The inside of the giant tree is really starting to come together! We decided to focus entirely on the interior, and not allow the player to fly outside the tree. The scope to do the exterior as well, to the standard we'd like to, was beyond what we have capacity for. So, I've spent a fair bit of time blocking things out, and experimenting with different layout. Just today I added a mossy material to most objects, which makes the upwards-facing surfaces have a moss texture on them. Doing procedural mapping like this is very tricky with lowpoly models, because of the sharp angles. On a smooth sphere, the transition between vertical and horizontal is gradual, so there can be a nice transitional gradient. With lowpoly, that transition between the moss and the wood can be pretty sharp. I haven't been able to think of a good way around that, but all in all, I'm still pretty happy with the look we've got. Once we get some giant glowing plants scattered around, I think this will start to look even better!

We have successfully implemented a Journal system into the game! Whether through gathering a certain number of items, or interacting with the right thing, or simply through regular progression through the game, you will unlock various journal entries which will tell you a bit more about the world, and give some insights into the character you're playing as.

This is a huge opportunity for worldbuilding, and we're excited to see what we can do with it!

One other significant change we made is the ability to crash-land. If you run into the ground at a steep angle, there will be a poof of dust, and you will be stunned for a second. However, if you press the "land" button at the right time, you'll stick the landing and won't be stunned. It would be awesome if there was a cool animation for it, but we don't have one at the moment. Animation really is something we could use some help with...

Lots more to come! One of the things we'll be working on this next sprint is a little cottage where the caretaker of this zone lives.