Stoneshard Update #35 – Biomes

Ink Stains Games’ upcoming roguelike RPG Stoneshard will feature several distinct biomes with their own unique tile sets, weather effects, and vegetation. The latest Kickstarter update offers a preview, along with a number of sample animations. And here are just the text bits:

Hello everyone!

Stoneshard team is back in action, and in this devlog we will talk about another aspect of the global map – biomes.

The global map (alongside with the tiles it’s composed of) is generated procedurally. The map is also divided into several climatic zones, which will affect the biomes and the order in which they may be encountered. When moving to the north, the climate conditions will gradually become more harsh: the southern steppes will be replaced by fields and deciduous forests, then pinewoods will take their place, which will finally turn into the snow-covered expanses of taiga and tundra.

Almost every climate option will have a unique visual and some different gameplay features. For example, in fields with their lack of vegetation, it is easier to spot enemies from a distance – which is not true in forests, where trees and complex landscapes make exploration and movement much more difficult.

It’s time to show how these biomes look like. While working on the design of the environment, we temporarily turned off the spawning of animals and emeies, so we could enjoy the beauties of Aldor nature in splendid isolation.

Field environments are rather laconic: green meadows, flowers, butterflies, small bushes, boulders, and very rarely – some saplings.

Most of the Forest sprites were completely redrawn to create a more holistic and dense forest feel. Small glades here alternate with areas of dense vegetation.

Pinewoods consist mainly of fir trees and centuries-old pines. The soil here is also different, more dark and stony. Due to the proximity of the mountains, boulders and rocky areas are more common here.

Well, finally the Taiga biome. The main difference from pinewoods is – yes, you’re right – snow. We also plan to introduce some unique gameplay mechanics to this biome, but they are still under discussion.

As you can see on the GIFs above, the weather and lighting will also dynamically change depending on the time of day and the biome. The day gives way to night, the rain got replaced by the fog, and in the northern regions of Aldor you can experience the snowfall.

Some biomes (like the Swamp or the Seashore) are not ready yet, so we will show them next time. That’s all for today, see you soon!