Hey guys, sorry this report is a bit late.
Development has been going well as we focus on developing multiplayer. We're not going to launch without having that in place and tested to the best of our abilities. There are a few bugs we're probably not going to be able to catch, but here is what we have tested so far and have gotten working:
1. Player Hosted Game You can comfortably host your own multiplayer game and play with a few friends. However, the host needs to be online for everyone to play in this mode. So far during tests connectivity has been stable and reliable.
2. Hosting a Dedicated Server We're going to include a build for a dedicated server which you can via service like Digital Ocean if you know a little of Linux. For tech-savvy players, getting the dedicated server up and running involves some basic setup like opening your ports, adjusting settings on your firewall, running the program as administrator, etc. Tests have shown that so far the connectivity has been stable and reliable.
3. Player hosted games, and dedicated games will appear on our server browser The server browser will help players find other players who want to farm together.
4. Password protect your servers: Set a custom password for your server to only allow who you want to join.
5. Full Steam Integration. You can join a friend's games via the steam interface, or send an invite to join your game.
Goals for April
In regards to multiplayer, there are a few bugs in some of the systems in multiplayer which are being ironed out. Now that we've got the connectivity between computers working, we're fixing game specific bugs and making sure everything looks good. We're not going to know a game's capacity for how many players it can host until we release to Kickstarter Backers in a closed Beta. However, so far everything is looking good for multiplayer. I know it's not a big MMO that we originally pitched back in 2014, but we're hoping that this will allow much more flexibility. With our current multiplayer setup players can control who they want to play with allowing for a more intimate experience with a small group of friends.
Other things that were worked on in March
4. Password protect your servers So all servers are listed, but you can set a custom password for your server so only your friends know.
5. Full Steam Integration. You can join a friend's games via the steam interface or send an invite to join your game. This includes servers with passwords (the prompt will appear)
What is being worked on in April
In regards to multiplayer there are a few bugs in some of the systems in multiplayer which is being ironed on. So we've got connectivity stable and down, and now we're fixing multiplayer specific bugs and making sure everything looks good for both client and host. We're not going to know a game's capacity for how many players it can host until we release to Kickstarter Backers in a closed Beta as well as any bugs that may arise as it relates to having more than two people on the server. However, so far everything is looking good for multiplayer. I know it's not a big MMO that we originally pitched back in 2014. But again we're hoping that this will allow much more flexibility and allow players to better control who they want to play with allowing for a more intimate experience with a small group of trusted friends. And if you're not a multiplayer kind of player, there is single player mode.
Other hings that were worked on in march
- Fertilizer Added
- Bee box (Grow flowers and get honey from a bee box)
- More work on NPC dialogue
- Finished up Some NPC models (We've been adding them here)
- Added a TV with channels for weather forecasts, and teaching cooking and crafting recipes.
Those are the main things, along with UI polish, working on the environment and other things that need to be working.
Goals for May
There are still many things in the game that aren't 100% finished, but so far Pumpkin Days is reported to be enjoyable for at least ten hours. After Kickstarter backers receive their steam-keys then we're going to do another month or two of polish to make sure everything is ready to a public Steam launch. Wish us luck and thanks so much for your support!
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