Hey all - Tom here!
There is so much news to share in this update - it's a big one! Before talking about everything new, I wanted to announce something some of you may already know.. we are part of the CozyQuest Steam event!
Even more exciting, this demo was revealed in the opening showcase! Very cool.
We're beyond thankful to be part of this awesome event alongside so many great cozy games - thanks for hosting SecretMode!
When I said this update was a big one, I wasn't lying. V0.4.1 features an entirely new world, with unique biomes, ecosystems and creatures!
We have made massive changes to our world creation process, so expect more detail, better lighting and denser locations.
We have completely reworked the quest and dialogue systems, allowing for more complex scenarios and events (briefly shown in our new introductory tutrorial).
This will have a much larger impact on future updates and general development, but this is just so exciting!
The sky has also seen significant changes, with the addition of atmospheric haze and completely reworked cloud systems.
In future updates expect to see this expand futher, with weather systems which directly influence gameplay.
I considered writing a large changelog for this update, but honestly it feels easier to leave it at this:
[+] Changed just about everything.
This has definitely been our biggest update to date, and a collosal undertaking - I can't thank the team enough (but I can try). Special shoutout to our newest 3D artist, Bob, who built most of the environment for this new world and drastically raised our quality standards. Ethan created amazing new systems and UI for this update, it's safe to say his code is some kind of dark magic I can only dream of discovering. Without India's concept art, this world likely wouldn't be finished for another year (and would be far less exciting or planned out). Nothing creates atmosphere more than Daz's soundracks.
Jack somehow kept me organised whilst we manage this project, on top of all the amazing 3D art he creates. Not sure how you do it.
As always, community feedback has played a really important role in ROVA's development. Your support means the world to us🪐
If you do have any future feedback, the best place to share it is in the steam community forums.
Feel free to share your ingame photos with any of our socials - We'd love to see what you discover!