Ale Abbey - In Beer we Trust Windows game

Hello all!

We have another quick review for you this week with Ale Abbey's dev progress, and there have been some leaps and bounds, as is customary.

A conundrum around UI and trying to figure out the right way forward, work on the Meditation room's under-construction state, and yet another character getting their portrait done.

Let's dive right in!


-- A familiar character...

You knew this particular NPC, you probably even know what original character he was inspired by (*hint* Monkey Island *hint*). With similar work already done for the other NPCs that revolve around tasks, and game progression the Merchant just received his own mugshot!

This is but the second take on his portrait and believe you us, there will be more until we perfectly nail his - exceptionally - active demeanor. He does run a business that keeps your monastery's supplies topped up after all!


-- Building the Meditation room

Following up on these last couple of weeks, we also worked on the "under construction" state of the Meditation room. The Meditation room has quite an important role in your monastery as it keeps your little brewers mentally fit to tackle their otherwise busy and oftentimes strenuous schedule.

The Meditation room's under-construction state received the same treatment as its predecessors. All rooms are designed to be starkly different from one another yet match perfectly with the whole. Here you see how the Medication room has a completely different take on material and colors, which are especially noticeable on its walls. Still, the monastery's overall vibe is present.

Oh, and if you think about it, those rooms looking different even in this state, also works as a preview and a way of helping you avoid unintentionally building the wrong room. So, yeah, you're welcome😅


-- Pondering major UI changes

Talking about meditation rooms and finding ways to vent frustration...

This week has hit the team heavily, for quite a few reasons, but if you've been following our past updates you already know that the one pair of letters we love to hate, but absolutely adore (italics for sarcasm), is UI.

You can find UI sketches for Ale Abbey from around the project's infancy. And we have progressed quite a lot, especially when it comes to more situational UIs like the one used for Recipe creation. However, with more information and more sources for it making it into the game, we feel that the main UI needs to be revised. Radically so. Comfort levels, Fame, funds, loans, staff management, keeping up with 3 brews happening at the same time... it can quickly become a lot.

A quick - but significant - change on the top menu, nesting elements at the topmost part of the screen and away from all the action (consider this a WIP with many placeholders).

And another take that looks closer to what we have in our internal build right now with elements placed differently, but still focusing on readability and available game screen.

If you are wondering, we have tons of ideas we need to test, but we have to be efficient about this. If you have any comments do remember to drop us a line. We love feedback and know that an outsider's perspective never hurts. Not too much at least.


-- Lagering is the beer's meditation

And talking about meditation, let us use a parallelism with lagering.

You've brewed or are about to brew a lager. Good choice! What happens when you let that beer age (or lager), or in other words, when you let that beer meditate a bit? You stuff that beer in a barrel - or a container of your choice that can sustain its maturity for long enough, keep it in a dark, cool spot, and the process begins. If all goes well, when lagering is over, you get:

• Flavor Maturation & Reduction of Off-Flavors: Lagering helps to reduce unwanted flavors such as diacetyl (which can taste like butter) and sulfur compounds. It also allows the flavors to meld and mature, resulting in a smoother and more refined taste.
• Clarity through Sedimentation: Proteins, yeast, and other particulates settle out of the beer during this cold storage, leading to a clearer final product.
• Natural Carbonation: During lagering, some carbonation can occur naturally as the beer continues to ferment slowly, resulting in a finer and more stable carbonation.
• Overall Chemical Stability: Lagering can improve the chemical stability of the beer, making it less prone to spoilage and oxidation over time.

But we can hear some of you asking, "are there any benefits to longer lagering?" "can it ever be too long?" Well, why not come back and find out in next week's Something's Brewing? ;)


Enjoy your weekend responsibly and remember to join us next week for some more Ale Abbey news!

-- Hammer & Ravens

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