Excuse the previous versions of this article. Some hardware and network issues made it so that there were two instances of the article being saved and the live one was - OF COURSE - the Under Construction one.
With apologies out of the way, we give you this week's Something's Brewing and the latest in Ale Abbey's development.
-- UI is turning glorious
"Glorious" is a word we like to use a lot within the team. To us, it's not just an adjective, it's a pursuit, a goal.
By now the pattern has become obvious, every week the work we put into UI is quite substantial. And while we're almost there in terms of functionality, we still want it to be, well, glorious, realistic, and very relevant to the era. So... here are a few behind-the-scenes mockups of where we see a few scenes from the game ending up looking like!
-- More character animations
Tying up loose ends, we also worked on finishing some leftover animations, namely secondary characters going up and down stairs. Regardless of their activity in the Monastery - quite minimal compared to that of your Monks and Nuns - they too will have to find their way around the Monastery!
(Plus, we need to put that part of the animation to rest before we move on to working on other juicy assets)
-- Adding detail to rooms
Although the design of all the rooms in the Abbey is practically finished, we constantly revisit them, adding elements that will make them look polished, distinguishable, more detailed/alive, and adding to their Late Middle Ages character. These details will focus on the aesthetic without losing focus on the more "technical" aspects of their placement (like furniture or light sources blocking windows, sizes of elements and the rooms they are being placed, etc.)
-- Using coffee in homebrewing
Two of Yannis' favorite things joining forces? Someone's a happy camper today!
Using coffee in homebrewing beer adds major complexity and depth to the final product. Coffee can bring a rich and robust flavor profile to your beer, enhancing its aroma and taste. This of course also means that when selecting coffee for brewing, it is essential to choose high-quality beans that complement the beer's characteristics and style. Having in mind that different coffee varieties, roast levels, and brewing methods can bring a ridiculous amount of combinations you can experiment with you can bet it can bring unique and highly personalized brews.
To incorporate coffee into homebrewed beer, there are various approaches. One standard method is adding whole coffee beans directly to the fermentation vessel or secondary fermentation vessel. The beans can be lightly crushed or left whole, depending on the desired intensity of the coffee flavor. As the beer ferments, it extracts the flavors and aromas from the coffee, resulting in a harmonious blend of roasted malt and coffee undertones.
Another technique involves creating a cold brew coffee concentrate and adding it during the bottling or kegging stage. Cold-brewing coffee produces a smooth and less acidic flavor profile, which can be advantageous when balancing it with the beer's characteristics. By carefully dosing the cold brew concentrate, homebrewers have precise control over the strength of the coffee notes in the final product.
When using coffee in homebrewing, it is crucial to consider the beer style and aim for balance. Not all beer styles are suitable for coffee additions, so choosing styles that can harmonize with the coffee flavors is important. Stouts, porters, brown ales, and certain Belgian styles often work well with coffee, as their malty and roasted characteristics complement the coffee's richness. However, lighter beer styles, such as pilsners or wheat beers, may not pair as effectively with coffee and could result in flavor clashes.
Now... if you excuse us, there's some coffee to be made!
Make sure you join us next week for more of Ale Abbey's news! For now, enjoy your weekend responsibly ;)
-- Hammer & Ravens
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