pad puddle slimes. It even applies to largo forms!



We decided to do this DLC after reaching out to the community and discovering many of you would be interested in supporting us beyond the base game. This DLC is totally optional, and purely cosmetic, so if it’s not a fit for you, we’ll still have plenty of other surprises down the road.


That's it for now! Until next time, stay wiggly!

:slimeamazed: :slimeamazed: :slimeamazed: :slimeamazed: :slimeamazed: :slimeamazed: :slimeamazed: :slimeamazed: :slimeamazed:

We are beyond grateful of all the overwhelming love and support from our incredible community of ranchers!

Thank you from all of us here at Monomi Park <3

Celebrate the Season with Slime Rancher's Wiggly Wonderland!

Wiggly Wonderland is back this year and with it comes a new festive event to celebrate the end of another year on the Far, Far Range. Starting December 18, ranchers will receive daily visits from the mysterious “twinkle slime.”

Few ranchers have ever even glimpsed a twinkle slime, with most believing it to be a legend, but those that have know it's real! Some believe that if you find a twinkle slime it will leave you with a gift to collect.



The twinkle slime will appear somewhere on the Far, Far Range once per day between Dec 18 - Dec 30 (based on your local time). Follow the music to find the twinkle slime and collect its parting gift.

We’ll be posting hints on where the twinkle slime has been spotted, so check our Twitter (@MonomiPark) around 9AM PT throughout the event for a hint on each day’s location!




Last year’s Wiggly Wonderland was a blast and we’re excited to bring back another holiday giveaway for you to join!

Share your holiday adventures by tweeting us, posting on Instagram, or sharing on Facebook using #WigglyWonderland for a chance to win a Slime Rancher-themed ASTRO A40 headset!



As with last year, you can post as many times as you’d like throughout the event! So GIF, screenshot, and capture our hearts with your holiday spirit!!

Winner will be selected January 4th and will be contacted via comment or Direct Message. For full giveaway rules please go here.


Have fun! And happy holidays! :slimehappy:

Get the new Galactic Bundle - This DLC bundle includes a Steam exclusive fashion pod, slime toy, and chroma pack!




The Galactic Playset will let you dress your slime up as an intergalactic hero off to save the planet with their trusty Beeper Bot. We're also adding special, platform-exclusive Ruby Chroma Pack which you can use to give your ranch house, vacpack, and ranch tech a shiny, new paint job!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/982310/Slime_Rancher_Galactic_Bundle/


Beeper bots are best for booping


Wiggly Wonderland 2018:
Last year’s Wiggly Wonderland was a blast and we can’t wait to share with you what we have planned for this year. Part of 1.3.2 prepares the game for the incoming holiday event and we will do separate update once we get a little bit closer! :slimeamazed:

We think this year is going to be a lot of fun and we’d appreciate it if you would keep any surprises you find a secret until you see the official reveal. No one wants to get a blog of tarr in their stocking, do they?

Stay tuned for a full announcement later this month!


(PC Only) Message of the Day:
You may notice a new pop-up message on the main menu of the game. This new feature is a way for us to keep you up to date on all sorts of things. For example, we will send you messages when we release a new update, if there’s big news about Slime Rancher, or when new plushies have been added to our merch catalog!

Our goal with this is to keep you in the loop when there’s cool new things happening! It’s quite surprising, but apparently not everyone uses Twitter. But if you want to make sure you never miss a beat, we recommend following us on your preferred social channel (links below) and subscribing to our monthly Newsletter.

Follow us:
Twitter.com/MonomiPark
Facebook.com/SlimeRancherGame
Instagram.com/Monomi_Park
Blog.MonomiPark.com


Other Changes:
- Puddles be praised! The pond received a makeover!
- Gilded Gingers now appear in two locations daily and, if you listen closely, are easier to locate. Happy hunting!
- Game credits got a little longer because our team got a little bigger :)
- Special event slimes (ie: Party Gordo) are now hidden until discovered and are no longer required in order to complete the “Pro Style” achievement.
- Adjusted fruit and veggie growth to make sure they’re always ripe when entering a certain secret area.


Fixes:
- Fixed colliders in the lab and docks that were causing drones to do gymnastics while navigating and interacting in those areas.
- Fixed a bug where the shop occasionally wouldn’t add a slime key to your inventory after you purchased it.
- Addressed some input issues for non-steam controllers.
- Fixed a visual bug where drones appeared to be shrinking items rather than vacuuming them up.
- Fixed an issue where scareslimes sometimes weren’t scary enough. Scareslimes are back to being 2 spooky 4 slimes.
- Fixed a bug where Playset Slime Toys were not properly reducing the agitation of slimes dressed in the corresponding Playset Fashion Pods.
- Fixed a bug that caused tarrs to stop chomping if you stood still. The best ways to deal with tarr is to blast them with water or to RUN!
- Fixed a bug where the slime key count on the map did not include keys that you had already discovered.
- Fixed an issue with the Newbucks UI where it could get stuck on the screen.
- Minor localization fixes and improvements.


Dec 5, 2018 - 1.3.2b
- Fixed a bug related to activating/deactivating Steam Overlay

There's a new way for you to play with some of your favorite slimes in this free VR Playground DLC!

The Slime Rancher: VR Playground is a free, standalone add-on for Slime Rancher that lets you vac, feed, and play with slimes like never before! Get face-to-face with some of your favorite slimes like: pink, tabby, and phosphor :slimehappy:



There are three unique VR playgrounds for you to explore: play a game of Slimeball in the Dry Reef, relax by the pond in the Moss Blanket, and (cautiously) play with boom and quantum slimes in the Ancient Ruins.

The VR Playground is available to download—FOR FREE—right now! :slimeamazed:


https://store.steampowered.com/app/939480/Slime_Rancher_VR_Playground/

The Party Gordo is giving out a special Halloween treat to any rancher who is brave enough to find him! Pop the Party Gordo and break Party Crates to get a burst of Jack-o'-lantern ornaments.

Don't miss your chance

This unique ornament will only be available Oct 30-Nov 1!



Plus, have an extra happy Halloween and save big on Slime Rancher during the Steam Halloween Sale! Slime Rancher will be a whopping 50% off now through Nov 1st :slimehappy:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/433340/Slime_Rancher/

Slime Rancher v1.3.1 represents a significant overhaul to the way that a lot of backend systems work and while overall it should produce significant gains in performance, it may produce unexpected issues that we did not catch in our testing process. Should you experience any issues with v1.3.1, please email support@monomipark.com and we’ll be sure to help you right away!


The Optimized Update is here to improve overall performance of Slime Rancher. Yes, even though we're nearly 3 years out from initial release, we're still hard at work to make Slime Rancher the best possible experience for everyone!

Game Optimization:
We have upgraded Slime Rancher’s game engine which will bring performance improvements for a majority of players!

- We did a lot of technical wizardry, but the short of it is we upgraded the game engine to Unity 2018 and all game data has been reorganized to optimize the way we store data and manage certain game states.
- Most PC players, as well as all Xbox and PS4 players should see improved performance and overall frame rate.
- DirectX 9 is no longer supported. More on this here.

Drone Improvements:
Drones got a nice little update that allows them to deliver to the Refinery and improves how they interact with some targets/destinations!

For plorts only:
- Refinery and Refinery Link have been added as a destination—for science!
- Updated “Outside Plots” to a new “Free Range” option. Drones set to “Free Range” will collect the target item from anywhere on the ranch expansion that is not in storage (e.g. Silos, Plort Collectors).
- Updated programming interface to clarify that drones can deliver to the Plort Market via Market Links when you’re in another ranch expansion. The destination will dynamically update to either read “Plort Market” or “Market Link” depending on where you are.

Miscellaneous:
- Updated incinerator programming so they now serve the sole purpose of feeding fire slimes rather than infinitely destroying items. Drones will only deliver food to incinerators until the ash trough is full. If you’re looking to burn two thousand carrots because you really hate carrots, you’re going to have to do that manually. But come on, they’re just carrots.
- Drones are now able to deliver food directly from silos to corrals.



New & Updated Translations:
- Added Korean translation! 어떻게 지내?
- Completely overhauled the French translation!
- Updated the Chinese translation!

Other:
- Updated the super secret Party Gordo schedule. Wondering who the Party Gordo is? Check out the details over in the Party Gordo Update notes.

Fixes:
- Fixed an issue where fruits and veggies would almost always be unripe in an area that you haven’t visited in awhile.
- Added a fix that will prevent some cases of items getting stuck below ground in Ogden’s Retreat.
- Fixed drone trail artifacts upon re-entering areas with drones.
- Fixed it so that drones would stop grabbing carrots out of gardens instead of odd onions while you’re not looking.
- Fixed a bug where certain other slime types were counting towards the Omnivorous achievement.
- Fixed gamepad bindings buttons being invisible in certain resolutions.
- Fixed an issue where the ash trough was not correctly remembering its fullness after a save/reload.
- Fixed a few instances where some game translations would overflow in the UI.
- Fixed the “Reset Defaults” button on the gamepad options panel leaving the invert-y-axis option in an inconsistent state which was resulting in some players not knowing what was up and what was down.
- Fixed an issue where plorts didn’t know if they should stay or they should go after a save/load.
- Fixed ferals sometimes cooling off after jumping into water while chasing you. This involved delicately balancing their ‘Hangry’ parameter. Game development is fun.
- Fixed a bug where gold slimes were leaving an incorrectly, unfabulously colored splat.

Again, if you encounter any oddities with this update please contact us at support@monomipark.com

Happy ranching! :slimehappy: