Devlog #16 - Currency Display, Tutorial Town and Pre-Alpha Official Release

Devlog Update -  Currency Display, Tutorial Town and Pre-Alpha Official Release

We are excited to bring you news that we have released an official pre-alpha build for players to download and enjoy. To enhance the trading experience, we have implemented a new feature: the display and real-time updates of the player's currency. As well as to allow a playable pre-alpha release, built a tutorial town to showcase the working mechanics. In this devlog, we will delve into the details of what these changes entail.

Currency Display:

With the latest update, players can now visually see above their inventory whilst trading with a trader their current currency. This allows for easy monitoring and tracking of available funds during the gameplay. The currency display is positioned similarly to where the trader's currency is positioned above the trader's inventory but instead is above the players, ensuring that players can quickly glance at their current currency without any distractions.

Real-Time Updates:

The player's currency is now dynamically adjusted and visually updated in response to whenever a transaction is made. Example of how this works:

1. Buying from Traders: When a player successfully completes a purchase from a trader, the cost of the items will be deducted from their displayed currency and added to the trader. This immediate deduction ensures that players are aware of their remaining funds after each transaction.
2. Selling to Traders: Similarly, when players sell their items to traders, the amount will be removed from the trader and added to the player's displayed currency. This instant addition reflects the funds acquired from the successful sale.
3. Other In-Game Events: By allowing a real-time update, in the future, the player's currency will also be updated in real-time in response to various events within the game world. For example, if the player would complete a quest and receive a reward, the corresponding amount will be added to their displayed currency.

Tutorial Town:

In honour of the release of the pre-alpha release build, a tutorial town was made within the game world. This tutorial town lets players try the current gameplay mechanics, including the trading system, inventory management, and currency interactions that have been implemented.

Each significant mechanic is represented by a distinct pillar located throughout the tutorial town. As players approach and hover over these pillars, a block of text will dynamically appear, providing a detailed explanation and guidance on the respective mechanic. The aim of this is to showcase the different mechanics and how they will work in the future releases of the game.

Pre-Alpha Release:

As briefly mentioned earlier, we are delighted to announce that the official release of the pre-alpha build of the game is now available to download. Players can now experience first-hand the current core features and mechanics we have been working on.

The pre-alpha build is available for download as a .exe file allowing players to test the implemented features, and provide valuable feedback that will contribute to the refinement and enhancement of the overall gameplay experience.

We encourage all players to try out the pre-alpha build, immerse themselves in the game world, and share their thoughts, suggestions, and bug reports with us. Your feedback is immensely valuable and will help shape the future direction of our game.

Upcoming Improvements:

With the currency display and real-time updates successfully implemented, we have a few additional improvements and features planned for the future:

1. Currency Symbols and Formatting: In upcoming updates, we will be working on introducing trades made by items and not only currency. This will further immerse players in the game world and add a touch of authenticity to the currency system as poorer villages would rather engage in exchanging of goods instead of purchasing with coin due to the lack of use for coins since they might not be under a kingdom.
2. Player Income Tracking: In the future, a system that tracks the player's income and outcome over time will be created. This will provide players with detailed information on their progress.

Bug Fixes:

During development, we addressed an important bug fix as well:

Currency Display: We resolved an issue where the currency display would show incorrect values or fail to update.

In conclusion, players can now view their currency during transactions, allowing them to understand whether a trade can be made, furthermore, the pre-alpha release offers players a glimpse into the immersive world we are building and invites their valuable feedback to shape the future of the game.

Stay tuned for future devlog updates as we introduce new features, improve existing mechanics, and address any issues that arise. Thank you to everyone who has helped on this exciting journey so far. Feedback and engagement are extremely essential in making the game the best it can be.