One more news update for 2021. Its been a long year with a lot of updates and changes throughout, but well get into that later. There isnt a ton to talk about for this month. December tends to be slow with the holidays taking over the latter half of the month. Still, I have been getting things done, just nothing spectacular, I guess. Combat is still coming along. Monsters are mostly all squared away in terms of what they do. Bosses have also been setup in most ways, I think Im missing an idea for 1 or 2 at this point. Theres also just been some general refinement of the systems relating to combat. The longer I work on combat the more I seem to simplify it. I dont want to make it too straightforward obviously but some parts of the system in terms of progression, balance, and player stats were more obtuse than anything so theyve been modified or done away with for what I think will make a smoother experience. This is a farming sim after all, not a super complex JRPG. Aside from slogging through combat creation Ive been working on some other things as well. There are several bugs that are being addressed. Outside of that Ive got a few visual updates to the game that should add some nice touches. In the future Id like to look into more things like this its just a matter of finding the time as usually there are more important issues to address. Aside from the visuals, Ive got some new NPCs in the works. Currently, there are two that will be added next patch but there may be more depending on how things go. Both should also have a few quests accompanying them as well as two interiors because they cant live/work in a black void, although it would admittedly be way easier for me. I think thats mostly it as far as things worth mentioning specifically. While I cant make a guarantee Im hoping there will be a patch in January. Its somewhat dependent on a few art assets being made, but Id guess that wont be a huge issue. That marks the end of the new stuff. This next part was something I found interesting from a developer perspective. Given that its the end of the year I figured it might be a good time to look back. I keep daily backups of Verdant Village. So, I went back to what Verdant Village was at the start of the year to see the differences. I also looked back at the earliest build of the game ever which is a hilarious white screen with some moving blocks on it. In any case I dont pay a ton of attention to changes made over long periods of time. Once a feature is in the game, I eventually forget that it wasnt there at some point. Looking back at the old build and the patch notes over the year I found it interesting to see what was actually changed. Below is a list of the bigger items that have been added to the game over the year. I apologize if this seems self-indulgent, I dont mean to inflate my ego or anything I just found it interesting and thought others might as well. Anyway, over the course of 2021 Verdant Village has seen the following changes.

• 3 Zones (which I wont name for spoiler reasons)
• 4 New Archeology Artifacts
• 3 NPCs (Petra, Isabel, and Graham)
• 2 Shops
• 10 Quests
• The Fermentation System
• The Buffs System
• Fisheries
• Fish Traps
• Hunting Refinement (smoking, drying, and marinading meat)
• 33 Perks
• Minor Archeology Artifacts
• The Windmill System
• A Variety Of New Furniture
• A Set Of Fish For The Mines
• Cocoa Trees
• Barley And Rye
• The Mines Overhaul
• Fishing System Overhaul
• UI Upgrades
• Alchemy System Rework
• Buildable Silo
• Truffle System Overhaul
• Forage And Surface Ore Changes
• A Slew Of QoL
• An Even Larger Slew Of Bug Fixes

• Create A Thriving Farm: Start with nothing, and with little more than the sweat of your brow turn your property into a bustling farmstead.
  
  
• Master Skills As You Progress: No one starts out as a master. Level up your skills as you work. Complete specific tasks to gain powerful perks to help you succeed.
  
  
• Uncover Lost Mysteries: Search throughout the land for hidden artifacts to piece together. The Empyrean Vale is vast and full of history to learn and history to unearth.
  
  
• Make A House A Home: Decorate your new property with a variety of different objects. Place whatever you want where ever you want it and truly create your own slice of heaven.
  
  
• Meet The Townsfolk: Interact and speak with over 40 characters living in Amberglen and beyond. Each character has a personality and story to tell.
  
  
• Cast A Line: Visit the multitude of different fishing spots spread across the vale. There are over 100 fish to catch, split between different environments, seasons, and times.
  
  
• Have A Taste: Learn to cook a litany of different meals. Get the locals to teach you different recipes and become the best chef in Amberglen.
  
  
• Lend A Helping Hand: Find and complete a variety of tasks for villagers. You'll find that everyone needs something done. Most are willing to teach you something in return as well.

• Hunting: Hunt a variety of animals in the nearby forests of The Empyrean Vale.
  
• Alchemy: Craft numerous potions and other odd items to sell or use.
  
• Combat: Battle your way past any threat you come across.
  
• Marriage: Find a spouse and court them.
  
• Sailing: Build a ship and sail the bay.
  
• Much much more

• OS: Any
• Processor: 2.0 GHzMemory: 2 GB RAM
• Memory: 2 GB RAM
• Graphics: 512 MB Video Memory
• Storage: 400 MB available space